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Saturday, May 03, 2008
I have finally got around to PDF-ing Rosalind and Bakerloo, and putting them up on ravelry. As an added bonus you can also find my Bottoms Up pattern and an article about toe-up sock heels (with formula/ pattern).
If you are not on ravelry, then that's your own problem, you freak. Join up.
They are all for free. Please respect (a) copyright and (b) that I'm not here to teach you to knit. By all means contact me if you think there is a problem with the pattern, but if I get another message on ravelry from a stranger who wonders if maybe they should have done a swatch (or simply hasn't read the pattern), I'll scream.
Because I'm feeling maudlin today, I've re-dedicated the Bakerloo pattern to Ken Livingstone, seeing as it was named after London transport. As I said, maudlin. Not just about the new mayor - its other voting decisions, or lack of them that really bugged me. I tried to walk it off this afternoon, so stomped up the hill to look over the view of London from the Horniman gardens. I often go there when I want perspective, I somehow feel soothed by surveying my city. But the skyline didn't work today. So I decided to hide in pretend countryside instead, and went for a muddy walk around Sydenham Hill Woods, which at least gave me a chance to play with my new birthday present (new camera). Hence the photos.
I can't believe I took these, and feel entirely justified in having 'blamed my tools' for the last couple of years.
25 comments:
- the frog princess said...
Hurrah hurrah! Bottoms up! Thank you so much! :D
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- Ink and Indigo said...
I felt much the same, so threw academic work aside for the evening, got some booze in and spent a good few hours knitting away on your Ester pattern, which is very well-written, and was quite cathartic. Cheers for bottoms up! x
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- Anushka said...
UGH tell me about it. we have lost the city to a man who doesn't know the cost of transport.
but pretty photos. he can't get rid of that.
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- Pig wot flies said...
Fabulous pics!
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- Pig wot flies said...
I think Boris was inevitable. Still that doesn't make the reality any less grumpy-making.
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- Ashley said...
Trust me when I say that we Americans feel your pain on really poor choices on the part of the voting majority.
On the plus side, lovely photos!
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
Great photos!
- Saturday, May 03, 2008
- no-shrinking-violet said...
Happy Birthday! Great pictures.
- Sunday, May 04, 2008
- YowlYY said...
I used to live at the edge of Sydenham, the bit facing Crystal Palace Park, and love the Horniman gardens! Lucky you to enjoy it, I miss it especially in this season.
As for your new major, commiserations! But there weren't really many alternatives, huh?
- Sunday, May 04, 2008
I tried to post a comment but I don't think it worked - lovely photos! Great framing and focus.
- Monday, May 05, 2008
- Lolly said...
your photos are stunning! i particularly love the bark texture one.
- Tuesday, May 06, 2008
- rubbishknitter said...
love the ladybird picture!
Looks like a harlequin - scary little blighters those, I've not seen one yet here up north.
- Wednesday, May 07, 2008
- Herci said...
Those pictures ARE amazing! Could I ask what tech. you're using?
- Thursday, May 08, 2008
- Herci said...
Those pictures ARE amazing! Could I ask what tech. you're using?
- Thursday, May 08, 2008
- Alice said...
also left on Herci's blog:
Read the post! (or click on the photos to go to their flickr page)
- Thursday, May 08, 2008
- Cialis Online said...
Awesome pictures, it is also a hobby of mine to take pictures of everything.
- Tuesday, June 07, 2011
- pharmacy said...
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- Monday, August 29, 2011
- pharmacy said...
so amazing pictures,I love this post, everything about nature it's so beautiful
- Monday, August 29, 2011
- xlpharmacy said...
what a nice photos. I love how you can catch the beauty of nature with just one shot of your camera. It's simply amazing
- Monday, September 19, 2011
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- Thursday, October 27, 2011
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- Friday, March 09, 2012
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- Thursday, April 12, 2012
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- Friday, April 20, 2012
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- Wednesday, August 14, 2013


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Kill Ratio: Chad Halverson, Book 4 (Unabridged)
by Bryan Cassiday
Open iTunes to Buy
The end of America is near. A plague that kills its victims and resurrects them as flesh-eating ghouls has decimated the American population, forcing what's left of the government to take shelter underground in the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia. On the West Coast, CIA black ops agent Chad Halverson and a ragtag band of survivors decide to head to Washington, DC, to find out if anyone is still in charge, even though Halverson knows that someone in the upper echelons of the government is trying to drone him. Halverson suspects the assassin is a high-level CIA employee. Whoever he is, he has tried to drone Halverson before and will try again. Of that much, Halverson is sure. Halverson and fellow refugees Victoria Brady, Blackfoot Chogan, and Emma Lawson become trapped in Las Vegas by General Quantrill, a militia commandant who runs the strip with an iron hand and has a terrifying secret. Halverson is a consummate liar who can't tell anyone the truth about what he knows. Victoria is a dressmaker who can't forget the child she lost to the plague. Emma Lawson is a waitress who can't (or doesn't want to) remember she lost her child to the plague. And Chogan is a Blackfoot Indian in the marines who became separated from his wife during the plague. Meanwhile, in the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, President Cole must decide whether to start nuking his own country in order to save it from the virus that has a hundred percent kill ratio. Whether America survives or not, it will never be the same.
- Narrator: Sergei Burbank
- Published: 2013
- Category: Fiction
- Provider: Bryan Cassiday
- Presented by Audible.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Arkaeon wrote:...and you haven't had any for 5 weeks because...?
I don't like to drink for six weeks after operations
Moderator: All Things Mods
Arkaeon wrote:...and you haven't had any for 5 weeks because...?
Ubi Dubius wrote:Why would I want a doctor who went through my whisky?
Arkaeon wrote:Glenlivit is okay. It's like a half-castrated Glenfiddich, taste-wise. Easygoing, I would call it. Soft-ish for a scotch. I haven't had any for years, so I'll take corrections from those who have had it more recently.
Arkaeon wrote:BY THE WAY I went ahead and started the "Beer Volcano" thread in "Rant, Rave, and Misbehave" section, where kids will theoretically not be reading it and getting any explosive ideas. I'll put my basic mead procedure in there next. All lovers of the Beer Volcano are welcome to join in on the fun.
black bart wrote:I was in Sainsbury's on Friday and they were selling 'Highland Park' at a massive £6 off discount...only trouble was they'd sold out!
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Accommodation at the Dream Hotel is cheerfully decorated and amply equipped with free WiFi, satellite TV, direct dial telephone and air conditioning. Guests will also find a mini bar and safety deposit box.
Hotel and restaurant "Dream" in Velika Gorica is only five minutes away from Zagreb Airport.
Direct booking and reservations with web site online payment system. Search & Book.
We offer various types of indoor and outdoor parking. Find out more on our Parking page. The only indoor garage parking facility in the Zagreb Airport area!https://dreamvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/service-box-parking1.jpg


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Market Basket Protests Persist on Day of Deadline to Return to Work
A trucker driving for Market Basket was arrested by Tewksbury Police after allegedly leaving his truck and engaging with protesters while holding a hammer outside company headquarters Friday afternoon.
Trucker who got out waving a hammer at MB demonstrators arrested by Tewksbury police. pic.twitter.com/jVo3HAl8XF— Ken MacLeod (@KenMacWBZ) August 15, 2014
Tewksbury Police confirmed the incident and arrest to Boston.com shortly after it occurred. Media reports identified the man Friday night as Ira Forbes of Brooklyn, NY. He faces charges of disorderly conduct and assault.
WBZ's website has more information on the incident:
WBZ-TV's Ken MacLeod reports that the driver got out of the truck with something at his side wrapped in a towel. There was an exchange of words between the driver and the demonstrators. When police officers realized that the object in his hand was a hammer they quickly tackled him to the ground.
Market Basket has been using replacement truckers since employed truckers walked off the job on July 18 in protest of the firing of Arthur T. Demoulas as CEO. The use of replacement truckers has been criticized by protesters throughout this summer's standoff.
A Market Basket spokesperson issued a statement following the arrest saying the trucker, and the trucking company he worked for, will no longer be working with the grocery chain.
"We are thankful that local police intervened and that no one was injured. Market Basket of course condemns the driver's actions. Both the driver and the company for which he worked have been terminated, effective immediately.''
The Market Basket spokesperson told Boston.com the driver worked with large Arkansas-based trucking company J.B. Hunt, which had been working with Market Basket. J.B. Hunt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Market Basket headquarters and warehouse workers held the line at corporate offices in Tewksbury Friday despite facing a deadline to return to work or risk losing their jobs.
Many workers facing that deadline have remained steadfast that they will not return without the reinstatement of Arthur T. Demoulas. The former leader, who is still a major shareholder, remains in negotiations to buy-out Market Basket from his rival family members, including his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas. The animosity between the two sides was laid bare Thursday night in board meeting transcripts obtained by The Boston Globe.
Ahead of the deadline, some workers expressed their defiance toward the company's current chief executives.
"I don't work for them,'' Rosie Vacirca, a headquarters worker told The Lowell Sun. "They can't fire me.''
Anne Browne, an IT worker with the company, told Boston.com earlier this week: "Artie's not in the office. If he's not, I'm not.''
A Boston Globe source also told the paper no employees who had received the threat of job loss at the Andover warehouse reported for work today.
Market Basket did not respond to inquiries about the imposed deadline Friday afternoon.
There have been mixed signals from labor lawyers as to what would happen if the workers lose their jobs. The letter alerting employees to Friday's deadline from co-CEOs Felicia Thornton and James Gooch was carefully worded to suggest those who do not arrive at work will have abandoned their positions. That language would suggest the employees had resigned rather than been terminated, potentially leaving them without much recourse. But other labor lawyers say non-management workers at headquarters and in the warehouses may be protected during the work stoppage. "Even though there's no union in the picture, these employees are withholding their services collectively and that is a strike,'' attorney Keith McCown told The Boston Herald. In other words, such action could get pretty messy.
Meanwhile, about 40 clergy representatives from Merrimack Valley signed a statement calling for resolution Friday, according to The Herald.
A Lowell pastor to Market Basket leaders: My people are hurting... please fix it. pic.twitter.com/S4tKFPgy2R— Bernice Corpuz (@BerniceWBZ) August 15, 2014
Away from headquarters, Market Basket store managers have been directed to remove signage from stores that is supportive of the ongoing protest movement. That message has also been met with some defiance. "Unless I'm told by Arthur T. Demoulas to take down these signs, they're staying up,'' John Sevastis, store director at one of the company's Fitchburg supermarkets, told Boston.com Thursday.
Are both these signs in compliance with #marketbasket ceos' order? pic.twitter.com/h2vqUZ5w6d— Kris Pisarik (@kplowellsun) August 15, 2014
And on social media, protesting customers are planning a Saturday evening rally in Tewksbury. A separate rally was planned for Friday evening in New Hampshire. NECN has details on both rallies.
In some ways, the scene outside headquarters Friday looked more like a tailgating party than a protest.
Some roasted a whole lamb on a spitfire grill. Since it takes at least 25 minutes per pound for lamb to reach cooked form, it seems these folks were digging in for a long day.
The company that became the Market Basket chain was founded nearly 100 years ago, and is said to specialized in fresh lamb.


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Your login works with all Adventure Projects sites
Password help
We're part of the REI Co-op family,
where a life outdoors is a life well lived.
Open the MTB Project app and you'll find this trail on top of your To-Do List.
(Make sure you log in.)
Local Club: Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA)
Jan 8, 2017: Hobbs Hollow Flow Trail
Feb 18, 2016: HMBA Trail Builders Fund Powered by SRAM
Feb 18, 2016: National Designation for Brown County Trails
Land Manager: Indiana State Parks
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Ten new NCSE Teacher Ambassadors will be gathering together in March to revise lessons and plan their work with local colleagues. They represent talented, accomplished professionals teaching climate change in areas of the country where that can sometimes prove to be ideologically controversial.
John Cook knows a thing or two about climate change misconceptions and he's on a mission to help teachers and students leverage those misconceptions into fruitful, engaging, evidence-based learning opportunities.
NCSE's Executive Director Ann Reid looks back at the organization's accomplishments in 2018, and looks ahead to what's coming in 2019.
NCSE Director of Teacher Suppport Brad Hoge explains the rationale behind our misconceptions-based approach to climate and evolution education.
Watch as Ann Reid delivers a talk at Clemson University: "Capturing a Killer, Capturing the Imagination: The Power of Bringing Real Evidence into the Science Classroom."
Renowned climate scientist Michael E. Mann and author and illustrator Megan Herbert provide insight into their new children's book about climate change, The Tantrum That Saved the World.
The Tantrum that Saved the World, a children's book about climate change written by Michael E. Mann and Megan Herbert, is reviewed by a fifth grade teacher and her students.
We welcomed our first eight NCSEteach Teacher Ambassadors in February through the Turning Misinformation into Educational Opportunities (TMEO) Workshop at George Mason University. This group of teachers developed a unit of 5 hands-on lessons on climate change and field tested them throughout this past semester.
One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that facts are not all powerful. As a scientist, I love facts. A paleontologist tells me that there is a 365-million-year-old fishlike thing with eight fingers that is an ancient cousin to tetrapods? Amazing! Where can we find more like it?
In a new exciting venture with several partners, I have come to greatly appreciate the many science-based resources for teachers housed at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
fax: 510-788-7971
For Reporters | Store | Events


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Posts TaggedPhotoSync
One of the best features of the iPhone is the built-in camera, which allows you to capture photos or shoot videos quickly and conveniently. However, once you're ready to import your photos and videos to your computer, you'll find that the process isn't quite as convenient. Sure, you can upload files to Dropbox or another cloud storage service, but wouldn't it just be easier to transfer them wirelessly to your computer?
If you answered "no" to the previous question, this article may not hold much interest for you. For those that answered with an resounding "yes," look no further than PhotoSync. PhotoSync allows you to easily transfer photos and videos wirelessly in multiple methods, which will be discussed after the jump.


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If the Seahawks can get some needs addressed in Free Agency (not suggesting first batch of high priced guys... but, maybe if they can land some guys like Louis Vasquez on the OL and Glenn Dorsey on the DL. Brian Hartline might be my favorite FA WR available)... I think the Hawks really need to address the WR position - even getting 2 top WR's available. Here's why. I love Rice, Tate and Baldwin. But, I'm not so sure about the rest of the WR corps. If any one of those guys should miss any time, who are the Hawks counting on at that point? Plus, how can a team have Russell Wilson at QB and not have a full stable of talent at WR? Elite QB's are not exactly common. To have one and to not give him the very best possible receiving corps the team can assemble would be a waste. Again, I'm not mocking any of the great players we have. Zach Miller, included. I like McCoy and even optimistic about certain other players currently on the roster to see if they can show they belong (Bates, Williams, Helfet) Just that since the QB is in place... it would be a shame to not try to put even more talent around him.
I'd like to see at least one of the following (and just listing players I think could be available when the Hawks pick): Hopkins, Austin, Wheaton or Woods. (Robert Woods is impressive.) Any in this bunch would be amazing. Any 2 might be a dream, but if the draft fell that way and was possible... I'd be absolutely elated. Tavon Austin may be the only 1st round player in this list with the other 3 being high 2nd rounders (Mayock is projecting Hopkins as a 2nd rounder). Austin + any of those. Or, any combo of the other 3... the team would be set at WR. If that falls through, another WR by round 3 or 4. Maybe Patton, Bailey, Swope type guys.


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Policy Regarding One-On-One Situations
Clear guidelines should be established for isolated, one-on-one situations. Many organizations strictly prohibit one-on-one time under any circumstances. However, for organizations that address the needs of children and adolescents, one-on-one mentoring/tutoring/support is often considered important to a child's development. If this is the case for an organization, very specific guidelines about such one-on-one time should be clearly articulated.
Risk Assessment
High and low risk situations in your organization should be clearly defined. For example, a situation where one teacher is with a group of children in an open classroom where other adults are walking in and out would be considered low risk. A situation where an adult is alone with a child, driving from one activity to another, would be high risk.
Observable and Interruptible
Essentially, determination of risk has to do with the degree to which situations are observable and interruptible. An adult can mentor a child privately by finding a spot that is away from others, but that is still in an open area that is observable. For example, an adult and child might sit at a picnic bench. Their conversation can be private under this circumstance, but easily observed.
Many organizations carefully design physical space to permit observable and interruptible one-on-one time. For example, windows are installed in all doors, even closets, and policy is established that prohibits them from being covered.
Adult-Child Ratios
Most prudent is a policy that requires two adults to be present at all times when children and adolescents are being supervised. Many organizations require that the two adults not be family members. A helpful addition to this policy is that whenever groups of children are being supervised, an extra adult should be available as a "floater" to stand in if one of the two adults in a classroom or other situation must leave the area.
Special Circumstances
All organizations with child protection policy should carefully consider policy for toileting/diapering, driving with youth, and overnight activities. Each organization is unique; therefore generic policy is difficult to articulate. However, the clearer an organization is about the acceptable way to handle these situations, the less likely an incident in which a child is violated will occur.


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Or require Binlor to be unlocked first.
A more serious suggestion: what if there were a (small) item that let you access your deity's altar from anywhere? Being able to repeat Unstoppable Fury in a vicious subdungeon might make Taurog more versatile later on, without compromising any of the current early- to mid-game.


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Mashup: 2lingual Google Search Followers
Google Search in 2 separate languages. 2lingual Google Search is a dual-language search tool that performs both a Google Search and a Cross-language Google Search. It also provides a query translation option that can be activated or deactivated for Cross-language Google Searches. The top-ranking Google Search Results from 2 user-selected search languages are displayed in side-by-side columns. Other Features include Search Suggestions, Rich Snippets and 37 Google Search Languages.


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JT3T necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 36 diseños de 6 diseñadores freelance.
Story Go Round
Story Go Round is a small start-up, which will offer an online rental library of children's books (a "Netflix" for Children's Books).
The target market includes families and teachers.
I am looking for the main graphics to be used at the top and side of each page on the site. There are two graphics that I'd like to have. They are both a play on the name Story Go Round with a Carousel theme.
1) The first one is the main graphic for the top of each page of the site. It will be the top of the carousel - a tented look. At the very top of the tent, I would like the Story Go Round logo to be used as a sort of medallion.
The text will go on the flags at the bottom (as I've indicated in the attached drawing), but the text will be added later and should not be part of the design. The colors should be the ones in the logo (also attached).
It should be around 980 pixels wide, to account for 1024x768 monitor resolutions (http://blog.bridgelinesw.com/2009/1…solutions/), and the height should not exceed 300px or so to leave room for the content below. Ideally, it would be designed in a vector image format (e.g., Adobe Illustrator) so that it can be easily resized without losing resolution.
2) The second image is basically an enlarged part of the first. It will be the sidebar menu for each page. It should be the same "flag" and gold pole as seen in the first graphic. It needs three flags. Again, a vector based image.
I have a sketch attached of what I'm looking for, but feel free to let me know if there are questions!


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1. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportmytaxsite.co.uk Mar 5, 2012 6:17 PM (in response to c2t2)
I can't comment about your specific problem because I know nothing about it but in future if you want to use Adobe products for a short period (defined as less than or equal to 30 days) then you should consider downloading a trial version. The trial version software is a full version that does everything a product is supposed to do. I hope you can pass this tip to your students who may want to work from home to do their homework and coursework.
Hope this helps.
2. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportNoel Carboni Mar 6, 2012 4:14 PM (in response to raketenantrieb.com)
I've seen some really STUPID posts in my time, and usually I hold my tongue, but Philipp, yours merits special mention.
It should be deleted forthwith as an egregious violation of the rules (both being SPAM and promoting illegal activity). Moderator, while you're deleting that one, kill mine too please.
3. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportClaudio González Mar 6, 2012 5:23 PM (in response to Noel Carboni)
Just in case: Noel, you were not answering Phillip here, but someone whose name begins with "rakete..." and whose message was deleted (but yours hasn't).
4. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportPhillip M Jones Mar 6, 2012 8:05 PM (in response to Claudio González)
Thanks Claudio. No that was not me than gave that comment. He signed his post with Philipp. I've never spelled my name in that way in the almost 63 I've been living.
I would never recommend someone to do an illegal activity. Despite my thinking software in general, cost too much and not supported enough. I still bite the bullet and purchase what I need.
5. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportClaudio González Mar 7, 2012 5:14 AM (in response to Phillip M Jones)
Well, it would seem that I may be in need of new reading glasses...
6. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportPhillip M Jones Mar 7, 2012 8:18 AM (in response to Claudio González)
I still appreciate the support. whether you need glasses or not. All people eventually need glasses as they get older. Or the get arm extenders so they don't have to.
7. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportElizabeth Burhop Mar 7, 2012 12:17 PM (in response to Phillip M Jones)
You are so right about the terrible customer support !!!! So RUDE. I was just disconnected 3 times.
8. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportc2t2 Mar 12, 2012 2:29 PM (in response to Elizabeth Burhop)
Adobe outsourced customer support to India in 2009 ..... The live chat is worse than having nothing at al ( It is actually kind of insulting ). The phone support is ridiculous. My High School students offer me pirated software all of the time, but I've wanted to set a good example. This is the problem when companies get too big . I could understand if the company was just hanging by a thread but they did 1.5 billon in sales in 2011.
9. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportthe_wine_snob Mar 13, 2012 2:47 PM (in response to c2t2)
Adobe C/S, and T/S, were not always that way. At one time, I rated them at about the # 2 position, up near the old WordPerfect (back in the pre-Corel, Orem, UT days). Man, that was just flat great support!!!!
As you say, T/S, at least, was outsourced, and things seemed to have gone downhill. Fortunately for me, I have not had to use either T/S, or C/S during recent times. However, from reading of others' plights, it does seem to be pretty bad. Not THAT long ago, Adobe's upper-management (cannot recall the person now), issued a public statement, that Adobe would be addressing the support issues, and working to improve things. With some programs, it appears that positive changes HAVE been made, though obviously not with all products. Premiere Pro is one such programs, with improving T/S.
I still maintain that the product forums are better than most T/S interactions will likely be. Now, get into licensing, etc., and one needs to contact C/S, as most forum members cannot do much more than parrot what they have read, as most of us, have never had any licensing problems.
Sorry that you have had bad encounters.
10. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportJohn Waller Mar 15, 2012 12:30 PM (in response to the_wine_snob)
Bill Hunt wrote:
Not THAT long ago, Adobe's upper-management (cannot recall the person now), issued a public statement, that Adobe would be addressing the support issues, and working to improve things.
That would be the widely cited "Open Letter to Adobe Customers" by Lambert Walsh, VP Technical Services back in Sep 2009.
Meet him (and other Adobe staff) in this 3 min promotional video discussing their "Customer Listening Post"
11. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportPhillip M Jones Mar 15, 2012 12:53 PM (in response to John Waller)
Much ado about nothings. Just a lot of hot air.
12. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportJohn Waller Mar 15, 2012 1:31 PM (in response to Phillip M Jones)
Believe me, I never watch those videos for the content.
To me, they're promotional fluff with little traction in the real world and zero effect on my workflow and purchasing decisions.
I occasionally like to put a face to a name at Adobe, that's all.
13. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportthe_wine_snob Mar 16, 2012 4:02 PM (in response to John Waller)
Thank you for that link. I thought that I had it bookmarked, but could not readily find it.
14. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportJeff A Wright Mar 19, 2012 8:49 AM (in response to c2t2)
C2T2 I apologize for the difficulties you have experienced with your use of the subscription edition. We currently only offer monthly and annual subscription plans. If you or anyone else would like to cancel your subscription prior to the next billing period you can do so by accessing the My Adobe feature of our website - https://www.adobe.com/account.html. Once you are logged in you will want to select My Subscriptions and Services to manage your subscription.
In regards to processing your request for a refund you will need to work with our support team. For the best assistance, I recommend our chat support at http://adobe.ly/yxj0t6. Our chat representatives can provide a personalized experience to resolve the issue you have described.
15. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportFrustrated in WA Mar 31, 2012 10:29 PM (in response to c2t2)
I must agree that Adobe support lacks any support as well as good Customer Service. I just finished with a live chat with Customer Support. I was given links to follow to go to a Public Forum for help. I was not able to find what I needed with the links so when the CS person asked if I needed anything else, I typed that I needed help. Eventually, I flat asked if he/she was refusing to help and the answer was "yes". I saved a copy of the conversation to send to Adobe with a complaint regarding this, but can't even find a way to file a complaint. I guess if you make it impossible to file a complaint then Adobe can pretend there are no problems.
16. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportpwillener Mar 31, 2012 10:42 PM (in response to Frustrated in WA)
If you tell us what product you need help with, someone can guide you to the right forum. Very often the forum users can provide more help with technical problems than Adobe customer support.
17. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportthe_wine_snob Apr 9, 2012 8:09 AM (in response to pwillener)
I second your suggestion. Over the years, I have found that so long as one is not needing direct assistance on installation issues (many can be fixed easily in the forum), or something to do with S/N's, licensing or Activation, the forum folk are usually more helpful, and quicker.
Many of the T/S folk might know (or have a script) Adobe software in general, but if you need help with, say Premiere Pro, then the forum folk, actually use, and know the program. I have seen few problems, where the OP followed the suggestions 100%, that could not be resolved by the product forum.
Good luck to Frustrated,
18. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportNoel Carboni Apr 9, 2012 11:34 AM (in response to the_wine_snob)
The "problem" is that we "helpful users" do tend to offer pretty helpful support, so it's no surprise that the telephone support people often send people to the forums.
But there really should be a policy against doing that.
Not that I want to help fewer folks but c'mon, think about it, Adobe: Officially telling your customers to go ask other customers for help? What do you REALLY think that looks like to people? Don't be daft.
It's time for Adobe to hire some good old fashioned native language speakers. Send the users in India to India tech support. Send the users in the US to US tech support. And don't try to minimize the cost, but rather maximize the quality!
19. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportthe_wine_snob Apr 9, 2012 5:02 PM (in response to Noel Carboni)
I will respectfully disagree here.
Now, it would be great if Adobe could hire experts in all of its products, and route each call to the appropriate expert. However, I just do not see that happening, at least any time soon. This problem can be greatly exacerbated, if a user has a full suite, and is having problems with more than one program in it.
Now, I have been using, and participating in the Adobe forums, from the days, when they were ONLY available via NNTP - before what we know as the Internet, was even born, I also did use ARPANET way, way back before that. Whether it is for an Adobe product, or another, I have found that the user-to-user (that term is now absent) forums offer better support. Almost everyone there does actually use the product(s).
It used to be much more simple, back when companies, like WordPerfect made only one product. You always got an expert on the phone. However, even back then, if one needed to "write a printer driver," the call might get transferred to the desk across the office, to the "Printer Wizard."
Personally, I am a very big fan of user forums. The only thing that I would possibly have placed above them, would have been a well-written, printed manual, but that is a thing of the past.
As I have mentioned in some other threads on T/S, and the product forums, most, that I frequent, have the addition of an Adobe presence, which is so greatly appreciated, as those employee contributors know what's under the hood, and when we, mere users, run out of ideas, they can often step in - then the OP, plus many of us, learn something new.
Imagine if Adobe were to relocate Chris Cox, and relegate him to answering the phone for simple user calls?
I want him busy in development, and then, if he has any spare time, helping out in the PS forum.
I understand where you are coming from, but just disagree. That, however, does not mean that Adobe could not do a better job.
Just my observations,
20. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportChris Cox Apr 10, 2012 4:58 PM (in response to the_wine_snob)
>> I want him busy in development, and then, if he has any spare time, helping out in the PS forum.
Me too! And what is this "spare time" of which you speak?
21. Re: Adobe Has HORRIBLE customer supportthe_wine_snob Apr 10, 2012 9:17 PM (in response to Chris Cox)
Well, I was just holding my tongue, firmly in my cheek, and hopeing that you had, just a bit of that...
Thanks for your continued contributions, though I do not know how you manage to do it. Same for Todd Kopriva, in the Premiere group.


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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Microsoft shortens Longhorn
The big news on the Microsoft front last week is that Microsoft is cutting back on the scope of Longhorn, its next generation of the Windows operating system for desktops and servers. The choice was either to push out Longhorn's 2006 release date or cut back on features. The release date won.
What does this say about the size and complexity of Microsoft's operating systems?
I'll get to that in a minute. But first, let's look at what Microsoft is cutting out of Longhorn:
The result of these cutbacks is that Longhorn is turning into more of an evolution of Windows, instead of a revolutionary jump in OS architecture. It also means that application software developers will be able to more easily make the transition to Longhorn.
- The biggest item to get the ax is the new file system, WinFS. WinFS was supposed to run on top of the Windows NT file system (NTFS), allowing users to more easily store and locate data. WinFS will now be introduced later in an upgrade to Longhorn.
- The new Avalon presentation system is being "decoupled" from Longhorn, allowing it to be introduced with Longhorn and also as an enhancement to existing versions of Windows. This will make it easier for software developers to write new versions of their applications that can run on both Longhorn and older versions of Windows.
- The new Indigo communications subsystem is also being split off from Longhorn, meaning that it might also be introduced separately. Indigo is Microsoft's next generation communications layer for all web services and communications features such as instant messaging, voice-messaging, video messaging, collaboration and content distribution.
Mary Jo Foley, of Microsoft Watch, has the best high level analysis on the subject. Read her latest article and follow the links to her earlier articles. Foley also links to Longhorn evangelist Robert Scoble, who has more observations on Microsoft's thinking.
Backing up a few steps, however, it's hard to avoid the impression that Microsoft's operating systems continue to get more massive and more bloated. Furthermore, as Microsoft adds new features, backward compatibility to thousands of third party hardware devices and software applications is becoming more and more a burden.
Clayton Christensen, in The Innovator's Dilemma, points out that market leaders ultimately overshoot the needs of the majority of their customers, opening themselves to competition from new technologies at the low end of the market. Such "disruptive innovations," as he calls them, do not provide the extensive features and functions of the market leader. But at the low end of the market, they are good enough. And they are much cheaper and simpler to implement or use. At first, a market leader ignores the new technology, because it does not threaten the market leader in its core business. But as the new technology improves in capabilities, it begins to move up market, eventually taking major market share from the leader. Christensen points out dozens of cases where this has happened, in industries as diverse as disk drive manufacturing, to retailing, to excavation equipment.
Do the majority of home computer users (think of Aunt Millie) really need WinFS? Do the majority of businesses (think of Uncle Joe's machine shop) really need Avalon or Indigo?
I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to speculate on what other operating system or technology represents a threat to Microsoft, especially for the majority of users at the low end of the market.
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Microsoft helps the business case .... for Linuxby Frank Scavo, 8/31/2004 04:23:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Thursday, August 26, 2004
Sarbanes-Oxley blamed for slowdown in new systems spending
Some analysts think that spending for enterprise software in the rest of 2004 may slow down as public companies freeze systems in preparation for a key Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) milestone that comes up at the end of this year. The relevant part of SOX in question is Section 404, which requires management to certify their financial reporting and adequacy of internal controls.
The thinking is that, at first, in preparation for Section 404 compliance, large companies invested in new software to better enable internal controls and financial reporting. That would partly explain the mini-boom in software spending last year. But now as the Section 404 deadline approaches, management is freezing systems to avoid any potential disruptions to those controls.
As the compliance deadline draws nearer, companies will freeze plans to purchase and install new financial software, fearing that major last-minute changes to business systems could compromise their compliance efforts, [JMP Securities analyst Patrick] Walravens predicted. The clampdown should begin in October and could last about six months, causing certain software companies to miss first and fourth-quarter earnings targets, he said.Walravens thinks his predicted slowdown will hit SAP the hardest.
SAP, predictably, doesn't think so.
SAP spokesman Bill Wohl disagreed with the report. "SAP continues to see strong demand from customers to invest in solutions that address the challenges of meeting regulatory requirements, like Sarbanes-Oxley," he said. "We have not seen any slowdown, nor do we anticipate one."Personally, I think the impact of SOX on spending for new IT systems -- either positively or negatively -- is overblown. My own observation is that public companies are indeed spending a lot of time, money, and effort on SOX compliance, but as I pointed out over a year ago it is mostly in the form of internal efforts supplemented with outside consulting to establish, test, and document those internal controls. If anything, it is the professional service firms that are largely benefiting from the compliance effort.
CNET has the story
Related posts
Cost of compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley isn't mainly in new systems
In spite of relaxed deadline, Sarbanes-Oxley is giving urgency to some IT initiatives
Is Sarbanes-Oxley the new Y2K?by Frank Scavo, 8/26/2004 07:22:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Software buyers turn cheap
Forbes has an interesting analysis of a growing trend for corporate software buyers to turn away from high priced solutions, such as Oracle's database, to cheaper alternatives, such as MySQL.
Craig Murphy has had enough. As chief technology officer at Sabre Holdings, which runs the world's largest airfare and ticketing network, Murphy has spent millions of dollars on database and other software from companies like Oracle. But last year, when Sabre was building a new computer system for online shoppers, Murphy took a flyer on a database program from a little-known company in Sweden that charges only $495 per server computer, versus a $160,000 list price for Oracle. Guess what? The Swedish stuff works great. Fired up, Murphy is hunting for other places to use the cheaper software, called MySQL.Forbes also points out that while hardware costs have been dropping over the past 15 years, software prices have been increasing. In 1990, software accounted for only 10% of IT spending. Today it accounts for 20%. It's hard to justify why software deserves an increasing slice of the IT spending pie.
Forbes includes an interesting graphic that shows major categories of commercial software with their open source and other low cost alternatives, such as ASP or subscription-based solutions, partly reproduced below:I think that the trend toward open source and other low cost alternatives is finally reaching a tipping point.
Category Commercial Examples Cheap Alternatives Operating Systems MS Windows; Unix Linux Web Server MS IIS Apache Database MS SQL Server; IBM DB2; Oracle MySQL Desktop Apps MS Office Sun StarOffice and OpenOffice MS Exchange; Lotus Notes Scalix Apps Server IBM Websphere; BEA Weblogic JBOSS CRM Siebel Salesforce.com; NetSuite IP Telephony Cisco Call Manager Asterisk Scripting Language MS Active Server Pages; Sun JavaServer Pages PHP Spend Mgmt Ariba Ketera
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Buzzword alert: "open source"by Frank Scavo, 8/24/2004 07:41:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, August 23, 2004
Ford kills Oracle purchasing in favor of mainframe
Sometimes in-house systems refuse to die. Sometimes, even when they seem to be dead they come back to life.
Computerworld is reporting that Ford Motor Company is abandoning a four year effort to implement Oracle Applications for purchasing and is reverting back to the in-house developed mainframe purchasing system that Oracle was intended to replace.
Ford has invested unspecified millions of dollars in the system, which was dubbed Everest and built around Oracle's databases and business applications. But Ford spokesman Paul Wood last week confirmed that the automaker has decided to shut down Everest and return the purchasing processes that were being run on the system to a set of custom-written mainframe applications. "We completed an evaluation of all the production and nonproduction procurement systems and made the decision to transition back to the proven, current system," Wood said.Oracle declined to comment on Ford's move, citing a non-disclosure agreement.by Frank Scavo, 8/23/2004 07:54:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, August 17, 2004
QAD plans cost cuts
In response to its revenue shortfall, QAD is now indicating it will undergo a round of cost cutting. This matches what I heard informally over the weekend, that QAD had already given notice to some employees.
Some analysts are anticipating that QAD may now be a candidate for a takeover. There has been such speculation before, but I've never given it much credence, mainly because 66% of the outstanding shares are currently in the hands of insiders, mostly owned by the Pam and Carl Lopker, who founded the company and continue to run it. Of course, if they ever decided to do something else with their lives, that could change.
For details on QAD's revenue shortfall, just scroll down to my previous post.by Frank Scavo, 8/17/2004 08:05:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, August 13, 2004
QAD coming up short
QAD is warning that its Q2 financial results are going to come up short of what it previously forecast. QAD now expects total revenue for the quarter to come in at $56-57M, down from the $58-61M it previously forecast. The new numbers are about flat compared to the same quarter last year. QAD blames the shortfall on "slightly weaker than expected market and economic conditions."
QAD, best known for its MFG/PRO mid-tier ERP system, is not alone in its weak performance. Most other major vendors, with the notable exception of SAP, are in similar straits.
As of this writing, the market is not taking the news well: QAD is down about 30% from its closing share price yesterday.
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Thursday, August 12, 2004
HP blames SAP migration for revenue shortfall
SAP suffered a public relations setback today when HP indicated that a problematic SAP implementation in its $3B+ Enterprise Servers and Storage (ESS) group was partly to blame for a quarterly revenue shrinkage of 5%. CEO Carly Fiorina said that "migration to a new order processing and supply chain system was more disruptive than planned."
In the conference call, Fiorina seemed to indicate that the problems were in the implementation of SAP and not in SAP software itself. However, this distinction is likely to be lost in most reporting. SAP's competitors will no doubt jump on HP's problems as evidence that SAP is a system that is difficult to implement.
Adding insult to injury, HP happens to be an implementation partner for SAP. One would think that HP would have put its best people on the implementation in the ESS group.
My own view is that any enterprise system implementation in a $3B plus organization is going to be difficult. If you dig deep enough, you'll find plenty of similar examples involving other vendors.
Computerworld has more on HP's problems.
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SAP keeps on keepin' onby Frank Scavo, 8/12/2004 05:40:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Made2Manage sees bright future in plastics
Made2Manage (M2M), a Tier III ERP vendor, is acquiring DTR Software, a specialty ERP vendor focused exclusively on the plastics industry. DTR's package, known as The Manufacturing Manager (TMM) will be re-branded as a separate Made2Manage Systems product.
I short listed and evaluated DTR's product a number of years ago, and at the time I liked what I saw. Although DTR is a small, niche player, it definitely has an appeal for small plastics manufacturers. It has specific functionality for finite scheduling and other issues unique to plastics. As I recall, it even had a solution for scheduling fixtures separately from the molding machine, something you often don't see even in higher end packages.
I'm generally a fan of industry-specific solutions like DTR. For small software application vendors, I think the secret is to focus on one or two narrow vertical markets. If Made2Manage, itself a small player, can provide better marketing, DTR's product might have a good future. The company plans to turn DTR's Florida headquarters into an M2M office. It also intends to keep the executive team and most of DTR's staff in place. At the same time, M2M is promising to increase support for current DTR customers. All are good signs that M2M intends to grow the business.
A press release is on the M2M web site.
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Monday, August 09, 2004
Microsoft breaks its own CRM package
Microsoft is warning clients of its Microsoft CRM package that the application will not work properly if users download the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. The service pack, SP2, is intended to close a number of security holes in the operating system.
To be fair, Microsoft has been warning software developers for some time that SP2 will cause problems for existing applications unless developers make specific code changes. But one would think that Microsoft would ensure that its own applications were properly updated before releasing SP2.
Having said that, it's better that Microsoft tighten security of the OS, even if it means breaking older applications.
By the way, if CIOs have not already done so, now would be a good time to implement centralized administration of desktop operating systems, rather than let individual users visit Windowsupdate.com whenever they feel like it. Although most larger companies centrally administer desktops, that's not the case in many smaller organization. Rollout of a major change, such as SP2, should be done in a controlled fashion, with a full-blown pilot test to identify potential application problems and plan for remediation.
Internet.com has details on the how SP2 can be disruptive to existing systems.
Update: Now IBM is telling its employees to hold off on applying SP2 until a more thorough analysis can be done:In the memo to employees, seen by CNET News.com, IBM's internal technology department stated that Windows XP SP2 will "change the behavior of Internet Explorer and cause some application incompatibilities." The memo also noted that some "high-profile, business-critical applications are also known to conflict with SP2."CNET has more.by Frank Scavo, 8/09/2004 12:38:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Thursday, August 05, 2004
Offshoring leaves software firm not so jolly
Less than three months after offshoring software development to India, Jolly Technologies is having difficulty protecting its intellectual property.The company said that according to a report obtained from its branch in India, a recently hired software engineer used her Yahoo e-mail account, which now allows 100MB of free storage space, to upload and ship the copied files out of the research facility. The company detected the theft and is trying to prevent the employee from further distributing the source code and other confidential information.Jolly thought it had covered its basis by having its Indian employees sign an employment agreement that prohibits such actions. However...Though the Indian branch of Jolly Technologies requires employees to sign a similar employment agreement, the sluggish Indian legal system and the absence of intellectual property laws make it nearly impossible to enforce such agreements, the company said.Because of this incident, Jolly has halted all development in its Indian development center.
This is the sort of problem that many U.S. companies do not recognize as a risk in offshoring software development.
Computerworld has the story.
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Offshore labor drove firm to brinkby Frank Scavo, 8/05/2004 09:18:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Center for Law, Economics & Financial Institutions (LEFIC) Emner "skatteharmonisering-eu"
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Limits on Economic Harmonization in The United States and The European UnionSweeney, Richard J. (København, 2003)[Flere oplysninger][Færre oplysninger]
Resume: The U.S. Constitution importantly limits the degree to which the federal government can impose harmonization across member states. This paper reviews these limitations and how they have evolved substantially over time in the U.S. It also discusses some of the benefits and costs of such limitations, and argues that the EU may benefit from adopting similar limitations. Harmonization of EU tax codes is likely to be economically harmful. On theoretical grounds, tax rates are likely to be harmonized at a common rate that is higher than optimal for the EU. This suggests the benefits of constitutional provisions that make tax harmonization difficult to impose. Other types of harmonization have a less clear-cut costbenefit analysis. A federal commercial code that is uniform across member states reduces transaction and information costs, compared to leaving important code issues to member states; further, many states may keep codes for long periods that are sub-optimal compared to a given federal code. A federal code may, however, fit poorly with other institutions of member states, potentially causing large costs. Leaving codes to the states leads to competition across states, and may generate forces for change for the better. Competition also generates information about the effectiveness and costs of different commercial codes. Because any country's initial code is likely to be sub-optimal, and is likely to become less optimal over time, information on how to improve codes is valuable. Likely it is easier to learn and adapt from member states than from other countries. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6806
Filer i denne post: 1wplefic112003.pdf (374.9Kb)
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|Dwayne Carey
Boone County Sheriff
Boone County Sheriff's Department and Jail
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Office (573) 875-1111
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text:
Publish a book of criticism, as James Wood did in 1999 with The Broken Estate: Essays on Literature and Belief, and no one will think to interview you or take your picture. But write a novel, and out come the notebooks and cameras. Which was why, on a recent Sunday afternoon, the best literary critic of his generation found himself standing on a slab of warm Manhattan rock in Central Park as a photographer fired off round after round with a medium-format Hasselblad.
Homeboys, women in saris, tourists and bare-bellied teenagers glanced at the unshaven, 38-year-old man in a rumpled beige raincoat. Who was he? No one knew. Even readers of The New Republic, where Woods lengthy, incisive essays usually appear, wouldnt have recognized him. The publication of his novel, The Book Against God, is Woods media coming-out party. Having made his name as a penetrating literary critic unafraid to slay a few giants Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo and Toni Morrison, to name just three, have all been sliced and diced by his pen he has now entered the fray himself.
No doubt he knows what hes getting into. The problem with critics who suddenly publish novels is that it exacerbates the suspicion that, if only they had the ability, they would write them all the time. (Novelists who write criticism, on the other hand, are just paying the bills.) And not only do novelists write better novels than critics, it could be argued that they write better criticism too. After all, who would you rather read a review by? Vladimir Nabokov or Edmund Wilson? Gore Vidal or Edward Said? Martin Amis or Sven Birkerts? At the very least, the novelists can hold their own.
But at a time when few people read serious novels, a major critic may be more subtly influential than he would have been in a bookish age. For many, reading a 6,000-word James Wood essay on Don DeLillos latest is probably a perfectly acceptable, even preferable, substitute for tackling the real thing. When he writes about novelists like Herman Melville or Zadie Smith, you dont just get a review, you get a view of life, too, one which is inextricably bound up with the mission of literature. He can be overly fussy, picking away at isolated paragraphs in a massive novel like Jonathan Franzens The Corrections, but his opinions always feel independent and untainted by the academy. Im often struck by the way Im far more interested in reading him about some book than I am in reading the book itself, says the British author (and Weekly contributor) Geoff Dyer. In keeping with this, Ive not read his novel yet.
After the photography session, Wood and I walk over to a small Greek diner on Madison Avenue. On the way, Wood talks about Heidi Julavits essay on the state of book reviewing in the new, Dave Eggersbacked literary magazine, The Believer (Wood credits it with making a few worthwhile points, but seems unimpressed overall). He also delivers a harsh verdict on the new novel by Eggers wife, Vendela Vida: Completely empty. Wood seems to pride himself on keeping a distance from the literary world, particularly its hipper precincts. He dubbed Salman Rushdies Fury a Nobu novel (after the exclusive sushi joint in downtown Manhattan), and he has written savagely of the New York novels of Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis, for whom Manhattan is a tinkle of restaurants. One of the reasons he left London for a job as senior editor at The New Republic, he tells me, and why hes happy to live in Washington, D.C., rather than New York, is that he found himself getting too involved in literary politics.
London seemed like the Vatican, a city state, a tiny principality, in which people constantly had their ears to the wall, he says. Whos up, whos down, what smoke is coming out of what chimney, and the problem was I was becoming part of that. I couldnt exist without reading all the newspapers, all the book reviews, so when the prospect came of leaving, I embraced it.
Born in 1965, Wood grew up in an evangelical Christian family in the north of England. He sang in the choir at Durham Cathedral, and was deeply religious himself until his teens. After studying at Cambridge University, in 1991 he was appointed chief literary critic for the London Guardian at the tender age of 26. Although by then an atheist, he retained the habit of strong belief. (The child of evangelicalism, if he does not believe, inherits nevertheless a suspicion of indifference, he wrote in The Broken Estate. He is always evangelical.) His reviews learned, orotund, severe read as if they had been delivered from the pulpit. They immediately attracted notice, and ruffled some feathers, too.
Like many people I began by loathing James Wood, says Dyer. He wrote a really vicious review his first ever, I think of a novel by a friend of mine. Then, a little while later, he took a passing swipe at my first novel, The Colour of Memory. I was like, Who is this fucking upstart? Anyway, as his reviews started to appear more widely, I couldnt suppress a grudging admiration for them, and gradually I came to realize he was actually a very, very serious critic.
Ironically, Dyer ended up writing for Wood at the Guardian, along with Claire Messud (now married to Wood), John Lanchester, Philip Hensher and Jonathan Coe arguably the most stellar group of young critics assembled at one British publication since Martin Amis and Christopher Hitchens were at The New Statesman in the 1970s. But Wood was the only one of the group who was purely a critic. In fact, by the 1990s, it was somewhat startling that anyone so young should have such ambitions for literary criticism, or care so passionately about the novels role in society. This, after all, was the era of bitch journalism and the Modern Review, in which the likes of Toby Young, Julie Burchill and Nick Lezard took pleasure in treating trashy movies as if they were products of the academy, and analyzing highbrow novels as if theyd been produced in Hollywood. But Woods essays and reviews, obsessed with the relationship between literature and life, read like something that might have been written by T.S. Eliot or F.R. Leavis, the solemn champion of D.H. Lawrence.
For the English, such earnestness was startling, even moving, and Wood himself became the subject of considerable curiosity. (The same phenomenon has repeated itself in this country. In her Believer essay, Julavits admits to having an obsession with Wood.) People were always asking me what he looked like, what age he was, because he wrote like someone entirely different from the man I saw in the office someone much older and far more presumptuous and incisive, says Claire Armitstead, an editor at the Guardian. In his own writing, he was a great procrastinator. From a sub-editors point of view, it was often a white-knuckle ride, as he used to leave the business of writing until the very last minute. He would appear to be completely distracted all day, and would then turn in these magisterial, word-perfect reviews, which fitted to the line.
But how appropriate is a magisterial style amid the colloquialism of blogging, e-mail and Buffy the Vampire Slayer? To what extent should a contemporary critic and a relatively young one at that remind readers of past giants like Leavis, Trilling and Eliot? Its not, after all, as if anyone actually reads Leavis anymore. Does Wood ever worry that he might be providing a kind of retro literary experience, good for nostalgia but not really appropriate to the time?
On the whole it doesnt worry me, he replies, smiling briefly at the thought. People know I had a very religious upbringing, and that I stopped believing in God at the age of 14 or 15, and that allows them then to say, Well, whats happened is a transference of religion on to literature. Literature is his religion, and therefore theres a tradition here Ruskin, Leavis, Pater . . . So its literally just how to explain in the 21st century this old-fashioned literary fervor. In general, Im quite flattered.
Although he says he is prone to aloneness, of having contact only with books, Wood is in fact extremely personable and easy to talk to. Still youthful, his face feels lived in and completely untouched by fame. Nor does he exude the chill hyperefficiency of the typical superachiever. On the contrary, with his vanished hairline and stubbly chin, he looks like a slightly disreputable teacher on the lam from a small provincial school. And, in fact, he has just completed a stint of teaching at Kenyon College in Ohio. Though without professorial ambitions, he concedes that the pedagogical instinct so apparent in his writing transfers easily to the classroom.
And how were the students papers? I ask, unable to suppress a grin. (Its hard enough to get a passing grade from Wood when youre Zadie Smith or Jonathan Franzen. Imagine how it feels when youre, like, not sure who Jane Austen is.)
Atrocious, really, comes the answer, delivered with a laugh. Some of the undergraduates are very bright, but the worst dont have the first rudiments of punctuation and syntax and grammar. Wood did get some amusing anecdotes out of the experience. One student quoted the New Testament chestnut It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven, and also felt the need to provide a footnote. Not, as you might expect, Matthew 19:24, but Internet search for needle, bible, www.christiansunite.com.
Then there was the student who began an essay on a Philip Larkin poem with the lines Whenever I like a work of literature, its very hard to say why I like it. Like a hug, or a back rub, I just know its good. Wood drew a big red line in the margin with the comment: Please be less personal!
When you and I were at university, not to sound too old-fogyish about it, university was actually an escape from TV, he says. Nowadays they bring their TVs with them. So youll find that when students talk about stuff, its pretty much what conversation would be like in an office around the water cooler. They talk about Joe Billionaire, or whatever his name is.
As for reading, Wood suspects that its done with headphones on and the TV and computer screen glowing in the corner. But surprise he confesses he sometimes has trouble concentrating on a book himself. I get restless, he explains. I find it is in some ways a boring activity. I mean, I love it, but the natural part of one would much rather be walking down the street in a busy city.
But you obviously read a tremendous amount.
I do, but perhaps not as much as it sometimes seems. One reason Im able to read a lot is not that Im unnaturally scholarly, its just that I dont do much else. I dont have much else of a life, and Im quite happy for that to be the case. And unlike most people I do have a real central fascination with the novel. That never leaves me. Im truly interested to read novels.
So, given that much of his life is spent immersed in novels, how is the form holding up? Can it go on being vital in a world of videos, cell phones and computer games?
No, and I actually think it isnt vital at the moment. I think it cant be. The old 19th-century notion of the novel as something really riding on the gusts of popular interests has quite gone. I cant see it will ever come back, actually.
What about the overwhelmingly leftist or liberal nature of the literary world now? I ask. The term right-wing novelist, for instance, is practically an oxymoron. Yet if you look at the early 20th century, any number of great writers were on the right Conrad, Yeats, Eliot, Pound, Lawrence, Celine . . . with just as many on the left, and no doubt in the middle, too. Now every poet in the known universe is against the war, and if he isnt, hes not saying so. How did it get to be so one-sided?
I think there is a general cultural fear now of being dislikable, Wood replies, after giving it some thought. Thats why Philip Roth interests me a lot. Thats why I like Sabbaths Theater so much, because he really turned that novel into a little bomb of offensiveness. Its quite dramatic in that sense. Roth actually said once that Celine was his Proust he has a lot of anger, and I like that. But its a very good question. In no way are we living in less interesting times, were living in terrifying times. Writers ought to be engaged with a whole host of issues. Why is it, for instance, that its Conrad in The Secret Agent who provided a better analysis than weve yet had of contemporary suicidal terrorism?
Wood ponders the matter some more. Is it not possible, he says eventually, that were all a bit too well-off, and well-remunerated, relatively speaking? Were not in any danger. So then what are we risking? If I have a literary fervor that reminds people of Trilling, for myself Im also a bit of a romantic, and I sometimes lament this idea that novelists should all be well provided for. Theyre all going to get their big advance, or theyll get their job teaching, or theyll get a Guggenheim, NEA, whatever it is. Someone will bail them out. And then the question is, Whats at stake for these writers? Of course, its always easy for something to be at stake for a critic, because its so parasitical you can just let other writers be your stake.
Woods own novel, in which Thomas Bunting, atheist, procrastinator and chronic liar, struggles to keep his wife, complete his Ph.D. and come to terms with the death of his father, is a hit-and-miss affair, the work of a talented apprentice struggling to master narrative form. Because of its obsession with loss of faith a dead issue for most of us it is not a trendy book, and Wood concedes that were it not for his reputation as a critic, it might not have been published at all. In some ways the book is brave, however, because Wood has taken the risk of creating a protagonist who is neither likable nor entirely understandable. The novel begins in a conventional, slightly rakish man-about-town manner, but soon gets disastrously bogged down in discussions of theology interspersed with scenes from the breakup of a marriage. It recovers only in its final 100 pages, which are strikingly well done.
Here, in miniature, Wood gets to practice what he is always preaching from his New Republic pulpit. He has criticized many of our most acclaimed novelists for producing books of great self-consciousness with no selves in them; curiously arrested books that know a thousand different things the recipe for the best Indonesian fish curry! the sonics of the trombone! the drug market in Detroit! the history of strip cartoons! but do not know a single human being. Well, in The Book Against God the reader comes to know ä
at least one human being, Thomas father a happy, erudite and rather admirable priest quite well. And though there are times when one thinks the book ought really to be called The Book Against Dad, the portrait is deeply loving. At a party at his parents house, Thomas looks across the room and catches sight of his father:
One of his hands was on my mothers shoulder, the other held a wine glass. He was a picture of genial energy. His bald head was glowing. I saw his round, clean face, with its little loyal ears seemingly tightly pinned to his head and his smooth young cheeks, and at that moment I thought, He will live for a long time.
Unfortunately, the books defects tend to crowd out its virtues. Thomas militant atheism proves more tiring than inspiring, while the discussions of classical music (Thomas wife, Jane, is a pianist) have none of the charm and precision of, say, Vikram Seths in An Equal Music. Worst of all, perhaps, is the puzzlingly dud portrayal of Thomas best friend, Max, an influential newspaper columnist. It seems cruel to compare such a nullity to Dewey Spangler, the all-powerful columnist so vividly and sinisterly evoked in Saul Bellows The Deans December, but given that Bellow is one of Woods novelistic touchstones he wrote the introduction to Bellows Collected Stories the comparison does spring to mind.
Luckily, Wood seems able to take criticism in stride. Im averagely sensitive to bad reviews, he says, having already received a few of them. Theres a nice line by Kingsley Amis: A bad review should spoil your breakfast, but not your lunch.
Does Wood ever see himself reviewing something other than books? Could he imagine writing movie reviews like his compatriot Anthony Lane, for instance? The thought seems to horrify him. I dont know how he does it, he says of the New Yorker writer, shaking his head. He pulls this mode off very well, but he does it in a way by avoiding criticism in the deep sense. He knows what he is, which is a brilliant entertainer. I know that if I wrote about film I would end up being terribly earnest week in and week out, and terribly negative, and Id just make people very upset. The films people like I always hate, anyway. Particularly the so-called art movies, like Affliction, or In the Bedroom.
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What kind of movies do you like?
I tend to like honest trash, like Ronin, or very pure unmediated stuff like Kurastamis films.
Theres another kind of movie Wood enjoys: ambitious adaptations of great novels. Not because he thinks they will be good, but because he knows they will be bad. He went to see Jane Campions adaptation of Henry James The Portrait of a Lady, for instance, for the sheer pleasure of comparing the 40 or 50 hours it takes to be in the swim of the original, with its cathedral-like movement through different rooms and spaces, to the paltry two-hour cinematic version a 12-course meal next to a Big Mac. He had similar fun with a BBC adaptation of Virginia Woolfs To the Lighthouse. The book begins with a long, poetic account of the thoughts going through a childs head as he anxiously looks forward to a journey. But in the film, All they could do is train the camera on the boy, Wood says pityingly. And I sort of love that. I cheer in the stalls.
He even pumps his fist, like a soccer fan whose team has scored a winning goal. James Wood: defender of the faith, partisan of the novel.


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Regional Segment Analysis
North America
Asia Pacific
Latin America
Middle East & Africa
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A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market
Important changes in market dynamics
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1.1.1 Definition
1.1.2 Specifications
1.2 Classification
1.2.1 Drilling Fluids
1.2.2 Workover and Completion Fluids
1.2.3 Cementing and Stimulation Chemicals
1.2.4 Oil Production Chemicals
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2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis
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2.4 Other Costs Analysis
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Smoothie King® and Jrue Holiday Announce NEW! Partnership The Pelicans Star will spearhead the "Smoothie King Race Team"
Smoothie King® and Jrue Holiday Announce NEW! Partnership
The Pelicans Star will spearhead the "Smoothie King Race Team"
New Orleans, Louisiana (June 5, 2015) — Smoothie King will launch the Smoothie King Race Team this month with New Orleans Pelicans superstar, Jrue Holiday, serving as honorary captain. The Smoothie King Race Team will inspire New Orleanians to live healthy and active lifestyles by providing incentives and discounts for participating in races held by local race group the New Orleans Track Club.
Race Team participants have the chance to meet Jrue Holiday at area races throughout the year. They will also receive a free Smoothie King Race Team running shirt, discounts to New Orleans Track Club race events, a chance to win tickets to see Jrue Holiday play at the Smoothie King Center, autographed basketballs, jerseys and more!
"The Smoothie King Race Team embodies the mission of Smoothie King: to inspire a healthy and active lifestyle," said John Sampson, a New Orleans Smoothie King Franchisee. "We're excited to partner with Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Track Club who are the perfect partners to bring this mission to life in New Orleans."
To become a Smoothie King Race Team member download the Smoothie King loyalty app and enter code #TeamSmoothie. You can download the Smoothie King app in the iTunes or Google Play store. Smoothie King loyalty app members can email email@example.com to receive a sign up form. For more details visit www.smoothieking.com/teamsmoothie.
About Smoothie King Franchises, Inc.
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is a privately held, New Orleans-area-based franchise company with more than 700 units worldwide. By creating each smoothie with a purpose, Smoothie King makes it simple and pleasurable for guests to achieve their individual health goals. The franchise also offers a number of healthy retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, vitamin supplements and more.
Smoothie King was founded in 1973 by Steve Kuhnau, whose mission was to help others achieve better health in a tasty way. In 1989, Smoothie King became the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the U.S. and currently operates in 33 states, the Caymans, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. In 2014, Smoothie King was ranked No. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 20th year and No. 86 overall on the 2014 Franchise 500 list. In 2014, Smoothie King partnered with the New Orleans Pelicans to launch the Smoothie King Center, a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit www.smoothieking.com or www.smoothiekingfranchise.com; engage on Facebook www.facebook.com/SmoothieKing; follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/smoothieking.


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Racers Meet The Definition Of Scientist
What describes a person is directly related to the way he or she does things. In racing, we all think, act, and work in a way that meets the definition of "scientific research." That being said, we can be referred to as scientists. That is not a stretch of the imagination, just an honest evaluation of what we do.
No one ever said that in order to be a scientist you needed a college degree or, in fact, any education at all. Thomas Edison, one of America's greatest scientists and inventors, certainly did not possess a degree. Neither did Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, or for that matter, our very own astute scientist, Smokey Yunick. A true scientist, with or without a degree, is one who does scientific research and finds answers to phenomena that has been observed.
Remember that many new race car parts and improvements of existing parts were born out of the desires of everyday racers to improve the racing package. If not for organized racing, we would not enjoy many of the advanced designs of suspensions and improved engine systems that are now incorporated into the modern passenger car.
Fuel injection, disc brakes, independent suspension systems, adjustable shock absorbers, power steering systems, and especially safety systems all benefited in their refinement from data accumulated through the process of racing. We are still learning how to improve the motor vehicle by observing and adapting to conditions encountered while racing.
The so-called scientific method (SM) is a process used by scientists to study areas of our environment. Race cars are an object of interest to those on the race team, and we possess a strong desire to find ways to make our cars handle better and go faster.
Here is how we commonly define and apply the SM to racing. In most definitions, the scientific method involves the following five steps.
1. We observe and describe an occurrence or trend (e.g., "The driver states that the car is pushing in Turns 1 and 2.").
2. We further define the problem by discovering exactly what is happening. "The tight condition starts on turn entry and gets worse in the middle. The tire temperatures show an overworked right-front tire."
3. We then formulate several hypotheses or theories as to why this is happening. "The front geometry is designed poorly, the alignment is off, the front brakes may be gripping more than the rear brakes, or the car just might have too much crossweight."
4. We then perform a series of experiments to attempt to isolate the problem to one or more of the theories. We first check the location of the moment center, presence of Ackermann, bumpsteer, and excess camber change, and adjust as necessary. Then we proceed to realign the car, adjust the brake bias, and then adjust the crossweight percentage in that order.
5. We then formulate a conclusion once we have experimented and isolated the actual source(s) of the problem. "Once we aligned the car, it was much better. We still worked on improving the other theories and found we could use some more rear brake bias, and we also found we were actually a little low on crossweight once we straightened out the alignment problem."
Does this sound familiar to you? Of course it does. We all go through this process continually, not only with our setups, but also with engine and driveline problems. We are acting and performing in exactly the same way as a scientist. While we may not really want to be known as scientists, we need to get over it and come to understand how significant our contributions are to the automotive community.
Sir Karl Popper was a philosopher of science who is said to have solved the puzzle of the scientific method. He made this statement, which can be applied to the racer or engineer who thinks he or she "knows it all": "The wrong view of science betrays itself in the craving to be right; for it is not his possession of knowledge, of irrefutable truth, that makes the man of science, but his persistent and recklessly critical quest for truth."
How profound.
If you or the person who leads your team rejects scientific input and always insists on being right, you may have reached the limit of advancement in the development of the team. The most successful racers are always open to new ideas, no matter what the source. Winning teams search for truths and losing teams either search for what the winning teams have discovered or remain stagnant because they "already know it all."
In seeking the truth in racing science, we need to put aside our egos and understand that we can, and often will, be wrong in the search for a better race car. Not all theories will come across as improvements, but all experimentation teaches us something, even if it is only the fact that we should not go in a certain direction again.
The word failure should never be used to describe an experiment that does not produce the desired results. We succeed in increasing knowledge whatever the outcome of our experimentation.
Now that we know a little more about who we really are, let's take a look at how each of these areas of natural science is applied to our race cars.
This is a science in which we work with matter and energy and their interactions in the fields of mechanics. We are working with physics, for instance, every time we change gear ratios or the driveshaft alignment in our cars. We are changing the mechanical advantage of the engine in its relationship to accelerating the car. We follow the SM in determining the correct gear ratio for our car at a particular racetrack.
Physics is also applied when tuning our engine for maximum horsepower or optimizing the torque curve. We observe how quickly we accelerate down the straightaways and compare our times with the competition. If we are deficient, we work to make improvements.
Adjusting brake bias through a mechanical leverage system or by installing master cylinders with different diameters is a good example of using the laws of physics to adapt our race cars to the forces of deceleration.
Settings such as bumpsteer, roll steer, and Ackermann can ruin an otherwise great spring and moment center combination if they are not correct. We use various instruments, such as laser alignment tools, bumpsteer gauges, and computerized racing programs, to evaluate our suspension geometry.
This is a branch of mechanical engineering in which we deal with forces and how they act on an object, or race car in our example, and how the object reacts to those forces. Our quest for higher performance must involve the study of dynamics and how our car is able to conform to the various forces it encounters lap after lap.
Our first goal is to set up the car so that it is properly aligned and dynamically balanced. As the longitudinal (when braking and accelerating) and lateral (occurring primarily at midturn) forces affect the car, we study how the car reacts so that we can minimize undesirable characteristics. These include excess dive on entry and squat on exit, dynamic camber change, and unequal and unpredictable weight distribution on the four tires.
We have tools we can use to study exactly what might be affecting our race car. These tools include tire temperature gauges, pressure gauges, tread depth gauges, shock travel indicators, and up to and including data acquisition. Of equal use are computer programs that tell us our moment center location and camber change characteristics as well as the dynamic balance of the car.
We are continually working to improve the dynamic condition of our race cars to make sure the four tires are working as hard as possible. Then we will be as fast as we can be relative to the limitations of tires, track surface conditions, and available horsepower.
Aerodynamics is a branch of racing dynamics that deals with the motion of air across the race car body and the pressures exerted on it while the car is in motion. We now know much more about how aero creates downforce. We use that knowledge to construct our cars so that we can take advantage of higher amounts of downforce to add load to the tires without adding weight to the car.
Stock cars often top 100 mph, even on the shortest racetracks. Even at the legal speed limit of 70 mph on the highway, we can stick our hand out of the window and feel the tremendous force of the rush of air. When we harness this force, we improve the way our cars grip the surface of the racetrack.
Thermodynamics is an area of physics that deals with the mechanical action or relations of heat. Smokey developed an extremely high degree of knowledge of thermodynamics and could converse with the best Ph.D.s around. He helped develop advanced methods and technology related to the internal combustion engine within a small and underfinanced shop in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was referred to as his "inner sanctum" because when he was on a quest, he became completely absorbed in the work. We may never find a better example of a racing scientist.
The racing engine, as I learned in my thermodynamics class, is merely a heat exchange device that converts heat into energy. The more efficiently we can cause this exchange, the more energy we can produce, which is measured in our engines as horsepower and torque. When we tune the spark advance timing or carburetor air/fuel ratio, we are refining the process of heat exchange.
Outside the engine compartment, the brakes are heat generators, too. The brakes on our cars convert energy to heat to help stop the car. Excessive heat is not desirable and can cause the brakes to fail. The disc brake system was incorporated into many race car designs to overcome deficiencies in the older production drum brake systems.
<img src="http://enthusiastnetwork.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/21/2007/05/ctrp_0707_09_z-racing_science-smokey_yunick.jpg" alt="Our most famous le scientifique de sports mcaniques, Smokey Yunick, wore a lot of different hats in his storied career. But I bet you wouldn't have guessed a cap and gown. His garage, which was located in Daytona Beach, Florida, is where he developed advanced technology that improved our understanding of the internal combustion engine.
Smokey had a long list of accomplishments and successes. Even with his relatively low budgets and simple tools, he made remarkable discoveries that any well financed institution or corporation would be proud of. Photo courtesy of the Smokey Yunick Collection" class="wp-image-133659″ />
Along with that change, we have developed better compounds for use in our brake pads and improved rotor designs that endure high heat and wear and are designed to help vent heat away from the pads. Racers invented brake fluid cooling systems that recirculate and cool the fluid. Along the way, there has been further development to produce more heat-resistant brake fluids.
Tire performance involves heat, too. The tires benefit from heat so they can be more compliant to the racetrack. Without heat, the various internal compounds would not work to soften the rubber to help make the tire adhere to the track. So we read the heat in the tires and use that data to tell us how efficiently the tire is working. We make changes to the setup, geometry, and air pressures largely based on these tire heat readings.
Another branch of science deals with practical applications of a liquid in motion. Our race car has several hydraulic systems. Water flows to the engine through the water pump, then out to the radiator and back. Oil flows from the oil pan or reservoir to the bearings, pistons, valves, and so on, then through a cooler and back to the engine. Brake fluids also flow from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder, or brake calipers, and absorb heat and moisture, which affects that system.
A lot of research has taken place over the years to improve the cooling of our motors, the lubrication of the engine, and the efficiency and longevity of our brake systems. When we modify our radiators, develop Water Wetter (heat-reducing liquids that can be mixed with the coolant), or regulate the rate of flow of the coolant through the radiator and motor, we are experimenting in the field of science known as hydraulics.
This is a science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and the transformations they undergo. Chemistry in racing? There is no way that racing involves chemistry-or does it? When racing parts manufacturers develop better alloys for aluminum parts, or improve brake pads, or invent materials that are more fire resistant to use in our driving suits, or for that matter, better tire treatments, the science of chemistry plays a large part in the process.
Brake companies are continually coming up with improved brake components, especially brake pads. Performance gains come as a direct result of altering the chemical makeup of the pad material based on the real needs of the racers. The composition of the pad and the overall process of manufacturing the brake pad component involves chemical process analysis.
Motor oils and oil additives have improved as a direct result of chemical research using new ingredients that provide better lubrication, which will reduce the heating and wearing of metal parts. Coatings are chemical treatments of metals that help make the moving parts in our engines, transmissions, and differentials produce less friction and heat. Once we reduce friction, we lessen the amount of the engine's horsepower needed to turn those parts, and more horsepower will be available at the rear wheels to accelerate the car.
Almost every team either owns their own dedicated computers or has access to computers. Teams use the computer for many different tasks that help improve their racing efforts. From message board participation on the Web to saving data on the setups, a team now has access to a world of knowledge and useful tools that were not available several years ago.
If I have a question, all I have to do is log on to one of the many World-Wide-Web message boards run by racing companies and racing enthusiasts, present my query, and then wait for someone to offer advice.
If I need to know more about a particular routine or piece of equipment, I can search the Web, which has thousands of links that will lead me to the information I need. I can download software or locate companies that sell computer software that will help me manage my team, simulate my setups, and help redesign my race car.
I can keep up with changes in the racing industry with my computer. That means finding out who is winning, where series will be racing, and which new parts are out. It also means accessing lists of racing technology schools and learning new and improved techniques for setting up my race car.
The Internet has opened up the world of racing as never before. The fact that it is almost instantaneous in the delivery of news and technology makes this medium a must-have for everyone who is involved in racing.
Maybe the greatest leap in technology we have experienced in motorsports is in the area of safety. Racers can now race more comfortably knowing their bodies can withstand the forces of an impact more efficiently. Motorsports science has helped us understand the nature of the forces and how we can protect the driver from the negative effects of those forces.
A lot of research went into the development of safer seats, better seatbelts and head-and-neck restraints, safer barriers, more fire-resistant suits and accessories, and so forth. The list goes on, but we all can agree that our sport is much safer today than ever before thanks to the motorsports scientist.
By now, you should have come to the conclusion that what we do and how we do it, not to mention the level of success we have demonstrated over the years in our discoveries, makes us, by deed and definition, scientists. Racers have done as much good with fewer resources as any other research group probably in the history of mankind.
And the one reason we have been so successful is that racers are not bound by restrictions or self-imposed guidelines. Research organizations born out of the higher education system can be stifling as to how individuals are allowed to proceed in their research. Racers know no such boundaries.
Competition is the catalyst that breeds success. We are all driven by an intense desire to improve our product, and the sheer numbers of researchers in racing means that this whole endeavor involving the science of racing moves at a quick pace and delivers results that formal scientists would find very impressive.
To find the most successful scientists on earth, we need only look at the everyday racer and realize it is he or she who really performs, academic degree or not. The many other dedicated scientists in our society would do well to study the work habits and accomplishments of the men and women who race.