text:
Monday, April 30, 2012
Look Out! I'm Holdin' Trump
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 6:20 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Does the Tail Wag the Dog?
A must read for everyone, particularly in our present troubled world, is the recent biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. No doubt, you will find many discussions prompted by this book in my future blogs. I have also been following conversations on the Scot McKnight blog site, The Jesus Creed, concerning theistic evolution, the crux of which is the question: Is science the dog or the dog's tail [my words, not theirs]? The Bonhoeffer biography quoted an excerpt from Goebbels' private diary concerning some of Hitler's perspectives on the subject of science and the church I felt extremely informative to the whole issue of science and theology--particularly from the standpoint of the question most recently raised in the discussion on Scot's blog: Is theology the queen of all sciences? Or in my parlance: Does the dog wag its tail, or is it the other way around?
Here's what Goebbels recorded Hitler to say:
"It is simply incomprehensible how anybody can consider the Christian doctrine of redemption as a guide for the difficult life of today. The Fuehrer cited a number of exceptionally drastic and in part even grotesque examples.... Whereas the most learned and wisest scientists struggle for a whole lifetime to study but one of the mysterious laws of nature, a little country priest from Bavaria is in the position to decide the matter on the basis for his religious knowledge. One can regard such a disgusting performance only with distain. A church that does not keep step with modern scientific knowledge is doomed. It may take quite a while, but it is bound finally to happen. Anybody who is firmly rooted in daily life and who can only faintly imagine the mystic secrets of nature, will naturally be extremely modest about the universe. The clerics, however, who have not caught a breadth of such modesty, evidence a sovereign opinionated attitude toward questions of the universe."
Here's how I use it to answer the question regarding theology as the queen of science:
We see a Trojan horse in Hitler's opinions: the horse being this grandiose notion of humility that the crackpot Bavarian priest had long since abandoned to his narrow-minded hubris. But what's inside the horse is an even "grander"--and I use the term loosely--arrogance: that science will ultimately determine all thought and will therefore be the doom of the church. Hitler certainly didn't see theology as the queen of anything except maybe weakness.
And what was the outcome when science was released from the authority of the love and holiness of God (what I would call keeping theology queen or king of all thought)? We see that Hitler and his henchmen systematically began eliminating everything from the German society that had kept it weak and inefficient. This was Darwinism at its best; from a pure scientific materialism, which is science free of theological constraints, Hitler was completely right (even this word has imported theological content, sorry) in what he did. If one wants to subject all knowledge and thought to the litmus of science then you will get Hitler, and one better not complain about it because at least Hitler lived his worldview.
No doubt I will be viewed by the Einsteins of the world as a crackpot and a reactionary. Actually I am a practitioner of the feedback approach to growing in my faith. By this I mean I openly consider all new evidence, scientific or not, to better understand God's revelation to us and what it means to be a kingdom dweller. Indeed, I wouldn't be engaged in this "conversation" if it wasn't for the fact the famous scientist, Francis Collins, makes some compelling arguments for evolution in his book, The Language of God. When I first started engaging in Scot's blog I was vilified (not by Scot or the person, RJS, who has actually been posting the blog on his site) in so many words for being narrow-minded and shutting down the conversation, when in reality I was and still am trying to focus the conversation on what it needs to be. I am no great scientist of the category of RJS, who is a Professor of Physical Chemistry, and Collins. But I will point out that it wasn't science that brought Collins to Christ but the realities of a transcendent morality and his own inescapable sinfulness; both of which science is completely silent, but theology speaks volumes. Furthermore, as I have said before, I do think Collins, whom I do admire, places too much importance on science when he makes statements like "I cannot believe God would put junk DNA in the genome...."[not an exact quotation] That's hubris! Whenever we start to tell God what is reasonable or not is arrogance--and I say the same to dogmatic theologians who make the same type arguments. Interestingly, Collins made these comments in 2006, I understand that there is now data to suggest the so-called junk DNA is not really junk (I could be wrong because I haven't investigated these new claims).
I have been studying science since the seventh grade. When my wife was sifting through all my old lab equipment, she found my notebook where I wrote down my observations of protozoa and ideas to transfer the nuclei from one species to another. She found a paper I had written in the eighth grade on bacteriophages; when she discovered I wrote it for my own amusement, she became a little worried. :) Until my Junior year of college I was a hard core microbiologist (I went on to become an organic chemist); in fact, the department head had me teach the microbiology course until they could secure a professor for the course. I also remember the required debate between the evolutionists and the creationists at the end of the evolution course I took in 1975. What a circus! Later, I spoke with my evolution professor in private, where he admitted that there really had been a flood as described in the Bible. I asked him why he didn't consider other things the Bible teaches. He said, "Well, I can't do that?" I asked, "Why?" And he answered, "Because I'm a scientist." Once again, science trumped theology at the expense of truth.
The battle I've been fighting since my college days has been against the idea that life is a chance event, which is the faith statement--whether they are willing to admit it or not--of all atheists. Okay, now the argument is where does evolution fit in since we all know that God used it to create the biosphere. We came to this point, didn't we, because theology informed the science? So isn't theology the queen of all science and thought?
At this point I don't care. May I remind us that Jesus said, "Unless you come to me like a child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." And "I thank you Father that you choose to reveal these things to children..." And "If you love me, you will do what I say." And "If you save your own life, you will lose it...." And "Come to me all who weary and heavy burdened and learn from me...." And "What does it matter, you follow me." And "I am the way the truth and the life..." And "Without me you can do nothing...." And "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added unto you..." And when someone asked Jesus if only a few would be saved, what did he say? Did he say, only those who have figured out how I made the universe, and have learned how not to look foolish before their peers, and who see science as supreme and governor of all thought, wisdom, and knowledge, such as these are those who will be saved? Not hardly. It won't be the people who get all the concepts correct and rally around his moralism and shout "Preach it, brother!" who shall be saved, but everyone who seeks to please him by loving him first by obeying him and so love others as he loved them who shall know Christ and be known by him, and so enter his kingdom through the narrow door.
The Gospel is this: Jesus is King because He is alive, and salvation is to serve King Jesus in His kingdom by faith alone (believe, trust, and obey). And the work of the kingdom is to be a light unto the Gentiles so that salvation can be brought to all the earth.
So what is the value of science? In the new earth and heaven, where God dwells with us as we with Him in holiness and love and we do what we were created to do--to be stewards of the cosmos--I believe science will play a pivotal role. We will be learning about the properties and laws of the universe so we can properly discharge our duties. But such learning will no longer be fettered by pride, biases, darkness of a fallen nature, etc, rather it will be held subject to holiness and driven by God's love, and therefore remain true and complete knowledge. Therefore, we should strive, today as true dwellers of the Kingdom of God--that I might add is now and forever shall be--to practice and speak of science always in subjection to the tension of holiness and love; this is God's world, so, yes, theology is the queen of all sciences. The dog wags his tail.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 3:11 PM 1 comments
Monday, April 16, 2012
A Night at the Movies
This week I thought we could all do with a bit of merriment; so I would like to relate another story from my college days: a long time ago, in a place far, far away. If you have already heard this story, I apologize; if you have heard it several times before, what can I say? It's a first sign of old age. You will find no moral here beyond the obvious one, so sit back and enjoy.
We went to the movies almost on a weekly basis during our college days back in the seventies. Pretty much the only thing to do in Colorado Springs was eat pizza and go to movies; when we had the green, we did both. We seemed enthralled with many of the productions; although, looking back, I can't tell you why. It is my opinion that films shot in the seventies haven't held up well over time. My friends and I have discussed this curious phenomenon, and can only figure that decade had a mandate to preach, and what it preached is no longer relevant to anyone except maybe Billy Jack and the few remaining burned-out geriatrics of his fan club (actually Billy Jack was the character's name; I don't recall the actor's name). Even iconic films such as Star Wars have grown somewhat long in the tooth. No doubt some movies from that decade might be termed classics, but compared to other decades, I would say they are few and far between.
Another film of great popularity in its time, but probably lost on most people today, was Jaws. I loved it because my girlfriend dug her nails into my thigh and clung to me during the tense parts, which there were many; Jaws was a wonderful date movie. It was also a blockbuster, and as with most all such films, it spawned several sequels--no pun intended (get it? white shark--fish--reproduction). And of course, we were sucker enough to attend those sequels.
As a rule I'm pretty tolerant of people's rudeness--some might say too accommodating--even while watching a movie. We didn't have cellphones back then, of course, but people don't need advanced technology to be obnoxious; all they require is a good set of lungs and a pair of vocal chords.
My friends and I always sought the eighth row center for watching a movie at the theater; this was considered optimum for viewing. It was no different when we sat down for the first sequel of Jaws (I don't recall the title, and I'm too lazy to look it up). My friend Pat got the coveted center seat, that night. I sat to his left, and to my left sat the female half of a thirty-something couple. I don't remember much about them except the woman talked incessantly during the show--and I mean incessantly. The poor dear was probably terrified--I suspect her husband had to drag her there--but instead of clutching her husband to manage her fear, she assailed him--and the rest of us--with an endless litany of questions. In no time, her interminable prattle grew tiresome. I became desperate for a kind way to shut her up. The plot of the movie eventually provided me the answer.
Here's what happened.
Woman: "what's that?"
Husband: "it's a handgun."
Woman: "what kind is it?"
Husband: "I don't know. I think it's a 357."
Woman: "does he think he can kill the shark with that?"
Husband: "I suppose."
Woman: "what's that he's got?"
Husband: "they're bullets."
Woman: "what's he doing?"
Husband: "he's putting something in the hollow-points."
Woman: "what is it?"
Husband: "poison."
Woman: "why is he doing that?"
Husband: "so he can shoot the shark and kill it."
Woman: "what kind of poison is it?"
Husband: "I don't know. Cyanide, I think."
Woman: "what does that do?"
At this point I lost my patience and leaning toward the woman I said, "it ties up cytochrome oxidase A of the electron transport system."
....enter the blissful chorus of chirping crickets. The movie hardly warranted my hard won undivided attention, but, hey, what else is a poor college student to do on a Friday night?
See you all next week. God bless.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 4:57 PM 1 comments
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Tiger and Me
Many of you probably witnessed or at least read about the antics of Tiger Woods during the Friday round of the Masters golf tournament. I as many of you--if the sports press is at all representative--was apalled and disgusted by his immature tantrums. It was quite easy for me to join the throng sitting in the stands of the great arena of Augusta in turning my thumb downwards as the once great gladiator forfieted his virtues. It would not be an overstatement to admit a certain satisfaction in doing so. But when I looked into the eyes of our risen Lord, it was plain to see I am a fraud.
There is only one good reason to celebrate Tiger's downfall, and that is the hope that perhaps this time he would come to see that his selfish-ambition/conceit isn't working for him; indeed, as with all of us, it is slowly extracting his soul. Thus, the term 'celebrate' is a wrong one I use in this case purely for effect. The destruction of any human being is nothing to celebrate. God does not want that any person should perish, but to repent (i.e., change one's mind--turn around and go the other way) and be healed. This should be our sole objective and desire if we call ourselves followers of Christ. Unfortunately, this was not my default motivation this past weekend--particularly disturbing because of the weekend it was.
No, a few non-virtuous attitudes drove my passions this weekend before mercy managed to fight its way to the top. First, I liked seeing him fail because I saw it as justice for cheating on his wife and not really being contrite about it. Second, remembering all those arrogent sportos of my childhood who made my life miserable during Junior high school, I enjoyed seeing them humiliated vicariously through the once great golfer. Lastly, and perhaps most despicable of all, as one frustrated by his own inability to attain the standard he aspires to, I felt a little satisfaction at watching such a great talent fail to reach his.
I can hear some of my good friends now: "Oh, quit your whining--leave the pity party, PLEASE; it's very unbecoming." But it's not that at all. I suppose a little of self stills creeps in even during the type of self-examination you are made privy here; it's inescapable because of the depth of the fall that Christ is redeeming us from. But we will never be redeemed if we are unwilling to consider those motivations the Holy Spirit exposes as unhealthy; this is how the grace of transformation works; it is at the core of Saint Paul's admonition to us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We all need, daily, to open the ledgers of our lives and read what's written in the margins because these are God's annotations. The main text is what we have written, and if we dwell there all we will see is our perspective. And our perspective will always make us out the hero and the martyr. But God's notes tell us the truth about ourselves, with the object of our reclamation.
My self-disclosure is not self-pity but an open confession: a first step in repentance, and a call to my friends to hold me accountable to what God has taught me about myself this past weekend that--I need not remind you--commemorated both His death and resurrection. It is also meant to encourage my readers to stop and listen to the entreaties of the Holy Spirit that work to perfect them in holiness and love if they will listen and obey. Finally, this blog serves once again as a call to all of us to extend the hand of mercy and not condemnation to those we encounter who continue to walk in darkness.
It is not about us so much, my dear friends, but King Jesus who wants everyone to enter his kingdom and dwell with Him forever.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 8:35 AM 2 comments
Monday, April 2, 2012
Christ is Risen! He's Risen, Indeed!
Easter is less than a week away. The apex of the church calender is upon us; the celebration of the climax of history is about to come as it does each year. God because of His great love for us took on flesh and dwelled among us. Jesus Christ who is both perfect man and perfect God walked with us and taught us, and was arrested, crucified and buried on the cusp of Passover. On the third day, Sunday and the beginning of the new week, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus ascended in to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father as King of God's kingdom forever and ever. This is the Gospel: Jesus is King. And if we acknowledge Him as our king and therefore follow Him, we enter into His kingdom that is our salvation: we are forgiven and live by Him in the power of His Holy Spirit forever, accomplishing what God has purposed for us as dwellers of His kingdom. God has proven His faithfulness to His covenant promise to Abraham; God has restored His kingdom through the faithfulness of His Son on the cross. And we know all of this is true because Jesus is alive! Jesus is risen; He is risen, indeed. For this reason Easter should be the most revered day on anyone's calender.
It's interesting, however, that unlike Christmas,Easter falls on a different day each year. You'd think Easter being the day of days--so to speak--would have been fixed in stone. Actually, in the last century there had been talk of holding Easter on the 2nd Sunday of April. It never materialized. So why does it change?
The exact day for Easter is determined on a complex set of calculations based on golden number and epacts. The former is the number given to designate the position of a given year in Meton's cycle of nineteen years--Meton being the Greek astronomer who constructed the calendar on the basis of the fact that every nineteen solar years equals almost perfectly 235 lunar months. One can calculate the golden number for a given year by dividing by 19 and adding 1 to the remainder; hence, the golden number for 2012 is 18. Epacts are the number of days difference between a given lunar year and a given solar year. The number starts off at 11 days, and increases by 11 each new solar year to determine the day of the lunar year. When the epact reaches 30 days, a month is chucked into the lunar calendar, and the epacts are reduced by thirty. Clear as mud? Me too. Thus, one calculates the day for Easter using these numbers purely on the basis of the calendars, not celestial observation--the age of the moon is based on the calendar. Based on the calculations, Easter will occur on the Sunday after the full moon on or after the vernal equinox (March 21) and so will occur on a Sunday any time between March 22 and April 25.
It's interesting to note that there was a disagreement in the second century church regarding the whether Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday or always at Jewish passover which always occurs fourteen days after Nisan (the Hebrew month of Aviv), and could be any day of the week. Those who opted for passover were called Quatrodecimans (i.e., fourteen). Saint Polycarp, who was the last person in the second century to have actually studied under an original apostle (i.e., the apostle John) claimed John said the resurrection should be celebrated on passover. Polycarp even went to Rome to convince the Bishop (Pope) of Rome at the time. But the church ultimately repudiated the Quatrodecimans and has celebrated Easter on a Sunday ever since.
In my opinion the whole brouhaha was largely political. The church wanted to completely divest itself from the Jews, which was a horrible mistake (see Romans 11) that only in recent times it has started to reverse. On the other hand, from a theological point of view I can understand both the Quatrodecimans and their opponents' positions. The former had correctly seen the intimate connection between the passover and Christ's resurrection. The passover, penultimate to the exodus of Israel from their exile in Eqypt, prefigured our permanent exodus from our (Jew and Gentile, alike) exile in death, through the Death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus' last words on the cross were, "It is finished." We lose something in the translation. The Greek is actually in the perfect tense (lit., "It has been finished"), which means (to the Greek) the result of what happened remains forever after it happened. What Jesus accomplished on the cross is permanent; we who acknowledge Him as our king will live through Him forever in His kingdom. I can easily see why the Quatrodecimans would be anxious to retain this powerful imagery and tie Easter with the Passover.
But I can also understand those who opposed the Quatrodecimans. Jesus was not raised on just any day of the week, but on Sunday, the beginning of a new week. I haven't researched this, so please chime in, but the resurrection happening on the first day of the new week could be symbolic of the seventieth week spoken of by the prophet Daniel (see Dan. 9:20-27). It would be the final week when Christ's kingdom, ushered in by His death and resurrection, coexists with the fallen world as God fully restores Israel into His kingdom through much tribulation--the time we are in now. If so, apart from the simple fact the resurrection occurred on Sunday, celebrating Easter on Sunday also potentially carries important theological imagery. Whether or not those upholding Easter Sunday understood all this, or if I'm even on the right track, remains to be seen.
It's sad the church treated the Quatrodecimans so harshly in the end. They hadn't excommunicated Polycarp and the Quatrodecimans of his time. Saint Irenaeus, who, interestingly enough because he studied under Polycarp, did not support the Quatrodeciman position, went to Rome to petition for leniency. They wouldn't capitulate, and the Quatrodeciman movement died out soon after that.
So what's my point? Easter, regardless of when we celebrate it, is the day on which God liberated us from our exile in death to be a kingdom with Him. The purpose of the kingdom during this seventieth week is to be a light to both the Jews who are our brothers and sisters--the apple of God's eye--and the rest of humanity who are desperately in need of King Jesus. In short, God showed great mercy to us, we must show great mercy not only to each other within the kingdom, but to every one still on the outside, so they might turn and be healed. We must remember that only Jesus matters, not our pet ideas, constructs, theories, doctrines, festival days and alike. We will only remain in the kingdom of God if we keep our eyes fixed on the king; for He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 4:02 PM 0 comments


text:
Once a nondescript stretch of land covered by an invasive weed, Quincy's Broad Meadows Marsh at the base of the Town River now boasts a waterfront view.
Gone are the tangled vegetation and dry mounds of dirt, replaced by mud flats and saltwater inlets brimming with tiny ecosystems.
For many, the $6 million marsh restoration project is already a success. Yet as the project nears completion, there is still debate on how exactly to turn it into a community asset.
"Before we determine the site is ready to be open to the public, we'll have a neighborhood meeting to talk about access points," said Ward One City Councilor Margaret Laforest. "Before it comes online, we will be getting a lot of public input . . . a big discussion [is] to be had."
The project — whose funding includes a $4.6 million grant from the US Army Corps of Engineers, about $1.4 million from the city, and $150,000 from the Neponset River Watershed Association — is a return to the beginning for some of the 106 acres of marshland that were essentially ruined by misguided engineering, a common occurrence in the early- to mid-20th century.
"People may have understood [the value of the marsh], but dredging the Town River was a higher priority, and there was little to no regulation protecting marshlands," said Wendy Gendron, project manager for the Army Corps. "We have also come a long way since then. Our understanding of our ecosystem and how everything is linked has greatly improved."
The big problem was that dredged material from the Town River was placed in the marsh twice, in 1938 and 1956, to make the river more passable for boats.
In subsequent years, 41 acres of land, contained within the loop of Southern Artery and Sea Street were developed. One section turned into the Department of Public Works' rear yard. Other areas now contain Broad Meadows Middle School and the Quincy Youth Arena.
The remaining land was seeded with what was thought to be a common reed plant – phragmites – to control erosion. Yet the invasive plant took off, turning what was a once bountiful waterfront into what looked like a field of wheat.
By 2010, the city had negotiated with the Army Corps to restore 31 acres of the site to marsh conditions, and work soon began on digging up about 400,000 cubic yards of fill, which would be placed elsewhere on the site to form a grassy hill.
Despite permitting issues, funding problems, and design setbacks, the marsh restoration process is nearing completion.
According to Gendron, most of the phragmites are gone, and saltwater has been flowing freely in with tidal cycles since the estuary was reestablished in December 2011.
In the immediate future, the Army Corps will continue to work on restoring coastal plants, a process that has proven difficult due to the acidity of the soil, Gendron said.
While that process is ongoing, engineers will take down their construction fences sometime in the early summer, which would open the site to the public.
Yet visions vary for how the public will interact with the site.
Laforest hopes to turn the marsh's upland areas mainly into a public space for passive recreation.
"I think it's great for Quincy to have a waterfront park for people who want to be out and walking and appreciating our environment. It's quite the site," she said.
Access will be the main sticking point for the councilor and her constituents — determining which neighborhoods will bear the burden of a through-way, and where to establish walkways.
For others interested in the marsh, hopes are even higher.
"I look at this as an opportunity for a passive waterfront park, on the scale of Frederick Law Olmsted," said P.J. Foley, a Sea Street resident and marshland enthusiast. "Very few opportunities come along like this in a lifetime, and we have to get this right."
Foley pictures coastal plants bordered by cedar trees, which were once farmed on the site by John Adams.
Funds from the Community Preservation Committee could pay for the feet of topsoil needed for the plantings, and the town's compost pile could help make the site lush for growth, he said.
Foley's vision goes even further than the green grassy hill ripe for tourism; he hopes to see the delicate, fascinating ecosystem used as an educational tool.
Quincy could even partner with a variety of agencies. Coastal America, an environmental group focused on coastal areas, could build a science center on the site and better engage Quincy youths in the area's development.
The city could also join with the Massachusetts Marine Fishery Institute to bring a fish hatchery to the water — increasing the fishing stock and cutting down on mosquitoes.
"We're talking many years [to do these things], but we can make it a productive many years too,'' Foley said. "Right now it's way up in the air, a lot of speculation, but the more the better. Let's explore everything."
For city officials, the vision includes foot paths and determining what type of recreation — from kiting to kayaking — should be encouraged.
Those discussions are ongoing with the Army Corps, said mayoral spokesman Christopher Walker, and will be nailed down in the next few months and will include elements of park space.
"Walkways yes, some grading and planting of seed and plants, and all those components anyone would consider part of a passive open space will certainly be factored into the planning," Walker said.
More expensive, long-term options — removing the utility lines that run through the property, excavating more of the wetlands, and installing floating walkways — will be factored into planning, but might not be realized for some time to come.
"Sometimes you take a step back and realize the federal government spent a substantial amount of money here for the restoration of this wetland, which was very much needed," Walker said. "The city made its contribution. Now that that's winding down, there are considerations between all the other [city] parks and what we can do in a short-term time frame and long term, those are all factors in the planning process."
While much is still in flux, Walker said the project has already accomplished much of what it set out to do.
"First and foremost, this was the Army Corps priority — was to restore a living, functioning wetland that had all but died in that area," Walker said. "And that area is very much complete. We're seeing the results of that."
Birds and invertebrate creatures have returned to the marshlands, and most of the phragmites have been suffocated with dirt or killed with the saltwater tides. A side benefit, Walker noted, is a reduced threat of brush fires.
Moreover, the restoration will be a counterweight to the transformation of the downtown, and will mean a cumulative transformation of the city's biggest draws.
"The mayor all the time points out and highlights . . . what separates Quincy from [other] urban areas. We have 27 miles of coastline. We have the Blue Hills, we have the history of the Adamses, and we have a downtown that is going to be that much more vibrant," Walker said. "The bones are there for the city to capitalize on all of these things, and the waterfront is a big piece of it."Jessica Bartlett can be reached at jessica.may.bartlett gmail .com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Select a thread prefix indicating what you Want
- Ads that are simply a link to another website are NOT allowed
- Use the bump button. Don't use bump posts.
- Close your thread by setting your thread prefix to Closed.
- Cash and Account trading comes with risks. Account Guide - Cash Guide
Want-TF2 S> Spelled All-Father
Discussion in 'Team Fortress 2 - Sales' started by IT'S FREGGIN MAGIC, Oct 10, 2018.


text:
Cockatoo Coal in Mine Selldown Talks with Japan's JFE Shoji
Cockatoo Coal Ltd. has secured some breathing space by extending a 100 million Australian dollar (US$103.7 million) loan with a Korean lender, but it is Japanese trading house JFE Shoji that could significantly ease the Australian coal miner's funding burden.
Cockatoo is in talks to sell a 17.5% stake in coal deposits that will be developed as part of the proposed A$413 million expansion of its Baralaba mine in Queensland state's Bowen Basin to JFE Shoji, Cockatoo Coal's Managing Director Andrew Lawson told Deal Journal Australia.
Currently, Cockatoo owns 80% of these deposits, with JFE Shoji owning the remainder. Talks center around reducing Cockatoo's interest to 62.5%, which would bring it into line with the equity split with JFE Shoji for the active Baralaba mine.


text:
Arthur Stanley Eddington
From Quotes
Happiness consumes itself like a flame. It cannot burn for ever, it must go out, and the presentiment of its end destroys it at its very peak.J. August Strindberg
(Redirected from Eddington, Arthur Stanley)
Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, OM (28 December, 1882 – 22 November, 1944) was Plumian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. He was arguably the most important astrophysicist of the early 20th century, and was also a successful populariser. He became world-famous in 1919, when his observations of the bending of starlight near the eclipsed sun proved the correctness of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
- We have found a strange footprint on the shores of the unknown. We have devised profound theories, one after another, to account for its origins. At last, we have succeeded in reconstructing the creature that made the footprint. And lo! It is our own.
- Space, Time and Gravitation (1920)
- Physics has in the main contented itself with studying the abridged edition of the book of nature.
- "A Generalization of Weyl's Theory of the Electromagnetic and Gravitational Fields" in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A99 (1921), p. 108
- At terrestrial temperatures matter has complex properties which are likely to prove most difficult to unravel; but it is reasonable to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star.
- The Internal Constitution of Stars, Cambridge. (1926). ISBN 0521337089
- Paraphrased variants: It is sound judgment to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star.
It is not too much to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star.
- I think that science would never have achieved much progress if it had always imagined unknown obstacles hidden round every corner. At least we may peer gingerly round the corner, and perhaps we shall find there is nothing very formidable after all.
- Stars and Atoms (1927); lecture 1
- To the pure geometer the radius of curvature is an incidental characteristic — like the grin of the Cheshire cat. To the physicist it is an indispensable characteristic. It would be going too far to say that to the physicist the cat is merely incidental to the grin. Physics is concerned with interrelatedness such as the interrelatedness of cats and grins. In this case the "cat without a grin" and the "grin without a cat" are equally set aside as purely mathematical phantasies.
- The Expanding Universe. (1933) Ch. IV The Universe and the Atom
- There once was a brainy baboon,
Who always breathed down a bassoon,
For he said, "It appears
That in billions of years
I shall certainly hit on a tune".
- New Pathways in Science (1939)
- It is also a good rule not to put overmuch confidence in the observational results that are put forward until they are confirmed by theory.
- As quoted in "Annals of Science II-DNA" by Horace Freeland Judson in The New Yorker (4 December 1978), p. 132
- We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about 'and'.
- As quoted in A Dictionary of Scientific Quotations (1991) by Alan L. Mackay, p. 79
The Nature of the Physical World (1928)
- Published versions of his Gifford Lectures delivered in the University of Edinburgh (January - March 1927)
- The idealistic tinge in my conception of the physical world arose out of mathematical researches on the relativity theory. In so far as I had any earlier philosophical views, they were of an entirely different complexion.
From the beginning I have been doubtful whether it was desirable for a scientist to venture so far into extra-scientific territory. The primary justification for such an expedition is that it may afford a better view of his own scientific domain.
- Science aims at constructing a world which shall be symbolic of the world of commonplace experience. It is not at all necessary that every individual symbol that is used should represent something in common experience or even something explicable in terms of common experience. The man in the street is always making this demand for concrete explanation of the things referred to in science; but of necessity he must be disappointed. It is like our experience in learning to read. That which is written in a book is symbolic of a story in real life. The whole intention of the book is that ultimately a reader will identify some symbol, say BREAD, with one of the conceptions of familiar life. But it is mischievous to attempt such identifications prematurely, before the letters are strung into words and the words into sentences. The symbol A is not the counterpart of anything in familiar life.
- The external world of physics has thus become a world of shadows. In removing our illusions we have removed the substance, for indeed we have seen that substance is one of the greatest of our illusions.
- Introduction
- In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and as a symbol the physicist leaves it. Then comes the alchemist Mind who transmutes the symbols. The sparsely spread nuclei of electric force become a tangible solid; their restless agitation becomes the warmth of summer; the octave of aethereal vibrations becomes a gorgeous rainbow. Nor does the alchemy stop here. In the transmuted world new significances arise which are scarcely to be traced in the world of symbols; so that it becomes a world of beauty and purpose — and, alas, suffering and evil.
The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.
- Introduction
- The quest of the absolute leads into the four-dimensional world.
- Ch. 2 Relativity
- Motion with respect to the universal ocean of aether eludes us. We say, "Let V be the velocity of a body through the aether", and form the various electromagnetic equations in which V is scattered liberally. Then we insert the observed values, and try to eliminate everything which is unknown except V. The solution goes on famously; but just as we have got rid of all the other unknowns, behold! V disappears as well, and we are left with the indisputable but irritating conclusion —
- 0 = 0
- This is a favourite device that mathematical equations resort to, when we propound stupid questions.
- Ch. 2 Relativity
- Shuffling is the only thing which Nature cannot undo.
- Ch. 4 The Running-Down of the Universe
- If someone points out to you that your pet theory of the universe is in disagreement with Maxwell's equations — then so much the worse for Maxwell's equations. If it is found to be contradicted by observation — well, these experimentalists do bungle things sometimes. But if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it but to collapse in deepest humiliation.
- Ch. 4 The Running-Down of the Universe
- Never mind what two tons refers to. What is it? How has it entered in so definite a way into our exprerience? Two tons is the reading of the pointer when the elephant was placed on a weighing machine. Let us pass on. ... And so we see that the poetry fades out of the problem, and by the time the serious application of exact science begins we are left only with pointer readings.
- Ch. 7 Pointer Readings
- Schrödinger's wave-mechanics is not a physical theory, but a dodge — and a very good dodge too.
- Ch. 10 The New Quantum Theory
- The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind... To put the conclusion crudely — the stuff of the world is mind-stuff. As is often the way with crude statements, I shall have to explain that by "mind" I do not exactly mean mind and by "stuff" I do not at all mean stuff. Still that is about as near as we can get to the idea in a simple phrase. The mind-stuff of the world is something more general than our individual conscious minds; but we may think of its nature as not altogether foreign to feelings in our consciousness... Having granted this, the mental activity of the part of world constituting ourselves occasions no great surprise; it is known to us by direct self-knowledge, and we do not explain it away as something other than we know it to be — or rather, it knows itself to be.
- Ch. 13 Reality
- The mind-stuff is not spread in space and time. But we must presume that in some other way or aspect it can be differentiated into parts. Only here and there does it arise to the level of consciousness, but from such islands proceeds all knowledge. The latter includes our knowledge of the physical world.
- Ch. 13 Reality
- Consciousness is not sharply defined, but fades into sub-consciousness; and beyond that we must postulate something indefinite but yet continuous with our mental nature. This I take it be the world-stuff.
- It is difficult for the matter-of-fact physicist to accept the view that the substratum of everything is of mental character. But no one can deny that mind is the first and most direct thing in our experience, and all else is remote inference — inference either intuitive or deliberate.
- Ch. 13 Reality
- Proof is the idol before whom the pure mathematician tortures himself.
- Ch. 15 Science and Mysticism
The Philosophy of Physical Science (1938)
- For the truth of the conclusions of physical science, observation is the supreme Court of Appeal. It does not follow that every item which we confidently accept as physical knowledge has actually been certified by the Court; our confidence is that it would be certified by the Court if it were submitted. But it does follow that every item of physical knowledge is of a form which might be submitted to the Court. It must be such that we can specify (although it may be impracticable to carry out) an observational procedure which would decide whether it is true or not. Clearly a statement cannot be tested by observation unless it is an assertion about the results of observation. Every item of physical knowledge must therefore be an assertion of what has been or would be the result of carrying out a specified observational procedure.
- Let us suppose that an ichthyologist is exploring the life of the ocean. He casts a net into the water and brings up a fishy assortment. Surveying his catch, he proceeds in the usual manner of a scientist to systematise what it reveals. He arrives at two generalisations: No sea-creature is less than two inches long. (2) All sea-creatures have gills. These are both true of his catch, and he assumes tentatively that they will remain true however often he repeats it.
In applying this analogy, the catch stands for the body of knowledge which constitutes physical science, and the net for the sensory and intellectual equipment which we use in obtaining it. The casting of the net corresponds to observation; for knowledge which has not been or could not be obtained by observation is not admitted into physical science.
An onlooker may object that the first generalisation is wrong. "There are plenty of sea-creatures under two inches long, only your net is not adapted to catch them." The icthyologist dismisses this objection contemptuously. "Anything uncatchable by my net is ipso facto outside the scope of icthyological knowledge. In short, "what my net can't catch isn't fish." Or — to translate the analogy — "If you are not simply guessing, you are claiming a knowledge of the physical universe discovered in some other way than by the methods of physical science, and admittedly unverifiable by such methods. You are a metaphysician. Bah!"
- The mathematics is not there till we put it there.
- Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
- Though sometimes attributed to Eddington without citation, this seems to be derived from a statement by J. B. S. Haldane, in Possible Worlds and Other Papers (1927), p. 286: The Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.
- Variants: The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
The world is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.


text:
Though I never brought myself to complete the first Darksiders, I did enjoy it for the length that I played. It was nothing phenomenal in its own right, but it was still a fun experience, due to retaining enough good inspiration from other venerated titles. The sequel, Darksiders II, is not much different, in the sense that it borrows directly from other franchises that have set several standards within DSII's respective genres.
If you dig progressing through unwelcoming dungeons, slashing furiously at imaginative beasts, and collecting mounds of loot in the process, then Darksiders II might be for you. Imagine The Legend of Zelda and God of War, minus the fairies and tits.
Darksiders II (PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 [previewed])
Developer: Vigil Games
Publisher: THQ
Release: June 26, 2012
Players take on the role of the Horseman Death, whose hobbies include ripping monsters to pieces, donning haggard armor, wielding unreasonably large scythes, and long walks on the souls of your ancestors. After his brother, the Horseman War, is accused of conspiring to start the Apocalypse before its due time, Death embarks on a disobedient quest to prove his brother's innocence any way he can.
I suppose if you're a fan of the scary part of the Holy Bible, then DSII's narrative will probably appeal to you ... or it'll offend you, depending on how you look at it. I can't say I personally found the first game's story to be all that intriguing, but it does make the lore of the sequel a bit easier to absorb. I'll admit, it is nice to see developers utilizing tapping something other than Greek mythology for once.
As for the levels, Darksiders II has a very dungeon-based style of progression. Players will make their way from room to elaborately designed room, defeating waves of monsters, solving slightly challenging puzzles, and attaining keys to unlock other areas. Like I said before, the game feels a lot like Zelda, as backtracking is a common occurrence and treasure chests are numerous. No flamboyant men cavorting around in green unitards, fortunately.
I'll admit that some puzzles do throw you for a bit of a loop. Their solutions aren't always obvious (as they shouldn't be), and solving certain head-scratchers provides a real sense of accomplishment. At times, frustration might rear its fat, ugly head, but it's totally worth those moments when you slap your forehead and think, "Ah, of course!" I won't lie, though -- other moments may include your dropping the controller and saying to yourself, "Are you fuckin' serious? That's what I had to do?"
Combat is of the fast hack-'n-slash variety, with numerous combos and special moves to clear out several enemies at once. One move I utilized frequently was Death's ability to send a scythe spinning into an area in front of him, stunning and dealing steady damage to enemies in its proximity (bigger monsters didn't budge, though). Death's scythes prove to be very versatile weapons and could easily rival Kratos' Blades of Chaos as some of the most kickass game weapons around. Also, much like during the fights in God of War, a button prompt, which triggers a finishing move, appears above the heads of nearly defeated enemies. Wait until you see him change into his traditional Grim Reaper form as a result -- one of the game's finer "holy shit" moments.
For players who enjoy customization, Darksiders II features some pretty decent RPG elements. Monsters and treasure chests provide loot in the form of weapons, armor, and items, all which can be applied to Death for stat boosts. Every set of boots, greaves, or shoulder guards I slapped onto Death provided a different, more menacing look than the last. Even his scythes got a nice visual upgrade each time I found a better pair. By the end of the demo, my Death looked like something off of a heavy metal album cover -- how very appropriate that THQ decided to play Metallica during the event.
In regard to how cool Death looks, my favorite aspect of the game is definitely the art. The locales have a very otherworldly feel to them, but not so much that they are completely void of any practicality. Giant wood and steel mechanisms decorate larger areas, providing a sense of age and primitiveness to the setting, as though some ancient, ethereal civilization built everything you see, only to leave it to the ages and let it all rot.
At the end of the demo, I encountered one of the game's several bosses. I know I'm not the first to suggest this, but the giant, rock-like creature I battled (known as the "Guardian") reminded me a lot of Shadow of the Colossus. As I rode atop my mighty white steed, I was forced to time my hurdles and sprints in order to dodge its slow, powerful attacks. In order to defeat it, I had to target specific weak spots on its body after certain attacks. While the fight was certainly difficult -- I have horrible timing during these types of battles -- it was also very exhilarating, and a testament to the kind of variety that Darksiders II had.
Overall, Darksiders II carries all the elements of a strong sequel to a decent action title. Even with its very blatant inspiration, the game does offer some intriguing and unique creativity, which gives the narrative and its world just enough believability to pull you in. The story and characters are somewhat interesting, the combat is fast and fun, the RPG elements provide some nice depth and variety, and the visuals are pleasurable to gawk at.
You are logged out. Login | Sign up


text:
I wanted to have a cone and watch the sunset at the river.
Ashker's is a great soda fountain in our quaint village!
Alex, a rising junior at Lew-Port, has been scooping ice cream for about a month now. I couldn't decide and asked her about a double dip but in a small cone. She offered to give me two half scoops!
43.250528 -79.049871


text:
Call us for free
Call us on 0113 2444499
All of our reproduction bookcases are hand built and finished in England.
They are all available in Dark Mahogany, Mellow Mahogany and Yew.
As all of our bookcases are handmade locally we can offer a custom service whereby we can build them to your own requirements. For example we can add drawers and/or alter the bookcase's dimensions to suit you.
10 Item(s)
View as:
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Want something a little bit different? As all of our reproduction furniture is locally hand made we can often customise your item to fit your requirements. This can include changing dimensions, fitting extra shelves or even building a piece to your own design. Just call us on 0113 2444499 and we will be happy to provide a no obligation free quote for a bespoke piece of reproduction furniture.
Please note that we can no longer offer free delivery to Scotland, South Wales and Devon.
There will be a charge of £60 to these areas.
Meet the boss What is reproduction furniture Colour matching Why buy Shipping & returns Privacy Conditions Twitter


text:
via press release:
Season Two Reveals The Wildest Thing About Ke$ha Is Her Family
September 25, 2013, New York – MTV today announced that season two of the hit all-access music docu-series,"Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life," will premiere on Wednesday, October 30 at 10:30pm ET/PT.
The series follows global superstar Ke$ha (Ke$ha.Artists.MTV) as she navigates balancing the madness and euphoria of her professional and personal life. This season fans will also get acquainted with her close-knit, outspoken and zany family and friends, including:
Pebe: Ke$ha and her mom, Pebe, are not that different. Both are outspoken, eccentric, and love to have fun. But that doesn't mean they always get along. Even though they may argue, Pebe always has her daughter's career in mind; and sometimes that means wearing a penis suit on stage in front of thousands of people.
Louie: If you thought Ke$ha was wild and crazy, just wait until you meet her younger brother Louie. Though he's only 14 years old, he's a force to be reckoned with. Louie is everything Ke$ha's music embraces; he's fun, energetic, and always ready to have a good time. But sometimes, he can be a little too much for even her to handle.
Lagan: Always with a camera by his side, Ke$ha's older brother Lagan has been documenting her ride to fame since the beginning. Whether he's behind the camera or sharing the screen with his little sister, Lagan is always ready to see where her crazy beautiful life will take them.
Savannah: Ke$ha's best friend, who we met in season 1, returns with a vengeance when Ke$ha surprises her with a "luxury" vacation in the Bahamas that involves shark diving and camping on the beach.
Tessa: Ke$ha's personal assistant at home in Nashville who provides comic relief when there is conflict at home (which is often). Whether the drama involves animals, autos or boyfriends, she is the calm at the center of the storm.
Kalan: Ke$ha's go-to girl is her cousin, Kalan. Often referred to as a "princess" by those that know her, Kalan is Ke$ha's best friend and confidant. Whether Ke$ha needs a shoulder to lean on or someone to hit the clubs with, she can always count on Kalan to be there for her.
Season One of "Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life" ranked as the #1 series across all TV in its time period with P12-34.* Season 2 will once again be executive produced by MTV veterans Liz Gateley and Tony DiSanto, and shot by Ke$ha's brother Lagan Sebert, giving viewers an inside look at her life on and off the stage. This season is focused primarily on Ke$ha's personal life, family dynamics and the crazy, sometimes comedic situations that occur when a world-famous popstar tries to live a normal life during a much needed break from touring.
The series marks the latest in a long existing relationship between Ke$ha and MTV, which has included presenting at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, New Year's eve performance in 2012, appearances on the MTV Video Music Awards, The Show with Vinny, 10 on Top, and O Music Awards. During the course of her career, Ke$ha has been nominated for 4 VMA awards including best new artist and best pop video.
Season 2 follows Ke$ha in real time, with a minimal crew led by her brother, Lagan, capturing both her most public and intimate moments. The series was developed by Ke$ha and Lagan Sebert. It is executive produced by DR LUKE (Lukasz Gottwald), Liz Gateley and Tony DiSanto, Jack Rovner, Ken Levitan, Lagan Sebert, Jacquelyn French for MTV. Prod companies: DiGa Vision, Kemosabe Entertainment, Vector Management and Magic Seed productions.
On the heels of her smash hits "Die Young" and "C'Mon," Ke$ha recently released "Crazy Kids," the third single from her sophomore album, Warrior (Kemosabe/RCA Records.) The single is currently available at all digital music providers. Ke$ha has taken the world by storm since the release of her debut album in Animal in 2010. That year she was declared Billboard's Hot 100 Artist and her smash debut single "TiK ToK" was named Billboard's #1 Hot 100 Song, was the most played song of that year, and was the biggest-selling digital track in the world. Ke$ha has had seven consecutive Top 10 hits including three #1 singles: "TiK ToK", "Your Love Is My Drug" and "We R Who We R."
Between her debut album
Animal and her current release, Warrior, Ke$ha has sold over 3.9 million units worldwide. Ke$ha has toured the world, playing over 200 live shows in support of Animal and its companion album Cannibal and an additional 47 shows in support of her latest release, Warrior. She took home the MTV EMA for Best New Act in November 2010 and was nominated for 2 American Music Awards, 4 MTV VMA Awards and 6 Billboard Awards. She has over 27 million Facebook likes and over 3.4 million Twitter followers. She has sold over 33 million combined tracks and ringtones in the U.S alone and over 55 million worldwide to date. Ke$ha is an international powerhouse, Animal has been certified Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum in 16 markets (including Platinum in the United States and Double Platinum in Australia & Canada) and was the biggest selling debut album from an international female in 2010 in the UK. In the Fall of 2012 Ke$ha released an illustrated photo journal and scrapbook entitled My Crazy Beautiful Lifewith Touchstone. The book was a huge fan hit and was a precursor to her wildly successful MTV Show "Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life" which is set to begin its second season. The series, which follows Ke$ha as she navigates the drama, madness and euphoria of her professional and personal life, will return in the fall of 2013 with 8 new episodes. In August 2013 Ke$ha launched her own jewelry line, Ke$ha Rose by Charles Albert. The line, which is entirely designed by Ke$ha, is based upon her love of nature and classic rock & roll style.
* Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Ranked on 000s.Kurt Patat here from MTV with the news that we've just announced that the second season of hit docu-series "Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life" will premiere on October 30 at 10:30pm ET/PT.
Where season 1 followed Ke$ha on the road, this season gives us a glimpse of the superstar during her down time and introduces us to her family. Below, please find a release with more details, along with a link/embed to a just-released trailer highlighting the season.


text:
Up (film series)
|Up Series
DVD cover
|Longitudinal study Documentary
|Directed by
|Paul Almond (Seven Up!)
Michael Apted (all subsequent films)
|Bruce Balden
Jackie Bassett
Symon Basterfield
Andrew Brackfield
John Brisby
Peter Davies
Susan Davis
Charles Furneaux
Nicholas (Nick) Hitchon
Neil Hughes
Lynn Johnson (died 2013)
Paul Kligerman
Suzanne (Suzy) Lusk
Tony Walker
|Narrated by
|Douglas Keay
Michael Apted (all subsequent films)
|Country of origin
|United Kingdom
|Original language(s)
|No. of episodes
|8 (in 13 parts)[1]
|Running time
|40–135 mins. per film
769 mins. total
|Original network
|ITV (Granada Television) (1964–1991, 2005–)
BBC One (1998)
|Original release
|5 May 1964-present
The Up Series is a series of documentary films produced by Granada Television for ITV that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. So far the documentary has had eight episodes spanning 49 years (one episode every seven years) all of which were broadcast on ITV, apart from the 6th episode which was broadcast on BBC One.
In a 2005 Channel 4 programme, the series topped the list of The 50 Greatest Documentaries.[2] The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films material from those of the fourteen who choose to participate. The last installment, 56 Up, premiered in May 2012; Apted has stated that filming for 63 Up would occur in late 2018, for release in spring 2019.[3] Apted has also been reported as saying: "I hope to do 84 Up when I'll be 99."[4] The aim of the series is stated at the beginning of 7 Up as: "We brought these children together because we wanted a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The shop steward and the executive of the year 2000 are now seven years old."
- 1 Creation
- 2 Participants
- 3 Participation record
- 4 Motifs
- 5 Influence
- 6 Criticism
- 7 Influence on participants
- 8 Awards
- 9 List of films and premiere dates
- 10 Similar documentaries
- 11 Bibliography
- 12 See also
- 13 References
- 14 External links
The first film in the series, Seven Up!, was directed by Paul Almond (26 April 1931 – 9 April 2015[5]) and commissioned by Granada Television as a programme in the World in Action series broadcast in 1964. From 7 Plus Seven onward the films have been directed by Michael Apted, who had been a researcher on Seven Up! and chose the original children with Gordon McDougall. The premise of the film was taken from the Jesuit motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man", which is based on a quotation by Francis Xavier. The 1998 programme was commissioned by BBC One, although still produced for them by Granada Television.
The subjects are first seen on a group visit to London Zoo, where the narrator announces "We brought these 20 children together for the very first time." The series, however, only follows fourteen: Bruce Balden, Jackie Bassett, Symon Basterfield, Andrew Brackfield, John Brisby, Peter Davies, Susan Davis, Charles Furneaux, Nicholas Hitchon, Neil Hughes, Lynn Johnson, Paul Kligerman, Suzanne Lusk and Tony Walker.
The participants were chosen in an attempt to represent different social classes in Britain in the 1960s. Apted states in the commentary track of the 42 Up DVD that he was asked to find children at the extremes. Because the show was not originally intended to become a repeating series, no long-term contract was signed with the participants. The interviews since Seven Up! have been voluntary, although the participants have been paid an unknown sum for their appearance in each film, as well as equal parts of any prize the film may win, says Apted. Each subject is filmed in about two days and the interview itself takes more than six hours. In an interview with the BBC's Will Gompertz shortly before the broadcast of 56 Up, Apted said that it had been a poor decision to include only four female participants.[6]
Andrew Brackfield was one of three boys chosen from the same pre-preparatory school in the wealthy London district of Kensington (the other two being Charles and John). The three are introduced in Seven Up! singing "Waltzing Matilda" in Latin. At the age of seven, when asked what newspaper he reads, if any, Andrew stated that he reads The Financial Times (although he later revealed he was in fact just repeating what his father had told him when asked the same question). All three could say which prep schools, public schools and universities they planned to attend (Oxford or Cambridge in all cases); two named the specific Oxbridge college they intended to join.
Andrew's academic career culminated in his studying at Trinity College, Cambridge. Andrew subsequently became a solicitor, married and raised a family. He is the only one of the three Kensington boys to have appeared in all the Up films. Both Andrew and his wife are most satisfied with how their children have turned out, followed by their relationship.
Charles Furneaux did not get into Oxford, saying in 21 Up he was glad to have avoided the "prep school–Marlborough–Oxbridge conveyor belt" by going to Durham University instead; however, he later attended Oxford as a post-graduate student. Charles has worked in journalism in varying capacities over the years, including as a producer for the BBC, and in the making of documentary films, including Touching the Void. He chose not to appear in the series after 21 Up, other than the contribution of an occasional photograph.
During an on-stage interview at London's National Film Theatre in December 2005, Apted alleged that Charles had attempted to sue him when he refused to remove Charles's likeness from the archive sequences in 49 Up. Apted also commented on the irony that as a documentary maker himself, Charles was the only one who refused to continue.[7][8]
By the time of 56 Up, all references to Charles had been removed other than in fleeting glimpses of joint shots with Andrew and John.
John Brisby, who was vocal on politics by 14, attended Oxford and became a barrister.[9] He married Claire, the daughter of Sir Donald Logan, a former ambassador to Bulgaria.[10] Brisby devotes himself to charities related to Bulgaria, and hopes to reclaim family land there that had been nationalized. He is a great-great-grandson of the first Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Todor Burmov.[11]
Brisby said in 35 Up that he only does the films to give more publicity to his chosen charities. In 56 Up, he criticized Apted's decision to originally portray him as part of the "privileged upper class". He related that his father had died when he was 9 and his mother had to work to put him through private school. He attended Oxford University on a scholarship. As of 56 Up, he remains a litigator who feels very blessed in almost all aspects of his life.
Suzanne (Suzy) Lusk comes from a wealthy background and was first filmed at an independent London day school. Her parents divorced around the time of 7 Plus Seven. She then dropped out of school at the age of 16, deciding to travel to Paris. By 21, she had formed a strong negative opinion about marriage and being a parent, though this soon changed dramatically. By 28 Up, she was married with two sons, and credited her marriage with bringing her the optimism and happiness that was not evident in the earlier films. Her husband, Rupert Dewey, is a solicitor in Bath and they have three children, two boys and a girl. She became a bereavement counsellor. In the 7 Plus Seven she stated that she thought Apted's project was pointless and silly, a point that she restated in 21 Up. At 49 Up she was convinced that she wouldn't participate again, but by 56 Up she admits an obligation to the project regardless of how she feels about it.
Jackie Bassett was one of three girls (the others being Lynn and Sue) who were chosen from the same primary school, in a working-class neighbourhood of east London. She eventually went to a comprehensive school and married at age 19. Jackie went through several different jobs, divorced, remarried and moved to Scotland, divorced again and raised her 3 sons as a single parent. As of 56 Up she had been receiving disability benefit for 14 years. Her family remains close and lives near each other in Scotland.
Lynn Johnson, after attending the same primary school as Jackie and Sue, went on to attend a grammar school. She married at 19, had two daughters, and became a children's librarian at 21. She later became a school librarian and remained in that position until being made redundant due to budget cuts.[12] At 56 Up she continued to believe her career as a librarian was of great value and it helped define her life. She was a doting grandmother with 3 grandchildren, and was still married to her husband Russ whom she considered her soulmate. Lynn died in May 2013 after a short illness.[13]
Susan (Sue) Davis attended the same primary school as Jackie and Lynn and following that attended a comprehensive school. Sue married at 24 and had two children before getting divorced. She has been engaged to her current boyfriend for 14 years. She works as a university administrator for Queen Mary, University of London, despite not having gone to university herself.
Tony Walker was chosen from a primary school in the East End of London and was introduced along with his classmate Michelle, whom Douglas Keay, the narrator, stated was Tony's "girlfriend". He wanted to be a jockey at 7 and was at a stable training as one by 14. By 21 his chance had come and gone after riding in three races before giving it up. He was proud to have competed against Lester Piggott. He then gained "the Knowledge", and made a comfortable life for himself and his family as a London taxi driver. His later dream of becoming an actor has met with modest success; he has had small parts as an extra (almost always playing a cabbie) in several TV programmes since 1986, including Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, The Bill and twice in EastEnders, most recently in 2003. His wife Debbie was carrying their third child in 28 Up and she reveals in 35 Up that she lost that baby but has since had another; she admits that losing their third child placed a tremendous stress on their relationship. Also in 35 Up, Tony admitted that being in a monogamous relationship was becoming a strain and by 42 Up he had actually committed adultery, though he and his wife have got past it and are still together. By 42 Up, he had moved to Essex and by 49 Up owned two homes, including a holiday home in Spain.
Paul Kligerman was at a charity-based boarding school at 7, his parents having divorced and he having been left with his father. Soon after Seven Up! his father and stepmother moved the family to Australia, where he has remained in the Melbourne area ever since. By 21, he had long hair and a girlfriend whom he later married and remains with today. After leaving school he was employed as a bricklayer and later set up his own business. In 49 Up he is working for a sign-making company. In both 21 Up and 49 Up, Paul was reunited with Symon, who had attended the same boarding school; portions of their time together are included in both films. By 56 Up Paul had started work at a local retirement village with his wife Susan. He does odd jobs and maintenance of the small units and gardens.
Symon Basterfield, chosen from the same charity home as Paul, is the only mixed-race participant. He was an illegitimate child, who never got to know his black father, and had left the charity home to live with his white mother by the time of the 7 Plus Seven filming; her depression is alluded to as the cause for his being in the home. As the filming for 35 Up was taking place, he was going through a divorce from his first wife and mother of his five children, and he elected not to take part in that film. Symon returned for 42 Up and 49 Up, remarried with one son and one stepdaughter. In 49 Up, he and his wife had become foster parents. By 56 Up, he regretted his lack of formal education, which he felt limited his income over the years. He remains happily married and looks forward to the next chapters of his life.
William Nicholas (Nick) Hitchon was raised on a small farm in Arncliffe, a tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales. He was educated in a one-room school four miles' walk from his home, and later at a boarding school. He went to Oxford University and then moved to the United States to work as a nuclear physicist. He married another British ex-pat, who participated in 28 Up but was displeased with how her comments were received by viewers, many of whom apparently concluded that the marriage was doomed. She declined to appear in 35 Up and 42 Up. By 49 Up the couple had divorced and Nick had remarried, this time to Cryss Brunner, who is ten years his senior and teaches in Minneapolis. Nick is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.[14] Nick appeared as a guest on NPR's quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me aired 21 June 2014, and spoke briefly about his participation in the Up Series.[15]
Peter Davies went to the same middle-class Liverpool suburban school as Neil, who, like Peter, wanted to be an astronaut. Peter drifted through university, and by age 28 he was an underpaid and seemingly uninspired school teacher. Peter dropped out of the series after 28 Up, following a tabloid press campaign against him after he criticised the government of Margaret Thatcher in his interview. The director's commentary for 42 Up revealed that he later divorced, took up study of the law, became a lawyer, remarried, had children and moved back to Liverpool. He made a surprise return to the series in 56 Up to promote his band, the Liverpool-based country-influenced The Good Intentions.[16]
Neil Hughes, from a Liverpool suburb, turned out to be perhaps the most unpredictable of the group. At seven he was funny and full of life and hope. By the time of 21 Up he was living in a squat in London, having dropped out of Aberdeen University after one term, and was finding work as he could on building sites. During the interview he was in an agitated state. At 28 he was still homeless, although now in Scotland; by 35 he was living in a council house on the Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland, writing and appearing in the local pantomime. By the time of 42 Up he was living in Bruce's apartment in London and Bruce had become a source of emotional support. He was involved in local council politics, as a Liberal Democrat in the London Borough of Hackney, and had completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Open University. By the time of 49 Up, he was a District Councillor in the Eden district of Cumbria, in North West England.[17] Neil stood in the 2010 general election as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Carlisle where he finished third, receiving 6,567 votes.[18]
Bruce Balden, as a child, was concerned with poverty and racial discrimination and wanted to become a missionary. He was attending a prestigious boarding school. At the age of seven, he said that his greatest desire was to see his father, who was a soldier in Southern Rhodesia, and he seemed brave though a little abandoned. Bruce studied mathematics at Oxford University and used his education to teach children in the East End of London and Sylhet, Bangladesh. Before 42 Up, he married, and Apted broke the seven-year structure of the films to film Bruce's wedding, which was also attended by Neil. Eventually becoming worn down by teaching in the East End, Bruce currently teaches at St Albans School, Hertfordshire, a prestigious public school. Between 42 Up and 49 Up he had two sons and is happily married to a fellow teacher. In 56 Up he admits he still has a hard time expressing his innermost feelings, in particular to his wife, but is a happily devoted father and husband. Still teaching at a prestigious public school, he has no regrets at this point in his life about the development of his career path.
Participation record[edit]
A number of themes have appeared repeatedly over the course of the series. Questions about religion, family, class, happiness and psychological state dominate many of the interviews, as well as inquiries about the worries and concerns subjects have for their future.[19] In addition, questions often take a personal tone, with Apted noting that viewers often respond to his questioning of Neil's sanity or his perception of Tony's success in life as being too personal, but that he has been able to do this because of the friendship he has developed with the subjects over the course of their lives.[20]
The series has received high praise over the years. Roger Ebert said that it is "an inspired, even noble, use of the film medium", that the films "penetrate to the central mystery of life",[19] and that the series is among his top ten films of all time. Attempts have been made to repeat the series with subjects in the United States, the Soviet Union, Japan, and South Africa. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, 28 Up was placed 26th.
The series has also been satirised; The Simpsons' 2007 episode "Springfield Up" is narrated by an Apted-like filmmaker who depicts the past and current lives of a group of Springfield residents he has revisited every eight years. The "37 Up" segment of Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, first aired in 1992, parodies the series. Harry Enfield parodied the series in a spoof titled '2 Up' with his characters Tim Nice-but-Dim and Wayne Slob.
The original hypothesis of Seven Up! was that class structure is so strong in the UK that a person's life path would be set at birth. The producer of the original programme had at one point thought to line the children up on the street, have three of them step forward and narrate "of these twenty children, only three will be successful" (an idea which was not used). The idea of class immobility held up in most, but not all, cases as the series has progressed. The children from the working classes have by and large remained in those circles, though Tony seems to have become more middle class. Apted has said that one of his regrets is that they did not take feminism into account, and consequently had fewer girls in their study and did not select them on the basis of any possible careers they might choose.
Although it began as a political documentary, the series has become a film of human nature and existentialism. In the director's commentary for 42 Up, Apted comments that he did not realise the series had changed tone from political to personal until 21 Up, when he showed the film to American friends who encouraged him to submit it (successfully) to American film festivals. Apted also comments that this realisation was a relief to him and allowed the films to breathe a little more.
The Up series has been criticised by both ethnographers and the subjects themselves for its editing style. Mitchell Duneier has pointed out that Apted has the ability to assert causal relationships between a character's past and present that might not actually exist.[21] Apted has acknowledged this fact, pointing out that in 21 Up he believed Tony would soon be in prison so he filmed him around dangerous areas for use in later films.[22] Apted also portrayed the troubled marriage of Nick earlier in the film, although his time frame for anticipating their divorce was premature. Apted has stated in interviews that his "tendency to play God" with the interviews was "foolishness and wrong."[20]
Influence on participants[edit]
Over the course of the project the programme has in varying degrees had a direct effect on the lives of its participants. The series became popular enough that the participants often speak of being recognised in public. (In 56 Up, Tony tells an anecdote about giving a ride to Buzz Aldrin, and being surprised when a passerby asks him, not Aldrin, for an autograph.) Their opinions of being involved in the series are often mentioned, and vary greatly among the participants. John refers to the programme as a poison pill that he is subjected to every seven years, while Paul's wife credits the series for keeping their marriage together. Michael Apted has commented that one of the big surprises between filming 42 Up and 49 Up was the impact of reality television. The subjects really wanted to talk about how they saw their contribution to the series in the light of reality TV.
Paul and Nick were flown back to England at Granada's expense for the filming of 35 Up and 42 Up respectively. Paul was flown back again for 49 Up and visited Symon. Bruce was affected by Neil's plight and offered him temporary shelter in his home shortly before 42 Up, allowing Neil time to get settled in London. Despite Neil's eccentricities during his two-month stay, they clearly remained friends, with Neil later giving a reading at Bruce's wedding. In 56 Up, Suzy and Nick are interviewed together, having become friends due to their shared rural upbringing.
- 2012 Peabody Award[23]
List of films and premiere dates[edit]
|Original air date
|Seven Up!
|Paul Almond
|5 May 1964
|ITV (Granada Television)
|7 Plus Seven
|Michael Apted
|15 December 1970
|ITV (Granada Television)
|21 Up
|Michael Apted
|9 May 1977
|ITV (Granada Television)
|28 Up
|Michael Apted
|20, 21 November 1984
|ITV (Granada Television)
|35 Up
|Michael Apted
|22 May 1991
|ITV (Granada Television)
|42 Up
|Michael Apted
|21, 22 July 1998
|49 Up
|Michael Apted
|15, 22 September 2005
|56 Up
|Michael Apted
|14, 21, 28 May 2012
Similar documentaries[edit]
- Australia – by Gillian Armstrong
- Smokes and Lollies (1975)
- 14's Good, 18's Better (1980)
- Bingo, Bridesmaids & Braces (1988)
- Not Fourteen Again (1996)
- Love, Lust & Lies (2009)
- Belgium
- Jambers, 1980–1990. Two-part documentary by TV journalist Paul Jambers on Flemish public TV channel about secondary school students in Kapellen, near Antwerp.
- Canada
- Talk 16 (1991) and Talk 19 (1993), directed and written by Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell of Back Alley Film Productions.
- Czech Republic – by Helena Třeštíková.
- France
- Que deviendront-ils ? (What Will They Become) from Michel Fresnel (1984–1996)
- Germany
- Die Kinder von Golzow (The Children of Golzow) by Winfried Junge, set in former East Germany as well as in unified Germany after 1990 (1961–2006)
- Berlin – Ecke Bundesplatz (Berlin – On the Corner of Federation Square) (1985) by Detlef Gumm and Hans-Georg Ullrich. The documentary follows individuals, families or groups of related people in separate episodes each around one hour. The sequel was broadcast in four seasons on 3sat.
- 1999: Der Prominenten-Anwalt (The Society Lawyer), Bäckermeister im Kiez (Neighborhood Baker), Wilmersdorfer Witwen (Widows in Wilmersdorf), Die nächste Generation (The Next Generation), Die Alleinerziehende (The Single Mother), Der Aussteiger (The Dropout)
- 2001: Grenzgänger (Tightrope-walkers), Solisten (Nonconformists)
- 2004: Kinder! Kinder! (Children! Children!), Alte Freunde (Old Friends), Vereinigungen (Associations), Recht und Ordnung (Law and Order)
- 2009: Mütter und Töchter (Mothers and Daughters), Die Aussteiger (The Off-beats), Schön ist die Jugend... (Youth is Beautiful...), Die Köpcke-Bande (The Köpcke Gang), Der Yilmaz-Clan (The Yilmaz Clan)
- Denmark
- Årgang 0 (Generation 0) by TV2 (2000) – The show follows the children, born in the year 2000, from birth.
- Italy
- Intervista a mia madre (Interview to my mother) (2000) and Le cose belle (The beautiful things) (2014) by Giovanni Piperno and Agostino Ferrente: the documentaries show two periods in the life of a group of teenagers living in Naples.
- Japan – follows thirteen children living in different parts of Japan
- 7 Up Japan (1992)
- 14 Up Japan (1999)
- 21 Up Japan (2006)
- 28 Up Japan (2013)
- Multinational
- I Am Eleven (2012) by Geneviève Bailey, Henrik Nordstrom
- The Netherlands
- Bijna volwassen (Almost Grown-up) (1982) – follows a group of 17–18-year-olds.
- Bijna 30 (Almost 30) (1994)
- Bijna 40 (Almost 40) (2005)
- South Africa – by Angus Gibson
- 7 Up in South Africa (1992)
- 14 Up in South Africa (1999)
- 21 Up South Africa (2006)
- 28 Up South Africa (2013)
- Spain
- Sweden by Rainer Hartleb. About a group of children from Jordbro, a suburb of Stockholm.[24]
- Från en barndomsvärld (From a Childhood World) (1973)
- Barnen från Jordbro (Children from Jordbro) (1982)
- Tillbaka till Jordbro (Jordbro Revisited) (1988)
- Det var en gång... en liten flicka (Once Upon a Time...there was a Little Girl) (1992)
- En pizza i Jordbro (A Pizza in Jordbro) (1994)
- Nya barn i Jordbro (New Children in Jordbro) (2001)
- Alla mår bra (All are doing Well) (2006)
- USSR/Former Soviet republics – by Sergei Miroshnichenko and Jemma Jupp.
- Age 7 in the USSR (1991)
- 14 Up Born in the USSR (1998) (this won an International Emmy)
- Born in the USSR: 21 Up (2005)
- Born in the USSR: 28 Up (2012)
- United Kingdom
- A new version of the Up series was started in 2000, 7Up 2000 (2000, Julian Farino), continuing with 14 Up 2000 in 2007 and 21 Up: New Generation in 2014.
- Child of Our Time (2000–), a BBC/The Open University documentary series following the lives of 25 children who were born around the turn of the millennium
- Born to be Different, a Channel 4 documentary series which follows six children who were born with a disability
- United States
- Age 7 in America (1991) directed by Phil Joanou
- 14 Up in America (1998)
- 21 Up in America (2006) directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn
- All's Well and Fair (2012) directed by Luci Westphal. Released as a web series in 2012.[25] All's Well And Fair on IMDb
- Married in America (2002) also by Michael Apted
- Apted, Michael (1999). Singer, Bennett (ed.). 7 Up. London: Heinemann. ISBN 9780434007479.
- Bruzzi, Stella (2007). Seven Up. London: British Film Institute. ISBN 978-1844571963.
See also[edit]
- Boyhood, a fictional film shot over twelve years as its young actor aged from 6 to 18 years
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a University of Otago research project since 1972
- British birth cohort studies continuing, multi-disciplinary longitudinal surveys monitoring the development of babies born in the UK during specific weeks
- ^ 28 Up, 42 Up and 49 Up premiered in 2 parts each, and 56 Up in 3 parts, making a total of 13 parts.
- ^ 2014, deadmonger created 18 Apr 2011, Updated 21 Apr 2017,. "IMDb: Channel 4's "50 Greatest Documentaries" - a list by deadmonger".
- ^ "Veteran director Michael Apted on his latest film, Unlocked".
- ^ "The "Up Series" at 56".
- ^ "Paul Almond, the Director of 'Seven Up!,' Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ "Apted: '7 Up should have had more girls'". BBC News. 9 May 2012.
- ^ "56 Up: Michael Apted on the documentary series that's spanned five decades". Radio Times. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ Pearson, Allison (16 May 2012). "Seven Up!: A tale of two Englands that, shamefully, still exist". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Barristers' Chambers : John Brisby QC". 4 Stone Buildings. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "In Memoriam: Sir Donald Logan". Friends of Bulgaria. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ Mariana Parvanova (25 March 2010). "Todor Burmow und seine Nachkommen" [Todor Burmov and his descendants] (in German). BNR. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ What's on TV. "56 Up". IPC MEDIA. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "Library opened in memory of Lynn Johnson". St. Saviour's School. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Hitchon, William N." Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ "Not My Job: We Quiz A Member Of The '7 Up' Series About The Number 8". National Public Radio. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "The Good Intentions". Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ "Councillors for Eden District - Neil Hughes". Eden District Council. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ "Election 2010, Carlisle". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b Roger Ebert's Great Movies Review of The Up Series up to 42 Up
- ^ a b "Roger Ebert Discusses the Up Series with Director Michael Apted".
- ^ Mitchell Dunier (2009). "Michael Apted's Up! series: Public sociology or folk psychology through film?". Ethnography. 10 (3): 341–45.
- ^ Michael Apted (2009). "Michael Apted Responds". Ethnography. 10 (3): 359–67.
- ^ Annual Peabody Awards, May 2013.
- ^ DN.se
- ^ "All's Well and Fair".
External links[edit]
- 1964 British television programme debuts
- Ageing
- Biographical documentary films
- British documentary television series
- British films
- British film series
- Cohort studies
- Documentary films about adolescence
- Documentary films about children
- Documentary film series
- English-language television programs
- Film series introduced in 1964
- Films directed by Paul Almond
- ITV television programmes
- Television programmes produced by Granada Television
- Television series by ITV Studios


text:
Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Latest Gear Live Videos
- Subscribe:
- YouTube
- iTunes High Definition
- iTunes Standard Version
PanImages Search Handles Hundreds of Languages
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet,
The University of Washington and its Professor Oren Etzoni released PanImages at the recent Machine Translation Summit in Copenhagen. Instead of searching for photos by text that may not be recognizable, the system recognizes a string of letters in about 300 different languages and looks for them in Google and Flickr. In a recent test of the process, PanImages found 57 times more results than on an average search.
The procedure works by scanning machine readable wiktionaries. As an example, Etzioni said that if you type in the Zulu word for refrigerator ("ifriji') you would get almost 500,000 results as opposed to 2 on available search engines. While we seem to be over-saturated with images by using English, it is a comfort to know that the Zulus will be able to find appliances with less of an effort now.
Read More | Tech News Watch
Gallery: PanImages Search Handles Hundreds of Languages
Google Bloggers Target of Storm Worms
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet,
Google Blogger, beware! Fake entries containing links to downloads can infect your Windows run PC. Computers that catch the virus are checked for saleable data or used as carriers. The links began in January by hackers dubbed "Storm Trojans" and may actually been have set up for allowing others to view e-mail entries on their Blogger Journals. Here are some of the storm worm subject lines:
- are you kidding me? lol
- Dude dont send that stuff to my home email…
- Dude your gonna get caught, lol
- HAHAHAHAHAHA, man your insane!
- I cant belive you did this
- LMAO, your crazy man
- LOL, dude what are you doing
- man, who filmed this thing?
- oh man your nutz
- OMG, what are you thinking
Some of the messages feature links to YouTube while others claim to be offering testing software or digital greeting cards. The group has reportedly infected over a million PCs in that time. We suggest it might be time to get a Mac, run Firefox, or find another outlet for your blogging.
Read More | BBC
Gallery: Google Bloggers Target of Storm Worms
Google Sky Now Available
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet, Science,
Who needs a planetarium when you can explore the Google Sky? With it you can view 200 million galaxies, 100 million stars, constellations, a supernova, and planets in motion. You can also see the heavens with over 120 high-res images from NASA's Hubble telescope. All you need is a download of the current Google Earth, then click on the Sky button on the toolbar. Available in 13 languages, check out the Gallery and discover space from different sources on Earth. We think we would like to experience the Milky Way from Paris, even if it is only on our PC.
Read More | Google
Gallery: Google Sky Now Available
Google Fades to Black
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet,
In January, Mark Ontkush wrote a blog that commented that using a black version of Google would save about 3000 megawatts a year, since a white page uses 74 watts and a black one only 59. Toby Heap thought Mark's idea was such a good one that Blackle was created. The site reports that just since its Febuary release, 95,918.333 watt hours have been saved. You know that Gear Live is trying to help the world become a greener place, so we thought we would give it a try and found that the darkened screen not only worked fine, it had a nice Zen effect. Everybody say "O-h-h-h-m-m-m."
(Thanks, Toby)
Read More | Blackle
Gallery: Google Fades to Black
Babies Go Ga Ga Over Goo Goo Onesies
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Wearables, Google,
So we've already told you about iPod My Baby, cute tees and onesies that make your infant resemble a cute, giant iPod. Awww. Now comes Goo Goo, the aptly-named onesie for Google/internet/tech fanatics who love the world's most ubiquitous search engine. Very cute (we especially love the "I'm Feeling Silly" button), we just hope your bundle of joy isn't labeled a "geek" by the ruffian infants at Mommy and Me class.
Read More | Dimples and Dandelions
Gallery: Babies Go Ga Ga Over Goo Goo Onesies
Google's Hot Trends Shows What People are Searching For
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Google, Internet,
The hard-working folks at Google have just introduced a new feature called Hot Trends, which combines aspects of their "Zeitgeist" and "Trends" products, both of which offer insight into internet search habits. But while Zeitgeist and Trends are based on weeks-old data, Hot Trends lists the 100 fastest moving "search trends" and is updated several times a day. Hot Trends should not be confused with the term "most popular topics", which according to researchers, always revolve around—you guessed it—sex (Hot Trends weeds out porn and "inappropriate language"). Searched trends can range from a newly popular political phrase to a lyric in a hit song to what kids are researching to prepare for tomorrow's big exam. And of course, if you click on a Hot Trend, Google provides links to relevant web, news and blog sites. Furthermore, Google is expanding Hot Trends to include charts and additional data, so we can see how a trend changes over time, or even how it varies across US regions and 70 different countries. Curious? Click here to check out Hot Trends.
Read More | Google Trends via MSNBC
Gallery: Google's Hot Trends Shows What People are Searching For
My Google is Better Than Your Google
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet, Misc. Tech,
Have you ever Googled an individual company to find out if they are reputable? For that matter, have you ever Googled yourself or your spouse/partner just to see who gets the most results? It turns out that nowadays people are using the search engine on prospective dates to help fill in some of blanks before they meet. Katie Laird, a 24-year-old Web marketing professional, tells her friends to "use the power of Google to their advantage."
Try it, if you have not before. You can often find blogs, resumes, e-mail and address listings, or hidden fetishes listed on MySpace. Just remember the wise words of Ms. Laird, "Don't Google what you can't handle."
Read More | CNN
Gallery: My Google is Better Than Your Google
Google Earth Maps War Torn Darfur
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet, Misc. Tech, Software,
Having reported on Google's being criticized for its mapping coverage after Katrina, we now see that they may be making up for their faux pas. The site, teamed with U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will help call attention to the deplorable conditions in Darfur by mapping high-res satellite images of the area.
The UN estimates that more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in the last four years. Google is utilizing tent icons to mark refugee camps and flame icons to represent villages that have been destroyed. Click on one of the flames and you get the village's name and statistics about its devastation. Our kudos to Google Earth for working to uncover a problem that others keep trying to overlook.
Read More | CNN
Gallery: Google Earth Maps War Torn Darfur
Thailand and YouTube Continue to Clash
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet,
In the latest installment of Thailand vs. YouTube, the site has said that it would prefer the country block items as opposed to having the whole site banned.
"While we will not take down videos that do not violate our policies, and will not assist in implementing censorship, we have offered to educate the Thai ministry about YouTube and how it works," said Julie Supan, head of global communications.
The original clip, which was critical of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was taken off, but was quickly replaced by two others which YouTube will not remove. Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said his country would consider ending the ban when they have ability to block the offensive pages.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Thailand and YouTube Continue to Clash
YouTube Banned in Thailand
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet,
Here we go again. We recently reported on how YouTube was banned in Turkey (for a few days), due to clips deemed insulting to Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Prior to that it was Brazil, which banned the website after sexy videos of a Brazilian actress were constantly being uploaded. Now it's Thailand's turn, which has blocked the popular website because of a short, crude clip mocking their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej—after YouTube owner Google refused to remove the clip. Insulting the king is a criminal offense in Thailand, as a Swiss man discovered the hard way last week, after being sentenced 10 years for defacing images of Thailand's monarchy. The offending Thai YouTube clip was viewed more than 16,000 times, and was uploaded by someone using the moniker Paddidda, now one of Thailand's most wanted.
Read More | New York Times
Gallery: YouTube Banned in Thailand
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.