text:
Congressional commission to look closer at China cloud computing
Group plans study on security risks of Chinese cloud.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an advisory group to Congress, is putting more scrutiny on national security threats posed to American businesses by Chinese cloud computing companies.
The group, tasked by Congress to monitor the risks of trade with China, is commissioning a report on the ties of state enterprises to the Chinese cloud computing industry and potential espionage risks from cloud infrastructure situated in the country, according to government officials.
Cloud computing generally refers to the delivery of a variety of computing resources – from Web-based services to storage space -- over the Internet. The commission is interested in "how information stored by Chinese cloud computing services might be susceptible to theft or exploitation, or how cloud computing infrastructure might be used to launch or enable cyberattacks," according to a solicitation for proposals that closed earlier this month. The group is looking into how many people in the U.S. are using cloud infrastructure owned or operated by Chinese entities, as well as "Chinese-developed, owned, or operated cloud infrastructure outside of China." The report is likely to be available to Congress by the middle of the year, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss it.
Any findings could potentially direct further congressional scrutiny over manufacturers such as Huawei and ZTE that sell technology and infrastructure that support cloud computing. The advisory commission has previously enlisted defense contractor Northrop Grumman for a report on the impact of the rise of offensive computer abilities by Chinese entities. The commission, in its 2012 report to Congress, suggested that the rise of cloud computing in China could facilitate government surveillance and censorship.
Chinese cloud computing is still in infancy but is a fast-growing industry that has been slated for government venture capital. The size of China's public cloud services market – which generally targets individual consumers -- is expected to reach over $2 billion in 2015 from roughly $1.25 billion in 2013; while private cloud-related spending – which generally caters to enterprises -- is expected to hit over $1.2 billion in 2015 from just south of $800 million in 2013, according to research analyst group IDC.
U.S. companies have begun to jump to capture a slice of this growth. IBM has partnered with Chinese tech firm Range Technology Development Co. to build by 2016 what is slated to be Asia's largest cloud computing data center. Microsoft planned in 2011 to develop cloud enterprise products in China alongside local partner China Standard Software Co.
(Image via Shutterstock.com)


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Recent News
- Sell at Lake Anna in Louisa County? Take action against short-term rental restrictions!
- Volunteer with FAAR at the Food Bank on October 7, 2023
- NFIP Set to Expire on 9/30 & Looming Government Shutdown
- Celebrating Excellence: FAAR Honorees Shine at the 2023 Virginia REALTORS® Awards Event
- FAAR Endorses Candidates for Public Office

subset: commoncrawl


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Over at Locus, there are some great excerpts from their interview with Stanley Schmidt, who recently ended his record stint as editor of Analog, the hard science fiction magazine. Most notably, Schmidt explains why he sometimes gets tired of the phrase "hard science fiction":
While, in one sense, I'm proud to keep Analog as hard science fiction, I also sometimes wish that term would go away. So many people use it in a way that they think is what I mean by it, and it's completely different from what I really mean. Recently I got a story by somebody who said, 'So and so said I should sell this to Analog because it's full of clanking hardware.' I have no intrinsic interest in clanking hardware. What I mean by 'hard science fiction' is actually pretty simple: there's some element of speculative science or technology in it, which is so integral to the story that you can't take it out without making the whole story collapse.
The second requirement is that there should be some attempt to make the science or technology speculation plausible. When I was teaching the science fiction course, one of the stories that I had people read was 'Flowers for Algernon' (one of my all-time favorites). It's the quintessential example of meeting the requirement that there has to be some speculative element that you can't take out without making the story collapse. Everything that's important to Charlie comes out of that operation. And yet, because there are no rockets or robots and very little is said about the medical details, about half the students in my course were surprised that I even considered it science fiction. On the other hand, everybody thinks of Star Wars movies as science fiction, but they're what my dad calls 'really good Westerns with terrific special effects.'
Check out the rest at the link, and in the print magazine. [Locus]


text: Country Profiles Country Profiles Country Profiles // Main Details Cuba - Main Details Show map Legend: CBD Party CBD & CPB Party Non Party Selected country Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity or the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Biodiversity Facts Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem servicesThe content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. Cuba has a large variety of ecosystems (42 types) and landscapes (23 types), ranging from arid and semi-arid land to humid tropical forests and mountains. It is composed of a main island and several archipelagos. Plains cover 75% of the territory, while mountains cover 18% and humid coastal lands cover the remaining 4%. Mangroves represent 26% of the country's forested surface and 70% of its coasts. Although natural and anthropogenic stressors have affected more than 30% of existing mangroves, this ecosystem is ranked first amongst the Caribbean island countries and ninth worldwide. Cuba is the principal center of evolution and speciation in the Antilles, as well as one of the most important islands worldwide for biodiversity. The high level of endemism is caused by extreme climate conditions, diversity of habitat, geologic evolution (soil mosaic) and geographic isolation. As a result, approximately 50% of plant species and 42% of animal species can be found in Cuba only. Of the 612 vertebrate species, endemics include 15 mammals, 91 reptiles, 43 amphibians, 23 fish and 22 birds. Approximately 10% of the country's fauna and 2% of its vascular plants are considered at risk or endangered. As has been happening in other developing countries, Cuba's biodiversity has been declining due to the modification of natural habitats. It is estimated that the number of marine species is 10,500 and that 30% of the total number of marine species is yet to be discovered. The country counts 6,519 species of vascular plants and an estimated 26,953 animal species, mainly invertebrate, of which 16,516 are known. Cuban forests constitute an important source of non-timber yielding products, such as pine resin, guano fertilizer, yuraguano stalks, palmiche, wild fruits, honey, mangrove bark, guaniquiqui and bamboo fiber, seeds, coffee, cacao, wax, wild orchids, essential oils, cacao butter and medicinal plants. Fishing is also an important economic activity for the country. Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. Cuban biodiversity is significantly threatened by anthropogenic and natural stressors. Anthropogenic stressors are mostly defined by a high level of tourism-related activities, mining, overfishing, deforestation, poaching, introduction of invasive alien species and pollution (sedimentation from deforestation and waste and chemicals from agriculture). Important natural threats facing Cuban biodiversity are increased temperatures, more frequent droughts and torrential rains, fires and hurricanes, resulting from the impacts of climate change. Measures to Enhance Implementation of the Convention Implementation of the NBSAPThe content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. Since 2005, inventorying of the country's biological diversity has been carried out and information gathered for developing management plans, monitoring their effectiveness and assessing damages caused by hurricanes. Implementation of the Action Plan on Protected Areas was concluded in 2008, with the second plan for 2009-2013 currently in implementation. Cuba has a total of 253 protected areas (including 10 new protected areas), of which 105 have management plans covering a five-year period and annual operational plans. Of these, 45 have been approved by the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers. The total proposed and approved areas represent 19.95% of the country, comprised of about 25% of the marine ecosystem, 57% of coral reefs, 89% of native species of flora, 85.3% of endemic species, 77% of threatened species. In terms of fauna, approved areas cover 75.1 % of the vertebrate groups analyzed, 78.4% of endemic species and 82.3% of threatened species. Implementation of the Cuban Biodiversity Action Plan (2006-2010) is contributing to achieving the goals and objectives drawn up by the country, especially in regard to the national protected areas system. However, actions related to the management and control of invasive alien species, climate change considerations in relation to biodiversity, access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from their use, which were identified as national work priorities, have only been partially fulfilled. Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity TargetsThe content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. The theme of biological diversity has been gradually integrated through national programmes and public awareness-raising activities (e.g. Forestry National Program (2000-2015), Turquino Plan (integrated mountain development), National Program for the Conservation and Improvement of Soils, National Action Plans for Phytogenetic Resources, National Biosafety Framework, National Action Plan to Combat Desertification). By 2007, forest cover had increased to 25.3%, from 22.2% in 2000, due to implementation of reforestation policy. Further, urban agricultural production is now 80% sustainable. Cuba also emphasizes the preservation of traditional knowledge in rural communities and is carrying out activities related to the use of wild plants for medicinal, non-conventional foods and other functions. Progress has been made in regard to integrated coastal management, through the elaboration and implementation of a legislative and institutional framework, and formulation of parameters for evaluating and declaring a coastal zone under an integrated coastal management regime. Additionally, projects (e.g PNUD/GEF project on the Sabana-Camaguey ecosystem, ecosystem services and economic valuation) have been completed and are now used as a complement to analyses developed in regard to payments for ecosystem services. Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. National environmental policy, centralization of the main means of production and development as well as the political climate have restricted foreign investment/intervention. Further, legal instruments establishing regulative measures for the sustainable management and exploitation of resources, such as the ban to protect lobster, shrimp, sea snail, fish and marine turtles, have been issued. Consequently, the impact on marine ecosystems appears to be minor compared to other countries in the region. However, a legal instrument does not yet exist to regulate access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from the use of these resources. Biodiversity legislation remains insufficient; progress in this area is impeded by the delay in attaining approval on legal instruments. Cuba has limited availability of financial resources to increase and strengthen the infrastructure of germplasm banks which is the biggest threat to the genetic integrity of the collections. Financial resources are insufficient overall to ensure biodiversity conservation (sources such as the Environmental National Fund (FNMA) does not constitute a stable source of financing). The establishment of the Cuban Clearing-house Mechanism (CHM) in 2004, together with the National Biodiversity Information Network (RINBIO), and other related national initiatives, constitutes a very important development for facilitating the exchange of information and experiences. Actions regarding the Protected Areas National System (SNAP) are being carried out with national and provincial institutions (e.g. research institutes, natural history museums, botanical gardens, biology and geography faculties, control and planning centers). Cooperation among sectors (including ministries, management agencies, etc.) is also promoted by means of inter-ministerial departments and networks created to share information and experiences. Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementationThe content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned. Identification, monitoring and indicators are highly developed in relation to flora and fauna in the terrestrial environment, but are lacking in the marine environment and constitute a priority for the future. A set of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management has been developed for a program aimed at achieving sustainable forest resources which is being monitored at all levels.


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Exodus 9
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and thou hast spoken unto him, Thus said Jehovah, God of the Hebrews, Send My people away, and they serve me,
for, if thou art refusing to send away, and art still keeping hold upon them,
lo, the hand of Jehovah is on thy cattle which are in the field, on horses, on asses, on camels, on herd, and on flock -- a pestilence very grievous.
'And Jehovah hath separated between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there doth not die a thing of all the sons of Israel's;
and Jehovah setteth an appointed time, saying, To-morrow doth Jehovah do this thing in the land.'
And Jehovah doth this thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt die, and of the cattle of the sons of Israel not one hath died;
and Pharaoh sendeth, and lo, not even one of the cattle of Israel hath died, and the heart of Pharaoh is hard, and he hath not sent the people away.
And Jehovah saith unto Moses and unto Aaron, 'Take to you the fulness of your hands of soot of a furnace, and Moses hath sprinkled it towards the heavens, before the eyes of Pharaoh,
and it hath become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and it hath become on man and on cattle a boil breaking forth with blains, in all the land of Egypt.'
And they take the soot of the furnace, and stand before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkleth it towards the heavens, and it is a boil with blains, breaking forth, on man and on beast;
and the scribes have not been able to stand before Moses, because of the boil, for the boil hath been on the scribes, and on all the Egyptians.
And Jehovah strengtheneth the heart of Pharaoh, and he hath not hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses.
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Rise early in the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh, and thou hast said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, God of the Hebrews, Send My people away, and they serve Me,
for, at this time I am sending all My plagues unto thy heart, and on thy servants, and on thy people, so that thou knowest that there is none like Me in all the earth,
for now I have put forth My hand, and I smite thee, and thy people, with pestilence, and thou art hidden from the earth.
'And yet for this I have caused thee to stand, so as to show thee My power, and for the sake of declaring My Name in all the earth;
still thou art exalting thyself against My people -- so as not to send them away;
lo, I am raining about this time to-morrow hail very grievous, such as hath not been in Egypt, even from the day of its being founded, even until now.
'And, now, send, strengthen thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; every man and beast which is found in the field, and is not gathered into the house -- come down on them hath the hail, and they have died.'
He who is fearing the word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh hath caused his servants and his cattle to flee unto the houses;
and he who hath not set his heart unto the word of Jehovah leaveth his servants and his cattle in the field.
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and there is hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on beast, and on every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.'
And Moses stretcheth out his rod towards the heavens, and Jehovah hath given voices and hail, and fire goeth towards the earth, and Jehovah raineth hail on the land of Egypt,
and there is hail, and fire catching itself in the midst of the hail, very grievous, such as hath not been in all the land of Egypt since it hath become a nation.
And the hail smiteth in all the land of Egypt all that is in the field, from man even unto beast, and every herb of the field hath the hail smitten, and every tree of the field it hath broken;
only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel are, there hath been no hail.
And Pharaoh sendeth, and calleth for Moses and for Aaron, and saith unto them, 'I have sinned this time, Jehovah is the Righteous, and I and my people are the Wicked,
make ye supplication unto Jehovah, and plead that there be no voices of God and hail, and I send you away, and ye add not to remain.'
And Moses saith unto him, 'At my going out of the city, I spread my palms unto Jehovah -- the voices cease, and the hail is not any more, so that thou knowest that the earth is Jehovah's;
but thou and thy servants -- I have known that ye are not yet afraid of the face of Jehovah God.'
And the flax and the barley have been smitten, for the barley is budding, and the flax forming flowers,
and the wheat and the rye have not been smitten, for they are late.
And Moses goeth out from Pharaoh, from the city, and spreadeth his hands unto Jehovah, and the voices and the hail cease, and rain hath not been poured out to the earth;
and Pharaoh seeth that the rain hath ceased, and the hail and the voices, and he continueth to sin, and hardeneth his heart, he and his servants;
and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he hath not sent the sons of Israel away, as Jehovah hath spoken by the hand of Moses.
Exodus 9
Young's Literal Translation
Bible Hub


text:
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text:
This morning around 9 AM CST there was a database error that ended up causing API slowness for 3-4 minutes, which could have manifested itself on your end as timeouts or spam getting through.
Although the downtime was short it did alert us to a weakness in our system we'll address so this won't happen again.
Our last major downtime was in September 2007, one thousand and twenty eight days ago. These things usually happen in threes but hopefully we can head off the next two.
37.781788 -122.388126


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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
How to Host a Conference
Our intent in posting these guidelines at the OWASP web site is to give conference planners something more than "Good Luck" as they prepare to host an event. While it is almost impossible to cover EVERY detail of planning, we think we have put together a fairly comprehensive series of recommendations. Just ask anyone who has put together an event of any size and they will tell you it's hard work, but can also be a lot of fun. We are an open community, so your peers are often a great resource. Refer to some of the other conference pages and contact the conference planners directly for advice. Different types of OWASP Events (see the Event Definition tab) have a few requirements imposed on them. See the requirements tab for details.
We've also prepared a Conference Planning Table that summarizes these guidelines and gives you a check sheet to use as you plan your conference.
The Global Conferences Committee is responsible for coordinating all OWASP conferences and events. If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask them at [email protected]
Overall OWASP Conferences Chair is (Eoin Keary & Dave Wichers)
Global Conference Committee Chair is Mark Bristow
OWASP Operations Director is Kate Hartmann
Event Definition
All OWASP events will fall into one of the following categories. If you are unsure as to what types of event you would like to plan contact the Global Conferences Committee and they will be able to help you set your scope. Please also note that various types of events have some requirements set for them, see the requirements tab for details
OWASP AppSec Conference
These conferences are the flagship of the OWASP outreach effort. This will be an international conference sponsored by OWASP and approved by the Global Conferences Committee. AppSec Conferences include multiple days of multi-track plenary sessions in addition to pre-conference training offerings. AppSec Conferences, schedules, and trainings must be approved by the OWASP Global Conference Committee and will receive the full support of the OWASP Foundation. In any calander year, there will be no more than 4 AppSec Conferences of this size. Locations will be determined the prior year and planning must begin at a minimum of 12 months in advance.
OWASP Regional Conference
Regional conferences typically have lower attendance than AppSec conferences and typically include multiple days of single track plenary sessions. Training may or may not be offered at the descression of the regional conference planning team. Regional conferences are not subject to the same rigor as AppSec conferences in terms of planning and only require the local planning team deconflict scheduling with the Global Conferences Committee. Regional teams are free to brand their conference as they wish, as long as the OWASP affiliation is maintained. OWASP Foundation support may be available for large expenses at the discression of the Global Conference Committee.
OWASP Events
Events are typically single day or "OWASP Day" type events that are generally local in nature. Events typically have only one track and span anywhere from a half to a full day. Planning for these events are at the sole discression of the event team and may be branded in any manner so long as the OWASP affiliation is maintained. In general, significant OWASP Foundation support will not be available for these events.
Board Member Role
The OWASP Board will make every effort to have at least one OWASP Board Member in attendance at each AppSec conference. The Board Member will…
- Provide a keynote or other address on OWASP, our goals, vision, strategy, ethics, projects, membership, and progress. The goal is to introduce attendees to OWASP and our culture, describe membership program, attract contributors, and inspire people about the importance of application security.
- Ensure that OWASP principles and ethics are upheld in all aspects of the prosecution of the conference. In particular, ensure that OWASP's brand is not misused by commercial entities.
- Provide logistical support and the ability to make quick decisions on the ground (within reason) without having a formal board meeting and decision process.
- Serve as a lightning rod for any issues, problems, suggestions or praise that anyone wants to provide about OWASP and bring them to the appropriate committee or OWASP Board.
- Assess the general operation of the local/regional OWASP organization, chapters, sponsors, leaders, and contributors. The goal is to use this information to strategize how to grow OWASP's presence in the region and support the local leadership.
- Meet with local leaders from OWASP, government, vendors, and industry to get them to understand why application security is important and joining with OWASP makes sense.
The amount of planning, committee work, advance deadlines, etc., in part depends on the size conference you are planning. A general rule is to allow about a month for every 20 participants. For example, if you are expecting 200 attendees, you should begin to prepare at least 10 months in advance.
The general dates and time of the conference should be suggested by local variables as well as OWASP speaker availability. For example, it may not be a good idea to plan a conference in Wisconsin in January or Texas in August due to potential weather conditions. Check the OWASP conference schedule to make sure there are not any conflicting events. If you plan to invite out of town speakers, it's best to arrange them months in advance. Good speakers and instructors are often booked up to a year in advance.
Consider the size and scope of your conference. Small groups can be hosted nearly any time. But larger groups will require housing, transportation, and food services that might conflict with other events. Make sure to check the local community events to ensure there will be adequate accessibility to these needs.
Having a cohesive, comprehensive plan for your event is key to the success of your event. While all plans change it is important to consider all of the elements listed in the following tabs when developing your conference planning package.
Once you have developed your plan submit it to the Global Conferences Committee for review and consideration.
Conference Committee
While there is no requirement to organize your conference's committee in any particular way, these structures have worked for successful conferences in the past. It's important to organize a conference committee as early as possible. It is recommended that you establish regular planning/reporting meetings and set up email lists. Always make it clear who is supposed to do what and when. Keep minutes/notes of your meetings and use them to follow up. The more you communicate with each other, the less likely you'll have slip ups.
It is important that the conference committee be predominately comprised of a local team that is able to act locally to speed up and help in all activities related to the conference venue and local services. Planning a conference entirely from a remote location is a challenging job and is NOT recommended. Events without local support are unlikely to get Global Conferences Committee approval.
Conference Organizers
This should be a relatively small group (recommend 3) who are the core organizers of the conference. This group is the "executive leadership" for the conference. There is a tendency for one person to lead a conference, or for this group to be fairly large. experience indicates that one person is likely unable to handle all of the decisions that will be required for managing a successful conference while having too many causes the issue of inaction by committee. In the initial stages, these are the people who will be doing the heavy lifting while the rest of the committee comes into place. It's recommended that specific organizers be initially tasked into the following:
- One of the principle organizers should be designated as responsible for the budget. It is important to reconcile any decisions with the budget as well as keep it up to date. Conferences are the lifeblood of OWASP's financial picture so it's important that they be managed well.
- One organizer should be devoted to developing partnerships/sponsorship leads for the conference. It's important to determine if the conference will be partnering with any local organizations or governments up front and to manage that relationship. Additionally getting sponsorships early will greatly help keep the conference fiscally responsible
- The last organizer should be devoted to facilities. The first step in planning a conference is to develop a contract with the conference facility. There are many things to consider while working this process and it requires dedicated attention. Please do keep in mind however that organizers may not sign contracts, only officers of OWASP (The Board) may obligate the foundation legally.
Functional Leaders
In the past it has been helpful to appoint functional leaders for the conference. These volunteers are typically assigned a specific area of responsibility to work in conjunction with the principle organizer's efforts.
- Sponsors -- To augment the activities of the principal organizer assigned to this task, it's important to assign someone to sponsorships right away. This task will involve a lot of email, conference calls, and footwork and needs all the help it can get.
- Security -- Checking credentials at the entrance to convention only areas and controlling access to convention events. There will be licensed security personnel onsite to handle and "real" security issues should they arise, volunteers are not expected to put themselves in any jeopardy as security staff.
- Speakers -- Helping Speakers and Trainers get to and from their assigned areas, and making sure that they have the resources that they need to do their tasks. Will also interface with the facilities team if any facilities issues arise and need to be remedied.
- Registration/Info Desk/Merch -- Helping run the registration and "Front Desk" functions of the conference. This may also expand to running an Information Desk functionality and/or helping sell merchandise.
- Facilities -- Helping run the "behind the scenes" of the conference. This will mainly be overseeing the various contractors and vendors hired to provide services for the conference, and acting as a liaison between the convention center, contractors, exhibitors and the rest of the conference.
- Volunteers -- Getting a small army is hard to do
Program Committee
You need a group of people to review the papers you will receive.
Good criteria to select Program Committee members include their involvement in OWASP activities (e.g projects, conferences, mailing lists). Selecting people already involved with OWASP helps choosing proposals that are aligned with OWASP's values.
Trainer Evaluators
You need a group of people to review the training proposals you will receive.
Good criteria to select Trainer Evaluators include their involvement in OWASP activities (e.g projects, conferences, mailing lists). Selecting people already involved with OWASP helps choosing proposals that are aligned with OWASP's values.
Remember that the foundation does have some personnel who can help with the conference planning. While it's important not to over-leverage these people, do include them as often as they can support as their insight and experience will be invaluable.
The OWASP Conference Budget Planning Tool has been developed by the Global Conferences Committee to assist in the budget planning process. The tool was originally designed for AppSec conferences but can be used for a conference of any size. When submitting a budget to the GCC, you are required to use this format.
Attendees should be expected to pay their registration fees in advance. This helps provide an accurate picture of the number who will attend because the attendees are more committed to attending. You can consider a slightly higher fee for late registrations or registrations onsite, if your food and facilities planning can handle extra last-minute registrations.
Your conference costs should be handled through the Foundation. Sponsorship funds, venue deposits, travel reimbursements, printing, etc will be managed for you. This allows you to focus more on the event content! Contact Kate Hartmann as soon as possible to get this set up. Don't minimize the importance of a detailed accounting of your conference funds. Setting things up right before you begin to receive registrations fees can make things a lot easier during and after the conference.
Things to Consider
- Shipment of OWASP products will come out of the conference budget
- Conferences are expected to provide travel for at least one board member
- Be sure to budget for fliers, signage and schwag
Obtaining sponsorship is essential to the success of your event. Without financial input from vendors to cover costs of food, venue, giveaways, and everything else, your event will inevitably fail. The following document has been prepared to assist you in convincing vendors to give you money. Please tailor the document to suit your event and forward it to any and all potential sponsors.
It is important to have completed your budget early so you can correctly estimate the amount of sponsorship you will need.
Sponsor Displays
If you plan to have an exhibit hall it must be easily accessible and must have adequate space to accommodate vendor booths. There may be costs associated with such a hall. Some facilities require that their own people set things up. Make sure you know what is included with any rental costs, and what you may have to pay extra for.
Make sure that there is adequate time for attendees to visit the exhibits and to talk with vendors. Directing breaks and snacks into the vendor expo will encourage participants to visit the exhibits. Depending on the benefits to the vendors, you may ask that they pay for exhibit space, or leverage their participation by asking them to sponsor one or more conference activities (reception, meal, etc.).
One of your very first items of business should be to reserve necessary rooms for plenary sessions, breakout sessions, classroom sessions, tech expo, breaks, receptions, and conference headquarters/registration.
Adapt your conference to the facilities you have available. For example, good plenary sessions can be better than breakout sessions that don't have adequate facilities. To the extent that you can, schedule conference sessions in rooms that have basic AV equipment (overhead projectors and screens, for example). If the rooms already have computers and computer/video projection, that's even better. Then assign conference sessions to the appropriate rooms.
Try to keep conference costs down by using rooms that are free. Again, this may require some adapting or negotiating. Partnering with a local university is a great way to obtain free space.
A contract to secure your venue is critical. Only a member of the Board can enter into a contract on behalf of OWASP!!! Please forward contracts to be signed to Kate Hartmann for signatures.
Training rooms will require space to accommodate generally 10-30 students per class.
International meetings usually have a general theme. However, for regional meetings, you may want to choose a theme that reflects your chapter's particular strengths or interests.
A good program is critical. Look for variety, interest, timeliness. What do your members need or want to leave with? Try to balance lectures with discussions, hands on, social activities, and time for colleague interaction.
While is is acceptable to target individuals/companies to solicit content, in keeping with the OWASP value of openness, all Call for Papers and Call for Training must be open to all to submit. Calls for Papers or Training must be at a minimum announced on the conference Wiki page.
A general call for presenters should have a deadline that gives you ample time to recruit and to fill in gaps should you not get all the good proposals you need. Network with other members of your organization to identify people who might be invited to make presentations. Immediately after the deadline, begin organizing the conference schedule. Select the proposals you want to use and contact them to verify their availability. Create a tentative schedule, matching presenters to the facilities. You may want to lay out your schedule on a whiteboard, or use 3x5 cards on a corkboard so you can visualize how things fit together. Make sure you plan time for attendees to talk with each other, such as at breaks, before and after dinners, at receptions, etc.
Send a formal acceptance note to each participant, and ask them to confirm by sending an abstract (if you didn't get that as part of their submission) and submitting a request for any special equipment (AV, computer, etc.)
Also note that according to the standard OWASP Speaker Agreement, presenters must submit their presentations (in Powerpoint format) at least 60 days prior to the conference. Submissions should be uploaded to OWASP Presentations after the event.
Consider a CFP system to manage submissions such as EasyChair (it is free) http://www.easychair.org, or OpenConf (free and pro-version) http://www.openconf.com.
Additionally, each OWASP Conference is required to solicit a board member to provide a welcoming or keynote address. This shows foundation endorsement of the local team ensures a consistent OWASP message.
If you are offering training at your event the Call For Training proposal template should help you issue a call for training. While you are welcome to target training organizations, remember to ensure that the call for training be publicly available so that all my propose classes.
Training revenues are to be split 60/40 with 60% of the revenue going to OWASP and 40% going to the trainer. OWASP will provide the facilities, promotion, A/V equipment, and refreshments for all training. Trainers are responsible for travel/accommodations for the training staff, all training materials, and promotion of the training.
All training during OWASP Events must be OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. OWASP and the Trainer may set aside no more than a combined 10% of the available training slots for their own use. Setting aside of training slots in all cases must be approved by the Global Conferences Committee
Audio Visual/Recording
This is another critically important part of the conference, especially in our technology-driven organization. You should assign a member of your committee to head this up since it's a demanding and time-consuming responsibility.
To the extent that you can, schedule conference sessions in rooms that have basic AV equipment (overhead projectors and screens, for example). If the rooms already have computers and computer/video projection, that's even better. Then assign conference sessions to the appropriate rooms.
Determine ahead of time what portable equipment you have available, and whether you have to rent equipment. OWASP owns one projector that can be "loaned" out for events. Contact Kate Hartmann to arrange for the shipping of this and other items. When you confirm conference presentations, ask presenters to provide you with a list of equipment they need.
OWASP has several registration tools available to use. Currently we utilize the CVENT registration system for larger, paying events. There is a fee for CVENT Registrations. If your event is free of charge, but you require an RSVP for space restrictions or food, please contact Kate Hartmann to review registration options for free events.
The following data was taken from several larger OWASP conferences to demonstrate how registrations are typically distributed over time.
Promoting your conference begins as soon as you have selected a conference site and date. All OWASP Branded Events/Conferences are required to have a presence on the OWASP Wiki. You are also welcome to register an external web address (preferably in the .org tld) to help market and promote your event so long as the site links back to the OWASP Wiki (main page or event page) in some way. You are however required to keep the Wiki page up to date and current as the primary source of information for the event, any external resources are secondary sources of information. Post the date and location on the OWASP wiki. Make sure to review pages for other conferences for great ideas and to allow for continuity in page style.
The first wave of publicity comes with the call for presentations.
The next wave comes as you send out the conference announcement, with as much detail as you have, including a tentative program. This is important if you want to convince people they should come. Set a registration deadline that accounts for your own deadlines (food services, etc.) You may have to consider a higher fee for those who are late, especially if that really does incur additional costs for you.
Conference organizers are welcome to negotiate with local newspapers, trade magazines, and other media to help promote the event. OWASP prefers to establish "in kind" agreements with media for promotions but in the past, paid advertisements have been used where appropriate. If you have any questions or concerns please ask the Global Conferences Committee
Design Components
In designing your own Powerpoint templates, tshirts, bags, badges, banners, flags, carpets and what have you, find the original vector graphic of the OWASP logo (in EPS and AI formats) here. Please do share them with the other conference chairs!
The Resources tab has additional resources for assisting in promoting your event.
Conference Materials
At a minimum, you need to provide some sort of printed program. For most conferences, the following is usually adequate: a simple folder with program, maps, lists of local restaurants and attractions, a name tag, and writing materials (pen and pad). For larger, conferences you may want to include a conference bag that includes OWASP books or handouts. Be sure to allow ample time for printing and shipping of OWASP materials. International shipping can take several weeks.
Name Tags
If you plan properly, you should be able to generate name tags to be printed from your conference database program. If you process your registrations through the OWASP office, they can create your nametags.
Keep the name tag layout simple: a small conference logo or title, the person's full name in LARGE, readable letters, and the person's institution. Don't make people squint to read names on name tags.
The actual type of name tag (paper stick-on, pin on plastic case, hang-around-the-neck, etc.) depends on your preferences and budget. If you do provide stick-on tags, you may want to generate at least one tag for each day of the conference since they won't be able to reuse the tags. If you use plastic badges, you can invite attendees to recycle them at the end of the conference.
Well-planned meals and snacks are critical to a successful conference. Consult with your venue food services, or with a local caterer, determine what is needed, and what it will cost. Let food services or the caterer do the work.
Be sure to negotiate food services in such a way that you are not liable for food costs beyond what you can cover through conference fees. Usually food planners will allow up to 10% more people than you contract for (e.g., for late registrations), but be sure this is clear up front.
To reduce costs, seek sponsors for specific meals where possible. Some larger vendors are happy to get the publicity that comes from sponsoring a breakfast, lunch, reception, or even a dinner. In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask. If the sponsor desires it, let the sponsor choose the caterer and take care of the arrangements.
For small conferences, many if not most of the meals can be left up to the attendees. Be sure to provide a good list of local eateries. Include information about which are within walking distance, which are not, and how to get to those that are not.
Strategically scheduled snack breaks, with drinks and fruit or cookies, can add a touch of class to your conference. These don't usually cost too much, and can be covered by registration fees. Don't skimp on the time allotted for breaks, since attendees will want to network and will take the time anyway. Be sure to take care of all the caffine junkies in the crowd. If possible, try and arrange for a pre event tasting. You don't want people remembering your event for the bad coffee or sandwiches.
Be sure to allow for special dietary considerations. Always offer some vegetarian options for your meals.
Social Events
After a long intensive day of speakers and/or training, a more casual opportunity for networking will be welcomed by most all attendees. Depending on the size and location of your event you may want to consider one or several of the following options:
- OWASP "meet up" at a local pub
- OWASP gala dinner
- Corporate sponsored party
- Guided site seeing tours
- Group outing to a sporting event
In many cases you can include an optional fee to be paid to cover the costs of the event. In the case of a corporate sponsored event, the sponsor would cover the costs. Very often, however, an informal yet organized (planned) evening at the pub will be sufficient to facilitate networking among conference attendees and speakers.
Be sure to remind everyone at the end of the last talk for the day of the location of the gathering, the cost (if any), and the start time for the next days speakers.
Whatever you plan, however, be sure to include some free time for people to do things on their own.
Your conference venue usually has maps and travel information on how to get to the location. If there aren't adequate limo or shuttle services to your venue from the airport, you may need to make your own arrangements.
It is customary for conferences to cover the direct travel accommodations of board members and committee members as well as a reasonable per diem for expenses so budget accordingly.
OWASP on the MOVE funds are not to be used for conferences or events. If you are planning on covering ANY speakers travel and/or accommodations, be sure to plan for this in your event budget.
Visitor's Guide
All global conferences that will attract a substantial international audience should create a city Visitor's guide. A great example of a visitor's guide was put together by the AppSec Research 2010 teamThis guide should include sections like:
- Country Overview
- Common Languages
- Money
- Tipping and Haggling
- Local Customs
- Special Events during the conference
- Transportation to Event
- Taxi Company Phone numbers and estimated prices
- Buss or Mass Transit information, schedules, and prices
- Directions on how to get to conference site WITH PICTURES (It's recommended you walk from the major transportation hubs and take pictures along the way)
- Host City
- Local points of interest
- How to get around the city (metro/bus maps)
- Bars near the event
If you plan on a regional or international event, it is considerate to negotiate a discounted room rate with a local hotel. In many cases, if you event is at a hotel, they will happily give you greater than 50% discount on rooms. If your event is at another type of venue (convention center, university campus, corporate building) there are often referral relationships between the venue and nearby hotels. Be sure to ask you coordinator.
When reserving your room blocks take into consideration the number of out of town speakers and guests you are expecting and how many room nights will be required. Be sure to avoid commitment for the unsold rooms. The hotel wants to get paid of course. Be sure that the hotel will not hold OWASP responsible for unbooked rooms.
AppSec Sample Conference Wiki Page
Conference Budget Planning Tool
Call For Training proposal template.
These are the requirements imposed on any event using the OWASP brand. The requirements are cumulative as such that Regional Conferences must also comply with "All Events" requirements. AppSec Conferences must also comply with "All Events" and "Regional Conference" requirements.
All Events
- All Events must be coordinated with the Global Conferences Committee and receive their approval
- Events must have an OWASP Wiki Page
- Only OWASP Board members or their designates may enter into contracts on behalf of the foundation
- All finances must be handled by the OWASP Foundation unless exceptions are granted by the Global Conferences Committee
- All content must be vendor neutral
- All content must be made available to the public after the conference
- All calls for papers, training and registration must be open to the public
- All events must be conducted in a manor consistent with the OWASP Mission, Principles and Code of Ethics
- Free admission should be made available for OWASP Leaders, Committee and Board members
Regional Conference
- A complete budget must be submitted and approved by the Global Conferences Committee
- A board member must be present at all OWASP AppSec and Regional Conferences to provide a welcoming statement
- Travel and accommodations for the board member will be sourced from the conference budget
AppSec Conferences
- AppSec Conferences must be processed through the AppSec Call for Conferences process
- There must be associated training with the conference
- An admission fee must be charged
- Sessions must be recorded and posted to the public after the conference
- There must be at least one networking event at the conference


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Businesses want to spend less on IT operations and infrastructure and shift resources to revenue-producing areas, according to two new studies. But businesses leaders and IT executives are also registering higher levels of dissatisfaction with IT as more demands are placed on technology.
The reports, by the Hackett Group and McKinsey & Co., both agree that business executives want IT to do more to improve the bottom line while companies spend less on infrastructure in the process.
The bad news for people who work in IT operations is that large businesses expect to cut IT staff positions by about 2% this year, thanks to automation and outsourcing, according the Hackett's survey of 160 businesses with revenues above $1 billion.
One path to improved automation will likely be through adoption of software-defined infrastructures, something Bank of America plans to do.
IT budgets will grow by 1.7% this year as IT pivots, increasingly, from a service-providing operation to a revenue-generating one, the Hackett Group said in its study.
IT managers are being told that "you've got to grow the business, not just run the business," said Mark Peacock, an IT transformation practice leader and principal at Hackett.
McKinsey & Co., in its online survey of more than 800 executives -- with 345 having a technology focus -- also found that executives want less of their budgets to go to infrastructure so more resources can be shifted to analytics and innovation.
The McKinsey survey found that business executives are less likely to say now that IT performs effectively, compared to their views two years ago.
"The IT executives are even more negative," wrote McKinsey, with only 13% of them saying their IT organizations "are completely or very effective at introducing new technologies faster or more effectively than competitors." That percentage was down from 22% in 2012.
The negative results "likely reflect the overall rising expectations for corporate IT," wrote McKinsey.
When asked how to fix IT shortcomings, respondents cited improved business accountability, more funds for priority projects and a higher the level of IT talent, the report said.
The Hackett Group survey didn't report on dissatisfaction, but it did find that the top goal for IT organizations this year is "to strengthen partnership and goal alignment between IT and the business."
Patrick Thibodeau covers cloud computing and enterprise applications, outsourcing, government IT policies, data centers and IT workforce issues for Computerworld. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @DCgov or subscribe to Patrick's RSS feed. His e-mail address is email@example.com.
See more by Patrick Thibodeau on Computerworld.com.
Read more about it industry in Computerworld's IT Industry Topic Center.


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Three selfless subway heroes jumped into the tracks of a Manhattan station when an incapacitated stranger fell in yesterday — and miraculously hoisted the passed-out twentysomething back to the platform before the next 1 train rushed in.
The Columbus Circle station was packed with bar time traffic about 2:40 a.m when a man in his twenties, who appeared to be drunk, nailed his head hard on the rail and stumbled from the platform onto the tracks, unconscious.
At first, one scream pierced through the platform. Then others joined in as straphangers started to realize the man couldn't get back up. Several witnesses broke into tears.
With the next train slated to arrive in two minutes, Garrett O'Hanlon, 22, jumped into the tracks.
"I couldn't watch a man die. It was such a rush, it happened so quickly — I just had to react," said O'Hanlon, a cadet third class at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. "He was unconscious, he was bleeding, and I couldn't lift him up by myself."
Seeing O'Hanlon's struggle, Dennis Codrington Jr., 23, jumped in.
"The guy was pretty heavy and the train was coming," said Codrington, of Washington Heights, a personal trainer at the Equinox in the Upper West Side.
A friend of Codrington's — Matt Foley, 23, of Poughkeepsie — sprung into action.
"The train was one minute away," Foley said. "Once you're down there, you've got to make moves. It was out of control."
But as they tried to hoist the stocky man up, the three realized they couldn't lift him entirely over the platform.
"Garrett! Come back!" desperately screamed the cadet's sister, Agnes, 24, of Washington Heights.
The clock announced less than one minute for the next uptown 1 train to arrive.
"I don't know if the train got a notification, I wasn't even paying attention," said O'Hanlon, a sophomore majoring in economics who spent the weekend in the city visiting his sister. "It was coming toward us but when we were down there, there was only one objective — to get this guy out."
Other straphangers started to pull the man up and got him over the edge. O'Hanlon managed to jump up but Codrington and Foley needed a lift.
"I'm glad there were good people there," said Foley, who got up, along with Codrington, with help from several bystanders.
First responders rushed the unconscious man to New York-Presbyterian's Weill Cornell Medical Center. His face was soaked in blood from what appeared to be a broken nose but he looked to still be breathing.
The unidentified man's condition was unclear yesterday, FDNY said.
Codrington was shaking after the incident.
"It puts a whole new perspective on everything," he said afterward. "There have been times when I've been drunk coming back home. It could've been me."
Foley, an automotive technician, woke up feeling some "Good Karma" after his heroic deed.
"I'm currently unemployed, so I feel pretty useless right now," he said. "But now I feel like a new person, and good things are happening everywhere."
His dad, who works in the transit industry, couldn't help but worry about his son when he heard about the story.
"He was kind of angry that I went on the tracks," Foley added. "But I wasn't going to not help; it's inhumane."
After the incident, O'Henlon's sister Agnes confessed she "thought the train might run over all of them."
"I was very frightened. I know how fast the train comes," she added. "But I'm just very proud of my brother. A little shakey, but very proud."


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When producer Michael Uslan was first thinking about how to bring a darker version of Batman to the big screen, back in 1980, he saw a photo of Jack Nicholson from The Shining in the newspaper — and he started drawing on it. Uslan turned Nicholson's famous "Here's Johnny!" face into the Clown Prince of Crime. And, just nine years later, the rest was movie history.
Meet Microsoft's New Surface Laptops
Now you can own this original doodle by Uslan, along with some other items in his personal collection, in an auction organized by Comic Connect. [via Art Info]


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H2 is a relational database management system written in Java. It can be embedded in Java applications or run in the client-server mode.
This database is the default solution embedded in Talend Administration Center to store all cross-project information such as users, authorizations, and projects.
If you do not want to use this default database, you can set up a database server (MySQL, MSSQL, or Oracle).
The benefits of using this H2 embedded database is that it simplifies the installation process.


text: Issue #2547 has been updated by vsrinivas. Yea, you'll probably want to use the noop scheduler; it is the best-tested of all the dsched modules. ---------------------------------------- Bug #2547: crashed while doing a dry run of pkg_rolling-replace http://bugs.dragonflybsd.org/issues/2547 Author: phma Status: New Priority: High Assignee: Category: Target version: I rebooted into a kernel compiled from sources I updated just a few days ago. I ran pkg_rolling-replace -nuv and it ran for a few hours, then crashed. The kernel dump is number 14 in my crash directory. The version is v188.8.131.52.g97861-DEVELOPMENT. (kgdb) #0 _get_mycpu () at ./machine/thread.h:79 #1 md_dumpsys (di=0xc03e8b35) at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/dump_machdep.c:266 #2 0xc09646a0 in db_command_table () #3 0xc03e8b35 in dumpsys () at /usr/src/sys/kern/kern_shutdown.c:913 #4 0xc01968a3 in db_fncall (dummy1=-831973476, dummy2=0, dummy3=-1065827167, dummy4=0xce691798 "(\361~\300\336L\212\300") at /usr/src/sys/ddb/db_command.c:539 #5 0xc0196ca2 in db_command (aux_cmd_tablep_end=<optimized out>, aux_cmd_tablep=<optimized out>, cmd_table=<optimized out>, last_cmdp=0xc09f9318) at /usr/src/sys/ddb/db_command.c:401 #6 db_command_loop () at /usr/src/sys/ddb/db_command.c:467 #7 0xc019984b in db_trap (type=type at entry=12, code=code at entry=0) at /usr/src/sys/ddb/db_trap.c:71 #8 0xc07903d0 in kdb_trap (type=type at entry=12, code=code at entry=0, regs=regs at entry=0xce69190c) at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/db_interface.c:149 #9 0xc07c2602 in trap_fatal (frame=frame at entry=0xce69190c, eva=eva at entry=136) at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/trap.c:1107 #10 0xc07c27bd in trap_pfault (frame=frame at entry=0xce69190c, usermode=0, usermode at entry=136, eva=eva at entry=136) at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/trap.c:1018 #11 0xc07c2dc3 in trap (frame=0xce69190c) at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/trap.c:695 #12 0xc0791c37 in calltrap () at /usr/src/sys/platform/pc32/i386/exception.s:787 #13 0xc0686b17 in fq_balance_self (tdio=0xc09edf00) at /usr/src/sys/kern/dsched/fq/fq_core.c:351 Backtrace stopped: previous frame inner to this frame (corrupt stack?) I also saw it freeze the first time I started a kde session after rebooting. -- You have received this notification because you have either subscribed to it, or are involved in it. To change your notification preferences, please click here: http://bugs.dragonflybsd.org/my/account


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Big tech accountability? Read the backstory to today's policy debates here on Iptegrity.
The Closing of the Net (Polity Press 2016)
"takes the pulse of the open web" Journal of IP Law & Practice
If the open Internet is an essential precondition for democracy, should governments or corporations be allowed to restrict it? This is the question at the heart of my book 'The Closing of the Net' and it discusses the backdrop to the political controversies of today around such issues as fake news, terrorism content online, and mis-use of data - controversies that result in calls for 'responsibility' by online companies. The book argues that any regulation of these companies must enshrine public interest criteria, which must balance the competing rights at stake.
Why protect online content and people's rights to communicate online?
We live in an age when ordinary people live out their lives online. Messaging and social media platforms have replaced the phone as the primary means of communication. 'Hockey mums' message their children's match scores to family members in real time. They jostle with their daughters for access to the smartphone. I was personally just in a situation where a family funeral was co-ordinated over social media messaging. And let's not forget how social media has been able to re-unite old friends and family in ways that were simply impossible just two decades ago.
Freedom of expression, without interference from State, is the very foundation of our modern democracy. Social media has become the communications vehicle of choice for charity campaigners, and NGOs, who function in a democracy to raise opposition voices. Even academic exchanges now take place as much on Twitter as in conferences. Indeed, Twitter is the platform of choice for interaction between the world of politics and constituents.
Online is increasingly the preferred route for commerce. Freedom to innovate without permission from the network or platform has been the enabler for e-commerce, online banking and entertainment systems, without which millions of people today could not manage.
When online media has penetrated so deeply into the lives of individuals, it becomes imperative to safeguard free expression online. 'The Closing of the Net' argues that States have a legal duty to safeguard it. Yes there are problems - there is what one might loosely term 'bad' content. This could be illegal content, propaganda, or socially unacceptable content. There is a growing list of types of content that are perceived to fall into the 'bad' category. Illegal content includes certain types of pornography, or hate speech or incitement to terrorist acts as defined by law. But the other two categories are problematic because they are not defined by law, and are subject to individual interpretation. Moreover, there is much content that is harmless, that is legal and that informs, educates and entertains.
How to deal with 'bad' content?
The question is how do we protect the open and free Internet and deal with the 'bad' content? My book, 'The Closing of the Net' deals with the conflicts that arose over copyright, which created the precedent for today's political arguments over terrorist content, hate speech and other matters such as cyber-bullying and fake news.
The State's duty is to balance the competing interests in any conflict that arises. The government's answer to date has been 'self-regulation, where platforms are asked to deal with the 'bad' content themselves, and to do so under their own terms and conditions. Their Ts and Cs are not the law and this is a key differentiation that should be borne in mind. social media companies operate against privately determined criteria, which do not necessarily match what the law says. It should also be borne in mind this is content uploaded by their users not their own content, and therefore they are arguably regulating their users and not themselves, as the term self-regulation' would suggest.
Self-regulation typically means there is no transparency of criteria for content restriction, of action, of scope, and no redress for users. This is not about law but about corporate rules over a public space. It is highly problematic. I argue in 'The Closing of the Net' that such measures online serve to entrench the monopoly of the platforms, hence why they agree to do it.
The threat to democracy
In my book I argue that the threat to democracy subsists in the narrowing of the prism by which we access knowledge, culture, information and through which we exercise our right to free speech coupled with monopolistic control of access. I propose a notion of the fingertap of desire. We tap the screen and get knowledge, and it all comes via a tiny 6 x 5 inch format, smaller than the traditional postcard. The big technology companies , together with the network providers, control access to that tiny screen and they have the ability to allow or deny. I argue that this is the greatest source of their power. They can choose what we see or don't see, and it is all done through automated processes powered by algorithms. I suggest in the book that f we are not careful, we will have the greatest censorship machine ever invented, controlling the access to our tiny screens. It is important that whoever controls it can be made publicly accountable for any restrictions or manipulation of what people can see or do.
I explore in 'The Closing of the Net' how the companies that have that control have become political actors. In particular, I take the example of copyright enforcement and how entertainment and music companies have acted politically to protect their interests online.
My approach is based on Lawrence Lessig's "code is law" theory. Control of the code is about control of the system and its rules. Code also interacts with law, and can be regulated by law. Likewise, law can be influenced by code and can respond to changes in it. Two other forces that interact with code and law are markets and social norms. The four forces interact with each other to create the outcome we experience. This four-way model allows us to understand the different levers that exist to exercise control over the system and in order to protect democracy.
How do the Internet companies hold power?
In 'The Closing of the Net' I make the case that Internet platforms hold structural power. They can determine the way things should be done - the way information, culture, knowledge is accessed and the way that democratic speech is exercised. They have power to accede or deny access. Deny at the point of publication /upload ( which networks cannot do - networks can only render invisible). Power to deny is stronger. This is how they control the fingertap of desire. They can open and shut gates to this tiny screen. As such, they force political choices, such as how to handle the 'bad' content. They alone control the structures for deleting content or other policing actions. Access to user data for profiling and other analytics is also a form of structural power. They are being asked to use structural power to restrict content - take it down, stop the wrong people from advertising etc. We have to ensure this power itself is put under publicly accountable controls.
Could we have predicted the mis-use scandals around fake news and influencing election outcomes?
Could we have foreseen the scandals over fake news or online vote rigging? I would argue 'yes'. We did not know what form it would take but we have had several warnings and alarm bells about the possible harms contained within the technology if allowed to be mis-used. I discuss these in my book.
'The Closing of the Net' explores the back-story to today's debates that have blown up around for example, Cambridge Analytica and the allegedly illegitimate uses of people's data to skew both the election of President Trump and the Brexit referendum. Especially, I relate the back-story to the new European law on data protection, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which businesses are now being asked to implement. I also discuss the political impact of the Snowden revelations on mass surveillance. Both of these factors raised red flags about misuse of personal data that is collected by online companies.
If you want more - please buy 'The Closing of the Net' - available directly from the publisher Polity or from Amazon.
I am very proud of the amazing reviews - see below.
"In a book that looks deep into the dark side of law-making, one can expect a little drama." Society for Computers & the Law
Today's communications fabric relies on a layered connective space (the Internet). The corporate power that underwrites that space generates an unprecedented power problem for democracy. Monica Horten's sharply written book confronts that problem head-on, with striking case studies. Who really benefits from the "fingertap of desire" that drives our device use? Read this illuminating book to find out." Nick Couldry, London School of Economics and Political Science
"Monica Horten writes about human beings' greatest invention the Internet and the emerging political and social trends that may cloud its future. Few thinkers could paint such a compelling, unified picture of the political forces across net neutrality, privacy, and mass surveillance it is politics, not technology, that will most determine the Internet that our children inherit." Marvin Ammori, Affiliate Scholar at Stanford Law School, Center for Internet and Society
"The Closing of the Net describes how, as it grates against questions of public interest, the corporate aims of structural power are being negotiated
between monetisers and policy-makers in legislative chambers and courtrooms" Engineering and Technology Magazine
Many readers will be familiar with some of these stories, but as Horten reveals, it is only when they are considered together that the full picture begins to become clear. This is what makes her book both original and valuable. Times higher Education
"The analysis of the cooperation between business players and public powers is both fascinating and alarming." Journal of Cyber Policy Top Ten Must Reads
"In a book that looks deep into the dark side of law-making, one can expect a little drama." Society for Computers & the Law
"an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the forces at play behind the web." ITSecurity.co.uk
"a must-read for any lawyer studying the legislation that Internet politics produces" Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice
"an easy read and neatly avoids the trap of being too dry to hold the interest of one who doesn't specialise in a cyber-related field" LSE Review of Books
"reads like a very dark, thriller-esque struggle... How bad are things really?" Deutsche Welle online
"In her timely book, Monica Horten investigates the ways in which large companies and the state influence Internet policy, threatening the freedom and democracy of Internet use." European Journal of Communications
"What is at stake here for Horten is to begin unveiling the actual interests of the corporate giants" Information Communication and Society
The above article was originally published on Iptegrity.com. If you cite it, please provide a link back.


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Sunday, June 5, 2011
Cheese Pick: Ticklemore Goat Cheese
Today's cheese pick is Ticklemore Goat cheese from Devon, England by way of Neal's Yard Dairy. It is a slightly sharp tasting aged goat cheese with a creamy exterior surrounding a chalky center; the more cream on this the better, and at room temperature it's pleasantly oozy. It's quite similar to Humboldt Fog.
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text: Yep, another update for my Battlefield 2 Stats plugin. Added this time is support for the WordPress Widgets plugin as well as long term logging. If an error occurs now, it's recorded so that you can see it later. Before, you'd only see any errors if they occured while you were looking at your options page.


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Robots Love Ice Cream™ Review
Any dimension where ice cream can be used to save humanity is okay by us. Robots Love Ice Cream inhabits just such a dimension. With robots trying to steal vital dessert supplies, you must cruise the galaxy in your weaponized ice-cream truck, blasting mechanical agressors out of the sky. Each invading robot looks like it has been taken straight out of a toy box. Their distinct appearances make each one easily identifiable, even during hectic moments. This ensures that you can ins…Watch The Video Review
Death Golf™ Review
Sometimes I wonder if we went down the wrong trouser leg of history and ended up with a version of Golf utterly devoid of any excitement or tension. Of course there's skill involved in making accurate shots and in a competitive environment you could argue for some sort of conflict occurring, but ultimately it's hitting a ball in the safe, lush confines of a green wonderland. Utterly safe. Utterly boring. Death Golf is like the other trouser leg - it's a world where golf is a struggle…Watch The Video Review
Escape from Age of Monsters Review
'Escape from' is Ayopa Games and Massive Joe Studios latest addition to the 'Age of Monsters' franchise - a series that started off with a free Rock, Paper, Scissors game that introduced us to the world. Gizzard has been chosen by gauntlets infused with power enough to destroy the monsters rampaging around the city, but first he'll need to escape with children in-tow. The first thing that stands out about Escape is its presentation - on the latest iOS devices the game looks absolutely…Watch The Video Review
MacGuffin's Curse Review
Aussie developer Brawsome is not above a bit of cheeky advertising and my hat is fairly tipped to their tenuous use of ties to Adventure gaming's most well-known celebrities (Tim Schafer, for instance, has provided a single line of dialogue). All of this effort has gone in to spreading the word about their latest title, MacGuffin's Curse, an adventure game locked in to a world where you'll need to master pushing blocks to succeed. You play as the titular MacGuffin, a thief who is curs…Watch The Video Review
Dungeon Crawlers Review
If you want to be taken seriously in the high risk, high reward profession of dungeon crawling, you're gonna have to have a unique skill to offer towards a group. That way when the turn based fighting breaks out, you're not only useful to the group, but indispensable as the battle continues along. You start off Dungeon Crawlers with three such out of work dungeon crawlers; a warrior, a mage, and a cleric. An innkeeper tasks you with clearing out his basement and from their its onward t…Watch The Video Review
W.E.L.D.E.R. Review
Being a welder of words admittedly sounds rather poncy. However, there's no better explanation for the task set upon you in... 'W.E.L.D.E.R.'. Luckily swapping tiles to create words is a lot of fun, and thanks to some interesting little gameplay additions, a rather unique experience among word and puzzle games is to be had. The core of the game is a mix of Bejeweled and Scrabble. Tiles can be swapped horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to create words of four letters or more. The…Watch The Video Review
Chicken Rescue Review
The chickens have come home to roost. That's if you're successful of course. It can be a long arduous journey for a hen to find her chicks and lead them back to their home safely. Especially when everything in the world is seemingly made of rubber and one wrong step can bounce you into oblivion. Chicken rescue to controlled by tilting. Find a comfortable angle, calibrate, and then tilt to move the hen in that direction. The goal of each level is to find the chicks and return them to t…Watch The Video Review


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Yes! Minnesota authorizes its notaries to perform online notarizations pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 358.645.
In addition, Minnesota recognizes online notarizations that are properly performed by notaries of other states. The applicable interstate recognition law is Minn. Stat. § 358.61.
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Up by 20 points, or down 20.
A preseason practice in an empty gym, or a Big Ten road game with title implications on the line.
No matter the situation, Penn State's enthusiasm doesn't seem to waver.
Confident and collected, the eighth-ranked Lady Lions are the preseason Big Ten favorites. Senior point guard Alex Bentley leads the way for a veteran team with the potential to play well into March.
They seem to be just as happy playing hoops in October and November, too. The new season starts Sunday with a visit from Lafayette.
"They love being in front of a big crowd. They love being in front of nobody," Penn State coach Coquese Washington said about her team. "As long as we have a ball, and a court, and a rim, what could be better than that?"
Well, a second straight Big Ten title and a deep run in the NCAA tournament would be a good start. Penn State (26-7, 13-3) is coming off its first NCAA regional semifinals appearance and first regular-season Big Ten title since 2004.
It's a natural progression after steady improvement under Bentley and this core of players the last few years, from budding rebuilding project to preseason Top 10 program. Penn State has its highest preseason ranking since starting 2003-04 at No. 7.
But the Lions promise they're not focused on those expectations, though they seem pretty confident about how good the team can be.
"We just want to be playing our best at the end of the year. That's about it," Bentley said after Saturday's 95-39 exhibition win over Division II California, Pa. "We're going to try and get better each and every day, but as long as we're playing at our highest potential at the end of the year, we're going to be happy."
Bentley (14.1 points, 4.7 assists) is the sparkplug for the potent offense, someone Washington, in her sixth year, labels as one of the most competitive players she's ever mentored.
"This is her team," Washington said. "And we'll go where she leads us."
It helps to have a backcourt mate like returning leading scorer Maggie Lucas (19.5 points), a prolific shooter with a "gym rat" mentality who also improved last year at getting into the lane.
The stories are endless about Lucas' work ethic and countless hours spent shooting in empty gyms. But Lucas, now a junior, has learned to sense when "enough is enough ... you don't have to go overboard," Washington said.
Last week after the preseason win, Lucas sported a satisfied grin and offered a cordial "Hello everyone" as she entered the postgame interview room, looking as if the team had just won a hard-fought conference game in February.
For all the offensive firepower provided by Lucas and Bentley, the Lions' backcourt stars know defense is key. Asked how the 2012 team compared to last year's squad, Bentley immediately recalled last season's preseason exhibition contest against Division II Bloomsburg.
"Maggie pointed out that in last year's exhibition game," Bentley said, "we gave up a lot more points."
"Like 80," Lucas interrupted, looking over at Bentley.
Actually it was a 101-81 win over Bloomsburg, but still was way too many to give up to an inferior opponent.
"I love my teammates for stepping up on defense," Bentley said. "We have a lot to improve on, but we're going to be good. We're going to get there."
The addition of Maryland transfer Dara Taylor should help. A 2009 McDonald's High School All-American, Taylor is happy to be back on the court after having to redshirt last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Washington relishes the chance to have Taylor and Bentley learn from each other because of their contrasting styles. Taylor is more of a pass-first traditional point guard who is getting more comfortable in looking to score. Her 171 assists in 2009-10 set a Maryland freshman assist record.
Bentley is a scoring point guard who has learned under Washington to get her teammates involved.
"I love playing with Dara. I know when she steps on the court, we're about to be playing a lot faster," Bentley said. "Her bringing up the ball is nice because I like playing the twosome. So, it's a good look."
There is experience in the frontcourt, too, with Nikki Greene (9.8 points) and Mia Nickson (8.5 points), who shared the team lead for rebounds last year (7.8).
Six-foot-3 junior Ariel Edwards (7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds) gives Washington versatility on the court. The bench includes four other returning players who logged at least 8.8 minutes a game, plus incoming McDonald's High School All American Candice Agee, a 6-foot-6 forward/center.
"We have a lot of weapons and a lot of pieces that are versatile. We can mix and match to compete with whoever we are playing," Washington said.
It's the kind of roster that would make any coach smile about the possibilities.
Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP


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The Life Technologies™ HID Professional Services team has been delivering validation and integration projects since 2007. Below is a selection of projects that the HPS team has been engaged in, including a wide variety of chemistries and instrumentation platforms.
|Applied Biosystems STR Kits
|GlobalFiler Validation and Performance Check on 3500, 3500xL with GeneMapper ID-X v1.4
|GlobalFiler Express Validation and Performance Check on 3130xL, 3500xL with BSD600 and GeneMapper ID-X v1.4
|Identifiler Plus Validation and Performance Check on 3130, 3130xl, 3500, 3500xl
|Identifiler Validation on 3130xl, 3500, 3730
|NGM SElect™ Express Validation on 3500
|SGM Plus Validations and Performance Checks on 3500xL
|MiniFiler Validation and Performance Checks on 3130xl, 3500xL
|Yfiler Validation and Performance Check
|Applied Biosystems DNA Quantification Kits
|Quantifiler Trio Validation on 7500
|Quantifiler Duo Validation and Performance Check on 7500
|GlobalFiler Validation and Performance Check on 3500, 3500xL with GeneMapper ID-X v1.4
|PrepFiler Express and PrepFiler Express BTA Validation and Performance Check on AutoMate Express™
|Capillary Electrophoresis Setup Validation on Tecan HID 75, Tecan HID 150
|Hamilton AutoLys STAR and Hamilton ID STARlet Validations
|PrepFiler Automated, Quantifiler Duo, and Identifiler Plus Validation and Performance Check on Hamilton ID STARlet
|Identifiler Direct Validation with BSD1000 and Hamilton ID STARlet on 3500
|GlobalFiler Express Validations on Hamilton ID STARlet
|NGM, PrepFiler Automated, Quantifiler Duo Verification on Tecan HID 150
We routinely survey customers following the completion of a project to help us continually improve our offerings—and to identify additional capabilities needed to address unmet needs.
"The validation was well worth the cost. I would have it no other way. The presentation you receive after your validation is unbelievable. Great! It's already in the format for auditing." Technical Leader, State Crime Laboratory, USA
"The validation was extremely thorough, and the level of training was excellent considering we are experienced DNA analysts." Technical Leader, State Crime Laboratory, USA
"I really understand the importance of validation. Teach back was very valuable for me. Data analysis was very impressive." Section Chief, Forensic DNA Laboratory, Japan
"I was extremely pleased with how the validation, training, and teachback were conducted. The process was well organized and pertinent to our needs. This validation has saved us considerable analysis time, yet we still have as much understanding of the data as if we had done the work ourselves." Technical Leader, County Crime Laboratory, USA
"Well-planned schedule and thus having smooth training here." Lab Manager, Forensic DNA Laboratory, Malaysia
"Absolutely would recommend. Especially for small labs with limited resources/personnel." County Crime Laboratory, USA
"There are advantages of having an outside agency conduct the validation for us - opportunities for gaining a different perspective and knowledge in addition to freeing up lab personnel for casework rather than taking them out for technical/validation aspects of the work." Forensic Centre, Canada
"I gained more experience and knowledge about DNA analysis using GlobalFiler kit. Team gave me much knowledge about 3500xL series and GeneMapper ID-X." Technician, Forensic DNA Laboratory, Thailand
"Life Technologies was very professional and went above and beyond our internal capabilities with this validation." Forensic DNA Laboratory, USA
"The use of the validation services would be the only way with current staffing to go online with new instrumentation and chemistries. Great advantage with ABI as directly involved in developmental validation (instrumentation and chemistry)." County Crime Laboratory, USA
"Being a small lab not having the resources and personnel - was well worth the money - would highly recommend. Wish we had the funds currently for more validation services/projects." County Crime Laboratory, USA
"Loved the teachback ! I performed the validation of our existing 3500 for databasing and having AB come in and validate the 3500 for casework was eye opening. The amount of time and energy that goes into a validation can be overwhelming but you all did with ease and professionalism. Thank you so much. I look forward to seeing how the data is utilized in our lab." State Police Laboratory, USA
"The validation services as well as the personnel responsible for the teachbacks were professional, knowledgeable, and followed up on all questions they couldn't address right away." Private Laboratory, USA
"Life Technologies personnel continue to be very knowledgeable in their field and with the various applications of their instruments and chemistries. If personnel are ever unsure of an answer they are quick to find the answer and supply it to the user. Despite what instrument or kit they are here for, they remain knowledgeable about the bigger picture and process. Jenn was very friendly and engaging as well as having a solid background of the information she presented." Private Laboratory, USA
"The rapid deployment of this new state-of-the-art forensic science services center is allowing us to achieve our goals faster to provide forensic DNA testing in our community. The assistance of Life Technologies application experts was instrumental in speeding up the process and enhancing the quality assurance of validation, so we can start processing DNA evidence." Technical Leader, Crime Laboratory, USA


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Release Date: 1988 |
Dash (5)power_lutin (3.5)Thrasher86 (4)Great album with some killer songs such as Into the Lungs of Hell, Set The World Afire, Ma...AquariuS (3.5)
This album could sound best? Yes. If Mustaine don't used the money of the production to ...
LaughingSkull (4)Marred by a couple of flaws, yet still going strong...Bassplayer101 (3.5)Released in early 1988, Dave Mustaine and company proved that they could take Thrash Metal...KILL (4)i am pissed...sonictheplumber (3.5)
CaptTyrant (3)A choppy, inconsistant outing with flashes of brilliance....Smalley (2.5)"So what" indeed....
Album Rating: 2.0Not entirely sure about how I fell about this, but I've been meaning to write this review for awhile now.This Message Edited On 04.25.07
Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Offpretty good review, my only gripe is that hook in mouth is one of my fav songs on the album!!!!
but oh well, for the most part i agree with your thoughts about the cd
Album Rating: 2.0The chorus is pretty catchy, but that's all I really liked about it, tbh. =/
Good review but Metallica > Megadeth as far as I'm concerned. I do enjoy RIP and Peace Sells but I prefer Metallica more overall.
I prefer Megadeth over Metallica on some points, but imho they both have a similar track record. The only thing is Megadeth never achieved the same height of popularity.
I don't have this, and by the looks of it I'm not buying it anytime soon.
Album Rating: 4.5megadeth can do just about everything better, i would definitely say this album is not near as good as master of puppets, but i give it at least a 4. if only this album was as good as rust in peace...This Message Edited On 04.26.07
Megadeth or Metallica? Megadeth were not as consitent as the first four Metallica albums (after that, their music sounded like they were recording with Nickleback hahahaha). However, Megadeth are still going strong today, and Rust in Peace and Killing is My Business are amazing albums. Coin toss!
Anyways, Mikesn, excellent review once again. You must have a lot of time to sit and think about how to write such clear and concise reviews that I have repeatedly enjoyed over time.
Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound OffMegadeth sounded like Nickelback?
not a bad review. I dont own this but I own most of Megadeths discography. They definitely dont do it better than Metallica for the first 4 albums. After that Megadeth took over.
Album Rating: 4.0Loved the intro, but I disagree also. I think this is one of Megadeth's best albums with one of their best tracks ever, In My Darkest Hour. Good review.
hahahaha sorry, I ment Metallica sounded like they recorded with Nickleback after their first 4 albums. Black album on = shit! Especially that garbage album called St. Anger hahahah!
This is a good review Mike. I haven't bothered to check this album out and I probably won't because by the time I get around to it, it'll be May 15th which = United Abominations
Album Rating: 2.0
I haven't bothered to check this album out and I probably won't because by the time I get around to it, it'll be May 15th which = United Abominations
The only thing is Megadeth never achieved the same height of popularity.
Haha, definitely wait for that. You can now hear a studio version of Washington's Next in their E-Card by the way.
Album Rating: 2.0I'll look for it.
Whoops; I meant the Megadeth thread over in the Rock & Metal section (on here)...my bad.
Album Rating: 2.0Haha no wonder. Ok thanks.
I like In My Darkest Hour.
I mean, it's the song I like the most from this album.
Album Rating: 4.5Great Album dont care what anyone says. Good guitar playing, great thrash record with great songs Into The Lungs Of Hell, STWAF, Mary Jane, IMDH, and Hook In Mouth. All great songs. Everyone says this album is underated but on the Billboard top 200 it made 28!!!
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Apple iOS 6: Maps Mayhem and What's New
iOS 6's Best New Features
New Phone Dialer features-
We mentioned this when iOS 6 launched, but it bears repeating: the new phone-related features are excellent. The phone may be one of the most infrequently used features of the iPhone (we're all busy consuming data, right?), but these new additions make it easier to manage calls during the middle of a hectic workday.
Now, with iOS 6, there's another option besides muting a call or sliding to answer. You can hit the 'phone' icon to the right of the answer slide, and when you slide that up, you're presented with a few options. You can have your phone remind me you to ring back, or you can send a text / iMessage instead, in the event that you can't take the call.
Do Not Disturb -
Facebook Integration -
The tight integration iOS had with Twitter is now available with Facebook. You can update your status from the drop-down Notification Center, but unfortunately, you can't do an image update from there. Hopefully, however, we'll see more innovation as Apple and Facebook's partnership grows.
Sharing Menu -
The good news? Any app that supports sharing now has a cleaner menu, complete with a "Add To Reading List" option if it's on the web. Handy! The bad news? Unless it's an Apple app, you may not see it. Sharing a tweet through Twitter, for example, uses an old-style sharing option menu.
Privacy -
Look at that -- Apple has added an entirely new option in Settings. It's one that deals solely with Privacy, which is obviously becoming a greater concern now that identity theft is blooming and more big sites and databases are being hacked.
FaceTime Over Cellular -
Yes, Facetime is now possible with iOS 6. But there are caveats. While some carriers (like Verizon) don't mind you using 3G or LTE to make FaceTime video calls, AT&T won't let you do it unless you're on a Mobile Share data plan. It's great that it's an option, but it's a shame that carriers are able to exert this level of control.
Passbook -
There's no NFC in any iPhone, but Passbook is as close as you'll get. The upside is that this is a great idea. One handy place to keep all of your gift cards, boarding passes, event tickets, etc. Replacing any paper item or physical card with a barcode, with a digital one. The downside is that you can't manually add cards with barcodes. They have to be offered by a supported partner, and for now, there aren't many.
Panorama mode -
Apple's Camera app is woefully underpowered, giving users practically no control over advanced settings, but the new Panorama mode is excellent. It allows you to hold your phone upright (way more comfortable), and it has a line on the screen that you follow so you don't get off-axis while shooting. This alone makes it easier to use than some other solutions, not to mention the great image quality from the sensor in the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.


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Working with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
ABRSM has partnered with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) to help open up jazz to young people across the UK. We share the belief that jazz is a musically rich medium through which creativity and communication can be explored, and that it should be accessible to as many school-aged children as possible.
We're particularly keen to be supporting the innovative NYJO Jazz Messengers, a sextet that champions diversity in music and encourages children and young people to listen to - and learn - jazz through inspirational concerts in schools.
We also support the NYJO Academy Mentor Scheme, which provides training in workshop leadership for emerging jazz musicians so they're equipped to help develop the next generation of young jazz musicians. If you work in a primary school, take a look at NYJO's contribution to our Classical 100 resource.
Jim Gold's experience as an Academy Mentor
The NYJO Academy Mentor Scheme offers hands-on practical experience for emerging jazz musicians to work in an education setting, alongside NYJO's experienced team of musical directors. We caught up with Jim Gold, a current mentor and past holder of the lead alto chair in NYJO, to hear what it's like to be part of the scheme.
Why is it important for you to learn about teaching young musicians?
As part of the Royal Academy's LRAM teaching scheme, I co-led several workshops at St. Marylebone Girl's School, culminating in a public performance. It was one of the most rewarding components of the course and I was keen to undertake more training.
Why is it that you've come to NYJO as a mentor to learn these skills?
Firstly, there's no substitute for hands-on experience. There's definitely a place for theory, but the ratio should be heavily skewed towards practice.
Secondly, you benefit from being thrown in the deep end, in the sense that you're given complete responsibility for at least some of the sessions. This is the only way to develop the confidence you need in professional teaching scenarios.
Thirdly, you benefit from an experienced teacher critiquing your approach and suggesting areas of improvement. Gemma Buckenham, the MD of the NYJO Academy Big Band, was able to identify a solution that greatly increased the efficiency of my sessions only a couple of weeks in.
What makes the NYJO Academy Mentor Scheme so special?
The NYJO Mentorship Scheme offers several unique elements, most obviously the great volume of teaching experience on offer. With a partner, we shadow two ensembles for a term each. This allows you to build a rapport with students and pursue a thread for an extended period. Furthermore, through working with two ensembles of contrasting size, ability and style, you develop a diverse repertoire of exercises and approaches.
Did you do any of the ABRSM Jazz exams when you were learning?
While at school, I used the ABRSM Jazz Real Books but didn't sit any of the exams. The pedigree of the consultants who designed the Jazz grades couldn't be more impressive, and I appreciate the focus on practical application of aural skills. I've always found a definite goal to be the most potent catalyst for progress, so I'd certainly use them with students.
Read our interview with NYJO saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael.