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The Purrfect Speciman Ch. 1bycatdragon©
She prowled through the tightly grown shrubbery of the suburban neighborhood, her nose working overtime at the strange scents. They had not warned her that the smells, the bright lights, the loud noises would all overwhelm her so. A low rumble emitted from her chest and a passerby would have mistaken it for the purr of a large cat. Her bare feet padded softly, making no sound on the fallen leaves covering the ground of the park. It had been a haven to her since she'd discovered it two weeks ago. Her research had sent her to this overpopulated, technology cursed world, but the park on the edge of town would be her home while she was here.
Malina sat gracefully under a tree deep in the wooded rear of the recreational area and opened the canvas bag she'd looped over her head and across her chest. The portfolio she pulled out contained data on her latest study. He was a university professor of History and her people had tagged him as a possible specimen of study and assimilation. Her white hands would have gleamed in the moonlight if not for the soft, light covering of fur across the top and along her fingers, which ended with long clear nails, almost curved into claws.
A rustling of branches behind her put the young feline at full alert and she crouched down from the upright position she'd held against the trunk of the tree, looking for all the world like an albino panther. Anyone who would be lucky enough to get to such close proximity would see that she was not, however.
Her eyes were not the red of an albino, but a striking sky blue.... the blue of a pedigree Persian cat's eyes. Her legs were muscular and long, even bunched beneath her in preparation for attack...long and curvaceous. And if that same person were to observe her after a time, when she relaxed her guard, they would see her standing to her full height of just over five feet, but straight and proud...a sensuous, inviting feline woman.... covered with a thin coating of silky white fur. Her soft, downy covered ears hidden beneath a long white mane that flowed long and wavy down her back, ending just above a sleek, gently swaying tail, which once more wrapped around her legs in repose.
The noise had turned out to be a small animal, not worth her notice, but it reminded her how careful she needed to be. After all, this alien Earth was new to her, and this was her first assignment off-ship. Her nose twitched once more before she resumed her earlier position of inspection.
She'd come close to being spotted tonight...by the subject of her surveillance, as a matter of fact. He'd come out of the History department building and headed around the corner quicker than she'd anticipated, almost colliding with her if she'd not ducked beneath the stairs of the exit. He'd been close enough for her to touch if she'd reached out her long paw/hand...and she almost had.
He fascinated Malina. She was inexplicably drawn to him and found herself hoping he would be the one they chose to take back with them. She spent more time on his photographs, the recordings of his voice she'd managed to intercept through his phone conversations. She built his portfolio to reflect the best possible way. This was her first assignment and she had a responsibility...a duty to her people. But she was also young and adventurous...and very, very curious.
* * * * *
Daniel Cockran was late. But then he was always late. Previous girlfriends had accused him of being so caught up in his world of history and past events that the present just didn't matter. Dan shrugged to himself, they were right. He couldn't defend against the truth.
But tonight.... He had made a point to watch the clock and leave promptly at 6:30. He was meeting Liza at the Fox & Hound at 7pm and he was not going to be late. He knew that Liza had him on probation. Of course, that was his intent. It turned out the clock in his classroom was 20 minutes slow. He didn't realize that until he packed up and left and saw the night watchman's alarm clock on his desk.
Dan was running by the time he hit the street. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and good muscular build. Or at least, in his opinion he did. He worked out at the gym twice a week and swam in the pool three days out of the week. So he was in shape. The jog he had struck still got him to the Fox & Hound 10 minutes late. Dan was breathing slightly hard but he was able to catch his breath by the time he had ascended the stairs to the fancy British restaurant's waiting room.
A quick search of the restaurant showed that Liza was no where to be found, though the maitre d' said that she was there. She must have gotten tired of waiting for him and left. Dan shrugged. He hoped flowers would get a pardon for him, but he didn't think it would. This was the fourth date in a row that Dan had been late for. Sighing, he began the walk back to his apartment. He would get something to eat there. No need to spend money if he could save it by eating in.
* * * * *
Malina looked at the moon. It was high enough now to be close to time when she would resume her assignment for the evening. She had observed Daniel Cockran enough to know that he was usually home by 9 p.m., human time. The occasional nights he went out, he was still in fairly early, so she felt confident that by the time she reached his apartment, he would be there.
She was right. Since he lived on the bottom floor, her observation was made easier, although it would have not been an effort for her to scale the walls to a higher level if she had to: her claws and balance were more than adequate for the job. Her tail flicked back and forth nervously until she had settled herself in below his bedroom window. This was were he tended to spend most of his evening hours, reading in bed with only the small lamp beside him for light. This night looked to be the usual predictable evening and she wished he was just a tad bit more exciting to watch.... like he was when he was working out or teaching a class. His vitality and love of his work shone through and it was during these times that she got her best photographs. But in the evening he simply did not lead a very exciting life.
She watched closely as he came out of the tiny bathroom, switching the light out and climbed in bed with only his boxer shorts on. A low purr began deep in her throat at the sight of him and her tail flicked unexpectedly. Malina liked what she saw...alot.
* * * * *
Dan lay in the spacious bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was restless and full of energy and he didn't feel like reading or watching TV. Suddenly he was hot so he tossed the clothes down to the foot of the bed, leaving only a sheet covering his muscular body.
When he had arrived home he had tried to call Liz, but she didn't answer. So he had left a message on her machine. Maybe she would call when she got in or tomorrow. But Dan doubted it. Liz had had enough of his tardiness.
He thought of Liz. She had been a student of his last semester and her long red-copper hair had been the first thing that he had noticed when she walked in to his classroom. Her blue eyes and Grecian features were the next things he noticed. She was a very attractive co-ed and Dan had been immediately drawn to her. But she was his student, and he refused to break his rule of not dating those he taught.
That had been how it had stayed until earlier this semester. Dan had been walking down on Simon Street, the main college drag. Liz had come out of the laundromat at the same time that he had been crossing in front of it, and they had collided. Liz had dropped her laundry basket and Dan helped her pick the things up. They started talking and eventually went to have a cup of coffee together. One thing led to another, and since they were no longer in a teacher-student relationship, Dan had kissed the redhead. They made plans to do something that weekend and that was the beginning.
The next Saturday, Dan had showed up at Liz's apartment and Liz had invited him in. Before he knew what had happened, Dan and Liz were kissing and arousing the hell out of each other.
As Dan lay in the bed, his hand slipped down his chest and abdomen, caressing his cock. It had already grown hard as he had been thinking of his and Liz's first time. Dan wrapped his hand around its length and started to stroke as his memories continued.
Liz had been incredible that day. They never did whatever they had planned. Instead, Liz smiled, took him by the hand, and then led him back to her bedroom. She sat down on the bed in front of him and buried her head in his crotch. Even through his jeans, Dan had felt her hot breath. She then unbuttoned his jeans and reached in, freeing his cock and wrapping her slender cool fingers around it. She pulled it completely out, smiled up wickedly at him and kissed the head, wrapping her tongue around it. Then she swallowed him, caressing him with her tongue and driving him crazy.
Dan continued to stroke his cock, enjoying the memory and the feel of his hand on his cock. He hadn't realized how horny he was until he started, but now he wanted to come. Once he did that he might be able to relax and drift off to sleep.
* * * * *
Malina's tail was swishing the leaves aside beneath her and she jerked around, scaring herself at the noise. She breathed deeply, her little pink tongue flicking out to moisten her dry lips. Her purr deepened and she willed her tail to be still, mesmerized by the scene before her.
For the month or so she'd been watching Dan, he had been bringing home a striking female with hair the color of her sun. Once or twice Malina's timing had been such that she had seen the couple mating in his bed, but to the white feline humanoid, it was just that, a male and female of the observed species copulating. Granted the sight of Dan when aroused had made her wonder how he would feel within her, buried deep inside her warmth and even caused Malina to go back to her private spot in the woods to stimulate herself to orgasm.
But those few times she had always pictured Dan with the woman.... pumping into her, sending his seed into the female. That was how she had seen them and that was all she could see Dan doing. But tonight...he was alone. She didn't know where the female had gone, but Dan was obviously aroused very much judging by the size of his penis and the look on his face as he caressed himself.
Tonight Malina closed her eyes briefly and imagined herself there, stimulating and touching the human man and for the first time, the red head was not in her vision. She felt the familiar warmth and liquid gathering between her legs, making her fur mat with the juice of her arousal. Dan was pumping his hard penis faster now and Malina's hand reached between her legs, one long finger, with claw retracted, inserting itself deep within her as she watched the show.
Finally, with a cry and look of pain on his face, Dan came over his hand and onto his stomach, his hips pumping mightily, forcing his steely rod in and out of his hand at a rapid pace. Malina yowled before she could stop herself...a long, plaintive cry of need as she realized she would not be able to finish what the scene played out in front of her had started. She wanted him...the man doing these things to her. Clamping her other hand over her mouth she wondered just how loud she'd been in her exclamation of heat.
* * * * *
As he came, Dan tossed his head back and moaned aloud his pleasure. At the same time a cat outside his window yowled. The sound distracted him, but he finished his act, continuing to stroke his slippery cock, coaxing the last bits of sperm from his balls.
Dan was breathing heavily and he lay there recovering his strength. After coming, he was always as weak as a kitten, and this time was no exception. He finally caught his breath and then swung his legs over to the side of the bed facing the window.
He stood and quickly made his way to the bathroom, being careful not to drip cum all over the hallway. He rinsed out a washcloth with warm water and cleaned himself up. His cock was still slightly hard and Dan knew that if he wanted he could probably get it up again, but it would take a long time for him to come this time. Still, if someone knocked at his door right now and offered herself to him, Dan thought he could find the energy to have sex again.
He paused maybe that was where Liz was, on her way over. He shook his head, nope. That part was over. Liz was nice and sexy as hell, but she wasn't the girl that could make his toes curl. Dan had yet to meet that woman.
Dan flicked off the light switch in the bathroom and padded over to the bedroom window. He looked around for the cat that he had heard earlier. He was still naked, his cock half-hard and hanging low between his legs. But Dan didn't seem to notice his state of undress as intent as he was to try to find that cat.
* * * * *
Malina panted as she watched the man get up and leave the room. Maybe she could get herself under control and finish up later back in the park. She tried to pull up the professional demeanor she'd managed to maintain during her visit here, but the sight of Dan coming and the look of pleasure and pain on his face haunted her.
When he walked back into the bedroom, all thoughts of retaining some dignity fled. He was magnificent to her eyes and a fresh stream of creamy juice flowed between her legs. She knew her cunt would be red, swollen and winking invitingly for release. She was in heat, pure and simple.
Dan stood now at the window and if she'd wanted to, Malina could reach up and through the opening to touch his half-erect prick which still stuck out slightly, inviting. And by her gods, she wanted to. His balls where large and low below his penis and swung each time he moved. A low moan...combination purr, growl and meow escaped before she could stop it. She tightened her legs together in an effort to control herself, but the wave of desire flowed through her, taking over her actions.
Malina stood up, her face now even with Dan's crotch and she could hardly contain herself from reaching out with her dainty pink tongue. What Daniel Cockran saw was a woman...he thought. But somehow she was different.
Petite and delicate looking, she was whiter...paler than anyone he'd ever seen...and she was naked. Her breasts hung perfectly, taunt pink nipples standing out perkily. Between her legs, he couldn't really discern any pubic hair, but there seemed to be...yes, it was white and matted with a wetness that made the hair curl out into the night air. Through the hair...the white curls, a pink vulva protruded, gleaming in its wetness by the full moonlight. It was swollen and almost red. Whatever she was, Dan knew an excited pussy when he saw one.
As he watched her, mesmerized and unable to take his eyes off of the wet sex between her legs, her hand reached down and touched herself there, spreading the lips invitingly. The purring... and the yowling he'd heard earlier... seemed to have come from her.
Dan crouched and looked at her, into those incredibly blue eyes. She was utterly feminine and quite sexy. Her nipples were pink and apparently the only part of her body that wasn't covered in short, soft white hair, besides her sex between those curvaceous, muscular legs. Dan realized the he didn't care if it was a dream, he wanted to make love to this cat-woman. Nothing else mattered.
He leaned forward to kiss her, and realized that she probably had no idea what he was about to do.
* * * * *
Malina watched him in fascination. Their eyes locked and she didn't know what to do. When he crouched down, bringing them almost eye to eye, she leaned back and automatically hissed, but stopped when he didn't reach out in attack. Instead she leaned in once more, her nose working to sense his intention.
She smelled his arousal and her blue eyes flickered down to the growing cock. She reacted with even more desire of her own and her mouth opened in a hard pant. She could barely catch her breath as he moved in to kiss her.
She let his lips touch her and jerked at the electric feeling it caused between her legs, then moved back in to kiss him again. Her tongue came out and lapped across his lips before she melded her mouth to his in a deep, sensuous passionate kiss. Dan could feel the purr in her throat. It grew louder until Dan thought an engine was roaring in his ears.
Meanwhile, Malina's pussy throbbed with need and she felt herself growing ever wetter and more swollen.
* * * * *
Dan was kissing this exotic woman! And her tongue, God her tongue! It was rough and raspy like a cat's but it felt incredibly good in his mouth, caressing his tongue. And her purr! That was amazing. And when he thought of that tongue on his cock, he shivered in anticipation.
Dan moved his hands forward and placed them on the soft furry shoulders of this woman. Her skin was hot and the fur was soft, silky and incredibly soft. The analytical part of his mind realized that like cat's, this woman's body temperature was higher than his own. He shivered again sticking his cock into her would be like plunging it into an oven.
He broke the kiss and looked into those blue eyes again, then he spoke, "Come in, kitty." He moved back and offered her his hand.
* * * * *
Malina didn't question the ethics of what she was doing. She had been warned over and over about direct contact with the specimens being observed, but she could have no sooner stopped herself tonight than her body could stop functioning.
Whatever the consequences of her actions this night, she knew she'd pay them. With a grace and speed that surprised Dan, she leapt onto the sill and stretched her body out until she was standing before him once more, only inside his apartment. She was inside his apartment!
Her body moved closer to him and he could feel the heat radiating from her... closer... closer... And then, to his surprise, she was rubbing against him, just like a cat. Her purr vibrated in his ear as she smeared her soft cheek against his shoulder and chest and the heat was even more intense lower, where she was rubbing her engorged sex against his leg, leaving a trail of sticky wetness behind. She still had not spoken a word, though, and he didn't even know if she would understand him.
His cock was thick and hard as it had been ten minutes ago now. His reaction to her heated need had been instantaneous and he wanted nothing more than to sink himself deep inside her hot moistness. With a determined urgency, he shut off the part of his brain that could make no sense of this...what or who she was. The need was all that mattered. And she obviously shared it.
Dan jumped then when her nails...almost like tiny sharp claws raked down his back as she pulled herself against him in the most needful way he could have imagined. Then her purr rose in volume until a plaintive yowl of lust erupted again.
She was hot against him and his hands rose unbidden to caress her for himself. Her fur was soft and silky and felt incredibly good under his hands. She purred as he caressed her. His hands quested over her body and he pressed her against him again and claimed her mouth in a kiss.
His hands caressed down to her ass, where he was surprised to find a tail. Leaving it for the moment he cupped her ass and pulled her against him. She mreowed and her legs left the ground and her arms snaked around his shoulders and she lifted herself into the air.
Surprised, Dan balanced himself and pulled her against him. The heat from her sex pressed against his cock and he groaned, giving into the need that she was expressing. They continued to kiss, their tongues exploring each other's mouths. Her teeth where sharp and pointed, like a cats. Her tongue was rough and raspy and shorter that his. But she knew how to use it.
She broke the kiss and began to lick and kiss at his jaw and his neck. Dan's hands caressed her ass and she wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to move his hands. And move them he did, he explored the ass of this sexy female creature. She rrowed at him.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Some exciting news to share before I get onto the race report from the Victoria 8K over the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
1 - I am mostly moved in with my roommate Brendan. Living with a professional triathlete certainly is inspiring. Aside from the frequent feverish boring talk on light cardio related topics, Brendan would often bake these amazing recipes virtually from scratch, from his big white textbook, NY best seller - Joy of Cooking. Yummy treats like pumpkin pies, apple crisp, homemade pizza, and I threaten to "v"-log it to provide a means of supplemental income for him. Still haven't acted on it though...
2 - On top of my morning bike courier breakfast deliveries, with huge help from Brendan I've managed to picked up another moonlight job as a Spin Instructor at the local bike shop Westpoint Multisport. I've survived teaching (and participating) in 4 brutal classes so far and enjoy it a lot! With minimized time for training, my workouts have been a bit more focused. The same can't be said for that still odd water exercise called swimming.
3 - A special shout out to Jon Heinz, who is currently in India. He will be our third and final roommate when he returns to the country, whenever that might be. In the meantime, he kindly requested that I blog more frequently for strictly selfish reasons. That is so that he can keep tabs of my training and make sure I don't get ahead of him. Good to know there's at least one reader of mine out there. :)
Is an 8K road race even worth blogging about?
Shameless to admit, sure it is! I've never actually ran a distance less than 10k officially (by officially I mean when there's verifiable public proof i.e. online chip-timed results).
Given if I finish, 8k was going be an another distance to put in the PB books for this year. My only obstacles are:
- the 6-hour time cut-off,
- and ensuring no kids in their early teens photo-bomb my pictures.
It's totally okay when older men and ladies beat me, but I think the kids need to earn their spot on the ladder pecking order if they want it enough to beat me. :P
There are the classic half and full marathon distances as well, it's ironic that the regular full marathoners get less time than us 8Kers with only 5:29 to finish or else they need to go to the early start.
Katrina, Eric and I opted for an afternoon ferry to get onto the Island. Jen should had joined us too, but unfortunately caught a bad bug leading up to the race and smartly decided to take some recovery time instead. We visited Theresa's new place and had a nice pre-race pasta with her. I can conclude that a dietary nutritionist certainly has all the kitchen gadgets imaginable.
I also re-united with our Canada House roommate from Sweden this year, Karmen. It's funny because now I've bumped into or seen all of our fabulous housemates since Sweden (Jen, Hector, Claire, Alyssa, and now Karmen). Talk about a small triathlon community here in Canada. Karmen and Jim was just the most amazing hosts for my stay and only a short jog to the start line on Belleville Street.
Super runners Jen and Mike have told me that this 8K course is not exactly the fastest with some minor hills to negotiate. Their take-home tip was to approach it like it was a 10K race.
It's a brutal start only if you compare yourself to the later risers doing the marathon.
7:15am for us. I wore arm warmers in 12 degrees C and thought I could do without them.
The course starts near the finish area, westbound on Belleville Street, a few zig zaggy turns for the first kilometre and smooths out on Dallas Road. The turnaround at Beacon Hill Park is just before Cook Street with a gentle hill.
Overall it's still a fast out and back course that warps around the scenic oceanfront.
I channeled the "so-smooth" running style mentioned by the commentators when streaming some of the Kona action the day before.
Interesting pace work for an 8k, and nothing like the super conservative starts of a typical marathon. Everyone near the front wave went out hard during the first two kilometres. Suicidal pace going sub 3:30s. The pace settles quickly and the gap opens and the pack thins into linear fashion by only 3K for me. I was running in the 3:30s to 3:40s per K.
Hearing Steve King's voice at the finish was nice. It wasn't pretty but I squeaked out a sub 29 minutes. Luckily, I did manage to win my *gender* age-group (the lead girl in this age group absolutely crushed it). It was a lot of fun. Slowpoke long course athlete posing in the shorter distance. I think I could had easily held on for another 2k if it was a 10K race. But, I still need to do some serious intervals if I want to figure out a clue to get any faster.
Eric and I got to relax and chill for the rest of the morning and cheer on Katrina and the rest of the marathoners.
Thanks for reading. Shameless again, I just couldn't refuse a cheap entry and I'm looking forward to the Rock and Roll Half this weekend. :D
Happy fall running!
2 years ago


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A previously concealed B-Roll transcript from CNN Interviews in June 2005 has been made available at KryptosRevisited.com. The transcript was compiled and edited by CNN's Justine Redman (producer) and Elonka Dunin.
Sanborn discusses details of his CIA Sculpture "Kryptos," and reveals new information about clues leading up to K4. He also discloses actual techniques and concepts about k4, noting how it might fit in to the rest of the puzzle.
Read the original transcript here.


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Wyoming Inventors : Name Search Results
Rafe Connors has a total of 1 patent(s) in the database.
* Some patents in this database have one or more inventors, not all of whom may be from Wyoming.
Patent Number: 8241198 View patent at USPTO Title: VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE CAPABLE OF IMPLANTATION OF STEM CELLS Assignee: University of Utah Foundation (Salt Lake City, UT) Issue Date: August 14, 2012 Inventor(s): David A. Bull, Salt Lake City, UT
Rafe C. Connors, Bountiful, UT
Harold M. Erickson, Cora, WY
Sung Wan Kim, Salt Lake City, UT
James Yockman, West Jordan, UT


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Archive for the 'Convention Report' Category
Posted July 16, 2014on:
For the very first time, the stars and planets aligned and I was able to attend on Sunday. Now, whether or not it was really worth the extra day is debatable, but I will treat it like a mini victory anyway.
(Left to right: CPK with Shironuri, Karkat, Classic Lolita)
(RANT ALERT: VERY LITTLE INFORMATIVE CONTENT) These are the days when this really is a PERSONAL blog first and foremost.
I will say, however, that this post isn't going to be as informative as I usually like to be. My con experience has evolved a lot with time: it used to be that I conquered alone, shopping and stopping to take lots of photos. Now, the biggest portion of time is spent chilling with friends (who quite often aren't in cosplay and leave the con early) and following group plans. I have few pictures beyond of myself. And honestly, I'm getting burned out. This was my 17th convention (all in the span of 4ish years!) and I know what to expect. I've never been a panel person and I'm past the "must buy EVERYTHING" stage.
Thus, my weekend was dictated by when my friends were arriving (and my parking situation). I drove myself all three days, a first, and managed to get myself lost once or twice. I learned from my mistakes and found creative detours when crowds and accidents blocked my way.
My panel was on Friday. It was…disappointing. My friends said I did great, but I feel bad anyway. A random guy, identified only as "Steven," crashed my panel to talk about sushi and boobs :/ I do believe that will be the end of my paneling days. (This is tied in with the gyaru thing) Saturday's Lolita panel was huge, with 108 in attendance. It was disgusting. She is a terrible public speaker and they are so uppity and I have so few loli friends (gee, with my wonderful personality) and the way they hypocritically were falling over each other to praise Bodyline, when they turned up their nose at it last year…ugh UGH. (My underage friends all avoided Mr. Yan like the plague. I don't care if he's behaved thus far this weekend, he still gives us the creeps and I would like people to respect that his track record may be intimidating.)
Sunday wasn't that great. It was crowded and annoyingly loud and I was done with the con scene but I wasn't about to abandon the kismesis.
There wasn't any one fandom represented the most, cosplay-wise, like in previous years. There was barely any hetalia, what felt like minimal Homestuck (although the meetup was decently large. Where were you hiding?), and a handful of SNK. Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure, that one basketball anime, Free!, and comic characters were common. I saw a surge in kids' cartoons, such as Disney princess groups and that one fab Danny Phantom group.
A big change was the con configuration. You can feel how much attendance has grown- there will even be a 4th day next year! The vendor room was moved into the larger ballroom upstairs, flip-flopping with special events/autograph track. (It was nice not having autograph lines near the vendors) There were a number of tables in the back of the room, which became out favorite meeting spot. What Pumpkin was in the vendor room, so I bought a Knight of Blood pin. I also bought sea salt ice cream lollipops, a Patlabor CD (dakeshimeta midNIGHT BLUUEEEE), and a necklace. There were two booths selling proper Lolita, but I abstained for the good of my wallet (the weekend's parking fees probably could have bought a dress argh).
Overall, it was a good con. More organized than, say, Khaotic. Consistent, entertaining, the best hometown con.
Con Report: Khaotic Kon 2014
Posted April 12, 2014on:
I attended on Saturday, having rushed like mad to make it in time to watch the Combat Musical, my annual Khaotic tradition.
Well, the musical was lame (I miss the great energy from last year's cast, Archer was tedious, the groping and sexual humor was overwhelming and not funny, Catwoman's cat puns, etc…) save the part where M.I.B. agents danced to Michael Jackson songs, but a tradition is a tradition.
At 2pm, I went to the lobby and talked for a long time with my local Lolita comm! We had a nice time and that probably was the least awkward, most friendly meet I have experienced. It was a small group, so after a while we split up, went to talk to a friend in Artist Alley, and occasionally walked around together.
Khaotic was in the usual Sheraton, nbd. I resigned myself to accepting failure with regard to trying to get a panel slot; apparently they ditched the myconsonline site for some other email/online form method without actually informing anybody??? So I missed out on my chance.
There were a TON of Homestuck panels, considering 4/13 is Sunday and all. Otherwise, I ignored the panel schedule, as it was veeeery sparse, per usual. There, in addition to the panels, was the normal screening room, tabletop room, gaming room, and autograph signings. The vendor room seemed smaller than last year, having more people selling odds and ends from their own collections than fulltime vendors. There was not a designated kpop or manga vendor, both staples of most other cons.
I did purchase one thing, however uwu
One of the English GLBS!!! From Autumn 2008. It's amazing how much Lolita changed from then until 2010, when I came on the scene….
Common cosplays were SNK, hetalia (surprisingly enough), and Marvel characters. I saw a splash of Dangan Ronpa and other recent anime/anime game favorites. The biggest shock, however, was the lack of Adventure Time. For the past year, every con I've attended has been flooded with Fins, Fionnas, Bubbline couples, etc… and yet I only saw one Marceline today???
Overall, I had a great time despite the meager programming and sub par organization. I don't have as much to say this year because I honestly did not see any big changes in feel from last year (I actually stayed longer this year, from 12 to 4:30ish. Last year I showed up for the musical, ate lunch, and left)
Shado and metro seem to be bustling with energy and expansion while Khaotic is stagnant.
Con Review: Shadocon 2013
Posted October 6, 2013on:
Alternatively titled: I almost went to the wrong hotel.
So I had everything planned out- my con schedule included walking downtown to get food and everything, since I thought it was at the downtown Hilton. Got a phone call around 8 in the morning that it was actually at a local Hyatt up the road. So there I was, curling my hair, and desperately calling and texting everyone I knew about the correct location. Yikes. Well, my hair ended up looking like limp noodles but everyone made it there ok so success.
(My clothes say Lolita but my eyes say help)
Now, this year's hotel was hella ritzy. Right on the coast with a boardwalk right to the water. Expensive restaurant. Main lobby that was under construction? Yep. It made the hallways awfully hard to navigate. We walked in circles before just planting ourselves on a couch and people watching.
Downstairs was the registration line and a hallway leading to one staircase and the line for main events. Upstairs was a narrow hallway leading to artist alley, the two panel rooms, and two video game rooms. I also think autograph signing was up there? But the main celebrity panels were downstairs. One video game room had tvs set up with games like Skullgirls and a DDR machine and…..PROJECT DIVA!!! I played a few songs…mainly BRS.
The next room over was full of PCs with games preloaded….League of Legends, TF2, etc… Plus it had a screen where they were viewing amvs.
Now, you may be wondering "But where is the vendor room?" Well. Not even remotely inside the hotel, but rather in a giant tent in a parking lot behind it. Thank goodness there was air-conditioning and fans inside!! It was pretty nasty hot, the usual early October-remnants-of-September-weather
(You guys act like you've never organized a con before)
Somehow, I did not spend a single cent in the vendor's room. I did not buy anything beyond my ticket all day.
Popular costumes this year were SNK, Free!, and the dingle romps (Dangan Ronpa). BUT there also was an increase in Scott Pilgrims, quite a few lolitas, and the usual homestucks (mainly promstuck). My favorite costumes were this one amazing Mew Ichigo and a great guro Lolita. I was wandering around with a good-sized Homestuck group (Rose, GT John, Roxy, Bro, Dave, GT Jade, John) so that's where I gravitated. I even saw a few Sgt. Frogs…..um
(the main hallway at about 11am)
Now obviously the con center was water fountains, but I thought it was nice that Shado was water coolers and cups placed in the hallways as usual. The only food option was outside (I brought subway so I never went out there). In past years they've done this too but this year it was really convenient.
My panel went well, as usual…I still have a few things to smooth out, and I freaking left my notes in the room *cries* but I had a bunch of fun and I think the audience enjoyed it decently.
After about 4, however, we got bored and left to go to the local International Mall, where we ran into many con people. Going to public spaces in cosplay is always fun.
Con Review- Tampa Bay Comic Con
Posted August 24, 2013on:
Someone remind me again why I wanted to do this?
(Maybe he can make it all better)
Ok so compared to other local cons, this one gets like twice the media attention which amazes me because I don't think a single year hasn't had major issues?? The hold it twice a year and last time, the hotel they used was so small they had to turn people away at the door because fire code and maximum capacity. Today, it was at the con center, but not all of it. Just the west wing. Uh.
It was a disaster. I arrived only to join a line that snaked around the outside of the building. That line led indoors to a large ballroom (the metro vendor room) where the line continued to weave around. Only, that wasn't the ticket line, like my friend and I expected….it was the line to get to the ticket line. That line led up the (non working) escalators to another long roped-off line area (the metro artist alley). Wtf. So we kinda snuck past the security guards and cut in line to the actual ticket line because aw hell na not all of this bullshit for a $20 ticket (Less than metro!!)
(What is this hell)
After that, we hit the vendor room which didn't totally suck. We played DDR at the Gametime booth and got our pictures taken at 2 different booths. I got to talk to my Lolita pal Brittney and later when we were eating lunch, a nice woman we met at a friend's panel at Shado sat with us! After my friend left, I began to dance para para by the vendor room only with no music….my speakers broke….people came up and joined me or talked to me just as much as at metro, however!
Very few people were in cosplay as compared to anime convention standards. It was weird. I saw some homestucks, 3 lolitas, and a handful of assorted anime/other costumes. There were some great comic costumes and some bad Halloween costumes. But mostly, there were a TON of little kids. I stuck out like a sore thumb, just as planned.
(why am I so cute)
It was fun overall, but they need to get their act together. The lines for the lines for the lines consumed the majority of rented space, which created chaos and blocked the way for those with tickets. Attendance felt about the same as Metrocon, and yet it was so much harder to navigate…
Con Review- Metrocon 2013
Posted July 28, 2013on:
I'm just too tired to write this right now, but it's my only chance until a week from now so hey! I'll try to remain mostly coherent.
The vendor room seemed lackluster this year. Nothing Lolita really, and I didn't even bother looking at mangas. For once, I hardly spent any money at all. I bought one OreImo blind box and got Kuroneko on my first try!! That and a ring from a local loli and two sea salt icecream lollipops were my total loot the first day.
(Ain't we cute?)
Now, onto cosplay.
This year saw a rise in Black Butler, with a slight decline in Homestuck. I saw some Off and a bit more Dangan Ronpa, but not in overwhelming amounts (like how Hetalia or Homestuck once were). I saw 2(!!!!!) people cosplaying the protag from Pokémon Coliseum and 2 girls doing Amulet Spade. My favorite was a girl dressed as Rea from Sankarea, however. The majority seemed to be doing comic book characters or general fandom cosplays (the usual, like Naruto, Bleach, Fairy Tail, One Piece….) Notable exceptions being the various Attack On Titan cosplayers and the three in artist alley doing Les Mis characters. Naturally, I was the only gyaru.
I hosted my second panel ever on Saturday. At 12, the local Lolita group held a Lolita 101 panel, which ran 45 minutes too long, and had planned on a swap meet. So the swap meet didn't really happen….but I STILL managed to snag 2 pairs of Metamorphose socks. Omg! My first brand items.
My panel ran smoothly, with a few super-attentive audience members. The room was mostly full when I started, and didn't empty out too much. It was nearly triple what I had at Shadocon- since this time I was running it at 2 on a Saturday. Overall, I think I've improved. I covered Gyaru, Mori Girl, and Shironuri in my slide show, but we also discussed Cult Party Kei, Fairy Kei, and Dolly Kei. (Thank goodness Chapman in CPK was there to help me out with the Dolly explanation)
On Friday I was dressed at Ciel Phantomhive. I ran into Ellie and Robyn from Anime America Podcast. Holy shit!! Sadly, my friends started getting really immature at that moment, not realizing that she wasn't just "a" Robyn but "THE" Robyn. Whoopsies.
On Saturday I was dressed in Manba? My aim was Yamamba, but most people asked me if I was a ganguro, which really is a catch-all term these days. I thought I looked cute~ I danced para para a little bit after the panel, out in a hallway. At first only this one ((creepy)) guy came to watch, but then some moms with young daughters came up and encouraged them to dance with me. I got lots of cute videos and blurry photos.
Many of my friends went fencing this year (yknow, where there's a balloon on your helmet that your opponent is trying to pop- not legit fencing) which was cool. I went to an animal crossing panel (more info about that at newleafshibuya.tumblr.com) and my friends' gaming panel.
Convention report: Khaotic Kon 2013
Posted May 4, 2013on:
It felt good to be back in the Sheration hotel lol. I should feel so attached to it since it's the small, crowded ones that's a 45 minute drive from home and has like no good points to it. Aaaand yet I always feel nostalgic. The site of the first two years of Shadocon and Tampa Anime Day, this hotel was a perfect fit for Khaotic Kon.
Last year, it was in the downtown Doubletree, a hotel so small, no con can successfully thrive there. (See: the recent disaster that was Tampa Bay Comic Con, when they refused people entrance because of fire hazard and overcrowding) Khaotic is still a very small con, but seems to be growing (not at the same rate as Shado, however). I liked the location a lot better this year. The line for registration was short, and even the looong line for the combat musical didn't even touch the lines I've seen at Metro for basic panels. It wasn't too crowded (very few people spilled in the pool area) and beyond the poorly spaced vendor room, I had next to no issue with crowds and finding places to sit. It seems there was a free buffet today? I don't know, I brought my own food as usual, but it meant the whole café/restaurant area was open for con use and seating.
The combat musical was neat. It continued last year's story, with some old and some new characters. I probably should have refreshed myself on the plot before watching, but nevertheless I found it entertaining. My friend who accompanied me caught the Code Geass references, while I loved the inclusion of Queen Beryl and Jack Spicer. The fight sequences, although less ambitious than last time, seemed better coordinated and well-rehearsed. I will definitely return next year.
Common cosplays were, as usual, Homestuck and hetalia. A resurgence in Hetalia is evident in the rise of APH themed panels, even outnumbering Homestuck panels. I saw some Off, but I was disappointed at the lack of Dangan Ronpa, given its current internet popularity. I only saw two, maybe three other lolitas all day, but I didn't expect much from such a small, lesser-known con.
I would have liked to stay and check out the new manga library, but I ran out of time. I used up all my money today, but managed to score two OreImo phone charms (Saori pose 2, Manami), a blind box figurine from OreImo (scowling Ayase), and a CD (Para Para Max Us Mix 1). I've been really into OreImo lately because of the second season, plus the enthusiasm of my friend makes me want to rewatch the first season haha.
Ain't we purty? ;3
I think I may have seen a rise in Pokémon gijinkas, but that may have just been because of the combat musical////
Con Review: Megacon 2013
Posted April 6, 2013on:
This con always takes my breath away, and I'm leaving happier than I was last year. (Maybe it's because the huge changes are more gradual this year?)
I woke up at 6 am to paint myself grey for homestuck cosplay. Now, considering I was up until midnight the night before desperately hovering over my horns with a hairdryer, begging it to dry quicker, that's pretty impressive. (Protip: make horns days in advance.) Plus, I didn't have any good, working blue lipstick on me, so I resorted to blue eyeshadow (Protip: DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!! NO MATTER HOW DESPERATE YOU ARE!!!!! I AM STUPID)
Somehow, I made it out the door and arrived at 9 am ish, after ticket sales began but before the actual con opened. For the first time, I actually forgot to pre-reg :O Surprisingly, there was barely a line for buying tickets. I had feared the worst, but maybe spend 15 minutes before I had my wristband.
I still hate how they organize the vendor room. The lines are disorderly and chaotic, and there's so much wasted space. Lucky for me, I had a friend waiting in the front of the line, so I cut ahead and joined the first wave of people storming into the vendor room. My mom attended the Will Wheaton panel and said the same about crowd management.
I did not like the whore cage, mostly because my two guys friends wanted to go in it. Apparently there was an hour and a half wait to get into it. Whut.
There was a ton more steampunk this year, emphasised by the large Steam Powered Giraffe meetup I saw. They did such a good job imitating the band's face paint!! They started to sing in the hallway. Also, in addition to the usual amount of Homestuck, there was a huge resurgance in Hetalia cosplay. Overall, much less Adventure Time than last year, with the remaining cosplayers focusing more on the genderbends. I saw a good deal of lolitas, compared to Metro (at least 10) and even one Manba! A ton of people were wandring around in Kigus, too….
Nyan Sugar Neko Girls
I dressed as Vriska from Homestuck. Early in the morning there weren't any other Vriskas, so I received a lot of attention and photo requests. Only afterwards did I realize my horns were on backwards T_T so embarrassing. Later in the day more arrived, however. I left before the HS meetup began.
I scored! The loot I brought home was a new skirt ($5!), a Rikkakuma phone charm, a September 2012 issue of Egg, 3 mangas (Othello, KKJ), 2 Neon Genesis Evangelion comic books (not mangas!), and some other Avengers comic books.
Overall, I left the con feeling much more positive than last year.
My Vriska costume


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How Betting Works in Poker - Learn How Betting Rounds Work
That's only partly true, of course, but betting is a very important part of poker.
Let's see is how the betting in poker works.
The Betting Round
Each poker hand is made up of a number of betting rounds. The number of betting rounds depends on the poker variation.
In Texas Holdem there are four betting rounds. In Seven Card Stud there are five, and in Five Card Draw there are just two betting rounds.
Fold, Call or Raise
In each betting round, the betting moves clockwise around the table. Each player in turn must either match the bet of the previous player (call) or get out of the hand (fold).
Or, instead of just calling, when you're in turn to bet you can also choose to bet more than the previous bet (raise).
When all players have either folded or called the last raise, the betting round is over. All bets that have been made during the betting round are added to the pot.
All players who remain in the hand have now put in the same amount. They have all matched the biggest bet in that betting round. You can think of this as a negotiation - players agreeing on the price to see another card.
When the betting round is over, if all players except one have folded, the remaining player wins the pot. If everybody folds, you don't even have to show your cards to win. That's what makes bluffing possible in poker.
Or Check, if No One Has Bet
Before a bet has been made in the current betting round, the player in turn can choose not to bet (check).
Checking simply means passing on the turn to the next player without making a bet.
If it helps, you can think of checking as calling a zero bet. It it doesn't help you, please just forget about it.
The Check-Raise
Let's say that a player checks and another player puts in a bet. When the betting comes around to the player who checked, he may either fold or call - or raise!
If he raises here, his move is called a check-raise. This is not really a rule per se but it's still good to know what check-raising means.
Small Blind and Big Blind
At the start of each poker hand some players have to make a bet even before the cards are dealt. This is to create a small pot to compete for.
Without those "forced bets" all players could fold every hand without any cost and poker would probably be a very slow game.
In some poker variations, the forced bets are called Blinds. The player to the left of the dealer puts in the small blind, and the next player in turn puts in the big blind. This is how it works in Texas Holdem and Omaha.
Blinds are "live bets," which means that they count as valid bets in the first betting round. Once the cards have been dealt, it is the player after the big blind who starts the betting (he or she is 'under the gun'.)
He or she must either match the big blind, fold, or raise. Checking is not an option, since the big blind is considered as a valid bet.
Remember that you can only check if no player has bet before you in that betting round.
Big Blind Has an Option
Normally in a betting round, when all players have either folded or called the current bet, the betting round is over. However, when you play with blinds there is an exception to this rule in the first betting round.
In the first betting round of Texas Holdem or Omaha, if all players fold or call the big blind, the player in the big blind has an option: He or she may either check or bet.
Antes Instead of Blinds
Some poker variations use antes instead of blinds. An ante is a forced bet that all players have to put in the pot before the cards are dealt.
As opposed to blinds, antes are not live bets. They are just put in the middle to stimulate the betting, but do not count in betting for any one player.
When there are no blinds, there must be some other rule to decide who begins the betting. In Seven Card Stud, the player with the lowest card showing must start by putting in a half or a whole small bet (called bring in).
From there, the betting goes on a usual. Since there's no big blind, there's also no big blind option in the first betting round.
The Showdown
When the last betting round is over, if two or more players remain in the hand there is a showdown. Players show down their cards and the best hand wins the pot. If several hands are equally good, the pot is split equally between them.
First you must decide who will show first. If the pot was raised, it's the player who put in the last raise. If there was a bet but the pot wasn't raised, it's the player who put in the first bet. If there was no betting, it's the first remaining player to the left of the dealer.
The player who shows first has to show down his or her cards. Then the other remaining players show their cards in clockwise order. If their hands are losing, they don't have to show their cards, but you can always show your cards if you feel like it.
Related Poker Games Rules
- Texas Holdem Rules
- 7-Card Stud Rules
- 2-7 Triple Draw Rules
- 5 Card Draw Rules
- Badugi Poker Rules
- Chinese Poker Rules
- How to Play Strip Poker
Further Reading:


text: Hi, I'm thinking about trying to add a plot for this to my local build (as a starting point at least), but before I do ... is anyone else already working on this? My thinking was to plot CPU usage (and RAM usage?) as a function of time, sort of like the bandwidth plots vs. time. Thoughts? Thanks!


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An individual writes the personal finance statement form by completing the general information section and filling details on his assets, liabilities, his source of income and contingent liabilities, according to Fit Small Business. He also has to write information on notes payable, stocks, bonds, life insurance and taxes.
On the general information section, the individual writes his name, his residential address, the name of his business, and the business and residence phone numbers, explains Fit Small Business. On the assets section, the individual provides the total amount of money that he has in his checking account, in his savings account, his accounts and notes receivable, and the cash surrender value of his life insurance. This section also includes the total value of all his assets.
The individual writes about his accounts and notes payable, loans and mortgages on the liabilities section, states Fit Small Business. He gives details on his salary and other income sources, such as investments and real estate, on the source of income section. On the contingent liabilities section, he lists loans that he co-signed for, legal claims and judgments, and special debt.
On the stocks and bonds section, the individual includes details on the number of shares he owns, security names, initial costs of purchase and total value of the shares, states Fit Small Business. The next section has information on all property he owns, including real estate. The individual completes the form by writing details on unpaid taxes, other liabilities and life insurance.


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Private Swimming Pool
Private pools are usually smaller than public pools, on average 12 ft x 24 ft (3.7 m x 7.3 m) to 20 ft x 40 ft (6.1 m x 12 m) whereas public pools usually start at 80 ft (24 m).
Home pools can be permanently built-in, or be assembled above ground and disassembled after summer. Privately owned outdoor pools in backyards or gardens started to proliferate in the 1950s in regions with warm summer climates, particularly in the United States.
Private pools are increasingly a feature of homes in greater latitudes. For example, in London many larger homes are now refurbished with indoor pools, usually in the basement or in a conservatory.
Construction methods for private pools vary greatly. The main types of in-ground pools are concrete, vinyl liner, and one-piece fiberglass. Above-ground pools (also called "on-ground pools") are cheaper to build.
Many countries now have strict pool fencing requirements for private swimming pools, which require pool areas to be isolated so that unauthorized children younger than six years cannot enter. Many countries require a similar level of protection for the children residing in or visiting the house, although many pool owners prefer the visual aspect of the pool in close proximity to their living areas, and will not provide this level of protection. There is no consensus between states or countries on the requirements to fence private swimming pools, and in many places they are not required at all, particularly in rural settings.


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Male Bonding
Male bonding may conjure either images of too much hugging or splitting a pitcher at the local bar. It's more than that, though. A guy needs his bros. Even the most stoic and solitary of men can reap benefits from keeping strong ties to other men. After all, there are things you need your pals to do, whether it's move a body or vent about your broad. Having good man friends is a vital aspect of man-ness, but sometimes, the ties aren't as strong as you'd like them. If you need some guy time and some good guys to have it with, male bonding activities are a sure way to get it done.
- Grilling and chilling. The archetype male bonding is a bunch of guys hanging out in matching jerseys drinking beer and yelling at a big screen TV. There is a good reason for this; it works. Hanging out with pals while cheering (or jeering) the home team fosters a deeper connection. A guy can think, "Not only is he good people, he has good taste because he likes the team I like." Wearing the team colors or mascot is like a crest. You've become a family of sorts and you can't get more male bonded than that. This can expand to grilling out, going to a sports bar, or getting season tickets together. Think of those old guys on the Super Bowl commercials. Those bros have been to 45 Super Bowls together as of 2011. They are either best friends or they hate each other enough to keep torturing one another with their company.
- Kicking ass and other assorted winning. Another solid male bonding experience is competition. Without too much biological 'lion pack' psychology, there's deep meaningfulness in it for guys. Either the joy of the conquer (or the misery of defeat) makes bros tighter. A friendly (or not- so) game of pick-up basketball, shooting pool, playing darts, or just a sweet game of the latest shooter on X Box can bring strangers to friends. Working out at the gym can also be a great male bonding experience. Accountability and shared achievement is a rock-solid foundation upon which to build a friendship.
- Barbaric man stuff. Going back to the wilderness is manly. Male bonding can't get more manly than roughing it, cave man style. Hunting, fishing, and shooting brings out the animal roar in us. Around a campfire, it's easy to see men as your men. Whether you need him to watch your six in the woods or carry your bait, if your man friend is indispensable in your outdoor expeditions, you'll remember him favorably once you're out of the woods.
- Building and fixing. Get out your wrenches and screwdrivers. Male bonding occurs naturally over gizmos and whatchamacallits. Lending a helping hand or constructive commentary is a way to work together to achieve a common goal. Whether it's a bookcase or a new engine, knowing your pal can have your back and hand you the right tools for the job transcends into your everyday friendship.
- Doing good. Volunteering with your guys speaks to a softer side of friendship. Not only is there a continual commitment inherent in an ongoing volunteer activity, but the lasting feel-good feeling of giving your time to a benevolent cause and your bros is a perennial pleasure.
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Redesigning social functionality – that is, re-doing a social product already in use by some sort of entrenched audience – is sometimes tougher than designing from scratch. Very often you're fighting against organizational and institutional inertia; legacy issues that determine what's actually possible; entrenched user expectations; nervous stakeholders demanding guarantees; and a little understood, fickle market always on the verge of catastrophic "creative destruction".
But what interests me here, is that in my experience the difficulty of redesigning a product – both the subjective experience of effort and the objective expenditure of time and attention in completing a redesign, start to finish – seems to vary with the product's success, but not in a particularly straightforward manner. That is, how successful the product to be redesigned currently is affects the difficulty of the process in a complex, non-intuitive way. Why?
Well, first of all there are at least three big classes of factors impacting the difficulty of redesigning a site. Some of these are important in designing the site from scratch, too, but the way they interact with the current success of the product when embarking on a redesign is what interests me. The three factors are Market Information, User Entrenchment, and The Organization.
Market Information
When redesigning, we look to the market for clues, approach our users for tests, and effectively try to tease out guidance from the field. Ultimately, we're looking for the formula for design success. But this stuff is incredibly complicated, including such things as the design conventions determining current user expectations; the competitive landscape identifying areas of relevant differentiation; trend dynamics suggesting potential "innovations"; etc. But the most subtly difficult factors are the complex social dynamics of product acceptance. I've written about these before: the hard to discern workings of network effects, informational cascades, and the resultant path dependencies cause enormous confusion among stakeholders, greatly increasing the difficulty of redesigning social functionality. In our misguided search for a simple formula for redesign success, these factors, which decrease the role of product qualities (the stuff of design) in predicting product success, can really lead you astray.
In a nutshell, the externalities inherent in the social web (i.e. we initially evaluate a product based on others' actions and then get the most value from the products that everyone else uses) make predicting success from product qualities almost impossible. Success is usually a matter of context, timing and accidents of the product's acceptance history rather than objective design quality. So, beyond a set of user expectation-defining standards – the competitive baseline, which you should have already identified in the initial design round – market analysis and user research won't help you identify a redesign guaranteed to succeed.
Even worse, up to a certain point, the more relative success you have, the murkier the information derivable from testing users and combing the market becomes. Your variance from the competitive baseline tends to be smaller the more successful you are, and the true drivers of success are rarely clear cut product design issues beyond this competitive baseline. Very few stakeholders understand these subtle dynamics and insist that more market research, testing and "innovation" will crack the "guaranteed success" design code. As a result, redesigns of moderately successful products tend to bog down in obsessive, inconclusive research, the results of which are infinitely and inconsistently interpretable (especially if testing is public). Research is necessary, but will never provide a guarantee.
User Entrenchment
Perceived usability – as opposed to laboratory usability – is more about familiarity than objective human factors metrics. Users invest their time and attention in your product, amassing a sort of practical capital of product-specific know-how. When you start changing things, they view this as effectively theft of a precious resource: their investment in practical capital has been thrown out the window without their explicit blessing.
As anyone who has ever redesigned anything knows, users get angry when they feel they've wasted time and attention; they must reinvest to get back to the same level of practical capital. So, up to the point where nearly everybody's using your product and there's no real alternative (i.e. where the network effect is so strong and the average user's "sunk cost" so great they overcome practically all anger over perceived losses associated with change), redesigns get dicier the greater the success of the product. One consequence of this is that testing redesigns with current users will significantly skew your results toward the negative, regardless of "actual" quality. If these tests are public, you've just created a significant political battle and, thus, headaches.
The Organization
There are two related but distinct sources of organizational inertia. First, people within the organization simply get used to doing things one way and – being human – are reluctant to change. If the product's relatively successful, that felt reluctance can be rationalized by arguing that any redesign is a dangerous and unneeded rocking of the boat that endangers continuing success. Slowdowns, endless discussion, and frequent miscommunications are usually the result.
Next, as much as I hate calling simple regularities or covariances "laws" for comic effect (Moore's Law, Metcalfe's Law, etc.), Conway's Law, or something like it, seems to be pretty prevalent. In 1968, Melvin Conway observed that organizations produce products that mirror their structure or at least their internal communication patterns. He was referring specifically to the development of intercommunicating software systems produced by different design teams existing in some sort of institutional, social or communication structure. His claim is that this structure will manifest itself in the design of the interfaces between the systems.
Conway thought this was inevitable, which is way too strong by my lights. But stretching the idea a bit, some products, particularly websites, often mirror the structures of the organizations that created them. Furthermore, it seems to go the other way as well. Sometimes the organization and product have co-evolved in such a way that they're truly intermingled or even identified in many stakeholder's minds. Stakeholders view the product as a direct manifestation of the organization, and any change to the former necessarily impacts the latter.
Whatever the underlying mechanisms that generate this feeling, the upshot is that redesigning a product often has organizational implications, at least in terms of many stakeholders' perceptions of the project. Tampering with the product is often perceived as tampering with roles, responsibilities, and the delicately negotiated distribution of power within the organization. Understandably, this can lead to a significant amount of internal resistance, particularly when the product has been relatively successful and actual power and prestige have accumulated. The resulting inertia and sometimes downright sabotage can lead to massive struggles and delays.
These factors interact with the current success of the product (and with each other) to impact the difficulty of redesigning the product. Drawing from my highly subjective experience designing, redesigning, and "researching" social functionality, the situation seems to look something like this:
On the x axis is increasing success and on the y axis, increasing difficulty of redesigning the product. Some of the more interesting areas have been called out with letters. I'll discuss them briefly.
Why is a more difficult than b? After all, nobody's using the product, so redesign should be really easy. At this level of market failure, if you're asked to do a redesign, you should consider it carefully: this product should be completely abandoned and a different product built. But if you have to do a redesign, the whole organization probably understands and embraces the need to change and analyzing the market may help you identify appropriate conventions, standards and design directions. However, you are re-starting from a hole with little prospect of success (remember the importance of network externalities). Your potential users have already invested somewhere else (this a redesign… you had an initial chance and blew it. At this point your users have invested elsewhere and people burned earlier won't come back.). Finally, you have absolutely no user data on which to base your redesign recommendations and no prospect of launching then optimizing, bootstrapping your way to a successful design. After all, there's not enough activity to get a picture of where it's failing or succeeding; analyzing the market will suggest directions, but you can't really put it out there and optimize on the fly as no one's using your product.
As success modestly improves to b, the ease of redesign increases dramatically. At this point, your stakeholders are still ready for change. Analyzing the market could probably still help with design standards, conventions and trends. But now you have some data on what might work and what definitely won't. You have real users that you can gently test against, but not so many that changes will be met with a loud protest. You also have at least a foothold, which, with luck could be turned into something more by doing everything you can to generate an informational cascade through targeted design differentiation and smart positioning/marketing.
But things get progressively tougher from b to c. You're probably nearing the conventional designs as you're at least competitive at this level of success, so analyzing the market too much could lead to frustration and confusion among your stakeholders. Selling designs internally becomes more difficult as the product's modest success has been enough to spread a bit of influence and power throughout the organization. But, there are enough users to make switching costs to another product at least non-negligible to many users. However, the User Entrenchment process begins to become an issue at this point, as you've enough success for your users to have begun internalizing the system.
From c the difficulty quickly rises with success, slowing to a peak at d. This is the zone of incredible difficulty for a redesign; throughout this region all of the factors are potentially against you. Unless you're just adding hot new functionality pioneered by a competitor, culling the market for tips will be largely fruitless. You're most likely conventional – if not the leader – at this level of success, so most of the factors determining further success are those frustrating, inconsistently interpretable, and highly contingent social dynamics. Thus prolonged research and analysis in this situation actually pays little – and often costs much in terms of focus, morale and transactions. But most organizations in this range still get hung up searching the field and bugging their users in an obsessive search for a magic design formula when they should just be looking for suggestive trends to fuel experimentation. But you have to remember, users in this range become ever more entrenched, so the "right" changes are both difficult to identify and nearly impossible to justify through testing or interviews. Users want what they know now, not what they will want later, so at high levels of entrenchment asking them to evaluate a change (as opposed to just testing lab usability) often confuses the issue or leads to the agonizing death of bold new designs. Finally, organizationally, great success can make people scared to change for fear of losing it (people are, after all, far more risk averse than gain hungry). The organization has "rigidified." Success has pumped prestige and power into it's structure, creating significant vested interests in maintaining status quo. Projects in this range can quickly become nightmares.
At d, however, things turn around a little. Though it's never as easy as it is when you've poor to moderate success, the network effect is so strong, that the specter of losing position is largely mooted. That effectively removes the rationalization for status quo from within the organization and greatly mitigates the sting of negative test results from entrenched users. Also, at this point, you lead the market and most of the tips you're looking for are in terms of competitive and trend analysis, not the elusive success guaranteeing design formula. You largely co-determine the conventions defining the completive baseline along with other highly successful players. Thus, redesign at this point becomes slightly easier, but there's still there's a lot of reluctance from those who might fear loss of position and entrenched users will definitely make a lot of noise, which is never pleasant.
Redesigns are necessary to stay competitive. But along with the excitement and product / organizational rejuvenation they generate, they can also be headaches for the designers involved. Hopefully I've managed to shed some light on why and how. As I said, all of this stems form my subjective observation that redesign difficulty seems somehow oddly related to product success. Whether or not your experience of the relation between the two mirrors mine, I hope you'll at least agree that there's some relationship and that it's impacted by the factors I've suggested.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Why Redesigns are So Damn Hard
Posted by Shannon Bain at 18:33
Labels: externalities, social functionality, usability, web design
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What is Photoshop to me?
I studied photography as a part of my undergraduate degree in Fine Arts but I was never a great photographer. I also studied painting at the same time, but once again was never the greatest. At the time they seemed lacking, I believe now that both mediums were limited (at least in my point of view) because they are based on the very real and rigid physical system. And a true mixed or multi-media experience is difficult, perhaps impossible to crate with them because of that.
And then there is Photoshop. What is Photoshop to me? It means that I can use and simulate photography and yet not be bound by the limitations of physical light. It means that I can paint and draw without being constrained by the rules that govern how pigments and medium react to my canvas or how graphite is affected by paper. It means that I get to choose, I have a tool that I can use to work within those physical limitations to create a work that mimics reality or if I prefer, I can go beyond them, to create artwork that could never possibly exist in a real world governed by physical laws.
It's my choice and that is what Photoshop is to me; It is my tool, my ability to choose to make a decision about my art. And that ability to choose is the most personal power that anyone can have.


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What will it cost?
Many people dislike asking that question for fear of seeming too thrifty. When it comes to buying a house, however, it is a question that has to be asked.
It is easy to see the sales price of the home -- or at least the general range. The cost for all those extras and upgrades can get tricky, however.
If you want to upgrade from a laminate countertop to a granite countertop, the extra $2,000 to $5,000 might not be a problem. An extra $20,000 to add a sunroom might force you to clench the checkbook.
Building and product costs can span a wide spectrum and go from the simple to the surreal. You might think that an extra $25 for a nicer faucet finish is a simple decision. When it comes to an extra $30,000 for a home theater with movie-style seating, however, the decision becomes more complicated.
Here's a look at what some typical products costs. Use this as a guide as you put together your housing choices and budget.
In the kitchen, the cost to upgrade the appliance package offered through a builder can start around $1,000 and go up to $10,000 or more. You can toss in a warming drawer for about $800 and a nicer faucet for $350 or so.
In the bathroom, fixtures often rule the day. Many home buyers splurge on fancy faucets to make the vanity and countertop area shine. While bathroom faucets can range from $50 to $1,500, many fall in the $200 to $500 range.
Many buyers upgrade the master bathroom with a two handle-faucet.
"It takes a little bit more space, but it's a little more gracious and it's worth it," said Therese Schaefer, vice president of sales and marketing for Landmark Homes, which builds homes priced from $500,000.
People often spend about $800 total for two bathroom vanity faucets, she said.
Many buyers then will coordinate those faucets with a more stylish tub deck faucet in a matching or coordinating finish for about $500. When it comes to the shower fixtures, however, Schaefer recommends saving the money.
Her advice: "Leave it alone - you can't see it."
When buying fixtures, the price often rises and falls with the finish. Faucets with antique bronze, brushed nickel or other trendy finishes will cost more than a simple, chrome faucet.
The basic fixtures are suitable for many people decorating a child's bathroom, however.
"In a kid's bath, they are sticking with a simple, single-handle faucet because it is easier for the kids to flip on and off," Schaefer said.
Besides, toothpaste looks like toothpaste, whether it shows up on a simple chrome faucet or one with an upscale Venetian bronze finish. The same goes for fingerprints.
In the closet area, the sky can almost be the limit when it comes to shelving and organizational products. Many home buyers prefer a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, which naturally means it is larger than a traditional "reach-in" closet.
In fact, some walk-in closets in custom homes are as large as bedrooms, taking up 250 to 500 square feet or more. The cost to organize it may be akin to the cost of adding a sunroom or porch.
"Your typical custom closet starts at $10,000 to $15,000 and goes up to $30,000, depending on the size and wood species," said Dean Snow, general manager with Harris Builders, which builds homes priced from about $3 million.
When you're spending that much money to organize your closet, laminate or wire shelves just don't make the grade.
There also are many structural costs that can make or break a home buyer's budget. Certain projects should be considered carefully, however, as they are difficult to do later.
The cost to add nine-foot ceilings on the first floor of a home before it is built is about $5,000, said Ray Wolford, director of sales for Kimball Hill Homes, which is building homes in the $200,000 to $600,000 range. For an extra $4,000 to $7,000, home buyers can extend that voluminous feeling to the second floor.
Some buyers add a cathedral ceiling in the master bedroom and then another style ceiling - reaching to nine-feet instead of the standard eight feet - in the other bedrooms. The cost and availability of different ceiling styles and heights will vary based on the size of the house and the roof configuration.
Among the other common costs are for lot premiums. Many builders charge a $5,000 to $15,000 fee for a lot that has a view of a pond or nature preserve or the opportunity for a walk-out basement.
As you debate all these options and narrow down your product and design wish list, remember to occasionally ask this important question.
What will it cost?
You'll need to let the lender know that the $20,000 pizza oven will necessitate a slight increase in your loan amount.
Allison E. Beatty is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions or information to share regarding new home buyers' product and design choices, write to Choices c/o Chicago Tribune, New Homes Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611. Or, e-mail:firstname.lastname@example.com


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Ivor Smith, the original architect for 1961 Park Hill, joins the post Stirling debate and celebrates the 2011 "re-invention" of Park Hill.
"The care you have taken to repair a derelict structure is impressive. The concrete frame looks well with the new balustrades, and the timber top rail is better to touch. Although the coloured panels at first seem a bit bright, I can understand that it is important to express something new, and it is good that they continue to indicate the different deck levels.
The new entrance is a splendid monumental space. Some shops will add life, and the glazed two-storey offices and studios give an effective base to the building. The journey up the glass lifts is a delight, and the shiny spiral stair set within the frame is very clever. At night especially, these will provide a great view from the city and a welcome to the entrance. The arrival at deck level is similarly spacious. The access still has the qualities of the deck, and the encroachment onto it not only gives useful space within the dwellings but also provides a significant threshold to each group of four. The plan of the different units is now very spacious with views right through and light coming from both sides. My reservations about vertigo are overcome by the depth of structure that keeps you back a little from the edge. As I mentioned I do have some concerns about overheating and adequate ventilation, but I hope I will be proved wrong. The change to the elevations when the window panels are open is a witty device! The choice of materials, the quality of detail and workmanship shows great care; this is apparent in the entrance doors, the stairs, the windows, and the design of the kitchens and bathrooms. It is refreshing at this time that the whole design is free from gimmicks, and there is a consistency and inevitability to each part.
I think this scheme gives real meaning to the word "regeneration"; it represents a new beginning, a new vitality. I sense in those who have been involved the same enthusiasm and excitement that Jack Lynn and I enjoyed half a century ago. It will be a great place to live!" —Ivor Smith
Christophe Egret of Studio Egret West and David Bickle of Hawkins Brown talk about their vision for the flats in Park Hill.


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My Favorite Flirts is a feature that lets you reach your favorite Flirts easily from My Account or on 1-800-TO-FLIRT.Manage My Favorites
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I have so many toys to play with and I love shoving things deep inside my wet pussy. Sometimes I even shove a big dildo right up my ass at the same time. It drives me wild bouncing up and down on my fake cocks and then cumming all over the place. Afterwards I love to lick my pussy juices right off of my toys.
Want to see my dirty pictures? Each pack come with 5 naughty
pictures. They are $10 each pack or 5. Enjoy!
Did you have as much fun as I did? Tip me!


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Inspired by Sonya Huber's (2014) Shadow Syllabus, written as a free-writing exercise for myself, with an eye to adapting it for use in my writing courses.
- This is your map for getting an A. You're the driver, and I call shotgun, making me your navigator. I'll tell you exactly how to get to where you're going, but over the lulling hum of your engine, you might have difficulty hearing me.
- You are guaranteed to get lost.
- When I was in college, I was always lost. When I reached grad school, I realized being lost is a luxury you will one day lose.
- There's this ancient Greek myth, maybe you've heard of it, of a hound destined to always catch its prey and a fox destined to never be caught. The paradox of their mutually excluding abilities annoyed Zeus into turning them both into stone, and then into stars, where they continue this fruitless pursuit.
- I'm sure I bookmarked this reference, so now of course it's gone, which is a lesson in saving your sources with a citation manager, now.
- Those who strive for As usually don't get them, and those who abandon the hunt, in favor of seeking knowledge, of seeing how deep an empty foxhole goes, usually do.
- You will think it's easy for me to say this. I don't have scholarships riding on this. I don't have families, histories, homes to extend or transcend. But I did, once.
- "You never had control," shouts Dr. Ellie Sattler. "That's the illusion!"
- Also, that's the syllabus genre, which is why I'm always, resentfully, retooling mine.


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AT&T contacts law enforcement after data breach
The security of a user is & should be of utmost importance to any company especially for whom the trust of users is very important in order to take the business forward in the competitive market.
Social security numbers & driving license numbers of around 1600 AT&T customers were compromised when one of the employees took the privacy policy of the company in his hands.
According to the reports, the company got a shock when it got to know that the database of 1600 users was compromised by one the employees even when there is a rule against it.
The company immediately contacted the law enforcements, fired the employee and reported this information to its users so they can be on alert. Additionally the company has warned the users to keep their security accounts on alert against any unknown or strange activity in order to stay safe.
This is not the first time such a thing has happened. Earlier such cases have been frequent with many mobile network carrier companies and the case of AT&T has refreshed it. Anyways the company told a leading online news website that it is very much careful about such breaches and will take strict actions.
AT&T is one the most major network carriers in USA and it offers its services to millions of customers. It has a good name among users due to its effective services, and good network coverage.
The recent case also made AT&T senior staff official to apologize publically & he assured that such a case would never repeat in future.


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I recently wrote this piece for The Conversation.
A consistent feature of global analyses of Africa's economic prospects is their fickleness. In the years since the global financial crisis in 2008, forecasts about Africa have swerved from deep pessimism to heady optimism, and back to a bearish outlook of slow growth and fragility.
The vacillation in perceptions of African economies closely mirrors both the boom and bust cycle of global commodity prices, and the sentiments of Western and Chinese investors. But as global attention shifts yet again to the urgency of diversifying Africa's economies from unprocessed commodities, the role of the domestic African private sector remains poorly understood by outsiders, especially academics.
The media has fared slightly better in spotlighting the exploits of tycoons such as Sudanese telecoms giant Mo Ibrahim, Nigerian cement magnate Aliko Dangote, Zimbabwean telecoms entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa and others. But although African business owners have been powerful forces in African economies since the colonial period, they are often ignored in research and analysis….Read More »


text: I want to add a page to my blog called "Services" and on it offer SEO and Web Design services to businesses. I then want to post that page on Craigslist in my city to find locals that may be interested. I know this is a tough question to answer because there are many variables, but GENERALLY speaking; how much could I: 1) Charge a company for a standard 5-7 page website? 2) Charge a company to rank their site on Page 1 of Google for a keyword? The city I'm targetting has a population of 30,000 FYI. Thanks


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Here is a fall card that made for my Dads Birthdays. this card would be a great card for anything. I just love the colors. you can get all these supplies that i used to make this card at
I have done a step by step video on how i made this card below.
thanks for stopping by


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This is Peter Sloep's blog on all things Technology Enhanced Learning. Though there is a particular focus on social aspects of online and networked learning, other things may appear as well.
13 April 2012
week 4 writing the paper
Now that you have a topic to write on, I would like to point out how maximally you could profit from each other while writing. There are various systems for collaborative writing, see this website for an overview, what we (or rather, I think you) need here is a tool that allows the collection and identification of comments by your course mates. So, it should be private and also free, and there's no need for a powerful editing toolset. Google docs is a tool that fulfills these demands, but so would Zoho for example. I suggest we use Google docs. < br> Second, make use of Mendeley. The web application will suggest papers that are relevant to your topic if you have filled out your profile and, it is my impression, the better the more papers you have in your collection of publications. Finally, sending out Tweets to your followers with specific questions for suggestions, also is a means to collect feedback.
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It is the middle of July, and in Ontario that means just about everything is ripe. Saturday morning at the market there were flats of perfect strawberries, early raspberries, glossy red, black and yellow cherries, translucent red currants, and tucked away on just a couple of farmer's tables, a few pints of unassuming green gooseberries.
Continue reading The Neglected Gooseberry


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Like a Test Post, Only Weirder
So. Long time no see, eh? I'm sorry about that. We moved, and also I have been having ups and downs in the realm of depression. It's awesome. But pottering around my new house is cool, and feeding the birds makes me happy, and I haven't managed to kill any of my orchids yet, so I… Read More Like a Test Post, Only Weirder


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Beckman Coulter Use InterSystems Ensemble Integration Platform
Product News Dec 17, 2012
InterSystems has announced that Beckman Coulter is using InterSystems Ensemble® to improve the way samples are processed in hospital laboratories around the UK.
Ensemble is a platform for the rapid integration and development of connectable applications.
The new Automated Sample Receipting (ASR) solution was developed in less than six months and enables an end-to-end pathology service that is significantly more streamlined than current manual processes.
Early in 2012, in the pursuit of the highest quality balanced with cost efficiency in laboratory services, Beckman Coulter decided to create functionality within one of its sample processing systems that would eliminate the manual booking of samples.
Following a review of several options including using its own technology, Beckman Coulter chose Ensemble to integrate the target data management systems with hospital laboratory information systems and order communications systems.
As a result, samples can now be automatically recorded rather than requiring staff to scan individual sample barcodes manually.
Leanne Annereau, Marketing Manager at Beckman Coulter, said, "We are delighted to have partnered with InterSystems. We have been impressed by their collaborative approach, and the speed at which Ensemble enabled us to complete our product development - in less than six months from concept to delivery. From the start, we felt InterSystems had the right product and experience to make the project a success. We are now looking at other ways we can work together."
The ASR solution service provides a number of distinct benefits to hospitals and clinicians. By reducing labour-intensive steps within laboratory processes, Beckman Coulter estimate a single laboratory can now process about 3,000 tubes daily, which translates into significant time and cost savings over manual processes.
In addition, the solution will improve the quality of results, since a significant proportion of pathology errors are related to the mishandling of samples or mismatching of patient information.
Jonathan Selby, Country Manager UK & Ireland at InterSystems, said, "We have built a strong partnership in a short time, and we are excited by the prospect of continuing our work supporting Beckman Coulter in their development of breakthrough solutions that simplify processes, improve accuracy, and reduce costs in biomedical testing."
Beckman Coulter estimates that the first pilot sites will be operational before the end of the year.


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Alessandro Carrabs Couture is located in Battipaglia, in the province of Salerno, at the gates of the Amalfi Coast, one of the finest views of the world. The Atelier is an open space on the world of Haute Couture. Art Nouveau architectures that blend with the fabrics of pure silk, coves of ancient marbles and views of natural stone that blend well with the sinuosity of the paintings, sophisticated atmosphere that create the right chemistry to accommodate our brides.
The Atelier is the treasure chest that contains precious jewels.. the Alessandro Carrabs bridal Haute Couture creations. In the stelier you breathe a special atmosphere that will make magical every single moment that will live the bride choosing her wedding dress.. that dress that makes her feel perfect in the most important day of her life.
You are important to us, and realize your dreams is our greatest desire. To make you feel welcome at any time the Atelier is always open for you, stop and join us.. you will discover a magical world made for you. It does not matter to make an appointment, we are always ready to welcome you. Our staff will make you feel immediately at ease, we will know about you and we will understand your projects and your dreams soon. You will have a sales assistant for you all, who will dedicate the time necessary for you to find the right wedding dress. Our collections include more than 400 models, in addition to the endless combinations of fabrics, colors, accessories dictated by your imagination.. there is no limit to the creation of a work of art! Choose whatever you like and intrigues you, the expert hands of our assistents and dressmakers will dress you up and so you can fully appreciate your choices. It will be your emotion admiring yourself in the mirror wearing an Alessandro Carrabs' creation to whisper to your heart that yes.. you found it, and it is "what you wanted"..the wedding dress of your dreams. Then there are the accessories, thousands and thousands, to make you feel really special! We will take care to give you the thrill of being a bride from the first moment! And when you have chosen the dress, you are just at the beginning of an exciting journey that will lead you to your wedding day.
Comes the day of the "first test", we will be waiting you in Atelier to show you the exceptional work of our team of designer, dressmakers, pattern makers, embroiderers, all highly qualified, working with extreme attention to every single detail of your wedding dress. You will find your wedding dress, made according to your measurements with all the options you chose when you bought it. Everything will be ready and you can finally wear again your wedding dress. The first test is to our staff to make accurate measurements and implement all necessary to make the perfect wedding dress on you. We all will work to your service, to make yourself even more beautiful and we will give you all the advice you will need for your big day. There will be other tests, those that you need, to let us take care of every detail offering you the highest quality. Thus we arrive at rehearsal which is a preview of your wedding day. Will you try your wedding dress complete with everything: underwear, shoes, hairstyle, veil, gloves and other accessories chosen. It will be a dress rehearsal for your wedding and we will need it to perfect the final details of style. You will walk with your wedding dress and we will give you advice on how to move with the dress, how to sit, or how to enter in the car, or how to dance and a thousand other details. We will show you how to keep and wear again the dress. We will explain everything that must be done by you and those around you on your wedding day to ensure that your day will be just a perfect day and you will be a wonderful bride.


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Amuse Digital @ The Texas Marketing Summit
Road trip weather is upon us, and we're hitting the road and heading to Dallas. Amuse Digital is a proud sponsor of The Texas Marketing Summit.
This conference by IC Summits brings marketing professionals together from all over Texas for a full day of networking and thought-provoking panels.
Meaningful Digital & Mobile Engagement
Join our Head of Agency, Divya Visentini as she leads the panel on Meaningful Digital & Mobile Engagement. Divya leads our data-obsessed and performance-driven agency.
Her direction leads the Amuse team of strategic thinkers, problem-solvers, and brand consultants as we build engaging campaigns out of insights drawn from a data network over 100 million unique audience members strong.
At this panel, thought leaders from across industry verticals will discuss case studies and innovations in the digital space that have enhanced how our audiences interact with our brands.
Divya Visentini – Head of Agency
Divya started and now leads Amuse, combining two decades of multi-client and multi-vertical experience, her education in marketing and business strategy, and her passion for UX and technology to create a holistic approach to all our client strategies and engagements.
Look out for the Amuse leadership around the conference or stop by the Amuse booth and say hello.
Vivek Chittur – Head of Delivery & Operations
Vivek is responsible for all things from planning to processes and from infrastructure to personnel management. For over 15 years he has been instrumental in developing 360-degree marketing campaigns, crafting brand architectures, and building brand portfolios.
Frank Sendra – Head of Business Strategy
With 20 years of industry expertise and strategic acumen, Frank works extensively with growth-focused companies and individuals to build beneficial partnerships that achieve any business goal. He also levels the playing field for smaller brands that need a strategic boost to compete with larger companies.
Jin Chung – Head of Client Services
Jin's keen eye brings creative ideas to life with more than 20 years of agency and video production experience. He leads the client services team to strengthen collaborations with our clients and oversees all elements of video production to create award-winning projects.
Get in touch with us before the conference:


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