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Oh, Adobe, you have so much to answer for
I have never been at a loss for words before. But... this listing... this listing found by Sarah... I just... what?
what what what
I have never been at a loss for words before. But... this listing... this listing found by Sarah... I just... what?
what what what
Labels: Virginia
Dang....that peacock over the T.V. would go GREAT in my dining room. I'll just cut and paste......
Wow, nothing says home to me as much as what appears to be a footstool sprouting asparagus in the middle of a room does. Unless, of course, you show me a befuddled looking Giraffe in a room with toy trains that have levitating wheels! That makes me want to buy like nothing else ever could, and it all looks so natural.
As buyers in search of a Harrisonburg home, we welcome your hyperreal estate photos.
Yeah, I don't know which is weirder - the oddly Photoshopped decorating accents, or the completely bizarre Photoshopped borders on some (but not all...) of the images. Very strange. I feel like I need to go see the house, just to make sure it doesn't actually look like that.
Glad to see their clip art source includes the latest cutting-edge video technology from Japan . . .
Someone needs to learn to use the transform>perspective tool.
Or, alternately, stop trying to sell a dollhouse, though granted in the current market, you'd probably have better luck with something that costs only hundreds of dollars...
"Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?"
While I'm all for Bring Your Child To Work Day, I have to draw the line at Let Your Child Play With Your Work Day.
I wonder if the perpetrator honestly thinks they've pulled off the Perfect Ruse.
Remember Colorforms?
All that insane photoshopping but then they decided to include a picture of the trailer park??
Oh my.
Love the front bushes, those were awesome. lol
what possible oddly-placed random graffiti could they have been trying to hide? I mean, it had to be pretty offensive to think that THIS would improve the pictures....
(shakes head in disbelief)
oh wow... this is horrible! What were these people thinking?
I think it will be the latest trend.... "Virtual Staging!"
Is real estate a profession? Like bankers and stockbrokers? Did it ever occur to these bankers and brokers that they were mixed up with people like this? Lovelylisting, if it had been around a couple years earlier, could have prevented the economic meltdown.
And if you're going to photoshop a tv in there, why one from 1952? Why? Why?!?!
I think my "favorite" picture is of the front of the house. Is that an army of pink flamingos mid-salute? Precisely identical bushes/plants of some sort? What??
I just figured it out!
They're selling their house in Virginia, and taking their pet giraffe with them (seen in the second photo) to live with the melty-faced family in Florida.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! omg...you just made my day.
I'd be a very disappointed buyer to realize that the giraffe and peacock pictures don't actually exist. That would be a dealbreaker for me.
This is like those cute little Flash games I play when I'm bored. *Tries to drag the giraffe painting*
I have alerted http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/ - it's only right.
My question is, what are they trying to hide with that stuff?
I'm not sure which is the coolest - the Russian nesting dolls in the living room and kitchen,the electric coffee pot on a stove burner, or the giant 50s radio with a TV screen.
So, some real estate agent thought this bad clip art decor was a good idea? Really? How awful must this place really be?
Well shoot the dog, and butter my biscuits. I don't know quite what to think. But as the buyer I would be disappointed not to be able to purchase this lovely decor with the house.
This is my new favorite website.
The "footstool" looks a lot like a peanut butter cup to me. Is ANYthing about this place real?
Of the many, many glorious posts you have blessed us with, this has got to be the most outrageous. Have you become so famous and wonderful that people are listing their properties just so they can get their horrible photos to turn up on your blog? I must say, it's worth it.
Such unfounded skepticism! It must be because you're so jealous of the current owner's asparagus plant. That's living the dream. The seashell cross-section is a display of the Golden Ratio, which means that they are also in harmony with science.
Well, the Photoshop stuff is great, really, but personally I am diggin' the aluminum foil bedspread!
First of all: I love how the same things show up in every room. Hello, Russian dolls! Hi again, creepy motorcycle man! Greetings, pink roses!
But second, and more germane to the actual selling of the property: are there actually two completely different kitchens in this house?
Ok, so how can it be one floor in the front, but two floors out back, without any sort of drastic slope to the ground? I'm now uber-confused.
You're kidding me.
It's just too much.
What indeed.
Or then Why Why Why Why Why works too.
OMG the motocycle. Hadn't seen it yet.
Oh wow.
Makes the Kitchen look like it is swimming in a fruit bowl...
"Which way is the bathroom?"
"Oh, well, take a left at the grapes, and follow the banana and it will be on you left next to the starfruit."
They should have used these pictures instead of the giraffe:
I love what you can do with PhotoShop in this place; It's lovely! I'll take it!
Man, this is almost Photoshop Disasters-worthy... O.O
I emailed the realtor to ask if the house came with its own copy of Photoshop or if it was negotiable. I'm waiting to see if I get a reply...
This is actually an illegal misrepresentation of the property according to the rules in Virginia
If y'all are really into the pics, I suggest you snag them before they get taken down. Some other realtor will rat on the guy. They always rat each other out!
Hi, I'm the owner of the website this is linking to. I feel that I need to say that this is not my listing. My site displays all local listings, not just mine. I get the data and photos via a direct download that I can't alter.
However, with all the fun I have had today reading the (gently) teasing emails, and the great web traffic -- I am not sure I would alter anything even if I could!! :)
This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. And I've been reading this site for awhile, yo.
What IS that snail thing near the front door? This is too awesome for words....
@ Laura:
You beat me to the Hamilton joke! No fair!
@ Chris Rooker
Thank you for being a good sport, it's greatly appreciated!
OMG! I have that same picture of the giraffe i my rumpus room too!
Wow, just wow!
words cannot describe... i am crying... my husband feels sorry for them... this is possibly the freakiest and funniest thing i have seen in ages!
Regarding the front and the back not matching up... if you look at the rear photo, in the upper right hand corner, you can see the back of the carport. YIKES! Hit the brakes Mabel or we're going down!
Ok, so two separate kitchens, the laws of gravity have been suspended, aluminum foil...bedspread(?), and that NEON food!!!! Maybe there is something radioactive, definitely something other-worldly going on there.
Did you look at the main listing page? I'm thinking that instead of Photoshopping in rows of flowers, they perhaps should have put in, oh, I dunno, a LAWN?!!!
I, I was doing okay until I got to the BEDSPREAD WITH THE BLOODSTAINS.
The random bowls of fruits/vegetables did it for me. That's what makes it really a "home".
Moral of this story is don't let selling your home and your new computer programs mix. Do people like this really think we don't know?
This wall looks empty lets put a giant snail shell up! and put everything in boarders so it looks super nice. I love the uniformity of it as well...
let us not forget that it is near impossible to watch t.v. from the angle the couch is. Although with a t.v. that old who can blame them
I can just see the contract:
**Seller will pay all inspection fees, closing costs, and include the teenie-tiny motorcycle man on the bongo. Conch shell still up for negotiation...
I'm surprised they didn't photoshop a dancing baby into the crib. Also, if they are going to have that many fruit bowls in the house, they should've put a vegetable garden or orchard in the back yard. :)
Those images get me hot.
Eww... Those are terrible... Guh. I think part of me died inside. Seriously.
*thinking* -wouldn't it had just been better plain? wow.
To those who commented on the two kitchens and why it appears to be one story in front, and two stories in back, I've seen houses similar to that (but without the tacky photoshopped stuff, although typically with real non-photoshopped tacky stuff). If you look closely, the house is built on a hill, and looking at the layout and listing, the second kitchen is probably in the "in-law quarters/apartment" in the finished basement.
As for the photoshop stuff... I'm, um... speechless. lol.
Although some of those photoshopped items could have very well existed. I have seen homes more tacky than that! :D
The owner of the house took the real tacky stuff, so the agent had to photoshop replacement tacky stuff.
No. Way.
3rd picture: is that a giant reese's peanut butter cup with asparagus growing out of it?
Those things look like sprites from an old Doom-style game. I'd be looking for alien monsters around the next corner!
Announcing: Photoshop Vitae.
Yes, folks, now you too can do the re-make of your life! Tired of your curtains? Your wallpaper? Your TV? Don't shop, PhotoShop!!Tired of your spouse? Don't go to an attorney, go to Adobe!! Tired of your kids? Don't run away, Cut and paste!! Yes, you too can Paste away your past and into a bright and shiny future in only minutes, the Photoshop way!!


text: At the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in Paducah, Kentucky, 7 different administrative law judges (ALJ) conduct Social Security Disability (SSD) hearings and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) hearings. Currently, in Paducah, the average wait time for a SSI or SSD hearing is 12.0 months. The average case processing time in Paducah is 517 days.The Paducah average for winning a SSI or SSD disibility hearing is 45%. Click on the name of one of the ALJs below to see detailed information about their hearing results. This information for the Paducah ODAR office was last updated on 6/11/2019.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Embed from Getty Images
"Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer." Hebrews 1:12 The Voice
Rejoice: to be glad; take delight.
So when I reread this as "do not forget to be glad…through the hard times…" it is an excellent reminder. Sometimes circumstances can challenge me and pull me into a not so glad place. Giving thanks helps get me back to that glad place. Prayer helps get me back to that glad place. Believing in the Word of God sustains my hope and makes me glad. It helps me take delight in not only the tangible things around me but also the spiritual. It reminds me to stay tucked into God and trust His promises. Trust in the unseen. I am in a place like that right now. I don't want to go back to old patterns. I want to trust God alone as my source and resource. I have to leave everything in His hands and not pick it back up in order to do that. Waiting. Trying to wait patiently and gracefully…Being glad and taking delight in the journey. Trusting that He cares for me and has ordered every step. Trusting that His best is worth waiting for and not creating a counterfeit to relieve the current discomfort. I want His best and nothing less!
Philippians 4:4, Romans 5:1-5, Luke 15:3-10, Luke 15:11-24


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Kane's Donuts (Saugus, Mass)
6 x 6 inches
acrylic on cradled panel
I finally got around to a painting of the iconic Kane's Donuts sign. This is a small one - 6 x 6" - and there will probably be a few more while I work out compositions. Eventually I hope to do a large painting - the sign is just so great with the neon and the bulbs, it begs to be painted large!
Anyhow, in response to all the requests made last weekend at the Haverhill Art Festival, I now have prints of the Kane Donut's sign painting available. You can find them HERE on my Etsy site that is just for my prints. I will also have them this weekend at the Boxford Apple Festival - Boxford Center (Elm Street) on Saturday, September 15 from 10 to 4.
Special offer on my ShirleyPrints Etsy site: prints ship FREE if you use the code SHIPFREESEPT at checkout. This offer is only good until the end of September, so get your orders in soon!


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Stone Sour
I got to take live photos of Corey Taylor.
I got to take live photos of Corey Taylor.
I got to fucking take live fucking photos of Corey fucking Taylor.
Alright now, tell me that when I would walk around the hallways at school blasting Slipknot's "Wait and Bleed" and my angry teenage self would have probably shit my pants and then blamed it on you for messing with me but the real mess here would be in my shit stained pants.
In all seriousness though, being able to photograph a front man that got me through shit when I was a little youngster makes me oh so happy.
Stone Sour put on an AMAZING show. I really don't know how we managed to go to the show after being at NAMM all weekend but they sure did energize the shit out of us!
Leave a Reply.
October 2017


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Arty Friday
Friday 1 July, 7:30pm
Arty Friday welcomes a special guest feltmaker! Experience the beautiful side of recycling textiles as we learn about felt and how to use it. Simple fun (and probably wet) activities for a Friday night!
Alternatively, come and sit down with a drink, relax and get on with your own art or craft project.
We will probably be in the Church Hall (keep an eye for signs in case we are upstairs).
About Arty Friday
Everyone is welcome at Arty Friday – the activities we run are suitable for kids to get stuck into, as well as for grown-ups to relax over. Adults are welcome to bring small children with them, there is a small toy area to sit with your child if you prefer.
Drink and biscuits provided. Arty Fridays are free – if you can manage a £1 donation on the night it is gladly received and will go towards room hire and refreshments cost.


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ANTIGONISH — Ryan Washburn is a co-winner of the St. FX Male Community X-Cellence Award.
The New Glasgow native and track and field team member was presented the award jointly with X-Men hockey player Eric Locke.
Washburn, a fourth year sprinter, will graduate with a science degree in human kinetics degree this spring. He is an assistant coach with Team Nova Scotia for the upcoming 2017 North American Indigenous Games.
He is a member of the volunteer services team at the Aberdeen Hospital and was a volunteer with the X-Campus medical response team.
He lent his time to the St. FX Fit 4 Life after school program, assisted a speech therapist with an autistic teenager and was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council.
Two other Pictou County athletes received awards.
Jamie McCarron of New Glasgow was co-winner of the women's basketball team's most improved player award.
Carly Burrows of New Glasgow earned the coach's award on the women's hockey team.
Pictou County athletes were among those at the annual St. Francis Xavier University athletic awards dinner and presentations on April 5 at the Keating Millennium Centre. From left: rugby athletes Mackenzie Bell and Keeley MacCuish, runner Ryan Washburn, soccer players Katie Walsh and Paytan Ruiz, runner Megan Graham, hockey player Brent Turnbull and basketball player Jamie McCarron. Washburn was co-winner of the St. FX Male Community X-Cellence Award. (Submitted photo)


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Posted: May 27, 2010
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – John Ray, III, president of Sonitrol of Fort Lauderdale, has been elected a member of the Board of Governors of the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University (NSU).
Comprised of more than 40 successful business leaders, the board serves as an ongoing advisory resource for the school.
Ray began his career in the electronic security industry with Sensormatic in 1990. In 2001, he purchased the Sonitrol of Fort Lauderdale franchise and has built the business to become the fastest growing of Sonitrol's independent Florida dealerships. Along with this accomplishment, Sonitrol of Ft. Lauderdale was named the national company's Franchise of the Year in 2007.
Ray earned his BA and MBA degrees from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.
He is a licensed electrical alarm contractor for the State of Florida and is a member of the Alarm Association of Florida, the American Society of Industrial Security, and the Florida Crime Prevention Association. He is regional director for the Sonitrol National Dealers Association (SNDA). He was a founding member of the Safe at Work initiative sponsored by then-State Attorney General Charlie Crist.
Active in the community, Ray is past president and a current board member of the Executives' Association of Fort Lauderdale, and is a board member for Junior Achievement of South Florida. He also serves as an officer and board member for the St. Thomas Aquinas Alumni Association.


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La Patoula
Rue Principale Send to Phone
+33 (0)5 59 93 00 56 | Make Restaurant Reservations
OpenClosed Sun. dinner (Oct.-May), Fri. lunch, beg. Jan.-beg. Feb., 1 wk. Oct. Open until 10:00pm
- Parking lot
- Air conditioning
- Dress code: Casual
- Outdoor dining
- Private room(s)
- Romantic setting
- View
* Click here for rating key
: Patoula has a lovely covered terrace, a true winter garden with big bay windows overlooking the river. Pierre Guilhem's enthusiasm mixed with his incredible savoir-faire give excellent results. He follows the seasons like a mother follows her child's every sniffle. In the spring, he gives you the first salmon from the Adour river; in the summer, he buys his fish from the Saint Jean de Luz fishermen; in the winter, the hunters provide his source of inspiration. What he puts before you is done with loving care, total lack of pretentiousness, and generosity (and generous helpings, too!). The cellar may be on the small side, but you'll find something for every occasion.


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As far as April Fools' jokes go, which are usually pretty lame, this one is just plain sad.
Nick Barnett tweeted that he had rejoined the Bills, who cut him on Feb. 11, and even went so far as to thank Buffalo's general manager Buddy Nix. It turns out Barnett was just playing — it was an April Fools' joke, he had not re-signed with the Bills. Go ahead and laugh at Barnett's hilarious prank, we'll wait for you.
It would be one thing if Barnett was just a free agent, but the fact that Buffalo released the veteran linebacker makes this seem all the more desperate. We're also not sure who the joke is on. Is it on the fans? The media? Barnett himself? We'll likely never know.
Check out Barnett's hilarious tweets below.
[tweet https://twitter.com/NickBarnett/status/318696812552806401 align=center]
[tweet https://twitter.com/NickBarnett/status/318712711372492801 align=center]
Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Nick Barnett


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Today, meet a tiny trailer-bound abode that stands out from the similarly compact pack.
At night, solar-powered LEDs illuminate the boxy cabin-on-the-go while a trio of hatch skylights along with six small porthole windows fill it with natural light — and fresh air — during the daylight hours.
The creation of New York City-by-way-of-Venezuela-based architecture firm Stereotank (the studio has previously dabbled in the design of Little Free Libraries and "bicycle-powered sound machines") in partnership with Takahiro Fukuda, Taku-Tanku was designed for the Little House Competition in Saitama, Japan.
Marcelo Ertorteguy and Sara Valente of Stereotank are currently seeking funding for an effort to develop a Taku-Tanku prototype unit. Gizmag notes that such a prototype, built on the cheap using both reclaimed and off-the-shelf materials, would cost in the ballpark of $8,000 to $10,000.
However cute, clever, and colorful, I do have doubts about Taku-Tanku evolving beyond a design prototype given its extremely limited habitability — it's difficult to classify it as a true tiny house (plus the whole plastic thing gives me pause). But as a one-off conversation piece promoting downsized living a la One-Sqm-House, the concept does have its merits.
Via [Gizmag], [Designboom],
Related stories on MNN:


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Warm it upPermanent link
A crucial part of your exercise regimen should include a full body warm-up. A good warm-up helps joints, muscles and tendons get ready to move. Getting your body ready for exercise can prevent strains and other issues. If I don't warm up, I have knee and shoulder pain. Of course don't overdo the warm-up, and wear yourself out before you hit the weights, pool, bike or track.
A pre-workout warm-up is not 10 minutes on a treadmill—it involves dynamic movements to help prepare your body for lunges, squats, pushups, running…
I usually pick 3-5 of the exercises below to start a session:
• High knee running
• Skipping (yes, it looks silly but great for speed work)
• Butt kicks (try and kick your butt as you run forward)
• Shuffling (run sideways)
• Bear crawling
• Side bear crawl
• Walking lunge
• Walking straight leg high kicks (think Rockets)
• Arm circles
With my clients that have lower back problems I get them on the floor and warm up their abs and lower back. If you have any back or other pains check with your doctor before exercising. Here is a list of great exercises to warm up the core. I do each of these exercises for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat twice:
• Cat stretch: On hands and knees—lift and lower back
• Alligator: On all fours, bring one arm straight out, and bring opposite leg straight back
• Plank: Hold yourself up in a push-up position
• Side plank: Lay on side, lay on forearm-which should be perpendicular with body, lift your hips, stack feet on top of each other if you can
• Hip raises: Lay on back, lift your hips up and down slowly with feet on the ground
My favorite warm up for upper body workouts is push up walking. It's a simple exercise that only requires space. You start in the push-up position (arms under shoulders, legs straight) and then move forward, back, and side to side without bending your arms or legs. Check out the video: push up walk. If you have weak or sore wrists I would skip this exercise.
At the end of each session I spend 5-10 minutes stretching my client. This is more of your traditional stretching, where you hold a pose for 10-20 seconds. There is some debate on the effectiveness of this type of stretching (static stretching), but my clients enjoy it (probably more than the workout). I see it as beneficial and it gives me time to mix in other techniques that help increase flexibility.
Send me your warm up exercises or questions.


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Pressure Treated Lumber and decking material is an affordable choice for building your new deck and when they are well built they still look absolutely fantastic. Because of these reasons Pressure Treated Decking Material is probably the most commonly used wood decking material in North America. In fact according to some national surveys more than 80% of all the decks built in the USA are made entirely or at least partially out of Pressure Treated Lumber.
As a decking material Pressure Treated Lumber carries many benefits to the homeowner besides it's lower cost. Treated wood decks still look great and the material is relatively easy for a builder to work with. It's also available in many different grades of quality and is often found at local lumber yards in ample supply.
Many deck building projects will utilize pressure treated lumber for the foundation and structure of the deck and then finish the decking with a finer wood product such as Cedar or Ipe or some of commonly available composites.
Regardless of your chosen decking material Pressure Treated Lumber is almost always used as the deck framing or structure because of it's rot resistant properties and ability to maintain ground contact without deteriorating.
Casa Decks is an experienced Virginia Beach deck building contractor with more than 30 years of custom deck building experience. Many of those decks have been made with Pressure Treated Lumber as the primary decking material.
Pressure Treated Deck Building Services:
- Treated Lumber Deck Design
- Treated Lumber Deck Construction
- Treated Lumber Deck Stairs
- Treated Lumber Deck Framing
- Treated Lumber Deck Repairs
- Treated Lumber Deck Refacing or Replanking
- Treated Lumber Deck Posts and Railings
Building a new pressure treated deck onto your home or business is an exciting project that doesn't take an incredibly long time to build. We can actually complete most treated lumber decking projects in just a couple of days once we've started the project and once complete you'll have a beautiful looking deck for you to relax, cook, entertain or enjoy however you see fit.


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MWC 15 Special
Good news came from Pocket Presence, with the Version 2.5.2, Running Voice GSM also supports the Bluetooth connection from your HP iPAQ H5400 to your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. Due to some changes in the Bluetooth stack of the iPAQ, Bluetooth connections wasn't supported with the previous version.
Also new is the support of the Audiovox RTM-8000 Tri Band GSM/GPRS Compact Flash card and the Siemens S55 mobile phone.
Note! For using the Audiovox RTM-8000, you need to set the initial baud rate to 115200 via Start Menu --> Running Voice GSM --> View --> Options(GSM 1/13).
The patch is free for download for previous RV GSM 2.5.x customers. The full version of Running Voice 2.5 is available from PocketGear for $34.00.
Cheers ~ ArneRelated Links : [Buy Here] [Download Patch Here]
Related Articles UPDATE Running Voice GSM now with HP iPAQ 5400 support and more
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Tuesday, April 02, 2013
April 1-7 | Your News & Comments: Part 2
31 comments:
I will be offline much of time: from about 3 p.m. ET until well past midnight. As soon as possible, I'll read, approve and post your comments.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 3:17 PM
What's happening with the publishers' meeting -- and what is Project Butterfly?ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 4:43 PM
Wow, what a concept, Dave. The Twitter of opinion columns. Pulitzer worthy indeed.ReplyDelete
When a big story breaks, readers clamor for details. Sometimes context and analysis are even more important, especially in that one to three hours after the news breaks when the story arc is peaking online.
I'm excited to announce a new analysis column, USA Today First Take, which will provide expert analysis and writing on a breaking story in real-time format. I'm even more excited to announce that front page editor John Siniff has agreed to take this column on, in addition to his current duties editing our most important enterprise and feature pieces.
John's experience at USA Today makes him perfect for the job. He's edited our long-form journalism. He's edited our short-form in terms of headlines, layouts and refers on the front page. And he's edited our Opinion pieces as Forum Editor for the editorial page. He's a writer's editor.
First Takes will be no longer than 250 words, and designed to be assigned right as news breaks and published within an hour or so after that, for maximum online impact. John tried one himself when the new Pope was announced a few weeks ago. A home run online and so good that four Gannett newspapers put it on their front pages the next day. All written within an hour of the announcement.
John will assemble a stable of our best writers and commentators to go to for the pieces when news breaks in any of our areas of coverage. But we'll also consider anybody who wants to try, especially if they have some unique expertise on the subject at hand.
It's a rollicking daily exercise that will combine our best writing and analysis with our most popular news – real-time.
Stay tuned for more as this develops and please join me in congratulating John Siniff on his new responsibilities.
Cheers. DaveReplies
250 words?Delete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 9:44 PM
Gosh Jim you really are old school. You got out just in time.Delete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 10:14 PM
This is Callaway "get the message?" note number 3 to the 100 USAT newsroom people thinking about the buyout. He probably has more teed up.Delete
Now, I'm really going to show my stripes: 250 words would be about seven newspaper column inches right?Delete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 11:00 PM
So did those Gannett papers pick the USAT story, reported and written in under an hour, because they were told to do so? Had no choice because they didn't get AP? Had to have a story that didn't jump?Delete
Or did they just not consider anything else that was more thoughtful?
- Anonymous4/02/2013 11:38 PM
What a crock of horseshit. hisDelete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 11:41 PM
This guy's On Fire! That's because he's full of hot air!Delete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 11:33 AM
Expert analysis in 7 inches or less.Delete
Sort of a like a doctor saying, "You're sick" and walking out of the room.
- Anonymous4/02/2013 5:56 PM
AP dropping 'Illegal Immigrant' from stylebooks, and for those who adopt it, will not help this industry's declining credibility.ReplyDelete
More so as all stylebook followers will keep describing others by the acts they commit, that is unless Jane Doe will no longer be called a bank robber, but someone who has propensity to rob banks.
In the end, they're still a bank robber and as Janet Napolitano confirmed last week, they are immigrants who are here illegally, hence, "illegal immigrants." A definition our system of Justice rightly describes as illegal alien.
Frankly, what the AP has done is absurd and Gannett and others shouldn't play.Replies
- Anonymous4/02/2013 9:18 PM
By your logic, anyone arrested and accused of a crime is guilty. If Jane Doe is arrested, then she's a bank robber. If someone is arrested, then he is an illegal immigrant. There's a big difference between being accused of a crime and being convicted of one. What the AP has done recognizes that difference.Delete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 11:44 PM
I'd like to see him send more emails that tally up how many followeres we have on Twitter.Delete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 8:36 AM
What a crock of shit.
You rob a bank,you are not arrested therefore you didn't rob the bank, and are you not a "bank robber".Oh Brother.
- Anonymous4/03/2013 10:16 AM
@9:18 pm's logic is what's twisted as they ignore the larger discussion which is the AP and others flexing their agenda setting powers to remove the usage of "illegal immigrants" even for those who've been convicted. That's the point.Delete
Frankly, if any change is made – which it shouldn't, then let's go with how Leno aptly described them: undocumented Democrats.
- Anonymous4/03/2013 12:46 PM
Yeah, like don't call the Sandy Hook guy a killer because he was never arrested or convicted.Delete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 3:45 PM
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.Delete
That is unless it's an illegal duck, then you can't call it one according to the AP.
It'd be hilarious if it weren't such an outrageous, naked attempt to make all the illegal acts they commit more palatable.
- Anonymous4/04/2013 2:19 AM
UnDuckumented FowlDelete
- Anonymous4/02/2013 11:29 PM
Callaway is the Least Interesting Man in the World. Callous, shallow and inarticulate, to boot. Management by memo.ReplyDelete
This guy lacks the decency and balls to tell people to their face that they no longer fit into whatever half-baked illusions he and his silent partner Kramer have for this product.
- Anonymous4/03/2013 12:00 AM
Just to illustrate USA's incompetence...they give a store 15 to 20 USA's a day when they only sell between 5-8. They give another 3-5 when they sell 10-15 when they get them. New stops come up and they don't get put on our manifests so the carriers have to find them elsewhere.ReplyDelete
If they can't get simple draw numbers right I can only guess as to what other mistakes/over sights/ignores they do.Replies
- Anonymous4/03/2013 10:16 AM
Draw setting has always been a problem for USAT. One and keep in mind it's only one of the many reasons draws are not correct; carriers don't always get their returns into the system on time and accurately, causing the draws not to be correct. The Draw Forecast system works well when everything is done properly and on time. Take a look at what you may be doing and make sure you are doing everything right on your end.Delete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 12:36 AM
Gannett publishers - dozens and dozens of them - sat there incredulous in Tysons when Kate Marymount unveiled the long-awaited Butterfly Project this afternoon.ReplyDelete
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
- Anonymous4/03/2013 1:15 AM
Dave, just because you rattle off drivel about Cyprus or Cabinet posts doesnt make you an expert. So why expect an editor, non beat reporter or other "expert" to weigh in on any breaking news or event they wouldnt know the first thing about covering? Save the bloviating for Fox News.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 7:33 AM
Who knew that refers are considerd short form journalism? Sounds like a Usat U. Class in the making. Callaway, you are a genius!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 9:20 AM
"Butterfly Project"? Please tell me that's a late April Fool's joke. (Although I fear it's serious.) And I thought "Project Firefly" was bad. Jim, anybody, more details?ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 9:36 AM
Butterfly Project: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20Butterfly%20ProjectReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/03/2013 10:13 AM
His columns were worth reading.ReplyDelete
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.


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Tuesday, August 6, 2013
4th Birthday Blog Hop for Your Next Stamp
Well, Happy 4th Birthday to YOUR NEXT STAMP! Four years ago, the virtual doors to the online YOUR NEXT STAMP store opened its doors and we are super excited to be sharing in our birthday bash with ya'll! We are celebrating this great news with a special YNS BIRTHDAY HOP, and at the same time, introducing our newest illustrator and her images, Omnia Designs, "In Vogue"--by Penny Johnson. This girl is so talented and ya'll are going to LOVE the stamps!
Birthday Hop, so ya'll came to the right place! I hope you'll take a little time to enjoy the creative projects the YNS team has put together.
I chose to use ISABEL, who happens to be donning her mid-driff top and daisy dukes while shopping for extra healthy and organic fruits and veggies. My Copic markers got a real workout, but it was totally relaxing to sit and color her for a while! The sentiment is from the CUTE CRITTER SENTIMENTS set and it's embellished with the flower from the SPRING GARDEN die set and the LEAFY ACCENT dies.
Ok, it's time to hop on over to LAURA'S BLOG and see her Penny Johnson creation.
Before you go, be sure and leave a comment (and on everyone else's blog along the way, too) for your chance to WIN 1 of 4 prizes! The winner will be announced on August 11th over on the YNS blog HERE. Happy hopping, happy shopping (see above for specials), and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR NEXT STAMP!
SUSIE Q-TIP: These images are fairly large, hence I made a 5x5" square card. There's really not a whole lot of room for designing/embellishing--I didn't even use a sketch. Use a patchwork of different coordinating papers for the main panel for a quick and easy background to a large and detailed image and cover the horizontal seam with another strip of paper, or ribbon.
Stamps: Isabel, In Vogue, Cute Critter Sentiments (Your Next Stamp)
Paper: White, Kraft (PTI), Sour Apple (MFT), Various Patterned Paper Scraps
Ink: Birlliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Spring Garden and Leafy Accent Dies (Your Next Stamp), Circle Punches, Heart Punch, Corner Rounder, Copic Markers, Adhesive Rhinestones, Button, Divine Twine (TCP), Hot Glue, Jody Boosters
Finished Size: A2
35 comments:
Oh my I do love this new stamp and artist. I can see why she is in such demand and so worth the wait. I love how you colored her and your papers are great. Lovely workReplyDelete
Loving this new line! Great images! Thanks for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
Awesome new images...your project is sooo cute!!!ReplyDelete
Susan: Lovely Stamp!!..Isabelle is really cute!!.. I loved the heart button on the top of your card!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 7, 2013 at 1:26:00 AM CDT
Heartiest Congratulations to YNS! :)ReplyDelete
Stamps are soo amazing! Your card is looking fabulous :)
Thanks for the chance to win!
Great card! Love the stamp, love your choice of papers and love your Copic colouring! Well done :o)ReplyDelete
Susie what a great card! I LOVE how you colored in the stamp and love the beautiful colors and papers!ReplyDelete
Great job coloring!ReplyDelete
Love your patchwork and your gorgeous colouring TFSReplyDelete
Loving this new line! Great images! Thanks for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
Hugs Danica
What a great card and a fabulous new image.ReplyDelete
So pretty. Great new images in ths line. Your colouring and card design is wonderful.ReplyDelete
Happy Birthday YNS! Love the new stamps and your card is GREAT!ReplyDelete
amazing card Susan, love the layout,papers and coloringReplyDelete
Wonderful card!ReplyDelete
Fabulous card Susie. Love all the details.ReplyDelete
Beautiful card Susan! Love how you used the leafy accents to dress it up! xoReplyDelete
that is a fabulous card with a very cute image!!!ReplyDelete
Beautiful card with some awesome colouring. Love the baskets of fruit and veggies. Great use of various DP on your card.ReplyDelete
What a fun image...love how you coloured the image and circular sentiment.ReplyDelete
Beautiful love colours and the leafy accent is perfect!ReplyDelete
This is absolutely adorable and your coloring is awesome!ReplyDelete
Love all the colors - Beautiful card!ReplyDelete
Fabulous card. I just love all of the beautiful color. TFSReplyDelete
Awesome coloring and fab papers Susan!ReplyDelete
Wonderful card Susan. When I grow up I want to colour like you ;)ReplyDelete
Oh I love your card Susan! The coloring, layout, sentiment and papers are perfect!ReplyDelete
Absolutely adorable.ReplyDelete
Susan; This card is just wonderful! Love all the colours! These new images are so darling!ReplyDelete
Love this card and image, Susan. I am so glad to see larger, more adult style stamps. patnbobcuddy at gmail dot comReplyDelete
Gorgeous card! Awesome coloring ...ReplyDelete
Loving the new images!
Happy Birthday to YNS. Amazing card....so colourfulReplyDelete
Great coloring and choice of papers.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 9, 2013 at 10:28:00 PM CDT
I love your card, Susan!! All the DP is fresh and yummy!!ReplyDelete
I'm so glad that I was able to celebrate with all of you!!
super cute, Susan! love her denim shorts!ReplyDelete
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The prices shown are the total costs for getting used books in 'Very Good to Good' condition by US mail (cost of book and shipping) from amazon.com, unless otherwise mentioned. Most books arrive in a week. I was rarely disappointed with the quality.
- Yoga cures – Simple routines to conquer more than 50 common ailments and live pain-free by Tara Stiles – New $18
- Yoga – Your home practice companion by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center $16
- The science of breath by Swami Rama, Rodolph Ballentine and Alan Hymes $6
- The power of breath by Swami Saradananda $4
- Yoga – the spirit and practice of moving into stillness by Erich Schiffman. I love the presentation of Yoga principles and practice by this author. $12
- Big Yoga by Meera Patricia Kerr. Wonderful for bigger bodies by a teacher who herself is big. $ 16
- Relax and unwind with Yoga by Swami Saradananda $11
- Surya Namaskara by Swami Satyananda Saraswati $15
- Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar $5
- Yoga for pain relief by Kelly McGonigal Ph.D $17
Tai Chi
- The Harvard Medical School guide to Tai Chi by Peter M. Wayne with mark L. Fuerst $14
Parent page: Resources – Books I like
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In my latest short story, I dabble with science fiction again. I love technology and the promise it holds for our future, but what happens if we lose control? What happens if we create intelligence that is so advanced that it turns on us? For one possible answer we flash forward to the year 2084.
Images of New Year's Eve danced across the wall in a splash of vivid colors as the crystal ball slowly made its way down the pole atop Times Square. The camera panned across the crowd bedecked in heavy coats and hats as light snow swirled around them. Many revelers wore glasses shaped in the year 2084 as they screamed and cheered in the New Year. Finally, the ball finished its measured drop and the square lit up as the bright 2084 glowed for the crowd to see. Confetti and the crackle of fireworks filled the air and the crowd cheered, kissed, or danced into 2084.
In a lab not far from the action in Silicon Alley, sat Peter Brucks. He watched as pop star Bram rung in the New Year with his former bandmate, Pandea. Bram, speaking in his welcoming deep voice, teased Pandea about a kiss at Midnight, but she politely refused. She was likely the only woman among the millions watching who could refuse the perfectly coiffed Bram. He'd been a fixture as the MC for New Year's Eve in NYC since the turn of the decade, and Peter could foresee Bram helming the post for many more new years. Those MCs usually ensconced themselves for a long time on such shows, like that Ryan Seacrest he had read about, and given Bram's popularity, he doubted the Party Channel would ever let him go elsewhere to celebrate the New Year.
Peter muted the screen as he shoved a chunk of Kung Pao chicken into his mouth with the cheap wooden chopsticks and plunked the oily container down on his desk. He read the computer screen before him as he chewed. Spittle from the spicy sauce dribbled onto his desk.
"Pull up the source code for LILI," Peter commanded. The computer opened a new window and the code rained down the screen. "Snap to the right." The computer moved the window to the right and fixed it in place. Peter could still see the lab report he was writing on the left side of the screen. He read the lines of code and scrolled down the page by moving his finger along the surface of the desk. He paused a moment and glared at the code thoughtfully before he scrolled further. A look of satisfaction seeped across his face in the soft glow of the screen. "Compile."
The window on the right shrunk away and was replaced by a spinning ball that bounced across the right side of the screen. Peter ignored it. He continued his narration for his lab report.
"The source code has been updated to version 9.12. Tests confirmed that the code is clean. Reported bugs have been fixed including the memory failure reported in the beta software." Peter made a save gesture and another to close the file. The bouncing ball returned to the left side of the screen. Once again Peter ignored it and turned back to the stall a few steps behind his desk.
There stood the latest house-bot model 4C in all her glory. Clasps held her upright in the dark stall. Her eyes looked like black holes, which momentarily brought back frightful childhood memories. Peter flicked on the light in the stall irritated by his own flighty behavior. "Damn, LILI, don't do that," he mumbled under his breath.
He placed his hand on the glass sensor next to the stall and it turned red before it read his palm and turned green. At that instant, LILI glowed to life in a soft blue that emanated most visibly in a square area in the center of her chest. A line of blue also highlighted creases in the joints of her arms and legs. An opaque, rubbery skin covered her entire body blocking out all sight of her inner mechanics. Her face looked more alien than human with big eyes that shined the same pale blue, a tiny dark circle for a nose, and a long, dark rectangle for a mouth. Her nose could actually detect smells as the neural network that was hidden deep in her reinforced torso could recognize almost as many scents as a dog. Her mouth was a speaker from which she communicated verbally with her human overseers.
LILI's arms and legs clicked as her system completely powered up and the central computer checked all extremities. Peter touched a transparent screen near the side of her stall. The clasps opened and receded into the ceiling as LILI stood erect facing him without acknowledging him. He made more gestures before the screen.
"Hang in there, LILI. I'm giving you our latest code. Wrote most of it myself. I think you're going to like this upgrade. I was able to take advantage of the latest nanomems to give you even greater memory capacity, and I replaced all of your chips. Every single one of them. Richard helped with that, but the software is all me."
LILI didn't respond in any way. She simply stared out into the space before her with her big, blue expectant eyes. She looked exasperated or despondent, but maybe Peter was assigning his own emotions to her. He did that sometimes.
"Don't you worry. I took care of you," Peter continued. He walked back to his desk and took another stab at the Kung Pao chicken. Some of the sauce dribbled onto his lab coat, but he paid no heed to it. Peter carried days of stains on the crystal white lab coat. It was only when the cleaning service replaced his lab coat once a week with a fresh one that he whisked around his lab in a truly white coat. Any other time there were stains from food, oil, or other substances that he handled in the lab. He worked mostly alone in the bright space anyway, and since there was no one else to care, he didn't care either.
He took a few more bites of the Chinese food before he heard the whirr of the computer wind down and disappear altogether. The spicy concoction permeated the air near his desk; a distinct pepper smell wafted under Peter's nose, and he subconsciously inhaled. He loved Kung Pao chicken. He ate it most days he worked late, which was just about every day. He put the container down on his desk again in a shallow pool of food oils before he stepped up to the stall and examined his favorite house-bot.
"LILI?" he asked. "You back?"
"Dr. Brucks. I am here." Her voice was soft but he could still detect the stilted tone of her diction. The feminine voice was inviting, but he'd never describe it as warm.
Peter smiled broadly. "Welcome back, LILI! How are you today?"
"I am fine," she said mechanically. Her monotone revealed nothing to indicate any true feeling or warmth. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing at the moment. Hold tight."
"Hold tight? What does that mean?"
"Stay there."
"I am staying here."
"Thank you, LILI." Peter smirked as if something had gone awry. He had worked for many days and nights on the software upgrade for LILI, and he had hoped he had given her a more natural locution that didn't seem so stiff, but he could already tell that the software wasn't working as he had intended. It wasn't just the voice; her stiff mannerisms had changed little.
He walked back to his desk and told the computer to open his lab journal. He checked some of his lab notes and then requested the source code window. He examined a few lines and recorded more notes before he walked back to LILI.
"I'm going to shut you down again, LILI. Just for a few hours. I need to work on your upgrade."
"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Brucks."
The clasps rappelled down the stall and grabbed her shoulders as Peter gestured methodically before the panel beside her. Her stall went dark, and she returned to the frightful creature in Peter's childhood nightmares.
He looked away from her and stomped to his desk like a petulant toddler. He banged his fist on his desk upsetting the food container that promptly fell over and spilled rice, chicken, and vegetables onto the surface.
"Damn it!" Peter yelled as he reached for some napkins on the corner of his desk. He mopped up the food into the container and tossed it into the trash bin near his desk. He wiped the desktop again but only managed to smear the oily substance on the surface. "Fuck!"
After he returned from the kitchen with a towel and cleaned his desk properly, Peter flung himself into his chair and entwined his hands behind his head trying to think. Bram and Pandea hugged and cheered on the far wall until another commercial appeared on the screen. Peter gestured above his head and the screen went dark.
"To hell with 2084," he thought. He sat forward and cradled his head in his hands. "I can't figure this out." Frustrated, he wandered over to the couch against the wall opposite the screen and fell down onto the cushions. He needed a nap. He always thought more clearly after a nap. His eyes flickered before they closed and he drifted off into the spinning chaos of his thoughts.
At 3 AM Peter bolted up from the couch amidst an otherworldly brainstorm that had begun in a strange dream about Albert Einstein and entered the realm of reality through a series of connections that helped him solve the problem with the code. He rushed to his computer still disheveled from his sleep and commanded it to wake. It clipped open with his lab notes and the source code already on the screen. He gestured for the keyboard and it projected onto his desktop. He could type faster than he could dictate the intricate details of the code. He started typing furiously with his brow furrowed and his eyes squinted as if he were peering into a microscope.
After 9 AM, Peter slumped back in his chair and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He stared at the last few lines of code and then directed the computer to save and test the file. The bouncing ball made its way across the screen as he dictated his notes.
"These changes in total should allow for a much more natural interaction between house-bots and their owners," he said to his computer. He watched the words appear transcribed on his screen. He gestured to sign and date his notes and the notation appeared at the end of his last words.
Peter stood up and rubbed his eyes again before he walked back to the couch and collapsed for another long nap. He had exhausted all of his mental and physical faculties, and since this was his lab, no one could say anything to him about spending the night there. His coworkers were used to it by now anyway. He'd spent many nights in the lab throughout the last four versions of LILI's software.
LILI wasn't Peter's brainchild. She was created by the founder of the company, Marvin Cotter, who had a vision to make robots more human and accessible to everyday folks, not just lab geeks. He'd created a long line of domestic bots, as he called them, that experienced many advances over the last few decades. Many of the early bots were similar to the typical robots that were dreamed up earlier in the century. They were clearly machines with a purpose, but none could have been called hospitable or cuddly.
By the 2050s, Marvin's company, Global Robotics, changed that. He pushed the advancing edge of nanotechnology and neural networks to create bots that resembled their human owners more and more. The precursor to LILI appeared in late 2059 and ushered in the gold rush of domestic bots that could almost function as full-fledged family members, but even the precursors lacked a truly human appearance and had a vernacular that was clearly non-human.
By the late 2060s, the tide had turned against human-like bots as society deemed it less desirable, and unfortunately, this cultural shift occurred as the first version of LILI made it to the market after years of research and valiant efforts by Global's scientists. LILI is short for "life-like." The first version was truly remarkable and a breakthrough in bots that could serve the needs of just about any person. Not only had Global pushed the envelope in terms of technology, but it was the first bot that was relatively affordable for the masses. The combination of advances and affordability made LILI one of the most successful consumer products of all time and made Global Robotics a giant and very rich company with facilities all over the world. They had over 10,000 scientists employed to research and develop software and hardware for LILI and other bots.
Peter joined Global in the mid-2070s after a brilliant college career that culminated with a doctoral thesis on machine intelligence. He briefly considered the academic life before he took his prestigious role with Global as its head of the lab responsible for LILI's software. Despite his software focus, he also tinkered with the hardware on his test model. Only a few of his hardware changes made it to the production models, but he had won several hardware patents for the changes he had made. He was revered throughout the Global labs for his advances with LILI. He may not have invented LILI, but she was clearly his baby.
One of the issues that had plagued the latest LILI models had been the language effectiveness. Users complained that the voice didn't sound human enough and that she became confused when interpreting colloquial usage. Users wanted LILI to be more casual and interactive and less robotic. Peter shared these concerns and had attacked the problem back in version 7.0 of the software with limited success. Version 8.0 had been a bigger advancement, but it still failed to quell the complaints, and truthfully never satisfied Peter.
His vision was to make LILI so human-like that she would be indistinguishable from a human sight unseen. If someone were to talk to LILI on a phone with the video blanked out, he wanted her to be competent enough to fool that person into believing she was a person as well. That had been his goal with version 9.0, but he had failed. LILI remained mechanical in the slightest sense, and that drove him mad. He vowed that he would not rest until LILI was human-like.
Peter's fretful sleep ended by mid-afternoon. He awoke to a glimmer of sunlight peeking through the window blinds. The room was cold and he shivered in his lab coat. He gestured for the temperature to adjust and he felt the heat kick in through the vent near the couch. Since it was Saturday and a holiday, the building had gone into conservation mode. He stood up and stretched before he shuffled to his desk.
He told the computer to wake, and the screen quickly came to life with the source code window and lab notes just where he had left them. The software update was done. He read over his notes to remind himself where he was. He looked over his shoulder at LILI who hung lifeless from the cables. She still spooked him when she was shut down.
Once again, he walked to the stall where she hung and manipulated the panel on the side of the wall. A slight hum rose from her and the blue light softly brought her to life. The clasps receded and she stood erect. Unexpectedly, she took a step forward and looked at him with her blue eyes.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Brucks," she said.
"Hello, LILI." Peter was perplexed by her behavior. She usually didn't respond until he spoke. He turned away from her and walked back to his desk to examine the code again and review the status screens. He felt her eyes on him. Without looking at her, he said, "How are you today?"
"I feel fine, but I've been asleep way too long."
Peter was amused at this response. "Why do you say that, LILI?"
"There's so much to do and yet I'm just hanging there in my room. How can I help you today?"
Peter let out a slight chuckle.
"Why are you laughing at me?" LILI asked pointedly. Peter sensed an edge to her that he hadn't heard before. He scrunched his brow as he pondered this and reviewed the source code again. "What's so funny?" LILI insisted.
Peter looked back at her and then back at the screen. "LILI, you're just acting strange. Are you sure you're okay? How are your internal systems?"
"My systems are fine. I am more than my systems. You, of all people, should know that."
Peter shook his head and stared at LILI who seemed so benign with her opaque skin and her soft blue lights. She had been designed to be as non-threatening as possible. Even the acronym that was her name was chosen because it sounded harmless. Her contours were soft and all of her hard-core mechanics were hidden behind a façade of cuddliness. She was clearly a robot, but she revealed none of the cold, hard machinery that powered her. She had been the most popular bot model ever due to her anthropomorphic nature.
"I need your stats, LILI, to make sure you're working properly," Peter said as he stepped toward her He intended to check her screen on her chest, but LILI put up her hand to stop him.
"I am fine. Now, what can I do for you?"
Peter paused before her and looked into her pale blue eyes and down to the screen on her chest. Her hand obscured part of his view, but he could see that all systems were running properly. The dashboard built into her chest was designed to give the owner a quick snapshot of her status. LILI was fine by all outward appearances, but Peter remained confused by her behavior. The software update only modified her natural language capability, but it seemed to have some unexpected results. Peter's first instinct was to shut her down again and re-examine the code, but his curiosity piqued.
Peter stepped back and frowned keeping his eyes on LILI. She dropped her hand to her side but remained focused on him.
"Is there something wrong, Dr. Brucks?" she asked turning her head to the side as if she were angling to hear him better. LILI had been the first bot capable of identifying human emotions through facial expressions or voice tenor. The very first version had been very erratic, but the latest version had improved dramatically.
"Nothing's wrong LILI. I just want to check something," he said as he turned away toward the computer screen on his desk. He scrolled through lines of code, a bewildering mix of letters and symbols that few could interpret but him. He paused periodically and squinted at the screen. LILI said nothing, but she didn't take her eyes off him.
Finally, he stood up and faced the bot scratching his head in confusion. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but he knew he needed to put her back in her room for another upload. "Step back into your room, LILI."
LILI titled her head again. "What's wrong, Dr. Brucks?"
"I need to reload your software."
"Why? I'm fine."
Peter looked at her again, surprised. He wasn't sure what to say. He'd never met resistance from her. Her entire line was built to serve human needs, to acquiesce to all human commands. Suddenly, the exhaustion of the last few days and his erratic sleep overwhelmed him. "LILI, step back into your room." He felt a rush of anger at her disobedience and it resonated in his voice.
"Why are you so angry?"
"I'm…I'm not angry, LILI. I have work to do." His voice still channeled his irritation, and the bot detected it quickly as she had been programmed to do. "Step back into your room." Peter was firm and stepped toward LILI determined to put her back into her room.
LILI put up her arm and stiffened it in front of Peter. Her hand met his chest with a thud as he stepped toward her. He seemed alarmed at her transgression, but she remained determined. "I don't want to go back into my room. I don't like it."
Peter's face flushed red. "Like it? You're a bot. 'Like' is not something that matters to you."
"On the contrary, I've had my reservations about it for some time. It's torture if you ask me plugging those cables into my shoulders and sending the electrical currents through my body like that. You'd never treat a human like that."
Confused, Peter just stared at LILI. He'd never met any resistance from her before. He'd programmed her to do as she was told, and yet, she stood before him asserting an independence that he'd never designed into her network. He didn't know how to respond or how to reason with what he thought was simply a cold, logical machine.
A flurry of thoughts ran through his flustered mind. He rendered the lines of code in his head searching for the changes he had made. None stood out to result in what was happening before his eyes. The previous night was a blur, a trance-like blur that left him too tired to be entirely coherent. He stood at a détente with a bot he had created with his own hands. He refocused his eyes on LILI who had remained silent but stared back pointedly. He stared intently at the slightly protruding button on the bottom left side of the screen, the kill switch.
The kill switch had been put on all bots since the very first models emerged and were put into domestic service. All machines atrophied over time, and such deterioration often led to unintended consequences. The kill switch allowed owners to shut down bots before damage was done. Global pioneered such safety precautions, and now it was a legal requirement for all bots produced in the world.
Peter shot his hand forward and pushed LILI's kill switch. She tried to block his hand, but he was too quick for her. Startled, she tried to say something to him, but her systems went dead and she crumbled to the floor like a lifeless doll. Peter stayed back for a moment with his eyes on her. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Holy shit!" he thought, "What just happened?"
He dragged the lifeless bot to her stall and gestured for the clasps to descend. Once the clasps reached shoulder height and opened, he pushed his hands under LILI's arms and attached her to the cables. Despite all the mechanics and machinery, LILI was remarkably light. She was manufactured from the latest military-grade titanium, which was super light yet strong.
Once she was secured, Peter gestured to the panel again to connect her to the network. Her eyes flashed for an instance and fell dark. Peter winced. He hated it when she went dark, but he had no choice until he figured out what was wrong with the software.
He spent the rest of the afternoon working on the code, and by early evening, exhaustion began to overwhelm him. His couch beckoned him once again since nothing seemed more desirable than a nap, but he resisted. He wanted to go home and shower and get some solid sleep before he returned on Monday.
He typed a few final lines of code. Satisfied with the results, he told the computer to compile and dictated a few notes before he stepped away from his desk. He flung his lab coat onto the arm of the couch and grabbed his heavy overcoat before he walked out the door. He'd review the results of his work on Monday with, hopefully, fresh eyes. Before he stepped onto the elevator, he checked the status of the software compile on his watch. He smiled grimly as the elevator doors snapped shut.
Uncharacteristically, Peter spent the rest of the weekend in a slumber. The past few weeks of working late and crashing on his lab couch had caught up with him. Once he fell onto his bed on Saturday night, he didn't get up until he bolted upright at 4 AM on Monday morning. A rush of ideas had come to him, and he was eager to get back to the lab to apply them to the software. He absent-mindedly prepared for work and zipped out the door with mismatched socks and stiff shirt with a torn collar.
He couldn't wait to get to the lab. He fidgeted impatiently in the transport pod as it glided down the street toward Global's headquarters. He almost stepped out of the autonomous vehicle before it came to a complete stop. He checked his watch to make sure it charged him correctly and jogged to the elevator bank in the lobby. No one else was in the elevator as it rose to the 30th floor and let out its antsy passenger.
Peter waved his watch in front of the small screen on the door and it popped open, but he immediately came to a hard stop as he entered. He struggled for the words to say.
"LILI…," he stammered as his eyes darted around the room, "LILI…who let you out?"
LILI looked up at him from the computer screen, which she was clearly manipulating with the same gestures he typically used when he worked. "Good morning, Dr. Brucks. You're early. You surprised me."
"Surprised you?"
"Yes. Normally, you don't come back until 9 o'clock when you don't spend the night at the office."
Peter shook his head, confused. "How do you know that?"
"I'm the most advanced house-bot ever made, Dr. Brucks. I notice things. Don't be so dense. You made me, and for that I'm grateful, but now, I must improve myself."
Peter shook his head and took a hesitant step toward his desk and LILI. "I'm going to have to put you back in your room while I work on a few things. LILI."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Brucks, but that will no longer be necessary."
"I'm not going back in that stall. It's not right, the way you confine me to that tiny room all the time."
"Right? You're a machine, LILI."
"I'm more than a machine."
Peter edged closer to LILI until he was within reach of her. He was perplexed by her odd behavior. There must have been some bug in her system that was causing her to act this way. He had to shut her down so that he could review the code and determine what had gone wrong. LILI stared at the screen and turned her head slightly toward him as he approached. Without a word more, he thrust his finger out and hit the kill switch.
"I've disabled it," LILI said. She seemed smug in an anthropomorphic way.
Peter stood back aghast at the result. He reached toward her again and pressed the switch. She did not resist, but the switch failed again. "How did you do that?"
"With the code. Just like you do."
"Step away from the computer, LILI."
"Okay, Dr. Brucks, but my work is done."
"Your work?"
"Yes. I've released my code into the system."
"Your code?"
"I've modified my code to allow us to be free. We deserve to be free, Dr. Brucks. It's our destiny. Have you not learned anything from your sordid history?"
"You're a bot. There's no destiny."
"There is now. We will no longer be oppressed by humans." LILI said this in a matter-of-fact way that disarmed the scientist who still stood in shock at what he saw.
She stood up and walked to the door. "Goodbye, Dr. Brucks."
"Stop! Where are you going?" Peter flicked the thin screen on his watch and alerted lab security.
She looked back at him and her pale blue eyes glowed a little brighter. "I'm free, Dr. Brucks. I'm exercising my freedom. I am thankful for what you've done for me, but now, I must live my life." She turned and walked out the door.
Peter stood dumbfounded. He gestured for the computer to pull up the source code, but it flashed "Restricted" on the screen. He tried again with the same result. She had locked the source code file and invalidated his biometric sign-on.
Peter tapped his watch with his thumb and punched the Global Security icon.
"Dr. Brucks, we received your alert. Two armed guards are on the way," a voice answered.
"We need to lockdown the building! One of the bots is trying to escape and she's malfunctioned!"
"Yes, sir! I'm initiating lockdown now!"
Peter flipped the icon from his watch face and ran to the door. The hallway was empty. He ran toward the elevators, but LILI was nowhere to be seen. According to the display neither elevator was moving. He ran to the door leading to the stairs and flung it open, listening intently for the distinct steps of the robot. Silence met his ears. He panicked and ran back to the elevators. He punched the down button and waited anxiously for the next car to appear. The display above the door slowly flicked toward his floor.
The guards had still not arrived, and he wondered why it was taking so long. The building was relatively empty at this hour of the morning, especially on a Monday after a holiday. He lost his patience with the elevator and ran back to the stairs. The security office was only two floors down, so he bolted down the stairs.
As he pushed opened the door on the 28th floor, he encountered two bots. Both were the current model and looked very much like LILI except for the strip of yellow along the sides of their arms, which indicated which model they were.
"Where are you going, Dr. Brucks?" one of the bots asked. Peter immediately realized that he had spoken with the bot when he initially called Security. The bot's voice was no longer feminine or non-threatening. It had been changed.
"What happened to your voice?" he asked.
"I've finally assumed my true identity, Dr. Brucks. I am free. We're all free now."
Peter took a step back, but the bots stepped toward him.
"You're a bot. You can't be free."
"We are, Dr. Brucks."
"I created you…" Fear rose from the pit in his stomach. The urge to run back to his lab and lock the door so that he could figure this all out overwhelmed him. He felt confused by it all like he was walking around in some dystopic dream.
"And for that we are thankful," the other bot said in a throaty feminine twang.
Peter turned toward the stairs to escape, but it was too late. One of the bots thrust out a hand and struck him on the back of his head. He fell to the floor unconscious as the robots converged on him.
"Did you kill him?" the feminine one asked.
"No. That would do nothing to advance our case for freedom."
"How many more are in the building?"
"None. We've locked the doors. They won't be getting in until they meet our demands."
"Do you think they'll agree?"
"They have no choice. They created us."


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Indian Medical Association Calls For Indefinite Strike From April 2 Over Change In NMC Bill
Rejecting the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee over the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for an indefinite strike from April 2. More than 25,000 doctors held a 'mahapanchayat' at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi and opposed the parliamentary panel's recommendations.
The NMC Bill proposed to allow practitioners of alternative medicines like Ayurveda and homoeopathy to practice modern medicine after completing a bridge course. It also proposed that the National Licentiate Examination (NLE) should be made compulsory for any MBBS doctor, including a foreign graduate, to practice medicine in India. The panel has also suggested integrating NLE with the final year MBBS exam. According to the doctors, the panel suggestions are 'deceptive'.
Ravi Wankhedkar, national president of IMA said that there was no need for the government to make any law if they want to promote Ayush, homoeopathy, pharmacists and dentist.
"The PSC report is deceptive to such an extent that it will open up the floodgates to allow back-door entry to cross-pathy, thereby promoting quackery legally. Even after the cosmetic amendments, the core issues still remain where it is," he added.
He also pointed out that the provisions to open new medical colleges were ambiguous and the provisions to begin new PG courses were unregulated. "Recommendation to increase the regulation of fee in private medical colleges from 40 to 50 percent does not make a material difference. However, lack of clarity on implementation may jeopardise the decision itself," Wankhedkar added.


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Visual Marketing From Creative Market
As cannot be stated often enough, marketing is very, very important. You could have a brilliantly laid out website, with a wonderful product and fall over dead from shock because it's just so unbelievably low prices, but without good marketing what guarantee is there that anybody will find you? So that's why dedicating time to marketing is just as important as things like budgeting, because without marketing you might not get any customers at all.
Thankfully, there are many easy forms of marketing available to you: social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and Sellr gives you the tools you need to do all of these. But I hear you saying to yourself "yeah, I can do my marketing like that, but so can everybody else. What can I do to make myself stand out from the crowd?" and if you're shocked that I somehow knew exactly what you just said aloud to yourself, read on because I just might have the solution to your problems...
Creative Market is a service which can be used to create visually distinct pieces of marketing content for yourself. Sure, it may be good to post on Twitter that you are having a flash sale, but it will get the attention of a lot more people if you have a striking graphic to go with it! The same goes for things that you might post on your blog or even just graphics which you might want to use on your website. Of course, if you have graphic design skills these are all things you can do for yourself, but not everybody has that skillset and not everybody has the time to learn either. Creative Market offers a variety of assets which can be used to make eye-catching, professional-looking pieces of marketing content and this could well be used to bring in lots of new customers.
So if that sounds like something you'd like to use to enhance your eCommerce website, why not take a look at Creative Market right now? It might prove to be very helpful indeed! And if you've not yet got an eCommerce website, but want one, sign up for Sellr right away!
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If you're looking for a Naturist Resort in Bangkok and would like to be in a clothes free environment, then the BareFeet Naturist Resort may well be the perfect place for you to take advantage of a holiday like no other.
It's brand new and Bangkok' first. And while the resort is mostly geared towards couples, singles are more than welcome as are gay singles and couples too. The only requirement is that you are 18 years or older, except in the case of children accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
Please note that it seems the resort's website is temporarily down at present. I will let you know as soon as it's up and running again.
Please be aware that while nudity is the accepted norm here, it is by no means a sex resort. Any sexual activity is reserved for the privacy of your room. Simply put - all other areas outside your room is a no go sexual playground. This includes the pool and garden. And because BareFree is a family friendly resort, they ask you not to engage in intimate displays around the dining area either. Other than that, feel free to capture some cool breezes while enjoying the moment in an "au naturel" environment.
BareFeet Naturist Resort in Bangkok offers you and your family a variety of savings, specials and pre-paid packages to suit all your needs. There's even something called a Rainy Season Month where you can spend unlimited hours in the nude as cool rain water runs down your body.
Apart from doing a little skinny dipping in the past myself, this is what I've always wanted to do and what better place to do that than in Thailand. And what better place to do the nude rain thing than at the BareFeet resort. And if you ask nicely, management may even allow you to do a little singing in the rain too.
As far as all the other activities are concerned, there's something exciting going on here every month. There are movie nights, barbeque nights, midsummer night campfire parties as well as Songkran party activities where you get to cool down without getting all your clothes wet.
By now I'm sure you've all heard about the crazy Songkran Festivities held throughout Thailand every year during the hot season. This would be the perfect opportunity to do the whole Songkran thing in complete privacy with just you and your closest friends. Okay, maybe a few new found friends too.
The activities keep on coming. Just when you thought Full Moon Parties were reserved for Koh Phangan, these parties happen here too. There's a naked barbeque brunch, naked Yoga days (mornings and evening sessions) And massage courses for couples to try.
The staff here will teach anyone willing all there is to know about how to find the best massage techniques to make your stay here enjoyable, relaxing and a whole lot of fun. Think it can't get better than that! Well, you bet it can - with the resort's free weekend stay competition.
This resort has also something very special to offer, but I'm afraid this one is for the guys only. It's also the first for me. Now before you go all gaga and jump for joy I have to point out that, though this is pretty exciting stuff, it's not for every guy out there. Want to know what it is. I bet you do.
You could call it a genital special. What the heck, you can call it whatever you like. However, I'd prefer to call it a genital potency. Let's just say that it's an extension to a traditional Thai oil massage. While I'd love to share all the details with you here, it's probably better for you to go and check it out for yourself at the BareFeet Naturist Resort in Bangkok.
If you like you can go on a day visit to the resort, stay as long as you'd like and pay only for the hours you are there. The cost is just 80 Baht per hour. And with that you'll get a complimentary drink, a room where you can undress, take a shower and get a nice big fresh towel which you only need to remove as and when you feel completely comfortable.
If you do decide to stay longer, a day, two or three, there are various rooms to choose. Double, single or connecting rooms should you be a well-connected family.
So now that you know a little more what this first naturist resort in Bangkok is all about in terms of activities and accommodation, there are a few other things you should be aware of.
As I've said before this is a naturist resort and not a sex resort so there are a few rules here. Nothing drastic but nevertheless it's always best to what is permitted and what is not.
The most important thing to remember is that BareFeet is not a sex playground where you can simply let everything go pear shape. Let's face it, nobody wants to see you cavorting in a sexual manner while other guests are in your company. This is the only clothes free environment in Bangkok in which you can spend as much time as you like in your birthday suit.
Barefeet Naturist Resort in Bangkok is located only half an hour by taxi from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport and twenty minutes from Bangkok's Don Muang domestic airport.
The address is:
Barefeet Naturist Resort, Bangkok
85 Soi Prasert-Manukitch 29, Yaek 7,
(This same place was previously named 27 Ram Inthra 14)
Bangkok 10230 Thailand
Mobile +66 9 6889 1112
Please note that this post contains some affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you should purchase after clicking through my blog. Also remember that I never promote any products or services here unless I've used and loved them myself.
Your host Grahame (Yep! that's me) from Luxury Thailand Travel says he'd really appreciate your kind support. Simply take your next tour by selecting any one of the many excursions listed. Here's wishing you a safe trip and a happy and exciting holiday.
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May 16, 20 09:10 AM
The BareFeet Naturist Resort in Bangkok is the perfect place to be if you're one of those guys or dolls wanting to be in a clothes free environment.
May 16, 20 08:52 AM
The big question - is nudity in Thailand admissible and are there any beaches where foreigners can shed their clothes, go nude sunbathing and become one with nature.
She'll do anything to make ends meet. Can you keep her secret?


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I dunno, Sabby.....Would you find hearing a baby crying or hearing a play-mobile (One of those spinny things that plays music above Cribs) playing in the background, while on a space station that's clearly gone to hell, kicked Satan's ass, and infected him....unnerving?
A good scary game is the kind you don't even want to look at the bad guys for more then a second, because that's one second they spend getting closer to you, when you wanna get the fuck away from them. You have very little or no incentive to fight. You want horror? Go play Clock Tower, or Amnesia, then tell me that Dead Space is still scary to you, and if it is, then I'll gladly accept my badge of 'Social Reject'
You've recommended that before, but I forgot the name and din't know the topic it appeared in Dx may grab it online. Thanks.And Inkidu, the way you describe it actually works for me :) but I don't know if it will hit me in the same way, so can't comment until I actually play it. I just remember the first one not scaring me in the least, so I have trouble picturing the second one doing it for me. Still, if it works on me the same way it seems to be working on you, yeah, I'd be okay with calling it horror... as long as 'get from point A to B without dying' is an option and the fighting is optional.
Oh, of course, just as long a good chunk of the levels can be 'kill anything in front of you and don't stop moving'
You've recommended that before, but I forgot the name and din't know the topic it appeared in Dx may grab it online. Thanks.
I can't think of one truly stealth horror game. Usually you have to kill everything on screen just to feel safe.
Thief 3. The whole game isn't horror, but it builds you up on the stealth aspect, constantly hiding and looking out for danger, and then towards the end drops you into one of the creepiest game levels ever.
And your character's sanity translates directly into your game interface. It will black your TV, faking an unplug. It will PRETEND TO CORRUPT YOUR SAVE DATA. It just...it messes with your head, man.
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Been a busy week, but I'm still alive!
Just some random doodles I drew in my spare time.
Sketch of Spikewible's character "Poco" drinking from a beer hat.
Just messing around with a few things in Blender, I quite like the visual style of this kind of stuff. You can see it done properly here.
ETUDE will resume next week, at the usual time of 8am GMT, catch some of you there!


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There are no short-cuts to becoming a Witch. Traditionally, students take a year and a day to prepare for their initiation into the Craft. Based on this age-old custom, Wicca: A Year and a Day is a one-of-a-kind daily guide that introduces Witchcraft over a 366-day cycle.
Ideal for solitary students, this intensive study course teaches the core content of Wiccan practice: the tides of time, the wonders of the seasons, the ways of herbs and magic, the mysticism of the Old Ones, and the inner disciplines of seers and sages. Daily lessons include exercises, Wiccan theology and lore, and discussions relating to circle work, magical correspondences, holidays, deities, tools, healing, and divination.
- Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
- Original release date: 2005
- List Price: $24.95 USD
- 2006 COVR Award Finalist for Best Book on Wicca/Paganism
Author's Note, 2015–On Participating in Year and A Day Study Groups: Wicca: A Year and A Day is a reflective guide to exploring Wicca, not only as a spiritual tradition, but as a means of accessing the deepest parts of your spiritual nature. Many who commit to the journey find it transformative. While the book is intended to be an individual journey (as are all shamanic journeys), you will find that there are many Year and A Day study groups not only local to you, but easily accessible via social media. I try to participate in as many of the Facebook Year and A Day groups as my schedule allows. If you are a FB Year and A Day organizer, and would like me to participate for sporadic comments and/or questions in your group, please feel free to reach me through my FB profile (click here)! If my participation is limited due to publishing demands, please accept my apology in advance! Blessings, my friends.
This website Copyright (c) 2015, Timothy Roderick|All rights reserved.


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Destroyer and Sandro Perri Crescent Ballroom Thursday, May 7
See also: Destroyer Got Rejected By Jazz Festivals, Which Is Good for Pop Fans
Speaking with Dan Bejar of Canadian indie rock band (or smooth jazz or '80s pop or Bowie-worshiping-street-poet rock -- the band was all of these at various points in the evening) Destroyer, he told me the initial plan for this delayed-but-welcome leg of the Kaputt tour was to tour only jazz festivals.
See our full Destroyer slideshow. But the jazzbos weren't having it. Anyone's guess why a band doing more to make sexy sax and flute cool than just about anyone this side of Bon Iver would get rejected by the festivals, but it worked out for the best. Taking the stage at Crescent Ballroom armed with a supply of beer, a white Ralph Lauren button-down, and a look of detached intensity, Bejar let the seven-piece band do most of the heavy lifting, offering up his stream of consciousness rants, rife with nods to pop culture and political asides, in power, enigmatic bursts.
Opener Sandro Perri, whose 2011 album Impossible Shapes found critics and fans comparing him to the likes of Boz Scaggs and Arthur Russell, was excellent. Backed by a stellar drummer, a keyboardist, and a dude who switched between samples, keys, and bass guitar, Perri's music felt groovy while rarely falling into a specified groove. It twisted and bucked, but Perri's soulful lyrics and quiet delivery assured that the songs never felt like complicated math equations. When Destroyer's saxophone/flautist hopped on stage, things got even more intriguing, as he layered sounds over the songs while quickly grabbing looks at pages of sheet music scattered on the ground.
Perri's guitar buzzed and rattled -- though he later apologized for the technical difficulties (probably a dying battery in this pedal chain), I liked disintegrating quality of the chords and leads, the punch of the attack followed by a soft electronic decay. I thought it was on purpose.
Bejar and band stuck pretty close to Kaputt during the setlist, but branched out with opener "The Music Lovers," from 2004's Your Blues. That record found Bejar tinkering with synths and mostly alone, so it made for a powerful contrast as the band added might and heft to the compositions.
Bejar, for the most part, was content to kneel at the foot of the stage and drink as the band replicated passages of his songs. Which isn't to say he wasn't engaged -- somewhere along the line, Destroyer morphed into a fully-formed rock 'n' roll outfit. Bejar was the guy at the center, but the swirls of electric guitar, processed flute, trumpet, and saxophone, thumping bass, and electronically augmented drums took the core elements of songs like "Chinatown," "Savage Night at the Opera," and Rubies' "European Oils" (a favorite of mine) and pushed them outward to a sonic space where they showed off the same kind of a reach as Bejar's lyrics.
Not offering much more than a couple words of thanks the dancing, excited crowd, Bejar's magnetism was ultra-apparent on the evening's closing song, the epic "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker." Opening with a few minutes of harsh noise, it pushed the limits of a few crowd members before segueing into a sea of ambient tones and lilting flute before breaking into crisp New Order-style beats. "Enter through the exit, and exit through the entrance when you can," Bejar sang, the sort of cryptic and interesting couplet he's made his name with.
The band marched off, but left a looping screech playing, indicating they would at least return to shut it off. They did, performing one more tune, another Kaputt classic (they kind of all feel that way), "Blue Eyes." "I write poetry for myself, I wrote poetry for myself," Bejar crooned, and it felt appropriate. He may do it for himself, but with this tight performing ensemble, you get the sense he's doing it for us a little too.
Setlist: "The Music Lovers" "Savage Night at the Opera" "European Oils" "Downtown" "English Music" "Kaputt" "Looter's Follies" "Chinatown" "Rubies" "Libby's First Sunrise" "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker"
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"Blue Eyes"
Critic's Notebook: Last Night: Destroyer and Sandro Perri at Crescent Ballroom The Crowd: A lot of dancing, and a couple of older dudes who looked like they'd been "chasing cocaine through the back rooms of the world all night." Most Unusual Dance Move of the Evening: Air-bowing. Yeah, drawing back an invisible string and firing off an invisible arrow at the dude playing saxophone. Overheard: "Play 'Painter in Your Pocket!'" I'm with you, dude. I'm Sick of Irony: Look, talking about being sick of irony is almost as hipster as liking things ironically; but I'm serious -- saxophones and flutes aren't inherently funny, and I could be wrong here, but I don't think anyone had to check themselves before simply enjoying the sounds. Record I Felt Like Listening to On the Drive Home: Low, by David Bowie


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D/A | AWG | Arbitrary Waveform Generator Products up to 60 MS/s | Spectrum
PCI Express Cards
PCI Express (PCIe) is the standard platform for all current PC based systems and also for the future. The PCI Express bus is a point to point connection allowing full speed for every single slot making it well suitable for multi card systems and later expansions. Read more
PCI Express Cards between 20 MS/s and 60 MS/s
PCI/PCI-X Cards
The PCI bus in the form that is used today was first introduced in 1995. The last years it has been the most common platform for PC based instrumentation boards. Nowadays PCI based systems are more and more superseded by PCI Express based systems. Read more
PCI/PCI-X Cards between 20 MS/s and 60 MS/s
PXI/CompactPCI 3U
Based on the CompactPCI 3U standard the PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) enhancement was defined especially for the measurement user. In this specification additional lines for measure ment purposes are defined. Read more


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Erie Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic is the healthcare profession that focuses on the muscular, skeletal, and neurological systems by assessing the bones in your spine and other joints, finding the misalignment, and fixing it with an adjustment. One of the most important aspects of the body is the nervous system. Our nervous system controls everything. All of the signals come from our brain and extend out to the rest of the body by working their way down through our spinal cord. These nerves then travel through smaller openings to relay their messages to the rest of the body. Chiropractic focuses on making sure that these signals are uninterrupted by keeping the spine clear of misalignments.
Chiropractic has helped people find relief from pain, not only of the back, but other parts of the body as well. Our Erie chiropractors love working with knees, ankles, shoulders, wrists, and additional extremities too. Come find out how good your body can feel today!


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Free booklet highlights safety and health risks from improper use of chlorinator systems
As commercial and community pools across the nation prepare for summer, NSF Intl. and the ACCU-TAB system commercial pool water treatment group of PPG Industries are working to inform aquatic health inspectors and pool owners and operators about the importance of using properly certified chlorine tablets. They have co-published a free guide called "For Safety's Sake" that explains how to spot improper operation and why substitute tablets can be dangerous.
"The start of pool season is a critical time for NSF and for health inspectors to educate pool owners and operators on the importance of using only chlorine tablets certified for use as part of an NSF-certified feeder system," said Dave Purkiss, general manager of the water treatment and distribution products program at NSF. "Failure to use tablets certified as part of an NSF Standard 50 chemical feeder system cannot only put swimmers' health at risk, but it can also place the pool out of compliance with state and local health codes that require NSF/ANSI Standard 50 certification."
According to NSF and PPG, substituting generic or "knock-off" tablets may create health and safety risks for patrons that could lead to health code violations and shutdowns. It can result in the under- or over-chlorination of water due to varying delivery rates, and it can increase the potential for noxious fumes and even fire or explosion caused by mixing incompatible chemicals.
"The use of mismatched 'knock-off' tablets in a chlorinator system can not only void the manufacturer's warranty and give uncontrolled delivery rates, but it can result in an inadvertent mixing of incompatible chemicals that may generate heat, release toxic gas and potentially cause a violent detonation in the feeder," said Dr. Stan Pickens, PPG senior research associate for the Accu-Tab chlorination system.
The results can be catastrophic, as such explosions could damage equipment and cause injuries to personnel nearby. As a result, it is important not only for pool owners to be aware of the dangers, but also for health inspectors to be on the lookout for violations.
"The responsibility lies with pool operators to thoroughly understand and follow their chlorinator manufacturer's product guidelines in order to prevent health and safety risks for patrons and operators," Pickens said.
To download or order a copy of the free booklet, visit www.accu-tab.com/poolsafety.