text:
And in other news, water is still wet...
... and the CAGW crowd are still idiots:
There is no scientific evidence that human activity is causing the planet to warm, according to Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore, who testified in front of a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Moore argued that the current argument that the burning of fossil fuels is driving global warming over the past century lacks scientific evidence. He added that the Earth is in an unusually cold period and some warming would be a good thing.
"There is no scientific proof that human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the dominant cause of the minor warming of the Earth's atmosphere over the past 100 years," according to Moore's prepared testimony. "Today, we live in an unusually cold period in the history of life on earth and there is no reason to believe that a warmer climate would be anything but beneficial for humans and the majority of other species."
"It is important to recognize, in the face of dire predictions about a [two degrees Celsius] rise in global average temperature, that humans are a tropical species," Moore said. "We evolved at the equator in a climate where freezing weather did not exist. The only reasons we can survive these cold climates are fire, clothing, and housing."
"It could be said that frost and ice are the enemies of life, except for those relatively few species that have evolved to adapt to freezing temperatures during this Pleistocene Ice Age," he added. "It is 'extremely likely' that a warmer temperature than today's would be far better than a cooler one."
Now I realise that Greenpeace long ago stopped being an advocate of real science and sensible public policy, but it's worth paying attention when one of the founders of the movement basically repudiates his own (former) organisation's most strongly touted messages.
The short-term temperature trends, according to people who actually study this stuff, aren't exactly favourable, as it turns out. The graph to the right shows a time series of climate data from the late 1970s onwards. As you can see, from the late 1970s to the early 2000s, there was a decent upward warming trend. And then that trend peaked, and for the last 10-15 years, we've been seeing mild to moderate cooling.
In other words, all that "malarkey" about the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and its effects may not have been so far-fetched after all. We humans are about as relevant to global warming as a chipmunk's fart is to an elephant's lunch.
Dr. Moore is indeed correct to argue that humans thrive in warmer climates. We as a species thrive in warmer climates; it is no coincidence that the Mediaeval Warm Period coincided with very real and very considerable economic growth throughout Europe:
In Europe the warm conditions had positive effects. Summer after summer the harvests were good and the population increased rapidly. As a result thousands of hectares were cleared of woodland and farmers expanded their fields high into the hills and on mountain slopes. It was even possible to grow successfully grapes as far north as Yorkshire.
Under these conditions, art, literature and even science were developing apace and we see the height of medieval civilisation. The most visible achievements of this period are undoubtedly the construction of the many cathedrals all over Europe. The good harvests had made Europe rich and the good weather freed people from the burden of the struggle against the elements.Given these known facts, and given the bloody horrible winter we just went through (it still ain't quite over), I'd say a bit of warming is exactly what we need. On the other hand, watching the world's foremost fervent warmists being hoisted by their own petard in the Antarctic summer is priceless comedy, so maybe another mild Ice Age wouldn't be that bad- if you're of a thoroughly sadistic inclination...


text:
Archive for June, 2008
Poof! — It's Summer
Posted by nbdog in Around the house, Weather on 29-Jun-2008
After all the whining about the cool June all of the sudden it's summer. We had a high of 87 degrees yesterday and right now it's a toasty 94, breaking the record of 91 set back in 1951. It looks like we'll soon be back to the more normal mid-70's for highs within a day or two. Thank goodness.
We had a visit from an orphan baby elk who's been hanging out in the neighborhood for several weeks now. She's looking a little better and we're hopeful she'll continue to grow and eventually be adopted by one of the local herds.
Golf – Newcastle GC
Played the China Creek course at the Newcastle Golf Club. The course has spectacular views of downtown Seattle and Bellevue and with a slope rating of 126 it presents a significant challenge to hackers like me. I shot 97 (four better than last year).
Golf League – June 25
The team had a not so good week; we didn't play well and got pretty much whipped by one of the lower-ranked teams. I managed to win five of nine holes and win by three strokes with a so-so 47.
Great Golf Course – Lousy Golf!
With one of my Microsoft golf pals it was up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the ferry to Kingston, WA to play White Horse golf course. Designed by the niece of famed architect Pete Dye, White Horse was named one of the ten best new courses of 2007 and has stirred quite a lot of attention in the area. I wasn't disappointed. The course is almost fiendishly difficult (138 slope rating with 137 bunkers) but scrumptiously beautiful. Covering over 450 acres each hole is a separate little environment and you seldom see or hear other groups. The wildlife is abundant and Bambi and mom greeted us on the 18th tee (see the attached photos). I struggled mightily on the front nine but recovered for a respectable 46 on the back.
Iowa City Flood
It's shocking to see the flooding in Iowa City. I have such great memories of my five years there in graduate school in the mid '70s. This is a photo of the apartment complex where I lived my first two years there.
Golf League – June 18
Played a tight match this week but with cautious shots off the tee I won 5 holes, lost 2 and split 2 and won on total strokes with a score of 46: a solid contribution to the team. We totaled 90 points and vaulted back into first place.
What a weekend!
Posted by nbdog in Around the house, Golf, Weather on 17-Jun-2008
I was up very early Saturday and Sunday for morning rounds of golf at Washington National and Mt. Si. In spite of my continuing mediocre play both mornings were glorious. Cool, misty and overcast on Saturday; whispy morning fog and deliriously chirping birds on Sunday. The temperature actually got above 60-degrees.
We finally had a couple of more typical Northwest spring days and the plants beckoned. We spent several hours both days pulling weeds and planting new annuals. Late in the afternoon I watched much of the U.S. Open golf tournament and recorded the extra holes on Monday. What an exciting final nine holes.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Promier 42LEDWORKORANGE 6 Plus 36 Led Swivel Flashlight And Task Light Black And Orange Standby Promier
Product Description
42 led task light. 36 bright white leds on the front face, 6 bright white leds on the top. Black non-slip rubberized body. Leds operate independently as flashlight or task light with on off switch. Strong magnet built into base of the swivel stand and a pivoting arm for directional light. Built in easy fold down storage and hanging hook. 9- 1/4 inches long x 1- 7/8 inches wide by 1 inch thick. Includes 4 aaa super heavy duty batteries. Swivel colored base with magnet.
Product Information
Additional Information
- Part Number
- 754235608684, 853718003647
- Related Departments
Electrical & LightingBattery Operated Flashlights Accent And Task LightsFlashlights Using AAA Batteries
HousewaresCandles & Alternative LightingEmergency Preparedness
Electrical & LightingBattery Operated Flashlights Accent And Task LightsBattery Accent And Task Lights
Hot Buys OutletElectrical OutletFlashlights Batteries Lanterns Outlet
- Shipping Weight
- 5.76 ounces
- Domestic Shipping
- Item can be shipped anywhere in the US including APO/FPO addresses and territories.
- International Shipping
- Item can be shipped anywhere in Canada including the territories.


text:
MPS Group offers distinct, innovative, tested systems and processes to help you reach your environmental sustainability goals. These systems and processes introduce various greening programs and process improvement strategies to efficiently eliminate, reduce, re-use, recycle and dispose of all waste and by-products that are generated at your facilities, while minimizing your short-term risk and protecting your long-term liability. Our highly trained experts ensure that you're in strict compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. And in partnership with you, we're able to employ proven management techniques to seamlessly drive the most innovative, permanent improvements throughout your entire value chain.
MPS Group consistently provides year-over-year reductions in waste volumes and costs to each of our clients. We evaluate all aspects of our clients waste management program. We utilize our proven performance improvement planning process, waste process auditing program and our industry experience to identify and implement initiatives that result in lower costs, and as important, a more modern, efficient waste management program that permanently benefits our customers. Our program is data and goal driven, traceable, accountable and proactive in its application.
We utilize customized, next-generation computer software to track the creation and accumulation of program wastes and by-products, while identifying and optimizing trends for enhanced management.
Our Environmental Services capabilities include:
Regulatory Compliance:
Expert Program Management
Risk Minimization
Proven Training Programs
Robust Compliance Audit Processes
Regulatory Reporting
Cost Management:
Year-Over-Year Cost Reduction
Flat Fee or Cost Per Unit Billing Structure
Cost Reduction Planning & Implementation
Continuously Measured & Documented
Stretch Reduction Targets & Objectives
Waste Reduction:
Green Program Development
Zero Landfill Mindset
Waste Process Mapping & Streamlining
L-Matrix Opportunity Assessment & Prioritizing
Cost Benefit Analysis
Regulatory Impact Assessment
Continuous Improvement:
Disciplined Proactive Improvement Process
Best Practice Leveraging
Electronic Data Management & Reporting


text:
Chicago may be hundreds of miles from the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, but that doesn't mean we're safe from the ramifications of the disaster.
Humana Inc., a sponsor of the Taste of Chicago which offers the Humana's Healthier Choices menu and map, worked with Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt to replace the crawfish boil and will be offereing a pulled pork sandwich in its place on the festival's Humana Healthier Choices menu.
"The crawfish boil had been a really popular Humana Healthier Choices menu item during the public preview, so we were really excited to have it at the Taste," Humana spokeswoman Lindsey Minella said. "Unfortunately, because of the spill, Lagniappe's wasn't able to order enough to keep up with demands."
Among the fried and calorie-heavy entrées at most of the Taste booths, Humana strives to offer healthy options, only offering entrées with 450 calories or less.
"We had to work with the restaurant to find another healthy option at the last minute," Minella said. "Luckily we were able to come up with something on time."
Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt, booth 50 at the Taste, is a Cajun place with New Orleans-style food. Minella says the restaurant's management was notified only days ago that they would have to make a last-minute menu change.
The Taste of Chicago starts Friday on Michigan Avenue and Congress Drive. To learn more about the Humana Healthier Choices being offered at this year's festival, and to download the free map, please visit http://www.humana.com/tasteofchicago/.
"Taste" Vendor Pulls Crawfish Boil
Popular item replaced with a pulled pork sandwich
Chicago may be hundreds of miles from the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, but that doesn't mean we're safe from the ramifications of the disaster.


text: Robert Kaufman's Modern bliss organic diamonds on grey £3.30 Quantity: at £3.30 each Add To Basket This is a beautiful collection designed by Andie Hanna in conjunction with spoon flower for the fabric 8 textile designing competition. A beautiful Scandinavian styles organic diamond shape on grey. Scale wise the length of a diamond shape is 1.5cm. The width of this fabric is 110cm / 44 inches Price listed is per fat quarter Fabric - 100% cotton (mid weight cotton)Uses - Clothing, quilting, softies totes, cushions etc. Qty 1: -Fat quarter: 22" by 18" (55cm by 46cm)Qty 2: -Half Yard: 44" by 18" (110cm by 46cm)Qty 4: Yard: 44" by 36" (110cm by 91cm)


text:
I want to block access to a certain ip address via windows host.
This is the ip address
220.127.116.11. And this is the content of my host file.
# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.
127.0.0.1 126.96.36.199
If I go to my browser and input
220.127.116.11, it takes me directly to the site.
Please can someone tell me why it is ignoring this?


text:
Our People
Take a look at the short testimonials from our people!
During the last International Management Seminar we asked some participants the question : "Could you testify on your personal experience and perspective regarding working at Solvay ?" as well as "Why did you decide to join Solvay, why Solvay is a desirable employer"?
We invite you to have a look at some of their responses.


text:
Earlier this morning, the American Library Association announced the Youth Media Awards. We selected our picks for Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz a couple of weeks ago, and now the committees have spoken! Behold.
Winner: In Darkness, Nick Lake, Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
Honors: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Simon and Schuster; Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, Hyperion Books (staff pick & Megan's pick); Dodger, Terry Pratchett, HarperCollins; The White Bicycle, Beverley Brenna, Red Deer Press
Winner: This Is Not My Hat, Jon Klassen, Candlewick Press (staff pick & Megan's pick)
Honors: Creepy Carrots, Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown, Simon and Schuster; Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen, Balzer & Bray/Harperteen (staff pick & Megan's pick); Green, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Roaring Brook Press; One Cool Friend, Toni Buzzeo, illus. by David Small, Dial Books; Sleep Like a Tiger, Mary Logue, illus. by Pamela Zagarenski, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Winner: The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, Harper (Megan's pick)
Honors: Bomb, Steve Sheinkin, Flash Point (Roaring Brook Press); Splendors and Glooms, Laura Amy Schlitz, Candlewick Press (staff pick & Megan's pick); Three Times Lucky, Sheila Turnage, Dial Books for Young Readers (staff pick & Megan's pick)
Stop by the store and check out these wonderful titles for yourself! Give us a call to check availability–we've got a bunch of award darlings on order just for you!


text:
UPDATE: See also Leica lenses in Bavaria
Over the past couple of years there has been enormous interest in using manual-focus lenses on the new technically advanced mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX–7 and Fuji's X-Pro 1. So when Fuji announced the new X-E1 at Photokina I was keen to see how it would handle with Leica glass.
The Fuji X-Pro, introduced a year ago, is the most Leica-like of all mirrorless cameras thanks to its retro styling and the advanced hybrid viewfinder. This offers a large, bright optical viewfinder coupled with a 1.44 megapixel LED, swappable at the flick of a switch. Unfortunately, the OVF gives no focusing information, unlike Leica's renowned split-image mechanical focusing system, and the EVF must be selected for manual-lens focusing. Buyers who think they are getting a real Leica rangefinder experience, despite the camera's seductive appearance, will be disappointed.
A year later and Fuji has introduced the X-E1, a smaller, cheaper camera with the same APS-C sensor but lacking the hybrid viewfiner. Instead, the internal electronic viewfinder has been upgraded to a massively capable 2.36 megapixel OLED device that, for the first time, makes manual focusing a real pleasure. Furthermore, by dispensing with the complicated and expensive hybrid, Fuji has managed to slash the price dramatically to just £729 for the body. This is less than the cost of a good second-hand Leica M6 film camera.
The new Fuji is in many ways a superior product to last year's complicated X-Pro1. I have been lucky enough to get my hands one of the first X-Es to hit the British market and have been trying it with five Leica manual focus lenses. The results are astoundingly good, much better than I expected. This is perhaps the best and most accomplished non-Leica camera for Leica glass we have yet seen. It is also an outstanding mirrorless camera in its own right.
This is not a full review of the X-E1 and I make no comments on image quality, although it is likely to be excellent. I will leave that to those better qualified. Instead, it covers my experiences over the past week in just one area: Handling with Leica lenses.
To all intents and purposes, the X-E will produce the same results as the X-Pro; this will become apparent when the first full tests are published in a few weeks' time. It has the same 16.3-megapixel sensor and the same optics, so no X-Pro owner will feel shortchanged by "downgrading" to the cheaper version. In fact, the X-E is so right in most respects that I now see no future for the Pro. I believe the hybrid finder, good as it is, will fall by the wayside. It was a wonderful idea, but it is just too complicated and leads to constant indecision over which finder to use.
Now if the Fuji X-Pro had featured an optical split-image rangefinder, as on a Leica M, that would have been a different matter. But it didn't; and the OVF half of the hybrid certainly wasn't much use as a focusing tool. It is strictly a convenient, large and very bright optic for composing automatic shots.
With the X-E you are committed to just the one, but much superior, electronic viewfinder. The camera is all the better for it. Incidentally, the viewfinder (as on the earlier X100) incorporates a variable diopter adjustment, unlike the X-Pro which required a screw-in (and easily lost) fixed adjuster. This is a big improvement. although there is no indication of setting and it is simply a matter of trial and error.
The X-E1 feels chunky and solid with its high-quality magnesium alloy body. As a system camera, this is probably the ideal size. Make it any smaller and the lenses would seem out of proportion and the camera would look too front-heavy. The rather odd-looking Sony NEX range is evidence of this. While the X-E is much smaller than a traditional DSLR it offers similar sensor size and image quality. It certainly looks much more discreet and less in-your-face; it satisfies the modern desire professional performance from the most unobtrusive little device possible.
The body is more or less exactly the same size as the fixed-lens X100 camera and has the same to-die-for retro looks. It weighs 350g compared with the X100's 445g, although the X100 does have its built-in 35mm-equivalent lens. Still, even with the 18mm f/2 lens mounted, the X-E tips the scales at a modest 466g, only 21g heavier than the X100. This is quite a feat and illustrates just how much progress has been made in squeezing maximum performance into minimum size.
It is a good looking camera by any standards. The proportions look much better than those of the X-Pro which has always seemed to me to be a bit wide for its height. Like the X100, the X-E is just right. If I care to nitpick, the omission of the optical viewfinder makes the front a very plain Jane compared with the two earlier X-series APS-C cameras. Fuji have compensated by slapping on the X-E1 moniker in place of the viewfinder window. I would have preferred a graphics-free front panel, taking a leaf out of Leica's book with the M9-P and Monochrom. These days the emphasis is on stealth. However, a small strip of black electricians' tape over the white lettering does the trick and improves the look of the camera. With the black/silver alternative body, however, the X-E1 badge in black on the silver background is less obtrusive and probably suits better.
The controls on the X-E are identical to those on the X-Pro. Everything works in the same way, including the useful Q button which gives quick access to the sixteen most frequently used adjustments. Ergonomically it is very much business as usual if you have handled an X100 or X-Pro. My only reservation is the easily-knocked exposure compensation dial which is as loose as it was on the two earlier cameras. It is necessary to keep an eye on it to make sure it remains at neutral. Another strip of that black tape solves this problem if it worries you.
The bright 2.8in screen is slightly smaller than that on the X-Pro, but that is a necessary trade off for the reduced overall size. Resolution is lower than on the X-Pro but is perfectly acceptable for my sort of use.
I collected the X-E with the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 autofocus lens that was overwhelmingly well received when it arrived alongside the X-Pro last year. This is an absolutely stonking prime. While I am no expert, those who do know about these things have pronounced it the equal of Leica's 35mm f/1.4 Summilux. At £550 it is a seventh of the Leica's £3,555 price. And, unlike the Summilux, you can walk into your local dealer and get one tomorrow. If all you want is an autofocus lens, or don't already own an equivalent manual lens, then there is no question you should go for the Fujinon.
Leica lenses
Now to Leica lenses. They are expensive, no doubt about that. But, despite the hefty price tag, a Leica lens is the nearest thing you can get to an investment in the photographic world. You will not lose your shirt on a Summilux as you will with most modern autofocus lenses which contain electronics and are therefore unlikely to be around in 2060. Leica lenses, on the other hand, are precise mechanical devices with world-class optics that stand the test of time; you could reasonably mount a 50-year-old Leica lens on a modern digital camera and still achieve good results. To paraphrase a famous Swiss watch manufacturer's sales pitch, you don't own a Leica lens, you merely look after it for the next generation.
Fortunately, too, Leica M-mount lenses are ubiquitous. Older lenses, still great, are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. To attest to this, almost every digital camera manufacturer produces an adapter because they know there is a demand. If they don't, the aftermarket will oblige.
For the X-E and X-Pro we have the Fujinon M-Mount which retails at £179 and is a precision device that, unlike some cheaper third-party mount adapters, perfectly complements your expensive Leica glass. If you choose to mount a £2,000 35mm Summicron on your X-E, better for peace of mind to buy the official Fuji device.
Over the past week I have been evaluating the handling of the X-E with a collection of Leica lenses, from the tiny 28mm Elmarit to a quartet of Summicrons, ranging from the 35mm and 50mm through to the APO 75mm and 90mm. Leica fans know this, but it is worth explaining that all Summicrons have a maximum f/2 aperture while the Elmarits are f/2.8. Summilux lenses, which I mention elsewhere, have a f/1.4 maximum aperature, the same as the Fujinon 35mm. The 28mm Elmarit is the smallest current Leica lens, a real baby which looks as though it was made specially for the X-E.
Physically mounting the lens is one thing, focus is another. This is the essence of using manual lenes and my main concern was to see how easily and quickly they are to focus.
Since all Leica M-mount lenses are manual, successful use with electronic cameras demands a good system of judging correct focus. You really do need a visual clue other than simply relying on your eyesight. Leica uses its legendary split-image mechanical system which has been the mainstay of Leica M cameras for over 60 years. It works remarkably well, particularly with lenses in the 28-50mm range. However, the system does involve mechanical linkages and adjustments. With longer lenses, in particular, it is essential that the lenses and camera body are calibrated accurately. If you wish, you can send your collection back to Leica for expensive fiddling; many do.
The attraction of a camera such as the Fuji X-E (and the recently-announced Leica M, due in January) is that a live electronic viewfinder can overcome these mechanical range-finding problems with longer lenses. What you see is what you get but, even so, you do need a guide to optimum focus. Fortunately the X-E handles this well.
The X-E will accommodate most Leica lenses and Fujifilm has published this list of compatible models. Strangely, three of my late-model 6-bit Summicrons (50, 75 and 90) are not listed as approved. But they are certainly not blacklisted (as are some older lenses). I decided to ignore this list and go ahead with the Summicrons.
They work well and I have discovered absolutely no reason not to use them. There is no mechanical aspect to preclude their mounting (as in the case of older collapsible lenses where there is often a danger of hitting the sensor when the lens is resting). Maybe there is some obscure optical incompatibility but I certainly do not sense it. I am currently checking the situation with Fuji but I assume the omission it is simply a case of these Summicrons not having been tested.
The Fuji mount also accepts many M-mount lenses made by Zeiss, Voigtländer and Ricoh. Most of these are a fraction of the price of the equivalent Leica lenses but are sometimes comparable in performance (particuarly those from Zeiss) and offer a less painful entry point if you want to go manual.
Crop factor and sensor size
Most readers will be well aware of the implications of using full-frame lenses on cropped sensors such as the APS-C in the Fuji. Because the X-E (in common with the Sony NEX and most lower-end DSLRs) has the smaller sensor, the specified focal length on a full-frame lens must be multiplied by 1.5. As a result, the Leica lenses I have been using (28, 35, 50, 75 and 90mm) become 42, 53, 75, 112 and 135mm respectively when mounted on the Fuji or any other APS-C camera. This crop factor is also reflected in Fuji's own XF-mount lens catalogue: That 35mm f/1.4 is in effect a 53mm when used with the X-E.
The so-called 'full-frame' sensor, as used in the Leica Ms and higher-end professional DSLRs, is based on the frame size of 35mm film and is now the standard for sensor comparisions. This sensor size is becoming more popular and accessible. Sony recently announced the world's smallest full-frame camera, the RX1. Nikon and Canon have also just introduced full-frame sensors in new DSLRs in the £1,800-£2,000 range, a price-point that was previously the preserve of higher-end APS-C cameras. There is now no doubt that the full-frame sensor, which is much more expensive to produce, is becoming more accessible.
It would not be surprising to find a successor to the new X-E with a full-frame sensor within a couple of years. Then, of course, that excellent Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 will be just what it says, a 35mm lens. And with Leica lenses, what you read on the barrel will be what you will get without having to multiply by the 1.5 crop factor.
If you are marrying Leica lenses to the X-E the match must be harmonious. Happily, in terms of both size and design, all Leica's black lenses look wonderful on the X-E, even the 90mm Summicron, which is actually quite small by DSLR-lense standards. There is no sense of make-do or mend and most uninformed observers would assume lens and camera come from the same stable: One harmonious paragon, no less.
The finish of black Leica lenses perfectly complements the new camera, especially the all-black X-E I have been using. Note that the X-E also comes in a silver/black finish that looks equally good and is more traditional, not to mention more Leica-like. I haven't tried a Leica lens on this version, but I believe the match will be just as good.
The finish on the black camera body is more subdued and matte compared with the rather shiny casing of the older X-Pro. The X-E is more handsome and better suits the Leica lenses.
The M-mount adapter is unobtrusive and is styled to match the Leica glass. It works well and the new Fuji looks stunning with all the lenses I tried, from the miniature 28mm Elmarit through to the relatively hefty APO Summicron-M 90mm. The lenses just look right and, dare I say it, are an improvement in appearance on the rather plump and shiny-black auto-focus lenses in the Fujinon XF range, especially when fitted with their dustbin-sized hoods. With a Leica lens attached, the camera looks wonderful, a marriage made in heaven. If Leica had had a cooperation with Fujifim instead of Panasonic, this is exactly what the M Mini would have looked like.
Setting up the camera
The Fujifim M Mount Adapter creates a 27.8mm distance from lens to camera mount in order to compensate for the difference in sensor placement compared with, say, an M9. The adapter includes connections which, Fuji claims, pass information to the body based on pre-registered lens profiles. To ensure optimum results, though, it is still necessary to select manually the focal length from a menu screen.
There are presets for 21mm, 24mm, 28mm and 35mm lenses plus two further adjustable custom settings to cope with other focal lengths such as 50, 75, 90 and 135mm. You thus have six lenses in memory at any one time. For any selected focal length there are finer adjustments including distortion, colour shading and peripheral illumination correction. I have used only the standard settings and I have also been unable to try the X-E with wider-angle 21 and 24mm Leica lenses.
A button on the side of the M-Mount adaptor gives instant access to the lens selection menu so you can make quick adjustments on the fly. If you are using the viewfinder, this dialogue box appears in front of your eye so you can adjust the lens setting without needing to look at the rear screen.
The final thing you need do is set the focus mode to M (Manual) using the focus-mode switch on the front of the camera, next to the lens mount. And don't forget to set it back when you remount your Fuji lenses. I have been caught napping by this on a couple of occasions and was left wondering why autofocus wasn't working.
Manual lens fetish
Why bother fiddling with manual focus when the excellent Fuji autofocus lenses do the job for you? Ask any rangefinder enthusiast and he will tell you there is a sense of satisfaction and involvement in manual-focus photography that is quite lacking with autofocus. There is a quietness and precision that contrasts with the whir and click of the focus motor, however subdued. You definitely feel more involved and more in control, particularly when homing in on the subject.
If you are really to enjoy manual focus, however, you do need a lens built for it. Autufocus lenses are seldom exciting when in manual mode. Manually focusing the Fujinon 35mm XF lens (or any other of the X-mount Fujinons) was a deeply dispiriting experience when I tried it with the X-Pro last year. The focus ring required more than two turns from near to infinity and I was forever twiddling it. This is especially so if you forget which way to turn; you are left drowing in a sea of bokeh without a compass. Meanwhile, you've lost the shot.
Since then, camera and lens firmware updates have dramatically improved manual focus with the Fujinons. A further refinement of the new firmware is that, when using the automatic lenses, the aperture is opened wide to further improve focus accuracy. This cannot happen with Leica lenses, of course, because the camera has no control over aperture. In low light conditions, focus accuracy can be improved by widening the aperture manually and then stopping down once focus is locked.
Sure, the Fujinon lenses can be manually focused if you really must, but only when you really must. Otherwise it's best to just let them get on with their autofocus wizardry (which now works faster, incidentally, since the firmware upgrades). In contrast, the Leica Elmarit 28mm has a focus ring that goes from 70cm to infinity in under 180 degrees. It feels just as quick and precise as it does on a Leica and it makes manual focus an absolute pleasure. Manually focusing any of the Fujinon lenses after the Elmarit is like wielding the steering wheel of a 1970s Cadillac instead of a modern sports car.
Putting things in focus
This is the crux of the matter: How to tell when you are in focus? With a Leica M camera you simply align the split image in the viewfinder and trust to luck that the system is accurately adjusted. It works well most of the time and is unlikely to give problems, especially with 50mm and wider lenses. It is possible to achieve accurate focus very quickly and some Leica fans reckon they can beat an autofocus lens anytime. In many ways it is still the ideal way of setting focus manually, despite all the technical advances we have seen in the past twenty years.
After the week with the X-E and the Leica lenses I returned to the M9 to do some comparison shots and immediately felt back at home with the split-image rangefinder. If I am honest, it is a tad quicker to find focus than with Fuji's EVF. The Fuji, though, is satisfying and accurate; it just goes about things in a different way.
The challenge with a non-rangefinder camera is to provide some visual clue that the subject is in focus. Sony have so-called focus peaking where the outline of the subject changes colour to indicate the subject in focus. I have tried this on a friend's NEX-7 and find the red outline a bit distracting, although it does work well. Fuji has not adopted such dramatic visual clues, but there is nevertheless a clear indication of when accurate focus has been achieved.
Focus is actually very accurate and extremely quick. The superb 2.4-megapixel OLED viewfinder helps of course. It is so good that you can more or less judge things without any assistance when using longer lenses. It gets even easier if you prod the rear command dial to bring up three-times magnification; and easier still if you click the command dial to the right to get a ten-times magnified image. It is then possible to fine-tune the focus with absolute confidence.
As I said, Fuji does not claim to have focus peaking as found on the Sony NEX. But the viewfinder does give a clear visual indication of focus once you learn to recognise it. When focus is achieved there is a sort of shimmer or mild moiré effect that tells you all is well. I've seen this described as a "popping" but I think shimmer is more accurate. Strangely, this phenomenon is much more pronounced when using the longer Leica lenses, in particular the 75mm and 90mm APO Summicrons. Most times, with these longer lenses, you do not even need to use the focus magnification button. It is also quite distinct when the 50mm Summicron is mounted. Frankly, I am not sure whether this shimmer is by design or is a coincidental optical phenomenon, but it is quite discernible.
Wider lenses, on the other hand, offer slightly less visual clue to focus and you really do need the 3x or, better still, the 10x magnification. The focus shimmer is harder to detect with the 28mm Elmarit and only a little better with the 35mm Summicron. It is still there, but the shift from focus to out-of-focus is much more gradual. With these wider lenses you definitely do need to prod the magnification button if you are not to be misled.
Initially I had more out-of-focus shots with the baby Elmarit than with any of the others. This was down to my inexperience, I have to say. By the end of the week, aided by the 10x magnification, I was managing sharp results and feeling confident.
Bear in mind, too, that the 28mm Elmarit and 35mm Summicron are great lenses for zone focus, where you set a range, using the markings on the barrel of every Leica M lens, to take advantage of the wide depth of field. With the 28mm Elmarit set to f/16, for instance, everything from 0.8m to infinity will be in focus. Even at f/5.6 you can be in focus from 3m to infinity. So, provided you avoid close-up shots and choose a smaller aperture, most street photography opportunities are covered without the need to adjust focus. This is one reason why the 28mm and 35mm focal lengths are so popular for street photography.
By contrast, longer lenses require more critical attention to focus and it is encouraging that the X-E works so well with the 50, 75 and 90mm lenses I tried. On the Fuji they equate to 75mm, 112mm and 135mm. Incidentally, they all make excellent portrait lenses.
Both the wider lenses, the 35mm Summicron and the 28mm Elmarit have a stubby finger rest or lever on their focus rings. This is added because grabbing the focus ring on such a compact lens can be awkward; so the lever enables focus using one finger. It is very precise and ergonomically perfect.
This stubby lever has two other benefits. First, when positioned at 4 or 5 o'clock (looking from the back of the camera) it tells you the lens is in an optimum zone-focus state. For quick shots you can use this guide to focus without checking. You can, in effect, focus by feel. Finally, the lever when placed at 6 o'clock acts as a stand for the lens and keeps the camera upright when on a flat surface. Otherwise the camera flops down on the lens. This benefit is mere happenstance, but nonetheless welcome.
After the week there is now no doubt in my mind that focus on the X-E is very precise, particularly in 10x magnification mode, and very enjoyable. It is almost as much fun as using a Leica. With the longer 75 and 90mm lenses I much prefer the Fuji's EVF focusing to using the split-image on the M9. The 90mm and the longer 135mm lenses have always been a challenge to the Leica split-image system and require a degree of care, not to mention accurate calibration of lens and camera.
Wider lenses, sub-28mm, will also be much easier to handle with the X-E's WYSIWYG system. On a Leica, wider lenses demand a hotshoe-mounted supplementary viewfiner so you have to compose in the external finder but focus in the rangefinder. It's messy and an EVF solves all that (as it will on the new M).
Camera shake
None of the Leica lenses has image stabilisation mechanics but nor do the Fujinon primes, including the 60mm (=90mm). Camera shake is therefore a danger when using longer focal lengths. It is wise to keep an eye on the automatic shutter speed setting shown in the viewfinder; alternatively manually select a speed that will reduce the risk of camera shake. Fortunately, all the longer lenses I used are bright f/2s and that helps by permitting faster shutter speeds.
It is worth mentioning exposure here, although it is not material to this focus-related discussion. With Leica lenses mounted on the X-E you have the same exposure options as you do with an M9. You can choose aperture priority by setting the speed dial to A and juggling with the aperture; or shutter priority by dialling in a specific speed and then adjusting the aperture to achieve the correct exposure.
When using time priority an exposure scale appears in the viewfinder so you can manually change the aperture to achieve an acceptable exposure. The scale also appears if you move away from automatic speed and wish to set both speed and aperture to specific values. The only thing you lose in relation to the native automatic Fujinon lenses is full auto mode. With both aperture and the speed set to A for automatic the Fuji lenses operate completely automatically, selecting aperture and speed according to the circumstances.
With Leica and other manual-focus lenses the camera has no knowledge of the aperture setting other than the amount of light entering through the lens. There is physically no possibility of the camera controlling the aperture, only your fingers can do that. Also, as with Leica Ms, there is no record of aperture setting in a photograph's metadata. All you get is speed and lens focal length; you have to remember what aperture you were using at the time. This can be annoying for those used to fully automatic cameras where aperture is recorded as a matter of course.
What you do get with this viewfinder, though, is an incredible amount of detail. It is possible to get a precise feel for the exposure of the resulting image simply by looking at the scene in the finder.
The new Leica M
At the back of my mind throughout the week with the Fuji was the the newly announced Leica M with its new 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor. There are no reviews yet, although the few people who have handled the new M are saying that it should provide even better results than the M9. The CMOS sensor enables live view for scene composition in the much-improved rear screen. Let's not mention the screen on the current M9 and M-E: It is about as exciting as watching a 1950s television and is a travesty on a £4,000 camera. In my experience it is useful only for consulting the menu.
The M also allows the mounting of an LED viewfinder in the hotshoe to provide live focusing in exactly the same way as on the Fujis. It will incorporate focus peaking, which might give it an edge and perhaps compensate for the relatively lower resolution of the M's electronic finder. This barnacle-like addition to the M's hotshoe is the rather long-in-tooth Olympus device (rebadged and inflated in price as the Leica Visoflex EVF2) with a mere 1.4 megapixels under the hood. This is the same unit I used on an Olympus PEN three years ago. Inevitably this viewfinder will compare poorly with the OLED device in the X-E. On the positive side, the EVF2 has a 90degree swivel so you will be able to use it effectively for low shots.
In many ways, the Fuji X-E is a mini M. It possesses a much better built-in rangefinder than the rather elderly unit that will sit in the hotshoe of Leica's finest when it arrives next year. It does lack Leica's wonderful mechanical split-image viewfinder and has to make do (for now) with a smaller sensor offering fewer pixels. I suppose you do have to sacrifice something in return for the £4,370 difference in price.
That said, there is undeniably something very special about a Leica M. Nothing else compares with having one in your hand and appreciating the feel, solidity and precision of the finest engineering in the camera world. Yet with the Fuji X-E you have a massive dose of M magic at a fraction of the price.
The X-E1 is the best mirrorless camera for Leica lenses that I have yet tried. The focus system, aided by the excellent viewfinder and the useful focus-point magnification, is as good as you can get. If you own a stack of Leica lenses, go out and spend £729 on this high-quality little body and you will have tremendous fun. If you already own Fuji lenses in the range 18-60mm then there is little if anything to be gained from using Leica lenses other than the satisfaction of manual focus involvement. If, on the other hand, you are lucky enough to possess either of the longer APO Summicrons, the 75 or the 90mm, you will have a blast when you click one into the M-Mount on your Fuji.
The Sony NEX-7 (or the new 6) is possibly the equal of the Fuji X-E in terms of IQ; it certainly has more pixels to play with. It also has the same 1.5 crop factor. I simply prefer the appearance and the control layout of the Fuji. As far as sensor size is concerned, my tip is to go no smaller than APS-C if you want to avoid your lenses becoming too long. Smaller sensors result in a bigger crop factor which further increases the focal length. For instance, the otherwise excellent Olympus OM-D has a Micro Four Thirds sensor with a crop factor of 2. This means that the Leica lenses are effectively doubled in focal length. Even the little 28mm Elmarit turns into a 56mm and the 90mm Summicron becomes a monstrous 180mm. The Nikon 1, with its 2.7 crop, is even less appropriate for use with standard full-frame lenses.
by Mike Evans, 5 November 2012
Fuji XE–1 camera body (£729) and Fujinon f/1.4 35mm lens (£550) supplied by Chiswick Camera Centre
The Leica lenses covered in this article have recommended prices as follows: Elmarit 28mm ASPH, £1,530; Summicron 35mm ASPH, £2,160; Summicron 50mm ASPH, £1,575; APO-Summicron 75mm ASPH, £2,565; APO-Summicron 90mm ASPH, £2,655. Most of them are plentiful on the second-hand market and, of course, many veteran Leica lenses can be used.
See also: Leica lenses on location in Bavaria
Read more of our camera reviews:
Fuji X and Sony A7 with Leica lenses
Voigtländer VM-E Close-Focus Adapter for Sony A7
Sony A7: Bargain basement quality zoom from Leica
Above: Postbox, 50mm Summicron, 100% crop. Below: Trellis, 35mm Summicron and 100% crop.
Below: Road sign, 75mm Summicron; 100% crop on right
Above: Two similar river views from the the 35mm Summicron. They were taken on different days so lighting conditions are not the same. The one on the top is from the Leica M9, that on the bottom from the Fuji X-E. Both are from the camera without enhancement.
Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, taken with Fuji X-E 1 and Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH


text:
Rohit Sharma Becomes LaLiga's First Ever Brand Ambassador in India
|Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, LaLiga India and Rohit Sharma, the First Ever Brand Ambassador of LaLiga in India with the LaLiga Trophy
Mumbai, December 13, 2019 (News Team): One of the world's premier batsmen in the modern era and football aficionado, Rohit Sharma has joined hands with LaLiga - Spain's top division football league as its brand ambassador in India. He is the first non-footballer in the history of the league to have signed the dotted line with them. Rohit comes on-board following a series of major initiatives by LaLiga in India since 2017.


text:
We love living in Idaho, don't you? Adventure is waiting right outside our doors, and all you have to do is get out there and enjoy it. One of our favorite activities is river rafting, and the perfect summer rafting trip is already on our minds. Are you ready to hit the rapids?
If you're heading to Stanley for a rafting trip, the easiest way to get there is with our convenient River Shuttle Service. We offer a comprehensive transportation service that will take over the details of getting to your destination and home, allowing you to focus on the fun of another Idaho summer. So kick back, grab your gear and your favorite book, and relax on your bus ride to adventure.
You may be a college student without a ride. Or maybe you want to chat with your whole group of friends on the trip to your destination. Maybe you're just looking to save some gas money. Whatever the reason, choosing Caldwell Transportation's River Shuttle is a great way to start your summer fun.
Here are a few reasons why the River Shuttle could be right for you:
It's time for some summer fun. Let us take you there! Contact Caldwell Transportation today.


text:
The CFCB investigation into City's finances was launched in March following a series of 'leaks' from German publication Der Spiegel that came out last year.
UEFA Financial Control Body chief investigator refers Man City to adjudicatory chamber after investigation into poss breaches of FFP rules. Does not say if he recommends the Champions League ban his team wants. Any punishment lies with this panel inc'ing British QC Charles Flint pic.twitter.com/ZYsmbMxhWM— Dan Roan (@danroan) May 16, 2019
A New York Times article this week claimed that the investigation is recommending City be banned from the Champions League for at least one season as punishment.
The separate CFCB adjudicatory chamber will now review the case, but City have already expressed confidence of a 'positive outcome' after accusing the referral of ignoring a 'comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence' supplied by the club to the investigation.
The Premier League champions claim the decision to refer contains 'mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions' and have also branded the process 'wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile'.
The full statement from City released on Thursday morning reads:
"Manchester City Football Club is disappointed, but regrettably not surprised, by the sudden announcement of the referral to be made by the CFCB IC Chief Investigator Yves Leterme.
"The leaks to media over the last week are indicative of the process that has been overseen by Mr. Leterme.
"Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body.
"The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and the CFCB IC referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City FC to the Chamber.
"The decision contains mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions fundamentally borne out of a basic lack of due process and there remain significant unresolved matters raised by Manchester City FC as part of what the Club has found to be a wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile process."


text:
Took a few days off... didn't have too much to write about. Also, the little one kept me busy. Today I surprised myself. I actually sat through an entire Star Wars movie.
Mario had borrowed a DVD with the complete saga (he's a Star Wars buff), and since I had nothing else to do, I watched it with him. I didn't think I'd last more than 30 mins., but I guess there's something about the movies after all! I won't call myself a fan just yet, but I must say it was quite entertaining.
Cookie did something amusing yesterday. She decided she needed to use the potty, so she ran towards it shouting "potty! potty! potty!" the way she normally does. Then, she gets to her potty, stands in front of it and decides to let it out. When she felt it trickling down her leg, she got so upset! "Ooh! Sutu! Sutu!" she went and almost burst out crying.
As if that wasn't funny enough, she immediately apologized for the mess, "vedy soddy, vedy soddy" all the way to the bathroom!
At first I thought she did it because she probably couldn't hold it any longer. Then Mario enlightened me... She's been spending a lot of time with her cousins (boys) lately. She probably saw them do it standing up and with their pants on, so she thought she could too!!
Ok... Till the next time....


text:
Beerland, Vice Media's show about homebrewers across America, could be seen as homebrewing's crossover moment. Once a hobby practiced in suburban garages is now on regular old television, at least. The show's success may prove to be a powerful moment for the star of the show as well, though. Meg Gill of Golden Road takes the reins the way only she would.
More people have gone from discovering craft beer, to becoming beer enthusiasts, to daring to brew on their own. New homebrewing clubs are sprouting up, it's easier to get your hands on kits and supplies, and in the ultimate of growing popularity, the hobby has garnered enough interest to make it to the television screen.
If you go back far enough, it's all only possible because of Jimmy Carter. Back in 1978, he signed H.R. 1337, a bill that allowed for homebrewing to become legal and tax free up to a certain production level. Homebrewing clubs sprouted up and independent breweries gradually emerged as state regulations continued to adjust to the new laws. Today, some put the homebrewing market value at $1 billion. Many successful craft breweries are now powered by former kitchen warriors.
But as Beerland closes out its second season tonight on Viceland, you'll also see that the successful show, which focuses on the often quirky individuals who have chosen to make their own beer, takes on additional layers of meaning because of the host.
That host is Meg Gill, co-founder of Golden Road Brewing, a label which rose from humble origins to become ubiquitous in California. Straight-talking with a calm, confident air, Gill is an interesting choice to host a homebrewing competition series in that she personally stands at the nexus of the often problematic interaction between small and big beer, and the power structures they imply to some.
She has turned a business risk into an empire and in the process has raised eyebrows and ire of the small beer community – familiar to any independent brewer who has cut a deal with a bigger corporation.
[Disclosure: The brewery controversially made a deal with AB-InBev, and AB-InBev's venture capital arm, ZX, partially funds this publication.]
The gregarious host tastes the brew and decides at the end of show which brewer moves on to the final round."
Things can get complicated when those deals, on the back of her own empire building, then enable a entrepreneur and visionary like Meg a platform like Beerland, which focuses unquestionably on the most elemental, personal, and smallest form of brewing. The irony may be that perhaps that power structure is here, alongside Gill's own, stoking the flames that will inspire a next generation of small, independent craft breweries.
Gill is her own person, though, and not a place keeper for all of our arguments about independence. For her part, she seems unfazed with how her show or actions play out politically. She gives the impression of being kind yet firm, secure within herself, her business decisions, and increasingly ambitious projects.
She's also a fun host which is important for a show that otherwise might prove a little too obscure for some. She clearly loves beer and meeting people, and is at ease in front of the camera, sometimes even letting an expletive or two drop after tasting something particularly pleasing to her palate.
Tonight is Beerland's season finale. It's sort of a docu-series and competition. Gill visits brewers on their home turf and each episode features a different beer hub – among others this year, the show visited Portland. The gregarious host tastes the brew and decides at the end of show which brewer moves on to the final round. The series finale winner will have their homebrew turned over to the lab at Golden Road, where it will get the full Willy Wonka treatment: a scaled up recipe and limited market distribution. Something that mimics some of Gill's own golden ticket.
Gill sees this venture as less of promotional tactic and more a celebration of the American homebrewer: the often funny and surprisingly diverse folks who have an absolute joy and pride in brewing beer at home. At a preview of Beerland's second season, Gill emphasized process and people over profit:
"I mean this isn't like a 'Shark Tank' – is this beer going to make it," she said, referencing the ABC show that pits entrepreneurs against each other for a chance at starting a company. "What are you trying to accomplish with this beer? Were you able to do it? Was that creative? Creativity, innovation weighs in but at the same time I've chosen beers that have been 100% traditional beers without any sort of innovation that have been 400-year-old recipes."
For the winner, the experience can be if not financially life-changing, then definitely a morale-boost. Last year, premiere series winner Jessica Fierro of Colorado Springs had Doña Nieta, a Bière de Garde made with tamarind influenced by her Latin heritage canned by Golden Road and made available in several Colorado outlets.
Fierro's win highlights perhaps the single best aspect of the series: it's emphasis on story and character and inclusivity of the all sorts of people from different cultural backgrounds across America.
You might still see some typical beer characters, but after the first season, Gill realized the key to capturing and holding an audience is to focus on individual stories and distinct communities. What makes this person spend hours presiding over a mash cauldron? What is behind their beer? What makes beer in a particular city special? Do they dream of success like Gill's? Or something smaller, community-driven, and focused like so many of the new wave of brewers. Each mash tun is like reading tea leaves.
To find the most diverse yet capable homebrewers, Gill and her team first targeted a location with an established beer community. Portland proved to be the perfect kick-off for the second season.
"We said we're thinking Portland will be our next beer city," Gill said about the casting process. "Let's cast the casting net and see what's out there, let the casting producers go to work and talk to different home brew forums and kind of see who's interested and kind of go from there."
Their work definitely paid off. Introduced are characters like an adventurous couple who included a bit of nature in their beer (think a 'microverse' of mushroom and berries), a hippie commune brewing in the backyard together, ("We'd be bringing a lot more beer to Burning Man,") and a man fighting Lou Gehrig's disease who focuses on the science of homebrewing to take his mind off his condition.
Gill proves to be a sincere and a charming host. Although it only scratches the surface, by focusing on the places and personalities behind home brewing, the show is both fun and informative. It's also beautifully shot. The first episode opened on hazy, gorgeous sunlight streaming through Portland's Crosby Hop farm.
My goal kind of all along in doing it is that it can attract people to beer."
The only downside to the Beerland perspective is that viewer has to rely on Gill's ability to communicate what she tastes. Golden Road will do its best to remain faithful to the winning recipe, but it's impossible to replicate a small-batch homebrew perfectly on a grander scale. At least the show has the chance to inspire people to think of another side of beer and perhaps try to brew themselves.
Indeed Meg Gill relishes in the idea of bringing beer to a broader audience.
"Kind of the interesting concept of Beerland," she thought, "is developing a beer… on the shelf, once it's created it's brand new, and you've helped in the process of creating something that didn't exist before. And T.V. is to me, it's a more impactful moment than a single product because there is so much more complexity and depth in the messaging and emotion behind creating a show and my goal kind of all along in doing it is that it can attract people to beer… whether it's drinking beer, celebrating beer, celebrating with people and beer and/or the business of beer the way that it brought me in again ten years ago."
"And that's all I wish to get out of it. Seeing people's reaction to it is greater than anything else I can do because you know there's no ulterior motive for it other than you know just kind of, creating that impact. "
The series finale of Beerland Season Two airs tonight, Thursday, January 4th on the Vice network at 10:00pm pst. Stream prior episodes for free on viceland.com
What It Would Be Like to Drink With the Critters of 'Animal Crossing'
Drinking with Moose is hell, but I cannot stress enough how much fun it would be to get absolutely shredded with Bones.
I Watched Every Episode of 'The Busch Family Brewed' During Quarantine
Here's what I learned about how to quarantine by binge-watching the MTV show about the nine-person Busch family.
The Best of Los Angeles' Beer Fashion
We went to LA Beer Week with an eye for the best fashion in beer and found beauty.


text:
Water has long been the enemy of many video gaming characters. Sonic would quickly drown when immersed in the wet stuff, the player often just too late to gulp down a life-saving air bubble; Rainbow Islands' heroic Bubby and Bobby were chased up each level by a rising tide; and the drink that surrounded Grand Theft Auto III's Liberty City was so toxic that the game's silent protagonist Claude would lose his health within seconds of submersion.
But not that many games place the oceans at the very centre of their narratives – and that includes underwater affairs like Ecco the Dolphin, BioShock and SOMA, where the seawater is mostly a backdrop for more pressing concerns, be they overthrowing a dystopian despot or rescuing your cetacean pals from Giger-inspired aliens. In new indie game The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, though, the big blue is absolutely at the core of the story. It's turned from life giver to taker in the wake of a titanic rise in sea level, brought about by climate change. You are the titular human, alone in a new world that's completely unlike the one we know, exploring sub-aqua surroundings full of (occasionally massive and definitely deadly) creatures that have evolved from familiar ocean-faring beings of today.
'The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human', release trailer
The game's premise is that humanity was forced to retreat to cities beneath the sea as a direct result of the rising oceans; and then in 2971, as Earth's resources were dwindling, we sent a number of spaceships through underwater wormholes in search of other habitable planets. The one ship that returned, your ship, Argo9, finds only remains of the human race where once there was society reaching out into the stars – and both what's kept the ship away for so long and the fate that befell the human race is explained as the Metroidvania-styled, retro-aesthetic game plays out, through environmental clues and preserved "holo-tapes".
Sounds cool to me – and it's interesting to see a game so explicitly tackling a serious subject like climate change. The Aquatic Adventure's makers at Gothenburg's two-man YCJY studio, Josef Martinovsky and Christopher Andreasson, tell us a little more about how their new game came to be.
VICE: At the core of The Aquatic Adventure's narrative is a clear comment on climate change – i.e., guys, we've sort of fucked this. Was there a plan for the game's structure in place prior to this being a framing for the story, or did you begin from the point of looking how climate change could affect a future Earth?
Josef: Yeah, that became a big part of it. We began development with an underwater theme and then tried to get the initial gameplay down, and then when it was time to think about the story and the player's journey, it made sense to bring in current issues so that players could relate to the underwater world. However, we don't necessarily mean that we've "fucked this". Since the Industrial Revolution, we've been exponentially ruining the Earth – as our technology also exponentially gets more advanced – but it seems like now there are many attempts towards a more ecological approach. This is something we wanted to highlight – that even though we destroyed so much, we also tried to rectify it and mend the Earth. We are so many and need so much; even if we were all completely green and vegan and whatever, we're just slowing down the process, as if we believe there is another Earth somewhere out there.
Christopher: Climate change came naturally with the post-apocalyptic theme. It's a grim take on how our planet could end up, but we're hoping it doesn't have to be that way. If the game can make people more aware of the environmental issues of the world, that's great! However, that wasn't our primary goal when we decided to make the game. It basically started with us saying, "Let's make a submarine game with cool bosses." I'm happy that these themes came up, though, as we care a lot about the environment.
On those bosses that the player encounters, I've seen previous press coverage of the game comparing it to Shadow of the Colossus, albeit underwater. It also plays out in a 2D, Metroidvania-style. Were these touchstones at the start, or are any parallels merely coincidence?
Christopher: I've always wanted to do a Metroidvania game because I'm a huge fan of both the Metroid and Castlevania franchises (not to mention Cave Story) – so for me that inspiration has been there from the beginning. Josef had the idea of only having boss battles in the game when we first spoke about making it. I was a bit sceptical at first, since I had planned having smaller enemies – but I realised that it would make the game more unique. And, I mean, Shadow of the Colossus is an awesome game, and it really makes this gameplay style shine.
Josef: Yeah, we really like Shadow of the Colossus and were definitely inspired by it, but neither one of us have finished it. I've never played Metroid or Castlevania, but I get the whole Metroidvania genre. I guess we tried to stay a bit away from classifying ourselves as a Metroidvania since it might not be so "classic" in the way we approached it. We're both really big fans of the (Dark) Souls series and have probably been really influenced by them and the way that they were made: they are, in a way, Metroidvania games that don't really feel like one. Oh, it doesn't really classify as "classic", but Teleglitch was really inspirational – at least in the UI and combat. If you haven't played it, I really recommend trying it. It's so difficult though; I've barely gotten halfway through.
Christopher: Yes, the Souls series has certainly been very influential for both of us. I love how those games don't expect the players to be idiots and actually ask them to figure out certain mechanics by themselves, instead of constantly holding their hands or telling them where to go. I hate when games do that. Sometimes when designing a mechanic in the game, I've thought: "Does this need an explanation?" And then I start thinking of Dark Souls and think: "Nah, if people can figure out this or that there, then we won't have to explain this." This might be a lazy habit, but I think it actually adds to the game. At least, it may help to create a community around it. There are some secrets in the game that are very well hidden, which most people probably won't find by themselves.
Article continues after the video below
The very idea of playing as "the last human" is sort of depressing. What measures have you taken to ensure that the game isn't too much of a downer? Clearly there's a lot of action going on; but will players find light amongst the logs, glimmers of hope in a sea of loneliness?
Christopher: It is a depressing theme for sure, but I wouldn't say the game is that depressing.
Josef: We have some humour hidden away and a lot of bright colours, at least in the beginning. Players probably won't find too much hope since they'll know from the get-go that all other humans have died. So even when humanity was doing well, which it eventually was – and you read about it – you'll know that it didn't last. The fact that everyone is dead isn't meant to be depressing. It's just inevitable, reality. I think that because the waters are brimming with life, player will feel like they're observers of nature instead of feeling lonely – kind of like walking down a city centre street at 2am on a Friday when sober!
Christopher: Yeah, although all the humans are dead, the wildlife is thriving. The player might find some hope that the planet is still there – and it's not like the human race didn't leave a mark. There are ruins of great cities and suburbs, and even some technology that's still working, almost like huge monuments of human brilliance.
Josef: We tried to put a lot of detail into the backgrounds, so that when you're traveling around looking for the next place to go, you'll be guided by curiosity instead of feeling lost and alone – which is kind of the reality of it, though.
What led you to the year 2971? Was that just plucked from the air as a future point that isn't so far ahead of us that it's totally unimaginable, as you can project technological progression to that point? Or did you put some time into researching what scientists are saying about the possible need to live underwater. Not to say they're some sort of soothsaying wizards, but the boy band Busted did sing about living underwater in the year 3000, of course.
Josef: Ha ha! I hadn't heard of Busted, unfortunately. I just read the lyrics and, damn, we should've added a poster in the game for their seventh album. We looked up a lot of articles about the water level rising and predictions of how the Earth will look at different points in time. That mixed with looking at how technology will progress, population increase and how our oil needs will have to change soon, we kind of thought: "Let's pick a year that's close, but nobody alive today will be able to see if we are wrong..." I'm just kidding. In the year 2971, Argo9 gets sent into the wormhole to look for another Earth-like planet we can move to – but since it doesn't return in time, people figure that they have to fix the Earth instead of hoping to just use it up and move on. But yeah, we took inspiration from some articles about the water level rising and just exaggerated it a lot! We don't think the water levels will increase like 2,000 meters in 20,000 years – but it seems that if the overall global temperature increases more, a lot of coastal cities will have huge problems, and a lot of people will lose their homes. Maybe not in our lifetime, but still...
Christopher: Also, Jim Morrison died in 1971. I remember Googling that when we set that date. We had a very good friend named Morrison as well. You can see it as an homage to them both, maybe.
Related, on Motherboard: Scientists Are Now Certain That We're Living in the Anthropocene
The game's out now for PC and Mac. If it does well, will you consider console ports?
Josef: Yeah, that'd be awesome. We've gotta talk to Sony about that, I suppose. We've talked about wanting it on Vita, but I have no idea how that works with GameMaker, which it's built in, with performance and all that. And as far as the Xbox One goes, well, we don't even know if they have an indie section.
Christopher: If everything goes well and it's not too much of a hassle – as in making the whole game again – then yes, we'd love it on consoles. I've heard about games made with GameMaker being released on Sony platforms, so that's definitely not impossible. I'd love to see it on as many platforms as possible.
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is out now. Find more information at the game's official website.
More from VICE Gaming:
Composer Inon Zur on Building the Acoustic World of 'Fallout 4'
'Pandemic Legacy' Is Probably the Greatest Board Game of All Time
This Is How Gaming in 2016 Will Be Better Than Gaming in 2015


text:
Disney was fun ~ but wet. Very wet...it rained everyday but one. Not just your typical Florida sprinkle for just a short time. But a "the heavens opened and dumped water upon us" rain. 4 out of 5 days...that's never happened to us in all the times we've been. I can really only think of one day in past trips that it rained a lot. Oh well, we could change the weather so we made the best of it. Rainjackets and ponchos covered us up adequately.
We got indoctrinated into the land of Magic Bands ~ which was so cool. Everything was on our band ~ room key, charge information, fast passes, and dining plan. I was concerned about losing the band or someone stealing it and having our info but the security is good. To enter the parks you scan your magic band and finger print. To buy anything you enter your security password. It worked well and we didn't have lots of different stuff to keep up with.
The dining plan was great & FREE. It was 2 meals & a snack everyday. We did breakfast in the room. You just had to find a quick service dining room in any of the parks and order your meal. The lunch and dinner meals consisted of the entrée & any sides that came with it, a drink, and a dessert. That's a lot of food! You can use it at the parks, downtown Disney, or the hotels. We started off our week at Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney and it was yummy. Our best meal by far, was at "Be Our Guest" at the Magic Kingdom. Lunch was open to anyone ~ that is anyone who was inline ahead of time for the 10:30 opening. We were inline by 9:15 and they closed the line at 10:20 ~ no one else could get in until others finished eating and left. This was Amy's "bucket list" place to go. Their food was great, their service was amazing, and the Castle was gorgeous! If you have watched the movie the song "Be Our Guest" is the theme for the restaurant ~ and they have a cupcake with "taste the gray stuff, its delicious" icing. Which is what my baker wanted. They all got the gray stuff cupcake but I got the lemon meringue cupcake ~ yum! We all thoroughly enjoyed that meal, even if it was lunch at 10:30 in the morning! The most disappointing meal was in France at Epcot ~ we went there for my birthday lunch because I wanted the chocolate mousse (yum!), we ordered sandwiches and they were just ok. I got a turkey and the the bread was tough. The chocolate mousse made up for it!
Greg was excited to ride roller coasters with Will. And I am sure that Will was excited to have someone to ride with him. I think the only thing they didn't get to ride was the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train ~ the lines were too long and the fast passes were all reserved.
Amy was our official photographer, so I will have to get pictures from her laptop to mine. And get the pictures off our phones to the laptop.
|Magic Bands!
|Moms exciting ride for the week!
|Amy's new hoodie!
|1st bite of gray stuff!
|Epcot in the rain on my birthday!
|In Norway!
|wearing our Minnie shirts that Angel T. made us!
|the Princess and her Protector ready for a day in the Magic Kingdom!
I swiped these pictures off our facebook page!
Thanks Mom, Greg, Amy & Will for a great birthday celebration/vacation!
I love you all!


text:
This time of year is a time for Christmas trees, goodwill, and children – and our team at TML Service Experts managed to combine them all. This holiday season, the group at TML worked together to build an amazing tree for the 2016 Festival of Trees, benefiting the Saint Alphonsus Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Boise, ID.
The tree consisted of 350 individually-crafted copper and stainless steel angels to depict the guardian angels watching over the 10% of babies who are born too early. These special babies often experience life-threatening and long-term complications. The crew at TML was able to raise $1500 to benefit this incredible cause.
Take a look at the process of creating this beautiful tribute.


text:
|Buy armodafinil online 150mg to for sleep apena;;,,,,
Armodafinil is a ingredient which keeps you active and awake and effective over sleep apena
|Homeopathic Remedies at Natural Best
Natural Best is a Manufacturer of Homeopathic Remedies, Anti Aging, Wellness and Muscle Building Supplements.
|Affordable Herbal Oils Vaporizer
The herbal oil vaporizers at the Atmosrx stores offers the users with the best method for evenly distributing through the whole device. This device is being available at low rates offering with the lifetime warranty. We here offer the highest quality device that is most pure and very safe for vaping.


text:
This Privacy Policy sets out how PoshVine (owned by Viverati Interactive Marketing Pvt. Ltd.) uses and protects any information that you give PoshVine when you use the website https://visaoffers.poshvine.com, which is managed by PoshVine on behalf of Visa. This privacy statement is not applicable to the websites of our business partners, corporate affiliates or to any other third parties whose websites are linked to the PoshVine website.
PoshVine is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
Personal Information means and includes all information that can be linked to a specific individual or to an identity of any individual including but not limited to:-
No personal information is gathered while you browse the website unless you choose to generate a coupon code, apart from your email, 10 digit mobile number or your Visa Card BIN number (first few digits). This is captured in order to send you – through email and SMS – your personalized coupon code that can be utilized at checkout to avail of the offer. This information is not utilized in any other way.
We are committed to ensure that your information is secure, and that all payments made on the website is Verisign SSL(Secure Socket Layer) encryption secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online to help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your information.
Website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, please note that when you click on one of those links, you will enter another website on which PoshVine has no control and/or responsibility.. You are requested to exercise caution and read the privacy tatements as applicable to all such websites as their privacy policies may be materially different from this Privacy Policy.
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
We do not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required to do so by law, court order, statutory/regulatory uthorities. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which you may find interesting.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act, 1998, as required under law. A small fee will be payable. For a copy of the information held on you please contact us at the address in the About Us section.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address for us to correct the same. We will endeavour to respond to all reasonable concerns and queries within 7 working days of receipt of the same.
This policy is effective as of 1st September 2017.. Any material changes to this Privacy Policy shall be notified either by sending a notice to the email address as provided by you to us or by describing it in future versions of this Privacy Policy.


text:
Bliss Creek Golf Club
- 1 Golfview Ln, Sugar Grove, IL 60554
- (630) 466-4177
18 total holes at facility
Green fees - $36 to $49 (estimate)
Built in 1988
Driving Range: Yes
Public golf course
Bliss Creek Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation length golf course in Sugar Grove, Illinois. This short layout will reward good shots and provide a fun golf outing for everyone. Online tee times may be available at Bliss Creek Golf Club or at nearby golf courses, usually offered at a discount from the normal rate.
Back Tees
Course Rating
Golf Pro: Patrick MacDonald
Course Superintendent: Chad Oester
Although our info on our site is mostly accurate, in some cases there will be inaccuracies. Should you locate anything that needs to be updated, please fill this out.
Beneath this text, aerial imagery should load of Bliss Creek Golf Club at 1 Golfview Ln, Sugar Grove, IL 60554. If you can't find the course, try panning around and looking at the surrounding area.
Please login to add your review.


text:
I'll never drive a car with a fingerprint lock. I'd much rather have thieves steal my keys, than have to hack off my hand, if they want my car. (Yes that does happen)]]>
That's how much CPU time it takes to recover one manufacturer's master key, which is good for every car from that manufacturer. Once you have that key, you never need to repeat those calculations. You can now open any car from that manufacturer in seconds, with only the CPU power available on a PDA or cellphone.]]>
I guess I had believed some urban legend about it being broken, but now it is!]]>
"beyond the realm of everyone but major governments to brute force a single car in less than 30 minutes "
By some estimates the larger botnets qualify for the top 100 supercomputers list. One particular botnet might actually have more processing power than the current no. 1 at Sandia labs.
So criminal gangs now have more processing power than is available to most governments.
This really should become a National Security issue. Perhaps it could even lead to some effective anti-virus solutions (like holding an ISP responsable for "owned" machines attached to thier networks.)
2**64 ~ 18 quintillion. I'm willing to bet that it wasn't due to a mistake on Eli Biham's part that the article gives a (drastically) wrong order of magnitude for the key space.
I bet developing that attack was really fun work :)]]>
How many instructions are needed to try each of those 18 billion keys?
If they number in the thousands of instructions for each of the keys then it is beyond the realm of everyone but major governments to brute force a single car in less than 30 minutes.
Someone hanging around your car for more than a few seconds is acting "hinky" to any passerby.
It is not a bad practice for infrequently used crypto like a keyless FOB to throttle brute-force attempts by using more rounds than are necessary in the crypto. Things like websites can't do it because the throughput needs are so high. A keyless FOB just needs to respond in 1 second or less.]]>
It seems in todays modern world you
- don't own anything that is expensive and if you do, don't keep it in your car
- drive something standard and unobtrusive and insure it at replacement value, so if it gets stolen you win.
Where is your "new" Bentley parked today?
And how do you square with the story that the researchers were able to break it after the details of the algorithm got published on some Russian web site.
You have held that "secret" encryption systems are generally very poor, but it appears that this secret system lasted a long time .. even with $50K targets on every street corner !!!
Best regards]]>
If so, that may be a bigger security breach than its ability to open car doors which, as the people mentioned in this article stress, can be easily done in other ways.]]>
I agree that if cars like Prius, which also doesn't use a key, are subject to this exploit, there could be trouble. Hop in and push the start button once you have the code.]]>
EG, my motorcycle uses a fob & keyless ignition system (made by mitsubishi, the cypher for the challenge/response is MISTY supposidly)


text:
The Office Add-in for Moodle – free software for teachers in February
Average full article read:
Some Free February Appy-ness with a new piece of free software for teachers from Microsoft every day in February. Many of these items are unknown heroes, but they all share two things in common: 1) They are useful for teachers or students and 2) they are free.
Free Microsoft Office Add-in for Moodle
If you use Moodle, you may be familiar with grumbles from staff about the number of steps involved in creating documents and getting them onto your Moodle site. Teachers often create their teaching materials, and student materials, in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. And then they have to save it somewhere, then log into Moodle, find where they want to put it onto Moodle and then upload it. So why shouldn't it be as easy as saving the file to your desktop, or your SharePoint?
That's exactly what the Office Add-In for Moodle does – adds a "Save to Moodle" and "Open from Moodle'" button to all of your Office applications.
Uploading files to Moodle has never been easier. The Office Add-in for Moodle is an add-in for Office 2003, 2007 and 2010, that allows teachers to open and save Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents to a Moodle website. Today, teachers who use Office and Moodle have to switch back and forth between their web browser and Office applications. With the Add-In, teachers can create, open, edit, and save Moodle documents from within the Office applications. You no longer need to use your web browser when working with Office documents stored in Moodle.
It doesn't require anything to be installed on the Moodle server. Anyone who is the teacher or owner of a Moodle course can install the Add-in and access their documents. Once installed, there are two menu items 'Open from Moodle' and 'Save to Moodle' (see right) under:
- the File menu in Office 2003
- the Office Button in Office 2007
- the File tab in Office 2010
In order to browse course files on your Moodle you will need to first tell the Add-in the address of your Moodle and the credentials you use to log in. Once added you can view the list of courses you are enrolled in. Naturally, students and others can access the content directly from Moodle as they normally would.
We focused on teachers and content specialists first, since we know most documents posted to Moodle come from teachers.
Where can I find out how to use it?
Step-by-step instructions to help setup the system, as well as how users will use it, are on the Moodle.org website.
Where do I get Office Add-In for Moodle from?
Either go to the Office Add-In for Moodle page on Education Labs, or download directly from this link
We welcome your feedback
Let us know if you enjoyed this article and we'll share similar content


text:
My stupid printer (HP Color LaserJet CP1515n) has recently started printing colour wrongly. It seems the problem is that it's just not using the cyan nozzle at all. (Grr! Printers! Horrible things!)
To illustrate the problem, I wanted to produce the image above.
It was easy enough to get the Ubuntu printing system to spit out the left-hand side — I just poked around a bit until I found /usr/share/system-config-printer/testpage-a4.ps, then viewed that in evince and screencapped the result. But how to remove the cyan to produce the image on the right?
I was surprised that I couldn't find a GIMP tutorial on how to do this — it seems like a useful thing to do — so I played with the program until I found a way to decompose a colour image into CMYK layers that compose as they do when printed. Then I just made the cyan layer invisible to get the version of the test page on the right.
Since the process wasn't trivial, I thought it might be useful if I documented it here. No doubt there is a better way, but this is what I found.
- Open the image in GIMP (duh)
- From the Colours menu, pick Components -> Decompose…
- In the popup, change Colour model to CMYK and hit OK.
- The result is a new file, so close the original — you're done with it.
- The new file contains each of the four components (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) as an inverted greyscale mask, so the first thing to do is make this a colour image: Image -> Mode -> RGB.
- Invert each of the four layers individually: Colours -> Invert.
- Throw away the unwanted white background from each of the top three layers (cyan, magenta, yellow): Colours -> Colour to Alpha… and hit OK to accept the default colour of white. (Keep the white background on the bottom layer).
- Change the cyan layer to, well, cyan rather than black. Colours -> Levels…; set Channel to Green and slide Output Levels all the way to the top; now do the same for the Blue channel and hit OK.
- Do the same with the magenta layer, bringing the Red and Blue channels up to maximum.
- Do the same with the yellow layer, bringing the Red and Green channels up to maximum.
- Finally, for each of the top three layers, change the Mode (at the top of the Layers window) from Normal to Darken Only — this emulates how pigments work.
The result of all this is an image that looks exactly the same as the one you started with, but which is made of individual ink-gun layers that you can turn on and off. All I did to produce the right-hand side of the image above was to make my cyan layer invisible.
I hope that's helpful to someone. (Yet I can't shake off the nagging feeling that someone is immediately going to post a comment that says "Just use the Image -> Decompose Into Separate Overlaid CNYK Layers option.")
Oh, and another thing …
If anyone has any idea what's wrong with my printer, please do shout. It's not a problem with my computer's driver, as it does the same thing when printing from other computers in the house, and it's not a problem with the specific program that's doing the printing, as we've seen the same thing from Firefox, OpenOffice and more.


text:
The installation of Dr. Cecil Staton as East Carolina University chancellor on March 24 will feature a world-premiere performance of a composition written for the ceremony by an ECU music student.
Sophomore Christopher Short was chosen in a commissioning competition among ECU student composers to write a piece to be performed by the ECU Chamber Singers at the installation. He adapted the lyrics from a poem by John Masefield, late British poet laureate, chosen by Staton.
Masefield's poem was written for the 1946 installation of the chancellor of the University of Sheffield in the aftermath of and as a reaction to the events of World War II, and it celebrates the university as an enduring seat of knowledge, truth and learning. Short's composition and adapted text from the poem is titled "The Thinker and the Seeker."


text:
Recent Posts
- The Russ Liquid Test returns to Phoenix this March!
- Steve Aoki coming back to Scottsdale next Saturday to perform at the Birds Nest
- The Record Company >> Getting Up Off The Ground in Los Angeles [El Rey]
- Go HAIM or Go Home >> Going Under the Wire in Los Angeles [The Fonda]
- Hirie & Nahko and Medicine for the People >> Healing the Santa Cruz Crowd [The Catalyst]
- Nathaniel Rateliff >> Night Sweats in Los Angeles [Greek Theatre]
- All Rap Matters >> Atmosphere and Brother Ali in San Francisco [The Masonic]
- Crystal Castles in Phoenix [The Pressroom] >> Where's Alice?
- The Kills >> Killing It in Los Angeles [The Wiltern]
- Crystal Castles are coming back to Phoenix in September!
Tags311 atlanta bloc party california chicago clubhouse coachella crescent ballroom Daft Punk dance deadmau5 dj downtown drums edm electronic electropop festival girl talk guitar hip-hop kaskade las vegas lollapalooza los angeles marquee marquee theatre matt and kim music festival outside lands phoenix reggae remix san francisco scottsdale skrillex slightly stoopid soundwave spotify tempe video vocals yacht youtube z-trip
- My Latest Videos on YouTube
- YouTube Feed not found! Please try again later
Tag Archives: anuhea
Island Reggae Festival 2016 is almost here!
Island Reggae Festival 2016 >> will return next month and will feature yet another lineup of dope artists that vary in style but share the same vibe. The 1-day multi-stage music festival will take place on JUL-9 at Santa Clara County … Continue reading
Posted in festival, music, party, shows Tagged anuhea, collie buddz, common kings, fiji, island reggae festival, reggae, santa clara county fairgrounds, tarrus riley Leave a comment
Anuhea >> Warm Island Vibes in San Francisco [The Independent]
Anuhea >> Last Saturday night, San Francisco seemed a little warmer. That's because Hawaiian-born Anuhea had blown in to town for a sold out show at The Independent. Having just played in San Francisco at Mezzanine in May with her friends … Continue reading
Posted in music, rando, shows Tagged anuhea, charles, crown royal, easier, hawaii, j-boog, jason tupuola-aiono, mezzanine, rebel souljaz, san francisco, simple love song, soja, the independent Leave a comment


text:
About WP Copy Protect WordPress plugin.
Author and Official Website: Chetan Gole(chetangole.com).
Official Plugin page and download link: chetangole.com/blog/wp-copyprotect.
WordPress Plugin page and download link: wordpress.org/plugins/wp-copyprotect.
Current version : 3.0.0.
Purpose : Disables content from copying.
compatibility: WordPress.org says, this plugin is compatible upto wordpress version 3.6.1. I am currently using it on latest wordpress version 4.1 and according to my opinion, this plugin is working correctly on wordpress 4.1.
Support: chetangole.com/blog/contact or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Why WP Copy Protect?
Many webmasters are suffering from content thief. Some copycats copies the original content from one website and paste in their own website which may leads to duplicate content.
Lets see following scenario.
Suppose website A has original content which has crawled frequency is 7 days. That means Google crawler crawls website A in intervals of 7 days. Suppose website B has crawled frequency is 1 day. If Website B copies original content from website A. Then what will happen? Google crawler will crawl Website B first because of less crawling frequency and Website A's original content may flag as duplicate content and may penalized by Google Panda.
Although there are some methods such as DMCA to tell Google about the origin of content. But Prevention is better than cure. Hence the best way is to prevent your content from being copied.
WP copy Protect WordPress plugin helps the WordPress webmasters to prevent their content from being copied.
WP copy Protect will disable the copy functionality of any browser when a user visits on your website. If user unable to copy the content, then how he can steal your content?
Also WP Copy Protect does not affect SEO. Search engines can read your content.
Thanks Chetan Gole to create WP Copy Protect.
Features and configurations.
Download, install and activate the WP Copy Protect WordPress plugin and you will get configuration link at WordPress menus. You can configure the following features.
Disable text selection: User can only copy the content by selecting a text. If you can't select the text you can't copy it. Activating this feature disables text selection.
Display Protection information: The following message will appear at the end of the page/post (after footer) .
"Copy Protected by Chetans WP-Copy protect."
Users settings: There are 3 options
- Exclude admin users.
- Exclude all logged in users.
- Apply for all users.
Disable right mouse click: Users can still copy your content by the right click and view page source. You can disable right click by disabling right click option. In addition, you can flag the message after right click.


text:
Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Light Ideas
Make the bathroom ceiling enhanced by installing bathroom exhaust fan with light. Choosing one with heater can create a better space of bathroom. Quiet exhaust fan light for bathroom has been very popular especially in small designs of bathroom. Well, there are many good things about exhaust fan with light for bathroom ceiling lighting. Best brands like Nutone and Broan are available at Home Depot. It offers inexpensive prices for each one of the available designs of bathroom exhaust fan lights. They can be amazing ideas in how to make much better bathroom design and space.
Panasonic is a recommended brand with trustworthy quality. Light and heater on bathroom exhaust fan are for granted adding much better spaces that you can enjoy simply yet quite significantly. Home Depot light just like what you can see on the pictures offers really pleasing quality. Make it happen in your bathroom by getting and installing one for better atmosphere when inside the bathroom.
12 Photos Gallery of: Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Light Ideas
Choosing LED is going to be an awesome pick among the other available options. What about choosing the color changing LED lights on the exhaust fan? They can be unique nursery lights for kids. You better play with colors of the walls and smaller mirrors are recommended. Why? The reflected lights on large mirrors can be irritating.Tags :5 FOOT PIC NIC TABLE PLANS, small u kitchen, window shutters exterior, over the top small kitchen redo pictures


text:
Clean Coal in Canada
Coal is a mineral deposit that is rich in carbon content. This carbon is important, as it is what gives the coal the greater majority of its energy content. When coal is burned in the presence of air or oxygen, heat energy is released. This energy can then be converted to other forms of useful energy.
Coal is classified into ranks, depending on hardness and energy content:
- Graphite can technically be considered the highest rank but as it is difficult to burn it is not commonly used in combustion processes.
- Anthracite is hard, glossy and black. It is the hardest form of coal and has high energy content. It is commonly used for residential and commercial space heating.
- Bituminous coal is dense, black, or sometimes dark brown. It is used as a coking coal for steel making or to provide the heat for steam electric power generation.
- Sub-bituminous coal has properties ranging from those of bituminous to lignite. It is used is for steam electric power generation.
- Lignite - sometimes referred to as brown coal - is the lowest rank of coal, has high inherent moisture content, and has the lowest energy content. It is used is for steam electric power generation.
Coal mining
For deposits of coal that are deep in the earth, vertical or horizontal shafts from the surface provide men and equipment access to the coal and allow removal of the coal to the surface. In Nova Scotia, Canada, this is the method used for mining the local coal. For coal deposits that are relatively close to the surface, open pit or strip mining techniques are used. In Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, open pit mines are predominant.
Approximately 67 megatonnes (Mt) of coal were mined in Canada in 2005. About 27 Mt of this was coking coal (for steel making), the remainder was "thermal" coal – that is, coal used as fuel for heat and power applications.
Coal use in Canada
Coal is used in industrial processes, such as cement manufacturing, steel production and electricity generation. Of the approximately 60 megatonnes (Mt) of coal consumed in Canada in 2005, about 56 Mt were used to generate electricity. This amount of coal generated about 92 gigawatt-hours (GWh), or ~ 17% of Canada's total electricity generation.
How is coal used to produce electricity?
In today's typical coal-fired electric power plant, the coal is first crushed into small lumps and then further ground to a fine powder in a pulverizer. Thus, this type of plant is sometime referred to as a pulverized coal (PC) plant. The pulverized coal is fed, with air as the oxidant, into the furnace of a boiler.
The coal burns at around 1400°C, and the resulting hot gases and radiant heat convert water in tubes, which line the furnace walls, into high-temperature, high-pressure steam.
The high-pressure steam is forced through a steam turbine causing the turbine blades to rotate at very high speed. The turbine shaft is coupled to the shaft of an electricity generator which also then rotates. The generator shaft has wire coils wound around it. As these coils spin rapidly in a strong magnetic field, electricity is generated.
This electricity is transformed into high voltages (e.g. 400 kilovolts) so it can be fed to power grids via transmission lines. At various distribution points (or sub-stations), the electricity is transformed to lower voltages as required by the end user. For instance, large industries, such as steel mills may require electricity supplied at the tens of thousands of volts level, whereas commercial operations, institutions and residences in North America commonly use 110-220 volts systems.
- Date modified: