text:
"Whoa!" Drake cried, jumping back a step from the small rock man. Xan immediately drew the enchanted short sword and advanced on the earth monster. He hacked at it with his blade, and sliced off the end of one of its "arms". Mom bellowed and charged into the workshop from the hall, but his wild swing missed its mark. Liberty brought her quarterstaff up defensively, and turned part of the creature's stony body to slag with a fiery ray. The alchemist downed a protective elixir, and moved between the elemental and the sorcerer.
Denied access to its preferred quarry, the monster slammed its "fist" into Xan's chest. A couple of the rogue's ribs cracked from the force of the blow, and he crumpled to the floor, senseless. Mom took a cautious step back, then touched Xan's prone form and prayed to Kord for healing strength. Since the men stood between Liberty and the elemental, she strafed to the side and struck it with fire again. In a fury, it lunged for her, but between Drake's mighty fists and Mom's greatsword, it was smashed to stones before it could reach the sorcerer.
"Thanks," Liberty said, kicking a couple of rocks away.
"What was that?" asked the cleric. No one seemed to know.
"This part of the cairn really doesn't like me very much," Xan quipped from the floor. He tried to stand but couldn't manage it on his own. Drake heaved the smaller man to his feet and held him steady while he regained his balance. "Thanks, Drake," said the rogue. "And thanks again for saving my ass," he said to Mom. The half-orc only grunted then channeled more healing energy into his companions.
"Doesn't seem to be much else in here, does there?" Liberty said, eyeing the red stone pedestal. "Can we get it back up the elevator, do you think?" Drake crouched down to pick it up. He heaved with great effort and managed to lift it, but it was clearly a struggle. Mom came over and took half the burden.
"Looks like we can," Xan concluded happily.
* * *
One by one, they took the elevator back up and stashed the red stone pedestal near the cairn entrance. Once more, they returned to the false tomb, Mom said, "What if you all get to the upper hall, and then I light all of the lanterns?"
"The one with the mouth?" Liberty asked.
"I could go, see if it's safe. I should be fine if I fall," she said, holding up the hand with the magic ring.
"True," the half-orc said.
"Let me go back up," Xan said. "I'll try to disable the pressure plate." Liberty let him borrow her ring.
"Everyone go up and stay put. I'll light the lanterns, and then Cornelius can help me up," Mom said.
The plan was put into action, and once Mom lit the final lantern, the stone face at the end of the tunnel lifted up and out of sight, revealing a large open chamber. Past the gaping mouth at the end of the hallway was a long, dark room with no floor. A three-foot-wide beam of petrified wood spanned the chasm, leading straight ahead into darkness. About ten feet below the beam, countless iron spheres the size of large oranges formed an irregular floor, but it was impossible to tell if they represented a wholly solid surface. The northwest and southeast walls were covered in a honeycomb of geometric patterns. The featureless stone ceiling extended about twenty feet above the beam.
"Huh," Liberty said as Xan crouched down to examine the path more closely. "Do you think that beam will hold anyone's weight? And even if it does, would it be safer to cross it one at a time?"
A childish giggle echoed off the walls of the chamber. The adventurers exchanged nervous glances and looked around for the source of the sound. The room was silent for the next several moments until Mom broke it: "Creepy." Drake only grunted.
The rogue finished his work, declaring the first several feet of the beam to be safe. Before heading out onto it, he stopped himself short and handed the magic ring back to Liberty. "I'm pretty comfortable in places like this," he said. "Balancing is kind of a hobby of mine."
"Tie a rope to yourself, please," Mom said.
"Sure thing … Mom," Xan replied snarkily. He looped one end of a rope around the beam and tied himself to it, making a mobile harness that would move with him as he proceeded across the chamber.
"Oh, that's smart!" cried a boy's voice from nowhere.
"Who speaks to us?" Mom asked.
"Did I mention that I hate it down here?" Liberty said quietly.
"You could help with it, maybe?" Xan called out. He waited another few moments, but there was no reply.
The rogue systematically disabled the pressure plates cunningly built into the narrow beam, but when he got nearly to the end he hit a snag and iron spheres like the ones in the pit below blasted out of the holes on either side of him. One of them beaned him in the shoulder, and he narrowly avoided toppling over the side of the beam.
"Ouch!" the voice cried again.
"Enough out of you," Xan grumbled. Turning back to the others, he called out, "I'll try not to do that again."
"Please don't," Mom said. "I may have trouble reaching you from here."
Once Xan had crossed the bridge, he found himself at a blank metal section of the wall. If it was a door, it had no obvious handle or hinges that he could manipulate to open it. He was about to report this to the others when a ghostly figure manifested from the wall beside the door. The specter appeared as a translucent young farm boy with a broken neck, long black fingernails, and a demoniac glare in his eyes. It grinned at the rogue before merging with his body.
The others stood watching in stunned silence from across the chamber. Presently, the boy's voice emanated from Xan's mouth. "Oh, that's better."
"Oh, crap," Liberty said.
"Hi, y'all!" the boy called, waving with Xan's arm and beginning to stroll back down the platform toward the other adventurers.
"Hello?" Mom said uncertainly. "Can you please get out of our friend?"
"Oh, acourse! I jist needed his voice. My name's Alastor Land."
"Well, what do you want?" Mom asked.
"I been down here fer decades, though it's kinda hard to keep track. I think … I think I'm being punished fer abandoning muh fam'ly in their time a need to run off and go … 'venturing. As ya can see, that whole thing ain't exactly worked out fer me." The ghost manipulated Xan's lips into an awkward frown.
"Over the years, I seen other splorers like you come an' go. The trap in the walls did fer most of 'em, but others jist give up an' left. I cain't git out the way y'all come in, but I ken push through the metal door yonder, an' I seen what lay past it."
"What?" Liberty asked curiously.
"A glorious chamber a strange carvin's an' a pillar a air. An' there's a catch on t'other side a the door that opens it like that," Alastor snapped Xan's fingers to emphasize. "I could open 'er up fer ya … if'n y'all do somethin' fer me in return."
"What would you like us to do?" Mom asked.
"The way I figger it, muh body needs ta be with the rest a muh kin, or I ain't never gonna sleep peaceful like. Muh bones lie there, jist 'neath the far side a the bridge. I danged near made it, not that it'd've done me much good. Anyway, y'all take muh bones from here an' bury 'em with muh fam'ly on our farmstead jist east a Diamond Lake an' I'll open the door fer ya 'fore I …cross over to t'other side. Deal?"
"That doesn't seem like too much to ask," Liberty said. "Fellows?" Drake grunted assent.
Mom looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm … If that's all there is to it, we'd be willing to help."
"Just tell us where to go," the sorcerer added.
"Oh, wonderful!" Alastor said. He gave them directions to the farmstead and then exited Xan's body and faded out of sight. The rogue staggered a step before catching his balance.
"Xan? Are you all right?" Liberty asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay surprisingly. Actually, that was pretty interesting. It'll make a hell of a good story back in town."
"Is it safe to cross now?" she asked, indicating the beam.
"Yes, but be careful. Let's get those bones!"
Liberty offered to go down and collect Alastor's remains, so Xan stepped out of his rope harness, and the sorcerer stepped into it. When her feet touched down, she found the surface of the balls to be stable enough, but something felt wrong. She saw the iron balls shift a few feet from her position and called out a warning.
A pallid, slimy, worm-like creature burst from beneath the iron balls. It was roughly the size of a human, its mouth a sickening tangle of tentacles and hooked jaws, and it bore down on Liberty with hungry intent. The monster's tentacles lashed out as it took a bite out of the sorcerer. The pain was intense, but she managed to stay conscious. "Pull her up!" Mom cried, tossing one of his cleavers just past the abomination. Drake didn't have to be told twice, and with a heave of his massive arms, he pulled the sorcerer back up to safety. She nodded her thanks to the alchemist then burned the creature with a lance of flame. Throwing caution to the wind, Xan somersaulted off of the beam and landed right beside the monster, stabbing it with his enchanted blade.
As the rogue engaged the creature, Mom jumped down from the beam … somewhat less gracefully. "I'm just going to get a damned spear," he grumbled as he picked himself up. Drake dropped a bomb in the corner, which burned the beast but spared his friends. Xan maneuvered into a flank before the beast's bitey, tentacular assault overwhelmed him. He fell bleeding to the floor but only for a few more moments as the others' combined attacks laid the creature low.
Mom cast another healing prayer, and Xan regained consciousness, but he didn't get up right away. "I think I might just lay here for a bit," he said. "You guys have fun." They dug up Alastor's bones and placed them in a burlap sack. Further investigation of the pit revealed a few more corpses with partially filled coin pouches and a suit of masterwork banded mail.
They made their way carefully back out of the cairn. Xan insisted on stashing the red stone pedestal back at the mining office, and then the group made its way south and east to the old Land farmstead.
* * *
A copse of immense deklo trees shaded a small quiet clearing just where Alastor had said it would be. Crumbling walls and a seemingly abandoned farmhouse stood vigil atop a small bluff overlooking the clearing, the sad ruins of what must once have been Alastor's home. Five grave markers stood in the clearing, each with a different name: Anders (531-564 CY), Bemissa (534-576 CY), Coldaran (550-576 CY), Gertia (563-576 CY), and Alastor (552- ). Open pits yawned from before all five headstones. Piles of fresh dirt and a pair of abandoned shovels suggest that the excavation took place recently, certainly within the week.
"These were victims of the Red Death plague," Drake commented, indicating the four-petaled flower motif.
"And victims of grave robbing, as well," said Xan. "I think we keep that fact from Alastor."
"Now why would somebody want those bodies?" wondered Liberty.
"Something about the plague that made them valuable?" suggested Mom.
"Can't imagine any wholesome reason for anyone to take them," said Drake.
The sorcerer shrugged. "Unless we've got a necromancer in town."
"That's just creepy," said Xan. Mom grunted agreement.
"I guess we should bury this one, at least," said Liberty, hefting the sack that held Alastor's bones.
"I say we wait until we find out what happened," said Mom.
"I imagine we'll need to bury them with the family," said Drake.
"Alastor doesn't need to know the other bodies were moved…" said Xan.
"Uh … I'm sure he would know," said Mom.
"Well, if that happens, we can deal with it," said Xan. "Until then, let it just be our little secret, 'kay?"
Drake grunted uncertainly, but Mom frowned angrily. "I really do not think it will work at all, and it may even piss him off enough to cause us harm."
"I think Mom's right," said Liberty. "Plus, if there is necromancy going on in the town, that's bad news." The half-orc grunted.
Xan persisted. "Just let me talk to him, and it will be fine. I won't even lie. 'Alastor, there was already a burial plot on the property. We laid you to rest there with great care. Your bones are where they belong now.'" He turned to Liberty, "As for the necromancer, that can be dealt with after we get into the true tomb."
"And then if he doesn't open the door, we're just gonna have to go back to Diamond Lake, then back here, then back to the cairn," said Liberty.
Mom shook his head. "Xan, it won't work."
"I think I see some tracks here," Drake interrupted. He pointed at wheelbarrow tracks heading away from the small cemetery and toward Diamond Lake. This prompted the others to take a closer look as well. They found the tracks of five booted humanoids that matched the prints left around the graves. After their robbery, it appeared that the five people walked up the bluff to explore the farmstead.
"We should probably have a look in the farm house before we go anywhere else," said Liberty.
"Yes," said Mom, frowning at the confused tracks nearby. "Five went up, but it looks like only four came back down, and they seem to have left in a hurry." He looked up from the ground to the others. "So, let's see what happened."
Xan drew his blade and looked toward the house. "We might as well go say hi." He led the way up the bluff.
The dilapidated Land farmstead consisted of a crumbled wall and a sagging, unsafe house with broken windows and a sagging roof. Liberty hung back near the wall as the others drew nearer to the front door. They saw that thick, sludgy puddles of dried blood and unidentifiable fleshy chunks littered the wooden floor immediately inside.
"That … smells … awful," said Xan. He held up a hand for quiet and listened intently for a few moments. When he spoke again, it was in a whisper. "Something … big is breathing in there. Wait here."
The rogue moved quietly around the perimeter, peeking into the windows. It was dark inside, and even the sunlight overhead didn't pierce too deeply into the farmhouse. While he did this, Mom quaffed a healing potion, knitting up a few of the wounds that lingered from the fight with the monstrous worm. Drake pulled out an unusual looking ampoule, and held it ready. Liberty shifted from foot to foot, all nerves.
Xan returned about a minute later. "Looks like the Land estate's new owner is a very large bear," he reported.
"Maybe it ate the fifth grave robber?" suggested Liberty, moving forward a few steps.
"Yes, well. The fifth grave robber is just past the entry. At least, some of him is."
"Oh," she said meekly.
"It is a man-eater very close to town," said Xan in his wheedling tone. "Maybe we can get a bounty for it?"
"Pelt's worth something, at least," agreed Liberty.
"That's my girl," grinned the rogue. "What about you two big strong men? Want to try to put it down?"
"Makes me wish for a spear again," Mom said. "But we can't just leave it here, and we need to search the remains for clues." Drake grunted in affirmation.
They decided to try to flush the beast out, so Drake mixed a bomb and made for the window from which Xan had seen the bear. However, as the big alchemist moved around that side of the farmhouse, a low growl emanated from within, ending in a higher pitched "HOOO!" sound.
Xan held the lantern up to the front door to illuminate the deeper reaches of the house, and from around the corner lumbered an amalgam of fur and feathers. This bizarre half-bear, half-owl monstrosity raised its huge, ursine claws in anger and barreled toward him. He barely had the presence of mind to note the injuries the beast had sustained.
"Oh shit!" Liberty said as the owlbear smashed through the wall near the open doorway. She lashed out with fire, scorching the fur and feathers of the large hybrid creature. Mom engaged the beast, and Xan hacked at its neck with his enchanted shortsword. Drake came rushing around the house and staggered the monster with a wild haymaker.
As its last act, the owlbear brought a heavy claw down, raking the burly alchemist savagely before it slumped to the ground, overcome by its wounds.
"Drake!" cried Liberty, even as Mom brought his greatsword down to finish the beast off. Assured that it was dead, Xan reached for the last remaining healing potion. He knelt down beside the alchemist and coaxed the magical fluid down his throat.
The alchemist coughed as he regained consciousness then sat up, grunting in pain. "Ugh, that bastard hit pretty hard."
"Oh, I've seen "/characters/kullen" class="wiki-content-link">Kullen hit you harder'n that," said Liberty, sounding relieved.
"Seems to happen quite a lot with this treasure hunting thing, Drake," said Xan. "You took it like a pro."
"Get a drink in me, and I'll be fine," said Drake.
"That was not a bear," said Mom, using the owlbear's fur to clean its blood from his blade.
"Its head has got to be worth something," said Xan with a grin. "Or its pelt? Could you skin it, Mom?" The half-orc grunted assent and set to work.
The others entered the house to explore and discovered a complete human arm bearing a familiar tattoo. "That's … weird," said Liberty.
"Speaking of Kullen…" said Xan.
"Aye?" Mom prompted him from the doorway.
"I believe that is the same tattoo branded on Kullen's head." He looked up at the others. "It was the mark of Garavin Vesst, an old mine manager that Smenk ran out of town. I think he died last year…"
"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Liberty. "I think you're right. Got to be at least a few folks around town with that mark … but it's not nothing."
Xan nodded. "Yes, Vesst banded all of his employees with that mark. Still … we have a lead on these bodies after all. I'd still really like to get inside that vault first, though…"
His thought was interrupted by an unusual sound from Drake near the collapsed stairs where the owlbear had made its den. The big man crouched down beside an owlbear about the size of a puppy. He reached out one of his large hands tentatively and gently patted its feathered head. The baby owlbear rumbled a purring hoot and nuzzled Drake's arm.
Liberty smiled as shook her head at Drake. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
"I'm thinkin' I like him. Devil…" Drake said.
"Oh, don't give it a name," she teased. "Can you even train that thing?"
"Doubtful," he replied. "I'm not a caretaker type. But he could watch the shop."
"You're cleaning up after it," said Liberty, still grinning.
"Aww … mom and dad's first argument," said Xan. "It's cute." Drake scowled at him, but the rogue ignored it.
"Master James would be happy to sell you raw meat to feed it," said Mom.
"May try my hand at it after all, then," said Drake, scooping up the baby owlbear. "C'mon, Devil."
Once they were back outside, they returned to the burial plot and laid Alastor's bones to rest in his grave. Mom scratched "565" on the right side of the dash to indicate his estimated date of death. Once this was finished, Xan broached the subject of what to do next.
"So … do we go have a chat with Kullen or go talk Alastor into opening the door?"
"I think you should have a chat with Kullen," said Mom.
"I say we find Kullen," agreed Liberty. "Or see how far those tracks go."
"Gotta find the family," Drake rumbled.
"Kullen isn't doing this on his own," said Xan. "He was hired, by someone bigger and more powerful. Maybe "/characters/neff" class="wiki-content-link">the Mayor. Maybe Smenk. Do you guys really want to go through all that trouble and danger if we may not even need to?"
"Kullen might not have anything to do with it at all," said Liberty. "But he might know someone who's gone missing. Or missing an arm."
"We agreed to lay him to rest with his family," insisted Mom. "I'd like to at least try to hold up my end of the bargain."
"You and your damn morals," said Xan with a frown. "We owe nothing to this ghost. He possessed me and blackmailed us into doing what he wanted us to do."
"He could have threatened to throw you to the worm-beast, too," Liberty pointed out.
"He offered a bargain that we accepted!" said Mom. "We should at least try to be honest and honorable."
"We made a deal, Xan," Drake said. "You goin' back on that?"
"We agreed to bring him here and bury him … and we did," said the rogue.
"So, what would you rather do, Xan? Go back to the cairn and get him to open the door?" asked Mom.
He nodded once. "I've said as much. And, Mom, if you are so honest and honorable, why don't you go tell the other adventurers how honorable we were when we sent them to an empty tomb."
"I could," said Mom. "But I never made a bargain with them that I felt I needed to uphold."
"They were going there anyway," said Liberty. "I just … encouraged her. Them."
"Ha! Now we aren't even being honest with ourselves," said Xan.
Mom pressed on. "But I did agree to bury the boy with his family, and his family has been removed. I gave my word, and I will do my best to fulfill it."
"I suggest y'all shut it," said Drake. "The ghost isn't going to do our bidding until we do his. Xan, if you're so keen to lie to the ghost that can take control of your body, please do. I ain't stopping it from having your corpse to animate when you make it mad."
"I have no intention of lying," said Xan. "I don't need to."
"You are still trying to weasel out of the agreement," said Mom. "But fine. You didn't agree, but I did to help you out. And I will carry on the way I feel I should."
Xan sighed. "I'm obviously outvoted in this, so I'll play it democratically. Let's vote. I vote for first seeing if the ghost is happy with what we have already done for it." He looked around at the others expectantly.
"Bury it with its family, not a grave next to its family's desecrated graves," said Drake.
"I am going back to my house to sleep and pray, and then I will talk to Kullen myself, if that's what I need to do to keep my word," said Mom.
The men all looked to Liberty, who had remained quiet. "Well Lib?" said Xan. "What do you think?"
"We have to find the other bodies, yes," she said.
"Okay … We play it that way," said Xan. "I just hope that you all realize that intelligent criminals are a lot more dangerous than anything we found in that tomb."
Drake laughed. "Rather fight a man face to face than die to a burst of fire or a screaming stone face."
Xan sighed again. "I said 'intelligent criminals', Cornelius. They won't confront us face to face because they don't have to. But it's decided. If we're going back to town, we should split up. I'm going back to the mine office for a change of clothes. These tears and bloodstains would raise too many questions." He frowned at the owlbear in Drake's arms. "And don't even get me started on that thing…"


text:
The Distribution of Prizes in a Match-Play Tournament with Single Eliminations
Sherwin Rosen
NBER Working Paper No. 1516
This paper begins to study the reward-incentive structure in sequential knock-out or elimination tournaments with matched, pairwise comparisons among players at each stage. The prize structure required to elicit constant expected quality of play in all matches throughout the tournament is characterized for competition among equally talented (or perfectly handicapped), players.The incentive maintaining prize structure is shown to concentrate' extra weight on the top ranking prize, a phenomenon observed in most tournaments. More can be said. Prizes that maintain performance incentives at all stages award a constant increment for each match won up to the last stage; and an amount greater than this for the player who wins the final match. Players' incentives to perform in early rounds are propelled by the probability of achieving higher ranks and surviving to later stages where rewards are larger. These continuation options are played out in the final match, so it is only the difference between winning and losing prizes in the finals that controls incentives there. Many athletic tournaments are structured in the manner analyzed here,but the general framework ultimately may have application to certain career games as well. More generally, a tournament structure may he viewed as a statistical, experimental design problem.The prize structure interacts with the design in providing incentives for the best players to survive to the finals and win the top prizes.
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w1516
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Open bugs in Rockbox
Open bugs in Rockbox
From: <tracker_at_rockbox.org>
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 00:00:39 +0100
Flyspray contains 141 open bugs:
2 years 263 days old: Corrupt files using time split feature
1 years 106 days old: Rewinding at end of song confuses playback
315 days old: iPod going into USB mode when using the wall charger.
314 days old: text viewer setting saving not working on ipods
311 days old: USB Bootloader Mode not working properly
308 days old: Random resets when playing while plugged in (USB)
283 days old: Ipod Video constant ticking and scrollwheel noise bug
281 days old: convbdf segfaults on very large fonts
280 days old: chessbox gets frozen on hold
272 days old: Bookmarking does not work in connection with Tag Cache Database
263 days old: button_status() and scroll wheel don\'t work
259 days old: LCD line still active after shutdown
257 days old: Disk label disappears
256 days old: Backlight left \"on\" when booting to original Apple firmware
256 days old: Keypad HOLD doesn\'t let go until scrolling is used
249 days old: System Freeze: iPod Photo 60GB
249 days old: can\'t turn on iriver with the h300 non-lcd remote
248 days old: Error in the visualization of time left in a track
247 days old: Music playback pauses while creating root.m3u
242 days old: mp3_encoder improperly encodes mono .wav files
233 days old: Dice: \'Total\' missing when using large fonts
232 days old: Silent is the same as -56db
228 days old: Recording overwrites iriver fw settings
222 days old: 4th gen photo iPod responsivity
215 days old: audio_set_track_changed_event() skips first track in playlist
215 days old: Config options needs attention (manual)
210 days old: Switching fileview to ID3 database causes lock-up
205 days old: Balance doesn\'t initialize correctly
199 days old: Follow Playlists doesn\'t work if play pressed quickly
194 days old: TagCache repeats album display when albums > 50
187 days old: Runtime estimate very pessimistic
187 days old: Data Error on 4G Grayscale while charging with USB cable
179 days old: RB hangs when deleting the currently played file
175 days old: renaming can generate filenames that are inaccessible from windows
172 days old: Tetrox counterclockwise
172 days old: Quick screen and recording screen can\'t be localized with character not present in FONT_SYSFIXED
170 days old: iPod video locks up when scrolling in file list
168 days old: Ungraceful LCD Shutdown with Hold
165 days old: Data Abort 0004A704
164 days old: player freezes when generating 6th consecutive Sudoku game
164 days old: iPod Nano - hold Menu button on USB insert doesn\'t work
163 days old: The \\setting{} keyword generates bad/heavy html code
159 days old: X5 Playback from previous song keeps playing when skipping tracks
148 days old: FLAC playback buffer
148 days old: Problem with Rockbox when Battery runs out completely
147 days old: Bookmarks can\'t handle filenames with semicolons
147 days old: Valid (floor type 0) ogg file crashes player
147 days old: Codec failure with directory skip when in file browser
143 days old: Frequent crashes on low battery
142 days old: Non-ASCII chars in filenames not displayed correctly
142 days old: no \"charger status\" in iPod 4g Gray
142 days old: Plugging the charger on an empty iPod starts a cycle of resets
142 days old: Settings clear randomly on reboot
140 days old: Battery recharge does not work within rockbox
139 days old: Running out of space corrupts recorded file
137 days old: MIDI Tempo
134 days old: \"Fade on stop/pause\" via Line-out does not work.
134 days old: Follow playlist doesn\'t work in ID3 view
130 days old: playlist ordering glitch
127 days old: Likely file system bug
127 days old: wrong button assignement in text_editor (H300)
125 days old: Battery display incorrect when H120 is plugged in
124 days old: Wavpack Hybrid Playback Broken
123 days old: Missing info / screen corruption on H1x0 RWPS using iAmp theme
122 days old: Long pathname (>255 chars) crashes
122 days old: Scrolling with Themes is very slow
121 days old: AAC variable bitrate plays slowly on iPod Video/TV 60GB
121 days old: Flashing chapter is outdated/invalid for Archos\'
119 days old: H10 Rockbox doesn\'t work on early models
117 days old: wps freeze/hd spining while trying to play SID
115 days old: Menu Key does not prevent from going to USB mode at boot time.
114 days old: Rockbox on iPod3G occasional freeze on startup
114 days old: RockBox-iPod3G freeze after \"pause\" pressed (occasional)
111 days old: Reordering Currently playing Playlist is Inconsistent
111 days old: TextViewer bugs
110 days old: Sim crash on long LFNs
109 days old: Fade On Pause/Stop
109 days old: Playback buffering fails with low bitrate files
109 days old: ipod video 30 gig dont charge
107 days old: Fix or remove the \"win_crox6hbo\" font
106 days old: CPU Timing/Boost on H10
105 days old: X5+RockBox+Remote=CLICKS
105 days old: Volume increase/decrease not smooth
103 days old: No text under pictures non displayed...
102 days old: Functionless buttons on remote when FM radio is on
102 days old: main vs. remote vkeyboard inconsistency
101 days old: Position display resets (0:00) on resume
101 days old: debug build is broken
100 days old: A-B repeat on short audio files repeats incorrect section
98 days old: Some debug menu options do not allow left to exit
97 days old: Idle poweroff while playing video
94 days old: Recording misses lots of samples (1-2 seconds!)
93 days old: Freeze on boot
91 days old: X5L - Remote - Volume wheel
91 days old: Freezes using optical out when cross-fade\'s enabled
91 days old: Pressing stop on startup with auto-resume crashes
91 days old: Control problem on H10 (5gb)
86 days old: Recording screen loses talk_menu setting on power off
86 days old: PLAY action executes again on exit from settings_save_config()
84 days old: iPod Video won\'t boot after shutdown - (false) low battery
84 days old: MP4 playback not working
83 days old: \"battery display\" setting, for status bar, ignored when unit charging
82 days old: Songs not played from beginning
81 days old: iPod Photo reboots while playing
81 days old: Tag Cache Not Ready
78 days old: Tagnavi_custom.config causing freezes
77 days old: Audioscrobbler incorrectly submits last song
77 days old: player crashes after trying to resume deleted music file
77 days old: Keyboard: max. glyph width doesn\'t get reset when using custom .kbd and changing font
76 days old: German UI: wrong instruction for deleting bookmark
74 days old: Star - no longer possible to quit game, game lockups.
70 days old: rockboy menu unresponsive
70 days old: \"Can\'t Open\" Error on game select (H10 20gb)
66 days old: Simulator does not maintain pause status properly
65 days old: Playback weirdness with resume and talk clips
64 days old: Jabber notification broken in Flyspray
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The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding was among the stars who took part in 2010's Teenage Cancer Trust comedy benefit show at London's Royal Albert Hall tonight (March 23).
Making his sixth appearance at the charity event, the star turned up onstage sporting a new bleached blonde look, a grey boiler suit and golden boots.
"I asked for Kurt Cobain but I got [Moors murderer) Myra Hindley, fuck you," he declared as he arrived onstage before adding: "I am all The Police, I couldn't even pick one. If Gary Numan fucked Andy Pandy, this is what (the offspring) would look like."
The star, who is an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust went on to make jokes about Slash and TV presenter Bruce Forsyth before he sang a song called 'Monkey Edwards' about one of his neighbours.
Earlier co-compere Jimmy Carr made two brief appearances in which he took a jovial dig at Madonna and organiser Roger Daltrey, while Gavin & Stacey star James Corden was the main compere for the night which saw each comedian introduced onstage to songs by Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Kasabian and The Cribs.
The night saw a host of performers mock pop and rock stars including Take That's Mark Owen and his former bandmate Robbie Williams, Susan Boyle and Iggy Pop who American comedian Rich Hall rapped for previously appearing in a car insurance advert.
"At what point did Iggy Pop start advertising car insurance? What the fuck? Does the man have no dignity whatsoever?," he jibed.
Further performances came from Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, Glaswegian stand-up star Kevin Bridges, Tommy Tiernan and Manchester comic Jason Manford, who told a funny anecdote about how he met The Cure's Robert Smith with Hollywood star Mickey Rourke when he was in the green room on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.
After the interval, a short film was played out showing survivors of teenage cancer before The Who's frontman and patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust championed the Royal Albert Hall event, which is now in its 10th year, and brought on former sufferer Jamie Riddick.
He also revealed to the crowd that Depeche Mode's recent gig at the venue last month raised £400,000 for the charity.
The Teenage Cancer Trust shows continue tomorrow (March 24) with Suede, who reformed especially for the event.
Meanwhile this year's Shockwaves NME Awards Big Gig will take place as part of the run, with this year's Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music recipents The Specials playing on March 29.
Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and The Who are among the other bands playing Teenage Cancer Trust shows this year. NME.COM will be bringing you full reports from the shows, while Absolute Radio will have live recordings and interviews from the gigs.


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NGOs in Trinidad & Tobago telling their stories using video, one of the most effective tools in the communications arsenal:
Adult Literacy Tutors Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ALTA): Interview with Paula Lucie-Smith for the 2012 Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence Laureate in Public & Civic Contributions
Art Connect – "An urban art project, where the students of Success Laventille Secondary School, together with McShine embark on a series of dynamic highly creative community murals in an on going visual dialogue on the walls of Laventille donated by Coconut Growers Association."
Autistic Society of Trinidad and Tobago: Advert for the organisation (first video) and information about autism and the organisation (second video)
Buccoo Reef Trust – YouTube Channel
Creative Parenting for the New Era: Communication Workshop of one of their sessions
Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project (FACRP): Interview with the FACRP Director
Habitat for Humanity Trinidad & Tobago: Short documentary focused on a Habitat home recipients.
KIND (Kids In Need of Direction): Interview with the founder
The Tall Man Foundation – YouTube Channel
Promotional video about Tall Man Foundation
Trinidad & Tobago Red Cross Society: Informational Red Cross video and youth program (first video) and call for volunteers (second video)
Trini Eco Warriors – YouTube Channel
The Legal Slaughter of Sea Turtles in T & T (Trini Eco Warriors)
Tobago flight – Quarrying in T&T (Trini Eco Warriors)
The Heroes Foundation: Call for Volunteers
Soroptimist International of Trinidad & Tobago: Informational video about the organization
The Voice of Lupus Foundation-TT: Faces of Lupus Project
Youtube Resources for NGOs:
- YouTube Nonprofit Program: "Tell your organization's story through videos on YouTube to connect with supporters, volunteers, and donors. Applying for a designated "Nonprofit" channel through the YouTube Nonprofit Program will help deliver your message to the world's largest online video community."
- NGO YouTube Tips: "YouTube is an interactive worldwide community—there are a lot of ways to use the platform to inform people, get them to participate, and grow awareness of your organization."
- 5 Ways Non-Profits Can Increase Engagement With YouTube: "Non-profits have been engaging with YouTube for years, but it's still important to have a specific online video strategy. The following five tips can help organizations maximize their YouTube offering for the most impact."


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Joseph Joseph Scoop Plus Large
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1 November, 2017
Today's my birthday, and I'll celebrate with a blog post!
I've been quiet lately. Part of it is just general negativity the last few years about many things. Some of it is disappointment in MMOs in general. Some of it is not really feeling like I have much to say that people are interested in.
But, let me go over a little bit of what's happening in my life for those of you still reading.
I'm currently playing FFXIV as my MMO of choice right now. The new expansion, Stormblood, has been pretty fun as a whole. The story isn't quite as good as it was in Heavensward (the part with Ysale and Hraesvelgr is just amazing), but it was solid enough. FFXIV lets you play every class on one character and I'm on track to get all the classes to max level again. I've already maximized my crafting classes and over half the combat classes.
I recently dipped a toe into the RP community. I followed a friend to an unofficial RP server and have been playing there a bit. RP communities (particularly in WoW) were a bit inspiration for us for Storybricks, so it's been fun to look at an RP community up close and personal. Maybe I'll be motivated to make a post on some observations from that.
I still play DDO with my static groups. I don't play solo characters much anymore, all that time is poured into FFXIV now. It's still a tremendously fun game in static groups, although it's obvious the game is on the decline. Events don't draw as large of a player crowd anymore, and you just don't see as many people around anymore. But a new Ravenloft expansion was announced which may drives some interest back to the game!
Otherwise MMOs have been… disappointing. After a lot of talk and bluster, the recent MMOs in development seem to be dragging through development. For all the talk about light design and smart component use making for fast development, it seems the current crop of developers are falling into their same old habits. I fear we'll see games that can't live up to even their modest expectations given the time and resources being poured into them. It's sad that the most interesting MMO in the last few years has been yet another DIKU style clone.
Other games
I'm still playing other games. Board games are still a favorite of mine. I've been doing board gaming on occasion with a local group which has been a lot of fun. Some of my recent favorites have been Tokaido. It's a fun board game with a fun movement mechanic that doesn't rely on randomness; the person furthest behind always moves, and that's sometimes the same person multiple times in a row. The setting is also interesting, traveling on a pilgrimage in ancient Japan, and the art is amazing.
I recently went to WashingCon, a big board gaming convention. There I played a fun game called Between Two Citeis. This had a neat mechanic where you had to cooperatively build two cities with the players on either side of you and your lowest scoring city was your final score. Lots of interesting strategy!
My mobile game intake has slowed down considerably. After playing a bunch of grinding games, I got bored of the sameness of the games and never felt compelled to spend my entertainment budget on them. And a few games have simply shut down meaning I can't play them anymore. Most of the excitement has been going to VR and AR games lately, although the luster on VR seems to be fading fast.
Finally, I've been in a 5th edition D&D campaign for a while now. I'm playing a Tiefling Sorcerer with a Draconic Bloodline… Demonic features and gold scaly skin make for an interesting visual. The game has been a lot of fun with a new DM and a collaboratively built world. We use a virtual tabletop system which is a lot of fun.
My work
I've been quiet about my work. Unfortunately, The Humanity Hypothesis has been shelved as my dev partner Dave "Over00″ Toulous has had to deal with some personal issues. I'd still like to pick the game back up and release it in the future, but we've obviously lost a lot of momentum on the marketing and development side of things.
I am working on another project, but it's something not quite ready for prime time. I'll hit that it's related to tabletop RPGs more than MMOs. It's something I'm very excited about. When it's ready, I'll talk about it on here and on all social media I can.
But, I've been growing and learning. I've gotten back into Javascript programming after several years. I'm avoiding most of the framework craziness as I can and sticking to some basics using Meteor and Pixi. I've also been doing some fun design work, beating ideas into shape using my design experience.
Keep an eye on here soon!
Don't call it a comeback!
Writing this has felt good. Maybe I should blog more often. Got a topic you want me to write more about? Post it in the comments. Some inspiration might be just what the doctor ordered!
4 Comments »
Have you played Space Station 13? (Google says it haven't been mentioned on this blog)
Comment by Kinrany — 1 November, 2017 @ 3:31 PM
Happy Birthday!
What "serious" topics of the day would you even want to grapple with? Lockboxes? The trajectory of VR in gaming? The current state of Steam for the indie dev? Is there anything new under the sun?
Comment by Wilhelm Arcturus — 1 November, 2017 @ 3:44 PM
Happy birthday!
Good to see you are alive and well!
Comment by unwesen — 1 November, 2017 @ 3:45 PM
Damn, I totally biffed responding here.
Kinrany wrote:
Have you played Space Station 13?
I did a few years ago. I'm sure it's crazier now. It was a fun game but not quite an MMO, IMNSHO. But pretty fun.
Wilhelm Arcturus wrote:
What "serious" topics of the day would you even want to grapple with? [...] Is there anything new under the sun?
Yeah, I guess there's a general malaise about MMOs in particular, although gaming in general just seems to be drifting along. As for VR… I don't see it being a big thing. We'll see if AR even makes a splash at all, I guess.
Comment by Psychochild — 31 December, 2017 @ 2:46 PM


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I recently interviewed for a job at a large financial institution. The firm was hiring in its Legal and Compliance department due to recent employee attrition in multiple areas. I learned this fact by asking questions I typically ask of prospective employers:
"Is this a new position? If not, why did the last person leave?"
You can peer through the looking glass of a firm's culture by asking these questions. If the position is new, it sounds like the firm is growing and willing to invest in expansion – positive indicators. If the position is preexisting, it could be due to various reasons, not all of them negative. Perhaps the previous person outgrew the role and was given a new opportunity internally (positive). Or maybe that person wanted a new challenge and was not the right fit for the job (which does not necessarily mean the job is bad). On the other hand, employee attrition could be a red flag for an insufferable culture, terrible boss, poor advancement and growth opportunities, and an overall miserable experience. The answer I received to my question suggested the latter.
The hiring manager responded to me with the following:
"We are hiring for two positions actually. Both are open due to employees recently moving to different roles, one in the firm and one externally. They both had good opportunities and jumped at them."
This response made me think that both people received opportunities they could not turn down. But it also made me pause, for it probably was not happenstance that two employees in the same organization and reporting line quit almost simultaneously. I had to ask:
"Is there a particular reason why both of them left? Is it a coincidence that they each quit around the same time?"
I will never forget his response.
"Honestly, I blame it on the millennial generation. Their generation has no loyalty or allegiance to companies and the people who spend so much time trying to train them. They see no problem packing up to leave for a measly salary increase, like some bullshit $10,000 or so. What they fail to realize is that when the economy nosedives, and it always does periodically, they will not have enough human capital to fall back on."
Wow, tell me how you really feel. Here I am, a 30-year-old millennial, interviewing for a new job after only two and a half years spent at my current one. He continued millennial bashing, but quickly ended by saying his comments did not apply to me because I am relatively early in my career.
So are most millennials, buddy.
I guess this 40-year-old guy forgot that most millennials graduated into the financial mess we inherited from his generation and the baby boomers. The post-recession economy was unkind (to say the least) to all new entrants, forcing many of us to pursue underemployment as an alternative to unemployment. Consequently, many of our starting salaries were below market, and that's if you were lucky even to be in the market in the first place. Many struggled mightily to find their first job, often having to settle for a role they simply tolerated, if not outright hated.
Remember, millennials were the first generation to go to college in mass. A college diploma in the 21st century effectively transformed into the high school diploma of the past. Even if you simply graduated with a liberal arts degree that taught you nothing practical for the real world, it was still viewed by society (particularly millennial parents) as better than nothing. Everyone was expected to go to college. High school admission counselors preached it, parents applied pressure, and society set the expectations. With an unprecedented supply of prospective millennial-era students, colleges overextended their enrollments, even when the job market did not meet their supply. The government only encouraged it further by providing easy access to money that many 18 and 22-year-olds did not anticipate would threaten to drown them for eternity. These factors combined to create an atmosphere where those not pursuing higher education were labeled dumb or worthless, and where the student loan industry promised to change a generation forever.
Does this guy know what it feels like to owe over $200,000 in student loan debt? The economy may have been dropped in the toilet by the baby boomers and generation X, but the cost of education never wavered. The legal market, for example, was completely oversaturated, but law schools continued to churn out juris doctorates at exorbitant costs that only increased over time. The government passed out unsubsidized loans (that you cannot even escape in bankruptcy) like hotcakes to any sucker with a social security number and an aspiration to improve their life with education. Schools were incentivized to fudge their numbers or skirt ethical standards to entice students to apply, and many did, as higher education witnessed scores of admissions scandals in the recession's aftermath (for a few examples, see Claremont McKenna, Villanova Law, Tulane Business, University of Texas).
Add to this student loan crisis and post-recession economy the fact that employers forever pegged your next salary against your current one, and you have a millennial generation set up for disaster. Until cities like New York passed laws prohibiting employers from asking about current salaries, candidates were almost guaranteed to be underpaid in a subsequent job if they were underpaid in a current role. No employer is incentivized to pay a $100,000 market value if they know a candidate currently makes $60,000. These policies permitted employers to persistently underpay younger workers who had entered the market at its nadir.
The interviewer was partially right in one aspect, however: when the market falls into an abyss, human capital can go a long way. But balance sheets matter too, along with your perception at work. If you stay at one company for many years, it assumes you add significant value. Everyone is a cost on a corporate balance sheet, even revenue generators who create positive cash flow. Not everyone who stays at the same job adds value over time though. They could simply exist and fall into the pejorative category of a "lifer." While it is not recommended to change jobs every year simply for the sake of change, workers also need to be cognizant of how they're viewed if they stay. If more opportunities and new challenges are not being thrown at you (along with more corresponding pay), you may have plateaued. Eventually, your head may be the first on the chopping block to make way for the next generation.
There are many factors at play for why millennials change jobs at a faster pace than previous generations. Oversimplifying the reasons by blaming their attitude and mentality without exploring the root causes is shortsighted and uninformed. If companies are dedicated to training and development, but want the security of commitment, then they should move past the era of "at-will" employment and make employees sign contracts. Otherwise, you cannot blame someone for leaving when a better opportunity comes along because there is nothing stopping the employer from doing the same. In the age of a post-recession economy and in the midst of the student loan crisis, it is hard to blame any millennial for wanting to improve their career and bank account.
If you are interested in reading more articles on the Great Recession, see part 1 and part 2 of Wall Street Accountability.


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Yours Madly
Oh lover, make me yours again
The sense of veiled love, the love of lovers. A love full of passion, lightness, as it carries no responsibility. It's the meeting between a mistress, maybe a courtesan, and her gentleman. Love as a gesture. In order to live this folly majestically, one needs elegance and character, secrecy is a value.
This woman lover is very attractive as she is a complete mystery, she is not yours nor do you know to whom she belongs. She's seems to be untouchable and free. We wish to be her as we wish to be him.
Size: 60ml/2.0 fl. oz
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Notes: Lavender, Artemisia of Tunis, Chamomile, Geranium of Morocco, Cypriol Nagarmotha, Saffron, Agarwood, Amber, Sandalwood, Heliotrope, Patchouli, Vanilla, Lily-of-the-Valley, Orange, Cedar
MariaL is the abbreviation of MariaLux. She is my muse, my perfect alter ego. Maria as virgin, mother, lover. Lux stands for light, luxury, and lust.
The 'L' is me, Lilian Driessen, designer & creative director. I dress. I've been working in this profession since 1987. I embrace work in progress, the effort and collective excitement that lies in the process. As I have touched and have been touched, there are many stories to tell.
The house creates anarchic tailored elegance and raw luxury. A concept I adapt to all products I develop, executed and produced with care and love by masters of their craft. Everything we do we approach with personal attention. We search for exclusivity, privacy, and delicacy in a thoughtful but informal manner.
The perfumes are inspired by love, the most complex, by far most important grandiose human emotion that never will materialize itself. In order to tell the stories, I found a trinity within that are closely connected and cover this intricate sentiment loaded with inner duality. It's these three 'typical' love themes I believe we all individually will have experienced at some point in our lives. These deeply felt emotions leave traces on our souls, as in any most intimate encounter between two people, maybe male and female, their perfume still lingers and finds its way between the sheets after lovemaking.
They have been created in collaboration with perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri aka The Nose.
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|8 oz
|2 × 4 × 4.75 in
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Stunt Kites
Voted Best Kite of the Year in 2005 Skill: Novice Speed: Fast Pull: Medium Wind: 4-22 mph Size: 5-foot wingspan Frame: Carbon / Fiberglass Sail: Nylon, Mylar laminate Flying lines: 65′ x 90# Spectra Agile and responsive, packs up tiny for travel. Taking a vacation or just wishing you could? The Nexus is our best kite for travel, especially if you're new to the sport. Big enough for real-kite performance, small enough to pack in a suitcase, it's the perfect package to get you hooked on kiting. It's real equipment that'll handle your abuse and perform whenever you feel the urge. Free Tail Shipped w/Nexus! Order the Nexus and receive a free tail. Color is picked at random and is subject to stock...more info


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Boys love things that go vroom, splash and splat, so it's no wonder why Dustin Deck's six-year-old son Taigen has taken to ATVing. What is astounding, however, is that the little Skeg Pirate (more on the name in a moment) has a legion of followers on social media: over 1,200 likes on Facebook, over 500 subscribers on YouTube and a whopping 13,000+ followers on Instagram. With a fanbase that strong, Taigen might be the most popular second grader in Western Canada.
How it began
Dustin has been a powersports enthusiast since he was a child. He preferred snowmobiles until recent years, when he met his wife, Alanna, and her son, Taigen. "We found we could do more together as a family during the spring and summer with ATVs, so we decided to go that route," said Dustin.
"If Taigen wants to try burning a doughnut or wheelie or a new trick, I let him," Dustin said. "Everyone has to find their limit and I encourage him to do it with me." — Photo courtesy Dustin Deck
Feeling comfortable behind the handlebars of an ATV can be daunting for a child, but they can come around with exposure. "At first, Taigen was terrified of the loud exhaust so it took a little bit of work for him to warm up to them," Dustin said. "Take it one step at a time. Don't push the child. Make sure they are comfortable with riding. Make it fun. Start with small rides around the yard or field and go from there. There have been times Taigen has been scared from going into really deep water—it took some time to shake that off him. If they fall off, encourage them to get back on."
Taigen's first dip into ATVing turned out to be transformative. The Deck family resides in Provost, Alberta, but tend to do much of their riding at Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan. A couple of years ago, Dustin got stuck in a muddy hole on a trail in the area. Since Taigen was a light-as-a-feather four-year-old, he was able to ease into the hole and ride out Dustin's quad without a problem. "After that, his love for quadding grew instantly," Dustin said. "The following Easter, my wife and I decided to buy him his own little 90-cc four-stroke ATV so he could start riding along with us and participate in longer family rides."
Social riding
Within two years, Taigen has gone from first-time mud bogger to savvy social media ATV savant. "I decided to take some photos and a short video of him riding to show his friends and family across Canada," said Dustin. "Then I created an Instagram account. Once I started uploading and figuring out how hashtags work, the page took off from there. I learnt little tricks and tips along the way with editing videos for YouTube, seeing what fans really want, what works and what doesn't. It made it a lot easier to build more of a fan base."
A lot of parents are wary of their young children being online as the Internet can be a magnet for negativity and bullying. The Decks are an example of what a social network should look like. "We receive a lot of positive comments in regards to our parenting—how we get our kids outside to enjoy the outdoors and teach them how to respect their equipment," Dustin said.
The Skeg boys love to ride—two-year-old Kayne, newborn Shay and the Skeg Pirate himself—Taigen. — Photo courtesy Dustin Deck
Any good name has a story behind it, and Taigen's alias as the Skeg Pirate is no exception. "When we started to put together our social media, Taigen was missing teeth and he had a thing for pirates," Dustin said. "So from looking like a pirate and us loving the nasty northern Saskatchewan muskeg we ride in, we decided to put the two together and call him Skeg Pirate."
All in the family
Taigen isn't the only Skeg in the Deck household either. Newborn Shay is tentatively titled Baby Skeg and two-year-old Kayne goes by Skegger 2.0. If you're wondering when children feel the need for speed, it's earlier than you might think. "Kayne has a major obsession with quadding," Dustin said. "When he was about a year-and-a-half old, we bought him a little six-volt quad which eventually proved to be useless because his legs could move faster than the quad could drive. He now has a 12-volt quad that he kills the battery on every time he rides. Over time, we will either get a 24-volt quad or his own DS50."
Most boys like playing in the mud. Taigen revels in it. — Photo courtesy Dustin Deck
Transitioning from toys to ATVs can be tricky. Dustin has advice for parents who want to introduce their kids to the sport but aren't sure what age they should be. "I don't believe there is an appropriate age—there is an appropriate maturity level that a child has to have prior to riding an ATV, sled or even a lawnmower," Dustin said. "They should be aware of the dangers that can happen."
Keeping kids safe
Protecting children is a priority for parents whether or not they're riding an ATV. Safeguarding kids on four wheels means having suitable gear. "With our side-by-side, Kayne still has to sit in a car seat with a helmet, seat belt and a neck brace," Dustin said. "None of our kids are allowed to operate or ride an ATV without a properly-sized CSA-approved helmet, riding gloves and eye protection. For longer rides we use neck braces and chest protectors."
Once a child—or an adult for that matter—develops a need for speed, it can be problematic to rein them in which is why Dustin employs a different approach. "If Taigen wants to try burning a doughnut or wheelie or a new trick, I let him," Dustin said. "I would rather watch and teach him the dos and don'ts than find out he tried behind my back and got hurt or something was wrecked. Everyone has to find their limit and I encourage him to do it with me."
The trial and error approach may result in bumps, bruises and property damage. "Taigen has had a few minor accidents: running into a fence, a greenhouse and a garden shed," Dustin said. "He tried showing off doing doughnuts and rolled the quad. He pulled a sick water wheelie resulting in the machine flipping over backwards and him falling off into the water. He popped up from under the water like a champ, standing beside his upside-down quad. Only his pride was injured that day."
ATV jubilee
Taigen isn't the only one who benefits from quadding in the mud. Adventurous kids make proud parents. "We have a lot of pride in watching our kids," Dustin said. "Seeing them making new memories and meeting new people brings us joy. Watching them learn new tricks or a hard lesson such as swamping his quad is good to see. It shows us that Taigen isn't afraid to try new things."
There are no guarantees that your children will fall in love with ATVing the way you have, but with a bit of encouragement and guidance you too may have a little Skeg Pirate to follow in your tracks.
Social media Skeg Smash
Dustin and Taigen host an annual social ride known as the Skeg Smash to allow Taigen the opportunity to meet and ride with riders who follow him on social media.
"Kids tell us how we have inspired them to get outside and try new activities out of their comfort zones," Dustin said. "We get lots of kids asking for stickers or pictures with Taigen, which he is not shy about giving."
Besides other kids meeting the six-year-old celebrity, the Skeg Smash is Taigen's chance to meet his heroes as well. "The greatest reward has been seeing Taigen meet some of the riders he really looks up to: Ostacruiser and Blackie from ExtremeATVOffroad," Dustin said.
The second Skeg Smash took place on August 12, 2017. Plan on attending next year if you'd like to meet the celebrity Skeg Pirate and the rest of the Deck family.


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Dynamic Mister is a mini mist generator, the design of which is based on the same principles as the Vibro Spreader, i.e. with a center pin vibrating in the middle of the nozzle. It generates a uniform circular pattern, which in the upside down hanging mode (see right picture, including an anti-leak device and stabilizer weight) creates a "droplet free" mist cloud (picture below) The constant vibration prevents clogging by dirt or lime sediments in the nozzle. The Dynamic Mister fits into any Ein-Tal socket, plunger etc.
Performance:The Dynamic Misters are produced for nominal water discharge of 20 L/hr and 40 L/hr (5 GPH and 10GPH) at a nominal pressure of 2 bars (30 PSI). These features save the need in special high pressure and fine filtration as required for most foggers. Further specifications are provided in the product brochure .
Applications: The Dynamic Misters can be installed in the upright mode, or can be hanged as an overhead device - in upside down mode. The hanging mode is used in particular for irrigating germination tables in greenhouses and for cooling livestock and poultry during hot and dry climate. For the upside-down mode it is recommended for use with a drain shut-off valve , as shown in the picture above, to prevent dropping at the end of the operation.


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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a minimum or maximum order?
Global Bullion Suppliers is a company built on commitment, dedication, and trust. Every of member of our team has had years of experience in the bullion industry and is trained in the strictest business and environmental practices. All our products are provided directly from associate and full members of the prestigious London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), COMEX, and the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI).
Where can I store my bullion?
When purchasing bullion, we advise you to vault it in a secure and insured facility. At a minimal cost, this is significantly cheaper, easier, and safer than storing it at home or even at your local bank. That being said, all our bullion is supplied and shipped in damage resistant packing ideal for storage in any type of safe.
Where are we based?
Global Bullion Services was founded and maintains its administrative center of operations in Toronto, Canada.
How can I trust GBS?
Global Bullion Suppliers is a company built on commitment, dedication, and trust. Every member of our team has had years of experience in the bullion industry and is trained in the strictest business and environmental practices. All our products are provided directly from associate and full members of the prestigious London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), COMEX, and the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI).
Due Diligence
What due diligence do we perform?
We perform basic due diligence on all clients and transactions. This includes monitoring the size and scope of online transactions for fraud using AI technology. It also involves added measures on wholesale accounts. Wholesale due diligence consists of basic information pertaining to invoicing, personal information, legal status, and government issued photo-identification.
Why do I need to provide my information to Global Bullion Suppliers?
In order to comply with the FINTRAC requirements of the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, GBS goes above and beyond standard requirements to ensure and demonstrate that our clients are never under suspicion of criminal activity, as well as to complete transactions without delay and to the satisfaction of our clients.
What does .99999 fine mean?
The highest standard of Fine precious metals.
When purchasing bullion, is it better to buy bars, coins, or rounds?
The difference between bullion bars, coins, and rounds is that only coins carry a financial (monetary) value, which often adds a premium to the piece. In the end, however, the pivotal difference is an investor's personal preference. Unlike coins, both bars and rounds can be customized upon request.
How does GBS guarantee the quality of its products?
All our products are produced and, or verified by an associate, full member of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), COMEX and the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI). Quality is insured by either x-ray analysis or fire assay performed by an ISO 14001 compliant member or LBMA and IPMI.
Why does GBS supply numismatic (rare) coins?
Numismatic, or 'rare' coins vary in fine metal content; their price is determined by their scarcity and historic significance. By offering our most valued clients and collectors these pieces at minimal cost, GBS preserves numismatic value otherwise lost in the refining process.
Can I call to lock in a price?
Our website is open 24/7 and as such provides the easiest way to lock in a price. All customers can call us anytime for assistance in making an online order. Wholesale customers can call to lock in a price anytime 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday.
How does GBS offer better rates than bullion dealers?
Through a combination of strategic partnerships with companies directly involved in Bullion Exchanges, an international infrastructure, and high volume trading, GBS has priority access to unparalleled prices and reserves of precious metals.
Do taxes apply to bullion purchases in Canada?
No taxes apply in Canada. Any bullion sold meeting the requirement of 99.5% fine gold, or 99.9% fine silver are considered financial instruments under Canadian law and exempt of HST.
What forms of payment does GBS accept?
GBS does not work in cash. Most often, clients pay using cheque, e-transfer, and Interac Online. Wholesale customers and large buyers also find it convenient to pay by wire or bank trasnfer. We can accept other sources of funds, such as pre-cleared (certified) cheques, bank drafts, credit cards, and PayPal. We are happy to provide detailed answers to any questions you may have, so please feel free to reach out to us by phone or email.
In the event none of our payment methods are suitable, we would be happy to point you to a dealer who can help.
How do I pay for bullion ordered?
Online orders placed using credit cards, Interac Online, or PayPal on GlobalBullionSuppliers.com and/or eBay.ca are paid on the spot. That is to say, you pay before completing checkout. For all other payment methods on GlobalBullionSuppliers.com you pay after your order is placed.
When you place an order and do not pay in checkout, your invoice will include payment instructions. For instance, please send all e-transfers to email@example.com and mail all cheques to B01A-14 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto, ON, Canada, M5R 1A9.
What is your policy on Cancellations, Exchanges, Returns and Refunds?
As a company, Global Bullion Suppliers is committed to client satisfaction. Although rare in the precious metals industry, we accept returns on manufacturer-defective products.
Depending on the nature of the issue, we reserve the right to exchange, return, or refund your funds as we see fit. Please remember that our Market Loss policy always applies. You can find our Cancellation and Refund Policies towards the bottom of our Terms of Service page.
Where can I find your Shipping and Delivery Policies?
For detailed information on our Shipping and Delivery policies, please proceed to checkout with your order. You will be provided live pricing using the most competetive rates available to us. You can also check our Shipping Rates page for recent promotions.
What are some examples of common Canadian shipping, handling and insurance charges to major cities?
1 - 10 troy Oz.: $10.00 - $20.00, 11 - 25 troy Oz.: $12.00 - $25.00 , 26 - 50 troy Oz.: $15.00 - $30.00, 51 - 100 troy Oz.: $20.00 - $35.00, 101 - 200 troy Oz.: $20.00 - $40.00, 201 - 500 troy Oz.: $25.00 - $50.00, 501 - 1000 troy Oz.: $35.00 - $70.00, 1001 - 2000 troy Oz.: $80.00 - $150.00
How can I obtain an accurate shipping quote?
Although you will most commonly be quoted along the guidelines above, certain packages have unusual dimensions, and weight fees. In order to account for such cases, you will only be presented a complete shipping quote upon selecting your items and destination.
For international destinations (outside CDA/USA), please call to inquire, 1 (800) 427-4045.
For fraud and AML prevention reasons, GBS may not ship to P.O. boxes.
When will I receive the order?
You should expect delivery time to vary depending on your location and payment method. For example, Bank Wires are the fastest way to pay for your order. Normally, shipments are prepared and shipped within one (1) business day of payment confirmation.
Global Bullion Suppliers guarantees the quality of all shipments. We rely on top-tier couriers such as Canada Post / USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Average shipments take no longer than 1-4 business days, but may take up to 10 for more remote locations. When commercially feasible, we email you a tracking number when the shipment is sent. You should expect to be asked to sign upon delivery.
You should expect:
- For Bank Wires, Credit Card, Interac e-trasnfer, Interac Online, and PayPal Orders: It usually takes 1 business day after payment for us to see your payment as processed.
- For Bank Drafts, Cheques, and Money Orders: It usually takes 5-10 business days for us to see your payment as processed and cleared.
What will my order look like?
All shipments are carefully prepared under video to maximize security and discretion. This usually means a small, tape-reinforced box wrapped in a discreet sleeve, and addressed to you.
Are shipments insured?
Global Bullion Suppliers's insurance policy covers all packages in transit. You accept full liability if you have left instructions with any carriers or delivery service to leave parcels un-attended for you without the need for a signature. You will also be made responsible if you have given them instructions to leave your package with someone else such as a building manager, neighbour, or a drop-off location such as Mail Boxes etc.
Does GBS back-order products?
Due to the nature of the precious metals industry, supply-side issues may occasionally arise. Should the situation occur, where we have more orders placed than inventory available, we reserve the right to delay delivery up to 30 days (from your expected shipping date) to fill your order. You don't need to worry about prices rising, as you've already locked a price in.
We will deliver your bullion (non-numismatic) product within 30 days. If you ordered a numismatic or supply item by phone or from GlobalBullionSuppliers, which has previously been sold or we are out of stock on, we will either place it on back order, attempt to locate another, or a refund will be given. Should the value of your items decrease in that time period, you will not be entitled to any market gain.
Can I personally retrieve my bullion from vaults?
Yes, retrieving your physical bullion is a simple and effortless process. You can retrieve your bullion at any time. Simply provide us your account information and we will assist you in scheduling an appointment with the vaulting facility at your time of choice.
Does GBS offer a vaulting service?
Yes. We provide access to state-of-the-art, international storage facilities, complete with the latest security features and insured by Lloyd's of London. These facilities are complemented by specialized response systems and physical surveillance.


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Founded in 1954, the Kameda Medical Center is one of Japan's largest and oldest medical facilities. Having acheived JCI accreditation in 2009, the hospital offers the highest standards of quality throughout.
Servicing many thousands of medical tourists and domestic patients ear year, the hospital has over 900 beds and almost 500 doctors servicing 22,000 sq meters of floor space.
Specialist units include Oncology, Cardiology and Spinal Surgeries.
Japan is special in its own way. The culture, the food, the people, as well as the technology are so stunning and breathtaking. You can have the old Japan, with its ancient traditions in form of a geisha performance, onsen (hot spring) visit in the mountains, tea ceremony or shrine visit. In contrast to this, there is the modern Japan, full of smart systems and electronics, colorful advertisement and displays, architecture as well as lifestyle. In recent years, Japan has become one of the top destinations in the world for oncology treatments. Many people choose medical tourism in Japan because the country is a leader in technology and advanced medical care, offering procedures and therapies that are not found anywhere else


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If you are unfamiliar with what a rider is, check out The Smoking Gun's list of band's riders (I like the Chili Pepper's meditation room). A rider can be described as a list of junk the venue/promoter provides a band to make them more comfortable on their tour. The Spinto Band has one of these. While it is rarely filled, when it is, we get quite excited. We have items like a veggie tray w/hummus, a case of beer, case of water, and the all important chips and salsa.
We sometimes receive a smattering of these items. Denver was one of these nights, but we got a kick out of which items the promoter chose to include. Something is noticeably absent. Have you ever eaten salsa with apples? It's on the same plane as having a meditation room without an area rug or aromatherapy candles.
The blurriness here represents Tom's confusion as to how we can eat the salsa:
We consider this a Rider Fail, but perhaps one could consider it a Bartender Win. The bartender needed some salsa for his NCAA basketball party the following day so he decided to charge it to the show budget while conveniently forgetting to bring any tortilla chips. Either way we had a good laugh about it and left the salsa, untapped, atop the counter. We prefer it Spicy anyway.


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Contact us 24/7: +1 877 678 9627
Kjaer Weis
Eye Shadow - Magnetic
Zoom In
Speak to your personal shopping team about purchasing this item.
- Instructions for use:
- - For long wear, apply to a primed lid
- - Apply with a damp brush to intensify the color
- - Alternatively, apply with a damp eyeliner brush along the lash line
- - 1.2g/ 0.04oz.
Ingredients: Talc, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Tocopheryl Acetate, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium(Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica(Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Zinc Stearate. May Contain +/- Mica, Iron Oxide (CI 77491), Iron Oxide (CI 77492), Iron Oxide (CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) Certified Natural By The CCPB, Italy (KW Eye Shadows Contain Bamboo Which Grows In The Wild Not In A Supervised Area, Therefore Not Accepted As Organic By The CCPB. 70% Of The Raw Materials In This Eye Shadow Are Certified ORGANIC Which Qualifies It As Certified Natural)
Makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis describes her 'Magnetic' shade as "a modern take on gold eye shadow." Use it to add a subtle, glowing shimmer to any look. Universally flattering, it blends beautifully with all colors and is formulated with Bamboo, which boosts collagen and gives it a silky-smooth finish.
- Free from gluten, petroleum, parabens and petrochemical emulsifiers
Product Code: 609278
Find out the shipping options available for your destination
Arrange your return for an exchange or refund within 28 days using our free collection service
Help & Advice
Product Code: 609278


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OSU CCC Portal
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Franchise Opportunity in Perth
We have a fantastic premium franchise opportunity available in Perth...
Our premium franchise opportunity for sale in Perth has 15,000 businesses in the territory, ideal for our B2B focused centres. From our extensive research of the area, we know that our award winning franchise opportunity is likely to attract large revenues and profitability.
What do I get for my investment?
- £30k reinvestment from us
- A comprehensive start-up package
- 3-week initial training programme
- No industry experience required
- Share of 1000s of sales enquiries we generate
- Help in securing finance
- Ongoing support from a dedicated UK support team
- Buying power of the UK's largest sign company
- Most searched for Signs brand on Google
- High earning potential
If you are looking for a business opportunity with regular repeat business, high-value orders, a stable marketplace and an established brand then Signs Express could be the right franchise for you.Make an enquiry
About Signs Express
"Working as a Signs Express Franchisee has given me more than I could ever hope for and alongside the financial and lifestyle advantages of being my own boss, this experience has enabled me to secure my dream project with Team Sky during the Tour de France".
Lee Eaton, Signs Express (Manchester)
Winner of the British Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year in 2015
Your Investment
To help you get off to a flying start in Perth, we will invest your franchise fee of £20k back into your business AND invest £10k to contribute to set-up costs that are involved in a new location, meaning you can reach profitability even quicker!
This, along with savings on equipment means that the start-up costs are significantly more affordable than ever before! Instead of £80k + working capital, you now require just £45k + working capital*.
*Major banks can fund up to 50-70% of the cost, dependent upon your financial history.
We provide our franchisees with a comprehensive training course prior to helping find the right premises and staff to ensure that you will have the skills and confidence to become the boss. Find out more about Training & Support.
Perth has thriving commercial areas with a vast customer base. We have identified key business sectors within the territory that we typically work with, such as:
- Construction = Over 1,800 businesses
- Manufacturing = Over 1,000 businesses
- Retail = Over 2,400 businesses
- Transportation = Over 500 businesses
- Accommodation = Over 1,300 businesses
- Professional = Over 1,500 business
- Administrative = Over 900 businesses
- Education = Over 500 businesses
- Health = 800 businesses
Perth Opportunities
Perth has an ideal customer base for a Signs Express centre due to the diverse number of companies within it. There's a real balance of large companies, the public sector, a broad range of small and medium-sized enterprises and many self-employed business people, all of which are in need of some kind of signs or graphics.
Larger companies within Perth include the likes of Perth and Kinross Council, NHS Tayside, Scottish and Southern Energy, and Perth College UHI. It's also the home to leading international transportation company, Stagecoach Group.
Perth has a real variety of major and independent retailers located on the High Street, St John Street / Centre and areas such as Old High Street and Canal Street, many of which are continuing to go through regeneration projects.
Why Choose Signs Express?
Recognised by numerous award bodies over the past 30 years, including the coveted British Franchise Association (bfa) Franchisor, Franchisee and Customer Services awards, Signs Express continues to set industry standards, leading the way in both the signs and franchise sectors. As one of the most successful B2B business models within franchising, Signs Express have demonstrated continued success with a proven business model and industry revered brand.
With a network of centres that command 47% higher turnover than the average signs business, some of which regularly exceed £1.5 million turnover and franchisees staying with us on average for 15 years, Signs Express offers an opportunity with a big difference.
With regular repeat business, high-value orders, a stable marketplace and an established brand, is Signs Express the right franchise for you?Find out more


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NEW: Search The Forums
Advantages of wood plastic floor
Advantages of wood plastic floor (post #51493)
1: waterproof and moisture-proof. It has solved the problem that wood products are easy to decompose and expand after absorbing moisture in wet and multi-water environment, and Wood Plastic Composite Products can be used in the environment where traditional wood products cannot be applied. Anti - insect, anti - termite, effectively eliminate insect - type harassment, prolong service life. High fire resistance. Can effectively fire retardant, the fire level reaches B1 level, when fire extinguishes, does not produce any poisonous gas.
2: colorful, with many colors to choose from. It has both natural wood texture and wood texture, and can customize the color according to your own personality. Plastic is strong, can very simple realize personalized modelling, fully reflect individual character style. Good machinability, can be ordered, planer, saw, drill, surface can be painted.
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We buy and sell books in religious studies, philosophy, psychology, theology and biblical studies. Along with biblical studies and theology, we buy and sell academic books in practically every religious discipline. If you want to build a library or have academic books to sell, please contact us.
1232 N Fair Oaks Ave Unit 10B | Pasadena, CA | 91103