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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Introducing... Comic Heroes
As its title makes clear, Comic Heroes focuses on heroes from comic books, and the spotlight falls mainly on American superheroes. This is to be expected, what with the ever-increasing number of superhero movies around and in production. It's also a canny way to sell a magazine about comics to retailers like WH Smith and Asda because even their staff must have heard of Iron Man by now.
Comic Heroes doesn't come cheap. It's a staggering £7.99. For your money you get a 132 page glossy magazine that's packed with articles, and three free gifts (2000AD fridge magnets, a huge poster, and a free "mystery comic" - mine was Wolverine and Hulk No.6), - all packaged within a sealed cardboard envelope (shown above) so you can't thumb through the mag in the shop. Not sure that's a great idea but maybe it'll mean a few less browsers who clog up shop aisles selfishly reading mags they don't intend buying. (I saw one bloke sit on the floor to make his browsing more comfortable yesterday. That's just taking the p- anyway, I digress...)
The contents of issue one cover the new Iron Man and Kick-Ass movies, give a run through of recent "events" in the DC Universe (reminding me why I stopped buying DC Comics), spotlights the art of Guy Davis, interviews brilliant writer Al Ewing, features a five-page preview of an upcoming Superman comic, begins a feature on How to Write For Comics, and much more.
While it's fantastic to see a proper, slick, high profile magazine on comics in UK newsagents it's sad that, once again, British comics are low on the priority of contents. This is the same thing that, for me, blighted such previous magazines as Comics World and Tripwire. I can fully understand that superhero / sf fantasy material must take the lead in these mags because a) they're trying to attract the people who will be going to see Iron Man 2 etc, and b) they're also trying to attract core fandom.
Although The Beano sells more copies than The Incredible Hulk, the readers of The Beano are younger and not as integrated as fans of American comics are. And if the forum ComicsUK is anything to go by most nostalgic fans of old British comics tend not to like current comics very much, so as they're unlikely to plonk down £7.99 for Comic Heroes anyway it'd be pointless pitching the mag towards them.
So... by necessity Comic Heroes mainly focuses on the sort of comics you'll find in a comics specialist shop, not the ones you'd find in a newsagent. 2000AD does get a look in though, and there's a nice eight page article on French comics, so I'm optimistic that future issues might give some space to British comics of the past 100 years, particularly humour comics which mags like this always tend to overlook. (Just because comics such as Wham!, Funny Wonder, and Buster were created for children and not teenagers/young adults it doesn't mean the skills involved in producing them were any less accomplished. Let's hear it for those comic heroes Eagle-Eye Junior Spy, The Cloak, and I-Spy.)
It's one thing to give a necessary bias towards overseas material but quite another to ignore our product altogether. The mag's tendency to play down UK comics is most noticeable in the introduction to the French comics feature: "Comics aren't just an American thing, oh no. Guy Haley crosses the Channel to take a look at the bandes desinées of France...". Hello? Over a century of British comics right here? Sheesh. Consider if a similar sentence had been written about music, or film, or literature, and imagine how crazy it would be to read that in a British publication.
However perhaps I'm being a little unfair in focusing on one criticism that will no doubt be rectified in forthcoming issues. Comic Heroes is a good magazine; well written, expertly designed, and with a tone that's just right, being more mature than Wizard and not as aloof as The Comics Journal. It's the sort of comics magazine we need and now is the best time to launch it. At the moment the magazine is quarterly, so that eases the strain on the wallet a bit. Let's hope it's a success.
15 comments:
Are there any actual original comics in it? Sounds like the perfect place to put some of your mini marvels or something similar. Beside the free reprints is they anything new? Also - £7.99!!! Good job its not weekly!
- Tuesday, 16 March 2010 at 22:59:00 GMT
- Lew Stringer said...
No original strips Steve. It's a magazine about comics, not a comic in itself. It would be nice for it to feature a little gag strip though but I don't expect it will.
- Tuesday, 16 March 2010 at 23:37:00 GMT
- Mike said...
Eight pounds an issue? That's totally insane. What's worse is the main story for the first issue isn't comics based, it's movie based, and there are already more than enough magazines covering Kick Ass and Iron Man 2.
Also, the free comic thing isn't really going to work if you get, as you did, issue 6 of a random title. Is the USP of it that there may be some 'super rare' comic hidden in a few issues.
It's all a bit wrong.
- Wednesday, 17 March 2010 at 00:09:00 GMT
- Lew Stringer said...
That price does seem crazy but apparently they did a Comic Heroes special in the same format and price a few months back and it was very successful so they decided to do it as a quarterly.
I think the £7.99 price is part of the incentive for Smiths etc to stock it. Retailers probably wouldn't give shelf space for 12 weeks to a cheaper mag. Yes, I'm sure it'll put off readers but that's retail logic.
- Wednesday, 17 March 2010 at 01:07:00 GMT
If they are talking movies and its out every 3 months then its got to be super ahead of everyone else. People wont be buying this in a months time when Empire or someone has even newer exclusive pictures of the new Iron Man film and Kick Ass has been and gone in the cinemas. Maybe its going to find itself needing original comics or some exclusive content along the same lines in it??
- Wednesday, 17 March 2010 at 12:52:00 GMT
- John Field said...
Lew, this has prompted me to buy my first printed magazine in years. I also agree on the eight pounds! I often spy the endless array of glossy mags in supermarkets etc. & wonder who buys them all on a regular basis. Let's see if I'm up for issue 2...
(Fortean Times around 2007, if anyone's wondering!)
- Thursday, 18 March 2010 at 14:07:00 GMT
- James Spiring said...
If people are worried about Comic Heroes not covering the British stuff, they shouldn't worry about it. We already have Crikey! for that anyway.
- Friday, 19 March 2010 at 01:02:00 GMT
- Lew Stringer said...
Very true James although since the collapse of Borders Crikey is no longer in High Street shops so Comic Heroes is the only mag out there for people who don't go into comic shops.
- Friday, 19 March 2010 at 02:09:00 GMT
- Emperor said...
You should get in and offer your expertise and/or give Michael Molcher a nudge - he interviewed Al Ewing for that piece and might be signed up for more (I've not asked him), so might be open to ideas...
- Friday, 19 March 2010 at 02:13:00 GMT
- Kid said...
Regarding the price, perhaps this is just an introductory price to cover the cost of the "free" gifts and cardboard envelope. Let's hope it's only about £4.99 when it gets to issue 2.
I'm not surprised that it didn't cover British comics (2000AD apart) because, as you say, THE BEANO and THE DANDY are seen as kids' comics - whereas American Superhero comics have a teenage and adult audience, and foreign comics like ASTERIX and TIN-TIN are also aimed primarily at an older readership than 5 to 12 year olds. (Also, BUSTER, WHAM, and the like, are no longer current publications, and I assume that the mag isn't really intended to appeal to nostalgists - it's aiming at the contemporary comics scene.) Just about every other country in the world that produces comics regards them as a legitimate artform and not just kiddie-fodder as they're viewed in Britain. However, hopefully we will see some mention of yesteryear's gems in future issues.
- Saturday, 20 March 2010 at 00:25:00 GMT
I don't know how they figure that France is "the world's 3rd largest producer of comics". Of course, Japan is the first, but sales figures in France are much bigger than in the USA, so I'd say they're number 2, and I think even Italy could compete with the USA for number 3.
- Saturday, 20 March 2010 at 19:45:00 GMT
The prices for Genre magazines such as SFX, Doctor Who etc is unfeasable when compared to more mainstream lifestyle publications like Bella, TV Quick or whatever.
I think the way magazines have to be produced as bound slick volumes is largely to blame as the stapled and more disposable mags or comics are notably far less expensive.
I got far more enjoyment & information out of 'Comics Retrospective' then any attempted mainstream effort like this new 'Comics Heroes' and i do wish we could see a return to less ambitious modes of publishing...
(Is there a site that actually lists Sales for british comics BTW?)
- Sunday, 21 March 2010 at 14:04:00 GMT
- locusmortiis said...
unfortunately Kid, I doubt that there will be a price decrease for subsequent issues. This is a spinoff of the SFX Specials series. I got the first 30 or so SFX Special magazines when they were £5.99
About a year ago they put up the price to £7.99 for which they put the mag in a cardboard packet and included some "free gifts" like beer mats and fridge magnets and posters advertising current films.....crap in other words.
I wrote on the SFX forum complaining about the price increase and was told that since the price increase sales had gone up and that people liked the "free gifts".
So it seems that just like kids comics are now festooned with plastic crap on the covers in order to sell them to adhd addled kids so it seems that is now translating into publications aimed at adults.
- Sunday, 21 March 2010 at 20:45:00 GMT
- Lew Stringer said...
I don't think the price would decrease that much even if they switched to the flimsy TV Quick format Dave. The women's mags you mention have a huge circulation so the unit cost is lower to produce them.
Also, readers of genre mags tend to like good quality photographs that the slicker production can give them.
Mainly though I think the higher price is used as an incentive for supermarkets and retail chains to stock them. Sadly such shops wouldn't be interested in giving shelf space for three months to a quarterly genre mag unless they were getting a good percentage out of it.
- Monday, 22 March 2010 at 00:45:00 GMT
- Lew Stringer said...
PS: Dave, here's the site that has circulation figures for some UK comics: http://www.abc.org.uk/
Put the name of a comic/mag in the search bar and you'll find it. Not all comics are included though.
- Tuesday, 23 March 2010 at 12:59:00 GMT

subset: commoncrawl


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Solving real-world problems with unconventional solutions: Using bacteria to heal wounds
One in 12 Americans are diabetic, a number expected to rise to one in three by 2050.
It's no surprise then that chronic wounds – a common problem in patients with underlying diseases like diabetes – and related dressing expenditures are also climbing. With costs for related treatments and medical supplies totaling $2.8 billion annually in the United States, a glaring need exists for cost-effective dressing that decreases healing times and reduces pain. Research out of Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) might have the answer, in the form of a new, recombinant designer collagen.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and serves as the major structural building block of most tissues, directing many complex processes, like wound healing. Because of its useful properties, collagen has long been used for wound dressings, bone grafts and other vascular applications. Specific cues within collagen offer the blueprint that cells follow to heal wounds, or even make new bone. However, only animal-derived collagen is currently available, leaving no opportunity to enhance collagen's natural cues, until now.
Founded on an initial discovery from researchers at the TAMHSC Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT), ECM Technologies – a Houston-based biotech startup – is looking to bring a new, bacterial-derived designer collagen to market. Unlike mammal-derived collagens, the designer counterpart can be engineered to contain cues for specific, unmet biomedical needs.
ECM Technologies co-founders Magnus Hook, PhD, and Brooke Russell, PhD, both faculty members at the TAMHSC IBT, are looking to translate this novel discovery into a product for patients in need.
"A designer collagen could ultimately instruct cells to close a wound quicker than ever before because now we are able to genetically manipulate pre-set collagen cues," Russell said.
Ultimately, the designer collagen would be applied to the wound as a gel, with less disease risk than current animal-based materials available on the market today. Additionally, the dressing would shape to asymmetrical wounds, degrade over time to decrease dressing change pain, resist bacterial adhesion and be highly scalable, at a low cost. The designer collagen-based dressing could be used in outpatient clinics for chronic wounds, but could also be applicable for burns and surgical site incisions.
Additionally, by defining new cues in the designer collagen (a process that, until now, has not been possible), the research team hopes to find solutions to age-old problems, including decreasing scar formation, faster medical device integration and closing chronic wounds before amputation.
While the Houston-based startup company was originally founded in 2007, only recently has the company been in a position to begin advancing its products to the next phase of development. In an effort to propel the company's biomedical discoveries to market, ECM Technologies was recently inducted into the inaugural class of the Texas Medical Center accelerator program (TMCx), which accepted only 22 companies from a pool of over 260 applicants from across the globe.
As part of the six-month accelerator program, designed to help startups overcome commercialization hurdles, Russell will participate in workshops to understand how best to navigate the non-scientific world of intellectual property, product development, regulatory strategies, health policy, marketing, fundraising, contract negotiations and communications.
"As part of the Texas Medical Center's strategic planning process, we developed the accelerator program to propel discoveries into real clinical therapies that benefit patients," said Brett P. Giroir, MD, CEO of TAMHSC. "A key part of this process is forming companies and attracting capital investment, and with the accelerator program, we achieve both of these goals while keeping the companies in Texas – not losing them to the east or west coast at their very inception."
ECM Technologies also recently received a Small Business Innovation Research Program grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to allow for further development on the company's wound healing project.
"I'm often overwhelmed at the potential of this technology and I'm thrilled that I have the opportunity to work towards it becoming an actual tangible product," Russell said. "With help from TMCx and others, we are moving this technology from bench to bedside, into a product that will one day benefit those most in need and that's an incredible feeling."
Media contact: Dee Dee Grays, 979.436.0611.


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Is The Line Between 'Hacker' And 'Criminal' Really That Fuzzy?
from the only-if-you-don't-really-understand-stuff deptWe recently wrote about a series of cases where young computer hackers were either charged or threatened with criminal charges for doing things that don't seem particularly criminal at all. The NY Times now has a blog post on more or less the same subject, but focusing on the "fuzzy and shifting line between hacker and criminal." While it's good that more attention is getting paid to these kinds of questionable cases, I wonder if that framing is really accurate. I don't think there's a "line" -- fuzzy, shifting or not -- between "hacker" and "criminal." The two things are different. Can you be a criminal hacker? Sure. But the problem is that many non-techie folks seem to assume that any kind of hacking must be criminal. And that's the problem. It's not that some imaginary line is moving around, but that some people don't seem to understand that hacking itself is not criminal, and that there are plenty of good reasons to hack -- including to expose security holes.
Filed Under: cracker, criminal, freedom to tinker, hacker, intent


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An online magazine of faith based on a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. The mission of Unitarian Universalism: A Way Of Life ministries is to sanctify the world by helping people become aware of their holiness.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Don't worry, be happy - Bobby McFerrin or Hosea Ballou?
Ballou, in reaction to the Calvanist doctrine of the day, believed and preached that everyone deserves to be happy. This is not a new idea but in the historical context of colonial America it was startling contrast to Calvanist preaching of hell fire and brimstone and predestination.
Hosea Ballou wrote in his A Treatise On Atonement:
I know it is frequently contended that we ought to love God for what he is, and not for what we receive from him; that we ought to love holiness for holiness' sake, and not for any advantage such a principle is for us. This is what I have often been told, but what I never could see any reason for, or propriety in. I am asked if I love an orange; I answer I never tasted of one; but I am told I must love the orange for what it is! Now I ask, is it possible for me either to like or dislike the orange, in reality, until I taste it? Well, I taste of it, and like it. Do you like it? says my friend. Yes, I reply, its flavor is exquisitely agreeable. But that will not do, says my friend; you must not like it because it its taste is agreeable, but you must like it because it is an orange. If there be any propriety in what my friend says, it is out of my sight. A man is traveling on the sands of Arabia, he finds no water for a number of days; the sun scorches and he is exceedingly dry; at last he finds water and drinks to his satisfaction; never did water taste half so agreeably before. To say that this man loves the water because it is water, and not because of the advantage which he receives from it, betrays a large share of inconsistency. Would not this thirsty traveler have loved the burning sand as well as he did the water if it had tasted as agreeably as did the water? The sweet Psalmist of Israel said, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." And an apostle says, "We love him because he loved us first." What attribute do we ascribe to God that we do not esteem on account of its advantage to us?
Today with the advance of secularism and the Positive Psychology movement and our materialistic consumerism, Americans hear constantly that they not only deserve to be happy but they can be happy if they buy this product and/or partake of this service. Advertising barrages people with messages about what can make them happy. It leaves no doubt in the modern mind that people are suppose to pursue their own happiness and, even further, are entitled to it. It has become the American way according to our secular faith.
So what does Ballou's theology have to offer people in our secular society where the pursuit of happiness is not only expected but is everyone's constitutional right?
Perhaps it is not that they deserve to be happy, people accept this as a given unlike in Ballou's time, but rather what will make them happy. More stuff probably won't do it. More entertainment, more power, more sex, a better figure, lots of money helps, but isn't ultimately going to cut it.
What will make a person spiritually happy?
I am not sure what Ballou would say, but it seems that it is something to do with the experience of the transcendent. Ballou would say that it is not knowing about the transcendent, but the actual experience of the transcendent which will make a person happy. I don't know if Ballou has suggestions for how to experience the transcendent? Does anyone know?
5 comments:
- JeremyMay 9, 2010 at 8:42 AM
Secularism is not a faith. It is the natural state of living things before the thought (and behavior) controlling interference of humans bent on inculcating and manipulating others to believe in (faith) and act in a proscribed manner.ReplyDelete
The pursuit of happiness, both the phrase, by Jefferson (and Franklin) found in the United States constitution, and the concept with origins in the Enlightenment, is thought to have been first articulated and subsequently used as an alternative to property i.e. Life, Liberty and Property v. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
In William Wollaston's 1722 book The Religion of Nature Delineated he describes the "truest definition" of "natural religion" as being "The pursuit of happiness by the practice of reason and truth."
Reason and truth
Dear Jeremy:ReplyDelete
Thank you for your post and you make good points.
I think human beings have always been religious though. They were a supersitious bunch who were animistic in their origin and prayed to the weather gods, animal gods, etc.
Religion is built into us and comes along with consciousness I suspect.
The idea that secularism is is the naturual state of living things is not correct. It came with the enlightenment as you point out. It is a very new phenomenon in the history of homo sapiens.
All the best,
David Markham
- JeremyMay 9, 2010 at 10:08 AM
I disagree. Every baby ever born is a secularist. I disagree also with the misguided notion that humans are born hard wired to be religious. Chomsky believed humans are hard-wired for language too, but this hard-wired theory is not proof, and contemporary thinkers believe Chompsky and Armstrong are mistaken. Secularism does not have an enlightenment origin, much earlier Greek and Roman philosophers thought and wrote about Secularism. Enlightenment figures simply expounded upon the concept. Animism, I would argue is not equivalent to religion although neither is it based on reason and truth. But, that humans are subject to delusion seems, alas, to be a fact.ReplyDelete
Well, as someone who has spent a good deal of time reading and studying him, I'd have to say the Tapestry of Faith curriculum misinterprets Ballou. Ballou's major theme in the Treatise is not happiness per se, it is sin and salvation. In the Treatise, Ballou argues that original sin is a concept that was applied to the Bible by later thinkers; that there is no such thing as hell; that Jesus did not die to atone for humankind's sins; that all persons will go to heaven after death. Along the way, Ballou also argues for a non-Trinitarian understanding of God; he also comes to the conclusion that free will is significantly restricted. (The passage you quote actually has little or nothing to do with happiness; Ballou is making an argument about the nature of God.) Ballou's argument about happiness has to do with what happens after death, not what will happen in this life.ReplyDelete
I also have to say that the Tapestry of Faith curriculum is steering you wrong if they're calling Ballou a UU theologian -- he was very definitely a Universalist theologian; and he wrote the Treatise in 1805, 20 years before the American Unitarian Association was organized.
Dear Dan:ReplyDelete
Thanks very much for your illuminating comments. I have not read Ballou myself and only know what the Tapestry Of Faith has written and taught about him. I suspected that the situation was just as you describe. Is Ballou worth the effort of reading?
I appreciate your clarifications a great deal.
All the best,
David Markham


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Arnold Incident
|Incident Name:
|Arnold Incident
|Incident Time:
|Incident Date:
|Incident Location:
23000 Block of Arnold Avenue
|Incident Type:
|Structure Fire
|Resources Used:
Engines 23, 24, 21, 25; Truck 21;
Battalion 2, 6; Investigation Unit;
Information 1
Derby Acres, CA
At 12:22 AM, Kern County Firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire with a trapped victim in the 23000 block of Arnold Avenue. A reinforced structure response was started by dispatchers. First arriving crews encountered a 900 square foot single-story home with flames coming out of the front living room. Firefighters forced entry through a gate and took a hose line into the home as they searched for the victim. As crews searched and worked to control the fire, the missing adult female was located unharmed in a separate travel trailer behind the home. The fire was extinguished in 25 minutes. Structure value loss is estimated at $80,000 and the cause is under investigation by KCFD Fire Investigators. Two adults and four children have been displaced by the fire (Red Cross assistance was declined). The four children were taken by Hall ground ambulance to San Joaquin Community Hospital for smoke inhalation. The adult male was flown by Hall Medevac-1 to San Joaquin Community Hospital with significant burn injuries.
Additional Information: Firefighters could not locate a smoke alarm within the residence. The Kern County Fire Department urges residents to have a working smoke alarm and to practice home evacuation drills with your family.
Assisting Agencies: Hall Ambulance, KCSO, PG&E, The Gas Company, KC Building Dept.


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The world's deep ocean spans more than half the planet and untold quantities of untapped energy resources, precious metals, and minerals reside in its depths. Humankind needs and depends upon many of the deep ocean's treasures, and the race is already on to exploit them.
In the May 16 issue of Science, scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and their co-authors call for stewardship of the world's largest living space—striking a balance between wise use of vast resources and maintaining the deep ocean's delicate ecological balance—now before permanent loss occurs.
"Most of the deep ocean has never been explored. But what we have seen reveals a vast diversity of life forms and habitats important to the heath of our planet," said Lisa Levin, director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Oceanography. "Slow-growing species are the norm, and some ecosystems once injured may never recover."
The deep ocean, below 200 meters (656 feet), faces mounting challenges, as impacts from activities such as fishing, oil and gas development, waste disposal, and land-based pollution have already caused long-term and possibly irreversible injury to some deep ocean environments. Industrial-scale mining looms on the horizon. Governance of the water column and the seabed below 200 meters (656 feet) is a mixed bag of regulations across national and international jurisdictions, throwing more stumbling blocks in the path to ensure the long-term health of the deep ocean.
"To advance deep-ocean stewardship," said Kathryn Mengerink, lead author of the paper, the CMBC senior fellow for environmental law and policy, and the Environmental Law Institute's Ocean Program co-director, "we need to move forward with caution, protecting and minimizing impacts to known sensitive species and areas and the vast unknown. We should invest in improving our knowledge of the deep before further exploiting its resources, so that we don't suffer irreversible loss of incredible organisms and ecosystems."
The International Seabed Authority has already developed regulations for mining exploration for the international seabed and has just started the process to develop exploitation regulations. In addition, many nations are in the process of leasing for offshore mining.
According to Mengerink, "Now is the time to carefully design laws and policies that enable wise use of mining and other resources, while maintaining healthy oceans and communities."
Given the substantial knowledge gaps, future exploitation of deep-ocean resources will inevitably be punctuated with new discoveries as well as unexpected harmful effects of planned activities. Both will require transparent and adaptive decision-making, balancing exploitation with lasting protection of habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
The ideas for this paper arose during an inaugural meeting of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI).
According to Levin, one of DOSI's founders, "The Initiative is designed to bring natural and social scientists, regulators, the private sector, and civil society together to provide guidance on environmental management of the deep ocean. We humans don't have a great track record with stewardship of land and our coastal ocean. Hopefully, we can do a better job with the deep half of the planet."
This paper is part of ELI's broader efforts to support sustainable management of the deep ocean, including its Gulf of Mexico Program to support the public's role in restoration in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster of 2010.
The J.M. Kaplan Fund and the International Network for Scientific Investigation of deep-sea ecosystems (INDEEP) through a grant from Fondation Total have supported development of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative.
— Environmental Law Institute
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today on every continent and in every ocean. The institution has a staff of more than 1,400 and annual expenditures of approximately $195 million from federal, state, and private sources. Scripps operates oceanographic research vessels recognized worldwide for their outstanding capabilities. Equipped with innovative instruments for ocean exploration, these ships constitute mobile laboratories and observatories that serve students and researchers from institutions throughout the world. Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine life through exhibits and programming for more than 430,000 visitors each year. Learn more at scripps.ucsd.edu and follow us at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About UC San Diego
At the University of California San Diego, we embrace a culture of exploration and experimentation. Established in 1960, UC San Diego has been shaped by exceptional scholars who aren't afraid to look deeper, challenge expectations and redefine conventional wisdom. As one of the top 15 research universities in the world, we are driving innovation and change to advance society, propel economic growth and make our world a better place. Learn more at www.ucsd.edu.


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Licensed owners of PhiMatrix 1.618 can update now to the most recent version for free within a year of purchase. See the list of new features below. Download the latest version of the software for your PC or Mac on the Download page.
Version History
07-15-2014 PhiMatrix Update
- Converted PhiMatrix 1.618 Professional to a new third party licensing provider to eliminate issues with activation with the previous one.
- Added the "Silver Ratio" to the standard set of ratios in PhiMatrix 1.618 Pro.
- Changed the default grids available from the Grid icon in PhiMatrix Golden Ratio Design to make it more useful.
- Added a new grid function in PhiMatrix Golden Ratio design that radiates grids out from the center to the sides.
06-01-2014 PhiMatrix Golden Ratio Design Update
- Released a new version of PhiMatrix with a far simpler interface called PhiMatrix Golden Ratio Design. It's single strip of icons is designed to be easier and more intuitive for creative types.
03-09-2014 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
- Completely changed the icon set of the Control Window user interface to a more colorful, intuitive modern look.
- Added a new section to the Control Window that provides almost 30 preset buttons for one-click access to grids and functions of the View menu. Clicking on each button cycles through variations on each grid. Hovering and rolling the mouse over each button cycles through other variations for that grid.
- Made minor improvements in various behaviors of the user interface.
- Added menu options under the Help menu to connect to PhiMatrix on various social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
- Fixed a bug on saving the Color Palette generator images on the Mac version.
10-08-2012 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added pentagon and pentagram shapes to the grid templates available from the View menu.
Increased the width of the draggable borders used for moving and resizing the grid and/or application window for increased ease of use.
Eliminated the automatic resizing of the grid to the default 320×240 pixel size that was occurring when a new grid type is selected from the View menu.
Corrected an error on the sizing of the largest grid segment that occurred when using the "Outward" option in the H Progression and V Progression controls in the "Gridline Ratios and Shapes" section of the Control Window. (Expert mode)
10-23-2011 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added a new feature to enable locking of the Aspect ratio at its current setting to make it easier for resizing consistently.
Moved 'Always On Top' option to View menu from File menu to be more consistent with the functions of each menu.
Added keyboard hotkeys to access all the key File menu commands. (Note that Control-X can be used to reset saved default settings that may have resulted in undesirable settings with the grid or control window saved off the screen. Click on the PhiMatrix icon in the system tray, press, Control-X, close and reopen PhiMatrix.)
In response to user requests, added a new diagonal pattern set for root 2, 3, 4, and 5 rectangles used in composition.
In response to user requests, added a new Forex / stock market price – time extension grid, accessed via the View menu.
Simplified menu choices for Golden Spirals to eliminate selecting Landscape and Portrait orientations.
Updated look of icons with the update of the development platform.
Added a PhiMatrix logo splash screen as the software loads.
Corrected centering a launch of program of Control Window and Grid on monitors of various resolutions.
Improved the look and organization of menu items with separator bars and transparent icons.
3-20-2011 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Corrected and error in the previous update that was causing the Levin Dental Grid to display on the Center mode when selected from the View menu option.
2-27-2011 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added a new "Shape" control to the Control Window (Expert mode section). Separating the Shapes from the Ratio option allows the user to change the line ratios of circles, ovals and triangles in addition to rectangular grids.
Added the new feature for "Always On Top" (Windows version only at this time) and the "Shape" option to the user default and saved settings files.
Added the Digital 16:10 aspect ratio to the standard options of the Aspect control.
Converted the "View Diagonals" menu options to symbols for ease of use across all languages. Completed international version text translations for the diagonal and triangle features added on 12-30-2010.
Added menu icons for the "Always On Top" (Windows version only) and Zoom features for ease of understanding and use.
Added an built-in support window to improve the quality of information collected in order to improve product support.
Improved the behavior of Control Window when resizing to fit international languages and large default system font sizes.
Added Polish as an international language option.
1-7-2011 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added a user selectable option in the Windows version to make the Control Window stay "Always on Top." This option can be activated and deactivated by selecting it from the File menu. Mac users can use a free utility called Afloat to make PhiMatrix stay "always on top," as described in item 9f of the FAQ page.
12-30-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added an option for two different types of nested triangles, with legs either connecting at a common outside border (outside) or with legs parallel to one another (inside).
Added two more diagonal patterns, bringing the total to twenty-two.
12-19-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added phi-based triangles which can displayed from either the vertical or horizontal axis with a user-selected number of nested triangles.
Added a View menu option to access all the crosshairs and diagonals added in the October 16 release.
Added a variety of new diagonal patterns, bringing the current total to twenty variations.
Corrected various words in the French translation.
Made the main control window resizable to allow it to be adjusted for use with larger fonts or non-English translations with longer control window descriptions. Increased the size of the Control Window description fields so that the non-English translations would be fully visible.
Enhanced the grid resizing options so that using the Alt key in conjunction with the height and width arrows allows the grid height to be resized from either the top or bottom axis and the grid width to be resized from either the left of right axis.
Added HSV values to the existing RGB values that appear in the pop-up window and in the clipboard when a color is selected from the palette.
Improved the restore default function to also delete the last settings saved file.
Corrected the Reset function to eliminate any diagonals that were in use.
10-16-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added a variety of crosshairs and phi-based diagonals, all available from the crosshair icon to the right of the H Axis and V Axis controls. Just click on the icon to cycle through all the available options. These patterns can be used in conjunction with the grid lines or on by themself by setting the number of grid lines to zero.
Added an option to automatically open PhiMatrix with the program settings being used when the program was last exited. Select the Options tab and click on the "Open last settings used" box.
Changed the keyboard-based commands available on the Keys tab so that expanding the grid size from the keyboard is done by holding the Space bar and using the four arrow cursor keys. This was previously controlled by the Control key with the cursor keys but this created a conflict with "resize from center" option that is done with the Control key and mouse movements.
8-30-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added the Golden Spiral arc to complement the Golden Rectangles option in the program. Available from the "Golden Rectangle" option of the View Menu.
Added a rudimentary Human Face grid option to allow comparisons of feature dimensions in facial images. Available from the "Face" option of the View Menu.
Added icon images to many of the menu options for ease of use.
Corrected some translations of the non-English versions, which are available from the Act(ivate) menu.
8-06-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added Hungarian to the language options.
Added a new feature in the View menu to create a "Golden Border" around the grid for framing or matte purposes. This function under the Border option creates a border to the grid in which the area of the border to the area of the grid is phi, the Golden Ratio, resulting in a very aesthetically pleasing matte size. The matte can be selected based on either the image/grid size or the outer border size.
Added a Zoom feature under the View menu to automatically resize the grid and border to a user-designated percentage of the current grid and border. This is useful when using PhiMatrix with an underlying program that Zooms to different view sizes.
Added a resize option using the Control key. When resizing the grid with the Control Key held down, the center point of the grid remains fixed. This is useful for all grids, but particularly working with for circles and ovals.
7-11-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
International version released. All controls, menus, instructions and help tags on mouse rollovers are now available in a selection of languages by going to the Act(ivate) menu. Initial languages in this new release include English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. More languages will be added upon request at no charge to any international user.
3-28-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added a new View menu option, which provides instant access to a variety of grid presets, including Phi Grids, Phi Circles, Phi Ovals, Golden Rectangles, Golden Spirals, Fibonacci Grids, Rule of Thirds, Squares, Rectangles and Levin Dental Grids.
Added a Control Window button and View menu option to toggle hiding or displaying the grid.
Added View menu options to change the border size, aspect ratio and orientation. (These are also available in the Advanced mode of the Control Window.
Enhanced the "Save Settings as Default" menu option by also saving the user's positions of the Control Window, Data Window and Grid.
Enhanced the behavior of several program functions, including improving the Data Window to make the pixel count mode clearer and easier to access and saving the positions of windows when minimizing and restoring.
03-14-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
Added the PhiMatrix Color Palette Creator, a new feature in a separate window that allows the creation of a rich palette of colors based on the golden ratio of two primary colors selected or entered by the user. (I'd like to Michael Semprevivo for his contributions in his PhiBar program, which provided the basic concept for this feature.)
1-1-2010 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
- Added a new grid template, the classic spiral of Golden Rectangles, which is accessed from the Spiral option in Line Ratio dropdown of the Gridline Ratio section.
11-26-2009 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
- Added a new grid template to provide phi-based ovals and circles, which is accessed from the Oval option in Line Ratio dropdown of the Gridline Ratio section.
- Added a Lock button to allow the grid to be locked or inactivated once positioned so that the mouse controls of the grid would not conflict with using the mouse on an underlying program such as Photoshop.
- Corrected a bug on certain uses of the Fibonacci line ratio option.
10-17-2009 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
- Simplified the user interface by grouping the controls into Basic, Advanced (Grid Properties) and Expert (Gridline Ratios) modes.
- Simplified the initial view of the grid by eliminating the optional border around the grid.
- Simplified control window terminology based on user suggestions.
- Added the ability for the user to save grid settings as a default setting that will be used when the program launches.
- Improved behaviors of various controls to work more intuitively.
- Added mouse wheel controls to Control Window controls and to allow repositioning of the grid.
- Added a Center view for the Axis controls the divides the grid in half and then creates phi-based lines from that midpoint.
- Changed the behavior of the Control Window from a global floating window to one that can be minimized like typical Windows and Mac applications.
- Added the Levin Dental grid from our PhiDental program for cosmetic dentistry application as a standard grid option in PhiMatrix.
09-04-2009 PhiMatrix 1.618 Update
- Released the Mac version with a dmg installer package.
- Simplified the installation and registration process by eliminating the Store window and adding these functions to the program menu.
- Improved the Orientation control option so that the height and width are interchanged on moving between landscape and portrait.
- Improved the Grid Ratio user option by allowing input of both the grid line ratio or its reciprocal.
06-18-2009 PhiMatrix 1.618 Initial Release
- Completely reprogrammed in a cross-platform environment to run on XP, Vista and Mac OS X.
- Free floating grid with no application border to obstruct images or other applications.
- Greatly improved user interface with many new features.
Note: Why the jump from 1.1 to 1.618? Because this is a major new release and, like the ratio of Fibonacci series numbers converging on phi, the goal for PhiMatrix is to get closer and closer to a point of perfection, not to just increase the version number.
03-22-2006 PhiMatrix 1.1 Released
- Corrected an error in the dimensions of the golden rectangles in the "Lock to phi landscape" and "Lock to phi portrait" modes.
- Increased the number of available grid lines to 12 from 6.
- Eliminated the transparent appearance of text in the toolbox that occurred when the toolbox was docked.
- Updated version, copyright and download link information on the "About" option of the menu.
04-15-2006 PhiMatrix 1.0 updated to work with RegNow.com software registration system.
11-24-2004 PhiMatrix 1.0 initial software release.
03-11-2000 "Golden Grid" offered at http://www.goldennumber.net/ for printing to transparencies.
11-01-1997 "Golden Ruler" concept introduced on Internet at a predecessor site.


text: Play this interesting online game in which the villains get some importance. You can choose one of the villains featured in the game. Thereafter you will have to add the different ingredients to make a bottle of perfume. Last but not the least you will have to choose the best combination of outfits and accessories to dress up the lovely girl featured in the game.


text:
Adrien Broner Banned From Uber After Going Berserk On Driver
Adrien Broner
Banned From Uber
After Going Berserk On Driver
Exclusive Details
Adrien Broner terrorized his Uber driver — and now he's paying the price … he's been BANNED from using the app ever again all because he's the passenger from hell, TMZ Sports has learned.
The boxing star captured his out-of-control ride on his own social media earlier this week — trying to turn up from the backseat when Drake and Travis Scott's hit "Sicko Mode" started playing.
Broner leans over and unleashes a full-throated scream right in the driver's face — before grabbing the volume knob and turning it to the max.
Then he started wildly dancing — while the driver tried to focus on driving in the rain.
Finally, the driver has enough, slams on the brakes and pulls the car over — demanding Broner and his crew get the hell out of the vehicle immediately.
A rep for Uber tells us … company officials looked into the incident, and decided Broner's behavior was unacceptable and his access to the app has been revoked.
And yeah, guessing his Uber rating sucked anyway …


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E-Book Millionaire Gives Hope to Aspiring Writers March 6, 2011Posted by pacejmiller in Blogging, Misc, On Writing, Websites.
Tags: Amanda Hocking, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Angus & Robertson, Angus and Robertson, bestseller, book, Borders, Charlie Sheen, E-book, publishing, Stephenie Meyer
4 comments
A friend of mine recently sent me a link to an article about 26 year-old Amanda Hocking, who is apparently making 'millions' in the e-book market on Amazon.
Being an aspiring novelist, I was intrigued by her success, especially since there's been nothing but depressing news lately on the publishing front with the collapse of RedGroup Retail, the owner of both the Borders and Angus & Robertson bookseller chains in Australia.
Can a writer really become successful selling e-books on Amazon? Well, Hocking has. She prices her books between 99 cents and $2.99, but gets to keep 70% of all sales. She reportedly sells around 100,000 books a month, so by my calculations that would net her between $70,000 and $210,000 a month. Those are numbers any writer with commercial aspirations would die to have.
Anyway, I looked up Hocking's blog here, and learned that she is American, and she writes paranormal romance, which means that she probably owes some of her success to that person who wrote a love story between a human and a vampire (and a werewolf). Hocking's the bestselling author of Trylle Trilogy and the My Blood Approves series.
However, what I found most interesting came from her post on March 3rd, which really put things in perspective for me. I'll just quote her directly:
Everybody seems really excited about what I'm doing and how I've been so successful, and from what I've been able to understand, it's because a lot of people think that they can replicate my success and what I've done. And while I do think I will not be the only one to do this – others will be as successful as I've been, some even more so – I don't think it will happen that often.
Traditional publishing and indie publishing aren't all that different, and I don't think people realize that. Some books and authors are best sellers, but most aren't. It may be easier to self-publish than it is to traditionally publish, but in all honesty, it's harder to be a best seller self-publishing than it is with a house.
I don't think people really grasp how much work I do. I think there is this very big misconception that I was like, "Hey, paranormal is pretty hot right now," and then I spent a weekend smashing out some words, threw it up online, and woke up the next day with a million dollars in my bank account.
This is literally years of work you're seeing. And hours and hours of work each day. The amount of time and energy I put into marketing is exhausting. I am continuously overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do that isn't writing a book. I hardly have time to write anymore, which sucks and terrifies me.
I also have this tremendous sense of urgency, like if I don't get everything out now and do everything now, while the iron is hot, everything I've worked for will just fall away. For the first time, I truly understand why workaholics are workaholics. You can't stop working, because if you do, it unravels all the work you've already done. You have to keep going, or you'll die.
Or at least that's how it feels.
How about that? I admit, I was one of those people that thought, maybe this is just some girl who got lucky riding the Stephenie Meyer wave, pretty much like how she described it above. But of course, while she must have had some luck along the way (as most successful writers do), she succeeded because of hard work and persistence– not just in writing and editing but also in promoting and marketing her books.
While I do envy Hocking's success, what I envy most is her determination and sense of urgency. She's not an overnight success, even if that's what the media is painting her out to be. She has been writing for years, written 19 books, with 8 novels and 1 novella published. She didn't get e-published until April 2010, and since then has sold 900,000 copies across 9 titles.
That's the mental stuff I need to develop — that burning desire to work every waking moment I get, continuously striving to perfect my craft and work.
Kind of like what Charlie Sheen is doing right now — making the most of his life (and winning!).


text:
Karen Walker is fast becoming known for her innovative and thought-provoking eyewear campaigns. And her latest collection, entitled Visible, is no exception.
Visible is the result of a partnership between the highly regarded designer and the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, a body that aims to create work in community groups of micro-artisans located in urban and rural areas of Kenya. In the case of this partnership, every pair of Karen Walker Eyewear sunglasses sold from the new collection, comes with a minimalist, screen-printed calico pouch made by hand by these artisans in Kenya. More embellished versions will also be available for purchase separately.
There is also an associated series of photographs which takes this partnership's idea one step further, putting the artisans front and centre. "The images bring visibility to this place, these people and the work of the Ethical Fashion Initiative," explains Walker. These images will now grace the pages of numerous advertising campaigns for the collection.
Shot by Derek Henderson and under the creative direction of Mikhail Gherman (an advertising creative and Walker's husband), the series of images consists of intimate portraits depicting those who work within the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative network; from machinists, production managers and metal workers, to members of the Maasai known for their intricate beading work. Additionally, the models in the campaign were paid a talent fee, and the money has been put back into the community to assist overall infrastructure.
The collection remains true to Walker's signature aesthetic of strong shapes, exaggerated scale and bold colours. The lenses used are slightly colour-tinted and translucent, set against frames of intense turquoise, lavender and tangerine as well as the brand's best-selling tortoiseshell.
Karen Walker Eyewear's Summer 2014 Visible collection launches in stores February 3
Further information about The Ethical Fashion Initiative can be found at: ethical-fashion.org


text: Indian Academy School of Management Studies(IASMS) is a center of excellence in Management Education, Research, Training and Consultancy in the Northern Bangalore Area, Bangalore, India. IASMS was established in 2004 by the Indian Academy Education Trust which was constituted in the year, 1998 by a group of academicians driven with a desire to establish top quality educational institutions. Systematic execution of long cherished plans resulted in the establishment of many educational institutions (IAPUC, IADC, IACRPGS, IASON, IACON) in the past decade. IASMS is one of the outcomes of their dedicated work towards education. The school concerns itself with overall development of managers of the new millennium. Hence, the faculty and students are encouraged to take active participation in all events both academic and otherwise. Strong emphasis is laid on external exposure and students are encouraged to take hot and latest research projects in conjunction with their specialization, over and above the curriculum. IASMS, therefore, recognizes that India tomorrow/vision 2020 will be shaped by managers and entrepreneurs who can creatively leverage knowledge, skill-sets, business processes, technology and intellectual capital.


text:
Front Room
Front Room
You can see "Front Room" at the bottom of the page
Third Prize, 8th Lesbisch-Schwule Filmtage, Hamburg, Germany, 1997
Third Prize Experimental, NAP Video Festival, New Arts Program, Pennsylvannia, USA, 1998
Television broadcast: Switch 2, Atelier de recherche de la sept arte, 1999
Collection: Getty Research Institute, Long Beach Museum of Art Contemporary Video Archive, Los Angeles, California, USA
exhibitions and screenings of "Front Room":
- Vinokino, Turku - Helsinki, Finland
- "Extraordinary Men" program curated by Stefan St Laurent, Art Star video Biennal, Galerie Saw Gallery, Ottawa, On, Canada
- Tabor Film Festival, Desinic, Croatia
- San Francisco Cinematheque presents "We Cannot exhibit It: The Videos of Pierre Yves Clouin", Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, USA
- Transpedegouinesroll, Forum des Images, Paris, France
- "Edition Française 2003" Microcinema International "Independent Exposure" The Modern Zoo, at the Portland Center for the Advancement of Culture in Portland, Oregon, 111 Minna Gallery, in San Francisco, California, USA.
- L'appartement, programme Videoformes, Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie, Arles, France
- Videobrazil Electronic Art International Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- "Corps Accords," Vidéoz'Arts, Nantes, France
- Retina 2000, Sellye & Budapest, Hungary
- Forcement Contemporain, Performance of original music composed for works by video artists Pierre-Yves Clouin and Reynald Drouhin, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
- "Switch 2," presented by Claire Doutriaux and Paul Ouazan, L'Atelier de la Sept ARTE, France-Germany, at Les Instants Video de Manosque, Manosque, France
- Videoarchaeology / Sofia-Paris Video 1, presented by HO at Centre Culturel Français and American Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Pervoplanet, 8th Turku Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Turku, Finland
- 4th International Festival of New Film Split, Split, Croatia
- Festivale Vid@rte, Mexico City, Mexico, in "Tendancias," curated by Gabriel Soucheyre
- N.A.P. Video Festival '98, Pennsylvania, continues at Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Freedman Gallery, Reading, Pennsylvania; The Kitchen Center for Video, Music and Dance, New York City, New York, USA
- offline@online, French-Baltic-Nordic Video & New Media Festival, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
- 11èmes Instants Vidéos de Manosque, Manosque, France
- 16th Central Florida Film & Video Festival, Frameworks Alliance, Orlando, Melbourne, and Gainesville, Florida, USA
- 22nd Atlanta Film and Video Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Taos Talking Picture Festival, Taos, New Mexico, USA
- N.A.P. Video Festival '98, New Arts Program, Pennsylvania, USA, at Museum of American Art, Philadelphia; University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma; TZ'Art & Co. Gallery, New York City, New York; and Lafayette College Art Gallery, Easton, Pennsylvania
- The Fourth Annual Victoria International Film & Video Festival, Victoria,British Columbia, Canada
- 13èmes Videoformes, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- MIX Mexico 98, Mexico City, Mexico
- "Independant Exposure: All-Erotic," Blackchair Productions, Seattle, Washington, USA, at The Speakeasy Backroom, Seattle, Washington, and Artist's Television Access, San Francisco, Californie
- Blowing Bubbles, V Edizione, Videomakers contro l'AIDS/International Video Competition on AIDS, Bologna, Italy
- "Queer Discord - Dissenting Voices in Queer Culture," curated by Sarah Turner, The Lux Centre for Film, Video + Digital Arts, London, UK
- HUFF 3, Honolulu Underground Film Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Reeling '97, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- 5th MiX Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
- ostranenie 97 - The International Electronic Media Forum, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Dessau, Germany
- 19e Festival International du Film Indépendant / 7e Mondial de la Vidéo, Brussels, Belgium
- Out the Way, Perth, Australia
- Pervoplanet, Turku, Finland
- 8th Lesbisch-Schwule Filmtage, Hamburg, Germany
- Outfest, Los Angeles, California, USA
- 10th Stockholms Homofilmfestival, Stockholm, Sweden
- "Schrill & Billich - The Trash Nite," 13th International Hamburg Short Film Festival, Hamburg, Germany
- 9th New Festival, New York City, New York, USA
- 5th International Forum of Audiovisual and Multimedia Art, Bandits-Mages, Bourges, France
- European Media Art Festival 1997, Osnabruck, Germany
- THAW 97, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- 11th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, British Film Institute, London, UK
- The Mardi Gras Film Festival, Queer Screen, Sydney, Australia
- 3ème Festival de Films Gays et Lesbiens de Paris, l'entrpôt, Paris, France
© Pierre Yves Clouin
Original Format
Pierre Yves Clouin
"Front Room," Pierre Yves Clouin, accessed May 28, 2020, https://pierreyvesclouin.fr/items/show/105.


text:
It's not likely you'll find another band that's opened for both Lionel Richie and Widespread Panic, in the same year no less. Call it a perfect example of the high-energy celebratory versatility of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a four-decade New Orleans musical institution that's well known for delivering good time horn-driven grooves.
"We just play music, man, any style," said founding Dirty Dozen baritone sax player Roger Lewis, when reached by phone at home in the Crescent City. "That's what we do. We can adapt to anything. That's called being a musician. I'll play with anybody. I don't care what it is."
Lewis went on to ring off some of the band's other notable collaborations, a lengthy list that includes Elvis Costello, Dizzy Gillespie, Branford Marsalis, Dr. John, Norah Jones, and Modest Mouse. "Everybody except Lady Gaga—now that would be interesting," he added with a weathered laugh.
The Dirty Dozen formed in 1977, starting as a nightclub house band in New Orleans' Sixth Ward. The group shook up the traditional brass band format by adding a baritone saxophone in place of the clarinet and infusing a street-born second-line style with elements of be-bop, funk, R&B, and rock.
"That's what made our band different," Lewis added. "We still play a lot of the traditional music of New Orleans, mixed in with our own compositions."
In the early '80s the band's popularity took off, eventually garnering the group status as worldwide ambassadors of a Big Easy party. Crowds started to swell at jazz clubs and festivals in the U.S. and abroad in Europe and Japan. The 1984 debut album My Feet Can't Fail Me Now features many of the band's most enduring live staples. Reinterpreted traditional favorites like "St. James Infirmary," a reworking of Duke Ellington's "Caravan," and the hopping title track, exemplify what the band best delivers—upbeat, dance-friendly rhythms, rousing chorus chants, and plenty of big brass blasts.
Membership has changed through the years, which has often evolved the band's sound. Certain incarnations have featured guitar, keyboards, and a full rhythm section. Longstanding original members like Lewis and trumpet player Gregory Davis have helped foster the careers of latter musicians like popular New Orleans trombone player "Big Sam" Williams, who went on to form Big Sam's Funky Nation, and guitarist Jamie McClean.
"Every time you bring in new members the music takes on a different feeling," Lewis said. "We keep on reinventing ourselves, but it always sounds good. It's an institution."
The group has also been creatively liberal with its studio output. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina the band channeled its frustration with recovery efforts through a song-by-song remake of Marvin Gaye's classic soul album What's Going On. The 2002 effort Medicated Magic was a guest- and cover-filled affair that featured help from Panic's front man John Bell, pedal steel wiz Robert Randolph, and Olu Dara. The band's latest album, 2012's Twenty Dozen, was its first in six years and found the outfit looking to the past and present with the inclusion of the ubiquitous standard "When the Saints Go Marching In," as well as a take on Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music."
The band also hit TV screens with an appearance in the second season of the HBO series "Treme," David Simon's look at life in New Orleans during the Katrina aftermath. Lewis said he's sad to see the show, which is in the midst of its fourth and final season, end its run, calling it an "accurate representation of what happens in New Orleans. It gave our musicians a lot of exposure and put a couple of dollars in our pockets."
Touring, though, is still the band's lifeblood. While Lewis estimates the Dirty Dozen have averaged 300 gigs a year for over two decades, the group has now scaled back to approximately 100 shows annually. The band was in Central Virginia in September, performing a collaborative set with the Soul Rebels at the inaugural Lockn' Music Festival in Arrington, and it will be back in Charlottesville on Tuesday for a special New Year's Eve co-bill with Southern tunesmith Jason Isbell at The Jefferson Theater. While the show culminates another year of hard work, it hardly signifies a slowdown, as the band has a slate of dates booked in early January and February. Lewis, who plays with a handful of additional brass bands when he's home in New Orleans sums it up easily: "There are always plenty of gigs."
Tuesday 12/31 485-45, 9:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St. New Years Eve with Jason Isbell, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and special guests Grits 'n' Gravy www.jeffersontheater.com


text:
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text:
Determination of the delta(18O/16O)of Water: RSIL Lab Code 489
Techniques and Methods 10-C2
By: Kinga Revesz and Tyler Coplen
- More information: USGS Index Page (html)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
The purpose of the technique described by the Reston Stable Isotope Laboratory (RSIL) lab code 489 is to present a method to determine the delta(180/160), abbreviated as delta-180, of water. This delta-18O measurement of water also is a component of National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL in USGS) schedules 1142 and 1172. Water samples are loaded into glass sample containers on a vacuum manifold to equilibrate gaseous CO2 at constant temperature (25 deg C) with water samples. After loading water samples on the vacuum manifold, air is evacuated through capillary to avoid evaporation, and CO2 is added. The samples are shaken to increase the equilibration rate of water and CO2. When isotopic equilibrium has been attained, an aliquot of CO2 is extracted sequentially from each sample container, separated from water vapor by means of a dry ice trap, and introduced into a dual-inlet isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (DI-IRMS) for determination of the delta-18O value. There is oxygen isotopic fractionation between water and CO2, but it is constant at constant temperature. The DI-IRMS is a DuPont double-focusing mass spectrometer. It has a double collector. One ion beam passes through a slit in a forward collector and is collected in the rear collector. The other ion beams are collected in the front collector. The instrument is capable of measuring mass/charge (m/z) 44 and 45 or 44 and 46 by changing the ion-accelerating voltage under computer control. The ion beams from these m/z values are as follows: m/z 44=CO2=12C16O16O, m/z 45=CO2=13C16O16O primarily, and m/z 46 = CO2=12C16O18O primarily. The data acquisition and control software calculates delta-18O values.
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|USGS Numbered Series
|Determination of the delta(18O/16O)of Water: RSIL Lab Code 489
|Series title
|Techniques and Methods
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|Year Published
|U.S. Geological Survey
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|U.S. Geological Survey
|viii, 28 p.
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|Chapter 2 of Section C, Stable Isotope-Ratio Methods, Book 10, Methods of the Reston Stable Isotope Laboratory
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You really took the time to count the number of DirectStreams for sale? I wonder why.
121 responses Add your response
There are folks who chase the absolute best (to them). The DirectStream has been very well reviewed and in terms of the cost of the best DAC the DirectStream is a bargain (as frightening as that sounds). For those folks they buy a unit, try it for a short time, then move on to the next thing. I have no idea if they get the new unit at a reduced cost so are selling for a small loss or buying at full retail and are taking a big hit. I certainly don't have that kind of disposable income!
I have a DirectStream DAC that I bought new when it was first introduced over a year ago. Many of the "glowing" and over-the-top reviews were done with DirectStream's original or early firmware. Since that time, DirectStream's firmware has continued to improve/evolve and now the latest Pike's Peak firmware package has transformed DirectStream into a super quiet and resolving DAC that has an immense holographic soundstage and the best definition at both the low and high frequency extremes that make it easily the best performing DAC I've ever heard. And it is dynamic and musical as all get-out to boot.
There was a time, when I too was thinking of selling my DirectStream because it is quite large for a DAC and takes up a good portion of rack real estate. Plus, with the earlier iterations of the firmware, although it sounded better than any other DAC I tried, it wasn't night & day better and I thought I could get by with a smaller and cheaper model like the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSD SE or the Benchmark DAC2 HGC. But in my opinion, with the Pike's Peak firmware package it sounds so much better than other units I've compared that I can't bear to part with it.
But to realize this kind of performance from DirectStream it is necessary that the amp, speakers, system wiring, power delivery, room acoustics, etc, are at an equal performance level and do not mask the amazing performance of DirectStream by adding their own noise, distortions, phase shifts, and colorations to the final musical presentation that results... and that is not as easy to achieve as one might think. So some users may not be as impressed with DirectStream as I am because the other weaker links in their system prevent them from hearing DirectStream's breathtaking presentation in its full glory...
And of course some other people who got a "great deal" on DirectStream are only interested in flipping it for a profit. Anyway, that's my take on it. Maybe you should grab one at a good price while you can. It's a DAC your system can "grow" with--in that as you make other improvements in your playback chain you will be rewarded with better and better sound quality.
The DirectStream is a damn good DAC, but as I said their are folks who continue to seek perfection or just a different sound. So out it goes and something else comes in. No component is perfect and every component sounds different in different systems. For some the DirectStream is the end of the road for now (that's me). Personally I'm not that big on finding the latest and greatest, I just want a DAC that I think sounds good and a lot of other folks think is good so I don't have the strong urge to search for something else. I like how it sounds and really like that it can be run as a preamp too (in an all digital system). Over the years I've seen this happen with many other "hot" components. A lot of people try 'em and then move on ....
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I just received this unit 2 weeks ago. I have considered selling it but the reason has nothing to do with its attributes as an excellent DAC. My streaming device only has Toslink/optical out. Unknown to me (my own fault for not reading the specs thoroughly), of all the inputs the PS can accept, the Toslink will only decode up to 24/96. This has rendered too much of my library useless. Despite the dealer ignoring my offer to sell it back to him for $600 less than I paid, I contacted PS Audio for help. To their credit, the president, Paul McGowan, and their engineers have been very helpful. In fact, they offered to have me send them the unit, along with my streamer and cabling and they believe they can resolve my issue without cost. I had previously been using my McIntosh C2500 preamps' Burr-Brown DAC, which does decode up to 24/192 and is very good in its own right. Honestly, for 24/96 hi-rez, the difference is minimal. Where there is an uptick with the PS Direct Stream is resolving red book cd's and files. It does add new life to many of these so-so recordings. So, the large number of units for sale could be for any number of reasons like mine. It could just be the law of numbers as there have been a boatload of these purchased due to the reviews. As I said, for hi-rez files, for those already using high quality DACs looking for a quantum leap, differences at these levels come more in baby steps.
One of my friends has a Lampizator 5 and it's a very good sounding tube DAC. I don't think it is as quiet as DirectStream or nearly as finely nuanced. But that being said, I only heard the Lampizator in his system compared to the DirectStream in mine.
Of course from what I know about tubes (and I do have a fair amount of tube gear that I really enjoy) they add more noise and distortion than solid-state so some fine detail seems to always go missing. The strength of tubes as I see it is in providing a smooth musical presentation and the better tube pieces don't lose that much detail... but compared to the near-state-of-the-art DirectStream they seem to lose a fair amount of musical nuances. And the big plus for DirectStream is that although its topology is solid-state it provides a very non-fatiguing, musical performance... akin to tubes, but without losing the fine details.
Of course from what I know about tubes (and I do have a fair amount of tube gear that I really enjoy) they add more noise and distortion than solid-state so some fine detail seems to always go missing. The strength of tubes as I see it is in providing a smooth musical presentation and the better tube pieces don't lose that much detail... but compared to the near-state-of-the-art DirectStream they seem to lose a fair amount of musical nuances. And the big plus for DirectStream is that although its topology is solid-state it provides a very non-fatiguing, musical performance... akin to tubes, but without losing the fine details.It all DEPENDS on the component. I replaced SS mono with tube mono amp and it's dead quiet now. No more hiss in both speakers, transformer hums and much superior sound even in bass region.
I also have a tube pre and dac and both are dead quiet with excellent details.
My brother has DirectStream and he's very happy with it. He has no urge to replace it anytime soon.
There was also a glut of PS Audio Perfect Wave DACs for sale a few years ago on Audiogon. Paul McGowan, the head of PS Audio, tends to hype his latest product release, in ways that have undermined his credibility in my book. A year ago, he was claiming the Direct Stream was the best thing since sliced bread. In a recent write up, he wrote that the amp is more important in the audio chain than the DAC. No surprise that PS Audio has a new amp to sell, although he seems to be implying that the Direct Stream now plays second fiddle in his product lineup.
Also, some PS Audio dealers sell their components at deep discounts, so I suspect many owners of new units believe that others who are not aware of these discounts will buy a used unit at a seemingly big discount off the "retail" price. Hence, people think they can buy new and flip for minimal loss, a mistaken perception, in my view. That could explain why so many are for sale.
Yea... well - the market is flooded with them. I'm sorry Pmotz, the "search for the latest and greatest" might be true (we all do that) but I don't see the (say) lampizator or even benchmark units being sold second-hand at fire-sale (and I bet that there are more benchmark owners than PS directstream owners).
What's out there that might be the next best think (other than the Lampizator, of course - hehe).
After reading your last post, I think you've answered your original question. Think about this for a second, because something is missing. You started off by asking why is there so many PS Audio dacs are for sale? Its a reasonable question, but you clearly missed something in your analysis. If you want to properly judge the dac, you need to judge it fairly. You have it ruled out but you've never even listened to one. I suspect that most, if not all, of the people selling their PS Audio dacs did the same thing. Its more likely that the dac in question doesn't match the personal tastes of the of the people that bought them, than the dac just being "not good". So, if you want to rule this dac out as a potential purchase, you really need to hear it for yourself. Otherwise, you're just guessing.
Sabai, even if 8 units are full price, that's still 11 that aren't. Not a small number; I'd bet there are only a handful of products on Audiogon with 10+ units for sale.
That said, my sense is that it's a great DAC for the price. If my budget were in the $3k range, there is no other DAC I'd be looking at.
"04-18-15: Sabai
What's the difference how many units are for sale if you are enjoying the music? If you counted up all the same-name items for sale from other audio companies over a given period of time I think you would need to hire an accountant."
Good answer. There's a lot to be said for making the right choice the first time.
PS Audio's marketing (often criticized) and the number of units on the after market have nothing to do with the quality of this DAC. Those who are lucky enough to pick up one at a bargain price will be very happy with it unless they are in the market for a more expensive DAC like the Bricasti M1 or Berkeley Audio Reference.
I recently bought the DSD and did extensive comparison to my DAC2DSDse, both with and without an empirical audio offramp 5 in front of it, and I felt that the DSD conveyed considerably more musical information and better imaging, and that the offramp definitely mattered. I thine the DSD+Offramp is a sad combo.
PS Audio sold many Direct Stream units and as I recall there was a long waiting list.
Because so many units were sold, the more will eventually show up on the used market.
I also think PS sells their units at the initial prices to recoup there research and development cost.
Once that is complete, they start marking them down in price. However, that is just my opinion.
The firmware upgrades have been significant, and more are sure to come.
I will say this about PS Audio they do stand behind there products. I had a P10 power fail due to something I did, and they still fixed it for no charge.
With my Direct stream, I am using a iFi microUSBPower and a iFi Purifier conditioner. Both of these items improve the sound quality and are relatively inexpensive.
Listen and decide for yourself. They have a money back guarantee. It has a mediocre usb input card, so keep that in mind if that is your Input of choice. I didn't try it with their spinner, which is probably your best bet.
Read my thread on absolute top tier dacs and take it for what it is. It's a great DAC, but I think there is better out there in that range. Especially pre-owned. Some owners are enthusiastic, others took advantage of their money back offer.
Mattnship,Your test of the PS Direct Stream was with the original firmware. The latest "Pikes Peak" is a very significant improvement over the original release. And Sabai makes a good point about the amount of time to break in.
But, I am sure that with extra money a better Dac can be obtained. It's just a matter of how much too spend. Myself, I was reaching financially to get the Direct Stream.
As the digital tech continues to advance I'm sure I will also advance. But until then the PS Direct Stream with the "Pikes Peak" firmware is very satisfying.
Ozzy. I upgraded to the most current firmware of the time I had it. And I asked them for an extension on the trial period to fully burn it in (they were very nice about saying yes). So my unit had about 750 hours on it by the time I was done.
They make nice stuff, no doubt. I heard their new amp with DAC and Neat speakers at the Montreal show and it sounded nice. It was not in the same class as the other DAC's I auditioned. Maybe the new firmware makes a big difference; that's a nice feature - on the fly upgrades.
If it gets your toes tapping and your mouth smiling, that's what counts.
"I'm counting right now 19 (nineteen) PS Audio DSD DACs for sale (new and used). Strange. Some second owners also selling..." "I wonder why."
That is strange.....
I just looked in my local newspaper [not in a world wide audio classified like audiogon] and noticed 57 new and used Corvettes for sale.
I wonder if they are lacking in some way or another? I think the reason they are for sale is because once you have owned one for awhile, you just come to see that they are cheap junk that most men would just hate to have in their garage, when in fact, they could own a Ferrari...
I just don't get it!!!
I currently have a DSD for sale, and I'll tell you why.
It has less gain than the PWD, so in my low gain, direct-to-amp system I was able to top out the volume control. The music was plenty loud, but there were times I wanted a tiny bit more and couldn't get it. The DSD also sounds better on its low gain setting, as that reduces the analog noise floor.
Spectacular imaging and *way* more detail retrieval than the PWD (my only source of comparison), but I just couldn't use it without a preamp because of the gain issues. Someone without these issues would likely adore it, and should buy mine.
I had a PS Direct Stream w/the Transport combo in my home from PS. It was the latest w/ DSD,Pike's Peak upgrade all the new bells and whistles. It would not play some of my CD collection as I still spin disk. It was a little cheesy built. The display was a joke to see across the room. In the end,I kept my Ayon CD7S. BTW, I am semi-retired and I did get over 250 hours on the unit and it seemed to settle in at that time. Still liked my Ayon Better.


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Oct 22, 2015
The day I became a hippy
Thanks to this tweet of an announcement by a Satmar Grand Rabbi, I have been declared a hippy. I am a hippy despite not having enough hair to be a hippy.
BREAKING: Satmar Grand Rabbi condemns those Zionist "hippies" going up on Temple Mount! #AlAqsa #AlAqsaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/UWq74j2IUP— Breaking News Tweets (@MajorNewsTweets) October 22, 2015
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The Companies That Make the Most From the World's Wars
Most arms revenue flows to America and Western Europe, but Russia and China are catching up
Uncategorized December 16, 2015 Peter Dörrie 16
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published its list of the world's top 100 arms manufacturers. Overall, the 100 largest defense contractors totaled $401 billion in sales 2014, though the actual number is probably even higher, because the list excludes Chinese companies "due to the lack of data."
This is a healthy chunk of the total worldwide military expenditure during the same year, which was $1.776 trillion including China.
In other words — of every dollar that governments around the world spent on their militaries in 2014, about 23 cents ended up in the pockets of one of the 100 companies on SIPRI's list, many of which are privately owned.
However, there are some interesting regional discrepancies. To put it simply, nobody profits from selling weapons nearly as much as U.S. defense companies and even among those, Lockheed Martin is the 800-pound gorilla. The Maryland-based firm sold arms and services worth $37.47 billion in 2014, according to SIPRI, leaps and bounds ahead of its closest rival, Boeing, which still made a cool $28.30 billion.
SIPRI predicts Lockheed Martin's revenue from defense goods and services to exceed $40 billion in 2015, owing to the acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft, which manufactures the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter among other products, and would be ranked 24th on the list by itself.
Overall, American companies take 54.4 percent of the total revenue of all 100 companies on the list. Seven of the top 10 arms manufacturers — and 38 of the top 100 — are based in the United States.
Above — a French Rafale multi-role jet at the Dubai Air Show 2013. Alexander Babashov/Flickr photo. At top — F-35A in 2013. U.S. Air Force photo
The ranking becomes even more lopsided if you look at the Western Hemisphere as a whole. The three non-American companies in the top 10 are all Western European, with British BAE Systems beating out the trans-European Airbus Group and Italian Finmeccanica in terms of arms sales.
Together, Western European and American businesses took home 80.3 percent of the revenue of all companies on the top 100 list. Of course, there is a big red elephant in the room. "China's military spending increased more than fivefold in real terms between 2000 and 2014 and the country has engaged in major efforts to develop its domestic industry," SIPRI's researchers noted.
Based on the data that is available, they estimate that of China's 10 largest defense contractors, all government owned, nine would be included in the SIPRI top 100 list based on their revenue. Furthermore, four to six would likely be in the top 20, and two — "the aircraft producer AVIC and the land systems producer Norinco" — may even be in the top 10.
There are other indications that Western dominance of the global defense industry may be on the wane. American and Western European companies saw revenues decrease by 3.2 percent compared to 2013, leading to an overall decrease of 1.5 percent of revenues for the whole list. This probably reflects tighter purse strings in Western governments, which are still reeling from the fallout of the 2008 economic crisis.
Among Western countries, only Germany and Switzerland increased their sales, both thanks to a single company. In Germany, shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp saw its revenues increase by almost 30 percent, thanks to a booming market for its diesel-electric submarines. Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft benefited from a higher demand for its trainer aircraft.
Russian troops during a military exercise. Russian Ministry of Defense photo
In contrast, it must have been a year for champagne and caviar for Russian companies on SIPRI's list, which increased their sales by almost 50 percent compared to 2013. This is not necessarily surprising. Russia is spending lavishly to modernize its military, and spending without a doubt has increased due to Russia's intervention in Ukraine in 2014.
Now with the Russian intervention in Syria, Russian companies probably again had a breakout year.
But American and Western European firms will likely continue to dominate the rankings for years to come. Their lead over competitors is too great to decline substantially in the short term. But we can expect they will continue to lose revenue — both in absolute and relative terms — to companies from other parts of the world.
Let's face it. Western military spending, especially in the United States, is already at an absurdly high level. With basically everyone agreeing that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were failures and domestic politics focusing on austerity, defense companies should not count on Western governments to go on a spending spree anytime soon.
But at the same time, the defense sector remains a bastion of protectionist policies. While Western businesses are better positioned to profit from the international arms market than anybody else due to their high-tech goods, several up-and-coming countries are trying to build up their own defense sectors.
China may be the obvious example, but others include Brazil, India, South Korea and Turkey. According to SIPRI, these "emergent" players are strategically investing into their defense industries, both to secure a local supply for their own armed forces and to better position their — often state-owned — manufacturers on international markets.
These companies generally offer less advanced but seriously cheaper alternatives to products offered by Western companies. Brazil's light, multi-role Super Tucano turboprop comes to mind. Add Russia into the mix, which can offer sophisticated military hardware at lower cost, and Western firms could face real problems.
Which is probably why you see companies such as Lockheed Martin spend $10.6 million lobbying Congress in 2015 to keep the faucet open.