text:
The decision to have LASIK surgery is a big one, so we take great care to determine what's best for you as our patient. That's why the Lasik industry offers advanced technology so Lasik Patients can receive all-laser Lasik for a 100% bladeless LASIK treatment!
Intralase Lasik has been used successfully on hundreds of thousands of eyes and is a trusted advanced Femtosecond Lasik procedure to deliver exceptional results. LASIK with Femtosecond intralase technology can offer increased safety, comfort and precision, and is just one technological advancement step that can help you achieve 20/20 vision!
With intralase Lasik, a beam of laser light is used to create a corneal flap which is then lifted, so the second step of LASIK, the reshaping of your cornea, can be performed. When your LASIK treatment is over, the flap is securely repositioned into place.
Intralase technology is able to uniquely program the dimensions of your corneal flap based on what's best for your individual eye. Then the Femtosecond intralase laser creates your flap from below the surface of the cornea without ever using a blade. Some may call this part of the LASIK procedure Femto Lasik which refers to the use of Femtosecond Laser in performing Laser Eye Surgery.
"Because of the superior accuracy of Femotsecond technology. Certain patients who were ineligible for LASIK may now be able to have treatment. Ask your doctor today if you are a candidate."
Schedule Your Free Evaluation
with a LASIK Specialist Today!
By entering my email address, I consent to receive email information, offers and promotions from Global Laser Vision. I understand I can withdraw my consent at any time.


text:
Recent Release
Witchy Woman by Tanya Hanson
When Pack McCaffey touches Allie Spkers' hand, they travel to Puritan times in Salem Village where Allie finally learns about her place in this world—and about love.
Thomas by Deanna Lee
Julia and Thomas are drawn together by love, but will their love be enough to bring them together for the happily ever after they both deserve?
Saint Augustine Witch by Lillith Payne
Two strangers drawn together by terrible dreams seek a reason for the nightmares and their connection in an old fort in St. Augustine, Florida. They find love along the way.
Available exclusively in eBook and Print on Demand from Amazon

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mark Zuckerberg is getting a lot of attention for talking about today's News Feed redesign as making Facebook a "personalized newspaper." Which sounds OK, I guess, but that vague notion is also exactly what Facebook said about the News Feed back in 2011.
What we do know about the Facebook redesign is it puts more visual emphasis on photos and video, less visual emphasis on everything else, and makes the desktop and mobile navigation more consistent.
There are some small tweaks affecting the news world. The News Feed can now be filtered to show only certain kinds of content, and one of those is a filter just for people and Pages you follow but aren't friends with. This may help improve the (shrinking) user engagement with content posted by popular journalists or news organization Pages. That is, if any users notice and use that filter.
The reality is that Facebook is still not that great for news.
By the sheer volume of users and time spent there, it does drive significant referrals to many news sites. But on the whole, the Facebook user experience is one of personal status updates and photos from people you know, mixed with a little bit of entertainment from celebrities, journalists, tastemakers or brands. Oh, and a lot of advertising.
Twitter remains the far more optimized network for delivering news and other real-time information in an unfiltered stream. Facebook is better at capturing the interpersonal discussions and emotions that ripple out later.
Twitter breaks the news; Facebook bakes it.


text:
Ravens cancel NFL draft party amid Baltimore protests
The Baltimore Ravensannounced Tuesday the cancelation of their NFL draft party planned for Thursday, saying the move was "out of respect to the curfew in Baltimore."
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Monday that a weeklong, city-wide curfew would be implemented from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Peaceful protests over the April 19 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, one week after his arrest by police, turned violent on Monday as rioting, looting and arson broke out in the streets. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard "to address the growing violence and unrest in Baltimore City."
The Ravens' draft party was scheduled for Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium, from 7 to 11 p.m. ET. The team said fans who already purchased tickets will receive automatic refunds via the method of payment used for purchase.
The Ravens also announced the postponement of an outlet sale the team store scheduled for Saturday.
- Mike Fiammetta


text:
Opened 10 years ago
Closed 7 years ago
#3411 closed enhancement (fixed)
Add geolocalisation
|Reported by:
|Owned by:
A geolocalisation would be very useful. Either automatically or with a button to click on. In browsers without geolocation API this colud be done with the IP or the user's language
Change History (12)
comment:1 Changed 10 years ago by
|→ wontfix
|new → closed
We already do IP based geolocation when we don't have any better idea what part of the map to display.
I'm reluctant to add browser based geolocation because it's exceedingly annoying to the vast majority of our users that are using desktop browsers that have no idea of their location but will still pester the user if the site starts asking for it.
comment:2 Changed 10 years ago by
|closed → reopened
I cannot follow you. I said "or a button to click on", so why should the user be pestered? The geolocation is one of the features I like much at other maps, but in osm.org it is still missing. If you make a button/link "My location" the user can jump to his position, but other users are not affected. What is the problem?
comment:3 Changed 10 years ago by
Well the problem with a link is that we would need to find space for it and space on our homepage is very tight.
If we had space then there are other things which are higher priority (like a way to change the current language) which I would add first.
comment:4 Changed 10 years ago by
Oh I would also add that given that the slippy map doesn't really work on mobile devices, which are where this feature would be really useful, such a link would be of limited benefit.
comment:5 Changed 10 years ago by
As I see yo do not want to add this feature...
There is enough space on the whole page, in the search box, on the top near the login link or on the map just under the permalink. This link needs just some characters, a short caption like "My position" is enough and fits everywhere on the site!
Adding this feature is not really much to do. Here is the source code, you just need to add these lines:
if geolocation is available if (navigator.geolocation && typeof navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition != 'undefined') {
call function to jump to geolocated position navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(setGeolocatedPosition, geolocationError);
called when geolocation api caused an errors function geolocationError(error) {
if(error.code >= 0 && error.code <= 3)
return true;
set position by geolocation api function setGeolocatedPosition(position) {
set position of map to geolocated position var startPosition = new OpenLayers?.LonLat?(position.coords.longitude, position.coords.latitude).transform(wgs84, map.getProjectionObject()); map.setCenter(startPosition, 12);
Why do you oppose to add this feature? What is the problem?
comment:6 Changed 10 years ago by
Sorry, the source code is a bit disordered...
comment:7 follow-up: 8 Changed 10 years ago by
It's not that I don't want to add it - if there was cost to doing so I would do so in a heartbeat.
Adding anything to the left hand sidebar is very difficult because it forces whatever is below it down the page which causes complaints from people when things then fall off the bottom of the page and force them to scroll their window.
Adding things to the top bar is also difficult - not everybody will have a window as wide as yours and many people will not have much space there, especially if they are logged in and have a long username. When whitespace runs out in the top bar the tabs start doing horrible things which is why I try and make sure there is plenty of space.
In short everything is a trade off between the cost (potentially suboptimal formatting of the front page for a number of people) and the benefit (allowing a possibly small number of people an easy way to go to what their browser thinks is their current location). Right now I think the balance lies against you but that will probably change at some point.
comment:8 Changed 10 years ago by
What about the way Google Maps is handling the problem: There's a small button above the zoom slider and when you click on it the geolocation API is used to align the map so that your current position is in the center. When you zoom in you see map of your current position.
I'd suggest something similar for osm.org:
- Add a small blue circle underneath the "-" button* which can be clicked in order to get the current position (either by geolocation API or by IP if the former is not available)
- We zoom to z13 of the area
*) I think above "+" button would be better, but I don't know whether we can move the zoom slider without changing too much other code
I think such a small button wouldn't disturb anyone.
comment:9 Changed 9 years ago by
|changed from Tom Hughes to rails-dev@…
comment:10 Changed 9 years ago by
|user_location added
comment:11 Changed 9 years ago by
Another suggestion:
Currently osm.org does some things differently if the browser window is "small" - it doesn't display the sidebar at the left and replaces the zoom slider with a simple "up and down". Perhaps an automatic geolocation attempt would make sense in a "small" (presumably mobile) browser window?
comment:12 Changed 7 years ago by
|→ fixed
|reopened → closed
fixed with new design


text:
Meet the founders behind Sightseeing Pass
Chad D'Souza
Co-Founder and Managing Director
I guess this is why travel is one of my true passions..it started in my 20's when I left Perth to venture around the world and for ten years I lived and worked in hospitality and tourism in London, Budapest, Greece, Montreal, New York and New Zealand.
This industry I love with a passion, the people behind that operate the tours, the teams that work hard to promote the tours and all the film crews and media that I've hosted to broadcast this incredible destination.
I hope you love SightSeeing Pass and the journey's it will take you on. For me...its about creating experiences that involve fun and memories but most of all the ease of booking your holiday to Western Australia." - Chad
Lisa D'Souza
Co-Founder and Director of Marketing, Communications & PR
"Lets not beat around the bush...my home country will always be New Zealand as that is where I was born and lived for 34 years but now, Perth is my home and I absolutely love it.
What keeps me here...hands down the climate, beaches and relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is so laid back and we all love spending as much time outdoors as possible...its healthy and keeps us happy!
I have to say life is fairly busy for me being a mother and running a couple of businesses including Sightseeing Pass, but there is nothing better than jumping on our bikes with the kids heading to the beach each afternoon.
What are my top favourite experiences in Western Australia? Hands down laying on a secluded beach at Rottnest Island, taking my family camping and fishing in Margaret River and enjoying the company of a friendly camel on a sunset camel ride at Cable Beach." - Lisa


text:
I regularly complete commissions for a wide variety of clients, from small one-off garden items to large-scale public works.
Prices for commissions vary depending on the size, detail, time involved in cutting, and design time. If you would like to discuss a commission, please contact me at email@example.com or call 07762828666.
Farnborough SANDS Memorial Garden at Aldershot Crematorium
The Dog


text:
|Posted on August 6, 2014 at 8:15 PM
PMSE is sponsoring the POLY/PMSE Student Reception at the Fall 2014 ACS National Meeting in San Fransisco.
|Posted on September 15, 2013 at 4:10 PM
The 3rd Joint Symposium between ACS-PMSE and the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS)-Polymer Division (PD) will be held at the Biannual Meeting of the Chinese Chemical Society—Polymer Division on Oct. 15, 2013, in Shanghai, China
Prof. David Martin, Prof. Stephen Z.D. Cheng, Prof. Christopher Bielawski, Prof. LaShanda Korley, Prof. Daniel A. Savin, and Dr. Robert Miller will be attending as ACS members to present their work and interface with researchers in China.
More details are located PMSE page or at the official site (in Chinese only).


text:
Romexsoft — IT company based in Ukraine, providing high quality software development services at competitive prices for clients around the world. Romexsoft is a software development company, formed in 2004 in Lviv which is the prominent IT outsourcing center of Ukraine. During the last 10 years they developed and successfully delivered more than 80 projects to our clients. The company is dedicated to Web, Mobile and SaaS applications development. The Romexsoft Team is an Agile team that consists of experienced professionals with positive attitude to the work and the world.
Український католицький університет (УКУ) – некомерційний вищий навчальний заклад, який не отримує жодної фінансової підтримки з боку держави. Функціонувати, розвиватися та реалізовувати свої задуми Університет може лише за підтримки друзів з усього світу.
УКУ прагне стати провідним Університетом України. Для стабільного розвитку науки Університет заснував фонди для фінансування студентських стипендій. Завдяки цим фондам ми маємо можливість запрошувати спікерів з цілого світу, організовувати освітні заходи та студентські гуртки, проводити дослідження та міжнародні конференції.
Діяльність і місія Університету знайшли підтримку серед українських і закордонних фундацій і приватних жертводавців, зокрема у США, Канаді, Європі та Австралії. Складаємо подяку нашим жертводавцям з різних країн світу, які підтримують нашу програму та УКУ загалом.
For over seven years, Perfectial has been a business-oriented software engineering company committed to helping businesses kickstart, develop, and succeed. With profound technological expertise in a range of business domains such as financial services, advertising & marketing, and real estate, Perfectial has implemented innovative ideas that allowed businesses – from startups to mid-sized and large companies – to scale, evolve, and prosper.
"It's an amazing impressive place and will help young Ukrainians take their rightful place in the future development of the world economy and civil society. Having visited over 20 universities in eastern Europe (Kyiv, LvIv, Minsk, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Budapest) as well as many in Mexico, India, Sweden, Belgium, UK and USA to see a building that was probably challenging the very best universities in Europe and North America in terms of the quality of the building and of its infrastructure. The rooms, lecture halls, canteen, rest areas, corridors, study rooms and campus grounds were truly amazing by any global standard. The student body is also very western in mentality. CS students have excellent English skills and seem exceptionally bright. There will be some great future European entrepreneurs and business leaders coming out of these classrooms!", – Karl Robb, Non-Exec Board Member, EPAM Systems Inc.
Yaroslav Charkovskiy & Zoryana Balko
"We wanted to help because of that value that creates UCU for the whole Ukraine. We believe in those people that create unbelievable projects here and make ideas work. Here people are a real inspiration. It's a pleasure for us to return to this environment again and again. We both are relevant to the IT sector and just couldn't stand aside when we heard about the [email protected] program that has become the new standard of education for IT professionals. We believe that UCU can change Ukraine for better and we want to help them in this. It's an honor for us to support the university. So thank you for what you do!"
Андрій Павлів – "Стипендія імені Яреми Павліва"
Slywotzky's family
Adrian Slywotzky – Director of the Oliver Wyman Company, among the top 50 business thinkers of the world and the top 25 business consultants. Member of the Advisory Council of UCU's Lviv Business School. Author of world best sellers on the issue of strategic management: "How Digital is Your Business?", "The Art of Profitability", "The Profit Zone", "Migration of Capital", and many other works and articles.
Alumni MS in Technology Management
MS in Technology Management — a partnership project that embodies LvBS together with Lviv IT Cluster. The curriculum MS in Technology Management is based on three main pillars — technology, business and management, technical skills (soft skills).
Lviv IT Cluster
Lviv IT Cluster – community, which cooperate and bring together biggest IT companies in order to develop IT in Lviv as well in Ukraine. They manage different projects like IT House, IT Research, IT Tour, IT Club, IT Expert, IT Future and IT Arena which aims to make IT one of the most prosperous and attractive sphere of business in our city.
Starting out as a small team of technically savvy entrepreneurs in 1991, ELEKS has grown into a large group of technological experts and professionals, servicing global corporations. ELEKS is among the world's best 100 outsourcing service providers according to the listing by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®). The company was recognized for the commitment to continuous innovation, delivery excellence and customer centricity.
N-iX started out in 2002 as a product startup by two Ukrainian programmers and a German partner who came up with an idea to make software for Linux that would allow users to work with two Novell products, NetWare and GroupWise. In 2003, the technology was noticed and acquired by Novell, and N-iX continued to work with Novell developing the product further up to 2010. Therefore, Novell became the first company N-iX set up dedicated development center for. The success of this cooperation has inspired dozens of similar partnerships with some of the leading technology companies in Western Europe and North America in the next 13 years.
SoftServe is Ukrainian technology solutions company that provides software product and application development and services. With Its headquarters in Austin, Texas and European headquarters in Lviv, Ukraine, the company employs more than 3,900 people in offices throughout the United States and Europe. It is one of the largest software developers in Central and Eastern Europe and the largest outsourced IT company in Ukraine.


text:
Price: $26.55
Quantity: 1 available
Condition: New
8vo illus. 1st Ed.-This book will not warm the cockles of the average fly shop's hearts; Waite polled over 800 fly fisherman not asssociated with the business with a 124-question, 8-page questionaire; his return was over 31%. Pollees selected from a pool of experienced fly fisherman [26 years flyfishing, 6,665 years total; 57 days/year]; chapters on fly-fishing economy; leaders, fly lines, fly rods, rod-line balance, fly reels, knots, hooks, flies, casting, flyfishing; Survey questions and responses. Among the results: Maxima the best leader material; double taper lines best for trout fishing; most rods are too stiff for good fishing; most rods are underlined. A refreshing read. [Cat. 31-292 & 67-788.] New DJ.
Title: SERIOUS FLY FISHING With Survey Results.
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Spokane: Prvt. Prnt. by The Serious Fisherman. vii + 288 p.: 1997
ISBN Number: 0965800504
ISBN Number 13: 9780965800501
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New
Jacket Condition: As New
Type: Book
Item: 1.00 Item
Seller ID: itRIvo2991
Keywords: FLY FISHING


text:
ALPS Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor to the Fund, has the ultimate authority (subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees) to oversee the investment managers and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement.
|Fund Style
|Large-Cap Core
|Fund Strategy
|Multi-managed fund that allocates its portfolio assets on an approximately equal basis among several independent investment management organizations (currently five in number) having different investment styles recommended and monitored by ALPS Advisors, Inc., the Fund's investment advisor.
|Fund Structure
Value Managers
Aristotle Capital Management, LLC | Howard Gleicher, CFA
Fiduciary Management, Inc. | Patrick J. English, CFA & Jonathan T. Bloom, CFA
Pzena Investment Management, LLC | Richard S. Pzena, John J. Flynn, & Benjamin S. Silver, CFA
Growth Managers
Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP | Kishore Rao, Robert Rohn & Gordon Marchand, CFA
TCW Investment Management Company | Craig C. Blum, CFA
Liberty All-Star Equity Fund's current policy, is to pay distributions on its common shares totaling approximately 10 percent of its net asset value per year, payable in four quarterly installments of 2.5 percent of the Fund's net asset value at the close of the New York Stock Exchange on the Friday prior to each quarterly declaration date. The fixed distributions are not related to the amount of the Fund's net investment income or net realized capital gains or losses and may be taxed as ordinary income up to the amount of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.
If, for any calendar year, the total distributions made under the distribution policy exceed the Fund's net investment income and net realized capital gains, the excess will generally be treated as a non-taxable return of capital, reducing the shareholder's adjusted basis in his or her shares.
If the Fund's net investment income and net realized capital gains for any year exceed the amount distributed under the distribution policy, the Fund may, in its discretion, retain and not distribute net realized capital gains and pay income tax thereon to the extent of such excess. The Fund retained such excess gains in 1993, 1996 and 1997.
*Cumulative Total Return
Returns for the Fund and the Lipper Average are total returns, which include dividends, after deducting fund expenses. The Fund's performance is calculated assuming that a shareholder reinvested all distributions and exercised all primary rights in the Fund's rights offerings.
Past performance cannot predict future results. Performance will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown. Performance information shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. An investment in the Fund involves risk, including loss of principal.


text:
Oy my. This was hard. I tried it from so many directions. So many angles. How to write it. But this is it. A great friend of mine is leaving Pittsburgh. And I'm seriously crying over it. I can't imagine my life without him.
JB has been an amazing friend and supporter and, duh, DJ, for me… How can we live without him?
He was one of my regulars back in the day when I worked on Sundays. And a fave to play 7s with at practice…
Tonight is JB's going away party at My Living Room, and I'm not going to be there, since I worked all day and am still trying to recover from the sick-fest I experienced this past week… And I work tomorrow, too. Ugh.
But I have to say good bye, in my own way… So here we go…
I don't remember the actual day I met JB… It was so many years ago. But we were immediate friends, I know that. How can you NOT love him?
Good grief. Pittsburgh is losing a great human being. I will miss you so much, JB.
Anyway, JB, I want you to know these things:
You can ALWAYS make me smile. Not many people can do that. That's truth.
Thank you for being such a great friend.
Thank you for apologizing to me the one and ONLY time you ever had to. I appreciated that, very much so.
Thank you for somehow making people back in the day to apologize to me when they needed to. I still have no idea how you did that, but I appreciate it to this day.
Thank you for visiting me on Sundays back in the day at My Living Room. There were days you were the only customer.
Thank you for the "Nice Hustle" x one million. Pretty sure that's an accurate count. Right?
Thank you for the "What's wrong, Clairebear?"
Thank you for my wrestling belt and DJ'ing my "Last night at My Living Room." I cherish that belt, btw.
Thank you for your cheesy (aka gorgeous) smile that I got to see not only on TV, but in person, many times. Thank you for not hating me when I teased you about the "cheesy smile." And for knowing it was honestly a compliment. I will miss said smile. So. Much.
Thank you for calling me Clairbear when you see me. (apparently I like when you call me that. You're the only person allowed to. Just saying.)
Thank you for being such a strong person and having faith. It makes those of us who know you stronger. Truly.
Thank you for being you, JB. You are an amazing person. I am blessed to have known you for these ten or so years.
You've made me a better person, Jon. I love you for that. I will miss you so much.
You should probably thank me now no pictures in this post… I WISH I had a scanner!
Nashville is lucky to have you. I hope they realize that, quickly. You are good at what you do.
I may call you. If I do, you know I need to hear "Clairbear, what's wrong?" there's your warning.
Good luck, sir. I love you so much.


text:
Should peace activists support President Trump???
4 Answers
- Anonymous1 year agoFavourite answer
Trump reinstated the sanctions on Iran without cause. Instead of working with Iranians to remove the tensions, they increased the hardship and giving the Iranian government (which wasn't popular) the high ground. On what planet is that not stupid?
- choko_canyonLv 71 year ago
You mean, should they support impeachment proceedings? Yes, of course.
- 1 year ago
The lifts-wearing (5'10" pretending to be taller---an ego thing) inane and insane conman Trump is not legitimately our 45th President, and he is putty in the hands of ego-stroking tyrannical bullies (a dad thing for Donald Trump) if they grease his itchy palm or feed his malignantly narcissistic sociopathic personality with a dose of flattery. We, the people, have the duty to oppose all enemies, both domestic and foreign---and Trump is definitely a domestic enemy.Source(s): "The Making of Donald Trump" (2016) by David Cay Johnston; "Everything Trump Touches Dies" (2019) by Republican strategist Rick Wilson; "DARK MONEY: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right" (2017) by Jane Mayer. Malcolm Nance, career CIA counterespionage expert: "The Plot to Destroy Democracy."
- Anonymous1 year ago
ALL Americans should support our President.


text:
Making Sense of the Emerging Technology Pipeline
Gartner's ranking of 32 emerging technologies includes artificial intelligence, drones and smart dust
There is a full pipeline of emerging technologies that could change the way companies do business, but the pace of adoption is very much an open question. A new report from Gartner Research Inc. finds some order amid the chaos, gauging which technologies are most likely to enter the mainstream in the near-term and long-term. First up: virtual reality, with some forms of artificial intelligence, augmented reality and blockchain a few steps behind.
The report, the Gartner Emerging Tech Hype Cycle, identifies and tracks 32 emerging technologies that could help technology executives deliver competitive advantage over the next decade, and assesses when they're likely to enter the market. The results are based on a study of more than 2,000 technologies.
"Innovation isn't a steady line that moves upwards," said Mike Walker, research director at Gartner. "It goes in peaks and valleys, and you'll see a spur of innovation that's going to cause a trigger in the marketplace or rapid advancement."
The report charts the technologies by years out until mass adoption as well as their perceived stage of use within enterprises, from the technology breakthrough, classified by Gartner as the Innovation Trigger, through the last two stages leading towards mass adoption: Slope of Enlightenment and the Plateau of Productivity. Midway between discovery and adoption sit the Peak of Inflated Expectations, where early publicity produces hype around the technology, and the Trough of Disillusionment, where interest wanes as some experiments fail to deliver, according to Gartner. Technologies can move through the cycle at varying paces.
Furthest along Gartner's Hype Cycle is virtual reality. More companies are beginning to see the potential benefits of developing immersive digital experiences using virtual reality headsets for both consumers and employees, according to the report.
While conservative companies remain cautious about experimenting with the technology, Mr. Walker said some companies are experimenting with ways to use it to their benefit. The overall benefit of virtual reality is expected to be moderate and the technology is expected to reach mainstream adoption within two to five years, according to the Gartner report.
Specific types of artificial intelligence could cross the chasm from inflated expectations to mainstream adoption two and five years, according to the report. Those include deep learning and machine learning. Deep learning tools include neural networks, software whose structure roughly tries to mimic the human brain's operations. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables computers to learn from data with minimal programming.
Cognitive expert advisors, such as artificial intelligence software aimed at helping doctors recommend cancer treatments, could also reach mainstream adoption within two to five years, Mr. Walker said. He expects those types of AI to be widespread in all sectors during that timeframe.
"There's no industry that's immune," he said.
Read the CIO Explainer: What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Commercial drones are also nearing mainstream adoption within two to five years, and the technology has passed the inflated expectations stage and is prime for experiments and implementations, according to the report.
Augmented reality, which superimposes digital content including hologram-like images onto a user's view of the real world, is poised to have a high benefit to companies but is still about five to 10 years away from being widely adopted, Mr. Walker said. It's in the "trough of disillusionment" stage on Gartner's Hype Cycle, which means interest has waned and some experiments have failed to deliver and companies now have a more realistic expectation of the technology.
However, companies continue to experiment with its uses specifically in manufacturing and assembly. Siemens AG, for example, told CIO Journal recently about its plans for expanding testing on a futuristic augmented reality helmet in assembling gas turbines. Mainstream adoption of augmented reality could be imminent, Mr. Walker said, as more companies develop augmented reality experiences with Apple Inc.'s augmented reality platform, released in June.
"All it takes is a couple vendors that have deep penetration in the marketplace to make those advancements (and) we'll see those market adoptions," Mr. Walker said.
Other emerging technologies, such as blockchain, are poised to be transformational for companies but could take between five and 10 years to become widely adopted. Blockchain is a data structure that makes it possible to create a digital ledger of transactions and share it among a distributed network of computer and known by many as the technology underpinning the bitcoin digital currency. Like commercial drones, blockchain has also passed the Peak of Inflated Expectations stage.
Read the CIO Explainer: What Is Blockchain?
Quantum computing made it on this year's Hype Cycle report for the first time, mainly because major technology companies have begun to invest significant amounts of money in developing quantum computing devices and companies are in the early stages of experimenting with it, Mr. Walker said. It's at the "innovation trigger" stage, where early proof-of-concept stories and media interest have triggered publicity, and it's on the verge of inflated expectations, according to the report.
Quantum computers use quantum binary digits, or qubits, which represent and store information in both 0s and 1s simultaneously. The computers have the potential to sort through a vast number of possibilities — more than the number of atoms in the universe — to come up with a probable solution. The calculations could be completed as fast as a fraction of a second, though no scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer has been built yet.
Mr. Walker predicts quantum computing could have a high benefit to businesses, but it's still more than a decade away from being widely adopted. This year, biotechnology and automobile manufacturers are among the companies that have announced their experiments with quantum computing.
"It's waiting for its breakout moment," Mr. Walker said. "It's got the opportunity to be highly transformational in how we define and think about computing, however, we've got to temper that excitement."
Smart dust, which are tiny wireless micro-electromechanical systems that can detect measurements such as light and temperature, is at the earliest stage of the Hype Cycle and more than 10 years from becoming widely adopted.
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The Seven Samurai
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura
I tend to complain a lot about movies with running times greater than three hours because I apparently have the patience of a squirrel on crack. With a total running time of 207 minutes, you would think that The Seven Samurai earns my wrath. Sorry to disappoint, but The Seven Samurai manages to do what most epic films simply cannot: hold my interest with a meaningful, rich, and varied story filled with characters with which I enjoy spending my time.
The plot of The Seven Samurai is tremendously simple: some samurai soldiers are recruited to help a poor farming village fend off a bandit attack. We open by seeing the bandits ride up to the village in question but decide to postpone their attack until the rice harvest is in. This prompts a great deal of wailing and weeping from the villagers, who are poorer than poor. They send emissaries to a nearby town to find samurais who will work simply for food and honor rather than money. The first one they find is Kanbei: older, sharper, and with a great deal of nobility. He is doing this because it is the right thing to do. With Kanbei on board, five other samurais sign up, along with a samurai apprentice and a pesky samurai wannabe Kikuchiyo (Mifune). Back at the village, the samurai deal with frightened and, frankly, stupid villagers, train them, wall off the perimeter, all in preparation for the impending siege.
What makes this the classic that it rightly is, is the simple fact that The Seven Samurai is a very entertaining film. Through the very simple premise, Kurosawa goes to town, playing with so many different ideas. Of course, the very subject matter is an ode to traditional great swordplay stories, and the plot seems to draw from traditional Japanese folklore. On top of this scaffold are laid some serious trappings of socioeconomic commentary; the farmers lives are absolute hell, and their poverty is absolute. Kurosawa doesn't try to hide this from us at all; we are in there with the muck and grime and filth, stricken to the extent that a bowl of rice is considered a luxury. There is also humor, popping up at unexpected moments. Most of this comes from Mifune's character, an utter buffoon who fancies himself a samurai simply because he hangs around with others. Luckily, the film tempers his utter absurdity with moments of heroics and poignancy, making him relevant and not simply a jester.
In between all the depression you'll feel at the farmers' plight and the giggles you'll get out of Mifune, you'll be pulled in by the fascinating study of war strategy this also provides. There are eight samurai in one form or another – it's worth mentioning that it's never clear if it is Kikuchiyo or the apprentice who is the seventh of the title – and forty bandits on horses. In order to successfully fight off the bandits, the samurai have to be smart. The tactics they employ are rather ingenious. The siege, which encompasses about the last third of the film, is one of the most interesting film battles I've seen, and that's due to how it's filmed. Instead of an hour long non-stop onslaught (which most directors would be tempted to do, methinks), Kurosawa spaces his battle out over several days and nights, which provides beats of rest and quiet in between the mayhem. The samurai keep count of the bandits they have dispatched of; we are impressed when six bandits are killed at the first attack, but we know that our village has a long way to go yet. You feel that sense of grueling perseverance.
There is also fundamental human drama in almost every corner of the film. A dying woman handing her child to the samurai, unexpected fatal attacks on the village, the men giving up their rice for an old ailing woman; Kurosawa knows how to pull at the heartstrings. It's all part of feeling the magic of The Seven Samurai; it has so much to keep you entertained. There's even a romantic subplot thrown in for good measure. All of this works because the plot is so simple. We always come back to the idea of the attack, no matter what little side story is being told. One moment you're laughing, and the next, you're shaking your fist in anger.
My favorite character of the film was easily that of Kanbei. He is the orchestrator, the organizer, the master strategist, and, in the first hour, the recruiter as well. Through sheer force of personality, he manages to attract other noble samurai to the cause. Shimura has tremendous gravitas in the role, fully inhabiting the quiet and clever character. When Kanbei is still, you know he's thinking of something. Rather funnily, my least favorite characters were the villagers. They were utterly undeserving of the quality of help the samurai provided. Ignorant, ungrateful wretches who, as soon as they realized that they had eight men coming to defend their village with their very lives, started worrying that these samurai would start raping every woman in town. Ultimately, though, I think this is Kurosawa's point; these samurai are willing to do the right thing for the wrong people. It is *not* about payment, it is *not* about reward; it is about helping those who would otherwise fall prey to others, even if they don't deserve it.
Now, having said all of this, I will add that this is not my favorite film by Kurosawa. I think of Throne of Blood or especially Ikiru for that particular honor. Ultimately, despite great moments of poignancy, this is a film that comes up feeling a little light to me. Kurosawa, although fundamentally a showman of a director, also has the capacity to be profound; he dabbles in that in The Seven Samurai, but really achieves it better in other films. Plus, well, it's 207 minutes long, and as I mentioned in the intro, I don't have a lot of patience for tremendously long movies. This one kept me interested, sure, but it's still really long. I do not dare doubt its place in the pantheon of world cinema, but it will never be a movie I "just throw in" to the DVD player.
Arbitrary Rating: 9/10. I really really really really like it. I'm not sure if I love it.


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Hi! Welcome to the Keys to Joy Blog. I'm Karen Eller and this blog is about – you guessed it – how to be joyful. This is where I will share my ideas on how to get more joy in our lives. I will let you know what has (and hasn't) worked for me. I've learned through first-hand trial and error…out of dire necessity! Explanation follows. Please, read on…
I've always felt a general lack of joy throughout my life…for no apparent reason. Nothing particularly devastating ever happened to me. For example, I have never been physically or emotionally abused, neglected, poverty-stricken; I'm not an alcoholic or drug addict; never had an eating disorder, etc. I had a terrific childhood and continue to have great relationships with my family. Despite no apparent reason, I have had a constant struggle throughout my life to find joy. Not only have I been unhappy but, many times, I've spiraled down into a deeply depressed state – you know, the kind where you can't get out of the fetal position in bed and contemplate bringing about The End. I've been to therapists – who have helped me feel hopeful, but they never really gave me any lasting solutions. And I have difficulty swallowing pills so medications were never an option!
My solutions have come from my own research. I've read many, many, many, many (you get the idea) self-help/personal growth books and been to lots of mind-body-spirit retreats and seminars. So I would research and then try things out. I experimented to see what actually made me feel better and which kept working over the long-haul.
My own intuition is a big part of all of this too. A connection to God/Source/Creator/Universe/AlphaOmega/FatherMother –whatever you want to call Him/Her/It- helps me know what feels right and to have an inner sort of knowing which helps guide me. (Much more about all that later.)
When I read a book, blog or article, I suppose it is the nosey side of me that likes to know mostly irrelevant things about the person whom is doing the writing. So here are some irrelevant (and some relevant) facts about me: I have been married for 20 years; I'm 40 something years old; no kids; one adorable, amazing Husky dog; I live in NC, born in PA; I am the youngest of 6 kids; I have a job as a programmer/data manager; I'm a reiki master; I have a Master's degree in Sociology…That's plenty to get started!
My disclaimer section: I am by no means perfect! I have made my share of mistakes and have regrets about past actions (still working on forgiving myself and others). And I still have down-in-the-dumps moments. But, they don't last as long nor come about as often. Most importantly, when I do get in a bad funk, I don't get so hopeless. I remember and use my tools to help myself. They work!!!
After years of helping myself, I thought it was time to share my methods with the world – well, the cyber world, at least. My hope is that I can lead you to ideas for becoming more joyful yourself. I also hope to get feedback and ideas from all of you readers out there too. We are all in this Life together and need to help each other out whenever we can. Let's get joyful!


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Villa Sahaja, Umalas
Villa Sahaja is a complex villa in Bali that offers beautiful Balinese sanctuary and it is conveniently located in the area of Umalas. The newly developed Villa Sahaja offers four stunning fully serviced private villas in Bali. Perfectly suited for romantic couples or families seeking a modern Balinese escape, Villa Sahaja offers the very best in simply stylish Balinese accommodation. Centered in an open plan design to encourage a constant flow of cool fresh air.
Villa Sahaja embodies the ideal environment for relaxation and holiday fun. You are greeted with tranquility and calm from the moment you walk through its doors and into its lush Balinese garden oasis. The villas contain two large bedrooms with spacious matching ensuites, each with an open air garden styled bath and shower, designed to encourage complete rejuvenation.
The bedroom doors open onto your private swimming pool and luxurious outdoor lounging area – tempting you with a cooling swim any time of the day. And, for those who like a view, each villa also has its own roof top deck. Soak up some sun or unwind in the cool shade overlooking the Balinese rice fields and Mount Agung in the distance. If entertaining is your style, Villas Sahaja's kitchens are fully equipped with modern cooking facilities and a gorgeous teak wood dining table, seating ten people. All villas offer a large open plan living room overlooking the pool area and are complete with comfortable lounging sofas and a large flat screen TV. Bedrooms are air conditioned and each also comes with a large flat screen TV and DVD player. Villa Sahaja provide special offer for two bedroom private pool villa in Umalas Bali.
Villa Sahaja is located in Umalas Dua, which is conveniently situated for your enjoyment between Seminyak's hip boutiques, spas, restaurants, bars and some of Bali's most popular surf beaches – Cangu and Echo beach. Umalas Dua is centrally located, yet also a quiet area for those looking to escape and unwind.
- Complimentary return airport transport on arrival and on departure.
- Welcome drink upon arrival at the villa.
- Complimentary daily Breakfast.
- Daily cleaning service.
- Security guards providing 24-hour service.
- Laundry / dry cleaning service (at cost).
- Baby-sitting, in-villa massages, car and driver, and tours are available on request at an extra charge.
- Area: Private villa.
- Pool: Private swimming pool.
- Accommodations: 2 air-conditioned bedroom with ensuite bathroom; Large open plan living area; Dining area; Fully equipped kitchen.
- Entertainment: Flat screen TV; Cable TV.
- Communication: WiFi broadband internet access.
- Additional facility: Security safe.
|Low Season
|High Season
|Peak Season
|2 Bedroom Bed
|$ 350 Nights
|$ 450 Nights
|$ 550 Nights
|: 15 %
Terms & Conditions
Rates, Check-In and Check-Out
- Rates include Airport transfers pick up and drop off, all complimentary and using villa's facilities.
- Rates are subject 15% government tax and service charge.
- Rates are quoted net in US Dollar.
- Maximum person stay in villa is 2 per room.
- Check in time is after 2 P.M. Early check in depends on villa availability.
- Check out time is 12 P.M.
- Late check out subject to availability with additional charge.
- A Balinese silence day, "Nyepi" March 7th, 2019 from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, no possible to Check In and Check Out.
- Low season (minimum stay 3 nights): 9th January – 14th July (excluding CNY and Easter Week); 16th September –19th December.
- High season (minimum stay 5 nights): Chinese New Year; Easter Week; 15th July – 15th September.
- Peak season (minimum stay 7 nights): 20th December – 10th January.


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The Essence of Using Software Escrow Services
Escrow usually refers to an agreement between two entities who entrust valuable assets to a third party or a mediator in the transaction process. The things that both parties deposit to an escrow agent could be in a form of documents, money, and intellectual property. The items that the agent is keeping will be protected until certain instructions are given to them. A software is called an escrow if the source code is kept confidential by an escrow agent of the third party. The agency that has plans in using the software can as the agents to keep the software. Software escrow services are usually done by two parties which are both involved in a a software licensee transaction.
A programmer can only make a program if they have with them their source code. For other types of programs the source code can be transferred in the different programs, with this you are able to use the whole application and install them in your device. As long as you have the right knowledge about software executable source code it is very much possible for you to have your own program or application. If there is any breach of contract that the software developers made like bankruptcy and inability to update their software then it is possible for clients to gain access with the source code of their software through the escrow agent.
It is already a prevailing situation that there are some unscrupulous individuals that might take advantage of people's business. Most of the time these transactions involve substantial amount of money. Since there is now an involvement of software and source code in an escrow contract, buyers of software can be assured that they are safe from those individuals who might lure them. As of today, more and more people create programs and software that are sold in the market and clients should know that there is already a safer way to purchase and that is through an escrow agreement.
The clients are not just the one protected from fraud but also those who are makers of the program itself. Developing your own program and software is no joke, you will need to spend a great deal of time, money and effort in order to make a high quality output. The main objective of having an escrow agent is for both parties to have a mediator of the process who will be the one to setup the terms and conditions in the whole contract and of course both parties will be there to discuss everything in it as well. If there are certain terms that are violated in the agreement, the escrow agent has the right to perform appropriate action base on the contract or agreement.
Resource: weblink


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Interview with The Temper Trap: "Damn you, Sweet Disposition"
Thick As Thieves
The brightly-lit office of agents 19sixtyfive was nothing compared to Joseph Greer's megawatt smile as The Temper Trap member introduced himself. Despite having had interviews all day long, you could easily tell by his amicable nature that he'd be someone you'd enjoy having a chat with. The guitarist-keyboardist is the yin to frontman vocalist Dougy Mandagi's yang — he emerged with a half-unbuttoned shirt and a tousled mane any hard-hitting rock star would envy. A ball of endless energy, Mandagi had an air of constant distraction, as if nothing's cool enough to warrant his full attention.
This devil-may-care demeanour dropped once he perched himself on a stool and started strumming his guitar alongside Greer. Soon, they were basking us with The Temper Trap's newest track, Fall Together — off their upcoming album Thick As Thieves and co-written by the legendary Justin Parker, who has collaborated with the likes of Lana Del Rey, Sia and Banks — and an old number, Love Lost from their debut album. As the press group fell silent, Mandagi's signature spine-tingling falsetto pierced the air.
It was this Curtis Mayfield-slash-Prince-inspired falsetto that brought the band to local acclaim after stealing the show at Melbourne's St. Jerome's Laneway Festival in 2006. The then five-piece wonder went global once their U2-veined anthem Sweet Disposition from their debut album (Conditions, 2009) cracked the Top 40 in multiple countries. It also made an appearance in the indie movie (500) Days of Summer, which helped them form a cult-like following in the States. In 2012, the band returned with its eponymously titled record featuring the single Need Your Love before seeing the departure of guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto the next year. Proving they are no less as a creative unit, the remaining members are back with their much-awaited third album Thick As Thieves.
After putting their guitars aside, the duo shared their love for Singapore's famed chicken rice and chilli crab, the pressures Sweet Disposition gave them and of course, the forthcoming Thick As Thieves:
Welcome back to Singapore. You guys have been here a couple of times now. What do you love about it?
Dougy Mandagi (D): The food's good. Oh man, I love everything. But chicken rice is the staple favourite.
Joseph Greer (J): Chilli crab.
D: I can't eat that. I'm allergic to the sauce. Although I'm sure it's great.
So it's been four years since you released a new album. Can you tell us more about what's behind Thick as Thieves?
J: It took a long time because we just wanted to get this one right. We wrote a bunch of songs and then we thought "Is this an album?", we thought "Now we gotta keep writing", and that happened quite a few times. There's also the scheduling thing because of commitments with the record labels. It's taking longer than we would've liked but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter as long as it's good and I think that it is.
What are your personal favourites from Thick as Thieves?
J: We both have different ones. I really like a song called Tombstone. It makes me feel really good listening to it.
Is there a special meaning behind that song?
J: To be honest, Johnny (Jonathon Aherne), the bass player, actually wrote that song and it has a personal meaning to him. I won't even ask him what the lyrics mean because I enjoy making my own meaning. Obviously they mean something to Johnny, but to me, I'll take my own meaning from it. They're pretty special lyrics. Whatever he's saying, you can tell that it's meaningful and it's said from the heart.
How about you, Dougy?
D: I like a song called Ordinary World, which is the last track. It's kind of like a post-apocalyptic doomsday I'm-the-last-person-on-earth tune [laughs]. I don't know, it just made me paint a bleak picture I'm morbidly fascinated with. But more than anything, I just think it's a cool song. It doesn't fit a pop formula, which I like. It's not trying to be a hit single. It's just pure self-expression.
With the departure of Lorenzo in late 2013, is Thick as Thieves meant to show the world that the four of you are still very much tight as a band and as a creative unit?
D: With the departure of Lorenzo, it was a bit of a shock to the system for us because no one really saw it coming. But it actually made us reevaluate ourselves as a unit and in the end helped us solidify who we are as a band and who we are to each other. But when we were looking for an album title, that wasn't really in our minds. There was a song called Thick as Thieves that had already been written at the time and we thought that it had a nice grip to it. It sounded cool, so we chose that as a title and then we realised that oh, actually this was what we're going through.
So did Lorenzo's departure have an adverse effect to the making of this album?
D: No. If anything, it helped us approach songwriting in a different way. I think in the past we had a bad habit of just coming up with parts for the sake of having certain parts in songs that might not have been necessary. So when Lorenzo left and there were only four of us, obviously there aren't enough hands to play so many instruments. We've had to make do with however many things four people can play at one time, which in the end lead for a much leaner record. So we just cut out the fat, while still maintaining that Temper Trap sound.
How would you describe your current sound?
J: This album is a lot more guitar-focused. In some ways that was also the characteristic of the first album. On the second album, we were evolving on our own musical journey. We acquired some new synthesisers and we decided that were likely to play with it. So that album has a lot more of that element. With Lorenzo leaving, like Dougy said, we threw away the fat and did something really awesome with just playing guitars and you can see how powerful you can make things sound with just a mix of guitar, bass and drums. There's always going to be signatures of the sound that makes us, us. Dougy's vocal being the biggest one, but this album is a natural progression for us to retain things that make us The Temper Trap while still looking at the things that people love about us.
Right now, you've reached that stage where people look up to your songs. How does it feel to be this big?
D: It feels good. I mean, it's flattering that many people like us and that we've been able to affect so many people with our music. There are definitely moments in each of our lives where we kinda have to pinch ourselves to make sure it's all real. I think we're level-headed guys and we never let ourselves or each other get too big for our shoes. But I feel like there's more to do.
"The pressure's definitely there and our job is to navigate to where we can make music that we're still proud of while playing the game of pleasing everyone else."
Who would you say are your ideal listeners, the youth or a more mature crowd?
D: We don't really have an age bracket in mind when we're writing songs. There's always one old guy just dancing like nobody's business at the very front of all our gigs though. So, I think if anything is an indication that we appeal to all ages, it's that guy. There's always one in every city.
Do you feel any pressure to top the success that Sweet Disposition brought?
D: I don't think we put that kind of pressure on ourselves. But other people put that pressure on us, for sure. I guess that's part of having a successful song. It's kind of on us. We have the awesome job of trying to navigate and just be creative in creating music and also living up to the expectations. It's not an easy thing. Obviously we can't be mad at Sweet Disposition because the reason why you're here right now interviewing us is because of that song. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's a double-edged sword isn't it, that song. Damn you, Sweet Disposition.
Was there any pressure to conform to what other successful musicians were doing with their music?
J: As soon as our first album was released, we were introduced to the business side of things. Suddenly you've got other people's opinions involved: Record labels, radio people. And suddenly the spontaneity and innocence of the band got lost. The tricky thing is trying to create music that is close to the kind of music you made initially, you know, when everything else didn't matter. You can't be like "Hey, let's write another Sweet Disposition again", because it wouldn't be the same song. People would just see through it. The pressure's definitely there and our job is to navigate to where we can make music that we're still proud of while playing the game of pleasing everyone else.
The album drops next month, and I imagine the rest of the year will be a real whirlwind. Do you think about reviews and things like that?
D: I shouldn't but I do.
Do you Google yourself often?
D: No, I don't. I think of it but I don't. But Joseph does. He's always checking YouTube on the hits and likes. The hits or likes? Likes?
J: It's the views. And the comments.
D: See? I don't know even know what it's called.
Do you care about getting a good or bad review?
D: For me personally, I do. Especially because we travel so much and when I'm waiting around in the airport, I will always pick up a Rolling Stone. I don't necessarily read the whole thing to the end, but it influences me in a way. With that said, I don't read reviews of ourselves, because my heart is fragile. I can't take the pain.
Do you get inspired by other fellow musicians of today?
D: Of course. At the moment, Tame Impala is super inspiring. Kevin is a mad genius. The guy plays everything, records everything, writes everything. I look at those guys and I have a sense that they have so much freedom in their music. He doesn't write within a box. I can be wrong because I haven't actually sat and had a conversation with him, but it sounds like he doesn't write from a box which is, like I was saying before, pure self-expression. And it happens to be catchy as hell, which is amazing right? That's really inspirational to me. My dream is to do that.
You guys are obviously going to spend a lot of time on the road once the album drops and the tours start. What are your tour essentials and pre-show rituals?
D: Tour essentials? Load up on TV series. I'm currently staying away from Game of Thrones because I know I'm about to go on a tour bus soon and I'm going to be so bored. So I'm just gonna slam it then. Joseph and I always do these really weird vocal warm-ups that for people who have never witnessed someone doing vocal warm-ups, it would probably look pretty weird.
J: We always have a group hug before we go on stage. That's pretty consistent. Just like, a little huddle.
D: Touching each other's butts. A nice big squeeze. [squeezes an imaginary butt]
Dougy, we found out you did a fashion merchandising and marketing course before you got into music. How did that happen?
D: Do you really want to know?
Why of course.
D: Well, being Asian, obviously my parents didn't understand that I wanted to do music. So my mum forced me to take a course. And being a young dude back then, it's like "Oh, there are lots of chicks here. This seems interesting".
So chicks, huh?
D: That didn't really last long though. Care factor is zero for fashion merchandising. It wasn't my passion, let's put it that way. Not even the chicks were enough to keep me there. I was already doing music before but my mum was like, "What are you doing? You're wasting your time". You know, old school Asian mums. Shout out to all the Asian mums out there though!
The Temper Trap will be performing on 10 March at The ColiseumTM, Hard Rock Hotel® Singapore, Resorts WorldTM Sentosa. For tickets, click here.


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I found these old washers in the shed during a clear out the other day. I have no idea what they should be holding together, but I decided whatever it was hadn't fallen apart yet so they could be put to better use.
I sprayed them with WD40 to clean off any grime or rust and then gave them a good wash.
I painted each washer in nail varnish on both sides. Depending on the varnish you use you may have to do a couple of coats.
I recently bought a bottle of Glossy Accents on a whim and was really excited to have an opportunity to use it. Glossy Accents is a 'clear dimensional medium' which basically means it makes things a little bit 3d and shiny.
Once the nail varnish had dried I applied a coat of Glossy Accents on one side of the washer. It is starts cloudy and slowly begins to clear as it dries. It can take a couple of hours to dry properly.
This is what they looked like once they had dried. Super shiny!
In order to explain how to make the braided bracelet I am using three different colour threads to try and make it clearer.
Tie approximately 60cm of cotton thread onto the washer.
Take a second piece of Cotton thread again approx 60cm and tie it tightly onto the first piece of thread using a single knot (the one used when starting off a bow).
Take the right hand thread and make a letter P.
Take thread 1 and go over the top of thread 2. Then under under the two grey threads (3) and then over the top of the loop (4) and under thread 5.
Pull tight to form a knot.
Repeat, starting the loop on the other side this time (so you make a number 9 rather than a letter P). Once you have done this twenty times in total (10 on each side alternatively), use an embroidery needle to thread the loose cotton, and then trim the excess.
Repeat on the other side.
Take the grey threads on one side and lay them on top of the grey threads on the other side.
Take a new piece of cotton (approx 30cm) (in this picture it is the pink one) and tie a single knot around all four of the grey threads
Braid the pink cotton in the same way as you did the turquoise cotton.
Using an embroidery needle thread the pink cotton through the braid, then missing the first loop thread it back through. Do this for both excess strands. It is important to do each one twice or it will unravel.
Tie a knot at the end of the grey strands. (2 knots in total)
I am really pleased to announce the winner of my Stickerscape giveaway was Kibbler86. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered for supporting me.


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Our delivery options include:
Option 1: Flat Rate R80 via PostNet (up to 5kgs)
This is a counter to counter delivery to the nearest PostNet.
Delivery within 2 to 3 working days depending on your location.
Option 2: Courier Delivery R50
This is a courier delivery to your door, up to 1kg, to major city centres Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit. Delivery within 2-4 days working days depending on your location.
Option 3: Courier Delivery R80
This is a courier delivery to your door, up to 1kg, to Northern Cape and other outlying cities and provinces. Delivery within 4-5 days working days depending on your location.
*Cost to Outlying areas, provinces and international destinations start from R80 – please enquire before you purchase.
Please provide a South African address for delivery.
You will be provided with a tracking number once your item is shipped so you can track it. We do not take responsibility for the delivery of your item once we have sent you your tracking number. The PostNet nearest to you will send you a notification that you can collect your item. We suggest that you call them with your tracking number to make sure that you get your item. You have to collect within 7 days of notification or it will be sent back to us and you will pay the potage fee to have it sent back to you.
Returns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 2 weeks of delivery for a full refund. We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days). If you need to return an item, simply notify us via email, info at tropicaljbco dot com. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
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NASA launched an unmanned test rocket on Wednesday in the hopes it will become the backbone of a new program to send astronauts to the moon and Mars. The Ares program aims to launch with humans onboard by 2015, but budget concerns are threatening its future.
The 100-meter long Ares I-X rocket lifted off and rose 45 kilometers above the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, before falling back to the Earth. Engineers monitored dozens of cameras and onboard sensors as the rocket thundered into the sky.
"Now passing Mach 2 [680.58 meters/second]," said the mission controller. "The vehicle is now 10 miles [16 kilometers] altitude."
As designed, the motors burned for two minutes, then the rocket separated into two segments that fell into the Atlantic Ocean. NASA crews deployed to collect the solid rocket motors for inspection.
Engineers say the launch was a valuable opportunity to study the design and construction of the rocket, which is the first new vehicle to launch at the Kennedy Space Center in nearly 30 years.
Bob Ess directs the Ares I-X test flight team.
"Everything was just how we expected," said Bob Ess. "It was just like the animations we have been showing; it flew at the same speed and the same distance. It just looked much more spectacular in person than it did in planning."
The Ares rocket is a key part of the Constellation program that was announced by President George Bush in 2004. The $60 billion plan was intended to rejuvenate the U.S. space flight program and enable astronauts to return to the moon and eventually land on Mars.
But President Barack Obama has ordered a review of NASA's plans, amid concerns about rising costs. An independent panel has said the current budget will not support the agency's goals, suggesting some missions may need to be dropped.
NASA officials say they will continue advancing work on Constellation until the White House makes a decision on whether to change it.
Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley says the Ares test shows that NASA agency is on the right track.
"We have a design that will do the country service, if it is put into service," said Jeff Hanley. "The performance of the vehicle was very pleasing, to put it mildly."
Current plans call for NASA to end the space shuttle program next year, in part, to help finance development of Constellation. The first manned flight of Ares would not be until at least 2015.
Space agency officials say the break in manned U.S. space flights is unfortunate, but necessary to develop the technology that will carry astronauts into the next generation of space exploration.
NASA's associate administrator for exploration, Doug Cooke, says the Ares test is one step toward that goal.
"There is definite interest in going beyond low-Earth orbit to discover new things in the solar system," said Doug Cooke. "This is really the first big step we have taken in that direction in a long time."
After the Ares test, Cooke says, one of the next big hurdles is to build the Orion module that will sit atop the rocket and carry astronauts into space.
NASA Tests Rocket for Planned Moon, Mars Missions
NASA launched an unmanned test rocket on Wednesday in the hopes it will become the backbone of a new program to send astronauts to the moon and Mars. The Ares program aims to launch with humans onboard by 2015, but budget concerns are threatening its future.


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Voters mixed over Dr. Ben Carson's comments
Republican presidential candidate catching flak
Former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has been climbing in the polls in the race for the Republican nomination for president, but this week, he's getting a lot of criticism.
Carson has recently made some remarks that have people talking. The national media descended on an east Baltimore Popeye's restaurant near the Johns Hopkins campus after Carson said, referring to the college shootings in Oregon, "I've had a gun held on me when I was in a Popeye's organization. (The) guy comes in, put the gun in my ribs, and I just said, 'I believe that you want the guy behind the counter.'"
No one at Popeye's could comment on whether that happened or if the east Baltimore restaurant is the Popeye's location to which Carson referred.
More: Carson camp shuts down questions about Popeyes
More: Carson defends his Oregon gunman comments
Then, there's this comment about the Holocaust: "I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed."
"He needs to just help the people and just shut up," said Gayle Brent, a Baltimore voter.
Political analyst John Bullock said Carson is trying to pander to a particular part of the Republican base, and he's not doing it very well.
"He's still polling pretty well, but it will be interesting to see if this has an impact on his numbers, because this is prior to anything like this happening. Before, he was sort of the antidote to Donald Trump, so he was the more measured, more calm answers, but even though his tone may be measured, these responses are not very measured or considerate," Bullock said.
"He's brilliant, but I don't think he should be president of the United States. I mean, when it comes down to operating on and separating Siamese twins, he's the man. But when it comes down to running our economy, fixing the conflicts and trying to resolving issues, he can't even understand half of the things that he says when he's talking," said Reggie Baskerville, a voter.
William Thompson said Carson is a genius and he's planning to vote for him.
"I think he's misunderstood. And I think it is true, I think the Nazis took their guns and the poor Jewish folks could not defend themselves," Thompson said.
On its Facebook page, the Anti-Defamation League said Carson's statement is horribly inaccurate, and the small number of personal firearms available to Germany's Jews in 1938 could in no way have stopped the totalitarian power of the Nazi German state, and gun control did not cause the Holocaust; Nazism and anti-Semitism did.


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Hope for HIV Prevention
Implantable devices that can slowly and steadily release long-acting antiretrovirals into the body are one novel HIV prevention strategy now in development. Find out how a team of researchers at Northwestern University co-led by Thomas Hope is studying one such device.
By Kristen Jill Kresge
Ever since reading psychologist Barry Schwartz's book "The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less," I came to believe that we are often crippled by the number of choices in daily life. Do I want the whitening toothpaste, or am I better off with the anti-plaque? Which of the 37 varieties of laundry detergent will actually work the best? That is just the beginning.
The proliferation of online shopping only seems to add to the confusion that endless choice creates. A simple search brings up dozens if not hundreds of possible options for any item you seek. And studies indicate that the more choices there are, the less likely you are to be happy with your decision. In fact, some studies even suggest the proliferation of choices may make people overall less happy than previous generations. There are plenty of TED talks on this topic, not to further overwhelm you with choices.
But in the world of HIV prevention research today, the prevailing argument is that people need more options. That is to say, researchers think offering more ways to protect against HIV infection will lead to more people actually using a preventive strategy that works for them. There are already a few choices: condoms, of course; adult voluntary male circumcision; and oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, the use of HIV drugs to prevent HIV infection), which has been shown to be over 90 percent effective at preventing HIV infection when used consistently. But researchers say that the barriers are still too high to get many of the people who are at greatest risk of contracting HIV to use any of these options consistently and correctly, which is, of course, the only way they are effective.
This is why researchers are moving ahead to apply for regulatory approval for the vaginal ring containing the antiretroviral (ARV) dapivirine, which was found to be 27 percent effective in pooled results from two large efficacy trials (see HIV Field's Current Contours Show in Boston, IAVI Report, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2016). It is also why they are investigating whether a regular injection of antibodies that can protect against many of the HIV isolates in circulation, so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies, can protect those who aren't willing or able to swallow a pill every day to stay HIV free. Another option is using long-acting ARVs that will be applicable not only for treatment but for prevention as well (see Longer-acting HIV Prevention Methods: Take Two Antibodies and Call Me in Six Months?, IAVI Report, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2017). These long-acting ARVs could be delivered orally, by injection, or via an implantable drug-delivery system that could self degrade or be replaced annually, similar to the implantable hormonal contraception devices that last for three to five years.
It is this type of implantable device for HIV prevention that is the focus of a US$17.5 million grant awarded by the US National Institutes of Health to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. The five-year grant is funding the Sustained Long-Acting Protection Against HIV program, involving 15 basic scientists and clinical investigators across 15 departments at the University's Feinberg School of Medicine, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Kellogg School of Management.
One of the project's principal investigators is Thomas Hope, professor of cell and molecular biology at the Feinberg School of Medicine. The other is Patrick Kiser, associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine and biomedical engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering.
Hope is a familiar face in HIV research and a rather colorful character. He often delivers presentations at conferences around the world clad in a Hawaiian shirt, and always with an air of joviality. But the work he and his group do is serious. Much of it involves understanding mucosal transmission of HIV and the critical events immediately following transmission that allow the virus to establish persistent infection. In addition to pushing forward the field's understanding of the important interplay between HIV and multiple cell types, this research generates stunning, gallery-worthy microscopic images of the virus within the mucosal environment where infection is first established following sexual transmission.
Hope's personality is perhaps most evident in the naming of Northwestern's program to develop an implantable drug delivery system. "A lot of these trials have inspiring names like ASPIRE, ASCENT, et cetera," he said recently at a meeting sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). The program Hope co-leads is called the Sustained Long-Acting Protection Against HIV program, but it is the acronym that says it all. "We decided to take a more aggressive approach and call it SLAP HIV."
Hope spoke at the NYAS meeting about his team's efforts to develop an implantable device to deliver the investigational ARV cabotegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor with potent antiviral activity that is being developed by Viiv Healthcare. Cabotegravir is one of the first drugs to be developed simultaneously for treatment and prevention. It is currently being tested as both an oral formulation and an injectable in a large prevention trial. And the goal of Hope's program is to advance an implantable cabotegravir delivery system to Phase I clinical trials by the end of the five-year grant period that began in 2015.
We spoke in detail about the program and its progress, and also the other projects he currently finds most promising.
Can you start by explaining the implantable drug delivery system that your group is developing as part of the SLAP HIV program?
Basically, to make it you more or less compress the drug into a series of pellets and then you put the pellets inside of a membrane that is made from a polymer that is designed to let the drug leak out at a certain rate. You play around with the different polymers and you use the one that allows the drug to be released at the rate you need for protection.
It is interesting because you basically start with shelves of beakers with stir bars in them and you put the different prototypes of the implant in the beaker. Then you take a little bit of the liquid out and put a little liquid back in, kind of pretending the beaker is like a little system, and by doing this you can figure out how much of the drug is actually coming out. And then you make adjustments. Once you get close to the amount of drug being released every day that you want, then you move things over into, for instance, different animal studies.
And why work with cabotegravir?
Even though there are many, many antiretrovirals, there are only a handful of them that can work for a long-term, sustained-release strategy because the drug needs to be very potent, and it needs to be cleared from the system slowly. Cabotegravir is one drug that that can be accomplished with. The others that might work, at least on paper, are the Gilead drug known as TAF [tenofovir alafenamidem or Vemlidy; a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis B virus infection] and the new Merck drug that they call MK-8591, or as I called it at the New York Academy of Sciences meeting, unobtanium, because they are not really sharing information about it with anybody. I thought they would be mad that I called it that, but they actually thought it was funny.
And then did they tell you all about the drug?
Well, that's a different story, but the scientists from Merck did tell me they thought it was funny that I said that.
So you couldn't take any drug or combination of drugs and use a similar system to what you have developed?
Well it is really about the drug's potency. The implant needs to be small enough that it is not obtrusive. If you had an implant that was the size of a can of beer and you could put it under your skin somewhere, then you could use any drug. But the problem is the drug has to be very potent because the size of the device has to be small. You could probably only put hundreds of milligrams of drug in the little implantable device, and ideally, for an implant, you are looking for it to hold enough drug to last about a year in order for people to be willing to go through the surgery to insert the device. You can take a pill every day, but this is something entirely different. You have to have the device surgically inserted and then it has to be removed or replaced, and that is much more complicated than taking a pill. So for people to be willing to go through that, there has to be a real benefit. Therefore it really is potency of the drug that is the limiting step.
If you were going to use a different long-acting antiretroviral, such as TAF, could you just change the polymer that controls the release and modify your device to work?
Some technologies are readily adaptable to other drugs, but ours is very specific. Some people have devices that are more of a solid matrix with little holes drilled in it, but because ours is really just a tube of polymer and because each drug has different characteristics, the polymer that works best for TAF is not going to work for cabotegravir. There are other technologies that are being developed that are more universally applicable. For example there is one that is basically a metal tube that slowly pushes the drug out of one end, and so with something like that, you could use any number of different drugs because you are just pushing the drug out of a tube.
Where are you now in the development and testing of your implantable in animal models and what are the plans for clinical development?
Well, we are very anxious…the nature of this grant is that we are supposed to have a Phase I clinical trial completed by the end of the fifth year, or at least in the no-cost extension period, so we are trying to meet that. Right now we are transitioning from beakers into rabbits, and then into primates to see if the way these things seem to perform in these idealized systems within beakers translates to the living animal. Those studies are ongoing right now.
Where does the device go in the body?
That is a good question. It can kind of go anywhere but right now we are mostly thinking of doing something similar to what is done for Norplant and other hormonal implants used for birth control. Those devices tend to go in the inner arm, around the lower biceps. And the logic for that, although we have not been able to find out explicitly why they decided to put it there, is that it is a place that is not going to be exposed to outside impacts, you know, like being in a car accident and hitting it hard against the inside of the car or any other sort of bumping into something. It is a little bit protected in that place. But there has also been some discussion of putting it in the buttocks or in the small of the back.
You want it to be someplace where there are not a lot of nerves and you are not going to notice it. But right now as we are doing our acceptability studies, we show examples of it being like the hormonal, sustained-release devices and so it is in that same spot on the inner arm.
Is there also anything to be learned from the implantable insulin release systems that are used for treating diabetes?
Insulin is a much bigger molecule than these antiretrovirals, so while I think some lessons can be learned, like how the body reacts to implants and that kind of stuff, the actual functions of the devices are going to be very different for a human protein versus a small molecule. These drugs are very small molecules.
If you are trying to prevent against sexual transmission of HIV, how do you know how much of the drug needs to be in a person's system to protect against exposure? Will cabotegravir released by the implantable device have a different bioavailability than if swallowed in a pill form or administered by injection?
So that's the idea behind the animal studies. It all comes down to the systemic drug levels. When you take a pill, depending on the drug, either all of it gets into your system, or with some drugs, not that much of it gets into your system. And so the bioavailability is dependent on the drug getting through your digestive tract to enter your system. We do not have that issue with the implants.
And so the idea is after—we have to do all the studies, of course—but after a certain period of time, days or weeks, the drug would be spread throughout the body. We know from studies of oral PrEP and some other things, that sometimes these drugs concentrate in one part of the body and less in another part of the body, so that becomes important. You just have to have sufficient levels to provide protection, that is what it is all about.
Could you theoretically develop this type of an implantable device to allow the broadly neutralizing antibodies to be released over time, or is it really specific for non-protein, small-molecule drugs?
I do not think this technology with the membrane, where it releases the drug through the membrane, would ever work for broadly neutralizing antibodies. But people are developing technologies to accomplish this, it is just different kinds of technologies are required to make these things work.
Is there any interest in developing an implantable device for HIV treatment, or just for prevention?
You are absolutely right that this same exact device could be used for treatments, but in the grant program that is sponsoring this project, they were very explicit in saying you had to pick prevention or treatment, and because we have a lot more experience in prevention, we are focused on prevention. But the implant could easily be used for therapy.
What role is the management school at Northwestern playing in this grant? Are they involved in figuring out whether people would want to use an implantable device and how to market it?
So one of the things that the field is considering, and there is a lot of discussion about this, is how there have been all kinds of efforts to develop new products—vaginal rings, gels, et cetera—and then very often when it comes time to roll these new products out, the people that have to use them are not so excited about actually using a gel or a ring. Instead it is, "I would like this, but I don't want it to be this way."
So I think this program was set up really, very well. The first couple of years was a competition of different groups to see which one could develop a technology that made the most sense. And part of the decision process used to decide which of these technologies to advance into a Phase I clinical trial was going to be concerns about whether or not it would be used. If we have three technologies available that we can advance, and one of them people are excited about using for prevention, and the other two, they're like, "I hate that idea," then that would come into play. So the role of the School of Management has been in conducting acceptability studies.
Historically, as a hardcore scientist, I have not necessarily always been a big fan of this sort of work. But I am now convinced that it is of the highest level of importance. We need to start thinking about how we are going to get people to use these things and offer them the things that they are willing to use, otherwise we haven't solved any problem.
Our number one guide in the management school, Bob Schieffer, is an expert in doing these kind of analyses. It starts with a focus group to get a sense of what people are thinking. Then you can turn that into hard science by doing something called a conjoint analysis and discrete choice analysis.
If you just tell somebody here are 10 things and say, "Which is your favorite one?" the responder might grab one, but then the next day they would grab a different one. And sometimes people don't even know what they like or not. So instead of offering them—this is just one crude example—but instead of offering them 10 things to pick one from, you offer them the 10 different things two at a time. Then you can ask do you prefer this one or this one? This one or this one? This one or this one? And by doing this, some things become immediately apparent to analysts. One is that some people, like 15 percent of people, don't know what they want so perhaps they can be excluded from the analysis. Then you can start to extract different information. Is their number one choice right next to their number two choice, or is their number one choice far superior to number two? These comparisons allow you to get this kind of information.
And then other choices are also very important. A good example is choosing between your favorite restaurant and your second favorite restaurant. The second favorite restaurant is across the street. Your first favorite is a 20-minute drive. You want to go to your favorite restaurant but it is raining, so you decide to go across the street. And then the next week the situation is different and you make a different choice. This example shows that the context of the things you have to consider when you make a big decision, or a small decision, are complicated and so you need to try to measure all of those things.
With the School of Management we've found a goldmine in my opinion. These people did this sort of work as a profession, they were successful and were able to retire, and now they are teaching the next generation by working in the School of Management. They can take those approaches and apply it to this very important area. Other people are of course doing this too, including the commercial firms that actually run the surveys.
I think that has been one of the several really neat things that have come out of this project that I was not anticipating.
Do people really need that many more choices when it comes to HIV prevention?
People often cite birth control as an example, in part because it's sexually related, and in part because what actually works in getting people to use it more is having a choice of what method they want.
Back when there were very few choices, birth control was less successful. Now, there are all these different choices, even internationally, like rings, for example. Rings for birth control are much more popular in South America than anywhere else. In other parts of the world they aren't used at all. In the US, I think contraceptive rings make up less than 10 percent of the market, maybe eight percent. That is still enough for the companies to make money on it, but it is not the top choice.
What we really need for HIV prevention is to offer people options. The implant is an option for individuals that are not good at taking pills every day. Some people are good at taking pills every day, whether it is for blood pressure or anything else, and other people are not. And bizarrely, if you do not take the pill, it doesn't help you. From inside the bottle it can not do much.
What other areas of HIV prevention research are you involved in?
Right now I think we have the best science ever happening in our lab, and one thing that I think is very relevant is that we are doing some work on injecting broadly neutralizing antibodies and learning neat things about how they distribute in the body. We inject them into a macaque and watch how they distribute. By doing this, we are learning all these new ways that antibodies get to mucosal sites and the brain that nobody knew about before.
Some other work that I am really excited about is that we are finding there are all these unique interactions between antibodies and mucins [glycoproteins] in mucus that can add to antibody function, and in some ways, even change the functions of the mucins.
We are excited about being able to contribute to HIV prevention.
So does that bode well for the antibody prophylaxis studies, perhaps?
I am excited about those studies. I have to admit, a few years ago I was less enthusiastic, but the system has gotten so good at producing these antibodies at lower costs and modifying the antibody with certain mutations that make the antibody persist for a long time. I think some of that work that has been going on for a while is really coming together nicely.
Speaking of the interaction between antibodies and mucus, it reminds me of how your lab creates some of the most stunning images of the virus. I never knew mucus could be so beautiful!
It is really fun to have these pictures of what we do because people can look at them and kind of get a sense of what is going on. Your average person can appreciate those pictures more than, say, a flow cytometry plot, or a bar graph, or something else abstract. With the pictures you can show them that the green dots are viruses and all of the sudden they can visualize what is going on. So it is a nice space to operate in.
Perhaps a gallery showing is in your future?
We have thought about it and we have been involved with some of those. They had a show at the American Society of Cell Biology and they sold the pictures for charity. We gave them about 10 of our pictures and they used them all and they sold them all. So we do that a little bit. It's fun.
You are also training and collaborating with early career researchers in Kenya, one of whom we profile in this issue. What inspired you to establish those connections?
I think it is very important, and we have to do these things. It helps establish contacts and collaborations because they have local knowledge that is important. They can help us to get highly relevant samples. We haven't progressed that far yet where we are worried about this, but if we make a vaccine, we want it to work in Africa, and in the US, and everywhere else, especially in places where there is more transmission occurring. And there are differences in these populations that we have to understand and address. So these kinds of international studies are really important in the long run. One of the things we are doing is just trying to compare mucosal environments between volunteers in the US and Nairobi, Kenya. We are also trying to transfer some of our technologies to Kenya, and one of the cool things is they just got a microscope like ours, so that is exciting.


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Team Collaboration maintains strong growth to reach 13 million paid active weekly users in 2017
Team Collaboration maintains strong growth to reach 13 million paid active weekly users in 2017
MZA has released its latest Collaboration Solutions market analysis, with team collaboration solutions recording strong growth in both revenue and active user base. The total weekly active paid user base worldwide rose to just under 13 million user licences at the end of 2017, and this growth drove revenues accrued up to US$ 422 million at end user levels, with each user typically paying a monthly subscription fee. The weekly active free user base also exhibited strong growth through 2017, with 105 million users active.
Team collaboration solutions provide persistency to an organisation's communications, with a searchable history of messages, one-to-one and group calling and conferencing, and an ability to segment conversations into workflows specific to a task, project or group of users. In addition, some solutions either natively or via integrations provide a vast array of business tools including file storage, task assignment and project planning capabilities.
Nearly three times larger at the end of 2017 than was recorded at the end of 2016 at a global level, the weekly active paid user base was predominantly deployed in North America, with more users active in the region than in the rest of the world regions combined.
Competitive Landscape
The providers of team collaboration solutions have very different strategies to attracting and monetising their user base, with some offering their solutions as stand-alone, independent services, some as part of a UCaaS service, and some as part of a wider productivity suite.
In terms of the volume of weekly active paid user licences at the end of 2017, Microsoft was the clear worldwide leader, ahead of Slack in second place and Cisco in third position.
Microsoft's entry into the market in 2017, offering its solution as part of its Office 365 suite, significantly impacted the market volumes and displaced previous leader Slack.
Slack and Microsoft's very different pricing models are reflected in the revenue shares achieved in 2017, however, as Slack continued to lead the market in revenue terms, with a dominant share of over 50% of global revenues attributable to team collaboration.