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[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
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Topic: [Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work (Read 10881 times)
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
March 19, 2005, 02:28:05 AM »
We tried Capes last night.
Setting: Students at Megapolis High School. In a physics lab experiment gone wrong, three students get super powers.
First scene: Detention! Professor Williams tells us to clear the school cellars as punishment for causing trouble in physics class. Down there we discover a huge robot - the fourth PC - hidden behind a locked door. He can't get out without more power! We debate whether to help him or try to shut him off, when suddenly we hear a car going by outside. The robot drains the car's power and comes charging out.
The car stops, and Alvin and Martha - two students - get out. Martha's really mad at Alvin: This is the third time his car "breaks down" conveniently on a date.
Martha sees the robot and screams. She calls the police. Wailing sirens.
New scene: Outside, Martha talks to the police. One of the cops mistakenly tries to arrest Prof. Williams. A new robot appears in the basement: An evil twin! He kills some of the cops, one of which is being kissed by Martha as he dies.
At this point, the game had gotten too chaotic. We didn't have any direction, and conflicts on the table were "Event: Prof. Williams says 'Nice and clean in here!'" and another one (even less dramatic, I believe). We were about to start a conflict: "Goal (Mento): Make Martha do a strip show". Bleh. We just stopped.
Problems we had: Not grokking the game. We weren't into the whole tactics thing, we just wanted to tell a good story, and felt like the rules weren't helping us do what we wanted.
Why did we have to use abilities to do stuff? How did we end up resolving the cool conflicts too fast, and the boring ones too slowly? Why should we invest any interest in the events going on?
We weren't prepared for what the system would do; I spent a lot of time looking up rules and clarifications, and several players had to pass turns because they got frustrated trying to keep the rules and the plot in their heads at the same time.
We want to try it again - but we have to be aware of what we're getting into. This is a tactical game, not a go-with-the-flow game. It's about setting up conflicts not just because they sound like fun, but because they can give you an advantage later in the game.
- - -
So. We decided to give it a shot right afterwards, new characters, new setting. Post-apocalyptic surrealism. We're mutant survivors in a bleak world. A strange & scary Zone of weirdness is growing, and has taken part of our city. We have to go into the heart of the Zone and find out how to stop it. (Sort of Tarkovskij's "Stalker" meets "Mad Max").
We decided to give ourselves more time for free play and setting the scene. So we started out going round-robin, taking turns narrating stuff. After doing that for a while, someone mentioned starting a conflict, and we just couldn't fit it in - since I didn't respond with a rules fix, and it didn't seem like anyone felt the need to introduce mechanics at this point, we just kept on talking. The same thing happened two more times; after that, we went with the round-robin narration.
It worked out well, but it had nothing to do with Capes. It was a reaction to a rules set that was obstructing us in our goal: Telling a story together and getting into the atmosphere of it.
- - -
I want to emphasize that we'd like to play Capes again, and I don't have any fair criticism to the game at this point. We didn't know what we were getting into, and played the game in a way that didn't work - wrong tool for the job. Next time we'll give it a go the way it should be played.
But yesterday, the impro was very good, and the Capes session wasn't.
Posts: 108
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #1 on:
March 19, 2005, 05:38:17 AM »
Hey, matthijs.
I've played Capes exactly once, but it did happen to be with ol' TonyLB himself, so presumably it went the way games usually go.
My take: Capes is a really rather amazing engine for modeling golden- or silver-age comics. I suspect it is really rather bad for doing other stuff. (It'd almost have to be: it's too good at doing what it sets out to do to be easily drifted.)
I think that there's a bit of a mis-match between what the game does, and what you want it to do. The rules are all about sorting between clear and competing eventualities, and require that the players are at odds, and willing to make a big fuss about being at odds. It sounds like in your game, there wasn't this tension. Is this right?
The game is strikingly different from most RPGs in a couple of ways:
1. The characters have to be in opposition. All the game does is resolve conflicts that occur between the characters.
2. Because of this, conflicts can really go either way. If there's a <Goal: Destroy the world>, then it might happen. This requires a good deal of acceptance about the possible directions the story will go. If you're not ok with things going either way, there's trouble.
3. Interestingly, there's a clear gap between what I as a player want to happen and what my character wants to happen. I might introduce a goal that I doesn't especially care about winning. Primarily because I want to suck in one of the other players who I think will be really invested in not losing.
Your game sounds like a typical "party" of allied folks in a situation together. Uh-oh. Where's the conflict?
In our game, there were six of us, and Tony (to my surprise) alternated hero and villian roles around the table. And suddenly, BAM! We were all tussling and struggling. <Goal: The president gets killed live on national tv> was the first thing on the table. So it was time for super powers and day-saving.
Heroes vs. villians, we were all willing to get some debt and make things happen because we knew our characters were at odds. If our characters weren't all that opposed, the whole thing would've been a bit of a wash. (Yeah, ok, the president's in danger! So...I save him, with minimal fuss! Uh.)
My reactions to the specifics:
First scene, we've got a huge lumbering robot, Alvin vs. Martha, and police! This seems just about right, to me. A couple of different conflicts rolling, all hitting substantially different things.
What were the goals/ events, and how did they resolve?
It sounds like this-
<Event: The robot is loose!>
<Goal: Martha thinks Alvin is a real creep!>
<Goal: Martha calls the police.>
Is this right, more or less? And how did they end up resolving? Your description cut to scene two without resolving for us scene one! Did this happen in the session, too?
But it couldn't've, because
by definition
, the scene isn't over until all the pieces resolve.
Ok, scene two.
<Goal: The cops help>, which failed, and they end up trying to arrest the prof. Evil Twin shows up, narrated into existence with <Goal: The Evil Twin wreaks havoc>, which succeeds.
Can you tell us what the actual conflicts were, who was interested in them, and how they resolved?
I mean, from the above, so far so good! What happened? When did things get so disasterously off track? What were the specific times when you felt frustrated by the system? My guess is that everyone wanted to collaborate, which is the opposite of what the game is for. Am I on track?
Sydney Freedberg
Posts: 1293
Re: [Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #2 on:
March 19, 2005, 07:40:05 AM »
Quote from: matthijs
We weren't into the whole tactics thing, we just wanted to tell a good story, and felt like the rules weren't helping us do what we wanted..... a rules set that was obstructing us in our goal: Telling a story together and getting into the atmosphere of it.
Yeah, you've nailed the problem here: You wanted one thing,
is set up to do something else. I've heard people make the same complaint about
My Life With Master
, which is even more highly structured. Both of these designs (and others around the Forge) operate on the [U.S.] Founding Fathers' principle of "the wise restraints that make us free," or poet Robert Frost's rule that "writing poetry without formal structure is like playing tennis without a net." In other words, you have things you want to do, but the formal structure -- sonnet form, or constitutional checks and balances, or
conflict resolution rules -- gets between you and that goal, complicating things.
If you're not expecting this, if you're used to transparent systems that exist to make telling the story you thought up easier, then it's really, really frustrating. If you embrace this, if you let go of your initial idea and let the game throw up unexpected stuff, then it can be a lot of fun.
Imagine water flowing neatly through a tiny stream in an ornamental garden; very nice; but what if you put some big rocks in the water? All of a sudden you get unpredictable perturbations in the flow, and boy, can that look cool.
{EDIT to add afterthoughts:}
Two more things came to me while I cleaned up the baby's cheerio-encrusted high chair:
not only relies on formal structure, it relies on
: You invest by borrowing, the whole "winner's debt becomes loser's story tokens" economy is about paying the other side to lose, and, above all, the game, like a capitalist economy, absolutely requires individuals to compete seeking selfish individual goals in order to produce a harmonious and mutually beneficial whole. If you don't compete, if you try actively to cooperate, then the game stalls. Counter-intuitive, but powerful.
2) Because
puts formal structure and mechanics in the way of anyone's idea for the story (Fortune and Karma over-rule drama), and because it's competive, something very interesting happens. The downside I've seen is that a player who is low on self-confidence and self-assertion is going to get overwhelmed and drop out (I've seen this happen). But the very interesting upside is that people who have a certain minimal level of self-confidence and self-assertion will flourish,
because the structure protects and nourishes their competitiveness against more dominant players who, in a pure drama system, would just ride over them
: In our Forgite DC pickup game last night, the people who dominated the casual conversation before the game were much less dominant than they were during the game, when rules kicked in to make sure anyone who wanted to got to contribute.
Check out
Bloodstained Stars
apocalypse girl
Posts: 5574
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #3 on:
March 19, 2005, 08:58:59 AM »
Yeah, in this Capes has a lot in common with Universalis. Both are games specifically designed to eliminate "pass the conch" play. If you're looking for them to provide rules to enhance "pass the conch" play...you're bound to be frustrating.
Uni's rules on Complications are there specifically to allow other players to call a halt to the conch and bring into play a dice mechanic that, depending on how the dice fall and what resources were called upone for dice, really change the direction that play would have gone if the conch had continued.
Capes goes a step further and has that sort of Complication as the standard mechanic, in play at all times...not just on occassions when a player calls for it. In Uni if you Gimmicked Complications out of the game (or just ignore using them), you are left with much more of a "Pass the Conch" play with some additional mechanics for Challenges and Interrupts. In Capes the conflict mechanics are so central that there is no ignoring them.
Going into Capes with the attitude of "how do I use the conflicts to help support the story I want to tell" won't work. In Capes the mechanism is so strong that you have to go into it with the attitude of "how do I identify what the story is from this menu of conflicts that are in play". Since that menu is added by the players, you have to atune your senses to identifying what the potential conflicts in any given scene are...use the rules to establish those as the menu of conflicts...and then seek to tip the balance of those conflicts in a direction you favor while the other players are tipping the balance in different ways or throwing wrenches in by adding conflicts you hadn't thought of.
Ralph Mazza
Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories
Christopher Kubasik
Posts: 1153
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #4 on:
March 19, 2005, 11:12:50 AM »
I'll bite. What is "pass the conch" play?
I checked the glossary. Nothing. I found the term in serveral posts using the Search function -- but never defined. So.... Come on, let me sleep tonight. What's it mean.
(You know, sometimes this place really is like wandering into the text of
A Clockwork Orange
"Can't we for once just do what we're supposed to do -- and then
The Shield
Larry L.
Posts: 616
aka Miskatonic
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #5 on:
March 19, 2005, 11:30:37 AM »
It's a reference to
Lord of the Flies
Indie Gamers Minnesota
Posts: 5574
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #6 on:
March 19, 2005, 12:14:26 PM »
Yeah, as Larry says.
Its not a Forge jargon term. Actually I'd thought it was in fairly widespread use to describe play where players take turns narrating freely. Who ever "has the conch" gets to say what happens.
Ralph Mazza
Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #7 on:
March 19, 2005, 12:48:00 PM »
Okay, here's a thing.
I get what Capes is trying to do, but I don't like it. Like Universalis, it has two things that don't really go well with my playing style:
- An assumption (or implicit requirement) that players are competitive
- A system mirroring a capitalist world view of investment and returns
And I'm thinking maybe it's not just me and my personal style. Maybe it's actually a cultural thing. Competition, cash returns, using the system to get what's best for
See, the cultural references I was brought up with are way different than the ones you've got in the states. Things like - my country (Norway) is a socialist democracy. The shows we all watched as kids were all about cooperation and getting along together - heaps of social realism. The sports we excel in are mainly sports where you don't win using tactics, only through personal training and excellence.
Another way it's a cultural thing: Four-color superhero comics. I can't understand their significance - not won't, but actually can't; they're almost alien artifacts to me. You read one, you've read them all. They seem so very, very basic. Why on earth try to recreate that? I've understood that they have some sort of mythical significance in American culture, but only through reading stuff like "Watchmen" and "Maximortal" am I getting why adults would even look twice at the stuff. I'm not trying to say they have no worth - but it's not a worth that I can easily understand, given my frame of reference.
I'm definitely not saying that all Norwegians are like me, or that all Americans are like X or Y or Z, but sometimes the cultural differences show. I thought I'd have problems understanding Dogs in the Vineyard, but everyone I've played with grokked that after half an hour of chargen. Capes, however, is taking us longer to get.
Posts: 5574
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #8 on:
March 19, 2005, 01:44:03 PM »
I think it very well may be a cultural thing.
I started balking at your use of the word competition to describe Universalis, because to me the level of competition in Uni is very mild. I find Uni to fit the very definition of what I consider to be cooperative.
Then it struck me that that itself is quite likely a cultural thing (acknowledging that cultures are not homogenous among their members, of course).
Coorperation to my way of thinking is enhanced by elements that you likely consider competitive, but which to me are an essential aspect of keeping cooperation effective. To my way of thinking cooperation between parties must involve party A challenging party B's assumptions and party B defending them, otherwise you just get lack luster output that caters to the least common denominator. Meaning that the only thing that gets done is what everyone can agree to...which by definition means its devoid of conviction (unless dealing with a very homogenous group who are all convicted about the same thing...which I'd call rather cultish).
The difference between this and competition is that in cooperation the challenge and defense exchanges are there to filter out the bad ideas and let the cream rise to the top. Both parties are dedicated to making the output the very best it can be. But both parties also believe that not all ideas are equally good. The only way you can get a) the best possible output given b) a range of quality in input is to test the input and allow only the best of the input to stick. That testing is what the Interruption, Challenge and Complication mechanics in Univesalis is all about. There are 5 people around the table. They all have a number of ideas. Some of those ideas are good and some of them suck. The challenges and defenses are how the bad ideas get discarded, and the players collectively agree on what to keep. That's my definition of cooperation.
This is in contrast to competition where the object is NOT to jointly produce the best possible output but only to achieve the result you want at the expense of results others want. Take football for instance (either real football or that silly soccer game with the round ball and the net). Niether team is dedicated to jointly creating a great game for the fans to enjoy. In fact, they'd much prefer a boring lop sided blow out of their opponent than a down to the last second dramatic finish. Their goal is to get their desired result (a win). As long as they win, they don't care if the output (the game as experienced by the fans) sucks.
That's why, to me, Uni is a VERY cooperative game. The mechanics are there to allow parties to jointly dedicate themselves to producing the best output by providing mechanisms to test and discard the bad ideas in favor of the good (acknowledging, of course, that "bad" and "good" are entirely subjective). Played competitively, Uni is horrible. Which is why I always balk when someone suggests its a competitive game.
But then I suspect this is where the cultureal differences in our understanding of the nature of cooperation and competition comes in.
**I tackled this from the perspective of Uni, which I obviously know very well, but I suspect the same reasoning is behind the design of Capes.
Ralph Mazza
Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #9 on:
March 19, 2005, 02:04:43 PM »
Ralph, I think you're on to something.
To me, cooperation in storytelling is much more based on impro theatre: Say Yes. Whether an idea is good or bad: You've got to accept it and try to make it work. This doesn't mean that what gets done is what everyone can agree to - it means players take turns dictating what the story is about. That doesn't make for lackluster, LCD output, quite the opposite - it makes for intensely vivid, but sometimes incoherent output.
The sort of cooperation you're talking about is, to me, a mood-breaker. When we're trying to tell a story, but anyone can interrupt anything with a smack of the rulebook, clattering of coins and counting of pips on the dice, it's a horror. Sure, you get stuff that looks nice when you tell it to someone afterwards - but there's just no chance that the group will sit around being thrilled and scared by what comes pouring out of the collective imagination. At worst, it's like watching a great movie that stops every ten seconds because someone wants to rewrite the plot or take a vote about what should happen next.
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #10 on:
March 19, 2005, 02:13:20 PM »
Quote from: Valamir
Going into Capes with the attitude of "how do I use the conflicts to help support the story I want to tell" won't work.
(Minor point: Doesn't it say in the beginning of the book that it's a good idea to have a story planned before you start? I don't have the text right here...)
Posts: 1351
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #11 on:
March 19, 2005, 03:01:33 PM »
I agree with Ralph's assessment and I thought of an analogy that might help clearify things.
Consider a boxer who wants to be the best fighter that ever lived. That boxer has a coach who's constantly putting obstacles (like punching bags) in the boxer's way and screaming things at him like, "harder! faster!" He chastizes him when he fails. Are the coach and boxer competing? I don't think so, and I would hope not.
In Capes, I want to create a character who is cool, exciting and compelling. The index cards are my punching bags and my fellow players are the coach yelling, "more! more!" in form of adversity. Are we competing? Or just pushing each other to be the best we can be.
Posts: 5574
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #12 on:
March 19, 2005, 03:48:09 PM »
To me, cooperation in storytelling is much more based on impro theatre: Say Yes. Whether an idea is good or bad: You've got to accept it and try to make it work. This doesn't mean that what gets done is what everyone can agree to - it means players take turns dictating what the story is about.
Interesting. See I'd define that as anarchy, which seems about as horrible to me as what I described seems to you.
Ralph Mazza
Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #13 on:
March 19, 2005, 11:32:14 PM »
(I just want to repeat that this isn't about whether Capes is a good or bad game; I haven't assessed that yet, because I haven't played it right).
Interesting analogy with the boxer getting better by meeting obstacles. Did you read mine about watching a movie and getting interrupted the whole time? Or, it's like I'm trying to do this subtle and difficult dance with four different people, and this guy is standing on the sideline yelling "Punch! Punch!"
It really depends what you value highest: Immersion or story. Yes, I know those are two huge cans of worms - the first is supposed not to exist, and the second has a whole bunch of GNS baggage attached to it. So I'm going to put it differently.
Usually when I play, I don't see the "finished product" as the sum of the in-game
. The atmosphere I
is what matters. Capes and Universalis are two games that focus on getting the story right, in different ways - the events are what matter. Now, so far when I've played those games, the atmosphere has ranged from good to nonexistent.
It's as if the systems are training wheels that I want to ditch, not just because I'm pretty well trained at what I do, but mostly because they're leading me in the wrong direction. I
see conflict as the end-all and be-all of a story.
Posts: 462
[Capes and impro] Not getting it / making it work
Reply #14 on:
March 19, 2005, 11:45:52 PM »
Quote from: Valamir
Interesting. See I'd define that as anarchy, which seems about as horrible to me as what I described seems to you.
Well, yeah. But we're not talking about a form of government here, nor about a training exercise... it's a cross between a game and a form of art, and different cultural expectations and rules apply. You don't use democracy to compose music, and you don't depend on market forces to give you a good plot for your novel.
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text: After 2013's sea of sugary-sweet pink toppers inspired by that Rochas and this Carven (you know the ones), the new statement coat seems to be an unexpected shade of deep tangerine. The street style set was up on it first, with Leandra Medine in a slim, floor-sweeping version by Rosie Assoulin in New York, and Yasmin Sewell in London yesterday in a citrus-hued topper. With two on Preen's runway and one just shown at Burberry Prorsum, get prepped to stand out.


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(SW20) StorageWall – Sliding Doors
Our Style TWENTY StorageWall units are designed to work where space is at a premium and the use of standard opening doors will impede flow of foot traffic. Using SlidingDoors eliminates the additional floorspace requirement needed for doors.
Style TWENTY complements and integrates with all existing James Tobias StorageWall units seamlessly, giving a polished complete look to your storage requirements.
This StorageWall unit can be used against a wall or to divide office space as a free standing / room dividing module.
View other StorageWall options from our range.
Style TWENTY (SW20) – Sliding Doors module
- Aluminium constructed sidewalls to achieve a high level of strength to weight construction. The Ali is punched with a 25mm grid to give added flexibility with the internal fitments compared to the conventional 32mm pegboard. The Aluminium extrusion is made solely for James Tobias Ltd.
- All carcass/exterior timber panels are made from 18mm MFC.
- 22mm MDF support rails are added to the base/top panels for added strength.
- The weight loading per module can be up to 240 kg evenly distributed between the internals.
- +/- 15mm tolerance per module, ensuring the units are levelled to suit the site conditions.
- 3 x Standard module depths – 412 (A4), 472 (Foolscap), 600 (coats).
- 6 x Standard Module widths – 400, 500, 600 (single door) 800, 1000, 1200 (double door).
- Floor to ceiling construction. A maximum ceiling height of 2900mm can be achieved with a one piece board. Higher heights can be achieved with added top fascias or additional top box storage.
View Internals
Scroll right to view range →
3 x Roll out filing frames. 1 x Combination shelf with pigeon holes above. 3 x Adjustable plain steel shelves.
3 x Drawer fronted deep drawers. Clad alcove with glass shelves and downlighters.
8 x Combination shelves for lateral filing pockets. 1 x Roll out reference shelf.
6 x Adjustable plain steel shelves.
2 x Adjustable plain steel shelves. 1 x Combination shelf. 2 x Front to back coat rails.
Chiller (example only) and low level double doors with double clad alcove for media screen above.
Chiller (example only) and low level double doors with double clad alcove for media screen above.
Double door module with top box.
Personal lockers, individually locking compartments for personal storage.
600 Deep cloaks unit. 3 x Adjustable plain steel shelves. 1 x Lateral coat rail.
1 x Roll out filing frame (shown with dividers). 2 x Shallow drawers. 1 x Combination shelf with mini pigeon hole above. 1 x Lateral cradle. 1 x Slotted shelf with dividers.
3 x Deep drawers. 1 x Roll out reference shelf. 1 x Slotted combination shelf. 1 x Slotted shelf. 2 x Adjustable plain steel shelves.
Choose from our multipurpose internal range shown above.
All internals are designed and manufactured in house in our Somerset factory and delivered using our fleet of modern vehicles. They are then carefully installed by our own directly employed and experienced fitting crew.
Helping choose your internals
James Tobias StorageWall is a well-engineered and robust storage system designed to accommodate normal office filing requirements. The method of storage provided by the various internal fitments is self-evident but the following precautions should be heeded.
Shelves – All shelves are manufactured from steel, their design provides lateral restraint to the unit side walls and eliminates the sagging associated with timber shelves.
Only fit the appropriate number of files to the shelves or filing frames – forcing in extra files exerts lateral loads on the side walls. Overloading the shelves and filing frames in this manner is dangerous. The use of shelf dividers is recommended to reduce the possibility of lateral loading on the sidewalls.
To avoid damage to the doors, hinges and lock mechanism ensure that badly filed or bulky items do not interfere with the doors or locking mechanism when closing.
Roll Out Filing Frames
Roll Out filing frames should not be located more than 1300mm from the floor (a maximum of 4 levels) to ensure safe operation.
To avoid damage to the doors, doors must be opened beyond ninety degrees before pulling out internal roll-out fitments.
View Finishes
Explore our example finishes:
Element colour range
A - Element Platinum White
B - Element Crema
C - Element Light Grey
D - Element Black
Elite colour range
A - Elite White Gloss
B - Elite Crema Gloss
C - Elite Stone Gloss
D - Elite Black Gloss
E - Elite Tobacco Halifax Oak
F - Elite White Halifax Oak
G - Elite Natural Halifax Oak
H - Elite Boston Concrete
Pastel colour range
A - Pastel Stone
B - Pastel Mussel
C - Pastel Denim
D - Pastel Fjord
E - Pastel Onyx Grey
F - Pastel Graphite
Woodgrain finishes - Woodland
A - Cascina Pine
B - White Avola
C - Light Lakeland Acacia
D - Natural Canadian Maple
E - Natural Nebraska
F - Truffle Brown Davos Oak
G - Shorewood
H - Green Grey Avola
I - Grey Nebraska
J - Lancaster Oak
K - Tobacco Aida Walnut
L - Graphitewood
A wide range of colours is available on request.
View Graphics
Explore our example graphics and sculptured panels – bespoke options available:


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2-Door Conv
MSRP based on 2-Door Conv
Select a style
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Body Style
MSRP based on 2-Door Conv
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Body Style
MSRP: $197,500View Classifieds
Quick Specs
Gas Mileage 10 mpg City/17 mpg Hwy
Engine Gas W12, 6.0L
EPA Class Compact
Style Name 2dr Conv
Drivetrain All Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity 4
Passenger Doors 2
Body Style Convertible
Transmission 6-speed automatic transmission w/semi-manual mode
EPA Classification Compact
Weight Information
Base Curb Weight (lbs) 5456
Interior Dimensions
Front Head Room (in) 37.0
Second Leg Room (in) 30.2
Passenger Capacity 4
Front Hip Room (in) - TBD -
Front Leg Room (in) 42.3
Second Shoulder Room (in) 56.8
Passenger Volume (ft³) - TBD -
Second Head Room (in) 36.6
Front Shoulder Room (in) 59.4
Second Hip Room (in) - TBD -
Exterior Dimensions
Width, Max w/o mirrors (in) 75.4
Liftover Height (in) - TBD -
Wheelbase (in) 108
Track Width, Rear (in) 63.3
Height, Overall (in) 55.0
Length, Overall (in) 189
Min Ground Clearance (in) - TBD -
Track Width, Front (in) 63.9
Cargo Area Dimensions
Trunk Volume (ft³) 8.3
Fuel Economy
Fuel Tank
Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx (gal) 23.8
EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG) 17
Fuel Economy Est-Combined (MPG) 12
EPA Fuel Economy Est - City (MPG) 10
Performance Specs
Displacement 6.0L/366
Engine Order Code NA
SAE Net Torque @ RPM 479 @ 1600
Fuel System EFI
Engine Type Gas W12
SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM 552 @ 6100
Trans Type 6
Third Gear Ratio (:1) 1.52
Clutch Size (in) NA
Drivetrain All-Wheel Drive
First Gear Ratio (:1) 4.17
Sixth Gear Ratio (:1) 0.69
Trans Description Cont. Automatic
Fourth Gear Ratio (:1) 1.14
Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 3.52
Trans Order Code NA
Second Gear Ratio (:1) 2.34
Reverse Ratio (:1) - TBD -
Trans Description Cont. Again w/Manual Shift
Fifth Gear Ratio (:1) 0.87
Seventh Gear Ratio (:1) NA
Disc - Front (Yes or ) Yes
Rear Drum Diam x Width (in) NA
Brake Type Pwr
Rear Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness (in) - TBD -
Disc - Rear (Yes or ) Yes
Brake ABS System 4-Wheel
Drum - Rear (Yes or ) NA
Front Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness (in) - TBD -
Lock to Lock Turns (Steering) - TBD -
Steering Type Speed-Sensitive Pwr
Turning Diameter - Curb to Curb (ft) 36.8
Steering Ratio (:1), Overall - TBD -
Turning Diameter - Wall to Wall (ft) - TBD -
Spare Tire Order Code NA
Front Tire Order Code NA
Spare Tire Size Compact
Front Tire Size P275/40R19
Rear Tire Order Code NA
Rear Tire Size P275/40R19
Spare Wheel Size (in) Compact
Front Wheel Size (in) 19 x 9
Spare Wheel Material - TBD -
Front Wheel Material Alloy
Rear Wheel Size (in) 19 x 9
Rear Wheel Material Alloy
Suspension Type - Front (Cont.) NA
Stabilizer Bar Diameter - Rear (in) - TBD -
Suspension Type - Front Independent air
Shock Absorber Diameter - Rear (mm) - TBD -
Suspension Type - Rear (Cont.) NA
Suspension Type - Rear Independent air
Stabilizer Bar Diameter - Front (in) - TBD -
Shock Absorber Diameter - Front (mm) - TBD -
Safety Features
Air Bag-Frontal-Driver Yes
Air Bag-Frontal-Passenger Yes
Air Bag-Passenger Switch (On/Off) No
Air Bag-Side Body-Front Yes
Air Bag-Side Body-Rear Yes
Air Bag-Side Head-Front No
Air Bag-Side Head-Rear No
Brakes-ABS Yes
Child Safety Rear Door Locks No
Daytime Running Lights No
Traction Control Yes
Night Vision No
Rollover Protection Bars No
Fog Lamps No
Parking Aid No
Tire Pressure Monitor Yes
Back-Up Camera No
Stability Control Yes
Other Features 4-wheel antilock braking system (ABS)
Electronic brake force distribution (EBD)
Electronic stability program (ESP)
Traction control system
Driver & front passenger frontal airbags w/occupant sensors
Front & rear side mounted airbags
Front & rear 3-point seat belts w/pre-tensioners
Electronic brake force distribution (EBD)
Electronic stability program (ESP)
Traction control system
Driver & front passenger frontal airbags w/occupant sensors
Front & rear side mounted airbags
Front & rear 3-point seat belts w/pre-tensioners
Basic Miles/km Unlimited
Basic Years 3
Corrosion Miles/km Unlimited
Corrosion Years 3
Drivetrain Miles/km Unlimited
Drivetrain Years 3
Roadside Assistance Miles/km Unlimited
Roadside Assistance Years 3
Other Specs
Cooling System
Total Cooling System Capacity (qts) - TBD -
Cold Cranking Amps @ 0° F (Primary) - TBD -
Maximum Alternator Capacity (amps) 190
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs) NA
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs) - TBD -
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs) NA
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs) - TBD -
Looking for other models of the Bentley Continental GT?Read reviews & get prices


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Select A Time That Works For You And We Will Be In Touch


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Macmillan Publishers Ltd announced in 2012 that they would no longer be producing printed versions of their learner's dictionary. This announcement was greeted in various ways by the lexicographical community, with some applauding the decision and others criticising it. Given the present climate of increasing online use, is it still worth publishing paper dictionaries? I was recently given a new learner's dictionary to review, so I'll put some thoughts here and leave you to decide what you think.
Cambridge learner's dictionary (fourth edition) 2012, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
This dictionary has many excellent features. For example, it highlights "Word partners" (collocations) and provides boxes for "Other ways of saying", so that learners can use language idiomatically and in context, while expanding their vocabulary. It also indicates "Common learner errors". For instance, on p. xii we read, "I need some advice. I need an advice. To make advice singular say a piece of advice." Extra help pages at the end of the dictionary provide further exercises (with answers).
Alternative British and American English spellings are frequently given, with many words (e.g. centre/center) listed at both these variants. Other words (e.g. harbour) appear only with the British spelling, however, making the dictionary occasionally less user-friendly for American English speakers. Only British English spelling is used for definitions and examples, and Australian variants are not included at all. For instance, lolly is defined as "a large, hard sweet on a stick". In Australia, lolly is the term for what is called a sweet in the UK, and it is usually not on a stick.
The example sentences used at many entries are generally helpful, showing how words are used in context and how they can be varied grammatically. For example, at the verb fan we read, "The spectators sat in the bright sun, fanning themselves with newspapers". Phrasal verbs are also included, so that under the entry for fan we find fan out: "If a group of people fan out, they move out in different directions from a single point". There is also a picture of an electric fan and a hand held paper fan.
Labels such as "informal" help the reader to know when to use a word. Synonyms are explained, not merely listed, so that the reader can distinguish between them. This is a helpful feature that is not included in most thesauri.
The colour pictures are attractive and helpful, with up-to-date examples. For example, alongside dress and jacket we find salwar kameez. Some pictures are not to scale, however, or include no point of comparison. Thus we have a good black and white picture of a koala on p. 409, but no indication of how big this animal is. The colour pictures of various sports are also not always easy to follow. Do pitcher and batter, for example, refer to people or equipment?
Some entries are not entirely clear, as in lone, defined as "alone: lone parents". It would be hard for a learner to work out the meaning or use of this word. Similarly, the word partners for love include "brotherly/unconditional love", implying that brotherly and unconditional are synonyms. At other times, more information would be helpful. Mayonnaise is defined as "a thick, cold, white sauce that is made from eggs and oil". It would be useful to add that mayonnaise is often put on salads.
The centre material is generally very good, with "Pieces and quantities" pointing out important collocations such as "a drop of oil" and "a hunk of bread". It is also useful to have UK and US variants for parts of a car, and to point out elsewhere that the UK and US use imperial units. However, some explanations might be confusing: "In the UK, people usually say their weight in stones and pounds. e.g. I weigh nine stone three." Here, the singular use of the word stone should be explained. The "Speaking naturally" section is helpful.
The CD-ROM gives spoken pronunciation and allows the user to record their voice for pronunciation practice. There is also a thesaurus, so you can really expand your vocabulary.
If you want to get the most out of this dictionary, you really should read the section on "How to use this dictionary". Most users don't refer to this material, but we sell ourselves short when we fail to use it; it really is invaluable.
I can recommend the Cambridge learner's dictionary for intermediate learners of English, and the Cambridge advanced learner's dictionary for those who want a wider range of vocabulary and don't mind using a larger book. Both are also available online at http://dictionary.cambridge.org/.
Is there still a place for paper dictionaries? I think there is. Not everyone has access to the internet, or to a computer. In those circumstances, a paper dictionary is invaluable.
Let us know what you think by voting in the poll to the right of this post!


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Houston Executive Briefing Centre, TX
Gain a deep, hands-on understanding of the technologies that can transform your enterprise at the HPE Houston Executive Briefing Centre (EBC). Engage in focused discussions with senior experts, covering HPE strategy and comprehensive enterprise portfolio. You'll get the key answers and deep-dive dialogue leading to breakthrough ideas, and immerse yourself in demos that are customised to your specific business. At the Houston EBC, you'll:
- Tour our product and R&D labs, our Factory Express integration program, and our Data Centre
- Discover emerging solutions and technologies that will drive your future plans
- Collaborate on actionable plans that deliver business outcomes
The Houston EBC offers technology demonstrations and tours, and informed, collaborative working sessions with HPE IT experts. The centre features product labs, a full scale data centre, and a unique view of HPE innovations to achieve the outcomes that are important to your organisation. It's all you need to fully experience the depths of your HPE relationship, discover the future and plan your organisation's success.
Find the easiest route, and explore nearby hotels, restaurants, and other services for your visit.
Take a virtual tour of the EBC – right from your smartphone or tablet.
Download from Google Play or the App Store
Learn more about Houston EBC and what it can do for your business.
Take your organisation to the next level
Join HPE thought leaders to apply the power of technology to your toughest business problems. Contact your sales rep to arrange an engagement with the Houston EBC.


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What's with the AT-ATmania lately? I guess it's the Empire Strikes Back's 30th Anniversary, but this is excessive. We are besieged by AT-AT boomboxes, bunk beds, gadget holders, and the obligatory special edition toys. And now, this AT-AT wedding cake.
It may not be as cool as my favorite Star Wars cake of all time, but hey, we love cake and I would personally like to bite on some Ewok cupcakes too. I hate them. The Ewoks, not cupcakes. [Starwarsblog]


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I am starting a Magus in a Pathfinder campaign. Assuming a scenario where the Magus of at least 2nd level starts 5 feet away from a enemy. Using the Magus' "Spell Combat" power can I do the following?
- Cast a touch spell using "Spell Combat".
- Move five feet toward target.
- Use my free attack (at -2) via "Spellstrike" to attack target with my sword.
- Use my regular attack (at -2) to attack target with my sword.
Note that the first hit will deliver my touch spell as well as regular damage.


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Minecraft Skins
Minecraft Skins
As part of a Minecraft roleplay server (Lord of the Craft), I make various skins... and as I love dark elves, I tend to make many dark elven/drow skins. With those, I occasionally take inspiration off armour and appearances of those in Drowtales.
Here are some I have right now.
Kyorl inspired Disguise - Newest
Kiel'ndia - Old
Robyn - Kiel inspired Character
Goroth Klaren - Drowtales armour inspired Character


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To access the My City portal, you'll need to create an account. Click on "Create Account" to go to the registration page.
Once you've made an account, you can use your email address and password to access your dashboard.
If you've forgotten your password, you can reset it by following the "Forgot Password" link.


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I play Shadowrun with my group. We have a blog and I as GM wish that we could somehow track our in-game calendar.
How many days have gone by? When does lifestyle have to be paid? How many days 'til the run?
Do you have an ideas for how to set up an online, in-game calendar? Better would be if there is a widget where you can see the next events.
[EDIT] Ok let's go a little bit deeper. I wish i could have something like a widget where the next in-game events are shown with date. The prolem with all onlne caldar-tools I found is that the use the actual day for next vents.


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After the scores of Sherlock Holmes films and TV programmes, hearing that another incarnation was being created might have brought a few looks of derision.
But Mr Holmes is unlike any other version.
Instead of battling against villains, Sherlock is faced with his greatest fears - the loss of his intellect and memory.
Sir Ian McKellan plays the man himself, showing his masterful acting skills to give us Holmes in his prime and in his dotage.
We meet the detective after he has retired to the Sussex coast (and yes it is the Sussex coast!), with a widow looking after him while her young son provides some distraction from his aches and pains.
Gone are the other characters - Watson, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson are all dead.
Holmes is busy looking after his bees but is troubled by his final case.
Something happened that led him to retire, but he can't recall what the outcome was.
And so we move around time as the past filters through to his mind as his memory pieces events together.
It's a superb story and Laura Linney is excellent as his housekeeper and Milo Parker as her son clearly has a great future ahead.
There is a sub-plot involving Holmes' trip to a war-ravaged Japan which does distract a bit.
However, on home soil Sussex provides a beautiful backdrop to round off an excellent movie.
Film details: Mr Holmes (PG) 104mins
Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada


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Nashua police believe the body of a young man found in the Merrimack River is a missing 16-year-old Nashua boy who may have been swept into a storm drain during heavy rains over the weekend.
The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing spotted a body in the Merrimack River in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts Sunday morning. The Nashua Police Department's Dive Team and Tyngsborough Fire Rescue recovered the body from the river Sunday at around 12:20 p.m.
The body has not been positively identified; however, based upon the clothing description and body condition, it is believed to be Jacob Goulet.
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Jacob was reported missing Saturday morning by his father, and Nashua police say officers responded to a call late Friday evening for a report of a person who may have fallen down a storm drain on the north side of Water Street. When officers went to the scene Friday evening, they found personal items that didn't have any personal information.
When his father reported him missing the next day, he reportedly told police this behavior wasn't normal for his son, and police connected some of the items found near the storm drain to Jacob based on his parents' description.
Police searched parts of the Nashua and Merrimack rivers and the entire storm drain system nort of Water Street and south to Sawmill Drive.
Jacob, currently a student at Nashua North High School, is described as about 5-feet 8-inches tall, about 200 pounds, with a black mowhawk and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a denim vest with medal studs on it, a gray t-shirt, black shorts and black Converse All-Star sneakers.
Meanwhile, video surveillance viewed by Nashua police confirmed Jacob was on foot in the area during the storm Friday evening.
Anyone with information about Jacob's whereabouts is asked to call Nashua police at 603-594-3500.


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Attacks on NGO workers and offices in western Burma occurred last week after an international aid worker in the town of Sittwe removed a Buddhist flag that had been placed in front of the office. Tensions there are evidently at boiling point.
On Tuesday I spoke with a senior staff member with an international aid group there to get an update on the situation, and he explained on condition of anonymity that the total evacuation of foreign workers (and non-Rakhine nationals) from Sittwe was only the tip of the iceberg.
It is now effectively impossible for the international community to deliver any aid in Rakhine state, said the source, adding that the aid delivery infrastructure had been systematically made inoperable through intimidation and the destruction of the vehicles and boats used to deliver supplies in remote areas.
(MORE: UN chief urges Burma to protect aid workers)
International groups had provided the vast majority of aid to camps in Rakhine state, which in total hold close to 200,000 displaced Rohingya Muslims, as well as Rakhine Buddhists. These attacks appear a major step towards isolating displaced Rohingya, who are largely dependent on aid.
Although foreign aid workers play a key role in the delivery of aid in the region, much of the day-to-day coordination and delivery is carried out by local Burmese workers. These Rakhine employees have been warned by their own communities not to participate in aid work and are denied basic services and even face threats of violence if they do not comply. Communities are reportedly cirulating lists containing the names of 'betrayers' who work with aid organizations.
The attacks on NGO offices have been far more extensive than reported, with suggestions that the violence was carefully planned. More than 30 different properties were attacked in last week's incidents; a World Food Programme warehouse containing food for both communities was among seven warehouses destroyed.
Those behind the shutdown of aid operations in western Burma are not only targeting workers and properties, but also destroying the means by which the aid is delivered. Boats, in particular, are being targeted in the knowledge that they are the only way to access many of the refugee camps once rainy season begins.
The small handful of UN workers still in the town are being kept under heavy guard. The response of the Burmese government has been to send the army in and militarise Sittwe, a move that does nothing to restore aid delivery.
There has also been clarification on the incident that sparked last week's violence. The female aid worker removed the Buddhist flag from outside an office for just 5 minutes, before replacing it. Reports that she danced with the flag or placed it on her waist are untrue. Nevertheless, an angry crowd gathered so quickly after the removal of the flag that it appears this was an orchestrated incident designed to bring a halt to humanitarian efforts in Rakhine state.
(MORE: Burma expels Médecins Sans Frontières, further isolates Rohingya)
When MSF was expelled from Rakhine state in early March, UN special rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana said the decision by the government could be "part of a strategy toward consolidating not only the segregation of Rohingyas, but also the oppression against them, including complete limitation to access to health." This appears to have now been achieved. Rainy season is approaching and the boats are the only way to deliver aid to some of the camps. It's hard to read their destruction as anything other than a deliberate attempt to completely cut off the supply of outside assistance.


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The Rusco clear cover is made of high impact polymer resin for maximum strength and durability. The top of the Rusco system is made of PVC. The Rusco sediment filter uses centrifugal separation technology to filter sediment from water. The Rusco Sediment Trapper has a unique element design that traps sediment in the lower reservoir of the clear cover. The debris settles in the bottom of the clear cover away from the filter screen. The Rusco Sediment Trapper model should be used over the Rusco Spin-Down model when there is heavy sediment in the water supply. The Rusco filtration system has a stainless steel screen filter. The Rusco filter system's filter screen is cleanable and reusable. The Rusco systems have a clear cover that can easily be removed for cleaning. No tools are required to remove the cover. Sediment is visible through the clear cover indicating when the filter needs to be flushed. Rusco Sediment Filters have an open ball valve to easily flush sediment. When the Rusco filter is full of sediment, simply open the ball valve to flush the sediment. This Rusco System is made of molded non-corrosive materials and a Chemically Resistant Cover. Temperature rating up to 100 deg F (37.7 deg C).
- Genuine OEM Product
Reduces the following contaminants:
- Coarse Sand
- Extra Fine Sand
- Fine Sand
- Hard Scale
- Sediment
- Rusco 1-200STSSCR-F Chemical Resistant Steel Sediment Trapper:
- Screen Mesh Size: 200
- Micron Rating: 74
- Contaminant Reduction: shale, shell, debris, pipe scale, and sand/grit (course, fine, and very fine)
- Inlet/Outlet Pipe Size Dimension: 1" MPT
- Maximum Pressure: 150 PSI at 73 degrees F. (23C)
- Maximum Temperature: 100 deg F. (37.7C) at 40 PSI
- Minimum Flow Rate For Spin-Down Action: 1 GPM
- Service Flow Rate: 10 GPM
- Maximum Flow Rate: 20 GPM
- Length: 14-3/8"
- Width: 5"
- Materials of Construction:
- Body Material: PVC
- Cover Material: Chemically Resistant HP Polymer
- Screen Material: Stainless Steel
- Flush Valve: PVC
- O-Rings: EPDM


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Every day till Christmas, we're bringing you 12 Days of Baking: 12 all-new baking recipes to lift holiday spirits -- from breakfast pastries to dinner rolls, and all the desserts you can handle.
This week, Merrill introduces her baby Clara to a little something sweet.
Clara hasn't had much in the way of sweets yet. Yes, I put maple syrup in her yogurt, and she's hooked on clementines and pear slices, but until a few weeks ago, she hadn't tasted cake or a cookie or anything you might call "dessert." That is, until her well-meaning 3-year-old cousin offered her a piece of his chocolate chip cookie -- which she inhaled, smearing bittersweet chocolate all over her face in the process.
And what better time to inaugurate her into the world of sweets than during December? Trying to come up with some seasonal treats that wouldn't send her into a sugar-induced tailspin, I thought about the soft, domed pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that are a mainstay at pick-your-own apple farms in the Northeast, along with warm apple cider doughnuts and hot cider. I've never actually made the cookies myself but have always wanted to, and I thought Clara would probably like the soft, cakey texture and the earthy flavor of pumpkin, gently spiced. I knew at least she'd like the chocolate chips.
After consulting lots of different recipes (apparently, everyone else has made these and written about them already), I came up with my own version. Hope you like them!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Photos by James Ransom.
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match 'em through the week).
See what other Food52 readers are saying.


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Reclaim Your Future Program Goals
Program Goals
To provide adult mentors from the business community to offer support and guidance to high school seniors who are off track to graduate. Mentors will encourage students to graduate and will promote future education and career focus. The Reclaim Your Future Walk is scheduled for October 19, 2013.
How to Become a Mentor
The Reclaim Your Future Mentoring Project asks community and business volunteers to serve as mentors to CCSD high school seniors who are off track to graduate. These trained adult role models provide guidance and support to a young person to ensure graduation is achieved. This project is a partnership between CCSD, Workforce Connections and the United Way focusing on improving the graduation rate in the Clark County School District.


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La. Gov. Critical of A&E Over Robertson 'Hiatus'
The A&E cable television network's suspension of "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson from the hit reality show has drawn criticism from the governor of his home state.
The network says Robertson was placed on "hiatus" after he gave an interview in GQ magazine disparaging gays as sinners akin to adulterers and swindlers.
Governor Bobby Jindal issued a brief statement on the matter Thursday.
Jindal didn't offer an opinion on Robertson's comments but said everyone is entitled to express a view. He added: "It is a messed-up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended."
The show is produced around the Robertson family's home base in Ouachita Parish.
Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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As reported initially during January, Dish Network has finally decided on the number of Blockbuster retail locations to close. Mentioned within Dish Network's announcement regarding fourth quarter profits earlier today, the satellite service provider will be closing 500 Blockbuster stores across the United States during the first half of 2012. This will reduce the number of remaining Blockbuster stores by roughly 33 percent, dropping from 1,500 locations down to just 1,000 storefronts. Store closures were made for several reasons, but the most prominent was a downturn in store-level financial performance due to competition from Redbox and Netflix.
When Dish Network purchased Blockbuster during April 2011, the company stated that it would keep 90 percent of the 1,700 retail locations open to the public. After announcing the closure of 200 stores during July 2011, the additional 500 stores brings the total number of retails locations left at just 59 percent of the original figure.
With the closure of these additional 500 stores, Dish Network plans to let go approximately 4,000 to 5,000 employees working in retail locations. Prior to the bankruptcy procedure and subsequent Dish Network buyout, Blockbuster had over 4,000 retail locations and employed over 60,000 employees at the company's peak of profitability.
While the Blockbuster segment of Dish Network is currently operating at a break even point, Dish Network officials are looking to the Blockbuster Movie Pass and Blockbuster@Home streaming video to make up for losses at retail locations as well as losses in the total number of Dish Network subscribers. According to Dish Network CEO Joe Clayton, he stated "By introducing new Blockbuster-branded services, we've begun to turn the tide in subscriber losses while continuing to face increased competitive pressures. The Blockbuster brand is a significant brand in the marketplace, which focuses on family and movies. And that's clearly what Dish is all about."
With retail locations of the Blockbuster rental chain dwindling, the Blockbuster Express kiosk program is likely going to keep expanding. By the end of 2011, there were over 11,000 Blockbuster Express kiosk locations within the United States. However, Coinstar's Redbox dominates the retail space with over 35,000 kiosks by the end of December 2011 according to a recent fourth quarter earnings call.
Similar to Blockbuster's previous strategy of opening retail locations that operate at a loss in order to drive out independent movie rental chains, Redbox eliminated Blockbuster's retail locations by surrounding the stores with the red kiosks. The low price of Redbox rentals in addition to the cheap cost of DVD-by-mail plans from Netflix destroyed any chance for the retail giant to return to profitability.
While Dish Network added 22,000 subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2011, the company lost a total of 166,000 subscribers over all of 2011. During 2010, the company had added approximately 33,000 subscribers over the entire year. Attempting to attract new consumers during 2012 with the lure of fancy hardware, Dish Network announced a whole-home solution for Dish Network subscribers during CES 2012. Called the Hopper, the 2TB set-top box comes with 3 tuners for recording up to 250 hours of high definition video or 1,000 hours in standard definition. However, one of the tuners is specifically designed to record all four major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) during primetime hours.
Called "Primetime Anywhere," the Hopper records up to eight days of network primetime content and the additional two tuners can record two more channels during the same time period. The Hopper also offers Bluetooth for wireless headphones, picture-in-picture functionality and Blockbuster@Home compatibility. In addition, Dish Network is pairing the Hopper with a much smaller, set-top box called the Joey. When linked up to the Hopper through a home's existing coaxial wired connections, the Joey can view the recorded content on the Hopper as well as act as a stand-alone satellite receiver. However, Dish Network hasn't announced a price on the two boxes or a release date.
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State of Alaska > DOLWD > Unemployment
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hearings conducted by appeals officers.
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testimonies with documents or other evidence.
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File benefit determination appeals by telephone.
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Alaska Department of Labor Appeals Web Page.
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"Steve Jobs was the Leonardo da Vinci of our age," said popular British novelist and journalist Tony Parsons on his Twitter page. "So thank you — without you, it would have all been ugly, difficult and dull."
In Asia, home to legions of Jobs fans as well as scores of rip-offs of the products he helped design, customers at Apple stores said the resignation had taken them by surprise.
"I'm surprised he resigned right before the iPhone 5 launch," said Belinda Liu, a 26-year-old at an Apple store in Shanghai. "I was shocked when I heard the news."
Apple is likely to launch the iPhone 5, the latest model of its iconic smartphone, in October.
"I make phone calls every day with my iPhone3, send Weibo messages by iPhone4, jog to podcasts downloaded from iTunes, listen to music on my iPod, use applications from the App Store and surf the net with my Mac — never before has a company been entwined so deeply into my life," said Wang Lifen in a tribute to Jobs on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
Wang is a founder of Umiwi.com, a website that profiles corporate leaders and focuses on news for young people.
At the company's flagship San Francisco store, the only sign something was amiss was a few groups of employees, huddled together discussing the news. They heard by word of mouth, they said, with no formal announcement by late afternoon on Wednesday to retail workers.
Some customers, however had already heard.
Robert Cory, waiting for help with a broken laptop, learned of Jobs' resignation from a news alert on his phone. "I feel bad," said the New York resident. "But Apple will be okay."
Other customers echoed that sentiment. San Francisco resident Erich Blazeski proclaimed that "Apple is not Steve Jobs."
In Australia, customers outside Apple's flagship two-storey glass-fronted store in downtown Sydney discussed Jobs' resignation as a musician played inside, using an Apple device that connected an electric guitar to a Mac computer.
"I think it's rather sad because it reflects his illness but in terms of its influence on the company, I'm sure they've been planning for this for quite some time," said Clive Allcock, a psychiatrist.
"He has done a mighty job getting Apple up and running, it's a great tribute to him personally and he'll be well remembered in the world of computing. But I'm sure that it won't materially affect the company."
In tech-savvy Singapore, Apple users said the news was unlikely to change anything for the firm, in the short-term.
"Jobs' departure is unlikely to affect my decisions as to whether I will purchase Apple products or not," said 25-year-old Sean Xie, who works in the science and technology sector.
"Jobs has built a company and culture over a long time, and that doesn't change overnight."
The chief financial officer of a major Apple supplier in Taiwan also said there should be no material effect on the company.
"He's the king," said the officer, of Jobs. "Apple has already laid out the road map for future generations of products, it will not affect us as a supplier."
Some of the most effusive tributes to Jobs came from rivals in the tech industry.
"I think his brilliance has been well-documented, but what gets forgotten is the bravery with which he's confronted his illness," Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony, said in a statement.
"For him to achieve this much success under these circumstances doubles his legacy."
An employee at Samsung, which could benefit the most if Apple relaxes its grip on the smartphone and tablet markets, dismissed the idea that its rival would be hit by Jobs' departure.
"Apple has already gained a strong foothold as an icon and for its products, so I don't think something major is going to happen to Apple because of the absence of Jobs," said the employee, who gave her name as Kim.
"Steve Jobs is not our enemy. He is a veteran and senior figure in this business."
Google Inc Chairman Eric Schmidt, a friend of Jobs for years before the Internet search giant's move into mobile software and devices strained their relationship, wrote a moving testament to the legacy of his erstwhile business partner.
"Steve Jobs is the most successful CEO in the U.S. of the last 25 years," he said. "He uniquely combined an artist's touch and an engineers vision to build an extraordinary company… One of the greatest American leaders in history."
SAN FRANCISCO/SHANGHAI (Reuters)- By Sarah McBride and Melanie Lee(Additional reporting by Ju-min Park in SEOUL, Amy Pyett in SYDNEY, Clare Jim in TAIPEI, Charmian Kok in SINGAPORE and Jason Subler in SHANGHAI; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Miral Fahmy)


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I was laughing at the sparkling noise effect, seriously does that need to be there. Now it is like his own personal theme music. Edward in the sun... dingle, dingle, dingle. Does that only go for him or for all the Vamps, or do they each get their own unique dingle sound effect, LOL. It was very corney. Plus, the sparkle it self was super dissapointing. Steph was dissapointed by it too, she said something in an interview if they can CGI a dragon, you think they could make a man sparkle correctly.DumBumm wrote:That sparkling noise i heard was horrible... he wasn't even sparkling, it looked like someone chucked a bucket of glitter on him.
And the running, it looked like he was hovering off the ground...
I wasted 15 bux to watch Twilight!
No what I had pictured at all


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Rob Ryan is out the door as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator. The players aren't happy, but the show will go on. Possibly with a bigger coaching name.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the Cowboys have some interest in Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator, according to a team source. Hiring Kiffin would be a sign the Cowboys are switching from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 approach.
Kiffin had a long run of success as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive coordinator from 1996 to 2008 before disastrous stints working with his son, Lane, with Tennessee and USC in the college ranks. Monte Kiffin resigned after USC's bowl game last month to pursue opportunities in the NFL.
Kiffin is 72 years old and would bring a far different approach to the Cowboys' defense. It has been a 3-4 group since Bill Parcells arrived in 2003, and some of Dallas' best talent (Sean Lee, DeMarcus Ware, Bruce Carter) really fit to a 3-4 approach.
Coaching search tracker
Gregg Rosenthal provides a one-stop shop for all the latest head-coaching search news. Who are teams targeting? More ...
Rapoport noted that the Kansas City Chiefs also were interested in Kiffin. But ESPN's Ed Werder reported Kiffin was not interested in working for Kansas City. It's remarkable Kiffin can dictate where he gets a job.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Kiffin have worked together before; Garrett was a reserve quarterback for the Bucs in 2004.
Update: The Dallas Morning News reported that Kiffin interviewed with Garrett and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Thursday afternoon.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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Java Draw Created Jun 17, 2012 1024 x 736px Unless noted Copyright 2012 drobert486.
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desenho brilhante, trabalho agradável
Awhhhhh, so cute!! :) I love the textures in this one, awesome job! 5hrts :)
Great draw!!
Awww so cute!!
Aww! he looks kind of melancholy, poor panda, his eyes are so cute, but kinda sad! Nice style, 5h n faves!
Great style, super shading, wonderful eyes,,, Nice work!
simple but amazing! 5h
what a cool panda!


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The collection of articles, statistics, and other information—grouped below as ICMA's Council-Manager Form Resource Packet—will assist you in helping residents, elected officials, and business leaders within your community gain a better understanding of the value that professional management brings to our cities and towns.
ICMA's origins lie in the council-manager form of local government, which combines the strong political leadership of elected officials (in the form of a council, board, or other governing body) with the strong professional experience of an appointed local government manager or administrator. Under this form, power is concentrated in the elected council, which hires a professional administrator to implement its policies. These highly trained, experienced individuals serve at the pleasure of the elected governing body and have responsibility for preparing the budget, directing day-to-day operations, hiring and firing personnel, and serving as the council's chief policy advisor.
Although ICMA actively promotes the council-manager form as the preferred structure, the organization also supports professional management in all forms of local government.
Use these materials as part of your council-manager form adoption and retention efforts. Click on the link to the packet components and you will be taken to ICMA's Resource Center, where you will find a description of the material and one or more downloads. In addition to the materials contained in the Council-Manager Form Resource packet, scroll further down this page for a list of other resources, or contact Michele Frisby at email@example.com for more information.
- Video (NEW!): Local Government That Works: The Council-Manager Form of Government
- Brochure: Council-Manager Form of Government: What it is, how it works, and the benefits to your community (brochure)
- Forms of Local Government Structure
- Sample Ordinance for Establishing a Manager's Position
- Article: Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100
- Brochure: Professional Local Government Management: The Benefits to Your Municipality (brochure)
- Brochure: Professional County Management: The Benefits to Your County
- Article: How Professionals Can Add Value to Their Communities and Organizations
- Questionnaire for Determining Value of Professional Administrator/Manager
- Article: The Mayor-Manager Conundrum That Wasn't
- Article: Council-Manager or "Strong Mayor": The Choice Is Clear
- How Professionals Save Local Governments Money
- Study: Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: An Operations Efficiency Benchmarking Study of 100 American Cities (2011)
- Article: CNN-Money Magazine 100 Best Places to Live with Form of Government and ICMA Member (2011)


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Terry Francona is a frequent guest on Michael Kay's radio show in New York, and when he went on the program a few minutes ago, Kay came right out and asked Francona about this, albeit in a way that didn't mention what this was all about.
Here's how it went down:
MK: Obviously, we just have to touch on this. You're kind of in the news today in a way I'm sure you don't want to be in the news. What's going on, Terry? What are your thoughts?
TF: Yeah, you know what? I took a picture, obviously, a long time ago that was pretty in jest, which I think is pretty obvious. It wasn't portrayed that way. But because of that, you know, I'm going to probably embarrass my family and, you know, all the people I work for, the way it was portrayed. You know, I'm apologetic for that. It was supposed to be in jest; it just didn't come out that way. So, I am sorry, though, because I probably did embarrass some people, and I'm not proud of that.
Aww. No need to apologize, Terry. You're looking good!
PREVIOUSLY: Dear Terry Francona, Please Stop Emailing Photos Of Yourself Half-Naked In A Towel To My Girlfriend


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Brute force attack
A brute force attack also known as an exhaustive search is a method of cracking a password where every possible combination is tried. Because of this, brute force attacks are always successful, however, they usually take so much time, they're not worth using.
A mechanical example of a brute force attack is trying every possible combination on a combination lock. This is a tedious process because, with even a simple combination lock where the dial has only 30 places and the lock uses three numbers, would require 75 hours to check every combination if we assume it takes 10 seconds per attempt.
A similar system is used with password cracking on computers, where you first try password "a," then "b," and on to "z," then "aa," "ab," and so on. The number of passwords you need to try grows exponentially the longer the password gets.
Brute force attacks have legitimate uses, like when you've forgotten your password. However, they're mostly used for nefarious purposes.
At its most basic level, a brute force attack is a three step process:
- Generate the next password.
- Try the password.
- If the password was not successful, go to step 1.
Step 2 is the most difficult step because many systems purposely make it difficult to automate trying a password to prevent brute force attacks.
Accelerating the Process
In computer systems, passwords almost always allow the letters a-z, capital A-Z, numbers 0-9, and a host of special characters like !@#$%^&*. If we assume 100 possible characters, and the password is at most eight characters long, it means we will have to try 100^8 + 1 total passwords (or 10,101,010,101,010,102) to guarantee a match. If we assume our PC can try 1,000,000,000 passwords a second, it will take about 116 days to try every password, and for a nine-character-long password, it would take over 32 years! So, why do password crackers even bother with brute force attacks? Because there are several ways to accelerate the process.
Trying Common Characters First
Unless the system requires an assortment of characters like a capital letter, number, or symbol, most users don't bother with them. Because of this, a brute force system can be setup to first try passwords made up of just the 26 lowercase letters, and, if that fails, just numbers, then just capital letters. This is often enough to crack a large percentage of passwords. The remaining passwords will have to be brute forced with an attack which includes the more complex characters. Only 217,180,147,159 passwords can be made using just lowercase letters with a maximum length of 8 characters, which, assuming 1,000,000,000 attempts can be made each second, would only take about 4 minutes. For all passwords up to 9 characters, it would take 1.6 hours.
Faster and Distributed Hardware
1,000,000,000 passwords-a-second may sound impressive, but that is what is expected for the average consumer. Government or university super computers have also been used for the task which are thousands of times faster. Even smaller groups or individuals can build hardware consisting of dozens of processors chained together, or just use a network of regular computers each running a chunk of the passwords to out pace any single CPU.
There are several ways to protect against or slow down brute force attacks.
Control the Log-In
The simplest and most effective method is to control the log in process. If you can control how a person logs-in, you can add a delay after a failed attempt, lock the account after too many failures, and report when the failed attempts occur. These methods make brute force attacks entirely unfeasible because they can make the already slow process take billions of times longer. You will see these methods on website logins, ATMs, and OSes. However, this type of defense won't stop a cracker who can defeat your security, or acquire a copy of your data. For example, the Windows OS has a built-in delay on a failed password attempt, so brute forcing a password from the log-in screen is unfeasible, but if someone has brief access to your PC while it is logged in, they can make a copy of the password file, run the brute force attack on their own computer, and successfully determine your password.
It's possible to control the log in process even when it's not running on your PC. If a proprietary software package is built around encryption, the delay can be added to the program itself. Then, even if the file is copied, the cracker would still have to use the same program to decrypt it, which foils brute force attacks. In order to avoid the delay, the cracker would have to reverse-engineer the program and recreate it without the delay, which is a tedious and complex process.
Longer Passwords
Since brute force attacks take exponentially longer to perform as the length of a password increases, each character you add to your password makes it exponentially more secure from this type of attack.
Complex Characters
Since brute force attacks are often done with just lowercase letters or just numbers first, it helps to include in your password a variety of characters like upper and lower, numbers, and symbols. In particular, it helps to use a character not found on a keyboard, which many brute force attacks don't even bother checking. These are not possible in many older systems, but most new systems allow them. To enter such a character, hold ALT on your keyboard, then type a number on the keypad (the numbers on the side not the top) and release ALT. For example, ALT+236 gives the character "∞" which will be given far less priority in a brute force attack.
Don't Verify Passwords
Most forms of decryption report back if the user has entered a correct or incorrect password as a matter of convenience--they are able to do this because the hashed password is stored with the file--but this is not necessary. The safest form of encryption doesn't store the password at all, not even hashed. In such a case, if you use an incorrect password, the encrypted data will still go through the decryption process, but you will only get jumbled encrypted data for output. For each new password a cracker tries, analog verification, like a human looking at the output, is necessary to determine if the data decrypted successfully. A one-time pad is a good example of this. By not verifying the password, a brute force attack is effectively useless even against short passwords.
The trade-off here is that most users don't want to see jumbled data when they enter an incorrect password, and certainly don't want to run the risk of overwriting an incorrectly decrypted file.
The following FreeBASIC program will perform a brute force attack on the specified password.
' This program will run a brute force attack against the specified password string. ' It will try all printable ASCII characters (32-126), but can be easily modified to use a full 256 set. ' This code is for demonstration purposes only, it has not been optimized, and runs extremely slow. ' © Copyright 2017, Dean Tersigni. Declare Function GetAttempt As String Declare Sub GetNextPassword(iPlace As Integer) Dim As String sPassword, sTry Dim As Integer iCount, iRefresh Dim As Integer iMaxPasswordLengthAttempt sPassword = "!Xs~" ' The password to search for. iRefresh = 15577 ' Adjust for how often you want the screen to refresh. Try to get about 1 refresh a second. iMaxPasswordLengthAttempt = 20 ' How many places to try before giving up. Dim Shared As Integer iAttempt(1 To iMaxPasswordLengthAttempt) Dim Shared As Integer iAttemptLength = 1 Dim Shared dStart As Double dStart = Timer ' Trap for an empty password. If sPassword = "" Then Print "Password is blank, instant match!" Sleep: End Else iAttempt(1) = 32 End If Locate 1, 1: Print "Attempting: " Do ' Get the current password attempt. sTry = GetAttempt() iCount = iCount + 1 If iCount = iRefresh Then iCount = 0 Locate 1, 13: Print sTry End If ' Try the current password attempt. If sTry = sPassword Then CLS Print "Found!" Print "Password is '" + sTry + "'" Print "After"; (Timer - dStart); " second(s)." Sleep: End End If ' Get the next password. GetNextPassword(iAttemptLength) Loop Until Inkey$ = Chr(27) ' Convert the array into a simple string for comparison purposes. Function GetAttempt As String Dim As Integer I Dim As String sAttempt For I = 1 To UBound(iAttempt) If iAttempt(I) = 0 Then Exit For End If sAttempt = sAttempt + Chr(iAttempt(I)) Next I Return sAttempt End Function ' Use recursion to roll the password forward. Sub GetNextPassword(iPlace As Integer) ' Increment the current place holder. iAttempt(iPlace) = iAttempt(iPlace) + 1 ' Check to see if we need to roll. If iAttempt(iPlace) = 127 Then iAttempt(iPlace) = 32 If iPlace = 1 Then ' We've rolled the first place holder, increment the length of the password attempt. iAttemptLength = iAttemptLength + 1 If iAttemptLength > UBound(iAttempt) Then ' We've reached the end. CLS Print "Attemped every password, still no match." Print "After "; (Timer - dStart); " second(s)." Sleep: End End If iAttempt(iAttemptLength) = 32 Else ' Set the current place to the beginning, and increment the previous GetNextPassword(iPlace - 1) End If End If End Sub
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute-force_attack - Wikipedia.


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We are here to help if you are considering starting, relocating or expanding your business in Santa Monica. We're also here to support existing Santa Monica businesses. Much information can be obtained by clicking on Economic Development in the menu to the left and following the Doing Business in Santa Monica links. You can also reach the City of Santa Monica Economic Development Team at (310) 458-8906 or email us: firstname.lastname@example.com
We are a Sustainable City. Santa Monica is an internationally recognized, award winning sustainability leader. In 1994, the City of Santa Monica was among the first in the country to adopt a Sustainability City Program. Our businesses reap benefit—both environmentally and economically—from a free Business Greening Program, the Santa Monica Green Business Certification program, and the annual Santa Monica Sustainable Quality Awards. The Santa Monica Green Building Program expedites building permits. The City also offers grants to businesses and property owners under the Sustainable Landscape Program and Solar Santa Monica.
We are a Creative City. Santa Monica is at the leading edge of the nation's creative economy. Santa Monica has perhaps the highest concentration of creative individuals in the US. Nearly half of our adult population makes all or part of their living in arts-related fields. Santa Monica houses some of the nation's key creative businesses including Activision, the Grammy Foundation, Jerry Bruckheimer Studios, Lionsgate Entertainment, Red Bull N.A., and Universal Music. In 2007, the city adopted Creative Capital: A Plan for the Development of Santa Monica's Arts and Culture to help ensure on-going vitality of our ever-important creative sector.
We are an Innovative City. Creativity and innovation go hand in hand. To help our businesses compete globally, we created Santa Monica City Net, a cutting edge package of network solutions including Dark Fiber Leasing and Co-Location Services that helps improve operational efficiency and sustainability (up to 100 gigs/second). Meanwhile, Santa Monica College is training a highly skilled future workforce for green industries, medical services and entertainment technology. Welcome to Silicon Beach!
We are both a Global and Local City. Think global, act local. We are proud that many of our businesses are linked to the global economy. However, we also champion local, independent businesses through our Buy Local Santa Monica campaign. Our residents place strong value in supporting local, independent and sustainable businesses.
We are a Livable City.A quality of life like no other – the beach, cultural offerings, Big Blue Bus, bike routes, walkability, education, top-notch services, world-class farmers market and amazing weather. Our businesses work in collaboration of the City to promote ridesharing and "commuting green" options to their employees. The "I am Santa Monica" program helps to empower and inform local employees about Santa Monica and all it has to offer. This free ambassador training contributes the city's vibrant local economy and helps to attract over 8 million visitors a year from around the world.
In Alliance. The Santa Monica Alliance is a collaborative effort of the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce dedicated to nurturing a vibrant, healthy and profitable business climate in Santa Monica. We are working together to attract, retain and to help grow our businesses.