text:
|View Poll Results: Nisemonogatari - Total Series Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 103. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2012-03-18, 13:29
|Link #1
AnimeSuki's Mascot
Join Date: Apr 2006
Nisemonogatari - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating
This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of Nisemonogatari ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.
A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:
And so on.
The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:
Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10
Average = Total Series Rating
Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.
Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun
|2012-03-18, 15:45
|Link #2
The Monogatari franchise and I have had quite a rocky relationship. At first I had dropped the series within 1 episode due to the LSD-inspired visuals and that stupid panty shot in the beginning. But after a few false starts, I found that this was a threaded story with layers of interest. It's definitely a series where the journey is more important than the destination, which is why the nature of the stories frequently end up anticlimactic; you were supposed to appreciate the interactions it took to get there.
Still, I was really unable to form any kind of attachment to the characters aside from being wacky caricatures, more akin to Family Guy but better, and man that analogy is one I'll be bringing up.
Of course, one thing that I never liked was Shaft's tendency to be unable to manage a schedule and trying to pass off half baked things as complete, while promising to fix it on bluray. While this might have been an endearing trait of them, I don't think I'll give them any preferential treatment.
So fortunately, the second incarnation of this series on anime has provided us with more semblance of effort when it comes to production values, at the very least, and offer us what Bake didn't.
Visuals: 7
"Oh, there's your budget!"
Face it, Nisemonogatari looks way better than Bake. There's much less of substituting a word for an actual scene and the character designs are definitely on the sexier side. I was also appreciative that they didn't try to blind me with text walls and the few attempts meshed well with the viewing experience. So in this area, Shaft had shown some restraint. Also, despite me disputing the fanservice was appropriate or not, Shinbo did indeed get some good shots in. Maybe a bit too much.
Of course, the series' key weakness is still lack of (or nonexistent) movement. The visuals also took a dump near the end of the series (Oh, is that why you needed more fanservice) and the finale was horrifically disappointing, but I guess they'll fix it on Bluray! Just like how they fixed the first OP.
It's very watchable still. I couldn't say this about season 1.
Audio: 8
"1,2... 1,2,3,4!"
Since you can never rely on this series for visuals, the sound department would often help a lot for this series. Props to Kamiya Hiroshi for getting those ridiculous lines across. He's just good in delivering lines in a deadpan fashion. And then there's Maaya Sakamoto that graced the series' presence with Shinobu that made her character literally come alive. I can't think of a single VA that did a bad job. Eri Kitamura was perfect for Karen, for example. And as much as I don't like Hitagi, Chiwa Saito has a pretty seductive voice.
The BGM was good for the most part, but superb during the tense moments. Of course, the series rarely fails with OPs/EDs, except Tsukushi's OP. It would seem like both series had one bad OP because they were trying too hard to be cute.
Stand out song is definitely Naisho no Hanashi, for it suited the atmosphere of the series well. Maybe a bit too well.
Plot: 7
"Master of setups, premature finish"
Characters: 4
"Do as I say, not as I do"
Misc. Enjoyment: 8
"Oh God, Shinbou is hot!"
Despite my negative attitude towards what Shinbo/Isin finds sexy, at least I can agree with them about Shinobu. It's good enough to warrant her own section, because the moment she started talking was the moment I started to really enjoy the series. Still, they shafted her anyways.
Tsubasa and Snail managed to also hold their own with few, but precious conversations. The interactions with the sisters in the earlier episodes was also far superior in creating a laugh or two. Those silly conversations have always held me around, and to me is what the franchise is all about.
Also, there definitely is a lot of meta stuff going on. It's always been a self-aware franchise, though sometimes they might have tried to be too clever. Still, where else can I find crazy head tilting? And that's why I tuned in every week.
This category was really only to talk about how hot Shinobu is- I never said I was fair; it's just that 500 year old donut loving vampires are cool.
Overall 6.5/10
I'm gonna say 7 for the poll. It was a good watch, regardless of hiccups and personal disagreements. Overall, despite the advantages over Bake, I still think that was a better show. Still, I felt the series could have (and did) go above Bake for a while, so the end result was disappointing when I perceived the show coming apart at the seams at the end. I'll probably need a break from Shaft antics for a while though.
Spoiler for A quick definition of the overall score:
Last edited by Archon_Wing; 2012-03-18 at 22:39.
|2012-03-18, 23:12
|Link #6
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: London
Age: 28
Animation wise I definitely thought this was on par with Bake, even though they were a bit different.
I was definitely not as pleased with the dialogue as I was with Bake, but I still loved it.
Overall I'd probably give this series an 8, maybe a 9. A big part of that for me though is knowing it will be continued, if this was the end of the (monogatari) series, it would get a lower rating.
I will be very sad not getting to wait for it every Saturday now.
The fan service aspects of Nise definitely didn't bother me because I don't like fan service, they bothered me because of how much I like the characters/settings/stories/etc in monogatari, that even if I enjoyed this particular kind of fan service, in this setting it felt like a waste of time.
|2012-03-18, 23:38
|Link #7
Professional Hikkikomori
Join Date: Feb 2009
I'm voting for 10/10 but truthfully if I'm an actual critic it actually wouldn't get this high.
Animation Quality: 10
This season is definitely better in terms of animation than Bake. Shaft clearly have the money this time to support the series. There were less cuts and the scene flowed better too. The fact that Araragi's house has a freaking Catholic church in his bathroom shows that the animators have a lot of resource to spend.
Voice Actors: 10
There are two things I can always count on with Shaft and one of them is choice of voice actors. There is never an instance where I doubted the choices they made in this department. Before the series started there was this huge debate whether or not Aya Hirano was going to get the part of Shinobu. In the end Maaya Sakamoto got the part and it was clearly the correct choice. Hiroshi Kamiya also did a great job at reprising Araragi. The dude just simply has the talent to play characters that retort, what can I say.
Script: 10
Truthfully, this is the part that I would take points off if I had the heart to do it. This time around I simply do not agree with the episode distribution and choice on season length. Nise in my opinion is a 13 episode series. It would have been nice if Nise 1 had more stuff included in it but it was tolerable at least. Nise 2 on the other hand simply took out way too much. I agree that the toothbrush needed to have one episode for itself but the other three didn't have any of the scenes I expected to see. These scenes aren't just filler scenes but actual ones that are important to the series as a whole. I'm expecting these scenes to be added to the Blu-ray Shaft, I have my eyes on you with this one.
Soundtrack: 10
The other thing that I can count Shaft on is sound and music. They simply don't fuck around with this department. I guess it really does have to do with the fact that if animation is gonna take a hit then at least use music to back it up. This time however both animation and music is there so it's even better. The ED wasn't as good as the Bake's but I guess they wanted to use ClariS's twin image for the Fire Sisters and also because they had success with them during Madoka. The OPs were simply amazing. Meg Rock knows her music and the seiyus' got the stuff to back it up as well.
Editing: 10
The editing was pretty decent all around. However I couldn't help but feel Shaft started to get lazy during the last half of the series.
Enjoyment: 10
I enjoyed it for the most part and now the only thing left is pray for extra scenes in the Blu-ray.
Emotional Involvement: 10
I have to say I was really scared when they announced this was going to be animated. The bath scene with Shinobu and the toothbrush scene were both quite saucey and I didn't know if they were going to censor it. With this in mind my emotions hit the roof when I saw both scenes' full glory. The incest in the series also had my heart pounding as well.
|2012-03-19, 01:11
|Link #8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In line to confess his sins.
Age: 30
Over already. It felt like a mere gust of wind. Happiness is ephemeral, I suppose.
This show looks gorgeous. From the radiant character designs to Shinbou's elegant direction, this show retains the unique flare of its predecessor, and even improves upon some of it. While there are nitpicks to be had here and there, my eyes were plastered to the screen throughout each and every episode. There's always something interesting going on, always something pretty to look at, always some neat little detail you can pick up on. Visually, Nisemonogatari stands strong, and lives up to the legacy of Bakemonogatari.
Sound and Music.
Looking at the openings and endings, Bakemonogatari is a tough act to follow. It produced some of the most memorable openings in recent memory, and the ending was hauntingly beautiful. It stays with me to this day. Nisemonogatari does its best to keep up, and for the most part, it is successful. All three openings sound fantastic, and even better, they fit the atmosphere of the series perfectly. The ending, I feel, isn't quite up to snuff. It's not bad at all, but it's nowhere near as memorable or beautiful.
The actual soundtrack delivers in spades as well. The music not only accentuates the scenes it is used in, they also leave a strong impression on their own. Whenever I heard the first note of a track, I knew I was in for a good time, and I'll no doubt be listening to this soundtrack for months to come.
Lastly, the voice acting is phenomenal. Bakemonogatari was already a dream come true for me, assembling so many of my favorite seiyuu in one series. Saito Chiwa, Horie Yui, Kamiya Hiroshi, Sawashiro Miyuki and Hanazawa Kana? Pinch me. Add to that Kitamuri Eri and Sakamoto Maaya and you've got a show whose voice-acting transcends rating. It's no hyperbole to call it "sublime." Absolutely perfect.
I'll quickly go over the returning champions, and then move on to the new contenders. Senjougahara has always been my favorite, and though her scenes are somewhat few and far in between, she's the same old girl I fell in love with years ago. The first few minutes of the first episode were incredible, and I've rewatched that part several times. Nadeko is still just as cute (which is cute indeed), but has become a lot more forward. Taking her in this direction worked well for me; though her presence was little more than a blip on the radar. Kanbaru... what can I say? Not much of substance, but I can't complain. I simply can't. Hanekawa has never been my favorite (cat alter ego notwithstanding), but her interactions with Senjougahara made for some very amusing, and unexpected, scenes. Araragi remains a solid lead, though I must admit that his lust for Karen sort of rubs me the wrong way, especially when he has arguably the most awesome girlfriend in existence.
On to the new additions, whom Nise's fate rests with.
Araragi Karen. Karen had an incredible zest for life, a great attitude and some massive backbone. She lit up the screen, and I was always anxious to see what she would say, or do, next. She can hold her ground, and she looks great. A fine character all around.
Araragi Tsukihi. Although Tsukihi played a smaller role and a weaker plot arc, I still found her a great addition to the cast. Her exaggerated facial expressions, reactions and voice made for some great comedy. Like her sister Karen, I was always waiting to see how she'd react to the situation, and she rarely disappointed. She's platinum awesome.
Shinobu. Sakamoto Maaya really brought Shinobu to life. Every brooding monologue and every haughty comment really made her shine. She has a great personality, and has gorgeous golden hair. She can dance with the best of them when she imbibes some blood too.
General thoughts and enjoyment.
Nisemonogatari is easily the most entertaining series I've seen this year, and I suspect it will stay near the top of the list even as 2013 approaches. The dialogue, characters and visuals all come together in a wonderful collage of pure joy. Minor gripes aside, Nisemonogatari offers most of the traits that make anime a wonderful medium. It is ever-so-slightly weaker than Bakemonogatari on the whole, but there is certainly no shame in that, as Bake is one of my absolute favorite shows from the last five years.
Some of my personal favorite scenes from the series: The first five minutes of episode one (the dialogue was spellbinding), Kanbaru (every damn scene she was in, she's a goddess), Araragi and Karen's battle, the scene where Araragi runs into Karen doing a hand-walk, Shinobu and Araragi's long discussion in the bath, and last, but not least; Arargi's brief conversation with Nadeko on the phone.
Final Rating: 9 (Fantastic)
Last edited by Echoes; 2012-03-20 at 04:17.
|2012-03-19, 08:07
|Link #9
I kill you
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: In your brain
It's solely based on how Shaft successfully delivered the content of novel most effectively. Sadly, Tsukihi arc clearly left out so many dialogues that was actually defining moments of the series, such as Shinobu's SUN IS MY ENEMY part and Kaiki gags. That last episode was underwhelming - the gold of nisemonogatari is not its story, but its DIALOGUE. Shaft failed to bring those out, especially in Tsukihi part.
Nisemonogatari, from the start, was a novel that was not meant to be amazing in terms of plot and story. In terms of characterisation, Nisioisin clearly likes to destroy established characters in sequels in any different means, and that obviously happened in this series. Nisemonogatari is more like side-story, Nisio isin's attempt of playing with character concepts and personality. So, I don't really care.
The defining moment of the series was tooth brush play by Gomi and Karen. There was no problem with the fan-service of Nisemonogatari when they were all exactly how it was described in the novel. The problem is when they devotes too much on them, they did not have more time to invest on those dialogue that makes the series gold.
I still give 9, because Shaft animation and direction is just gorgeous. However, if you actually look at 'direction', not animation quality, Bakemonogatari was better. Oishi's currently working on Kizumonogatari, thus we couldn't have his much surreal touch on scenes and camera works.
|2012-03-19, 12:40
|Link #10
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: United States of America
Age: 27
Voted the series a 9. I actually avoided watching this during the weekly run because I felt as though this was the type of series that I just had to watch on one go. I added a twist to that. I watched whole of Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari in one go all through yesterday. And while it may have been more obvious to me as to the complaints I am hearing had I not done so, as far as I am concerned, Nisemonogatari was a perfect followup to Bakemonogatari. It just felt very natural. And well, I am a sucker for imouto moe and Shinobu is obviously way too awesome so there was no way I wouldn't rate this show high I guess.
I do have some complaints though.
I really really wish they had given the last arc more episodes. It kind of was flowing normally but then suddenly went into powerdrive and ended abruptly. It wasn't all that bad but when a show that relied on lots and lots of roundabout dialogue and subtle touches suddenly resolves itself in an adrenaline rush, it just didn't feel right. I don't know if it was due to budget concerns or an aesthetic choice but I don't agree with it. Of course, I am platinum mad because I wanted to see more of Tsukihi, not particularly because she is cute and sexy but because she has that awesomely delicious manner of acting.
I don't really care about fanservice because for one reason or another, I can totally see the characters in the show doing what they were doing. They are all absurd oddities that live right at the boundary between normalcy and perversion after all. Certainly, there might have been more focus on the perversion side of the coin than the rest, but in no way does telling a saucy story from a raunchy perspective take away from the characters imho. It's just a different point of view. It's a heck lot better to do a whole story in this perspective than just superficially use it occasionally to entice the audience. In that sense, the fact that Nisemonogatari was written in as saucy a manner is something that makes me bow to the author, even if I despise the popularity of the author.
And given the nature of the source, the anime did a commendable job bringing it to life. In fact, I dare say the lack of "fanservice" would have been weirder. And since I don't agree with that accusation that there was too much fanservice or that the cast was used as a cheap display that led to deterioration of their character, I rate this show much higher than some other folks I expected to have similar opinions with.
They could still have shown us the kiss between the hornet and the devil boy. And perhaps include an animated anecdote about how Tsubasa ended up with her short hair etc. though.
Simply put, I am saying that there wasn't enough fanservice and certainly not enough of it overall. If it had lasted just a bit longer and not rushed through, this would have been a perfect show.
I suppose I am the rare breed in that I enjoyed Nisemonogatari more than Bakemonogatari. It actually took me a lot of convincing to even go through Bakemonogatari. And I had a really harsh opinion of it until I read more and watched it again etc. In contrast, I thoroughly enjoyed Nisemonogatari on my first watch. Of course, my being a sucker for imouto moe, finally something from kiss-shot, lots of allusions from Koyomi as to just how high his opinion of the catgirl is, and how wonderful she looked in her short hair and contacts, and there being little of Hitagi who looked fugly in short hair etc. all added to my entertainment I guess. Occasional wandering pilgimage was just icing on the cake.
|2012-03-20, 02:33
|Link #11
Kamaboko smash & grab
Join Date: Nov 2009
My impressions would be: dammit, 3 years (I think) of yearning to see Senjougahara animated again but what I got was less than satisfying and Nise turned out to be a beautiful love story between a guy and his sisters....
Having been spoiled beforehand, I was expecting to see the changed senjougahara but that final scene might as well have been the afterlife.... >.<
|2012-03-20, 17:15
|Link #12
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 42
9/10 i don't really dividing up parts of a show and giving it a grade. i will just say i enjoy both the dialogue and the visuals. I am a fan of Shaft being Shaft.
And here is my summary of Nise.
Courage to molest little sister
Courage to undress little sister
Courage to grab little sister's breast.
Courage to take Little sister's first kiss
|2012-03-21, 09:15
|Link #13
a random Indonesian otaku
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Xanadu
Age: 26
I'll just be honest
I'm not a Monogatari series' fan... but I'll give Nisemonogatari 9/10 score
honestly, I think Nise is better than Bake
I won't give a proper rating but just giving points :
1. The appearance of Bake's characters are handled well.. although they're just random supporting characters
2. Kaiki and Kagenui are not as awesome as Oshino... I think this is why I can't give a perfect score for Nise. The arc's finale is little dull
3. Araragi family's relationship is the focus of Nise. I always curious about this since Bake and Nise really explained it well. I can see how the sisters actually respect their vamp's bro and almost become incest after his bro really worked hard for their sake (facing Kaiki and Kagenui and also cleaned up their mess)
4. The birth of new fetish... HAHAHA!!! Toothbrush FTW... now I can't see toothbrushing in same way anymore
5. Every arc actually filled with too much unnecessary scene. The real problem will appear in part 3 or part 4 of each arc
6. The most highlight part from Nise is Shinobu. At first, I never care about her because of Bake (c'mon! she really doesn't do anything in Bake). After reading a doujin, I'm quite understand the role and become her fans. I'm waiting for Kizu but I never expect Nise will satisfy me because of Shinobu-Araragi relationship's development. Her 18-year old appearance, donut loving scene, her teasing gesture and word, and finally her honesty in expressing her opinion to Araragi are very important point for me
Visual is very good as usual (great job, SHAFT), BGM is also good, Soundtrack is also the best (Claris.. yay!)
9/10... that's all! Now let's wait for Kizu.....
nothing to do here
|2012-03-21, 09:33
|Link #14
Romance Expert
Join Date: Feb 2012
il be short on this and say I give it 9/10.
completely enjoyed and had fun throughout the series. as some people said, there were some parts that felt rushed near the end and some characters seem lacking for appearance(WHERE'S THE FINAL BOSS!)
|2012-03-22, 08:11
|Link #15
Former NEET.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The pile of heatwave that is named Texas.
I'm the only one who voted "Painful"? Seriously?
I don't get this "wincest" thing. Is there a cultural thing I'm missing? And what is with the ecchi upgrade?
Spoiler for ep10:
What the hell happened? ... Please tell me the light novels are better at presenting this. I thought about buying at least the Bakemonogatari books someday even though my Japanese isn't really at that level yet.
|2012-03-22, 08:21
|Link #16
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
|2012-03-22, 08:47
|Link #17
Rushing to conclusions is a very common theme for many viewers
Anyway, Nise- ended up being better than Bake- IMHO. The art improved despite the new characters and looks, backgrounds were more creative and richer. Animation appeared... in Bake- it was almost absent. BGM was fitting and prevelent. Songs were also good, but half as many. The new characters were thoroughly developed, as well as all the old ones to varying degrees too.
But the best part was that the storytelling was more focused. Bake- struggled at times to integrate ecchi with mystery, but in Nise- it was seamless.
On the other hand, as an adaption, it had problems with the short duration skipping important parts, especially for continuing animating the franchise, and confused a lot of viewers because it aired before Kizu-
So overall 10/10 ignoring the source, 9/10 strictly considering it as adaption.
|2012-03-22, 09:36
|Link #18
Professional Hikkikomori
Join Date: Feb 2009
|2012-03-22, 11:07
|Link #19
Former NEET.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The pile of heatwave that is named Texas.
Fine, I'll take it out of the trashbin and watch the rest of the series.
Edit: Oh. (Downloading ep 11 now)
Last edited by velderia; 2012-03-22 at 11:20.
|2012-03-22, 21:28
|Link #20
Junior Member
Hello :-)
Hi! I'm Japanese university student, and wheelchair user. In the university, learning English. Now in the hospital. If you don't mind, please talk to me with Skype!!
(Sorry my strange English...)
I like Bakemonogatari series!!
I've watched many anime recently.
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The Value of WorkComments
Seth Ackerman has a really strong article at Jacobin on the Hostess shut-down. Much of it has great value for showing just how rare it is for companies to ask workers to take pay cuts. The reason is simple–it would destroy worker morale and production. But Hostess did this and it helped destroy the company. But I think the real insight gets at why Hostess would do this and how people buy into this idea of competitiveness.
But the union got blamed instead, and that points to a fascinating aporia in neoliberalism. The competitiveness ideology keeps a double set of books. On the surface, it celebrates free individuals making voluntary agreements on a footing of formal equality. But look just a little deeper and it turns out to be a musty, medieval system of morality that venerates human hierarchy and inequality. If taken literally, an accusation of insufficient "competitiveness" would refer to a failure to buy or sell on the terms objectively demanded by the dispersed actors of the marketplace. But nine times out of ten, this literal meaning is just a facade for the real underlying meaning, which is all about policing the socially accepted rules concerning who is a worthy human being and who is not. Workers at an industrial bakery are losers. They need to take a pay cut — not so much to make the numbers add up (that's a secondary consideration for all the commentators and columnists) but as a ritual affirmation of their debased social status. The refusal to take the cut was shocking and revolting — an act of lèse-majesté. It's in that sense that the union was uncompetitive. The workers didn't know their place.
So much of our ideology about workers is looking down on blue-collar labor. They aren't educated so they deserve to be at the bottom. Plus I have a college degree and I have an unpaid internship. I am so lucky to get this "job" and I am so valuable with my bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan. So if I'm not getting paid, certainly those losers should be getting even less.

subset: commoncrawl


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|2004-03-21, 19:49
|Link #1
Naruto Fan
Naruto Fanart from Gaara[sF]
Its not as good as .gaara's work, but I decided to draw my first picture of the Naruto series. This one is of Sasuke. I drew the picture from reference from episode 9, I just love the pose he is in.
I will be posting others when they get done I guess... I might work on a Gaara one next, I'm not sure.
C&C is appreciated...
|2004-03-22, 01:49
|Link #3
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mushroom County, Mario World
Age: 31
The Pose and the Clothing is spot on, but there's something about the face that I can't really put my finger on. It just look flat to me and he looks fat. But that's the only prob I've got with it. For the rest it just looks cool.
|2004-03-22, 02:59
|Link #4
Join Date: Mar 2004
Age: 31
Overall it's pretty well done, good job... i think the problem with the face is just that you need to work on perspective, since the angle is from below. it's not flat, its a pretty hard angle to draw from. This is a mechanic thing you'll learn from practice
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text:
PROFILE: Schumacher's career a drama in two parts
Michael Schumacher achieved more than any other driver in Formula One but the winner of a record seven world championships and 91 grands prix could not beat time however hard he raced.india Updated: Oct 04, 2012 18:33 IST
Michael Schumacher achieved more than any other driver in Formula One but the winner of a record seven world championships and 91 grands prix could not beat time however hard he raced.
Announcing his second, and seemingly final, retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix on Thursday, the German acknowledged that it was time to go at the end of the season in November.
The Schumacher Mark II, now 43 years old and driving a suitably silver Mercedes, has become a scuffed shadow of the shiny Mark I model who dominated racetracks around the world in the colours of Benetton and Ferrari.
"I have decided to retire by the end of the year," he told reporters.
His truly remarkable career will stand as a drama in two parts, with a three-year intermission, that some will see as an entirely fitting outcome for a driver who also divided the sport like few others.
Back in 2006, when Schumacher informed the world that he would be retiring as a Ferrari driver at a Monza news conference after the Italian Grand Prix, it seemed like the end of an era.
He had a string of records to his name, including finishing every race on the podium in 2002 and winning the title with six races
to spare. In 2004, he chalked up a record 13 wins with seven of them in a row.
Thursday's announcement did not seem as momentous after three disappointing comeback years with Mercedes in which he has so far produced just one podium finish - and that a third place this year.
The Formula One world has moved on and younger talents, such as Red Bull's double world champion Sebastian Vettel and Schumacher's replacement Lewis Hamilton, now command the attention.
Schumacher still holds many of the records but Vettel is now the youngest ever double champion, after winning his first at the age of 23. Last year the young German also chalked up a record 15 poles.
The man who was supposed to lead the 'Silver Arrows' works Mercedes back to the top of the podium was a mere spectator when team mate Nico Rosberg - 26 at the time - secured the long-desired win in China this year.
There has been a question mark over Schumacher's future all season and he said on Thursday, after replacing it with a full stop, that he felt released from his own doubts.
"I have had my doubts for quite a while, whether I personally have the energy and motivation to do so (carry on). I have achieved so much," he said.
"I told you in 2006 that my battery was empty. And I am on the red zone with my batteries," he continued. "I wasn't sure whether you could recharge them with the time that you have available and I felt that it's time for freedom again."
Self-doubt was never a big part of the old Michael Schumacher's make-up. The freedom he enjoyed then was of the town of Maranello as Ferrari's undisputed number one.
Ayrton Senna was loved, despite the Brazilian's sometimes questionable tactics on the track, and mourned after his death in 1994. Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio was admired, Briton Jim Clark revered.
Schumacher may be the greatest, although the number who would dispute that has grown after three unimpressive years, but he will never rank as the most popular.
"I think he is the greatest racing driver of this century," said Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, an accolade that also neatly sidestepped the sport's first 50 years and comparisons with the greats of yesteryear.
Schumacher has softened, prepared to admit mistakes. He has, he freely recognised, learned lessons and become more approachable.
On Thursday, he even practised his Italian - something he rarely managed even in his glory years when Ferrari fans worshipped his
success but often wished he would be a little less German.
"In my first career, as I entered into Formula One (with Jordan in 1991), immediately I had a lot of focus on me. So there was a constant demand and pressure on me that was difficult to cope with over the years," he said.
"In that absence (from 2007 to 2010), I was more free and recharged myself...when I was back I noticed it is possible to be open, to enjoy, but not lose the focus. And that is something I was not doing in the first part.
"(In the second part) I had a bigger picture, I had more experience, it was much more easy to handle things."
Yet the controversies of the past still hang over his reputation like the mists that shroud his favourite Spa circuit in the Belgian forests.
There was the collision with Damon Hill in the 1994 title decider, the notorious attempt in 1997 to run Jacques Villeneuve off the road and the global scorn and outrage that followed Austria 2002 when Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to gift him an undeserved win.
On his day, and particularly in the wet, he was breathtaking. His mind-management, and ability to gel a team around him and give swift and incisive feedback, set him apart from the rest.
But his achievements were countered by the feeling that he benefited from the best car and a subservient team mate throughout his Ferrari years.
The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix saw him branded a cheat after a blatant attempt to block rivals in qualifying by stopping his car at the penultimate corner in the final seconds and he has been in more scrapes since then.
He has also shown flashes of brilliance, his fastest time in qualifying in Monaco this year the prime example even if a gearbox penalty denied him the pole position, and physically he looks like a man 10 years younger.
At Spa in August, he celebrated his 300th race.
"I was very privileged to work with Michael from the very beginning," said Brawn, who guided him to glory at Benetton and Ferrari. "We had some fantastic times, tough times but also very successful times.
"I think Michael brought a lot to the team in his second period that people don't see, a huge contribution behind the scenes...when we do achieve in the future, Michael will have made a contribution to it."
First Published: Oct 04, 2012 18:30 IST


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She's coming and she's bringing all her beautiful things, furniture and fabrics, you name it.
It's official. Rachel Ashwell, Miss Shabby Chic herself, is coming to Round Top, the home of one of the largest antique shows in the United States.
OMG! OK, here's the story as I know it. Calm down, breathe. OK. Maryanne who owns the best shop in the area, Beadboard Upcountry, emailed me today to say that Rachel, Miss Shabby Chic herself, had bought the Outpost at Cedar Creek Inn in Round Top, Texas. Twice a year, this teeny tiny town hosts the biggest antique show anywhere. If you've never come to Round Town for the show, you should put it on your bucket list. OK. So, back to the story. After Maryanne gives me the scoop, I do a little sleuthing and its true. This picture above has been posted on the internet. Actually, this shouldn't be that much of a shock, Rachel has been coming to Round Top for years. She's even blogged before about staying at the Outpost at Cedar Creek Inn. Apparently, she really, really enjoyed her stay because she bought it. But, of course, the décor is not exactly the true Shabby Chic look, so everything at the inn is now for sale. Everything. This Thursday through Sunday, there is a huge sale going on – everything at the Outpost at Cedar Creek is going. You have only two more days left if you want to go shopping. Details about the show are posted at the end, below. Apparently, Rachel wants EVERYTHING gone and she is going to totally redecorate all the cottages in her own style.
Just imagine, going to Round Top and getting to spend the night with Rachel! I am dying with excitement!!! Totally hyperventilating and I'm not even sure why???? But I am!!!!
Is Rachel going to redecorate ALL the cabins like this? I HOPE so!!! I can't wait to go stay there!!!
OK, so what and where exactly IS the Outpost at Cedar Creek Inn, now to be known as The Ranch By Rachel Ashwell? It is on a secluded country road, about five miles from Round Top, Texas. The original house is the Mayer farmstead built in the 1800s. There are numerous cottages on the property that have been brought onto it over the years. There are a few log cabins, there's a airstream trailer, there's cottages and bungalows. And all will be getting the Shabby Chic touch soon.
There is the Casita. Oh boy, Rachel is going to repaint this cottage, I can assure you that and probably landscape it too. Wouldn't this look great in white with a sage green door ala Shabby Chic????
There is the Barn Cottage with a cute silo and picket fence. I'll bet Rachel keeps the picket fence.
There is even an authentic Texas dog trot house with a tin roof.
Inside the dog trot house – everything is for sale!
There is the Prairie Cottage – a typical Texas tin roof cabin.
Actually the Prairie Cottage looks very Shabby Chic already. Maybe Rachel won't change it much.
There are a few different log cabins on the property too.
Here's another log cabin – soooo cute!
Rachel is going to go nuts redoing the airstream! I can only imagine – it will be done all up in her fabrics.
Here is the original Mayer house, built in the 1800s. Rachel is going to have so much fun furnishing all these houses!!!!
Here's a satellite view of the ranch, the main house is at the curved road, with a lot of the smaller houses at the left side.
I wonder if Rachel will use all slipcovered sofas and chairs from her own line? Probably, I would guess.
She'll probably bring all her own tables and chairs from her line, like these. And I wonder will her chandeliers come to Texas too?
She wouldn't use marble at her Texas ranch, would she??? Hmmm. She always uses marble though.
The farmhouse sink, like this one from her own Malibu kitchen, will be perfect at the ranch!
I know she will bring all her sheets and fabrics, but will she use velvet and silk like in her own bedroom? So many questions!!
I can see her landscaping around the pool, just exactly like this!
Or just exactly like her own swimming pool in Malibu.
But I am not sure we can grow lavender like Rachel did at her Malibu house. Can we????
Speaking of lavender, NO ONE grows prettier lavender than Trouvais HERE.
SO, where is the sale this weekend?
For all the information about this weekend's sale – go HERE.
This is just a small sampling of the sale items, to see more pictures, go HERE.http://rogerhowardestatesales.com/gallery_outpost.htm
Remember to hurry, the sale only lasts through this Sunday!
And, be sure to visit Beadboard UpCountry in Brenham if you go to the sale!!!
Come on Rachel!!! Hurry Up. We're waiting for you!!!!


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Demystifying Clouds
By John | February 5, 2008
- force ma·jeure – noun Etymology: French, superior force
- Date: 1883 1 : superior or irresistible force 2 : an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled — compare act of god
I'll admit it: I am caught up in the cloud hype. The caveat, however, is that I truly believe that this is disruptive technology. In this article, I am going to try to demystify some of the hype around utility cloud computing and focus in on the companies that are providing cloud solutions and the technology components that they are using. By no means am I professing to be an expert on this subject. My only intent is to render what I have learned thus far in my quest to understand cloud computing.
The Myths
Cloud computing will eliminate the need to IT personnel.
Using my 30 years of experience in IT as empirical proof, I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that this is a false prophecy. One of my first big projects in IT was in the 1980s, and I was tasked to implement "Computer Automated Operations.†Everyone was certain that all computer operators would loose their jobs. In fact, one company I talked to said that its operators were thinking of starting a union to prevent automated operations. The fact was that no one really lost his or her jobs. The good computer operators became analysts, and bad ones became tape operators.
There will only be five super computer utility like companies in the future.
Again, I will rely on empirical data. I have been buying automobiles for as long as I have been grinding IT, and all one has to do is look at the automotive industry's history as a template to falsify this myth. Some clever person will always be in a back room somewhere with an idea for doing it better, faster, cheaper, and cleaner. In all likelihood, there will probably be a smaller number of mega-centers, but it is most likely that they will be joined by a massive eco-grid of small-to-medium players interconnecting various cloud services.
The Facts
Since cloud computing is in a definite hype cycle, everyone is trying to catch the wave (myself included). Therefore, a lot of things you will see will have cloud annotations. Why not? When something is not clearly defined and mostly misunderstood, it becomes one of god's great gifts to marketers. I remember that, in the early days of IBM SOA talk, IBM was calling everything Tivoli an SOA. So I did a presentation at a Tivoli conference called "Explaining the 'S' in SOA and BSM.†Unfortunately, one of IBM's lead SOA architects, not Tivoli and not a marketer, was in my presentation and tore me a new one. I was playing their game, I forgot that it was "Their Game.†Therefore, in this article I will try to minimize the hype and try to lay down some markers on what are the current variations of all things considered clouds.
Level 0
As flour is to a cookie, virtualization is to a cloud. People are always asking me (their first mistake) what is the difference between clouds and the "Grid" hype of the 1990s. My pat answer is "virtualization.†Virtualization is the secret sauce of a cloud. Like I said earlier, I am by no means an expert on cloud computing, but every cloud system that I have researched includes some form of a hypervisor. IMHO, viirtualization is the differentiator between the old "Grid" computing and the new "Cloud†computing. Therefore, my "Level 0″ definition for cloud providers is anyone who is piggy-backing, intentionally or un-intentionally, cloud computing by means of virtualization. The first company that comes to mind is Rackspace, which recently announced that it is going to add hosting virtual servers to their service offering. In fact, it new offering will allow a company to move its current in-house VMware servers to a Rackspace glass house. A number of small players are producing some rain is this space. A quick search on Google will yield monthly plans as low as $7 per month for XEN VPS hosting. It's only a matter of time before cloned Amazon EC2 providers start pronouncing themselves as Cloud Computing because they will host XEN services in their own glass house. These services will all be terrific offerings and will probably reduce costs, but they will not quite be clouds, leaving them, alas, at "Level 0."
Level 1
My definition of "Level 1″ cloud players are what I call niche players. "Level 1″ actually has several sub-categories.
Service Providers
Level 1 service provider offerings are usually on-ramp implementations relying on Level 2 or Level 3 backbone providers. For example, a company called RightScale un-mangles Amazon's EC2 and S3 API's and provides a dashboard and front-end hosting service for Amazon's Web Services (AWS) offering (I.e., EC2 and S3). AWS is what I consider a "Level 2†offering, which I will discuss later in this article.
Service Hybrids
Service Hybrids are players like ENKI and Enomaly. Both companies offer services around backbone cloud providers in the form of services and software. In fact, I was baptized in the clouds by Reuven Cohen, the founder of Enomaly, on a plane ride from Austin to Chicago. I sat next to Reuven, and he was gracious enough to school me on Amazon's AWS. Enomaly offers services and software around Amazaon's AWS, and they are clearly the go-to guys for EC2/S3. ENKI seems to be Enomaly's equivalent but with the 3Tera/Applogic application. 3Tera is what I consider a "Level 3″ technology, which I discuss below.
Pure Play Application Specific
This is where I will admit it gets a little "cloudy.†Seriously, companies such as Box.Net and EMC's latest implementation with Mozy are appearing as SaaS storage plays and piling on the cloud wagon. I am almost certain that companies like SalesForce.com will be confused with or will legitimately become cloud plays. Probably the best definition of a "Level 1 Pure Play" is with EnterpriseDB's latest announcement of running its implementation of PostgreSQL on Amazon's EC2. There are also few rumors of services that are trying to run MySQL on EC2, but most experts agree that this is a challenge on the EC2/S3 architecture. It will be interesting to see Sun's cloud formations flow in regards to its recent acquisition of MySQL.
Pure Play Technology
When ever you hear the terms Mapreduce, Hadoop, and Google File System in regards to cloud computing, they primarily refer to "Cloud Storage†and the processing of large data sets. Cloud Storage relies on an array of virtual servers and programming techniques based on parallel computing. If things like "S(P) = P − α * (P − 1)†get you excited, then I suggest that you have a party here. Otherwise, I am not going anywhere near there. I will, however, try to take a crack at explaining MapReduce, Hadoop, and the Google Files Systems. It is no wonder that the boys at Google started all of this back in 2004 with a paper describing a programming model called Mapreduce. MapReduce is used for processing and generating large numbers of data across a number of distributed systems. In simplistic terms, MapReduce is made up of two functions: one maps Key/Value pairs, and another reduces and generates output values for the key. In the original Google paper "MapReduce:Simplified Data Processing on Large Clusters,†a simple example of using GREP to match URL's and output URL counts is used. Those Google boys and girls have come a long way since 2004. Certainly, it is much more complicated than I have described. The real value in MapReduce is its ability to break up the code into many small distributed computations.
Next in this little historical adventure, a gentleman named Doug Cutting implemented MapReduce into the Apache Lucene project, which later evolved into the now commonly known Hadoop. Hadoop is an open source Java-based framework that implements MapRecuce using a special file system called the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). The relationship between HDFS and the Google File System (GFS) is not exactly clear, but I do know that HDFS is open and that it is based on the concepts of GFS, which is proprietary and more likely very specific to Google's voracious appetite for crunching data. The bottom line is that a technology like Hadoop and all its sub-components allows IT operations to process millions of bytes of data per day (only kidding, I couldn't resist a quick Dr. Evil Joke here "Dr. Evil: I demand the sum… OF 1 MILLION DOLLARS "). Actually, what I meant to say quintillions of data per day.
Most of the experts with whom I have talked say that Hadoop is really only a technology that companies like Google and Yahoo can use. I found, however, a very recent blog on how a RackSpace customer is using Hadoop to offer special services to its customers by processing massive amounts of mail server logs to reduce the wall time of service analytics. Now you're talking my language.
Level 2
Level 2 cloud providers are basically the backbone providers of the cloud providers. Amazon's AWS Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) are basically the leaders in this space at this time. My definition of a "Level 2†provider is a backbone hosting service that runs virtual images in a cloud of distributed computers. This delivery model supports one to thousands of virtual images in a vast array of typically commodity-based hardware. The key differentiator of a "Level 2†provider vs. a "Level 3†is that the "Level 2″ cloud is made up of distinct single images and that they are not treated as a holistic grid like a "Level 3†providers (more on this later). If I want to implement a load balancer front end with multiple Apache servers and MySQL server on EC2, I have to provide all the nasty glue to make that happen. The only difference between running on Amazon's EC2 and running one's own data center is the hardware. Mind you, that is a big difference, but, even with EC2, I still might need an army of system administrators to configure file systems mounts, network configurations, and security parameters, among other things.
Amazon's EC2 is based on XEN images, and a customer of EC2 gets to create or pick from a template list of already created XEN images. There is a really nice Firefox extension for starting and stopping images at will. Still, if you want to do fancy things like on-demand or autonomic computing type stuff, you will have to use the the AWS API's or use a "Level 1″ provider to do it for you. I currently run this web site on an EC2 cloud. I have no idea what the hardware is and basically only know that it is physically located somewhere in Oklahoma. At least that's what one of the SEO tools says. If I were to restart it, it might wind up in some other city – who cares? Clouds are convectious.
The biggest problem with Amazon's EC2 is that the disk storage is volatile, which means that, if the image goes offline, all of the data that were not part of the original XEN image will be lost. For example this blog article will disappear if my image goes down. Of course, I take backups. One might say, "Hey, that is what S3 is for." Good luck. S3 is only for the most nimbus of folks. S3 is only a web services application to put and get buckets or raw unformatted data. S3 is NOT a file system, and, even though some reasonable applications can make it look like a file system, it is still not a file system. For example, the tool Jungle Disk can be set up to mount an S3 bucket to look like a mounted file system. Under the covers, however, it is continually copying data to temporary space that looks like a mounted file system. We have found most (not all) of the open tools around S3 to be not-ready-for-production-type tools. Also, remember that EC2 and S3 are still listed as Beta applications. I list at the end of this article a number of good articles about the drawbacks of using EC2/S3 as a production RDBMS data store. Recently, an interesting point was made to me that a lot of how EC2/S3 works is really based on Amazon's legacy. Before it offered EC2/S3 as a commercial service, it was more than likely used as its core e-tailor infrastructure. Although EC2/S3 might seem like an odd way to provide this kind of service, I am certain that it rocks as an infrastructure for selling books and CD's.
Another player in the "Level 2†game is Mosso. Mosso is a customer of Rackspace, and it has added some secret sauce to VMWare to provide an EC2 look alike. The good news is that its storage is permanent and that there is no S3 foolishness. It will be interesting to see if Mosso can compete with a proprietary hypervisor (VMWare) vs. an open source hypervisor like XEN, which is used by EC2.
In historic IBM fashion, IBM has announced its "Blue Cloud†a few years before it plans to deliver it. Last year when it was announced, it had a specified delivery for the first half of 2008. As most of you know, I have been a flea on IBM 'sback for over 30 years and have always been amazed at the brilliance of its slow-play marketecture strategies. It usually announces a new model for IT very early in its internal development cycle (i.e., like not started yet). Then, IBM sits back and watches the model mature and decides on the best entry point for joining. More often that not, its entry point is an acquisition. IMHO, this is a likely scenario for IBM's entry into cloud space. The bold reality is that IBM will be a significant player in cloud computing. In fact, just its announcement last year already has put it in play. IBM's strongest position in cloud computing is probably going to be with its enterprise facing customers. The enterprise 5k will probably trust IBM to help them make the cloud transitions when the time is right. They recently have announced a large cloud computing initiative in China. Sit back, have some popcorn, and enjoy the fun.
Obviously, other potentials are Dell, Oracle, Sun, Microsoft, and HP. There are not enough hours in a day for me to start guessing what those boys and girls are going to do. However, two giants that should be discussed are Google and Yahoo. Now, if Microsoft pulls off the acquisition of Yahoo, it will be interesting to see how or if MS can make some real commercial value out of Hadoop and other Yahoo cloud initiatives. Google is the biggest question mark. Will it ever decide to commercialize its cloud initiatives? Most experts whom I have talked to say that Google's infrastructure is so unique that its cloud implementations probably wouldn't make sense for anyone else but Google. Kind of like the legacy EC2/S3 story on steroids. As I have stated before, though, when the really big brick and mortar data centers start getting that deer-in-the-headlights look for IT costs, whom do you think Jame Dimon is going to call (IBM or possibly Google)? If Google gets enough of those calls, it might start to listen.
Level 3
Level 3 providers, IMHO, are the current highest level of the cloud food chain. IMO, 3Tera stands all alone at this level. I first heard about 3Tera when I read a Linux magazine article listing it as a top company to watch in 2008. 3Tera provides software that allows a company to run its own Virtual Private Data Center (VPD). A company or hosting provider can install 3Tera's Applogic software on a grid of commodity-based hardware and enjoy all the rewards of having a self-contained cloud. 3Tera has partnered with a number of hosting providers that will provide customers with their own private VPD isolated on a grid. 3Tera is only about 3 years old, I was that that its goal was to provide Google-style commodity computing to the masses. The primary differentiator between the 3Tera offering and EC2/Mosso offerings is that 3Tera's approach is holistic. When you get a grid using 3Tere's Applogic software, you get a blank template, sort of like a workflow editor to build your data center. Then, you can select from a catalog of firewall servers, load balance servers, Apache servers, and MySql servers. Basically, they are predefined virtual images. The kicker, however, is that, when you select one of the cataloged servers, the Applogic software understands the context in which you are selecting the server and makes the appropriate configurations automatically. You literally drag the icons (i.e., servers) onto the canvas and then use lines to connect the servers. All of the default mounted file systems are connected in all the right ways. All the nasty network configuration parms are set up with best practices. In fact, in a demo/briefing that I had with 3Tera, it built a three-tier Apache web and MySQL grid, the complete bundle, and started the image, all in less than 10 minutes. The images were as real as any EC2 image that I have ever used. I was so blown away that I didn't trust them at first and asked them to putty into the icons and do some basic linux system commands to make sure it wasn't a demo system.
The original demo configuration was made up of four systems (a firewall server, load balancer, Apache server, and a MySQL server). Then, we went back and added another Apache server and a clustered MySQL server. We re-built the package and restarted, and we had six systems running. Not once did we have to touch a configuration file. Then, they started showing off by ssh'ing into the apache server and tried to ping yahoo.com. It didn't work because their best practice out-of-the-box implementation had already isolated the servers behind the firewall. I think that at one point I shouted, "My God .. This is how IT has to be." If you want more ranting on this, listen to my recent IT Management Guys Podcast over at Redmonk. As Cote pointed out in that podcast, it is certainly not all fairy tales and pixie dust, but it is a hell of a lot further than EC2 and S3, and look at how excited everyone is about those services. 3Tera has graciously lent me a development grid to play with, and, unbeknownst to them, I am going to see if this is something that could be used for DevCampTivoli (I guess they know now). Since I have been having so much fun on AWS, I thought that I would distribute the fun to other tools like 3Tera and start blogging about some of my experiences using its grid software.
Minus some of my possible grammatical errors, I think this is probably a good first cut on demystifying the clouds. If you have any input corrections or things that I have missed, please feel free to add comments to this blog article or contact me directly.
Disclaimer: I have not read Nick Carr's book the "Big Switch"
Also see … Cloud Vednors A to Z
Topics: 3tera, amazon, blue cloud, cloud computing, ec2, google, hadoop, ibm, mapreduce, mosso, nick carr, other, rackspace, redmonk, the big switch, utility cloud computing, xen | 70 Comments »
70 Responses to "Demystifying Clouds"
Robert Michel Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Robert Michel
John Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Thanks. Back at you.
Tony Lucas Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
There is people (ok, us!) already taking Amazon on at the Layer 0 level, although we are also offering some Level 1 features as well.
I'd be happy to give you a full briefing on FlexiScale if you are interested.
Also, Mosso who you mention above is not just a customer of RackSpace, they are at least partially funded by them as well.
Q-Layer (www.qlayer.com) are also doing interesting things and should be kept an eye on.
Matthew Small Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Hi John. RightScale thanks you for the good words here. Excellent article and a great breakdown. Like your other commenter, I look forward to reading more.
John Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I am becoming a cloud junkie. I definitely would like to get a briefing. Contact me ad john.willis at zabovo.com
Thanks to all for the nice words.
If you think Business Service Management is "pie in the sky", consider this — dougmcclure.net Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
[...] What's the future hold for Business Service Management (BSM)? Well, if John and many analysts are right it's really going to be "in the sky" with the emergence of cloud computing. Read some of John's thoughts on the topic in "Demystifying Clouds". [...]
Scale the Mind » Blog Archive » Cloud Computing - Demistifying Clouds Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 1:24 am
[...] can find the article here. tags: infrastructure | virtualization Related Posts ESX 3.5/VirtualCenter 2.5 Beta 2 [...]
Bert Armijo Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 3:14 am
You've written an excellent analysis of a fast developing field. Defining characteristics for classifying competitors is no simple feat, and I'm sure it will help a lot of folks understand what's available.
John Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Dave Durkee Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Hello John,
Thank you for the insightful comments and kind words about ENKI. Our mission is increasingly becoming one of facilitating cloud computing in larger enterprises, though we're not abandoning our startup-servicing roots. To that end, we have become a level 1/level 2 hybrid with our own boutique hosting backbone for situations where a customer can't productively engage with larger level 2 hosting providers. The idea is to provide enterprise-grade operations services even to the smallest players, or to the smallest projects of the largest players. We see AppLogic as the best technology currently available for meeting that goal.
James Urquhart Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I agree 3TERA is an excellent example of Level 3 as you define it, but they do not stand alone. Cassatt has been in the cloud computing infrastructure business for almost 5 years, and has several large enterprise and government customers to show for it.
Also, I think it would be interesting to get your opinion on when one would choose to go Level 1/Level 2 vs. implementing Level 3 in their own infrastructure. My take is at http://servicelevelautomation.blogspot.com/2007/11/beating-utility-computing-lockdown-part_25.html
Nice post, though. An interesting way to break things down.
John Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Thanks. I will have to look at Cassatt as well. I did a quick first pass at all of the players and I missed them. Hopefully I will continue to get more feedback and I will be able to create an updated list. I look forward to reading your blog it sounds like the kind of stuff cloud junkies yearn for.
Rich Wellner Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Good article. It raised a couple interesting issues in my mind.
The first thing I noticed was "People are always asking me (their first mistake) what is the difference between clouds and the "Grid†hype of the 1990s. My pat answer is "virtualization.†Virtualization is the secret sauce of a cloud."
Virtualization has been part of the grid since nearly the beginning. The project that created grid computing, Globus, has had a full scale effort going called "virtual workspaces" (http://workspace.globus.org/) for a few years now. And before that there were projects like VDT and even other projects like Condor have virtualization as important aspects of their code. My company, which is certainly a grid company, also has commercial virtualization (and service management) solutions (http://univaud.com/solutions/data-center-automation.php).
For 11 years now the Globus project has been about creating secure common interfaces to resources for distributed computing. This includes security mapping, delegation of credentials and other essentials to make "cloud computing" a reality.
If you look at early drafts of what IBM is now bringing to market, you'll also see that they were called grid computing projects. The change in vernacular is very recent, and mostly marketing. Cloud computing and grid are very, very similar. If anything, grid computing is a superset of cloud computing (e.g. we've been doing everything that cloud computing is making noise about now for a while, but also security management (virtual organizations), distributed/hierarchical monitoring, high performance data movement, distributed data management (including application specific meta data).
A couple things you might find interesting. Google up the 451 groups grid maturity model. You'll see that it's very closely related to your "levels of cloud computing".
Also, have a look at (http://gridgurus.typepad.com/grid_gurus/2008/01/sledding-and-th.html). This is a blog I wrote a couple weeks ago about grid and the gartner hype curve. Also very closely related to your central thesis.
Whether we end up calling this stuff grid or cloud, it's important to recognize the decade (or more) of work that is behind the marketing and not setup a false dichotomy between grid and cloud.
John Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
It looks like I have a bit more research to do. Your comment was excellent information and this is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for.
Jengates Blog » Blog Archive » links for 2008-02-06 Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
[...] Demystifying Clouds | John M Willis ESM Blog [...]
Put Together Quickly » More Optimization for your site Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
[...] out growing your current setup and need to look for something a bit more robust take a read over Demystifying Clouds by John Willis. He gives an excellent description on what cloud computing is and a run down on the [...]
John Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Ok now, maybe, I am a little more "Educated". Your not going to like this. I see 3Tera and Collage as apples and oranges. Collage looks like a steroids based provisioning system and maybe the only true orchestration system I have ever seen (based on your web site stuff). However, and I will admit I am probably spitting hairs, Collage does not fall into what I would call a cloud. Utiliy computing yes, cloud no. IMHO, in a cloud hardware and physical location are completely out of the picture.
Actually most of what IBM has done so far with thier cloud initiatives is very much based on a solution similar to yours. IBM uses the acquired Think Dynamics software (now called TPM) internally to provision dev, test, and demo systems. However, nothing like you guys are doing with power management and utility services.
In the end can Collage provide the same SLA's as 3Tera? I am certain it can.
John Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
James (again),
Your question to me is when do I think it is reasonable for a customer to go on-premise vs. off-premise.
I think before offerings like Collage and 3Tera lines were clear. All mom and pops should go off-premise and all others should stay home.
My experience has always been with E5k customers and it will be very interesting to see how their brick and mortar data centers react to the "utility" movement. All things being equal I think Carr is correct and computing will eventually go the way of electricity. However, enterprises like the Federal Reserve run underground hidden on-premise DR sites. There is a lot of IP/Coin out there that may never go the Carr way. However if they all do I am sure the Fed Res will be the last ones to turn out the lights .
James Urquhart Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thanks so much for taking the time to follow up. My responses below:
–To your first comment–
Hmmm. I guess I'm a little confused…
You seem to imply that 3TERA is either a) hardware independent or b) completely hides physical infrastructure from software.
If you mean (a), then that is easily countered by a trip to their web site. 3TERA has supported hardware platforms, just like anyone else. (x86 primarily, though the hint of SPARC coming; IDE/SATA drives; GigE).
If you mean (b), then all I have to say is its easy to "virtualize" shared network and security infrastructure if you build your own software versions of everything. However, the hardware products that exist in these spaces are popular for a reason–they meet the performance and cost characteristics required by large enterprise systems.
Cassatt, on the other hand, has been built from the ground up to have exactly zero effect on the execution stack of the software it manages, and near zero effect on the network and security architectures an enterprise would choose to employ. (Again, there are some hardware/OS platform choices that unfortunately have to be made, but we aim to meet the vast majority of the market requirement.) The way we manage the software stack allows applications to be migrated with ease between Cassatt environments–much like (but not exactly like) 3TERA's story for their environments.
That said, I won't say 3TERA's approach is better or worse than Cassatt's; the purpose of my blog is not to hock Cassatt, but to open IT's eyes to the economics and strategies that utility/cloud computing provides. In both cases, the important thing to note is that utility/cloud computing affects EVERY aspect of how IT deploys and operates software, and will likely affect many aspects of how they develop/purchase it. Choosing 3TERA won't be any more or less painful than choosing Cassatt or IBM, at least culturally.
The long term competition here is which approach leads to more flexibility and ease in where and how you buy compute capacity. I would argue the results of that contest are far from decided.
If you'd like a demo of what we are doing and are in the San Jose area, please let me know. I'd be happy to continue this conversation with our platform right there to play with. Let me know: james dot urquhart at cassatt dot com.
– To your second comment –
Excellent. Then we agree.
John Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I love it. This is an all time record for comments on my blog…
c) I want the software (i.e., the cloud) to completely take the physical infrastructure out of the picture. EC2 goes a long way to doing this. With EC2 I can have a "data center" and run my little IT without ever knowing where the servers are (electricity). However, with EC2 I still have to be a sysadmin (ugh).
With 3Tera it looks like I can have both if I am off-premise hosting if we all agree in part of Carr's theory (I really need to read his book). The big question is how does 3Tera hold up in an in-house implementation? My guess is not to different from a well tuned utility based provisioning system. I have no experience with Cassatt however I do have a reasonable amount of experience with IBM's TPM and I can tell you that is not a well tuned implementation out of the box. Implementing that tool at a customer site is 3x to 4x the price of software and there are only a handful of true experts that know how to implement it.
I completely agree that the real contest has not begun yet. We are still at the jargon stage. It looks like I need a demo of your system before I go off anymore on this specific subject. I might also add that I am not in-bed with 3Tera. I just found their technology very intriguing.
5 reaons it might not be "Blue Skies" for IBM | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
[...] Demystifying Clouds [...]
Thorsten Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 5:07 am
John, very cool blog write-up! One prediction you could add is that every single hosting vendor will attach the word 'cloud' to its offering in 2008. We'll have cloud dilution!
I wanted to invite you to a demo of RightScale, we really provide a full application deployment solution very similar to AppLogic, but built using entirely different technology and leveraging Amazon EC2. What's interesting with Amazon is that they've created an ecosystem where other players, such as us, can add value and provide a more integrated system. So while EC2 is layer 2, EC2+RightScale is layer 3.
Keep up the fun entries!
Michael Sheehan Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Your article was a fantastic read and I will be sharing it with others in my organization. I work at ServePath, a hosting provider that didn't "make your list" like FlexiScale, RightScale and Cassatt. As the Technology Evangelist here, I too have been struggling at the definitions of cloud, utility, grid, distributed and cluster computing as it relates to our Grid products (Grid Series and GoGrid). While technically not as in depth as your article, I wrote an article as well that attempts to define these terms as I see it, but in more of a high-level approach.
I encourage you to take a look at our offerings and contact me should you have any questions about the products.
This is the year of virtualized hosting, I predict, with many good offerings coming to light. It will be interesting to see your analysis a few months from now, or even at the end of the year.
Keep up the great work!
John Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I have received so much great feedback on this article I am planning on doing an updated version. To that end I am trying to talk to as many vendors as possible. I am mostly available all week and I would love to talk to you about ServePath.
Michael Sheehan Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Great that you are getting such good feedback. Please feel free to contact me and I can walk you through are products or get you in touch with the Grid Series/GoGrid Product Manager.
People Over Process » IT Management Podcast #005 - The Night John Slept on a Cray Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
[...] of our cloud-crazy talk, we jump into the cloud portion of our show. John mentions and we discuss his 0-3 level analysis of what cloud computing is. Without summarize the entire post here (just go read it!) the point is that there's [...]
links for 2008-02-14 « The Adventures of Geekgirl Says:
February 13th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
[...] Demystifying Clouds | John M Willis ESM Blog (tags: computing cloud) [...]
Level 2 Cloud Provider Matrix | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
February 15th, 2008 at 11:46 am
[...] Level 2 Providers are backbone hardware and software providers. In other words the are the primary owner of the hardware infrastructure and the cloud infrastructure software. For more on this see Demystifying Clouds [...]
Look Mom, Two Nines - Amazon S3 Major Outage Today | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
February 15th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
[...] Demystifying Clouds. [...]
SiliconDoc Says:
February 18th, 2008 at 1:20 am
So let me get this straight, since I'm supposed to be demystified now….
Cloud computing, this cloud hype, is some big giant hardware infrasructure based in some wharehouse somewhere, hooked into the internet, that sells "space and computing power" – that is also hooked with a software package that EMULATES various other well known softwares(and in a sense their hardware in their small server rooms) that are used for some businessses ?
In other words, you're using somebodies gigantic server wharehouse, and have this software package that some company is selling that runs on a small portion of that gigantic hardware in an EMULATION mode, and "pretends to be" or is a replacement for "your own little server and server room" ?
Do I have the concept ?
You're talking about an "emu" program that pretends to be your server room, so with it, all you have to worry about is managing that great software package that runs to your little puter console you use to manipulate it, and your worries about the server stack and it crashing… aren't your problem anymore… that problem it in "Oklahoma" or wherever else your "virtual server package" winds up running when you "reconfigure it and fire it up"… ?
lol – Do I have the concept down ?
This is a great way to pass the buck… no more hardware worries locally, really. If something goes down… it's likely someone else's fault – especially since those default best practices are "built into the virtual" (3Tera) software configuration by default…
Ooooh, how exciting…just think of all those little server rooms that don't need to be there anymore, and how that hardware needs to find a new home, and all those IT personnel are standing there staring at it, wondering if this or that part of it will fit in the den …:-) lol
Very interesting.
Paul Wallis Says:
February 20th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Here's another comment to boost your record! I enjoyed reading your blog, this subject got quite a bit of coverage in the last couple of weeks.
In order to discuss some of the issues surrounding The Cloud concept, I think it is important to place it in historical context, looking at the Cloud's forerunners and the problems they encountered before being adopted.
On my blog, http://www.KeystonesAndRivets.com, I've tried to do that in my "Cloud Computing" post.
One of the current barriers in the way of The Cloud is economics. I argue that,
"Telecom prices have fallen and bandwidth has increased, but more slowly than processing power, leaving the economics worse than in 2003″.
And "I'm sure that advances will appear over the coming years to bring us closer, but at the moment there are too many issues and costs with network traffic and data movements to allow it to happen for all but select processor intensive applications, such as image rendering and finite modelling.â€
Comments and feedback are very welcome.
Work: "Every cloud has a silver lining…" | Life by the park Says:
February 21st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
[...] здеÑÑŒ одна из не многих не ÑÐµÐ³Ð¾Ð´Ð½Ñ Ñ'олковых Ñтатей о cloud [...]
Wolkige Semantik – Clouds und Grids at viralmythen Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 11:45 am
[...] dieser Rechner leitet ebenfalls nur Anfragen an ein weiteres Netzwerk – die Cloud (z.B. Amazons EC2 oder Mosso) – weiter, in der dann tatsächlich die Datenabfragen stattfinden. Im alten Netz [...]
eTrobador Says:
March 14th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Good blog!
I'll see you in http://etrobada.blogspot.com
God luck!
Cloud Pontification | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
March 15th, 2008 at 9:09 am
[...] I like these guys I beleive his article was way off the mark. First off as I have been staying some cloud defintions need to be draw before you talk about clouds otherwise the defintions and the diliantions can be be [...]
Presently trying out « Then again, I might be wrong Says:
March 17th, 2008 at 3:36 am
[...] the moment I'm also trying out Tumblr. Not sure if yet another place in the cloud is a good idea, put I'm slightly seduced by the whole idea of [...]
Cloud Vendors A to Z | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
March 20th, 2008 at 5:43 am
[...] Also See … Demystifying Clouds [...]
Matching the Customer With the Right Cloud (Part 1) | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 6:19 am
[...] Cloud friends (mostly vendors). I put a stake in the ground by categorizing cloud vendors as either level 1, level 2, or level 3. Although, I am still refining my definitions, the bigger question is how do I answer the simple [...]
Cloud Operating System » Blog Archive » What's In A Name? Utility vs. Cloud vs Grid Says:
March 29th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
[...] Simon Wardley, James Urquhart of Cassatt, James Governor at Redmonk and IBM's Gerrit Huizenga. John Willis has sought to classify cloud computing providers. And what about grids? The IEEE has published a [...]
Cloud Review | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
March 30th, 2008 at 6:53 am
[...] Operating System » Blog Archive » What's In A Name? Utility vs. Cloud vs Grid on Demystifying CloudsSobre Captchas — tikitaka.ebierzo.com on Top 10 Worst CaptchasKent on How long would it take [...]
Very Good Article About Cloud Computing « The Pursuit of a Life Says:
April 7th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
[...] Article About Cloud Computing Published April 7, 2008 Computing Tags: Cloud Computing This article was written by John M Willis, and has a very different perspective than most of the blinkered, [...]
Cloud Vendors A to Z (Revised) | John M Willis ESM Blog Says:
April 13th, 2008 at 7:34 am
[...] Also See … Demystifying Clouds [...]
new buzzword: cloud computing at philippe::niquille Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 2:47 am
[...] Willis wrote a good post about the demystification of the cloud and introduces an interesting "layered" classification of cloud [...]
claudio Says:
June 4th, 2008 at 11:12 am
awesome article helps a lot do understand same things i thought regarding to this cloud grid technology,thanks
OnSaaS » Blog Archive » Defining SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, etc Says:
June 8th, 2008 at 1:09 am
[...] why are we defining all these terms here again when everyone else has already defined them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc? Heck, there's even a definition for Web 3.0 [...]
George Birbilis Says:
June 8th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Very nice article, thanks. I like it when someone can quickly sum up and clasify several technology offerings. Then I can follow the URLs and search for the product names mentioned much faster.
I agree with those saying though that the cloud isn't something new. It's like the WWW, it's in fact a part of the Internet, although many people believe it's the Internet itself since it's so popular. Similarly, the Cloud is a popular concept that can/has been implemented over the "Grid".
Tristan Black Says:
June 12th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Absolutely brilliant John! You opened a lot of doors and will be referring some of discoveries on our show.
I like your sense of humour too.
Tristan Black Says:
June 12th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I'm not sure what happened, but this is absolutely brilliant John!
This is very show worthy!
ElasticHosts Says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Hi John,
I'd like to also mention ElasticHosts, a UK-based cloud provider.
We support all operating systems for PC hardware, and provide a simple web interface, enabling customers to instantly scale their servers and to make snapshots of the entire running machine state for backup.
From the Editor of Methods & Tools » Blog Archive » Selling Software by the Pound Says:
June 25th, 2008 at 6:43 am
[...] Demystifying Clouds [...]
Inside the Cloud: 9 Sectors to Watch - GigaOM Says:
July 20th, 2008 at 8:01 am
[...] and network segments. The results are impressive: On seeing 3Tera for the first time, ESM guru John Willis was so impressed he insisted on logging in to the icons on his screen to verify that it [...]
My Top 3 posts of all time | IT Management and Cloud Blog Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[...] Demystifying Clouds [...]
91d437f0fb56cfb5b64de81b60bd6738 » Blog Archive » Inside the Cloud: 9 Sectors to Watch Says:
July 29th, 2008 at 12:19 am
[...] and network segments. The results are impressive: On seeing 3Tera for the first time, ESM guru John Willis was so impressed he insisted on logging in to the icons on his screen to verify that it wasn't [...]
Pascal Charest - blog d'un consultant en logiciel libre » Blog Archive » A walk in the cloud Says:
August 16th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
[...] computing, as defined here, here, here, here, here and… is still in condensation phase. Ideas appear and usability [...]
iWeb Blog » Inside the Cloud: 9 Sectors to Watch Says:
August 19th, 2008 at 9:06 am
[...] and network segments. The results are impressive: On seeing 3Tera for the first time, ESM guru John Willis was so impressed he insisted on logging in to the icons on his screen to verify that it wasn't [...]
Solmn Says:
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:03 am
I am approaching the cloud from the end-user perspective, where its all foggy up there, and all that matters is how easy it is to interact with my own personal data on the smallest footprint of a device.
I'm an anticipated fan of the CherryPal C100, which is being touted as a cloud computer. The CherryPal™ C100 desktop is about the size of a paperback book with the performance you would expect from a full-size desktop computer. It has Freescale's triple-core mobileGT processor for multimedia performance and feature-rich user interfaces, while only consuming as much power as a clock radio. CherryPal uses 80 percent fewer components than a traditional PC, and because it has no moving parts, it operates without making a sound and will last 10 years or more. I am excited about how the CherryPal can bridge barriers to people who have not had access to computers or the internet because of money, fear, education or other challenges. I will be commenting on my experience of using it on my blog as soon as I get my own CherryPal C100! You can use CODE CPP206 to get your own CherryPal for $10 less than purchase price. CherryPal for Everyone at http://cherrypal.blogspot.com
Cloud Favorites | IT Management and Cloud Blog Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 8:25 am
[...] Demystifying Clouds [...]
Virtualization and Cloud Computing: Are they different disciplines? | CloudAve Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
[...] To emphasize this point, I will quote John Willis [...]
Clouds and Beer Says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
[...] For more details on those cloud levels, read this and [...]
A Technical Manager's Perspective » Cloud Computing Links Says:
April 29th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
[...] three good links that expand on cloud computing: Cloud Computing, Get you head out of the Clouds Demystifying Clouds What cloud computing really [...]
Zen 2.0 » Blog Archive » Defining SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, etc Says:
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
[...] why are we defining all these terms here again when everyone else has already defined them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc? Heck, there's even a definition for Web 3.0 [...]
Günther Gerlach » Defining Cloud Computing from the scratch Says:
June 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
[...] why are we defining all these terms here again when everyone else has already defined them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc? Heck, there's even a definition for Web 3.0 and [...]
John Says:
June 18th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Thank you for reading my blog. In my defense, this definition was made in Feb 08. As I recall, there were not a lot of definitions for cloud computing at that time. I do believe this post is outdated; however, I have not created an updated post on this subject for exactly the reasons in which you lodged your original complaint.
Raghavendra Prakash Says:
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:37 am
Amazing, I loved your analysis. Waiting to read more.
Understanding the cloud player landscape… « RedPeak Solutions Blog Says:
July 21st, 2009 at 8:57 am
[...] cloud computing levels, cloud players, John Willis Back in 2008, cloud computing blogger,John Willis, posted about the different levels of cloud computing in an attempt to demystify the cloud. He [...]
Saju Says:
August 7th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Whats in line for Level 4 ?
Other can have a look at how clouds can help enterprises now
Grid Computing und Cloud Computing: Äpfel und Birnen? - Daniel Liebhart Says:
September 27th, 2009 at 7:37 am
[...] unter dem Namen Cloud Computing virtualisierte Dienste anbieten. (Eine wunderbare Beschreibung von Cloud Computing durch John Willis ist in seinem Blog zu [...]
Sudhir Kirloskar Says:
December 1st, 2009 at 5:42 am
Good analysis. I have started writing on cloud computing, to explain its concept and developments, in layman terms. Please visit http://sudhirkirloskar.blogspot.com and let me know your feedback.
what about cloud computing? | all about IT infrastructure Says:
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
[...] Demystifying clouds – John M. Willis [...]
Is cloud computing more than just smoke? | 云生活 Says:
April 29th, 2010 at 3:30 am
[...] In a recent study, Forrester Research identified 11 companies that it called "cloud providers." The list includes hosting companies like Rackspace, as well as development platform providers like Salesforce.com. Systems management expert John Willis has also created a list of cloud providers and tries to demystify the concept here. [...]


text:
When Is Stress Good for You, and Your Career?
New research proves that all stress isn't bad for the body, as previously believed. How do you get more good stress into your life, and get rid of the harmful kind? Sue Shellenbarger explains, and business consultant Desiree Adaway offers her personal account. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... when stress that for you and your career welcome back to lunch break I'm Wendy downs our work and family calmness Sue Shellenbarger now she's been digging into the signs of stress she joins us now along with Deseret Adelaide is a national much alive she isn't this is the career coach to ... be in from the light changed to make this a ... positive force in her life telling about this now so I wanna start with you welcome to both of you ... still most doctors want to stress the Killarney this is all that week here's the link everything from heart disease to cancer ... but I think people may be shocked to learn that there's actually a positive way to incorporate ... stress in your life what is that housing for ... the senses cannot say can be pretty bad and men researchers said that Chloe University and Ilya Cromme consumption on a tear this recent ... quarter that had a financial services company finding the way you look it stressed me she checks the reason that ... we may have missed ... some of the beneficial effects of stress in stimulating to perform better ... by all the focus and it ... this is I you were no stranger to stress that you indeed turn bad stressed and stressed ... by basically changing your job you said ... before that you were crispy fried I were to fifteen point for us and helping to make a change in your life ... to kick in question David and I actually ... came back from taking share caught pneumonia ... and had a cute red headed to the current year ... when I got into it with ... a real wake up often in a pink ... added ... that for a great gift for any help however in the lurch ... I think it's the it's really the action of the twenty oh one hour to read what you're doing and how to make a joke around the fact ... that it actually becomes really to show ... that actually an IQ test ... or are ... in a very definitive change in how you work you were the head of the not I not for profit ... I'd tell Slavov about the lifestyle there and then about the lights out now that you were running your own consulting business ... I ... my body basically he didn't fight or flight I ... travel internationally quite a bit of a time like Eric with returned ... to contract a large number of staff and volunteers in ... really big projects bring in millions of dollars fee and ... it took its ... toll on the fifth that week Hanukkah might be on call ... at least be I'd ... like to shred level would never repeat ... people can really ... get bored of it ... to catch a break with an actor I am kicking if I get for college which I know what people think ... that's about twice that of the year ... I mean you know me ... he keep calling ... we're not picking it up if that ... happens when people work with is real ... and an issue of ... the act is the attitude if you have to love like you ... I ... love working with Heineken to the plate ... place right now but been working on things ... like BP and Shell ... how are you coping with a quiet week ago that he and I are ... tensions have currently ... leaking ... making the joke alot but it didn't help ... very ... kind very different ... day different CNES she's making a very important point here is that ... she actually made a definitive dramatic change and it was a scary one he was wanted in carriage hear the same income ... maybe not even to needing guarantee guarantee of the same perception of power that many people might've had about ... the control she had in her own job ... but isn't that just that with the matter that it will fall to get a lot stress of our lives in many cases ... we have to make a scary change ... you can lead to lose steam job if you're able to get more control ago she ... had to do more work this meaningful to your funny or sad or ninja from co-workers or bus's sch area and ready to take a break to back away and he's taken vacation so you can get clear stress eater cures for their ability to think clearly ... sometimes he's a great job she's not always ... are we start talking about the Apple I think I'm waiting for that call on sabbatical stale ... analyst coming can feel I ...


text:
Nokia 770 Internet Tablet
You can pull down Web pages on most PDAs, smart phones, and BlackBerrys, but let's be honest: The Web wasn't meant to be shoehorned into a 3-inch screen. Enter the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, a PDA-like communicator with a wide, Web-friendly screen and loads of multimedia features. Priced at $359.99, it's an affordable solution for anyone who prizes Web accessibility but doesn't want the weight, the bulk, or the expense of a full-blown laptop. Unfortunately, it won't be long before you're pining for a notebook's speed and versatility--the Nokia 770 runs like molasses and lacks key features such as VoIP and instant messaging. Although Nokia plans to add them in 2006, you'll still be left with a painfully slow device that requires either a Wi-Fi hot spot or a Bluetooth-enabled phone to get online. Ultimately, the 770's only real advantage over a PDA is its dazzling high-resolution screen, but on those merits alone, it's hard to recommend. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet bears more than a passing resemblance to a PDA, except that it's designed with a landscape orientation and has the wide screen to match. The unit measures 5.5 by 3.1 by 0.7 inches and weighs 8.2 ounces with its sliding-metal screen cover in place. It's a bit too long to fit comfortably into a pants pocket and a bit too heavy for the inside breast pocket of a sport coat, which otherwise seems like a natural fit, given the 770's slim, checkbooklike design. Ultimately, you may find the 770 difficult to carry anywhere.
The aforementioned cover might seem like an annoyance at first, especially when you realize that it adds extra bulk to the Nokia 770. It's reversible, however, so you can slide it over the backside of the device without worrying about misplacing it. What's more, when you slide it over the screen while the 770 is still on, it automatically puts the unit in standby mode. Slide it off again, and the 770 wakes up instantly--nice. Unfortunately, when you reverse the cover, it blocks access to the stylus silo--a silly and annoying design flaw. Equally irksome, the flat plastic stylus fits only one way into the silo.
The Nokia 770 is almost all screen--touch screen, that is. Its TFT LCD measures 4.1 inches diagonally; by contrast, the display on the Dell Axim X51v PDA measures 3.7 inches. That extra 11 percent may not seem like much, but it's enough to make Web pages easier on the eyes. The real news, however, is resolution: At 800x480 pixels, the 770 can display most Web pages with little or no horizontal scrolling required. The screen renders bright, colorful, and incredibly crisp images, making browsing a much more pleasant experience than you'd expect.
To the left of the Nokia 770's screen, a four-way navigation pad enables one-handed operation--you can use it to hop between links, scroll through lists, and make selections. Below the navigator, Back, Menu, and Home buttons also assist in stylus-free operation. Along the top of the 770, you'll find a full-screen toggle button, which removes all but the nav bar from Web pages; an incredibly handy zoom rocker; and the power button. The 770's USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, AC connector, and media slot can all be found on the bottom edge.
The Nokia 770's expansion slot is disappointing. Although the 770 seems like it could easily accommodate popular SD media, it instead forces you to use a Reduced Size MMC card. These are not only harder to come by and pricier than SD media but also top out at 1GB. On the plus side, Nokia does supply a 64MB card and an adapter, so you can access it via a standard MMC reader on your PC.
To enter data on the Nokia 770, you can tap-type using an onscreen keyboard or try the handwriting-recognition software. We found the latter fairly awkward, especially compared with the more accommodating systems on most PDAs. Although we could enter standard alphanumeric characters, the engine frequently recognized letters as spaces and gave us uppercase letters when we wanted lowercase.
Nokia's printed manual is terse but comprehensive, covering all topics in very brief detail. Fortunately, we found we could figure out most of the Nokia 770's operations via guesswork. The interface is clean, attractive, and fairly intuitive, though it can be difficult to remember when to press the actual Menu button and when to click its onscreen counterpart; the two buttons launch different sets of menus.The Nokia 770 may look like a PDA, but it has a decidedly Web-oriented feature set. The device connects to the Web via Wi-Fi hot spots or your Bluetooth- and data-enabled cell phone. This being a Nokia product, the 770 should incorporate some kind of CDMA or GPRS connectivity, but alas, that's not the case. Thankfully, we had an easy time ferreting out hot spots in our area; the 770's internal antenna has excellent range, and the onscreen-connection selector shows signal strength for each discovered network and whether or not it's locked.


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Conrad Balliet
Conrad A. Balliet was weaned on the likes of "Mary had a little lamb," bounced on his mother's knee to the tune of the Pennsylvania Dutch rhyme of "ride-a ride-a Geilie," grew up in a home with Kipling's "If" on a plaque on the wall, and spent his adolescence with The Best Loved Poems of the American People, fancying himself as A.E. Housman's Shropshire Lad.
After brief and not very successful efforts at painting (houses and fences), bus driving, and the U.S. Army, he worked his way as an English major through Muhlenberg, Lehigh, and Cornell. His academic interests paralleled his personal growth from late Victorian to early modern, and he spent, part time, many years wandering through Europe and the lower reaches of the imagination trying to understand and explain the poetic and human complexities of W.B. Yeats and his beloved Maud Gonne MacBride.
He came to WYSO in 1993, and still does what he enjoyed doing at Wittenberg University for thirty years: reads and recites poetry whenever possible, and encourages people to share his appreciation and love of images and metaphors, rhythms and rhymes.


text:
After today's meeting with Gov. Mark Dayton in St. Paul, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he would reveal in the next few days the league's plan to help pay for the Vikings' new stadium.
The old G-3 stadium fund dried up in 2006. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told me last week about another way the league can help pay for stadiums. Here's a portion of Aiello's email to me:
"Teams can apply for some financing through the league via a club seat waiver approved by the clubs, whereby the portion of club seat revenue that would otherwise go to the visiting team goes instead to help finance the stadium for a period of time."
I don't know how much that would generate, but it would be a way for the other 31 teams to help the Vikings replace the Metrodump. While owners aren't thrilled to part with their visiting club-seat cut, they probably would make more in the long run because a new stadium would generate more club-seat revenue that the Metrodump.
There's also the possibility that a successor program to the G-3 fund could be part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Aiello said.
With the lockout sucking the news out of the league, the NFL Network's weekly countdown of the top 100 current NFL players gets a lot of action as a talking point. This week's topic is Tony Romo at No. 72.
Anybody else feel that's too generous for Tony? Anybody else feel maybe Tony isn't even in the top 100? I'm not saying he's a bad QB. Overrated? Perhaps.
Kevin Mawae, president of the disbanded NFLPA, told Sirius XM NFL Radio that the owners and players are no closer to an agreement than they were in March.
Duh. Why would the sides be any closer with all the lawyers and federal judges standing between them?
The only way to get closer is for the owners to end the lockout and the players to drop the lawsuit. Unfortunately, there isn't enough trust on either side for that to happen.
So we all sit and wait for the hearings, appeals and more hearings to continue.
Teams have been at a standstill this offseason, but somehow the Bears have moved ahead of the Packers as the best team in the NFC. So says Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
"I think we're the best team in our conference," Urlacher told the Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal.
Didn't the Bears and Packers just settle that issue at Soldier Field about four months ago?
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