text:
This happened to me (again) just last night. I found 50 bounces on the server last night, and about 30 more this morning. Ugh.
My Short Life As An Unintentional Spammer
from the leave-me-be dept
Regular readers of Techdirt will remember that two months ago I got hit with a "spam attack" of sorts where a spammer put my personal email address as the "reply-to" in a series of porn spam emails – meaning that approximately 500 bounce messages, autoresponders, and angry replies all came directly to my inbox in approximately 36 hours. It was not a fun experience, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone – but it does appear to be happening with increasing frequency to plenty of people. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine contacted me, afraid that someone had hijacked her email when she was a victim of such an attack. All the major news articles talking about spam seem to ignore this sort of attack. I've decided that since this does appear to be a growing issue, I would simply publish the article I wrote about it here. Click "Read More" below to read the entire story about my short-life as an unintentional spammer – where I explain just what sorts of people actually do reply to spam, and what they say.
My Short Life As An Unintentional Spammer
by Mike Masnick
Ever wonder what sorts of emails end up in a spammer's email database? Want to know who actually responds to spam and what they say? Want to know the myriads of formats (and languages) a bounced email message can take? I can now tell you all of this. Without my knowledge, I recently became an accidental porn spammer.
When I got home one evening a few weeks ago, I noticed that I had more than the expected amount of email waiting for me. A quick glance through the inbox showed about fifty "bounced" emails - saying that email addresses of people I had emailed did not exist. The problem with this, of course, was that I hadn't actually emailed anyone.
It did not take long to figure out what happened. While some bounces simply told me that the recipient didn't exist, others included the original text of the email I had supposedly sent. It claimed to be from someone named "Chris" or "Ali" and was a reply to an alleged message from an online dating site. Chris and Ali apologized for taking so long to reply, and nervously suggested that the recipient find out more information about them by going to a website. Clearly, this was porn spam. Out of principal I won't visit the websites that were in the spam messages.
The problem was, I hadn't sent these messages at all. I'm not Chris or Ali. I don't use dating sites. I don't have a porn website. I don't send spam.
One of the popular "tricks" among spammers nowadays is to set the "reply-to" address as the same as the recipient's email address. That cuts out on the problems of bounce mails, and also has a psychological effect on recipients who are curious what email they've sent themselves. Most spam filters have figured out ways to still capture these spam messages (though, I'm now hearing stories of legitimate emails that people send to themselves being classified as spam). I've received plenty of these types of spam, and most are filtered away, never to be bothered with.
It seems that this particular spammer took things one step further, and made the "reply-to" address for all of his spam message set to my personal email address. If anyone looked at the headers, it was clear that I had nothing to do with the email whatsoever. However, most mail servers aren't so smart.
With any spam list, there's a certain percentage of "bad" or outdated email addresses. Generally speaking, a server that receives an email for someone they don't have an account for will "bounce" the message. Those bounces go to the person who sent the message - normally found in the "reply-to" line. Since my email address was in the reply-to line, all those bounces started coming my way, regrettably informing me that my pornographic spam emails had not found their intended recipient.
After dealing with the rapidly growing desire to reach through the internet and strangle whatever lower-than-life scum did this to my email address, I resigned myself to looking at this from an anthropological perspective. Suddenly, I was in a position to offer information on things that few others would (hopefully) ever willingly have access to.
Should anyone want it for research purposes, I now have a fairly large collection of bounce messages. It appears there is no standard format for a bounce message (which, by the way, makes them painfully difficult to filter). They have infinitely different subject lines. They say different things in the body of the message, sometimes nicely, sometimes rudely. They show up in different languages with different explanations. Some admit that the account has been closed due to too much spam. Others simply don't exist any more (if they ever did at all). Some bounces quote the original message; some don't. Some include full headers; some don't. Who knew there was such variety in how mail servers bounce their email?
Beyond the bounce messages were all sorts of auto-responders. It seems that some of the email addresses in the spammer's database were emails people used to send responses to those who "request more info". Suddenly I was receiving huge files of information that I really had no use for whatsoever. I also found out about a number of people who were on vacation that week, or who had recently switched jobs. One even had an auto-responder saying "this is closed...I am tired of the internet... all internet access for me is closing". Some of the addresses were to subscribe to various mailing lists. Many bounced back confirmation emails, asking to prove that I really wanted to subscribe, while others just subscribed me automatically (which will now force me to manually unsubscribe).
While most of the "information" was fairly useless, I suddenly had the opportunity to peek into the lives of people I had no association with whatsoever - connected only by spammer. I felt like reaching out and commiserating with those who were sick of the spam and wondered if I should congratulate those with new jobs. However, there was no time for that, I had more erroneous spam fallout to deal with.
Next, came the responses. I, like many people, often wonder what sorts of people actually respond to spam emails. For years, it has been beaten into my head that you never, under any circumstance, respond to a spam email. It just shows that you're a live human being, making your email address more valuable. I'm still shocked when I come across people who haven't heard this. However, they are out there, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. I have their emails to prove it.
There are the confused, but polite people. One woman wrote me a nice message saying that a "horrible" mistake had been made, and that she had not replied to my online dating ad. She did warn me, however, that there are "plenty of strange people out there" and that I should be careful. How nice. Another woman couldn't remember what she had said in her reply to my non-existent online dating profile and wanted to be reminded. A few others just asked who I was.
Then there are the unsubscribers, who are under the unfortunate delusion that asking spammers to take them off their list will help. They send simple messages saying simply "unsubscribe" or "unsubscribe, please", as if that will ever get to the actual spammer, or that they would actually pay any attention to it.
Lastly, are the angry, but clueless. I feel their pain, but they need to find a better outlet. I received emails telling me things I never knew (and find unlikely) about my lineage and suggesting I go places I have no interest in going, using all sorts of language you wouldn't use in polite company. I also received a threatening letter saying that I would be hearing from some company's corporate lawyer.
None of these people stopped to think that it was odd that my email address includes, pretty clearly, my name - which is neither Chris nor Ali. With the number of spam messages that go out every day, I wonder if these people reply to them all. I guess, for some people with anger management problems, this is a kind of outlet. All day, every day, respond angrily to spam messages, and maybe it will have a calming effect on your life.
What's scary is that, for the most, part, I only saw the bounced messages. They continued for approximately 36 hours, and then stopped abruptly. In the end, about 500 email messages bounced back to me, so I can only guess at how many thousands of poor, unsuspecting email boxes are currently dealing with spam sent with my email address as the reply-to. I apologize to all of you, even if I had nothing to do with it. I don't want to date you, and please, feel no compulsion to look at the web page in the email.
Most people agree that spam is evil. It's a waste of time and a general nuisance. I can argue against spam from a variety of levels. It's bad for the internet. It's bad for users. It's bad for business. It's just bad. Luckily, there's a rapidly growing industry of companies (and simply concerned individuals) creating software solutions to help stop the spam menace. While there are debates over how well any of these systems work, it is possible to at least reduce your spam intake. Personally, I use a spam filter that is pretty effective in reducing my spam load to a mostly manageable level.
However, with something like this, there simply is no effective preventative measure in place. The spammers spoof the reply-to, making it whatever they want - so it never even touches my mail server at all. My inbox gets bombarded because there's no simple way to filter out the bounced messages since they are all so different. It's difficult to track down a spammer normally - and more so when the spam isn't even sent to you. Despite the fact that my address was the reply-to, it seems the spammer never sent me the message directly. I found a bounce message that showed the full headers and tracked it back. The email came from a mail server in the Philippines, and pointed to a website hosted in China, owned by a company in London. Tracking down the actual spammer would likely be close to impossible. Assuming they could be found, suing them would be nearly impossible as well, not to mention costly.
One potential solution to this would be to require every outgoing email to have a verified identifier of some sort, so that any email can automatically be traced back to the original sender. This (as does every solution) brings up other problems. There are benefits to anonymous email, and we wouldn't want to take that away (though, perhaps you could limit the number of emails that could be sent anonymously to prevent bulkmailers from abusing the system).
In the end, though, this sort of stunt has killed off the tiniest amount of support I had for spammers. These spammers stand behind their First Amendment rights to speak their minds (which is an argument that can be shot full of holes in a second). In this case, though, the spammer made no use of any First Amendment rights. What they did was just mean and nasty and a complete waste of my time.


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Updated Eagles playoff scenario
My guess is most of you didn't see enough from the Eagles in their 26-10 win over the Dolphins to think this team can pull out a miracle finish and win the NFC East.
But, I also know some of you are not ready to give up on this season just yet. Especially after the Birds got some help when the Giants beat the Cowboys, 37-34, Sunday night.
So, for that portion of the readership, here's exactly what needs to happen the rest of the way for the Eagles to win the NFC East:
1. The Eagles need to win out. They host the Jets next Sunday at 4:15 and then travel to Dallas on Christmas Eve (a Saturday) to take on the Cowboys. The Birds host the Redskins at 1 p.m. on New Year's Day in their regular-season finale.
2. The Giants have to go 1-2 (or worse). They host the Redskins next week, take on the Jets in Week 16 and finish up at home against the Cowboys.
3. The Cowboys need to go 1-2 (or worse). Dallas travels to Tampa for a Saturday night game, before hosting the Eagles. The Cowboys travel to New Meadowlands Stadium to take on the Giants in Week 17.
The scenario described above would put the Eagles at 8-8 and the Giants/Cowboys at 8-8 or worse. The Eagles would own the tiebreak against Dallas on account of head-to-head matchups, and they'd own the tiebreak against the Giants on account of division record.
There is a scenario in which the Eagles could be eliminated in the NFC East race by the time they take the field at the Linc Sunday at 4:15 p.m. Dallas plays Saturday night, and the Giants play Sunday at 1. If they both win, the Eagles cannot win the NFC East.
Here are some thoughts on the Giants' win over the Cowboys last night:
* With under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Giants were driving into Cowboys territory, down 27-22. Eli Manning looked for D.J. Ware on a screen pass, which was deflected and intercepted by linebacker Sean Lee, who returned it 30 yards. Two plays later, Tony Romo found Dez Bryant wide open for a 50-yard touchdown on a blown coverage. Cowboys 34, Giants 22. 5:41 left. Game over, right? Well, not so fast.
* That's because the Cowboys have a knack for finding strange ways to lose games, and Manning has had a knack for pulling them out this year. Manning put together consecutive drives of 80 and 53 yards, respectively. On those two drives, which both resulted in touchdowns, Manning was 8-for-11 for 122 yards. One of the incompletions was a drop in the end zone by wide receiver Mario Manningham. Giants 37, Cowboys 34.
* Romo, of course, drove the Cowboys 47 yards into field-goal range, but Dan Bailey's 47-yard field goal didn't count because Tom Coughlin called timeout at the last second to ice him. When Bailey lined up again, Jason Pierre-Paul blocked it. And just like that, we had a two-way tie for first place in the NFC East, with both the Giants and Cowboys at 7-6.
* If you're wondering about Pierre-Paul, yes, memory serves you correctly. He was taken two spots AFTER Brandon Graham in the 2010 draft. I've been impressed every time I've watched him this year. Pierre-Paul has 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections, not to mention the blocked kick at the end. It seemed like Pierre-Paul was involved in just about every big defensive play the Giants made yesterday.
* Romo's numbers were great: 21-for-31 for 321 yards and four touchdowns. The Cowboys' defense deserves the blame in this one. Having said that, I'm not sure how he missed that throw to a wide-open Miles Austin on 3rd-and-5 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
* Not only did the Cowboys lose the game, but they suffered some bad injury news as well. Running back DeMarco Murray reportedly fractured his ankle and will be done for the season. Starting cornerback Mike Jenkins will have an MRI on his injured right shoulder. And starting center Phil Costa suffered a concussion.
* Manning continues to get it done in the fourth quarter. Yes, he had an interception, but Manning now has a 117.0 QB rating in the final 15 minutes this season. If the season ended today, he'd have new career highs in yards per attempt (8.40) and QB rating (95.5). Manning's been picked off 12 times after throwing 25 interceptions a year ago.
* The Giants' pass defense looks to be just as bad as the Eagles'. New York has allowed 24 touchdown passes; the Birds have given up 23. The two teams have nearly identical opposing QB ratings (89.9 for the Eagles; 89.5 for the Giants). And Dallas' pass defense, which was dealing with injuries, didn't look much better last night either.
Earlier Sunday, I posted my observations from the Eagles' win.
You can follow me on Twitter or become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
On January 8th, a group of game developers got a strange email in their inbox. The email was titled "Conspiracy Theory (GAMES DESIGN COMPANIES.)" It was a strange letter that informing the devs that DEMONS have been CODING to each other via games. Demons that do black magic and eat babies, to be exact.
This was the email.
What is the purpose of human life…?
Many people go about their life, trying their best to be good, kind, helpful, spiritual, and develop good qualities.
However, sometimes, there are evil people who disguise themselves as good people. And these evil people, mix with the good people, but do very evil things when they are with other evil people.
This is why I have sent you this email. To let you know about these demons.
These demons who eat human babies, do black magic, and all sorts of other evil things are all around the world—they have a secret network and they are known as the Freemasons or Illuminati.
There are some politicians, businessmen and businesswomen, film stars, music stars, fake-gurus, and other people in positions of authority who are doing these evil things.
They are from all the countries in the world, including the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Asia, Africa.
After you have read the attached document "Cannibalism, Black Magic, Child Prostitution, Drug Dealing in films" you will understand how they have been able to secretly code to each other.
Just examine what these demons have been publicly CODING to each other!
Investigate what they have been publicly saying for the last year in the newspapers and on television, and you will see how they have been CODING secret messages to each other!
You will probably find it more interesting to see how they have been secretly sending messages in games—for example: is Assassin's Creed an Illuminati (Vatican) game ??? What about Ratchet & Clank—Q Force -> is that an anti-British game (to attack the Queen's Force who are stopping various evils in society ???)
You will then see how they have been lying to you to cheat and manipulate the whole population.
Freemason / Illuminati
The Freemasons are a secret organisation who do Black Magic, Infant Cannibalism, Child Sex Slavery, Adult Sex Slavery, Illegal Drug Selling, Illegal Weapons Selling, and other similar evil things.
Nostradamus was a man who lived in France over 500 years ago. He had the gift of being able to see events that were going to happen in the future (premonition). He is very famous in the Western world—there are many books written about his prophecies. Nostradamus has written about an evil person "The Third Antichrist" who would be destroyed by a very holy Saint who would become the leader of the world.
There is a film called "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow" about some of the prophecies of Nostradamus.
Nostradamus coded his prophecies so that evil people could not misuse them. Nostradamus said that Truly Spiritual people would be able to properly decode the prophecies and get the True Meanings.
David Icke
David Icke is a very famous Conspiracy Theorist who travels all around the world giving lectures to people to show them what the evil demons—The Illuminati—have been doing: Infant Cannibalism, Child Sex Slavery, Drug Running, Illegal Weapons Selling and other such evil activities. He has a website where you can find out more information. And there are books, CDs, and DVDs that he has written and published. You can buy them online.
Inner Light and Sound Meditation
All the Sikh scriptures, which include True Satgurus who came before Guru Nanak tell True Devotees to practise Meditation on the Inner Light and Sound—known as Naam.
The True Satgurus whose teachings are in the Sikh Holy Book, Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaaj, were Jaidev, Ravidas, Kabir, and so on.
Guru Nanak had a Satguru, and has written this in the 1st shabad on Page 14 in Guru Granth Sahib. He has written, "I asked my guru…" (me apna gur puch dekhia…):
There is a modern Satguru known as Supreme Master Ching Hai who has done many Satsangs and there are many books and DVDs to help people remember God.
There is also a website, and a regular magazine, where you can find out more. There is also a FREE Sample Booklet in many languages:
Also, there is an online television station:
Best Wishes,
Now, attached to this email were dozens of pictures and attachments. Here are a few of the highlights, all seemingly MS Painted.
The text attachments, meanwhile, are too many to include and most of them dozens of pages of just straight up rambling. But if you are curious, a few of the titles include:
- Cannibalism, Black Magic, Child Prostitution, Drug Dealing in films.doc
- Reincarnation of a ghost
- Jinxes Acquiring Supernaturality
You know, despite the email's attempt to educate me on the demons, I'm left with more questions than answers. For instance, why send it to game developers if they're the demons making this stuff?
Perhaps there's something about this specific collection of developers? These are some of the folks that received the email:
- Blue Fang Games, behind Zoo Tycoon.
- Bohemia Interactive, behind DayZ.
- Capybara Games, behind Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.
- Christine Love, behind Analogue: A Hate Story.
- CCP Games, behind EVE Online.
Christine Love was the developer that shared the email with me and gave me permission to republish it, but she was completely baffled as to why she in particular got the email in the first place.
I'm not perceptive enough to gather something from that list of developers myself. You'd think I would, because after I contacted the guy behind the email—Jas Gill—he got angry at me because I should know.
I tried asking him who he was or if he was a gamer or—basically anything that would explain the bizarre email. This is what he wrote back.
It looks to me like basically you are an idiot !!!
And I LNOW THAT YOU KNOW why I have bol-italiced the word 'basically'...
So, fuck off !!!
I can't tell you who Jas Gill is, beyond the fact that he seems to be from the UK and has a penchant for awfully edited images. This is what he looks like in motion.
Make of that what you will.
Most of this seems in-line with those crazy Illuminati theories regarding media, with people convinced there are hidden messages in stuff like popular music videos and movies. This is the first I've seen such theories applied to games though.
And for the record: I do not, in fact, know why he 'bol-italiced' the word 'basically.' But then again, I didn't know that Assassin's Creed and Ratchet & Clank were dangerous games containing secret demon messages, so you probably can't trust me.


text:
Thanksgiving Asylum Escape
FunEscapeGames - Thanksgiving Asylum Escape is another point and click escape game developed by Fun Escape Games.An escape game that takes you into a Thanksgiving Asylum. The game is full of puzzles in a Thanksgiving Pumpkin. Can you escape this place, it will not be easy I assure you! Are you up for the challenge? An addictive and Thanksgiving Asylum! We hope you will love it! Good luck and have fun!
Play This Game
Video Walkthrough
Play This Game
Video Walkthrough
If you find any broken link about this game, please report and let us know by contacting us. We will add working link if there is any alternative. You may also report any game bugs or problems about games directly to developers from their websites.


text:
It used to be trichinosis was the big fear when eating pork, but the risk of getting that disease has been largely eliminated. However, Consumer Reports' latest tests of pork find there are new reasons to take precautions.
Consumer Reports' lab tests of almost 200 samples of pork chops and ground pork found more than two-thirds were contaminated with a bacteria called yersinia enterocolitica. That bacteria can cause fever and abdominal pain. Even more troubling is the vast majority of the yersinia bacteria that Consumer Reports found were resistant to one or more commonly used antibiotics.
Consumer Reports also found that a few pork samples were contaminated with other bacteria that can be harmful, including salmonella and staphylococcus. And again, some of the bacteria were resistant to certain antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is worrisome because it can lead to infections in humans that are more difficult to treat.
Healthy pigs are commonly given low doses of antibiotics to prevent infections and promote growth. That can accelerate the development of drug-resistant bacteria.
A second Consumer Reports test of 240 pork samples found that about 20 percent had traces of the drug ractopamine. That's used in pigs to promote growth and make meat lean. A major pork producer, Smithfield, says ractopamine is "a safe and effective Food and Drug Administration-approved feed supplement that has been widely used in the hog farming industry for many years." The levels Consumer Reports found were well below the limits set by the FDA. But Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, believes that ractopamine should be banned because there isn't enough evidence that it's safe for humans.
Consumer Reports recommends buying meat raised without antibiotics and ractopamine. It's also important to cook pork thoroughly to kill any possible bacteria. Whole pork such as chops and tenderloin should be cooked to 145° F. Ground pork needs to reach 160° F.
As for finding pork that has not been given antibiotics or ractopamine, Consumer Reports says look for meat labeled "certified organic." Another option is to buy from Whole Foods, which requires producers not to use antibiotics or ractopamine.


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Google Penguin Anti-Spam Algorithm. Testing and Analyzing.
This YouMoz entry was submitted by one of our community members. The author's views are entirely their own (excluding an unlikely case of hypnosis) and may not reflect the views of Moz.
The 24th of April will be remembered by many webmasters who on that day noticed a dramatic traffic downfall by 30-70%. This was caused by the new anti-spam algorithm by Google which was mentioned by Matt Cutts in the official Google Blog for webmasters.
Since then quite a bit of time has passed and statistical data, successful and unsuccessful cases, along with some answers from Google officials began to appear on the Internet. This time also was enough to conduct a collective experiment in which over 100 people took part, submitting over 150 websites for analysis. Please take note that the experiment was conducted by a Russian team involving mostly Russian websites. Therefore some data (like keywords) will be presented in Russian language.
What exactly happened?
We will not go into all the details of the experiment. The only thing to mention is that all the websites were checked manually for suffering from Penguin algorithm change (reports to which we had direct access were thoroughly analyzed), various metrics were checked and statistics for anchor lists was gathered.
As for the content, no strict pattern has been detected. Sites with and without advertisement, with and without contacts page, with large and small SEO-text on the main page were affected by the Google Penguin.
Things get more interesting when it comes to links. A lot of direct entries have been seen in a group of websites who suffered from Penguin (more than 58% of direct entries in anchors). Here is some statistics:
Average numbers for penalized websites:
- 11% links with site URL (http://domain.com/);
- 15% links with brand name as a company name or domain name;
- 58% links with promoted keywords;
- 14% nofollow links from total amount.
Average numbers for benefited websites:
- 22% links with site URL (http://domain.com/);
- 26% links with brand name as a company name or domain name;
- 23% links promoted keywords;
- 30% nofollow links from total amount.
Out of all the methods that were used to get the site from under the filters, only 301 page redirects to another domain were successful (same name but different domain zone). All the websites eventually were "glued" together and returned to their previous positions in SERPs.
It turned out to be impossible to free a website from a filter by manipulating with anchors of the backlinks (at least according to the data available). Possibly, two months is not enough to get the filter lifted automatically. There is only one case in which a website got a filter lifted after a very thorough work with the external links (WMPU.org).
Searching For The Problems
During the course of the experiment it became clear that not all webmasters correctly identified which Google filter was applied to their website. With Penguin Google implemented numerous global changes like: Page Layout Algorithm, Venice, Panda updates, etc. Therefore, it is important to analyze all the data.
To correctly determine the cause of the problem a detailed history of position tracking for multiple search queries is required. During the analysis the dates of Google updates and the drops in standings have to be compared.
For example, the following graph shows that Google Penguin is indeed responsible, but before that algorithm change there were other problems, which means that the filter is composite.
The following graph show a downfall in traffic from Google, but the problem is clearly not the Penguin.
A clear representation of a Google Penguin influence is seen on this graph (drastic drop during 24th-25th of April):
A good way to determine the problem is to use Google Analytics – select the dates after the 25th of April and compare the data with the one that comes before the 24th of April by checking the keywords reports and select "Traffic Source – Landing Page". This way we can see which keywords suffered and their respective landing pages.
As practice shows, if a site is losing positions on high-frequency queries or mid-frequency queries for main sections of the website, then the problem is most likely with the backlinks. But if you are losing standing for mid and low-frequency queries then you should look into your content and outgoing links.
Some examples:
1. External links
The statistics show that the website was affected by the Penguin.
Keyword analysis shows that the website lost standings for high-frequency query "работа в минске" ("jobs in minsk"). Therefore, the reason is probably in external backlinks.
Let's check the anchor list with OpenSiteExplorer:
We can see that first place is taken by the promoted keyword. To clarify that the problem is indeed with this keyword we check anchor lists for competitor websites in the TOP3. What do we see:
As we can see, all these websites have at the top of their lists an anchor with either a direct URL of the site or no anchor at all (image-link).
2. Duplicate content
The website has lost low-frequency traffic.
If we take a look at which queries were affected, we will see:
After checking the website for duplicates in Google, we see that 93% of indexed pages are full or partial duplicates.
WebTracker.com helps us find pages which are in additional index (unimportant for Google). After we analyze and summarize.
3. Outgoing links
Website has lost positions for low-frequency queries, and mostly for the same pages.
By visiting these pages we see that they contain outgoing links unrelated to the website.
With Penguin Google made another step towards more organic search results, but a lot of good websites felt the consequences. To deal with the Penguin, first of all, read the Google Webmaster's Guide. Most successful cases, which are reported, point out the improvements to the website. Therefore, if you are planning ahead, then it's better to focus on improving your website (mainly usability). But you should also take notice of the examples presented above.
Original post in Russian can be found at http://devaka.ru/articles/google-penguin
English translation by: http://seointrust.com/


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California, once an afterthought in the battle for control of Congress, has become a top target for deep-pocketed political action committees and other groups in an all-out effort to win districts stretching from the farming towns of the Central Valley to the beach communities of San Diego.
Since an independent panel recast California's political boundaries two years ago, the state's newly drawn congressional districts now comprise the most competitive House landscape in the nation and are attracting money at an unprecedented clip — more than $45 million so far.
With less than a week until Election Day, that spending is surging as more than 80 outside groups and independent super PACs seek to sway the makeup of the nation's largest congressional delegation, which has 34 Democrats and 19 Republicans.
Even in an age of freewheeling political spending blessed by the U.S. Supreme Court, no other state has come close to California in the sheer volume of outside spending on House seats. Illinois, the state with the next highest level of spending, had attracted $34.6 million by Monday, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending.
In several California races, spending by outside groups appears to be on track to eclipse the money being spent by campaigns, meaning a candidate's voice might be drowned out — or amplified — by ads, phone calls and mailers financed by people or groups that are supposed to have no direct tie to the person on the ballot.
"2012 has become the Wild West," said Steve Frank, a longtime conservative activist from suburban Los Angeles.
Most of the spending is coming from the official campaign arms of the House Democrats and Republicans, which have built a stronger West Coast presence to sustain operations beyond 2012. The National Republican Congressional Committee had spent $10.3 million by Monday, compared to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's $6.9 million.
The fourth-largest spender, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, reported sinking nearly $3 million into California House races, but a chamber official said the group has spent even more on other political efforts that did not require disclosure.
Democrats need to gain 25 seats nationwide to retake the House majority this year, an uphill battle they're not expected to win in November. But most political professionals are thinking ahead to 2014, said Rob Engstrom, the chamber's national political director.
"No other state has more competitive House races than California, so that is a very, very big footprint nationally," said Engstrom. "That explains why we have made this huge financial commitment there and will keep doing so over the next decade."
Outside are dueling in several congressional districts near Sacramento.
In one, Democratic challenger Ami Bera is making a second try at unseating Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Lungren. In 2010, Bera, a physician, said a crucial slice of voters flocked to Lungren after American Crossroads, a conservative super PAC co-founded by GOP political strategist Karl Rove, bought a round of television ads attacking Bera in the campaign's final weeks.
This cycle, dozens of super PACs on Bera's side are fighting back with anti-Lungren ads.
"The difference is this time these outside groups are coming in on both sides," Bera said. "You never know at what point you have diminishing returns and there is so much money moving in the system that people stop paying attention."
Lungren was glib about why he believes Democratic-leaning groups were pouring money into the 7th Congressional District, the third-most expensive House race nationwide.
"Maybe because I'm the geographically closest incumbent to Nancy Pelosi, and I've been rather outspoken in my differences with her," Lungren said. Pelosi represents San Francisco.
Two other California House races — the 10th District near Modesto and the San Diego-area's 52nd District — also are among the top 10 most expensive nationwide.
In San Diego, where Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray is trying to fend off Democrat Scott Peters, outside groups as varied as Planned Parenthood and Americans for Tax Reform, headed by low-tax crusader Grover Norquist, had spent more than $7.4 million through Monday.
The campaigns together doled out $4.1 million through Sept. 30, the most recent figures available.
"We can't match on our own what's being spent by the outside groups," said Peters spokeswoman MaryAnne Pintar, referring to the profusion of TV ads and mailings in the district, most of them negative. "Every day there is something new to respond to."
Political party structure was shaken by the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which along with other federal rulings stripped restrictions on political contributions from corporations, labor unions and millionaires and billionaires.
Checks from wealthy donors that once would have been cut to Republican or Democratic organizations now go to super PACs or charities formed under the federal tax code, which have no limits on spending.
California's new primary system, which sends the top two finishers to the runoff regardless of party affiliation, also has attracted outside funding to a handful of races pitting candidates of the same party against one other.
One super PAC bankrolled by Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is aimed at supporting Democratic Rep. Howard Berman, as he battles incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman over a San Fernando Valley seat.
Stanford physicist Charles Munger Jr., the son of billionaire Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Vice Chairman Charles Munger, worked with former Republican state lawmaker Abel Maldonado as part of the effort to establish the new primary system, which is intended to open the way for more centrist candidates.
Maldonado, who is running against Democratic Rep. Lois Capps for a Central Coast congressional seat, is getting help from Munger's super PAC, Spirit of Democracy America. It had funneled more than $1.4 million into the race.
"There's so much at stake this year and there is so much more money flowing into these critical races that we used to not pay much attention to," Jaime Regalado, emeritus professor of political science at California State University, Los Angeles.


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Received this notice on the update for Lightroom 2.6 from Adobe last night:
I thought you would like to know that Adobe today announced the immediate availability of Lightroom 2.6, Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6 and DNG Converter 5.6 on Adobe.com. Originally posted as release candidates for community testing on Adobe Labs, these final versions include raw file support for 20 new popular camera models, including the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon D3s. Additional DNG support has been added for the Leica M9 and Ricoh GXR camera models. A full list of the newly supported cameras is below.
The updates also provide a fix for an issue affecting PowerPC customers using the final Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5 updates on the Mac. The issue, introduced in the demosaic change to address sensors with unequal green response, has the potential to create artifacts in the highlight area while using the Highlight Recovery tool in raw files from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and various medium format digital camera backs.
Adobe would like to thank everyone who downloaded and provided feedback on the Lightroom 2.6 and Camera Raw 5.6 Release Candidates. Lightroom 2 software is today's digital photography workflow solution, allowing photographers to quickly import, process, manage and showcase images, and the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access within Photoshop to the raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras. Adobe's Digital Negative (DNG) format is a publicly available archival format for the raw files generated by digital cameras.
Pricing and Availability
Lightroom 2.6 is available as a free download for existing Lightroom 2 customers, and Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6 is available as a free download for existing customers of Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 8 (Win/Mac) and Premiere Elements 8. DNG Converter 5.6 is also available as a free download for all customers. Click here for more information and to download the updates: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates.
Newly Supported Camera Models
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Canon EOS 7D
Canon PowerShot G11
Canon PowerShot S90
Leaf Aptus II 5
Mamiya DM22, DM28, DM33, DM56, M18, M22, M31
Nikon D3s
Olympus E-P2
Pentax K-x
Panasonic FZ38
Sigma DP1s
Sony A500
Sony A550
Sony A850


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Mt. Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in Europe, and one of the Seven Summits. It's located just in Russia, though it is only a few miles/kilometers from the border of Georgia. Though Elbrus is the highest summit in Europe, it is one of the technically easiest of the higher peaks on the continent. The mountain is in the Caucasus Mountains, which is one of the most rugged mountain ranges in the world. Elbrus may not be that rugged of a mountain, but that is not the case with all the surrounding peaks! The standard route up Elbrus is long and strenuous but not technically difficult. The biggest danger is the weather which can be particularly nasty on this mountain. By number of deaths, Elbrus is one of the World's deadliest mountains. Forty-eight climbers died in the Mount Elbrus area in 2004 alone!Read More


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What are Immune Therapies? List from Cancer Survivors
The below is a list that has been posted by the bloggers in this cancer community. There are 7616 cancer fighters that are members here. This is what they said, not what the doctors or nurses will tell you.
Select Type
Choose which type you want to see information for. Just change your selection below.
Most Common
This is a tag cloud of the top words that people have experienced regarding the cancer type selected above.
No immune therapies results were reported for All.


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LucasArts Planning Many More Retro Remakes, Re-releasing Jedi Knight Next Week
The revelation came during a GameTrailers TV interview, which also saw the LucasArts president speak on reissuing the Jedi Knight games and the potential of new entries in classic franchises, such as Grim Fandango and Indiana Jones.
"Jedi Knight series is coming next week as well," Rodriguez said of the old Star Wars-based PC shooter/saber-swinging franchise. Just before the Monkey Island remake hit, LucasArts began re-releasing vintage titles for use on modern systems.
As for new entries in beloved franchises like Grim Fandango or Indiana Jones, Rodriguez noted that the company has "absolutely" thought of such things.
"One of the great opportunities working here is to be able to meet some of the legends--to meet Tim Schafer (Full Throttle, Grim Fandango), to meet Larry Holland (X-Wing, TIE Fighter), to meet [Dave] Grossman (Day of the Tentacle) or Ron Gilbert (The Secret of Monkey Island)," he teased. "Wouldn't it be great to work with them on new things?"
"We're really excited about getting back to the heritage and the halcyon days of LucasArts," Rodriguez added. "When people couldn't wait for a LucasArts title to come out--games based on story and on character."


text: how to wrap christmas presents with fabric – small presents December 10, 2012 Written by Meg 0 About Author Meg Meg is the Founder and Creative Director of Megan Nielsen Patterns, and is constantly dreaming up ideas for new sewing patterns and ways to make your sewing journey more enjoyable! She gets really excited about design details and is always trying to add way too many variations to our patterns. Subscribe Notify of new replies to my comments Label {} [+] Name* Email* Website Δ Label {} [+] Name* Email* Website Δ 0 Comments Inline Feedbacks View all comments


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Just in time for the upcoming back-to-school season, Apple has given its iMac line its perennial update. Although the newest iMacs look identical to their older cousins, a bit of retooling under the hood leaves them faster and more capable than ever. Will you notice? Here's a rundown of what's new, and what it means to you.
Core i3, i5 and i7 Processors
The trusty Intel Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad designations have disappeared in favor, appropriately enough, of Intel's new i-branded Nehalemn-architecture chips. Although they share the same clock speeds, the new chips use a 32nm fabrication, which improves both performance and efficiency. Other technologies, including hyper threading and smart cache, should also improve performance, albeit incrementally.
ATI Radeon HD Graphics
Apple has jumped ship on the GeForce 9-series cards found in the last iMacs and switched to AMD's Radeon HD cards. You'll also notice no "mobility" or "M" designation tacked on there. These are the full-power desktop versions of the new cards, not the neutered notebook versions the last-generation iMac was using. Long story short: They should offer significantly improved gaming performance for folks hoping to install Bootcamp and get their Crysis on. Especially if you opt for the big-daddy Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of onboard GDDR5 memory.
Support for dual hard drives
It used to be you could order an iMac with a standard magnetic drive, or a speedy solid-state drive. This time around, Apple has eliminated the either-or proposition with the option to equip your new iMac with both a 256GB solid-state drive and a conventional drive. Sound like overkill? For many users, it might be, but loading the operating system and certain programs onto the SSD can significantly improve load times, while a conventional drive keeps a terabyte or two handy for large video and music collections.
The Apple iMac continues to remain one of the most powerful all-in-one systems available. While it is not as upgradeable as a full on desktop system, Apple gives users the ability to upgrade most major components including hard drive and RAM. In our book, the new iMac gives users an experience worth paying for!
Editors' Recommendations
- iMac deals: New, renewed and refurbished iMac computers
- Apple's 32-inch M3 iMac could be facing yet another delay
- Please let this new OLED iMac rumor be true
- A new iMac and 15-inch MacBook Air are almost ready to launch
- I want Apple to resurrect the iMac Pro, but it's a bad idea


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Zebra OneCare™ Maintenance Plans
Technology is Complex.
Maintenance Doesn't Have to Be.
You depend on your devices and software applications to run your business. When they're down, so are your workflows. You don't have time for unexpected surprises that halt your operations. You need a plan to protect against failures and prevent frustrations. Keep it simple and certain with Zebra OneCare maintenance plans.
Never one-size-fits-all, choose the "right-for-you" plan that's tailored to your exact needs and business urgency. Delivering much more than backup warranty and repair, our comprehensive plans add years of ongoing enhancements to protect your technology and your investment.
Trusted Service and Ongoing Support from the Source
Accidents happen, especially in tough business environments. Don't let that halt your operations. Stay a step ahead of the unexpected with troubleshooting and support from the team that knows your devices best and stands behind their technology 100%. Maximise your coverage and get certified repairs with authorised parts, along with security patches and firmware and software updates.
Hassle-free Repairs and Support Your Way
Get the support you need, when and how you need it. Take advantage of self-service diagnostic tools or submit requests quickly and easily online. Tap into Zebra's digital support community for common questions or give us a call to connect with a live agent. Trust Zebra to focus on your business-critical devices, so you can focus on your operational outcomes.
Peace-of-mind Plans that Flex to Fit Your Business
Choose the plan that's right for your business goals and budget. Far from one-size-fits all, Zebra OneCare plans offer everything from Essential coverage to elevated Select support, and even Specialised plans for targeted protection. Pick your plan based on your device type or portfolio, contract length, coverage level and repair turnaround time. It's pain free with our simple subscription model.
Zebra OneCare™ Essential
Core Assurance
Gain peace of mind when your day-to-day device needs are covered to keep your fleet up and running. Get comprehensive protection, including phone support, three-day repair turnarounds, software and security updates, and cloud-based visibility into repair reports and more with VisibilityIQ™ OneCare™.
Zebra OneCare™ Select
Maximum Protection
Access around-the-clock support with the Zebra OneCare Select plan. Build on the benefits of the Essential plan, PLUS 24/7 live-agent telephone support and next-business-day, 'like new' device replacement pre-loaded with your settings, software, apps and OS, and LifeGuard versions.
Zebra OneCare™ Special Value (SV)
Right-Priced Protection
Protect your value-tier printers and mobile devices with our specialised plan including technical and software support, five-day repair turnarounds and optional accidental damage coverage. Plus, mobile computer users will get access to our cloud-based VisibilityIQ OneCare tool.
Zebra OneCare™ Technical and Software Support
Standalone Technical and Software Support
Protect your data and get support when needed, even without a repair support plan. Access expert technical support and Zebra-exclusive security patches and software updates, including LifeGuard™. This plan also provides support for software applications, both OEM and third-party.
Zebra OneCare™ On-Site Support
Certified On-Site Technician
When you can't send your devices to a Zebra Service Centre for repair or service, we'll send a Zebra-trained and certified technician to you for one-on-one, personalised attention.* An ideal option for devices that are too vital, large or cumbersome to ship, choose 1- or 2-business day options.
*Not available in all regions.
Discover More Zebra Services
VisibilityIQ™ OneCare™
Cloud-based visibility that gives you insight into all of your support activities.View Services
Terms and Conditions
Technical Support is provided by Zebra under the following conditions:
- For mobile Computing devices and standalone Restricted Software products Technical support is available for a period of 90 days from when the instance of Software or Hardware are first shipped by Zebra or, with proof of purchase or license, from the purchase date whichever is later. For DCS hardware Products Technical support is available for the duration of the hardware warranty.
- Under a Zebra OneCare Service Contract
- Under a Technical and Software Support Contract
- Online, via technical articles and solutions in English


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Birthday: 07/01
View All Comments
A white man said, "Colored people are not allowed here." The black man turned around and stood up. He then said: "Listen sir....when I was born I was BLACK " "When I grew up I was BLACK, " "When I'm sick I'm BLACK, " "When I go in the sun I'm BLACK, " "When I'm cold I'm BLACK, " "When I die I'll be BLACK." "But you sir." "When you are born you're PINK". "When you grow up you're WHITE, " "When you're sick, you're GREEN, " "When you go in the sun you turn RED, " "When you're cold you turn BLUE, " "And when you die you turn PURPLE. "And you have the nerve to call me colored?" The black man then sat back down and the white man walked away.. Put this on your page if you HATE racism
My Dream Avi
Hello.Si eres bilingue,you can read this.


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We are seeking an experienced Director of Sales for a leading national homebuilder in the booming Dallas homebuilding market. The position will report directly to the Division President. Local candidates with experience as a top sales professional, sales manager, and / or director in the homebuilding industry are preferred.
The comp, benefits and opportunity for personal and professional growth are very strong for this opportunity.
Key Attributes Include:
- Great sense of urgency in driving sales
- Strong leadership and strategic management skills
- Ability to prepare, plan and deliver clear and persuasive sales presentations and teach others to do the same
- Experienced in utilizing business analysis, planning and customer management to achieve sales objectives
Ensure new homes are sold at the established sales price and velocity with high levels of customer satisfaction, and ensure the performance and success of the sales and marketing teams through the implementation of established policies and procedures.
- Maintain open communication with division president and team members to ensure the accurate, timely flow of information.
- Communicate the company's decisions, procedures, and policies to sales and marketing team members.
- Work with purchasing/estimating on clearly defining all options, upgrades, specifications, and associated pricing.
- Set home prices to obtain target profit margins and work with the management team to secure any necessary approvals.
- Oversee the review of all contract documents and pricing to ensure accuracy, and approve all contracts and change orders submitted by Sales Counselors.
- Analyze sales performance and costs through various sales reports.
- Ensure the sales staff is meeting with realtors on a regular basis per the established Realtor program and in compliance with the appropriate regulations.
- Ensure the Sales Manager(s) are meeting individually with each Sales Counselor on a regular basis to review and manage prospect conversion.
- Ensure sales department meetings are held regularly, in addition to designated meetings with other departments (i.e., weekly meetings with homebuilding and mortgage).
Marketing, Advertising, and Merchandising:
- Review competitive market analysis information on a monthly basis and share with the appropriate management team members as needed.
- Constantly monitor and analyze both national and local market trends to support division sales and marketing goals.
- Assist with the promotion of the company's image and products to all outside sources.
- Assist with organizing and executing all special promotions to generate sales.
- Coordinate with the Sales Manager(s) and Marketing Manager to select, create and place all advertising and marketing materials using the media they deem most effective.
- Oversee the creative and maintenance of all sales collateral.
- Oversee the negotiation, placement, and maintenance of all community signage.
- Participate in the development and implementation of all advertising campaigns within the division, and oversee the management of ad agency relations.
- Oversee the opening of all new home model centers.
- Oversee the division's internet marketing and sales, and ensure the company's effective online presence.
- Bachelor's degree.
- 7-10 years sales and marketing experience in high-volume production homebuilding (public experience a plus).
- Minimum 5 years managerial experience.
- Previous experience with ad agencies preferred.
- Broker's License as required by the division.
- Current working knowledge of construction.
- Knowledge of state and federal regulations affecting new home sales (i.e., Fair Housing).
- PC and software literate.
- Demonstrated judgment and decision-making ability.
- Effective problem-solver.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent organizational, management and team-building skills.
- Demonstrated marketing, product and merchandising acumen, including an understanding and awareness of customers and buyers.
- Ability to prepare, present and coordinate sales and marketing plans and programs.
- Demonstrated initiative to challenge ineffective processes, formulate plans and facilitate change.
- Competitive Compensation
- Health Care – Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescription Drug Coverage
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Disability Programs
- Employee & Dependent Life Insurance
- Vacation & Company Holidays
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Employee Home Purchase Rebate Program
- Home Mortgage Program
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)


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I received a mortar and pestle for Christmas, something that has been on my wish list for quite some time, so I wanted to utilise this in my bake, and cardamom conjures up the scent of the season for me, I love the little pods full of seeds which burst in little pops of flavour as you bite them.
As these biscuits are for New Years eve I wanted a little extra surprise, so I added a few pieces of popping candy to the center of the sandwich. If you can find chocolate covered popping candy use this, otherwise you need to create your own, or the pop will all be gone by the time you come to eating the cookie up.
Download the recipe by clicking on the arrow or click on the printer to print it out.


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CLEVELAND – Brad Hand's solid season didn't earn him another one with the Indians.
Feeling the financial pinch from a shortened season, Cleveland declined Hand's $10 million contract option on Friday and also chose not to exercise options for either first baseman Carlos Santana ($17.5 million) or outfielder Domingo Santana ($5 million).
The club did exercise its $5.5 million option for catcher Roberto Pérez, who has been exemplary in handling one of the AL's best pitching staffs.
The team owes buyouts of $1 million to Hand, $500,000 to Carlos Santana and $250,000 to Domingo Santana, who are all free agents.
Cleveland previewed the Hand decision on Thursday, when the club placed him on outright waivers, hoping another team might claim him so they Indians would avoid the buyout. The 30-year-old Hand led the majors with 16 saves, but after they were unable to find a trade partner, the Indians decided to move on without the left-hander.
"With Brad it was a really difficult decision," said Chris Antonetti, the team's President of Baseball Operations. "He's been such a critical part of our team for the last few seasons. He did an extraordinary job in his role as a closer and also was a leader in the clubhouse, specifically within the bullpen group.
"In the end, we did take some time to explore the trade market for Brad and weren't able to find a fit for him. Again, a very difficult decision."
Antonetti had pointed toward the moves and a substantial cut in payroll earlier this month due to the team's financial hit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. MLB teams were not permitted to have fans at game in 2020.
There could be other, bigger moves this winter as the Indians consider trading All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor before his final season under contract. Antonetti isn't sure what's ahead at this point.
"It's very early to tell and I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of sense to forecast things," he said. "What we've been focused on are the decisions we have in front of us and engaging with teams to help inform those decisions. That's really where we've spent most of our energy."
Hand was acquired by the San Diego Padres at the trading deadline in 2018. In two-plus seasons with the Indians, he had 58 saves and a 2.78 ERA in 111 games. The left-hander went 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA and went 16 for 16 in save chances in the 60-game season.
Carlos Santana struggled in his second season back in Cleveland after leaving as a free agent in 2018. The switch-hitter batted a career-low .199 with eight homers and 30 RBIs in 60 games.
Antonetti said it's possible the club could re-sign the 34-year-old Santana, who has spent 10 seasons with the Indians.
"We'd be open to anything," Antonetti said. "In fairness to Carlos he probably needs to take some time and examine what his alternatives might be and gain some additional information. It will be important for us to get a little bit more clarity as the offseason goes on, but we'll stay in touch because as you know Carlos is near and dear to our hearts and has been such a huge part of our team for the better part of the last decade at this point."
Pérez was slowed by a shoulder injury for most the season, and the injury may have contributed to him batting just .165 with one homer and five RBIs in 32 games.
"We're excited to have him back as a key component for us and we've seen the difference he can make when he's behind the plate and leading a pitching staff," Antonetti said. "He's also been able to put together productive offensive seasons when he's been healthy, so we're hopeful that will be the case again next year."
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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Expert's Rating
- Quick setup and easy navigation
- Support for a wide range of Internet services
- Network playback can be slow
- Some features available only via the remote
Our Verdict
Seagate delivers a full-featured media streamer at an affordable price, but it's not quite as polished as the WD TV Live Plus.
Looking for a versatile media streamer that can handle music, photos, and videos from your home network and the Internet? The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV is one of the best in a growing field of attractive candidates. The GoFlex TV shapes up as a worthy competitor to its Western Digital rival, the WD TV Live Plus ( ), though the slightly pricier WD TV maintains a small advantage in features, interface, and speed.
Like the WD TV Live Plus, the FreeAgent GoFlex TV is a connected box that lets you play media from computers, media servers, and storage devices on your network, or from USB flash or hard drives plugged directly into the device (you can also insert a portable GoFlex hard-drive module directly into the GoFlex TV, which eliminates extra clutter). The GoFlex TV supports a generous number of Internet services, including Flickr, Netflix Watch Instantly, Picasa, YouTube, a slew of popular sites through MediaFly, and other sites via category widgets (such as Finance).
But also like the WD TV Live Plus, the GoFlex TV lacks built-in Wi-Fi support: You can add that via an optional $50 USB adapter, but be prepared for degraded media playback if you live in an area with lots of other Wi-Fi networks.
Setting up the unit took only a few moments; I have to give Seagate high marks for the unit's simplicity. I hooked it up to my HDTV with an HDMI cable I had on hand (the GoFlex TV supports component, composite, and HDMI connections, but provides cables for only the first two), and then linked it to my network via the included ethernet cable plugged into a HomePlug AV switch.
After I connected the AC adapter to a power outlet, a couple of screens for setting language and date/time appeared, but no further action was required: Within a minute or so, the home screen popped up. I was immediately able to browse both my home network and the Internet services using the unit's remote, which is somewhat larger than most half-size remotes but still smaller than a typical TV or cable remote. I quickly set up my Netflix on-demand service (the screen displays a code that you must type into an activation screen on the Netflix Website).
Navigating is fairly simple since the home screen provides access to media in several ways, including some that are deliberately redundant. At the top is a row of options for media types (Music, Photos, Video), as well as Internet and local-network location. Then comes a row of shortcuts to the Internet services. Finally it gives you a row of icons for navigating all directly connected and local-network devices—be they USB flash drives, GoFlex drives you may have plugged into the GoFlex TV, networked Macs or PCs, or media servers (DLNA or Samba shares).
But playing or viewing material, especially over a local network, can be slow. Sometimes files take quite a few moments to appear (Seagate says this is because the device is building an index). Also, the GoFlex TV doesn't support file operations: You can't copy files from a network location to a local drive, a WD TV feature that can be useful if streaming over the network is poky and you don't want to have to use a computer to transfer media to a local drive. And in my tests, some media files inexplicably failed to play at all—I got several messages saying that MP3 files I had ripped from CDs were in an invalid format.
Though the home screen makes digging up content easy, I was somewhat disappointed to find that a lot of features—including any network settings or playback adjustments (such as slideshow options)—are accessible only when you click the menu button on the remote. I appreciate that Seagate wanted to reduce screen clutter, but this arrangement makes these features a little less discoverable.
For people who own a GoFlex drive, Seagate provides Media Sync software that makes it easy to transfer and update the contents of a PC or Mac media library to the drive. But you have to connect the drive to the computer to perform updates—you can't update it when it's connected to the GoFlex TV.
The GoFlex TV supports a wide range of DRM-free media formats; it's also the only media streamer I've seen that lets you play DivX video. And thanks to a deal Seagate made with Paramount, the GoFlex TV provides a feature for designating it as an authorized playback device for Paramount movies you've purchased and stored on digital media (some GoFlex drives were sold with the movies preloaded, so you could view them once you paid online to unlock them).
The device's Netflix support is basic, allowing you to play videos that you've placed in your Watch Instantly queue on the Netflix Website. The unit doesn't support the newer Netflix interface that appears on Roku and WD TV Live Plus streamers, which lets you browse and add content to your queue directly from your TV screen. The omission is hardly a fatal flaw, but the feature's convenience is undeniable.
Other GoFlex TV services looked fairly similar to the way they do on other Internet-connected media streamers—you can log in to your YouTube account to view (and designate) favorites, you can search for photos on Flickr (but you can't log in to your account to easily view your own), and so on.
Macworld's Buying Advice
Overall, I found the GoFlex TV to be serviceable, with easy setup and a large selection of Internet content as major pluses. It is on the slow side, however, and the interface could be better (especially for accessing settings and Netflix movies). For a little more money, I give the WD TV Live Plus the edge.


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DIY Hula Hoop Gnome Home Playhouse
Even the most sociable gnomes need a place to get away from it all for a little while. Or to hide when it's bathtime. When your gnome is done playing, the fabric top slips off, and the frame snaps apart for storage. And, yes, the frame is made of hula hoops!
2 hula hoops
9 ft of pvc pipe
6 pvc endcaps
screws and acorn nuts
approximately 3.5 yds brown fabric
contrasting fabric for top and decorations
Step 1: Cut 3 pieces of pvc pipe that are each 36 inches long.
Step 2: Drill pilot holes all the way through the hula hoop and through each endcap. Screw the endcaps to the hula hoops. The screw should go all the way through the hula hoop and end in the endcap. Put an acorn nut on the sharp end of the screw in the endcap.
Step 3: Snap the pvc pipes into the endcaps. The frame is complete!
Step 4: Cut 6 pieces of brown fabric in the shape shown in the template. The height should be equal to the height of your frame plus seam allowance. The length along the top is 1/6 the circumference of your hula hoop plus a seam allowance. 16 inches worked well for a 25 inch diameter hula hoop. Stitch all 6 pieces together.
Step 5: Trace along the outside edge of the hula hoop onto a piece of fabric for the top. Cut out circle. Stitch concentric circles in contrasting thread to look like tree rings.
Step 6: Stitch the circle to the 6 pieces you sewed together already.
Step 7: Cut holes for window and door. Cut a little arched door out of a different fabric, and glue it to the doorway. Both sides of the door should remain open.
Step 8: Decorate with little mushrooms, flowers, acorns, etc.
Congratulations! You're done!
(Images: Katie Steuernagle)


text: The rooms of the Hotel Design Sorbonne have high-quality interior design with vibrant colours, thick carpets with geometric patterns and contemporary fabrics giving a warm, hi-tech feel. You can choose a view of either the charming paved courtyard or magnificent Sorbonne University. Each room has an iMac or Mac Mini computer for surfing the web and watching TV, as well as a free, high-quality Wi-Fi connection. Our designer look also means access to the latest technology!


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The woman who still goes by the name Ariella Alexander is still making the most of 15 minutes of fame; she was featured during Wednesday's episode of Bethenny to support her websites She's a Homewrecker and He's a Homewrecker, alongside some very angry women on both sides of this public shaming of sluts issue.
Despite the fact that she's been revealed to be Joy Marielle Tobon, Tobon/Alexander is still going by an alias, protecting herself while the women (and men) who have allegedly wronged others are put through the ringer online. Defending her job by comparing herself to a person who changed the way we communicate in the modern day – "Mark Zuckerberg doesn't sit there and go through everything you put on Facebook" – Alexander/Tobon appeared far more rational than the women she appeared with, two of whom had posted on the site about their husband's mistresses and one of whom had been on the receiving end of that kind of attack.
The conversation devolved into a slightly classier episode of Maury: probably because she's so focused on "calling all her girls," Bethenny Frankel relied heavily on audience participation, which meant the whole thing became a massive screaming match. Which ended up sort of supporting Tobon/Alexander's argument that she's tried to give an opportunity to shame the men, but her audience isn't interested in that.
"He's a Homewrecker dot com is available; unfortunately, the drama is with She's a Homewrecker. People have no problem exposing the men, it's not a controversy," Alexander/Tobon said.
The feeling you're left with after watching these women scream at each other is the same as the one you have after reading their posts and comments on both of Alexander/Tobon's sites: disgust and a desire for a strong drink.


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IntelligentCity lighting can make your city more livable. Create vibrant social spaces that people want to spend time in after dark, with bright street lighting. Make streets safer by increasing brightness when people are leaving bars and clubs. Prevent over-lighting and preserve your city's natural beauty by dimming lights where necessary.
With flexible lighting you can beautify your city while simultaneously meeting practical challenges. Activating the right lighting at the right time will keep traffic moving, attract tourists, improve well-being for locals, and contribute to crime reduction.


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Millions suffer from fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by months of widespread pain, often accompanied by fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, headaches, low back pain, and other problems. Its cause is unknown and there is no known cure.
In terms of reducing pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms, according to the latest review, "Vegetarian diets could have some beneficial effects." Based on what kind of evidence? In my 5-min video Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets I review the 20 years of science we have so far, in which vegetarian and raw vegan diets were put to the test.
Both vegetarian and raw vegan diets led to significant improvements in fibromyalgia symptoms, but what about just mostly vegetarian diets or mostly raw vegan diets? That was the subject of my 4-min. follow-up video Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets. How plant-based does one's diet need to be to effectively treat fibromyalgia?
The vegan "Hallelujah diet" appeared to perform the best. When the study was reviewed in the journal Current Rheumatology Reports, the editor noted that it had the most impressive results of any recent fibromyalgia treatment study—three times the improvement that the Mayo Clinic was reporting for their fibromyalgia program. True, it was not a double-blind placebo controlled study, but it's difficult to design such a study when it comes to diet, since people tend to notice when they've been switched to a vegan diet!
Raw vegan diets seemed to help; mostly raw vegan diets seemed to help. Eating vegetarian worked; but what about just eating mostly vegetarian? That was the most recent trial. Fourteen fibromyalgia sufferers were put on a mostly vegetarian Mediterranean diet for two weeks and unfortunately did not see significant improvement. Maybe the researchers didn't give it enough time?
Other inflammatory conditions have been successfully treated with semi-vegetarian "flexitarian" diets, though, for example, Dietary Treatment of Crohn's Disease. Cutting down on meat may also help reduce the risk of cataracts (Preventing Cataracts with Diet), obesity (Thousands of Vegans Studied), hypertension (Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death), metabolic syndrome (Metabolic Syndrome and Plant-Based Diets), and diabetes (How to Prevent Diabetes), though there does appear to be a stepwise drop in risk as one's diet gets more and more centered around plant foods.
The bottom line is that the best science to date suggests a plant-based diet in its many forms, may help people with fibromyalgia. Just because it's the best science we have, though, doesn't mean it's necessarily very good science. These were all small, poorly controlled, relatively short-term studies—but what's the downside to giving it a try? Dietary surveys show that people with chronic widespread pain syndromes tend to eat pretty crappy diets, which helps explain their higher rates of other chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Even if a healthy diet doesn't help their fibromyalgia symptoms, at least it may prevent them from falling ill with something else. The last thing someone who feels miserable all day needs is another disease.
Why do plant-based diets help with chronic pain conditions? There may be a number of reasons why vegetarians only have about half the odds of being on painkiller drugs (see Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants). Potentially inflammatory compounds in animal products include Neu5Gc (The Inflammatory Meat Molecule Neu5Gc), endotoxins (The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory), and animal proteins (Diet & Rheumatoid Arthritis).
On the other hand maybe the potassium in plant foods modulates adrenal function? See my video Potassium and Autoimmune Disease. If it is the Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants, then that could certainly help explain it. See Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods. Either way, I would recommend trying giving a aspartame-free plant-based diet a try (see Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia).
-Michael Greger, M.D.
PS: If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here and watch my full 2012 – 2015 presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death, More than an Apple a Day, From Table to Able, and Food as Medicine.


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Chrominance Review
- Publisher: Andrea Mazzini
- Genre: Puzzle
- Released: 15 Oct, 2010
- Size: 18.8 MB
- Price: FREE!
- Splatting paint-balls with physics.
- Varied musical soundtrack.
- Universal app with iPad unique features.
- Classic mode slow to pick up in challenge.
Chrominance is as simple as throwing balls of paint together, but don't get too relaxed as things can quickly spin out of control.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Chrominance by Andrea Mazzini and EFlat Games challenges players to mix their skills at timing and combining colors to score it large in this strange physics based arcade title.
Orbs of paint will make their way on to the screen at regular intervals, but should they collide with another orb they'll combine and splatter over the background. To score you'll need to make sure this combination lands on the correctly colored background by swiping them around the screen and if you're playing the 'Classic' mode you'll have energy taken off you if you miss. Power-ups also help to either clear the field of clutter, earn more life or 'split' the orbs to give you more variety.
For a game based around color the game has a relatively sedate palette and the pastel effect can feel a bit dull at times. This is further compounded by things taking a while to get interesting in the Classic mode, but once things do pick up you'll be praying for a bomb power-up to keep things manageable. Thankfully the 'Time Trial' mode feels a lot better and while you can't control all the bad matches you're not punished as immediately for them either.
Chrominance is an interesting, if not entirely exciting arcade title, but small touches like being able to play against a friend on an iPad make it fun to share with friends and as a time waster it's an easy game to jump in an out of. At this time the game is currently free and there's no reason not to give it a spin, but even when this changes it will still give some casual gamers an easy challenge.
Description★ REVIEWS ★
"The graphics are bright and snappy and the soundtrack is way more fun than the average game. [...]
If you're looking for a simple game to play and like ball throwing/color mixing, Chominance may be just what the doctor ordered."
Test you dexterity, precision and ability to think on your feet with Chrominance!
Flick the colored bubbles that appear on the screen with your finger, when two bubbles collide, they will mix their color, creating a color splash. If the color splash matches the background color you score!
Extremely addicting, easy to pick up, hard to master!
★ Two game modes:
☆ Classic Mode: proceed through a series of increasingly harder levels until you loose all your energy.
☆ Time Trial: Score as much points that you can in two minutes.
★ Split screen action on iPad:
Challenge your friends with two versus modes in split screen (available only on iPad)
★ OpenFeint and Game Center enabled:
Earn achievement on both OpenFeint and Game Center at the same time.
Upload your score on the global leaderboards.
Challenge your friends through OpenFeint.
Cloud Save states: your progress is recorded on the OpenFeint servers, so you can play on your iPhone and iPad keeping the same stats and settings.
★ Universal App:
Play on your iPhone or iPad with the same app.
★ Chrominance features:
☆ Original, addicting and easy to pick up game play
☆ Amazing original soundtrack
☆ Classic and Time Trial modes
☆ Two-player Versus modes on the same device (only on iPad)
☆ Power-ups!
☆ 28 fun achievements to unlock on OpenFeint and Game Center
☆ Online leaderboards
☆ OpenFeint Challanges
☆ OpenFeint integrated with the game art style
☆ Progress saved on OpenFeint Cloud
☆ Automatic save on exit and Multitasking support
☆ Compatible with iPhone (Retina display included), iPad and iPod Touch
Chrominance uses Cocos2d and Chipmunk physics.


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Forgiato White Tomato Knife
Descriptions & details
Handmade for chefs and home cooks who demand the very best, Berti's knives embody the unique qualities of "Made in Italy": first-rate quality, artistry, authenticity, and tradition.
The crafting of a knife involves over 50 steps, executed by a single artisan. Only when they are satisfied that the knife is perfect in every respect, do they proudly engrave their initials on the blade. This unusual process, no division of labor, contributes very much to the fine quality of Berti's blades.
The combination of high-quality steel and high craftsmanship delivers razor-sharp blades made to last a lifetime.
Dimensions (inches): 8.9 (blade 4.6)
Dimensions (cm): 22.5 (blade 11.8)
Tomato knife use and care:
It is ideal for tomatoes (of course!) and any fruit, citrus, or vegetable with thick skin and soft flesh. Great for sausages and cheese as well.
The Forgiato collection is dishwasher safe. However, handwashing and drying all kitchen knives immediately after use helps preserve their appearance over time.
Product details:
- forged blade made of high carbon stainless steel
- full tang, bolster, blade edge sharpened by hand
- handle made of Lucite, a synthetic material used to make high-quality handles, very resistant to weathering and to shock
Handmade in Scarperia (Tuscany), Italy
The artist
Founded in 1895, Coltellerie Berti is a fourth-generation family-owned business, well known for its handcrafted knives' unparalleled quality. At the heart of the company lies the deeply held belief that only methods rooted in and proven effective by tradition can deliver the best results.
The company is located in Scarperia, a charming little village perched on a Tuscan hill north of Florence.
Scarperia has been home to the knife-making industry for more than 600 years. The origin of the ancient, illustrious tradition of iron-working and blade making is lost in the mists of time. Still, the magic of the simple, essential gestures that forge perfect blades and change them into legendary knives is intact, handed down from one generation to the next.
Delivery and refunds
Handcrafted for you, ships in 2-3 weeks
Insured express delivery from Italy
Shipping charges to the US:
- shipping to the US is $30 - free shipping over $250
- Customs duties are always on us
For any other destination, please view our Shipping Policy
Changed your mind? Please, read our Return Policy


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Menu Plan Monday
So, how do you like my spiffy looking blog. My hubby, who's a bit of a Mac-head, had to get the new iLife and OS X Leopard thingy this weekend. Okay, yes, thingy. I am NOT the techno one of the bunch! Um, I do muffins…
There is still a bit of tweeking to do on my older entries with the new application – a few photos to shift and the like. I think I have gotten back to March of this year so far. I will just keep plugging away until it's a cleaned up. The nice thing is that my search engine actually works on my blog now, so that should make things easier to find for everyone. Woo-hoo!
With all the nifty changes on my blog, I haven't kept you all caught up on my holiday planning with organizedchristmas.org. I will catch you all up on Thursday and let you in on the scoop. Check out Countdown Day Four: Values Check, my favorite so far. As far as baking goes, we made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies with pecans this weekend and I am finishing cooking off the dough tonight.
Above is my sweet daughter with the Spaghetti Pies she made a couple of weeks ago. She cooked a package of GFCF spaghetti, tossed it with a jar of spaghetti sauce (Mama's homemade Black Olive, Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Sauce) and divided the whole thing into two oiled pie tins. She then topped the spaghetti mixture off with a pound of ground hamburger that had been cooked with green peppers and onions (split this between both tins) and finished the whole thing off with some grated Follow Your Heart GFCF Mozzarella-Style "cheese". We mad some garlic toast and a salad to round out the meal. It was quite tasty and she did a great job! Thanks, honey-bear!
Laura has switched to a new site for Menu Plan Monday. I bet we got too crazy over at her old site, to rowdy. There are over 200 people each week sharing their menus now and by 9:00 this morning it was already up to 90 entries! That is amazing! Head on over and join in on the fun…
Monday: Broiled Salmon with Broccoli and Bok Choy stirfry
Tuesday: Daddy's cookin' – Hamburgers, Salad and Fries (this probably will be the kids' favorite meal of the week!)
Wednesday: Roast Chicken with Roasted Veggies (Butternut Squash and the like)
Thursday: French Toast Casserole with Chicken Apple Sausage
Friday: Meatball Sandwiches and Salad with GFCF Ranch
Things to make this week:
Pear Custard Pie (tasty experiment with the kiddos this weekend, I hope, and just because!)
Molasses Cookies or Ginger Snaps (for the Holidays)
Pecan Tartletts (for the Holidays)
Mini Banana Muffins (for the Holidays)
Regular Banana Muffins (for restocking the freezer)
Personal-sized GFCF Pizzas (for restocking the freezer and all the upcoming Holiday Pizza parties)
Menu Plan Monday
Monday, October 29, 2007