text:
OnePlus 3T Release Date, News & Update: Qualcomm Confirms Snapdragon 821 Coming, Is This A New Google Pixel Killer?
Latest smartphones keep getting better and stronger as Qualcomm announced that Snapdragon 821 processor is set to one of OnePlus devices. It is expected that the latest OnePlus 3T smartphone will be unveiled on November 15.
Qualcomm, the company that powers most of the Android phones, has announced on its Twitter account that OnePlus will sport Snapdragon 821 processor. This announcement has turned a different perspective in the mobile industry on how OnePlus 3T will compete with other known brands like Google's Pixel.
According to TCC, The Chinese Company is rumored to launch its newest smartphone, the OnePlus 3T on November 15. The specs of OnePlus 3T is expected to have Snapdragon 821 processor and some significant improvements over OnePlus 3.
Aside from Snapdragon 821 processor, OnePlus 3T is rumored to have specs of 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, a 16MP rear camera and 8MP front-facing camera. Also, it is said to be equipped with a fingerprint sensor, 4G VoLTE connectivity, USB Type-C and a 3000mAh battery capacity with Dash Charge technology. It is also expected that it will run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
The announcement of Qualcomm about the expected OnePlus 3T having its latest Snapdragon 821 processor will probably a killer for Google's Pixel. According to some reports, benchmark test results of Google Pixel and Pixel L are not impressive considering both devices have the same processor Snapdragon 821. Comparisons from the previous processor Snapdragon 820, the performance test results of Pixel smartphones are not relatively high as what should be expected from Snapdragon 821. It is because that the Pixel phones are clocked at the same speed of Snapdragon 820.
Meanwhile, OnePlus 3T is expected to use the full 2.35GHz power speed that is capable in Snapdragon 821 processor. Smartphones equipped with Snapdragon 821 processor brags to give three times faster of X12 LTE speed and an improvement in graphic performance and power usage with Adreno 530 GPU.


text:
Li, L.M. and Billings, S.A. (2009) Analysis of nonlinear oscillators in the frequency domain using volterra series Part II : identifying and modelling jump Phenomenon. Research Report. ACSE Research Report no. 989 . Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield
In this the second part of the paper, a common and severe nonlinear phenomenon called jump, a behaviour associated with the Duffing oscillator and the multi-valued properties of the response solution, is investigated. The new frequency domain criterion of establishing the upper limits of the nonlinear oscillators, developed in Part I of this paper, is applied to predict the onset point of the jump, and the Volterra time and frequency domain analysis of this phenomenon are carried out based on graphical and numerical techniques.
|Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:
|The Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering research reports offer a forum for the research output of the academic staff and research students of the Department at the University of Sheffield. Papers are reviewed for quality and presentation by a departmental editor. However, the contents and opinions expressed remain the responsibility of the authors. Some papers in the series may have been subsequently published elsewhere and you are advised to cite the later published version in these instances.
|The University of Sheffield
|Academic Units:
|The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (Sheffield) > ACSE Research Reports
|Depositing User:
|Miss Anthea Tucker
|Date Deposited:
|16 Oct 2012 09:29
|Last Modified:
|04 Jun 2014 13:15
|Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield
|Series Name:
|ACSE Research Report no. 989

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Volumetric imaging of the Optic Nerve Head (ONH) morphometry with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) requires dense sampling and relatively long acquisition times. Compressive Sampling (CS) is an emerging technique to reduce volume acquisition time with minimal image degradation by sparsely sampling the object and reconstructing the missing data in software. In this report, we demonstrated real-time CS-OCT for volumetric imaging of the ONH using a 1060nm Swept-Source OCT prototype. We also showed that registration and averaging of CS-recovered volumes enhanced visualization of deep structures of the sclera and lamina cribrosa. This work validates CS-OCT as a means for reducing volume acquisition time and for preserving high-resolution in volume-averaged images. Compressive sampling can be integrated into new and existing OCT systems without changes to the optics, requiring only software changes and post-processing of acquired data.
©2011 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Evgeniy Lebed, Paul J. Mackenzie, Marinko V. Sarunic, and Mirza Faisal Beg
Opt. Express 18(20) 21003-21012 (2010)
Daguang Xu, Yong Huang, and Jin U. Kang
Biomed. Opt. Express 5(11) 3921-3934 (2014)
Joseph D. Malone, Mohamed T. El-Haddad, Ivan Bozic, Logan A. Tye, Lucas Majeau, Nicolas Godbout, Andrew M. Rollins, Caroline Boudoux, Karen M. Joos, Shriji N. Patel, and Yuankai K. Tao
Biomed. Opt. Express 8(1) 193-206 (2017)


text:
a follow up post to Why Failing is Fabulous
I said last month that I'd talk about the gifts that failure has given me – here we go.
"Toni, this is a gift in shitty wrapping paper."
When all the hard, shocking stuff happened at the festival our Festival Patron, the wonderful Aussie actor Tony Barry (right), said to me:
"Toni this is a gift in shitty wrapping paper."
Privately I vehemently disagreed – how could all this loss and humiliation be any gift? It seemed a crazy thing to say.
It was years before I understood that everything about it, even the cruel way things were handled had turned into the best of gifts.
So Would I Want This Gift Again?
It was so painful, financially disastrous and 100 other things that I'd have to say "Hell no!."
The trouble with gifts is that you can't really give them back when they're given to you.
Then on the other hand, I would definitely want the outcome of that shittily wrapped present (is shittily a word?) because I now think that this particular spectacular failure was the making of me.
This failure was the one that I began to embrace (though not for a year).
As I began to be grateful for what had happened the shitty gift wrap fell off and gems were revealed.
"Nothing is good nor bad, only thinking makes it so."
My Favourite Gifts
I had to get pretty low to get some help – and that help was discovering how my brain worked which led me to realise that gratitude practice would change my brain.
It was directly through the festival falling apart that I discovered the practice of gratitude. As you've probably heard I think gratitude is the Wonder Drug and it has started a revolution in my life – one that I've been sharing with many others.
Failure taught me the practice and value of gratitude. Got to love that! Every day is better because of it.
I think it was the series of (what looked like) unfortunate events at/ post the festival break down that helped me grow up and become an adult. I had to face my role in what happened and have learned to take more responsibility for things going wrong.
We are only really adults when we begin to take responsibility for our own actions.
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in getting up every time we fall."
Nelson Mandela
Generally my response to pain would be to drown it with work or wine or some sort of escapism – and I still do that some of the time. Through the festival failure I learned, for the first time, how to sit with pain, feel pain, be less afraid of pain.
Weirdly this sitting with pain seems to make pain less painful which has been hugely helpful as life is full of pain.
Learning how my brain works has been enlightening, fun and utterly life-changing in so many areas – especially in relation to our stories.
It has been eye-opening to learn more about how we all spin facts and change our memories. We give ourselves so much needless pain winding up our stories. More on this next month.
Knowing this has made my life less painful.
I love, love, love teaching about gratitude and other life- changing skills and this was one of the gifts – a whole new passion. Whatever pain we face or failure we experience changes us and without those things we don't get where we are now.
Failure opens as many doors as it closes.
"By then I'd figured out the gift of failure, which is that it breaks through all that held breath, all that isometric tension of needing to look good; it's the gift of feeling floppier."
Anne Lamott
Humiliation is the perfect medicine for the ego and mine got some good medicine! I think we probably all need periodic bouts of disaster to bring us back to empathy and care and derail us from our own world. I've found failure and pain connect me more fully with the human race.
In Anne Lamott's words: I get to be floppier – huge relief!
There are many more gifts – I'm sure you've received some – I'll stop yakking and move over so you can tell us (in the comments) your story. Love to hear it.
There is more:
If the subject of failure interests you (and you aren't on my 'Hello from Toni' bulletin list) then you can check out both these pages that have some videos about failure.
Thank you for reading.
PS: If you'd like to hear from me every 4-6 weeks sign up for my Hello from Toni newsletter here.


text:
QVC New Beauty, New You 2013
QVC's first beauty even for 2013, New Beauty, New York kicks off Thursday at 11PM with a range of brand new beauty goodies for Spring 2013 from skincare to color cosmetics!
I dunno about but my week is crawling so Thursday seems years away so for those of you that can't wait you can already preview some of the new products that QVC will be premiering from Thursday January 17 (starts at 11PM EST) and continuing all day Friday.
Take a look at some of these products and see if any will make an appearance in your Q cart.
It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Lipstick Butter Trio QVC Item #A229205 $39.50
An ultra-hydrating lipstick, lip gloss, and antiaging, lip-conditioning balm all in one to help soothe and protect lips while giving you a gorgeous flush of color.
- Pillow
- Darling
- In Love
WEN by Chaz Dean Winter Vanilla Mint Treatment Oil QVC Item #A227343 $53.75
This treatment oil utilizes an extremely beneficial blend of highly sought-after exotic oils to help maintain and restore the integrity of your hair, scalp, and body while also providing the ultimate treatment for achieving bouncy, shiny, beautiful and manageable hair.
Algenist Multi-Perfecting Three-Piece Discovery Collection QVC Item #A231286 $49
Collection includes deluxe trial sizes of Multi-Perfecting Detoxifying Exfoliator, Multi Perfecting Skin Corrector Concentrate and Pore Corrector Gel Moisturizer.
Butter London Lips and Tips Nail Lacquer and Lip Gloss Duo QVC Item #A230964 $21.50
Shades Available:
- La Moss
- Toff
- Queen Vic
Mally Five-Piece High Shine Slimline Lip Gloss Set QVC Item #A231801 $30
- Heartbreaker
- Perfois Pink
- Perfois Peach
- Pouty Pink
- Mally's Baby
StriVectin Advanced Overnight Resurfacing Serum QVC Item #A231932 $72
A natural, plant-based exfoliating system that resurfaces the skin for a smoother and brighter complexion.
There's also a ton of other items I'm wanting to try like Philosophy's new Hope in a Jar Night Cream and Mally Pro-Tricks Correct and Conceal Palette.
You can shop the event early by visiting http://qvc.co/newbeautynewyou
See anything you want?


text:
Ukraine, 36011, Poltava, prospekt Pervomayskiy 9 +38 (0532) 56-02-11 +38 (093) 462 28 81 +38 (095) 688 25 07 +38 (097) 762 90 05
Every woman dreams to preserve youth and beauty as long as possible, and modern cosmetology does not allow it to lie down under the noses of the surgeon. Phenolic peel - an effective solution for those who have decided to seriously fight aging and other skin defects. A large number of patients, evaluating the results before and after the procedure, compare them with the effect of plastic surgery.
The basis of cosmetic substance is strongly diluted carbolic acid (phenol). The substance was used to treat hand doctors until they noticed that the chemical has a pronounced keratolytic effect, which consists in the destruction of keratin, collagen and elastin. Violation of the integrity of obsolete structures leads to the active synthesis of cells by new protein tissues that support the elasticity and elasticity of the skin. Contribute to the restoration of human youth and the injection of hyaluronic acid, but, unlike carbolic peeling, the beauty of the hair should be regularly, which increases the cost of rejuvenation.
Patient feedback and evidence from cosmetologists suggest that phenol peel is one of the most effective means for:
To deal with problems of varying severity, surface, middle and deep peeling may be performed. The deeper the penetration of carbolic acid, the higher its concentration in the peeling mixture. The price of the procedure also varies depending on the depth of influence and the area of application.
Phenolic peeling is a rather dangerous procedure that should only be carried out by qualified specialists. The method of rejuvenation consists of the following stages:
The cleansed areas of the skin are treated with antiseptic and protective, moisturizing agent. Treatment of the back and abdomen from pigment spots, stretch marks, scars from acne is carried out using the same algorithm. The procedure can be quite painful, but it's a small price for a long-lasting effect of rejuvenation, eliminating acne and hated pigment spots.
Strong toxic effects of carbolic acid entails a number of contraindications for chemical peels. The procedure is prohibited for patients:
To restore the youth of hands and neck it is better to use other cosmetic procedures, such as plasmolifting
Complications after chemical peeling:
Individual reaction of the body and failure to follow the recommendations of specialists may lead to:
Conducting of phenolic peeling is accompanied by a long period of rehabilitation. Immediately after removing the neutralizing phenol of the mask, the patient is not allowed to wash. The doctor prescribes the administration of anesthetics, as well as treatment of the affected surface with panthenol.
Harvest takes about 2 weeks, during which it is not recommended to appear on the street. Redness of varying degrees of severity can be maintained for 60-120 days.
The full effect of rejuvenation and tightening can be seen in 6-12 months. At this time, the patient should whiten the skin with special agents, avoid any forms of sunburn, use strong sunblock and moisturizing creams, take antioxidants and vitamin complexes.
The high efficiency of the procedure is said by the opinions of the past her women, as well as their photos before and after rejuvenation. Patients note:
The peculiarity of the cosmetic procedure is the one-time need to conduct and the duration of preservation of the result to 10 years. A similar effect can boast of lipophilia after several procedures and complete shrinkage of adipose tissue.
The cost of manipulation depends on the depth, field of action, qualifications of specialists. You can find out the exact price of the service at the "Clinic of Plastic Cosmetic Surgery" Ltd., located in Poltava, in the special section of the site or by consulting by telephone. Compared with other techniques of rejuvenation, peeling with phenol, is a very inexpensive procedure that will allow you to return your blossoming look and confidence for a long time.
I am very glad that asked for help in the Clinic plastic surgery is in the city of Poltava and made sure that there are the best surgeons in the World. Is surgeons from God that do wonders. They have lungs, Golden, magical hands. Years go, and I'm getting old, although and in old age want be beautiful. I visited the clinic in April 2016 and throughout until December 2016 year surgeons Ilya and Nikita Ilyich made me such operations: lipofilling nasolabial furrows, lipofilling palpebrarum furrow, blepharoplasty, phenol peel, face lift 2/3 of the face. All operations were carried out at the highest level. Now look at myself in the mirror and don't believe it's me. I look much more beautiful than I was in youths. Every day my delight from the result is stronger. My dream came true thanks to such surgeons as Ilya Yurievich and Nikita Ilyich. Now want live long and raise grandchildren, wait for great-grandchildren. Dear Lesya Fyodorovna! I am very grateful to you that You are for me made. Thank you very much for your smile, understanding, warm welcome, support, kindness, warmth, sincerity. Many thanks to the wonderful surgeons who have done so much for me. Dear, dear Ilya Yurievich and Nikita Ilyich, a huge, huge You thank you for your professionalism and humanity, I bow to you, You the best surgeons. I will never forget your kindness, understanding and the magic of your hands and What you've done for me. Thank God that in Poltava there are surgeons like you. I want to Express my gratitude to the nurses of the clinic: Lila Petrovna, Svetlana, Victoria, Ira. Many thanks to Igor Anatolyevich. They all respected and supported me throughout this period. Many thanks to the clinic administrators: Alena and Maria for their kindness and attention, as well as the entire staff of the clinic. Attitude in this clinic beautiful, I felt like in my family. All clinic staff are very caring, responsive and attentive to his patients. I congratulate you and your families on the coming 2017 new year and Merry Christmas! I wish you and your families good health and happiness, good luck, wealth, stability, prosperity to Your business and long life! Thank you very much for being here. Thank you For your work and good, which you do for people!


text:
Indiana. Georgia. North Carolina. The bigots in power are coming for us. By the way, I'm sure I'm missing some states. A huge breathe of relief swept the country when the US Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage. We celebrated. I cried. The bigots also took a breathe and got[…]
Restaurant review: One Veg World in Pasadena
If Foucaultist power relations holds, we have to choose between constructivism and cultural postdialectic theory. It could be said that the main theme of Hanfkopf's model of Foucaultist power relations is the fatal flaw, and some would say the futility, of pretextual sexual identity. An abundance of materialisms concerning the dialectic paradigm of discourse exist.
Expo West and the Natural Foods industry
Morbi euismod magna ac lorem rutrum elementum. Donec viverra auctor lobortis. Pellentesque eu est a nulla placerat dignissim. Morbi a enim in magna semper bibendum. Etiam scelerisque, nunc ac egestas consequat, odio nibh euismod nulla, eget auctor orci nibh vel nisi. Aliquam erat volutpat. Mauris vel neque sit amet nunc gravida congueetur, nisl orci bibendum elit, eu euismo.


text:
Storify, Newsroom Sensation, Eyes Changes
By: Michael Depp | Net News Check
Storify has gone from zero to widely used media verb in just a year and a half. Part social platform, part social media curation tool, Storify has been adopted by nearly every major media outlet and scores of local newsrooms to cut through social's deafening noise to find and share its most meaningful news.
Burt Herman, Storify's co-founder, drew on his long background as an Associated Press foreign correspondent to fine-tune its design with journalists in mind.


text:
People may need, at some time during their life, to appoint someone to act for them and a Power of Attorney provides the 'donee' or 'attorney' – the person appointed – with a legal document which proves their powers. The document may be purchased from a law stationer or prepared for the donor by a solicitor. Its use may be to permit someone to act on behalf of the donor – the person making the power – while the donor is physically incapable of managing their affairs, for example because of illness or because they are going abroad for a lengthy period.
The Power of Attorney may be a general power, without restrictions on its use. Alternatively, it may only give limited powers to do a specific act, for example to sell a house. In either case, the donor can still act themselves. An attorney may sign on behalf of the donor who is a non-tax payer for bank and building society interest to be paid without deduction of income tax.
How long does a Power of Attorney last?
Whether the ordinary Power of Attorney is a general one or is limited, it is only valid while the donor is capable of giving instructions. It will end if:
• the donor becomes mentally incapacitated and no longer able personally
to supervise or direct the attorney;
• the donor revokes the Power;
• the Power is time limited and the time has expired;
• the Power is limited to a specific task which has been completed;
• the Attorney(s) themselves dies or become incapacitated.
Enduring Power of Attorney
An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) is a legal document by which someone appoints one or more persons to act for them, should they in the future become incapable of managing for themselves. As with the Ordinary Power of Attorney it must be executed – signed – while the donor is capable of understanding the nature and effect of creating an Enduring Power. The test of capacity for executing an Enduring Power The following matters should be explained to the donor and he or she should
understand that:
• the attorney will be able to assume complete authority over his or her affairs;
• the attorney will, in general, be able to do anything with the donor's property which he or she could have done personally;
• the attorney's authority will continue if the donor is or is becoming mentally incapable;
• if he or she is or is becoming mentally incapable, the EPA cannot be revoked, without confirmation by the Court of Protection.
Because tests of capacity vary it is possible that an individual donor may be able to execute an Enduring Power but may, at the same time, be 'incapable by reason of mental disorder of managing and administering his property and affairs'. In these circumstances the validity of the Enduring Power of Attorney is not affected. However, it means that the Enduring Power of Attorney should be registered with the Public Guardianship Office (PGO) as soon as it has been signed by the donor and the attorney(s).


text:
The tourney was a spur-of-the-moment thing I wanted to put together as a model for the next official 2v2 tourney. At the time, 8 SFCCL members were online so I sent a Text Chat invite out in hopes of putting together a mini-event. Fortunately, all responded and wanted to play. Teams were assembled randomly by pairing up members alphabetically. The tourney was a basic double elimination 2-player tournament. Matches were limited to one 5-round match. The team battles were Survivor-Series style in that both members of a team needed to be defeated in order for the other team to claim victory. If a member from each team won their first match, they would face each other to determine the winning team.
VIETNAMAZING was able to defeat 3 teams by himself as XxUltimaCloudxX happily "watched". Notice I said congrats to Vietnamazing, not the team of Vietnamazing & UltimaCloud! I'm sure UltimaCloud is waiting for an "official" event to showcase his skills. :P As far as I know, Vietnamazing didn't lost one match mowing down pretty much everyone last night. Fun was had by all and hopefully something we can do more of in the future. Since everyone in the League is on my Friends List, I'll be sure to invite everyone whenever we do another such event. The following members participated last night:
Vietnamazing & XxUltimaCloudxX
ElGeneral & Manwithnoarms
Cynistar & ClubAmerica
SALonghorn & Meieden
All are current members with the exception of ClubAmerica who will join in Week 14. However, let this be a warning to all above Vietnamazing's Cammy in the rankings......he's coming......and he's good......very good. And a classy dude to boot.
Plans right now are to have an "Official" SFCCL 2v2 tournament event sometime in October. I want to be sure that when we do have the official event that everyone in the League knows about it well in advance. In order to make the teams random and fair, the event has to be a live event in which members must be present/online to participate. Prizes for the last 2v2 tournament (which haven't been exercised yet) included the right to challenge any member in the League, no matter division or ranking. Winner takes the higher ranking while the loser gets the lower rank. 2nd prize was the right to challenge anyone in the next highest division with same results as above, while 3rd place was the right to challenge any spot in your own division. We'll probably uses these same prizes for the next tourney as incentive. These official events are closed to SFCCL members only.
Thanx again for a fun night of street fighting guys!
BTW, ONLY 5 MORE DAYS TO COMPLETE YOUR MATCHES FOR WEEK 13 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd.


text:
Developers — first impressions are important when you are selling an app. According to a new study by Compuware that was reported by TechCrunch, you only have one chance, maybe two, to get a customer to become a regular user of your app. If glitches force a customer to try your app a third or fourth time, you risk losing 84 percent of your user base.
Compuware queried 3,534 respondents in the US, UK, France, Germany, India and Japan about their app habits. The results show that the majority (79 percent) of users will try an app again if it fails the first time. Only 16 percent will give it a third or fourth shot.
Over half the users had a problem with an app in the last six months and more often than not (62 percent) the app froze or displayed an error. Another big problem was slow load times, which in the respondent##Q##s estimation was any app that took over 2 seconds to launch.
You can read more about the study on TechCrunch##Q##s website.


text:
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1
On June 28, 2007, the Supreme Court announced it ruling on an affirmative action issue that arose in Seattle, Washington andJefferson County, Kentucky. By a 5-4 vote the Court struck down desegregation plans in both of these school districts because the plans were based purely on racial percentages and were not related to either of the two acceptable justifications for affirmative action, i.e., to remedy past racial injustices or to provide the benefits of a racially diverse student body. The Supreme Court has legitimized these two justifications for affirmative action, and the Court has stated that if a desegregation plan is narrowly tailored to accomplish one of these objectives, then the demands of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause are satisfied. But neither the Washington nor the Kentucky plans even attempted to articulate such a connection with its racial percentage plans.Accordingly, the plans failed to survive the strict scrutiny that the Equal Protection Clause demands of any racially-driven, governmental plan.
This decision once again pitted the five more conservative Justices with the four more liberal Justices. But this ruling is likely to evoke more criticism and commentary than the other rulings announced this week for several reasons. This is primarily so because it pertains to race, and there are a number of outspoken leaders in the nation who do not hesitate to speak out against racism whenever they can, whether or not the particular facts justify such an allegation. The dissenting Justices implicitly called for such criticism in their long and emotional argument against the majority's opinions. But for all the protestations of the dissenters, Chief Justice Roberts and the majority correctly applied the law, and properly rejected the desegregation plans. If the dissenters' opinion had been in the majority, this case would have stood for a significant extension and expansion of the types of racially-motivated, affirmative action plans that the Court has chosen to permit under the Equal Protection Clause. The Roberts Court wisely drew a line in the sand and took a stand against further expansion.
It should be pointed out that the Parents Involved opinions are 185 pages in length. Few people will take the time to read them, let alone to understand them. I expect that the discussion of this case will be limited primarily to name-calling and superficial treatment. The Majority will be labeled as "racists" and the dissenters will be hailed as the heroes of the down-trodden.Neither is true. The plain language of the Equal Protection Clause and the clear language of the earlier cases on affirmative action all support the ruling of the Court on this important issue.
The pages of opinions generated by the Justices in addressing this case was multiplied because of the acerbic dissent of Justice Breyer, who spent numerous pages giving his account of historical events and stating his sociological arguments for upholding the Seattle and Jefferson County plans. Justice Thomas' concurring opinion devoted 36 pages to respond to Justice Breyer's argument. The Chief Justice's (the Majority) opinion, devoted thirteen pages to respond. But the Majority was not side-tracked; they got it right.


text:
Few takes of falling stone into water
Great clean sound !
Nice clean sound! And nice variety.
Man! I recognize this sound from somewhere...Anyway, great job!
Perfect - thanks!
cool (:
 |  7 commentss
Please log in to comment
Share url:
920 x 245
481 x 86
375 x 30
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By browsing our site you agree to our use of cookies.
For more information check out our cookies policy.


text:
Registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III is in custody on suspicion of murder and rape in the case of missing Poway teenager Chelsea King.
King was last seen Thursday, Feb. 25 before she headed out for a run after school near Lake Hodges. An article of her clothing found near the lake matched Gardner's DNA, according to law enforcement sources.
But now, family members of another missing North County girl are seeing similarities in the Chelsea King case and their own daughter's disappearance.
Amber Dubois was last seen Feb. 13, 2009 while walking to Escondido High School.
At the time, Gardner lived just two miles from Escondido High School in the Rock Springs East apartment complex. One neighbor said Gardner had moved out about a month ago but had been living in the complex for a year with a woman and a two-year old child.
Amber's father Maurice Dubois said he can't help but draw connections between his daughter's case and Chelsea King's.
"Deep down inside, we're in full denial of it. In the back of our heads, yeah, the possibility is huge," Dubois said Monday night.
"I think there is a good possibility that Gardner may be linked to Amber's disappearance," Amber's mother Carrie McGonigle said in a statement Sunday. "I pray that he isn't because it would be the worst case scenario for my daughter. I am praying for Chelseas' family."
When a reporter asked him if he thought the suspect was connected to the Feb. 2009 disappearance of Amber Dubois, Gore replied, "We're looking into that."
"If they do establish a connection with this monster's motive and his track record," said Dubois, "We know more than likely Amber is not likely in a good situation."
Divers and volunteers prepared to search the area around Lake Hodges again Tuesday for any sign of Chelsea King.
A jogger who was attacked in the same area on Dec. 27 was last seen identified Gardner in a photo lineup, according to law enforcement sources.
Gardner, who was arrested outside the restaurant Hernandez' Hideaway in Escondido, is not cooperating with sheriff's investigators. He is in custody, held without bail, on suspicion of first-degree murder and rape.
Gardner, 30, lives near Lake Elsinore but had been staying with his mother and stepfather at a home in the 17000 block of Matinal Road in Rancho Bernardo. Investigators searched that home and carried out items in several bags according to neighbors.
Convicted of assaulting a minor in 2000, Gardner served five years in prison and three years on parole. According to court records, he picked up a 13-year old girl at a bus stop, took her back to his Rancho Bernardo home, where he assaulted and beat her.
In the sentencing summary, prosecutors considered Gardner's actions "extremely predatory, and this makes him very dangerous despite his minor prior record. When combined with his callous attitude and refusal to admit any wrongdoing, defendant demonstrates that he is an extreme danger to others and needs to be imprisoned to protect society."
The court records indicate that the district attorney did not seek the maximum sentence only because Gardner had no significant record of prior criminal conduct.
Key locations in the Chelsea King case:
View The Chelsea King case in a larger map


text:
Hawaiian Spirulina (1 Bottle) New 1000mg Strength 180 Tabs
Hawaiian Pacifica Spirulina
Spirulina is a popular Superfood and many companies market spirulina products. But they're not all the same. If you're considering using a spirulina supplement, you should know that NUTREX HAWAII Spirulina Pacifica is about the highest quality spirulina you can obtain short of cultivating it yourself. You probably already know about the benefits of spirulina, densely concentrated with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and protein. It turns out that how spirulina is grown has a huge impact on its nutritional value. So does the packaging. But spirulina products are not all grown or packaged the same way.
NUTREX HAWAII Spirulina is grown using mineral rich seawater sourced from 2000 ft below the surface of the Pacific. This is a far purer and more nourishing source than the river or irrigation water used to produce all other spirulina products. Once harvested, NUTREX uses a patented proprietary drying process that preserves the nutritional content, and then packs the product in glass packaging with oxygen absorbers and sealing caps to ensure the maximum freshness and potency. Speaking of freshness, spirulina should be refrigerated after opening whether in tablet or powder form. You'll probably find tablets easiest to use. If you want the best Spirulina product, go with NUTREX.
Look how packed Spirulina is with Nutrition:
- Spirulina has 2300% more iron than spinach
- Spirulina has 3900% more beta carotene than carrots
- Spirulina has 300% more calcium than whole milk
- Spirulina has 375% more protein than tofu
- Comparing phytonutrient levels, Spirulina is 31 times more potent than blueberries and 60 times more potent than spinach!
Doctors and Scientists recommend we eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In real life, it doesn't always happen. That's why you need Spirulina Pacifica. Hawaiian grown natural Spirulina Pacifica supplies more concentrated vegetable nutrition than any other whole food.
We are now in our 25th year of production of Hawaiian Spirulina. Hawaiian Spirulina has long been recognized as the worldwide leader in Spirulina quality, and the longevity of our continuous production has a great deal to do with our outstanding quality.
Cyanotech's farm in Hawaii is the world's best location to grow Spirulina. This is true not only because of the pristine environment with clear air and clean water, but also because we have a year round growing season with abundant sunshine and very low levels of rainfall. Ours is the only Spirulina farm in the world that can boast of "continuous cultivation." Other Spirulina farms must shut down production a few months of the year; in colder climates they stop producing in winter, and in hotter climates they must shut down production in summer when the intense heat can kill off the Spirulina. Our Founder (and current Chief Scientific Officer) Dr. Gerry Cysewski searched for over two years to find the ideal location to grow microalgae, and he found it on the pristine Kona Coast of Hawaii. Kona has an ideal climate that allows us to grow Hawaiian Spirulina continuously, 12 months a year. This is very important because it has allow ed Hawaiian Spirulina to evolve into a superior strain with much higher nutrient levels than other Spirulina products. Hawaiian Spirulina has approximately double the levels of key nutrients compared to our next two closest quality competitors, and our product has triple or quadruple some of the lower quality offerings that muddy up the Spirulina marketplace.
Spirulina Pacifica delivers: Antioxidant Vegetable Nutrition - Nature's richest source of carotenoids, B-Complex Vitamins - Supplies Thiamin, Riboflavin and vitamin B-12, Iron - A daily dose provides more iron than two cups of spinach, Organic Protein - Richest source in the plant world - three times that of beef, GLA - Building block for nature's anti-inflammatory. As a result, Spirulina is important for anyone needing additional nourishment including dieters, athletes, convalescents and the elderly..
Vitamin K2 discovered in
Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica®
Cyanotech today announced its Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® has another nutritional first: The world's most nutrient rich Spirulina is also a good source of Vitamin K2.* We have long known that Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica is an excellent source of Vitamin K, with 94% of the recommended Daily Value; but until now no Spirulina product has been shown to specifically contain Vitamin K2. With the growing body of research showing benefits for Vitamin K2, this is a very important discovery. Among other potential benefits, Vitamin K2 is believed to:
- Support blood health
- Support cardiovascular health and circulation
- Support bone health and benefit people with osteoporosis
In addition, exciting new research is showing that Vitamin K2 may be beneficial for Alzheimer's disease, a variety of cancers, varicose veins, and skin aging.
If you're already using Hawaiian Spirulina, be sure to announce to your customers that it has now been shown to contain Vitamin K2. And if you're not using Hawaiian Spirulina yet, please call us today
* Based on analytical results from an independent contract laboratory, Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica provides approximately 15 mcg / 3gm daily serving or 19% of the Daily Recommended Value of Vitamin K2, and 75 mcg / 3gm daily serving of Vitamin K (including all forms) or 94% of the Daily Recommended Value of Vitamin K.


text:
While CHASER is my third novel (launching on March 2, 2018), it is my first one to come out in paperback. So yesterday when I received the proof copy in the mail, it was truly a thrilling moment. It felt real in a way my first two books didn't. I guess you can tell from … Continue reading "The Proof Copy of CHASER Has Arrived"
Category: My Writing
My Abandoned Memoir Project
A few years back, I started working on a memoir about my gender transition. I got about a third the way through the rough draft and quit. In this post, I wanted to share some of the reasons why. What Can I Add? For starters, there are already a ton of wonderful, insightful, and entertaining … Continue reading "My Abandoned Memoir Project"
Why I Now Choose to Be Indie Published
A few years ago, I write a post about why I chose to have my first two books traditionally published. Now with a couple books under my belt, I made a 180-degree turn and now choose to publish as an indie (self-published) author for the foreseeable future. So why the change? In short, my needs … Continue reading "Why I Now Choose to Be Indie Published"
Into the Skin of Another: The Gift of Fiction
One of the great things about fiction is that we get to see the world through another's eyes. We can slip into the skin of a Caribbean pirate, a bounty hunter in Jersey, a spaceship captain, a child dealing with cancer, a vampire, a person living in the ghetto, a circus animal trainer, or a … Continue reading "Into the Skin of Another: The Gift of Fiction"
A Light in the Dark
It surprises some people that know me personally that I write such dark, gritty, violent fiction. Because generally speaking, I'm a very upbeat, positive, nonviolent person. And I must admit, I have from time to time wondered what it is to draws me to this writing style. Healing Through Creativity A big part of it … Continue reading "A Light in the Dark"
Going for the Grit
Recently, I was asked by Barbara Winkes of Word Affair to talk in depth about writing Iron Goddess, and specifically about my main character Shea Stevens.
Recently, I was asked by Barbara Winkes of Word Affair to talk in depth about writing Iron Goddess, and specifically about my main character Shea Stevens.
What Happened to 30 Years?
I was a young teenager when I first started writing, pounding out poorly structured stories on a manual Smith Corona typewriter. Lawrence Block's fiction column in Writers Digest was my monthly gospel. I would spend hours scanning Writers Market searching for magazines that might be interested in my stories. I even collected a few rejection … Continue reading "What Happened to 30 Years?"
Diversity in Fiction
People familiar with my writing know that the characters in my stories are diverse. The majority of my characters are women or girls. Many are gay, bisexual, and/or transgender. They run the gamut in terms of race and ethnicity. Some live with a disability or mental illness. The diversity of my characters is a deliberate … Continue reading "Diversity in Fiction"
Why 2016 Will Be My Banner Year
Every year offers its ups and downs. Some years are certainly better than others. But 2016 will be a banner year for me for three very big reasons. 1. I Turn 50 Years Young Yes, this November I will hit the half-century mark. And I'm not sad about it. Sure, my body hurts in places … Continue reading "Why 2016 Will Be My Banner Year"
The REAL Reason It's Harder to Make a Living Writing
I read a lot of articles and blog posts about how it is so much harder to make a living writing now than it was a few decades ago. Most point the finger at "big, bad traditional publishers" who no longer pay big advances or take chances on emerging writers. Or they blame Amazon or … Continue reading "The REAL Reason It's Harder to Make a Living Writing"


text:
New York Narcotic
When I arrived at the Knocks' studio it wasn't at all what I had expected, probably because it was hidden like a secret bunker. Although discreetly placed behind an unassuming double door in a makeshift storage room, once inside, it felt like a musical oasis, tucked away from the chaotic city streets. Warmly secluded, this place could easily pass for the guys' living rooms, encapsulating what seemed like years worth of precious possessions, from posters and knick-knacks to recording equipment and gear.
Much like the nostalgic aesthetic of their new recording studio, is The Knocks' New York Narcotic, a 14-track love letter to the place they call home. After meeting during their time at NYU, the duo never seemed to lose their fascination with the city, eventually settling down in office's neighborhood, Chinatown. But before recording on Lafayette, The Knocks spent many years working at their former studio, which originally belonged to the Beastie Boys. "We liked to think it held some kind of musical good vibes in there," Ben jokes.
The guys are definitely loyal diehards for Downtown. Looking around the studio at the different nods to the neighborhood, like a feng shui lucky cat atop the piano, James sparks a spliff. "We've always recorded in Chinatown, it's been really significant for us," he says. That's clear by just looking at the New York Narcotic album artwork—it's gritty, and classically New York, featuring stacks of cash, high rises and pigeons. Gotta love the Big Apple.
After putting out the spliff, Ruttner and Patterson explain the real significance behind their new record. "Not that the other album wasn't 'us,'" explains JPatt before adding that, on this record, he transcends his DJ status by rapping verses for the very first time, "but with this one, we were given more freedom than ever."
And it shows. With cameos from some of today's biggest acts in every genre, from Method Man on "Goodbyes," to "Ride or Die" with Foster the People, and their latest music video, "Brazilian Soul" featuring Sofi Tukker, it's not hard to tell that, with New York Narcotic, they took a leap of collaborative and collective faith—and it paid off.
'New York Narcotic' is out now out.


text:
April 5, 2018
Monterey County Weekly "An old tragic news story gains new traction from recent political events" by Walter Ryce.
January 11, 2018
Monterey County Weekly "Paper Wing's new play mixes regret, acrimony, family and comedy" by Walter Ryce.
June 1, 2017
Monterey County Weekly "Paper wing's playwriting competition is a battle royale of theater" by Walter Ryce.
April 13, 2016
Monterey Herald "Theater review: Two sides to a love drug in farcical 'Believers'" by Mark Shilstone-Laurent.
February 23, 2016
performingartsmonterey.com "The Tempest (in a teapot)" by Philip Pearce.
June 28, 2015
Monterey County Weekly "Paper Wing Theatre spotlights fresh, new work by regional playwrights. Starting today" by Walter Ryce.
May 20, 2015
Monterey County Herald "Theater review: Paper Wing scores with musical comedy 'Nunsense'" by Chuck Scardina.
February 7, 2014
Monterey Herald "Paper Wing Theatre takes over former Stardust stage" by Jeannie Evers.
August 3, 2013
Lighthouse District News "Paper Wing's Koly McBride Will Be Guest Director in SF."
April 29, 2010
Park City News "Paper Wing Theatre Co. gives an urban edge to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'" by Lily Dayton.


text:
This is an old family home, enjoyed for it's quiet, and central location. The main house was built in 1935, and the cottage built in 1941. It is being sold AS IS…. And more than likely need an all cash buyer. The main home is old plantation style, 3 bedrooms 1 bath, and partial bathroom in basement. It is in need of major fixer, or possible a "do over". County records and property may not match, unknown of any building permits on property. Buyer and Buyers agent to do their own Due Diligence. Seller and Sellers agent make no guarantee's, or warranties on accuracy of this information, which was obtained from on line Tax information, which does not match property structures. There is also a plat map with easement questions. Please do a drive by before scheduling a showing.
This information is believed to be accurate.
It has been provided by sources other than the Realtors Assoc. of Maui
and should not be relied upon without independent verification.
You should conduct your own investigation and consult
with appropriate professionals to determine the accuracy of the information provided
and to answer any questions concerning the property and structures located thereon.
Featured properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting this brochure.
Copyright 1995-2020, REALTORS® Association of Maui, Inc.


text:
Ivy Hill Apartments
Ivy Hill Apartments is an affordable apartment community located in Camden, NJ where you will find the apartment you have been searching for and considerably more! Our spacious floor plans provide ample storage space and a comfortable place to call home. Ivy Hill is located within walking distance to the Ferry Avenue PATCO stop and local bus routes and is designated as Section 8 housing with certain income restrictions. Please visit our Community Office for qualification information. The rent shown may be higher than the rent you will have to pay based on income qualifications.


text:
(Jan. 20, 2012) The beauty of an electron's spin is that it responds very rapidly to small magnetic fields. Such external magnetic fields can be used to reverse the direction of spin. In this way, information can be carried by a flow of electrons. For instance, electrons with a left-hand spin could represent a "1," and those with a right-hand spin, a "0." It takes less time to flip the spin direction than it does to switch a current on or off. Accordingly, spintronics could potentially be very fast and extremely compact.
Organic materials
However, this would require a material that combines the characteristics of a semiconductor (such as silicon, the most widely used material in the chip industry) with magnetic properties. Research in this area (including work by Michel de Jong) has already delivered results. However, finding materials with this combination of properties is far from simple. For this reason, Michel de Jong is now hunting for an alternative. He is focusing on semiconductors consisting of carbohydrate chains, in other words, organic materials. "Such materials are already being used in the displays of the latest smart phones. Indeed, they are very much the 'in' thing. I expect it will ultimately be possible to make very cheap electronics from these materials, leading to a wide range of new applications. For instance, if supermarkets want to tag their products with pricing information, then the electronics involved will have to cost next to nothing."
De Jong has been experimenting with buckyballs (spherical C60 molecules held together by weak bonds) sandwiched between two magnetic materials. "The great advantage of these molecules is that they have very little effect on electron spin. This enables them to store spin information for much longer periods of time than silicon." Depending on the orientation of the magnetic field in the upper and lower layers of magnetic material, electrons with the same direction of spin are either allowed through or held back, as if a valve were being opened or closed. This would make it possible to create sensitive magnetic sensors, for example. The "sandwich" might also form the basis for new electronic components that make use of spin.
"If we are to make truly effective components, we will need a detailed understanding of events at the interface between the magnetic and organic materials. However, this will require improvements in the quality of such interfaces. The current techniques for applying metallic layers to organic layers do not produce good interconnections. The organic material contains cavities that can fill with metal. This results in unpredictable behaviour. Over the next five years we will be seeking to improve the manufacturing process. This will help us to understand what exactly happens at the interface."
Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Twente, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of or its staff.


text:
Melissa & Her Townie 7DSubmitted by robinc on Wed, 06/15/2016 - 14:23
Melissa was recently given a Townie 7D from her husband, and she's in love. Here's her story:
You guys, I got a bike!
Not just any bike, my dream bike. The one I've been eyeballing and dreaming about for 8 years.


text:
The Construction Innovation Awards (CIA) were held on the 18th of October 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Doha in a ceremony supported by Qatar Chamber to recognize the companies contributing towards Qatar's growth.
UrbaCon Trading and Contracting (UCC) was distinguished as a 2015 Construction Innovator for the large scale execution of the Nation's Hallmark Project, the Mall of Qatar (MOQ), in the capacity of "Project of the Year". The expansive 500,000sqm Mall of Qatar will be one of the nation's largest shopping centers, scheduled to be opened in the third quarter of 2016, 75% of the colossal project has officially been completed and the nation waits with baited breath for its grand opening.
Carrying the name of the nation, MOQ will be the first complete destination in Qatar providing visitors with 7,000 parking spaces, a premium Carrefour hypermarket, a family entertainment area of 16,500m2, featuring KidzMondo, an impressive scaled-down miniature city, providing role playing real life experience for children, Salam luxury department store, over 100 restaurants, 500 stores, an indoor streetscape with double height flagship stores from across the globe as well as a Cinemacity complex of 19 cinema screens including the largest IMAX laser 3D in the world, 2 signature restaurants and a 5 star Fashion Hotel composed of 210 rooms operated by Curio Collection Hilton. Located in the Al Rayyan area and surrounded by seven different projects such as the future 2022 FIFA World Cup Stadium, MOQ and its surroundings will represent one of the most important Real Estate & Transportation developments of the Middle-East.
UCC is honored to receive such a high accolade for its contribution to the Qatar National Vision 2030 and being a firm supporter of the nation's vision of sustainable future growth.
Winning Streak
Leisure & Tourism Project of the Year
Safety is Our Priority
Another Prestigious Award for Mall of Qatar
9th Conference of the Gulf Municipal Work
Heralding the Way for Future Engineers
Copyright © 2015 UrbaCon Trading & Contracting.
All Rights Reserved.


text:
Following last week's show about the membership model in Equinox Health Clubs (and the profit opportunities they are missing), this week we discuss similar businesses, and how to effectively incorporate continuity in this system. Gary discusses joining a whiskey club, while Chris talks about Amazon and how other companies are realizing the potential of ongoing sales, reaching the conclusion that companies just need to do it!
We also challenge Gary's unwillingness to buy a helmet, and make a call to a special someone to help persuade him to get one after all of his accidents. This week's show gives you tips and tools on improving your business with plenty of banter in-between!


text:
[schema type="movie" url="http://www.adultdvdempire.com/1704251/cape-fear-xxx-porn-movies.html?partner_id=57002985″ name="Cape Fear XXX" description="After being released from her wrongful incarceration, Maxine Cady (Bonnie Rotten) is out for revenge. Convinced her lawyer, Samantha Bowden (Chanel Preston), is to blame, she focuses her terrorizing rampage on her and her family. As this thrilling, erotic take keeps you on the edge of your seat, you're left wondering whether you should root for Samantha or Max… Whose side are you on?" director="Bonnie Rotten" producer="DreamZone Entertainment" actor_1="Bonnie Rotten" actor_2="Chanel Preston" actor_3="Jodi Taylor" actor_4="Luna Star" actor_5="Tommy Pistol" actor_6="Alec Knight" actor_7="Evan Stone" actor_8="Jordan Septo" actor_9="Jack Spade" actor_10="Jimmy Broadway" ]
A few months ago, I posted the SFW trailer for DreamZone's upcoming Cape Fear XXX porn parody. And that was cool. But now, DreamZone Entertainment has released the hardcore trailer for the film and it gives us a much better look at what to expect from this movie.
And what we can expect is a pretty intense movie and something that seems to make an honest attempt to capture the tension and terror of the original Cape Fear (both the 1962 and 1991 versions). This is a credit both to the cast and to Bonnie Rotten, who directed the film in addition to starring in it. If the actual movie is as creepy as this hardcore trailer, Cape Fear XXX could end up being one of the breakout porn parodies of 2014.
I also have to say that accent Bonnie Rotten used for her character, Maxine Cady, is just perfect. Also, I'm very excited to see Chanel Preston in her role as attorney Samantha Bowden. In addition to being an incredible hardcore performer, Ms. Preston is also one of the most talented actresses in porn. Considering the heavy nature of the Cape Fear XXX plot, I'm fully expecting a stand-out performance from her.
Cape Fear XXX is set to be released from DreamZone Entertainment on October 21st.
What are your thoughts on what we've seen so far from Bonnie Rotten's feature film directorial debut? Let us know in the comments below.


text:
A year after becoming one of indie rock's biggest buzz bands, Tennis has what it feels is a proper album out and is touring behind the record.
That's not to say that the Denver band, which is led by the husband/wife duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, hasn't been on the road before. After all, Tennis caught plenty of ears with Cape Dory, the group's 2011 debut.
But that record, which detailed the six months the couple spent living on a sailboat, originally wasn't intended to be heard by anyone else. Young & Old — which was produced by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and released last February — definitely was.
"This was the first time we've written an album with the intention of playing it live and having other people hear it," says Riley. "With Cape Dory, there wasn't intent about anything. It was documenting our experience. It was an album of what was going on in our lives. But with Young & Old, we wanted it to be a more serious album and confront listeners with things that are more applicable to their lives. Not too many people saved their money for six years, sold their possessions and lived on an old sailboat for six months."
Riley and Moore met as philosophy majors at the University of Colorado Boulder and decided to move to the East Coast and live on a boat after school. When they came back to Colorado after six months on the water, they wrote the songs that became Cape Dory and recorded them cheaply in home studios, with no intention of releasing them anywhere.
But friends in Boulder persuaded Riley and Moore to put out the songs on a pair of 7-inch vinyl records. Shortly thereafter, the songs got out on the web, Tennis became a buzz band, signed with Fat Possum and, last year, released the unintended record.
"Cape Dory wasn't really an album," Riley says. "It wasn't really supposed to be heard. Alaina and I wrote those songs a long time ago as a kind of a diary. We weren't planning on showing them to anyone."
Even so, the album connected, as did the band's well-received tour. That was enough to convince Riley and Moore to give music a real shot.
"We decided we'd take it a little more seriously, that this could be a career for us," he says. "I think we love it now. It's a good place."
Musically, Young & Old adds some old-school soul to Tennis's pop mix of garage rock, girl-group, and laid-back surf that's carried by Moore's straightforward vocals. On "Origins," there's a bouncing bass line and layered background vocals that bring Motown to mind. The rattling "Traveling" injects some soul into spare pop, and "Petition" is full of spacious drums and lush, rich voices and guitars.
But most critics seemed not to have noticed the soul sounds when they wrote about the record.
"For some reason, everyone is still stuck on surf and beach music," Riley says. "There's a real Motown influence on it. That's what we were going for."
Critical perceptions notwithstanding, Riley is happy with where Tennis is and particularly with Young & Old.
"We listen to it and go, 'Who would have thought we could have done this?' WE sure as hell didn't."


text:
Can YouTube's founders make leftovers Delicious?
Social media may be alive and well, but some of the most prominent web properties that rose during 'Web 2.0' have seen better days.
From Digg to Delicious, if the rise and fall of companies that were supposed to change the web, if not the world, reminds us of anything, it's this: the consumer internet market evolves rapidly, and can be as brutal to the losers as it is rewarding to the winners.
But can a Web 2.0 has-been be brought back to life by a couple of entrepreneurs who built one of its biggest winners? Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, who founded YouTube, hope so.


text:
Further proof that such a creature exists if you needed it could be found in the talk I listened to this morning by Terry Virgo given at the recent Leaders conference in Brighton. Sadly I missed the conference as I was looking after the children so my wife could go.
Anyway, his comments included the following which stood out to me….
When speaking of Gods choice of specific people to be saved and have specific roles he made the point that whilst Golliath had said 'Choose a man for yourselves' God had said a few chapters before 'I have chosen a man for myself (David)'People might say thats not fair, dont I have a free will. Terry said 'Yes but God's is freer!' The concept of limits to the so-called free will of man is crucial for our sanity. Believing in a sovereign God who can prevent certain things from happening and who 'Does whatever he chooses' is vital to preserve our sanity.
So yes, I am a reformed charismatic and there are many more out there…..


text:
Confession: I'm Picky
Let's start where things always start – with me. Because I'm my own worst enemy. I change my mind all the time when it comes to this site. It's why it's the worst rendition of a blog ever – because it's not focused on one topic – it's focused on three (WordPress, Great Presenting & the Neuroscience behind it, and New Product Development). Talk about all over the place. But hey, that's me and I don't feel like managing 3 sites instead of one. But back to the main point, I'm picky. I change my mind about the style, the look, the theme, the layout, and the front page of this site. In fact, I change my mind about everything except the tone I write with (because it's me), the fact that it's on WordPress, and that this is where I post info so I can limit how much I repeat myself.
Confession #2: I'm more Engineer than Designer
Yet even though no design is ever "finished" and I'm constantly changing the look of my site, the truth is that I'm not a designer. I say this after producing countless items of design. And the engineers I manage will laugh at my protestation. Yet, for as much as I'm comfortable with all the design tools, I'm at home with a control panel that looks more like a spreadsheet than a drag and drop theme framework (which I'll be reviewing next week). I say that because you may hate my choice for the best WordPress theme for picky bloggers. That's ok, it's a personal opinion and you don't need to form protest lines. I'm ok with a different opinion. It's not like I said Romney or Obama loves this theme. This is just one guy's opinion. (Though I can't believe they wouldn't love this theme!)
Five Great Framework Options
There's no question that you've heard of some of the big frameworks. If you're a blogger, there's a good chance you know about one of my favorite ones: The Genesis Framework by StudioPress. It's fantastic. If you're a fan of drag and drop layouts, maybe you're digging Headway, Pagelines or the one I like most, Builder – three frameworks that really make drag and drop a simple exercise. Of course if you spend time on chrislema.com a lot, you've seen me play with and leverage just about all the themes from WooThemes at different points because I love those guys! And recently, I was sporting Canvas on this site. Each of those is a great choice and you can't go wrong with them.
They're all great and you can't go wrong with any of them. That said, if you're picky, looking to manage a blog (not a corporate site, not an e-commerce site, not a photography portfolio), and aren't a designer, then I have the theme for you! Also, if you're not a blogger but you set up sites for others using WordPress, you'll want to keep this one in your arsenal because it will come in handy when you want options but also want your client to be able to adjust and tweak things later without calling you (and trust me, that's a big deal).
My Pick: Catalyst
Without a lot of preamble (we're 500 words into this post already man!) let me give it to you in two words: Catalyst Theme. Let me lay out for you the five quick reasons I like it best:
- It does responsive sites better than Canvas (which had something funky going on with images). Almost 25% of my traffic comes from mobile devices, and almost 60% of Facebook referrals come from mobile devices.
- It has tons of options, more than Canvas and/or Pagelines. But it's not drag and drop. I jump in, set values and get out. I love fine-grain control over every aspect of everything. Without writing a 900 line CSS file.
- It has an integrated CSS builder so even though I know what I want, I don't have to go hunting for the exact term. Again, quick form and it produces my custom CSS which I can then drop into the right form.
- It comes with Dynamik, a child theme, which means I'm not directly messing with the parent theme. It's a technical reason, but I like it.
- Lastly, it has a super cool export/import feature that lets me work in staging, export my config, and then import it into production so I don't have to play fast and loose in production (otherwise known as Cowboy Coding).
It has fancy options for home page design, supports different layouts (though that's a bit less intuitive than the drag & drop frameworks), and loads pretty fast. Especially when hosted on WP Engine, or any other managed WordPress hosting provider.
Here are some screen shots.
Notice the form-based approach. Yes, there are a lot of tabs, but the first time user can skip over most of them. Later, as they get more comfortable, they can go looking for the exact place they want to make changes. These, of course, are only the "core" options. Wait until you see the Child Theme options.
I should mention that it comes with a 175-page manual, which most theme frameworks don't. Talk about documentation. And it has video tutorials for those of us who want to jump in quickly. But again, notice all the options (tabs) and in each tab, tons of little details to control. What's even more cool? There's a nice little inheritance so that if you adjust the link (and link hover) colors on the first tab, it will set those across all of the tabs until you go tweak some of them. Very nice.
I mentioned to someone the other day that I was able to produce a blog design using Catalyst in under 30 minutes. Now, mind you, this wasn't a fancy blog. But it was clearly not a default empty plain one either. And the best part was using the custom CSS builder that's integrated into the theme framework so that I could quickly compose CSS, drop it in, test it and tweak it.
Now, had I written this post a week ago, I would have told you that $75 was worth every penny. But today you'll see that Catalyst costs you $127. So here's my take – it's still worth every penny. If you're like me, you'll want to adjust the spacing between the columns, or the line spacing, or the border around your images, or the height of your header, or the font. Every one of those changes, for a non-technical blogger, means a phone call and a bit of money. If you're a developer creating blogs for folks, teaching them how to use these options is possible (for the right client). And if you're just trying to produce quick blogs, this is a must. Either way, the price is nothing compared to the cost of developers adjusting your blog.
Your Take?
Ok, so like always this is an opinionated post. What's your take? Have you tried Catalyst yet? Do you have a different favorite?


text:
Thornbury House (as can be seen from this photograph) was a substantial and impressive building just off Castle Street in Thornbury. When it was advertised for sale in 1900 it had a large dining room, drawing room and library, ten bedrooms, a nursery and the housekeeper's room. It also had the servants' hall, pantry, kitchen etc that one associates with a house on this scale.
In the 1950s the house ceased being used as a private family home and it was acquired by the Sheiling School. Sadly some time later it was demolished and after 1971 it was replaced by a small housing development known as Warwick Place.
Below on the right there is a small image of a plan of the property as it was sold in 1900. Please click on it for a larger image. It was a very considerable house and with large grounds. However the property for sale is only that marked in pink. Sir John Kingsmill Grove Key who inherited the property, as we describe below, appeared to retain ownership of part of his estate at that time. We believe that Geraldine Mundy who purchased the house and land marked in pink on the plan also bought the remainder of the property, including a house still called Thornbury Cottage. However we have no confirmation of the details of this transaction.
We know from Kingsmill Grove's will that Thornbury House was built by him on the site of what seems to be an inn called The Lamb. The will, which was written in 1811 said;
"I give and devise all that my said capital messuage or dwelling house by me erected and built with the coach house stable gardens and all appurtenances thereto adjoining and belonging situate in the Town and Borough of Thornbury aforesaid on part whereof a messuage called the Lamb hereinbefore stood which I took down and removed and built the said capital messuage in its stead and which messuage called the Lamb and the garden thereto adjoining I bought and purchased of and from Mr John Salmon deceased and also all that close of meadow or pasture ground heretofore in two closes called the paddocks lying behind the said capital messuage containing about four acres situate in the Tything of Kington in the Parish of Thornbury and which I bought and purchased of Mr William Turton and part of which same close I have taken therefrom and added to the garden ground of such capital messuage with the rights members and appurtenances thereto belonging."
The list of victuallers drawn up on 18th September 1755 shows all the retailers of alcohol in Thornbury at that time. It says that the victualler at the Lamb was John Longman. We know little about The Lamb but there is a document in Gloucester Records Office (reference D866/T8) dated 1759 that says that the Lamb was in the occupation of John Longman, having been previously rented to Mrs Longman. This property was owned by the Feoffees of the Grammar School and so does not appear to be the same property that Kingsmill Grove bought from John Salmon.
When this property was bought by Kingsmill Grove from John Salmon in 1775 there was no mention of the property being called "The Lamb." We can only assume that there was a period of time during which Kingsmill Grove owned the property but it was let to a tenant who used it as The Lamb Inn. It was then demolished by Kingsmill Grove when he decided to move into Thornbury and build a new house.
We are grateful to the Sheiling School and to Dave Rowley who has been researching the site on which the Sheiling School properties are built for an opportunity to see images of the documents held by the school. These indentures show that Kingsmill Grove then said to be a paper maker in Bristol bought the property on 27th April 1775 for £100 from John Salmon. Click here to read about John Salmon
William Raymond. From this document we are able to learn a little more about the history of the older property that Kingsmill Grove "took down". The earliest owner to be mentioned in the indenture of 1775 was William Raymond of Moreton who died intestate on 28th July 1729 aged 56. It was then passed to his son also called William Raymond. William Raymond junior married Sarah Lowder of Bristol on 11th November 1731. The marriage did not last long as William was buried on 26th April 1733. William bequeathed the house where he was living at the time of his will to his wife Sarah. We assume that must refer to his property on the site of what became Thornbury House. He also left her a house in the High Street in the Parish of All Saints in Bristol and his coaling rights in a property in Siston. The will also makes a reference to his "mother in law" Hester Raymond. We believe that that this a reference to his stepmother Hester Tayer who married William's father, William Raymond senior, in 1720.
Sarah Raymond remarried after the death of her late husband William. Her second husband was Matthew Worgan, whom she married on 10th September 1735. Matthew Worgan became the owner of the property by his marriage to Sarah Raymond. The indenture of 1775 cited above refers to this fact and it is confirmed by the Assessments of Poor Rate for 1751 and 1752 which say that "Mr Worgan" was liable to pay four pence tax in respect of "Raymonds". This may have been because the tenant William Marsh had died in 1750.
We do not know when Sarah or Mathew Worgan died, although we know that Mathew survived his wife and both had died without issue by 1762.
We have no record that Sarah and Mathew remained in the Thornbury area after their marriage. The assessment of the poor for 1753 shows that John Mills was liable to pay tax on the property known as "Raymonds". We believe that John Mills, who was a mason and his wife Jane were tenants of this property. We know very little about this couple but John and Jane Mills may have been the parents of Henry Mills who owned 26 Castle Street.
Samuel Molyneaux Lowder. After Matthew's death this house and its ground became part of the estate of Sarah's nephew Samuel Molyneaux Lowder of Abergavenny. On 29th September 1762 Samuel in turn sold the property to John Salmon by indentures of 28th and 29th September 1762.
It is noticeable that none of these early records suggest that it was an inn nor do they refer to it as The Lamb. In 1762 it was said to be
"All that messuage or tenement wherein one William Marsh formerly dwelt and wherein John Mills mason since deceased did lately inhabit and is now in the tenure or occupation of Jane Mills widow of the said John Mills with the garden and appurtenances thereunto belonging situate lying and being in the Borough of Thornbury near the church together with all houses outhouses edifices buildings barn stables leads gutters cisterns waters watercourses ways paths passages hedges ditches trees hedgerows and the ground and soil thereof commons"
We know very little about William Marsh who died in 1750.
John Salmon was the owner of this property from 1762 to 1775. John Salmon and his wife Ann nee Ann Stokes were associated with several properties in the area including that in Silver Street. They later lived at the Old Farmhouse in Alveston. Read more about John Salmon
Kingsmill Grove bought the property on 27th April 1775 from John Salmon. As explained earlier, he later "took down" this property and built what became Thornbury House. The name of Kingsmill Grove was connected with the house for the rest of his life, although his business interests were in Bristol. After his death it passed to his wife, Susannah and then his wife's niece Mary Ann and her husband John Key and to their heirs. This family owned the house until it was sold to Geraldine Mundy in 1900. Read about the Grove and Key families
Major Charlewood. For at least part of the time that the Key family owned the house it was rented out to other people. The 1861 census shows us that the occupant of Thornbury House was Major John Charlewood JP aged 52 a retired army major aged 52 from Staffordshire. His wife was Catherine Charlewood from Wiltshire aged 44. They had a daughter Catherine aged 12 and born in Hampshire. There were three servants living in the house.
The Charlewood family had moved from Alderly where they were living in the 1851 census. At that time John was a captain in the army and they had two children, Charles aged four and Catherine aged two. By 1871 they had moved to The Elms in Alveston. They had a grandson Charles aged one living with them as well as their daughter Catherine.
John Charlewood died on 10th September 1890 leaving his widow to prove the will with the help of Francis Charlewood Turner of Finsbury Sq in Middlesex and Edward Philips Charlewood of Manchester the nephews. His estate was valued at £12,898 18s 1d.
Geraldine Mundy. The Hon Geraldine Mundy and her husband Pierrepont rented Thornbury House before Geraldine bought it in 1900. Read about Geraldine Mundy and her family
Evelyn Gillett. After the death of Geradine Mundy in 1911, Thornbury House was occupied by the Rev Hugh Gillett and his wife Evelyn who was the niece of Geraldine Mundy. Read about the Gilletts
Arthur Bassam. The name of Arthur Bassam appears as the occupant of Thornbury House after 1935. The register that was compiled in 1939 in the advent of war shows that Arthur Bassam was born 6th December 1882 in Bermondsey in London and that he was a butler in domestic service. Also in the household in 1939 were Lily Giles (later Lily Organ), who was the cook, Fanny Baldwin (later Fanny Aslett) the housemaid and Beryl Taylor a ladies maid. Lily Giles seems to have later joined the Women's Land Army.
Algar Howard. The Western Daily Press of November 19th 1937 shows an advertisement placed by the Hon. Mrs Howard for a housemaid. This is significant because the advertisement gives the lady's address as "Thornbury House". It would seem that the Algar Howard of Thornbury Castle and his wife went to live in the property some time after 1935. Click here to read about Algar Howard
On 31st July 1948 the Western Daily Press advertised that Thornbury House would be sold by auction at the Grand Hotel in Bristol. At that time it was bought by Richard Poole as a hostel for St. Christopher's School in Bristol.
Sheiling School.
In 1950 the names of Ciceley Winder and Eleanor and Richard Poole appeared in the electoral roll as living in Thornbury House. We understand that the Rev. Richard Poole and his wife Mary had acquired the house as a hostel for children attending St Christopher's School in Bristol.
We have been told that Dr Karl Konig's wife, Tilla founded a specialised nurse training at nearby Thornbury Park living with and caring for children with severe cerebral palsy.
In 1952 Thornbury House became part of the Sheiling School, an independent residential school for children and adolescents aged 6-19 with special educational needs. The image on the left above is of Thornbury House at that time. Please click on it for a larger photograph. Click here to go to the Sheiling School's own website
In 1965 the electoral roll showed Joyce Deputter and Anne Jorgenstam lived at Thornbury House.
We believe the house was demolished in the early 1970s.


text:
VIXX Release Clean Version of "Voodoo Doll" MV
VIXX released their music video for "Voodoo Doll" on November 20, ahead of the release of their album, "Voodoo," on November 25. This is their first full-length album after debuting a year and six months ago, and was spearheaded by top producer Hwang Se Jun. The album's title song, "Voodoo Doll," is a work from hit songwriter Shin Hyuk (SHINee's "Dream Girl" and EXO's "Growl"). The songwriter is none other than Kim Lee Na, who provided the lyrics to match the sad concept of the voodoo doll who sacrifices itself for love.
Their original music video for "Voodoo Doll" was rated-R due to its gory and graphic nature. The music video mixes up the vampire theme and Jekyll and Hyde, to produce a dark and unique concept.
With the release of the"Voodoo" album, VIXX has also put out a clean version of the "Voodoo Girl" music video, which is slightly shorter and features more dancing.
VIXX is a six-member boy group signed by Jellyfish Entertainment, which also manages top vocalists such as Sung Shi Kyung, Park Hyo Shin, and Seo In Guk.
VIXX released their first album, "Voodoo," on November 25 and are currently active promoting "Voodoo Girl" on music programs.
Check out the clean version of VIXX's "Voodoo Doll" below!


text:
With the excitement of Eurovision behind us, my kids are now eagerly counting down to the strangest day on the Danish religious calendar. Okay - let's be honest - they're really just counting down to yet another day off school! ;) On Friday they'll be able to have a lie in because it's Stor Bededag. 'Big Prayer Day'! Yep, those crazy Danes decided back in 1686 that there were just too many religious holidays during the year. So they lumped the minor ones together, four weeks after Easter, and - voilà - Stor Bededag was born. Big Prayer Day was traditionally a time to fast and pray. And, though I've yet to meet a Dane who willingly goes to church (apart – selvfølgelig – from christenings and weddings), a lot of Danes will be attending church this Friday. Not for regular church services but for confirmation ceremonies.
Want to know more about Danish confirmation and Blue Monday that follows it? Then go read my post "When Blue Monday isn't New Order!"
But the biggest tradition associated with Stor Bededag is eating hveder on Thursday night. What are hveder? Large, fluffy, pale, basic white bread rolls which you halve, toast and butter. You'll find them on sale at the bakers but be warned that - despite their modest ingredients - they don't come cheap!
I gave up queuing for them at the bakers years ago and just buy the ready-made ones from the supermarket. Best enjoyed warm with a nice cuppa! :)
After you've had your hveder, you're supposed to go for a stroll around the city ramparts at Kastellet (Copenhagen Citadel). You don't live near Kastellet? Well, sit back, relax and enjoy Denmark's finest rock band, Magtens Korridorer singing about a picnic at the Citadel… (If the guy pretending to sing in the video looks familiar, it's Nicholas Bro, an actor who was in the The Killing (II) and Borgen…
Personally, I'm praying for dry skies. We've had torrential rain here in Copenhagen for the past three or four days. Enough already!
God Stor Bededag!


text: The Fenix PD Series leads the way in high brightness, compact size LED flashlights. With a newly designed reflector, it has achieved even better beam shots than its predecessors. The PD series has an improved grip with an attractive, criss-cross diamond shape pattern for safe, anti-slip handling. Each LED flashlight in the PD Series is made of aircraft grade aluminum and features a durable Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish, digitally regulated output levels to maintain constant brightness, and a toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating. All PD Series flashlights are waterproof to the IPX-8 standard capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle.


text:
Mice do not really like cheese and they will even actively shy away from certain types of cheese.
According to Dr. David Holmes of Manchester Metropolitan University
who recently did a study on whether mice liked cheese or not, while
hungry mice will pretty much eat anything (even cardboard), most
types of mice strongly prefer grains, fruits, and sweet things.
Certain types of mice will also eat insects and other small animals.
Basically, they like to eat what they have been accustomed to eating
since before humans started making cheese around 10,000 years ago.
Many mice also like peanut butter and sweet chocolate. Interesting
to know that mouse urine glows under florescent light.


text:
Transformers Timelines Runamuck Toy Review
General Information:
Release Date: March 2012
Price Point: $40 (Included with Collector Club membership)
Retailer: Official Transformers Collector's Club Exclusive
Accessories: Blaster, Exhaust pipes/blasters
- Tech specs, instructions and figure
- Tech Specs
- Vehicle Mode
- Vehicle Mode (Side)
- Vehicle Mode (Back)
- Vehicle Mode (Forward view)
- Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
- Vehicle Mode (Rear view)
- Flight Mode
- Flight Mode (Side)
- Flight Mode (Back)
- Flight Mode (Forward View)
- Flight Mode (Angle View)
- With Wheeljack (Vehicle Modes)
- Robot Mode
- Robot Mode (Side)
- Robot Mode (Back)
- Robot Mode (Close up)
- Robot Mode (Focus on face)
- Robot Mode (Angle view)
- Robot Mode (Posed)
- Robot Mode (Weapons over shoulder)
- Robot Mode (Alternate pose)
- Robot Mode (Weapon storage)
- With Energon weapons
- Holding weapons as wrenches
- With Wheeljack (Robot Modes)
Every year the Transformers Collector's Club offers a figure that is included with the cost of being a member. In early 2012, a Decepticon joined the ranks of these figures: Runamuck. Introduced in 1986 as a simple figure that could be pulled back and transform automatically via a spring loaded mechanism, he and his fellow "Battle Charger" Runabout made quite an impact in both the comic books and television show despite their rather brief appearances. The name "Runamuck" was repurposed years later in the "Cybertron" series for a character who actually had the deco of Runabout (the name was probably easier to trademark). More recently the name appeared again in the "Revenge of the Fallen" toy line as a Legends Class redeco of Legends Class Jazz. This is the first time however that a Runamuck toy is indeed based on the Runamuck figure from Generation One.
Runamuck is a retool/redeco of the Generations Wheeljack figure (which itself was a retool/redeco of Reveal the Shield Turbo Tracks). I recommend checking out those two reviews briefly before reading this one. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Runamuck is shipped in a standard mailer box. The figure itself is tucked inside the box with a plastic baggie containing the instructions and tech specs card. This has been the standard for all the complimentary club figures thus far so it's no surprise. While glossy packaging is nice, there's something almost charming about getting a box like this with an action figure inside of it. It recalls the days of mail away figures that were so popular in the 1980's. The instructions included are not a simple reuse of previous booklets. Instead, it is a slightly Photoshopped version with Runamuck pictured and the illustrations use Wheeljack's picture (seemingly minus his "ears").
Vehicle Mode:
In Generation One, Runamuck transformed into a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sports car (a variant of the vehicle was made famous by the 80's series Knight Rider). This pretty much makes almost any sporty looking vehicle game for being an alternate mode for an update on Runamuck. With its low profile, sleek lines and two door design, Generations Wheeljack's alternate mode is definitely a good fit. Sometimes with redecos you have to mentally tilt your head and squint a bit to "see" how the redeco fits the character. In the case of Runamuck, I had no problem instantly buying this vehicle mode as an update on Runamuck.
While Wheeljack was cast in a very bright, white plastic, Runamuck is a more cream colored, even toned white color. Inspired by his G1 counterpart, his windows are a dark tinted "smokey grey" while his wheels are cast in black plastic. Unlike his G1 predecessor, the windows are translucent, not solid black and his color is lighter than the light grey used on G1 Runamuck. Still, the tone and intent is there and definitely has a more modern sensability in terms of design and color choice. The paint decos on this figure are quite extensive, some mirroring those on the G1 Runamuck figure and some unique to this version of the character. The most heavily used deco color is gold. Nowadays you don't see tons of cars using this particular color, but in the 80's it was not uncommon to see cars with gold trim, and G1 Runamuck was among them. Here, the gold can be found in several place: the front grille, stripes running along the sides of the vehicle and on the spoiler. These placements evoke the stickers used on G1 Runamuck, who had gold lines on the front and sides of his vehicle mode. In addition, there are metallic grey decos on the rear windows of the vehicle in an attempt to match them up with the translucent smokey grey color. This same color is found on the rear of the vehicle on a series of horizontal lines in between the rear lights. I was very pleased to see the use of white, not only on the translucent parts, but also on the sides of the wheels. In recent time, wheel decos have become more and more rare on Transformers, and it's nice to see the Collector's Club provide that additional deco. Red, silver and orange round out the paint applications, found on the back and front of the car. The orange in particular is a nice note as it alludes to a color that is heavily featured in the robot mode (just flip the car over to see some of it).
In addition to his spectacular paint deco, Runamuck has two more details that really solidify his connection to G1 Runamuck. On the center of the hood is a large purple Decepticon symbol outlined in silver. These are the classic colors used for Decepticon symbols in the 80's and G1 Runamuck had a sticker of similar design (albeit much smaller) on his hood. I like the bold use of this symbol which seems to have been marginalizd a bit to smaller, silver logos on more recent figures instead of bold, colorful ones such as this. In addition, there is a "Reveal the Shield" style heat sensitive sticker on the top of the vehicle. These two symbol locations match up with the locations of similar details on the original G1 Runamuck, adding a brilliant final touch to the deco on this vehicle mode.
Transformation to Flight Mode:
- Detach the exhaust pipes/weapons.
- Swing the back half of the vehicle down.
- Swing each door out to the sides.
- Swing the doors out flat, and pull them out to extend them a bit.
- Swing out the ends of the wings formed by the doors.
- Swing the back piece back into place.
- Attach the exhaust pipes/weapons to the rods on the hinge of each wing.
- The rear wheels can be swung down for a more "Generation One" style "flying car" mode.
G1 Runamuck didn't have a "flight mode", but since the root character/sculpt here is Tracks the mode comes as a bonus. This also gives you a bit of a preview from the robot mode in the form of the "wings". Each has gold deco on the inside and the wing tips. You also get a better look at the exhaust pipe/blasters which are cast in black with orange "C clip" ends. It's a fun mode and if you really wanted to you can add more weaponry by attaching a standard 5mm post weapon to the underside in the center between the two wheels.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Detach the exhaust pipes from the sides of the vehicle and set them aside for now.
- Swing the back panel of the vehicle mode out.
- Remove the blaster weapon and swing the front barrel out, and set it aside for now.
- Pull the doors out to the sides.
- Swing each door out to form the wings, and extend out the ends of the wings.
- Swing the wings up on the hinges so they are set at angles on the back.
- Swing the front section with the grille and headlights down.
- Swing the rear wheels around and then swing the robot arms down.
- Push the cabin section up, which will raise the robot head up and extend the arms out to the sides.
- Pull the front half of the vehicle down to extend the robot legs.
- Move the robot feet down.
- Swing the panel inside the back of the vehicle out, then move it forward and clip the two tabs into the notches on the back of the robot's back.
- Attach the missiles onto the panel behind the head.
- Attach the gun to one of the hands.
Robot Mode:
I've always felt that with the right deco, you can take almost any sculpt and make it look almost like a completely different design. Runamuck's deco carries over to the robot mode, using the primary colors of white, black and translucent grey. However, a whole new splash of color gets added on by the aforementioned orange. G1 Runamuck's robot mode also featured this color and here it appears on the legs and waist as well as joints such as the shoulders and elbows. You'll also find orange on the panels under his head and behind it. Black plastic is used for his forearms and panels on the sides of the lower legs. These colors are well distributed and provides an instant visual callback to G1 Runamuck.
Most of the paint decos from the vehicle mode carry over here. The newly revealed deco is found on the upper portion of the robot. On either side of his chest are oval shaped sections painted gold. The robot head is painted silver around the eyes and his eyes are painted orange, which was a bit surprising as Decepticons usually get red eyes. The color fits the character however and looks nice against the silver. There's also a tiny bit of gold on the vents on either side of Runamuck's mouthplate.
From a sculpt standpoint, Runamuck sports a brand new head sculpt based on G1 Runamuck's head. Specifically, this head is based on his animated and comic book appearance complete with a central crest, a mouthplate with a small chin piece and vents on either side of the mouthplate. It's a fantastic head sculpt that looks perfectly natural on the body. Even better? The way the design of the figure works out is very similar in layout to the original Runamuck. His torso is formed by the cabin section of the car, the rear of the vehicle winds up on his back and the front of the vehicle becomes his lower legs and feet. Indeed, he even winds up with wheels on the back of his legs, similar to the G1 figure who had wheels on his legs. The way all this works out is spectacular and in concert with the head sculpt makes a figure that fits the character perfectly.
All of Runamuck's joints are nice and tight and his weaponry attaches without any problems (both behind his head and in his hands). Don't forget that his weapons all have clips on the end that allow them to attach to the rods behind his back as well as being able to fit into his hands via the 5mm pegs.
Final Thoughts:
The Transformers Collector's Club has offered many exclusives over the years but I have to say this is one of their most spectacular offerings to date. From the deco to the chosen sculpt to the new head this figure doesn't miss one beat. It's a fantastic piece of work and worthy of the highest praise.


text:
Award Winning Super Soft Spokar Toothbrush
Petr Novague Illustrates The Super Soft Spokar Toothbrush
Petr Novague, the thinktank behind the awarded project Petr Novague's Super Soft Spokar toothbrush spells out, The design of the toothbrush is based on elaborate ergonomics for holding the brush in the hand, which considerably improved the availability of head movement at various angles during toothbrushing. The quality of the product is supported by the use of fine antibacterial fibers that abate irritation of the gum. The entire series is distinguished in several contrasting and colors..
Award Winning Super Soft Spokar Toothbrush Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Life Design Magazine homepage.


text:
Date: 04/28/2014
Company: FirstFuel Software
Source: The Guardian
No matter where the energy is coming from, commercial buildings should be using less of it, CEO says.
Swapnil Shah doesn't have anything against cleaner-burning fuels or renewable energy. He just thinks North American businesses — and the buildings they operate in — should be using less energy, no matter the source.
"The ability to reduce consumption in those buildings can have a huge impact", both economically and environmentally, said Shah, the CEO of First Fuel. The young software company in Lexington, Massachusetts, was founded with exactly that goal in mind.
First Fuel is built – and named – based on the notion that those interested in making energy more environmentally friendly should look first to efficiency before seeking newer, greener fuel sources. To help make energy efficiency easier, the company has created a software system that completes a remote version of a more conventional "energy audit", a process in which trained assessors conduct an on-site evaluation of a building to identify energy-saving opportunities.
The First Fuel system uses thousands of data points about a building's energy usage, its physical dimensions and the weather in its location to calculate where and how the structure can cut its energy use. Clients provide their energy use data and their addresses; the rest of the information comes from public records and commercially available archives.


text:
|Not to be confused with Sunny, an electronics company in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Sunny is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a minor character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He speaks during his only appearance, although the voice actor is not credited.
Sunny is a veteran member of the Varrios Los Aztecas gang who, along with Hazer and Gal, helps Carl Johnson and Cesar Vialpando take control of the El Corona district of Los Santos from the Los Santos Vagos. He is also injured in the mission. One oddity in his lines is that he mentions he's going to cut a few Vagos, even though Hazer has a Katana and he has a TEC-9. When he whips out the RPG, he will fire a few rounds at the enemies, but when Vagos appear behind you, he gets shot, but sits by the car bleeding and breathing heavily.
Mission Appearances
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- In some cases, Sunny may fire the rocket too close to himself, as a result; the player will fail the mission if this happens.
- Sunny says that he is 'gonna cut those cacos' despite holding a TEC-9 while Hazer is the one holding the only sword.