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Havelok the Dane
Havelok the Dane, also known as Havelok or Lay of Havelok the Dane, is a Middle English romance considered to be part of the Matter of England.[1][2] The story, however, is also known in two earlier Anglo-Norman versions. Most scholars place the writing of Havelok the Dane at the end of the thirteenth century, between 1280 and 1290.[3] The name "Havelok" also has many variations in spelling, and can be found as "Haveloc", "Havelock", or "Aybloc".
The story of Havelok is first attested in lines 37–818 of Geoffrey Gaimar's Anglo-Norman Estoire des Engleis of about 1135–40. This was the basis for another Anglo-Norman poem, the Lai d'havelok, which in turn may have influenced Havelok the Dane. Havelok is the second oldest surviving romance written in English, after King Horn; it is believed to have been composed somewhere between 1280–1310. The romance survives in one imperfect version in the Bodleian Library in Oxford University, as well as some fragments. A copy of the 3,001 line poem is available to view in Grimsby Public Library. A new publication of the late 19th-century translation by Walter Skeat is available as The Lay of Havelock the Dane.[4]
Havelok is often categorized as belonging to the so-called Matter of England, because it deals with legends of English history rather than the legends of Rome, France and Britain, the three traditional subjects of medieval romance. The poem is notable for its interest in law and legal practice and its exploration of ideal kingship, as well as for its detailed depiction of working-class life in 13th-century Lincolnshire. It has been called a 'bourgeois' romance because of the high value placed on hard work, virtuous behaviour, and proverbial wisdom, but since this value is just as observable in working-class life the term can be misleading.
There is evidence that the legend of Havelok was a popular one, as the town of Grimsby, which features in the story, depicted three of its characters – Havelok, Goldeboru, and Grim – on its town seal in the early 13th century. The story unites the local interest of the founding of Grimsby in Lincolnshire to an interest in the complex national identity of England in the Middle Ages, bringing together early English, Norman, Danish and British influences.
Even today, the town seal of Grimsby still names Grim, Havelok, and Goldborow. It is possible to visit the "Grim-stone" and the "Havelok-stone" at Grimsby and Lincoln, respectively. A statue of Grim and Havelok stood outside the main site of Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education from 1973 until 2006, but was removed on health and safety grounds after Havelock was decapitated by vandals.[5]
The character Havelok may be based upon the historical Amlaíb Cuarán, a 10th-century Norse-Gaelic ruler, and the legend's plot loosely based upon Amlaíb's life,[6] though there is no critical consensus. Skeat posited a possible link to early legends of Hamlet.
Plot summary of the Middle English romance[edit]
Havelok is intricately constructed, consisting of a double arc in which the royal heirs of both Denmark and England are unjustly displaced as children but later restored to their rightful positions. The poem opens in England during the reign of Athelwold, who is described in ideal terms as a just and virtuous king. He dies without an adult successor and leaves his young daughter Goldborow to the care of Godrich, Earl of Cornwall, who is to rule as regent until Goldburow can be married. Athelwold stipulates that she should be married to the "highest man in England". After Athelwold's death Godrich immediately betrays his oath and imprisons Goldborow in a remote tower in Dover.
The poem then shifts to Denmark, where a similarly virtuous king, Birkabein, dies, leaving behind two daughters, Swanborow and Helfled, and a son, Havelok. Godard, a wealthy retainer, is appointed regent. Godard too betrays his trust: he brutally murders the daughters by cutting their throats and hands the three-year-old Havelok over to a thrall, the fisherman Grim, to be drowned in the sea. Grim recognizes Havelok as the rightful heir to the kingdom when he sees a pair of miraculous signs: a bright light that emerges from the boy's mouth when he is sleeping, and the "kynemerk," a cross-shaped birthmark on his shoulder. Grim is persuaded to spare Havelok's life, but tells Godard that he has killed the child[7]. Grim flees with Havelok and his family to England, where he finds the town of Grimsby at the estuary of the Humber. Havelok is brought up as part of Grim's family and works as a fisherman alongside Grim and his sons. (Several versions tell that Havelok was raised under a false name, Cuaran, in order to protect his identity, though the Middle English version omits this detail.)
Havelok grows to an extraordinary size and strength, and has a huge appetite; during a time of famine, Grim is unable to feed him, and Havelok leaves home to seek his subsistence in Lincoln, barefoot and clad in a cloak made from an old sail. In Lincoln he is taken in by Bertram, a cook in a noble household, and works for him as a kitchen-boy. Havelok's humility, gentleness and cheerful nature make him universally popular, especially with children, and his unusual height, strength and beauty draw attention wherever he goes. During a festival, Havelok takes part in a stone-throwing competition and far surpasses the efforts of the other young men with his near-superhuman strength. This victory makes him the subject of discussion and brings him to the notice of Godrich, who is present in Lincoln for a parliament. Godrich notices Havelok's unusual height and decides to arrange a marriage between him and Goldburow, as this will fulfil the literal terms of his promise to Athelwold that Goldboruw should marry the 'highest' man in the kingdom; believing Havelok to be a peasant's son, he intends to deprive Goldboruw of her inheritance by the marriage. Havelok is reluctant to marry because he is too poor to support a wife, but he submits to the union after being threatened by Godrich. Havelok and Goldborow marry and return to Grimsby, where they are taken in by Grim's children. That night Goldborow is awakened by a bright light and sees the flame coming out of Havelok's mouth. She then notices his birthmark, and an angel-voice tells her of Havelok's royal lineage and his destiny as king of Denmark and England. At the same time, Havelok has a dream in which he embraces the land and people of Denmark in his arms and presents the kingdom at Goldboruw's feet. When he wakes, they share their visions and agree to return to Denmark.
Havelok sails to Denmark with Goldborow and Grim's three eldest sons in order to reclaim his kingdom. Disguised as a merchant, Havelok is sheltered by Ubbe, a Danish nobleman. Ubbe is impressed by Havelok's strength in an attack on the house, and at night notices the light coming out of Havelok's mouth; he recognises Havelok as the son of Birkabein and immediately pledges his support to Havelok in overthrowing Godard. When Havelok has received the submission of many of the Danish lords amid great rejoicing, he defeats Godard and the usurper is condemned to be flayed and hanged. Havelok invades England, overthrows Godrich in battle and claims the throne in Goldborow's name. As king of Denmark and England, Havelok rules justly for more than sixty years. He and Goldborow enjoy a happy, loving marriage, and have fifteen children: all their sons become kings and all their daughters queens.
Plot summary according to Gaimar[edit]
This plot summary is based on the translation of Hardy and Martin.[8]
King Adelbrit is a Dane ruling Norfolk under Constantine, King Arthur's nephew, along with a part of Denmark (71-74). King Edelsie is a Briton and King of Lincoln and Lindsey. His sister Orwain marries Adelbrit, and their child is Argentille. Orwain and Adelbrit die at much the same time (lines 1-94). When Adelbrit dies, Edelsie marries his niece to a serving lad called Cuheran in order to clear the way for taking over Adelbrit's kingdom himself (93-104, 165-80).
Cuheran is handsome, magnanimous and the freemen and nobles of the household would have given him anything he wanted if only he weren't so humble that he asks for nothing (95-154). In something of a blind motif which does, however, serve to suggest Cuheran's boorishness, it takes a few nights for Cuheran to get round to having sex with Argentille (177-94). Argentille has a prophetic dream (195-240). Argentille awakes to find Cuheran sleeping on his back, with a flame burning at his mouth. She wakes Cuheran and he explains the dream as a prophecy of the feast he will be cooking the next day and adds that he doesn't know why a flame burns at his mouth when he sleeps (241-310). Argentille decides she would rather live with Cuheran's family than in shame with her uncle (301-28). Cuheran believes he has two brothers (who are in fact not his brothers, 155-60) and a sister Kelloc, and that they are all the sons of a fisherman and salt-seller called Grim (330-34) and his wife Sebrug (369-70). Kelloc and her husband Alger, a fisherman (331) and a merchant (455-62, 481-84), resolve to tell Cuheran that he is actually called Havelock and is the son of King Gunter of Denmark and Queen Alvive, daughter of King Gaifer. Kelloc and her brothers are in fact the children of Alvive by one of her retainers, Grim. Gunter was killed by King Arthur; Alvive fled with Grim, their children, and Havelock/Cuheran, but was herself killed by pirates on the way (426-40, 582-85). Kelloc's husband trades with Denmark and reckons that the people would be happy if Havelock came to claim his inheritance (334-468). Havelock and Argentille sail to Denmark with the merchants (469-504).
Denmark is ruled by the evil King Odulf/Edulf, brother of King Aschis, one of Arthur's knights (510-28). On arrival, Havelock is attacked and Argentille seized. Havelock defeats the attackers and rescues Argentille, but the two are forced to flee to a church tower where they defend themselves (533-54). Fortunately, Sigar Estalre, Gunter's one-time steward, sees Havelock's resemblance to Gunter and rescues him from his predicament (505-9, 555-70). Sigar hears Havelock's story and checks its veracity. First, by looking for the flame when he sleeps (571-645), and then by getting Havelock to sound a horn which only the rightful heir of Denmark can sound, whereupon everyone takes Havelock as their lord (646-734). Havelock defeats Edulf in battle (735-758) and then Edelsie, having used the tactic taught to him by Argentille of propping up the corpses of his army to make it look like he has more men. Edelsie dies a few days later, allowing Havelock and Argentille to inherit both Edelsie's and Adelbrit's old lands. Havelock rules for twenty years (735-818).
Norse mythology connotations[edit]
In Norse mythology, Grim (Mask) and Grimnir (Masked One) are names adopted by the deity Odin (Anglo-Saxon Woden) when travelling incognito amongst mortals, as in the short poem known as 'Grimnir's Sayings' (Grimnismal) in the Poetic Edda.[9] The intended audience of the Havelock tale (recorded much later in the form of The Lay of Havelock the Dane) may have understood the fisherman Grim to be Odin in disguise.
- ^ Boundaries in medieval romance, Neil Cartlidge, DS Brewer, 2008, ISBN 1-84384-155-X, 9781843841555. pp. 29-42
- ^ "Both Horn and Havelok the Dane belong to a group of poems known as the Matter of England, late medieval romances based in part on the oral folk culture that survived the Norman Conquest. This Category also usually includes Athelston and Bevis of Hampton." Introduction to King Horn ed. B. Herzman, Graham Drake and Eve Salisbury; originally published in Four Romances of England (Kalamazoo, MI, 1999, p. 1.
- ^ "Havelok the Dane: Introduction". University of Rochester Libraries. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Plan-resurrect-Grim-Havelock-statue-mystery-whereabouts-solved/article-574748-detail/article.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cannon, John; Hargreaves, Anne (2009), The Kings and Queens of Britain (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 67, ISBN 978-0-19-955922-0.
- ^ The motive of a Royal baby given to a commoner to be killed, but being spared and growing up as a commoner without knowing his true origins, has many parallels - for example the story of Oedipus in Greek mythology.
- ^ Gaimar, Geffrei. Thomas Duffus Hardy; Charles Trice Martin (eds.). Lestoire des Engles. 2. Translated by Hardy; Martin. Rolls Series, 91, 2 vols. pp. 1–26.
- ^ Grimnir's Sayings (verses 46,49), The Poetic Edda
- Couch, J. (2008). "The Vulnerable Hero: Havelok and the Revision of Romance." Chaucer Review, 42(3), 330-352.
- Garthwaite, Marion (1963). The Locked Crowns. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. (children's version)
- Shepard, S. (Ed). (1995). Middle English Romances: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
- Skeat, Walter. (Ed.). (1973). The Lay of Havelok the Dane. New York: Kraus Reprint Co.
External links[edit]
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Havelok the Dane
- 'Havelok the Dane', in Four Romances of England, ed. by Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake, and Eve Salisbury (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications, 1999). Fully glossed online text with introduction and bibliography.
- The Lay of Havelok the Dane at Project Gutenberg (As published by the Early English Text Society, 1868.)
- Havelok the Dane public domain audiobook at LibriVox


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The logo, showing a classic saucer-shaped spacecraft shining a light down on the search-engine's regular logo, has been the subject of much speculation.
The world's internet voices want to now whether the all-powerful web giant is trying to tell us something.
Google regularly changes its logo to mark important event such as the recent 40th anniversary of the moon landings.
But nobody can work out why Google has chosen this date to put a UFO logo on the world's most visited web page.
"Does anybody know what's going on?" asks one.
"Aliens landed on Earth this day last year," offers another blogger by way of explanation.
Some think Google's global dominance may extend beyond this planet.
"If Google says the aliens are coming, I'm getting out of here," says one US blogger.
One of the things bothering the online community is that early on Saturday morning the new logo could be seen in some places, but not others.
"Am I the one that is going crazy?" asks a blogger in Arizona who can't see the logo.
If you click on the alien logo you are given the results for "unexplained phenomena".
In Google's top tend most searched terms "unexplained phenomena" merits two entries.
It is unclear whether Google is responding to popular demand or dictating what the public should be interested in.
Can you explain Google's UFO logo?

subset: commoncrawl


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I'd like to welcome back B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Anna Belfrage. Had Anna been allowed to choose, she'd have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does not exist, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing.
Presently, Anna is hard at work with The King's Greatest Enemy, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer's rise to power.
When Anna is not stuck in the 14th century, chances are she'll be visiting in the 17th century, more specifically with Alex and Matthew Graham, the protagonists of the acclaimed The Graham Saga. This series is the story of two people who should never have met – not when she was born three centuries after him.
Anna can be found on her website, on Facebook and on her blog. Or on twitter and Amazon.
Anna, thank you for visiting with me again and for the opportunity to chat about your book, To Catch a Falling Star. Please tell your audience about your book and which place does this book fall into your series.
Hi Stephanie, it is very nice to be back – and I must say I love the promising smell coming from your kitchen. Cake?
Of course! As always with a spot of tea too.
Anyway, back To Catch a Falling Star, the eighth and supposedly the last of The Graham Saga – except that it no longer isn't, as my nights are constantly being disturbed by Alex Graham. "Your fault," she tells me. "You think I'm going to let you STOP writing about us when Samuel is with the Indians and Adam and David are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? Forget it!" She glares at me. "I have to know what happens next."
Logically, one could argue she should know – she's the one living the life back there in the 17th century – but I suppose being an invented character sort of leaves you in limbo if the author doesn't tie up all the threads.
"Too right," Alex mutters, hands smoothing at her dirty apron. She brushes a strand of greyish hair back behind her ear.
"All threads don't get tied up," I tell her as gently as I can. After all, that's what life is like, isn't it? But the expression in her face, coupled with her determined nagging and the fact I love my Alex and Matthew to bits has made me promise her there'll be at least one more book, tentatively named No Man is an Island.
Back to To Catch a Falling Star: this is a book about homecomings, about revisiting places you once belonged in, and find that you no longer do. It is about loss, about love, and it is also about the consequences of having a kingdom torn in two between those who support the king, albeit that he is Catholic, and those who want to oust James II in favour of his son-in-law and nephew, soon-to-be William III. And yes, as it is part of the Graham Saga, all these events are seen through the eyes of Matthew and Alex, who happen to be in Scotland for a visit (as per Alex – she has her home in Maryland, with her family) or to stay (as per a hopeful Matthew).
I am also incredibly proud to have been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion for this book. This means all books in The Graham Saga are recipients of this award, and you can imagine just how tall that makes me feel.
Will you please give a little history of William of Orange.
Hmm. I'm probably grossly unfair on the poor man, but I have never liked him. I find him staid and boring and I find it quite tasteless to up and steal your father-in-law's crown like that, so don't get me started on William's wife, Mary, who was James II's daughter.
However, if I take a deep breath and step out of my own personal biases, one must accord William credit for handling a tricky situation – he was invited by seven Protestant peers to claim the throne together with his wife. Why he accepted we don't really know – William was a man who mostly kept his own counsel. But I'd guess he did it so as to fulfil his lifelong ambition to halt France's expansion, especially into his own territories.
Initially, his countrymen weren't that interested when William tried to make them realize France had to be stopped – they were keener on maintaining good trading relationships with France – and William as Stadtholder of the United Provinces did not have the funds to do more and watch as the French annexed one piece after the other of his country. Until, that is Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, thereby triggering a free-for-all on all Protestants remaining in France.
Horrified Dutch Protestants opened their homes to the refugees from Louis XIV's France. They listened to stories of bloodshed, to being forced to leave all their wealth behind (with which the wealthy Dutch traders could more than relate), to being beaten and whipped, murdered even, by angry Catholic mobs. Which is when William coughed and said "ahem". Now he was given funds – plenty of funds. Even more fortuitously, the Holy Roman Emperor beat off the Turks and was more than happy to join the coalition against France. Only England, ruled by Louis XIVs cousin, remained loyal to France. The invitation from the seven grandees therefore came at an opportune time. By invading, William hoped to strong-arm his father-in-law into supporting his efforts to contain France.
William landed in Torbay on November 5, 1688. William was hailed as a liberator. James dithered, uncertain as to what to do – William was family, and James was more than aware of how much his eldest daughter loved her husband. Besides, he definitely did not want to be the one who started a new Civil War – he was as beset by spectres as his peers.
On November 23, James took the decision to retire to London rather than meet William on the field. A capable military leader, James could probably have held his own – and his was the larger force. So why did he retreat? Why did he attempt to flee to France rather than defend his crown? We will never know – but chances are that had he stayed and fought, he would have carried the day, thereby rewriting history as we know it. But then, history is full of 'what if's', isn't it? Instead, in 1689, William and Mary were confirmed by Parliament as the new king and queen.
When Matthew and Alex return to Scotland, what is one of the first encounters they have?
Well, first of all, they meet Luke, Matthew's estranged brother. And then Alex literally bumps into James Graham, known to history as Viscount Dundee. He is something of an anomaly, a Protestant peer who remains loyal to James II to his death.
I have to say when reading about Alex confronting an unresolved issue with Luke Graham, I was not expecting the way she handled it. Was there ever a time leading up to this conflict that you might have written it differently?
Ha, well, I'm not sure which confrontation you mean, but in general, no, the scenes between Alex and Luke were pretty self-evident. Alex has little love for her brother-in-law, whom she holds responsible for a lot of the suffering her husband has been subjected to. Luke, on the other hand, feels he's the injured party, seeing as Matthew swiped off his nose one time very long ago. They'll never see eyes to eye on this, and so theirs is an infected relationship, even more so as Alex so resembles Luke's beloved (and dead) wife.
Oh, dear I guess I can't mention which confrontation, now can I? Unless we reveal a spoiler and we don't want that! On a side note, I can see why Luke would be sore with his brother for-ahem-swiping his nose off. Not to say Luke didn't have it coming to him.
Well, I guess we should talk about the slimy, Richard Campbell next.
Every book needs a worm, right? Richard Campbell is my particular worm, a man who hides his narrow-mindedness and generally misogynist approach to life behind the trappings of a Presbyterian Minister. He detests Alex – a feeling returned in full – since she humiliated him several years ago in an incident involving a soup ladle. He is intolerant of all faiths but his own, consider Catholics to be the slime of the Earth (and therefore eagerly argues for either ousting them or killing them). He believes in witchcraft and is convinced Alex is a witch, and guess where he'll be in 1692? Yup, in Salem, Massachusetts …Unfortunately, he doesn't stay there.
I have to ask, how do you keep up with all the conflicts in your stories and have you learned anything from writing about them?
The conflicts just sort of happen.
They sure do with the Grahams!
My intention is to depict life as it might have been back then, viewed through the eyes of my time-travelling protagonist, Alex. (Well; time-travelling is an exaggeration. She fell through time once and has no desire to ever repeat that awful experience)
As to what I learn, I learn all the time: about herbs and food, how to make lye soap and how to dye homespun. I learn about the political complexities, about the strained relationship between settlers and Native Americans, about the constant conflict between Protestants and Catholics – and between Protestants and Protestants. Presbyterians weren't all that fond of Anglicans, putting it mildly.
That is putting it mildly. *laughing* For those who have not started your series yet, will you give a little back ground of the Grahams?
It all starts in 1658, when Matthew Graham is making his way back home to his Scottish manor after having escaped from an unjust imprisonment thanks to treacherous brother Luke. He is somewhere midway through the Southern Uplands when he finds a woman sprawled on the moor. A very strange woman, dressed in tight light blue breeches and with short, curly hair. She is concussed and singed, holds out a small rectangular thing and says she has to "phone home." Well, that doesn't work out too well for poor Alex, who to her shock realizes that somehow the sheer veils of time have ripped apart and jettisoned her into a new time and a new place. The only compensation is this tall and unkempt man with magical hazel eyes.
How much time did you spend on writing this story and were there any profound moments in the story that made an impact on you as a storyteller?
On me as a storyteller? Not so much. However, writing The Graham Saga has obliged me to consider my own beliefs as to God and afterlife, and I think I emerge from this process as a stronger person. And as to how long it takes, I'd say I write a book in 3 months, give or take. After that, it takes another 6 – 8 months to have it ready to go.
Where can readers purchase your stories?
As per my excellent publisher, Silverwood Books, wherever good books are sold. Somewhat more seriously, you can find my books on Amazon, on B&N, on Kobo and iBooks. Plus, they're also available as paperbacks.
A message from indieBRAG:
We are delighted that Stephanie has chosen to interview Anna Belfrage who is the author of, To Catch A Falling Star, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ®, a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as, To Catch a falling Star, merits the investment of a reader's time and money
indieBRAG Interview Team Leader


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Sea lions are some of the most adorable creatures that you'll find in the sea. In fact, the name "sea lion" may be a bit of a misnomer. "Sea puppy" might be a better fit. Of course, this is purely an opinion, and you're probably looking for a few sea lion facts, so here are seven of them:
#1 – They're mammals – That makes sense, considering the "lion" part of the name. Sea lions give birth to live pups, and the females produce milk to nurse their young – just like puppies!
#2 – There are many species of sea lions – There are actually seven different species even though they all often seem to be bundled into the same category. Sea lions belong to a group of animals called "pinnipeds."
#3 – The bigger, the better – Male sea lions grow to be pretty big – much larger than females. The females look for the largest males to mate with, so in this case, yes, bigger is better.
#4 – The Northern Atlantic Ocean is off-limits – You can find sea lions in bodies of water throughout the world – except for the Northern Atlantic Ocean. This is strange since its temperatures are certainly compatible with where sea lions typically live, and there's plenty of food there. Scientists have no idea why sea lions refuse to live in this area.
#5 – They can have age-related health issues. When they grow older, sea lions become prone to pneumonia, epilepsy, and cancer.
#6 – They're very social. Sea lions communicate in a variety of ways, although scientists are still somewhat baffled as to what their sounds mean. They travel in large colonies, which have subgroups. Sea lions will even move from subgroup to subgroup during their lifetimes – so in a way, they're kind of like cliques.
#7 – They are endangered. This one is probably our fault; humans hunted sea lions for many years until they were on the brink of extinction. International laws now prohibit the hunting of sea lions in an effort to protect and save them.
Learn more about booking a trip to dive with the sea puppy (okay, fine – the "sea lion") with PADI Travel.


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Featured Image by Rio2016.org
Last night, prideful Liberians watched with anticipation as countries around the world paraded into the Rio Paralympic Stadium at the Opening Ceremony. To the disappointment of many people, the Lonestar Banner did not enter into the arena.
Where was, Liberia's strong man, James Bobby Siaffa?
According to a letter sent to the International Paralympic Committee, Siaffa has taken a stand against issues of abuse and neglect from the Liberian National Paralympic Committee President and Secretary General. The Powerlifter alleges that he sustained constant verbal abuse, poor treatment, abandonment and no athletic support from LNPC President Jefferson Zoegbeh and Secretary General Festus Robinson.
Continue reading WHERE WAS LIBERIA AT THE PARALYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY?


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Well, maybe not frightful...but freezing!!
We had our first dusting of snow yesterday. When I say dusting, I mean dusting. Barely enough to see on the ground. It was enough to get some kids around here excited! And enough to bring some momentary concern to the adults: Is it going to get nasty out there? Will there be church? Will I be able to get to church?
It wasn't nasty, so thankfully we didn't have to wonder for very long!
It is funny how we do that on the first few snowfalls of the year. We let ourselves panic for a second and shut ourselves in the house, declaring it too snowy to go out. By the end of winter, we drive through 3 day blizzards for a cup of Tims without batting an eye.
We're funny, us humans.
But anyway,
Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 gifts list this week:
482. A pretty day
483. Competitions on the Wii
484. God knowing the friends I need
485. A great new idea
486. A fun day crafting
487. Strength
488. Wisdom to make a decision
The goals I set last week were:
Finish 3 new printables
Complete days 14-18 of the book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life - finished through day 17
Work on Pinterest project
And here are the goals I've set for this week!
Tackle mending pile
Make cloth placemats
Make 2 bags
Work on Christmas presents (making a few handmade things….but I can't tell what :)
Finish Pride and Prejudice and Passion and Purity
Finish a bunch of printables...as many as I can get done!
Write one email
Finish the book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life
Work on Pinterest project
Have a great week, friends! What goals have you set this week?


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You've all given me a lot to think about and I think I will go make up some more pages.If your book is excepted then it goes to the production team who will proof read it and edit, they will ask you for your vision on the front cover they have a person that mainly deals with just the covers. then when all is complete they send you a copy for you to check. when the book is complete it will then be offered to many online book sellers. They also promote works at the London Book fairs and other places, they will also arrange some press coverage; many authors self promote by asking bookstores to do a book signing day. Stay at it and good luck with the novel, lets hope in some time in the future you post back on here to say you got that publishing deal.
edit: Say AM gives me a traditional contract, what happens from there? Will the books be posted to me and the rest is up to me? I understand that I will have to self promote ect but I am unsure as to how one might go about doing that. Is it as easy as me walking into a bookstore and asking, "Will you sell my book?"
Happy_Author, was that your personal experience? Because I have heard that's how it was for non-vanity publishers but for AM, it might be different.That is my personal experience with them. I also read many many bad posts about this publisher but most were way out of date from 2008/9.
Thanks happy_author, I think it's safe to assume that the opinions of AM are outdated.tir - happy_author has a contract without having to pay anything towards it. If you get that, all well and good.
Carol, I am a baby, a pup. At only twenty-one years of age, my understanding of most things in life is extremely minimal, this included. I have no experience in this field at all ~
I was stating that if a question was asked of someone, and they say that they don't understand what was asked of them, that's perfectly alright. If they don't say anything, just assume that they do understand the question.
Carol asked me a question and I answered it. I shouldn't have to state that I understood her question, it should just be assumed. Next time, unless someone specifies that they do not understand, just assume that they do.
I think the answer is that there is a never-ending stream of hopeful writers hoping to make a fortune getting their book published with very little idea of how the industry works, and willing to spend their own money just to see their name in print - whether the book looks shoddy, self-published, is badly edited and punctuated or notExactly.
How many books will you need to sell to break even?When calculating that, take into account whether it's 25% net or gross. Usually it's net which means about 20p per book.


text: This is the very personal story about The Lewenhaupt Fashion Collection: its origins, its stories and its life presented and documented by its former owner. Where did it come from, and who were the former owners? The fashion collection consists of garments by great fashion designers such as Fortuny, Dior and Balenciaga, and is donated to the Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft.


text:
- Blueberries (you can use whatever berries you like)
- Greek Yoghurt
- Cream
- Honey
Sometimes a few tasty, fruity recipes that can be thrown together in minutes are all you want.
This is essentially a glorified glass of cream with a few berries lashed in, but it tastes unreal, so who's complaining?
This is the perfect easy dessert to serve up after a heavy dinner (so maybe bookmark it for the weekend).
Step 1
All you need is four simple ingredients.
Step 2
Add half your packet of blueberries to a medium heat pan with a good squeeze of honey.
Step 3
When the blueberries have broken down into an oozy, dark purple, squishy mess take them off the heat.
Step 4
Whip all of your cream until nice and thick, but not too thick. It should still be a little loose. A good tip is that if you over whip the cream, stir in some milk and it should loosen it out again for you.
Step 5
Start layering your fool with some cream, greek yoghurt, cooked blueberries and few few fresh blueberries.
Step 6
Go in for your second layer of the same.
Step 7
Finally top with some fresh blueberries.
Step 8
Lash this together for some friends and watch how impressed they'll be with this totally dummy-proof dessert, a classic.


text:
I have discussed writing your first draft and even doing some editing as you write, but today I wanted to talk about content editing. This is where you aren't fixing just wording or punctuation but looking more at the plot and characters.
In a content edit you might…
1.) Flesh out a character's back story – in appropriate places, of course.
2.) Flesh out setting and character descriptions. You add the details that will make your world a little more real. You explain your character's actions so their choices make sense.
3.) Adjust a line of dialogue so it sounds more like the character's voice or stays on target with the conversation and you ensure that all characters don't talk alike.
4.) Double check which characters are in a scene and where they are located in that scene. (Val is on the couch by the fire, and then he is leaning against the wall or pacing.) If you have a large cast of characters, you can keep a spreadsheet of where each is located at any point in the story. I did this while writing The Elemental trilogy since the protagonist, her cohorts and the antagonist were almost always in different locations.
5.) Add in a subplot or flesh out one in your current draft. This of course can change MANY scenes and will require a lot of attention to what happens where and when but can make you novel more complete.
6.) Make sure that there is a substantial conflict in your story and that the tension rises as the story progresses.
This round of editing is not the final round. And with each read of your novel, you will probably find more content edits to make. (This is one good reason to use Beta Readers as they routinely catch these types of errors.)
I find it easiest to do content editing in stages by chapter. I have a checklist I go through that helps not only with content editing but helps reduce wordiness and stuff like that. (Check back next week and I will share that revision outline.)
Just remember not to become overwhelmed with editing your novel. Each round of editing, each draft of your novel is hopefully bringing you closer to having a well-written, well-developed novel.


text:
Magento open source supports a wide range of payment solutions and gateways that offer merchant services in all parts of the world. The Magento 2 payment module allows the acceptance of Bitcoin, XEM and Dash as a payment method in Magento 2 based projects. Download and implement the payment module, set up a SpectroCoin merchant project, and start accepting digital currency at your store immediately. Avoid price risk by settling payments in EUR, USD, GBP, or 20+ alternative currencies offered by SpectroCoin and enjoy instant payment processing.
$ ssh user:[email protected]
user$ cd var/www
user$ mkdir -p app/code/Spectrocoin/Merchant
user$ git clone https://github.com/SpectroCoin/Magento-2-Bitcoin-Payment-Gateway-Extension.git ./app/code/Spectrocoin/Merchant
user$ bin/magento setup:upgrade


text:
Delia Smith's Roast Guinea Pig Recipe Set To Be A Christmas Book Hit
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NEW YORK CITY - The resemblance is uncanny. Newt Gingrich looks just like the famous host of the popular kids morning show Captain Kangaroo. And the fact that so many Republican voters grew up watching the morning show certainly has caused Newt Gi...Read full story
Manchester 0 London 2 - Hovis Jugglers Gutted
UEFA Champions League - It's good news for London, but a disaster for Manchester, as both Manchester clubs - City and United - crashed out of the tournament, whilst Arsenal and Chelsea progressed to the knockout stages. City fanatic, Liam Gaggler,...Read full story
Sandra Buttock's Newest Fashion Accessory
Sandra Buttock has been photographed clutching this season's ultimate in airport fashion accessory chic - a black baby. It seems that any celebrity worth her weight in liposuction and unrelenting man problems is being digitally snapped in a litany of...Read full story
The List of The Ten Least Popular Christmas Children's Books For 2011
Little Miss Muffet Kids Magazine has just announced their list for 2011's Ten Least Popular Christmas Children's Books. The list was compiled by the magazine's Senior Executive Assistant Publisher Jefferson Dante Quickowitz. Mr. Quickowitz personally read over 800 children's Christmas books plus he texted, emailed, and called up 27 other top executives whose companies sell children's Christmas...Read full story
Republican Presidential Candidates Hired by Obama and Media!
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God Appears on Bagel in Jewish Deli
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Local Man Refuses to Ride the Bus
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Tragedy Strikes Pearl Harbour Commemoration
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Chicharito teaches Rooney how to pray on his knees before tomorrows' UEFA appeal hearing!
Chicharito and Wayne rooney have been secretly practicing how to look convincing whilst praying on their knees before important occasions. Rooney must go in front of a UEFA commission tomorrow in a bid to reduce his punishment for kicking an opponent...Read full story
Mafia boss found in Hitler's bunker!
Naples, Italy. Mafia boss, Michele Z. (name changed for legal reasons and eventual Mafia attacks against Spoof headquarters and our beloved editor, M~~k, name also changed because he found a severed horse's head in his bed last night) has been found...Read full story
Viacom acquires Facebook
NEW YORK CITY, NY. - Viacom has just announced today that it has bought Facebook for $500 in stock and cash. Viacom will now use Facebook as a portal to launch new marketing promotions for its properties, like Nickelodeon, Paramount, Nick Jr., Neo...Read full story
Spinops sternbergorum really Betty White!
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Cult's fears for Iran nuke sites ahead of Saturday's total lunar eclipse
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Heidi Montag Is Furious At The 'Tiny Tampon' Shortage
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Christmas Consumers Warned - Beware Of Counterfeit Spoof Items
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Government outline new environmental policy for businesses
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Kilkee Folk Urged To Go Forth And Multiply
Horrified civic fathers at an Irish seaside resort are urging their townsfolk to start getting it on. The population of Kilkee, County Clare, has apparently seen a 'catastrophic' fall of 301 to 1,024 since the 2006 census. Local councillors fea...Read full story
The Euro's Collapse: Germany Invades France
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Banana Cake Stuck To Man's Teeth
An Englishman living in the Thai capital of Bangkok had a narrow escape earlier today, when a banana cake he was eating after his tea became stuck to his teeth, rendering his mouth immobile. Moys Kenwood, 48, originally from Hull in East Yorkshire...Read full story
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text:
Can the Giants get back to their winning ways with a brilliant offseason? The answer is probably not. However, there are options for San Francisco, and recently, renowned baseball writer Jon Heyman connected four different players to the Giants. Here they are:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez. He's the prize of the free agent market and the Diamondbacks probably can't afford to keep him. The Giants are starved for power and going into Saturday's game with the Giants, Martinez had stroked 39 homers. He also hits for average (.298) and draws walks. After shortening his swing a few years ago, scouts believe he can be an effective hitter well into the 30's. It also means he could command a five-year contract in the $100 million range. The down side? He will be 30 next year, and according to metrics, he's one of the worst defensive outfielders in the game.
2. Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas. Heyman calls Moustakas' possible signing by the Giants as a "fashionable guess." With the Pablo Sandoval experiment failing utterly, Moustakas makes more than just fashionable sense. Scouts recognized Moustakas' power back in high school, and now in his seventh season, Moustakas is fulfilling his promise, with 36 home runs as of last weekend. He's also a solid defensive player with a great arm. If signed, he could be a fixture at AT&T for some time.
3. Anaheim outfielder Justin Upton: He could opt out of his $90 million deal if he so chooses. That didn't make sense at mid-season, but since then, he's been punishing baseballs. One metric has him hitting the ball hard 44.1% of the time, which is excellent, and he has 29 home runs. He's a gazelle in the outfield and possesses a strong arm. However, he does strike out often. Obviously, he'd want a $100 million deal and there are questions whether he's worth it.
4. Texas outfielder Carlos Gomez: He's 31 and the days of big power numbers maybe behind him. However, he would be an upgrade and he wouldn't come with a $100 million price tag like the aforementioned players.


text:
"EVERYONE keeps thinking I haven't made a movie in 12 years," the director Robert Zemeckis said, nursing a Coca-Cola in a remote corner of the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, a few hours before his new film, "Flight," received its world premiere as the closing-night feature at this year's New York Film Festival. "It's like I've gone off and done opera or something."
"Flight," which stars Denzel Washington as an airline pilot whose assured, unflappable demeanor masks a major substance abuse problem, is Mr. Zemeckis's first live-action film since "Cast Away" in 2000. But this filmmaker — who won an Oscar for "Forrest Gump" (1994) and is responsible for enduring favorites like "Back to the Future" (1985) and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) — has not been off riding with the Valkyries.
Instead Mr. Zemeckis has spent the last decade conducting some very public experiments with new digital technologies. Over the course of three animated features — "The Polar Express" (2004), "Beowulf" (2007) and "A Christmas Carol" (2009) — he has set out to explore the new century's alliance of computing and filmmaking, and in the process has done a great deal to push that relationship along.
His reluctance to advertise himself as an auteur may account for the sense of surprise that has greeted his new film. Few members, if any, of the Internet's legions of Oscarologists had "Flight" on their radar for the coming award season, but the film's strong reception at its festival screening is most likely to force some recalibration.
At 61 Mr. Zemeckis is a soft-spoken, solidly built man whose hard consonants contain faint traces of his upbringing in a working-class neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. In conversation he often seems hesitant to discuss his work in terms of themes and structure, but he dives into the details of craft and technique with enthusiasm.
His determination to bring the softly naturalistic, fully dimensional look of Chris Van Allsburg's illustrations for the beloved children's book "The Polar Express" to the screen led him to investigate the emerging field of motion-capture technology. The process, known as mo-cap, uses scanners rather than cameras to track the movements of performers and convert them into three-dimensional models, bypassing traditional forms of animation. In effect the technology transforms a human actor into a data field that the filmmaker can manipulate to his heart's content. In the completed film Tom Hanks was able to portray six characters, from a train conductor to a rather sinister Santa Claus.
Mr. Zemeckis also discovered that the resulting digital imagery could be rendered as a 3-D film by converting the data into left-eye and right-eye perspectives, a process that made "The Polar Express" the first feature-length hit for Imax 3-D.
In its early days the mo-cap process wasn't perfect. Some reviewers complained about the "dead eyes" of the characters in "The Polar Express," or of a vague sense of coldness and creepiness. As Mr. Zemeckis acknowledges today he may have been pushing the envelope a little too hard. "The computers weren't fast enough," he said, during a public "Directors Dialogue" session at the New York Film Festival.
And while all three motion-capture films made money, the mere fact that they were animated meant, to many reviewers, that Mr. Zemeckis had abandoned his prestigious position in Hollywood to spend "12 years mucking about in the motion-capture playpen," as Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter recently wrote.
And yet Mr. Zemeckis changed the game. It is difficult to imagine the mo-cap-dominated 3-D blockbusters of the last several years — films like James Cameron's "Avatar" or Joss Whedon's "Avengers" — without the innovations that Mr. Zemeckis and his collaborators nursed along through those three movies.
With "Flight," Mr. McCarthy wrote, "Robert Zemeckis parachutes back to where he belongs, in big-time, big-star, live-action filmmaking."
Mr. Zemeckis, though, sees no break with his standard practice, which is to use state-of-the-art technology in the service of classic cinematic storytelling.
"It's the same," he said of "Flight," which opens nationally Friday. Short of 3-D, the movie makes use of the full spectrum of digital techniques that have emerged in the last decade, from three-dimensional, digital storyboarding in the preproduction phase to the touching up of details in postproduction. The computers are still there, though this time they are churning away in the service of naturalism rather than fantasy.
There's only one spectacular special-effects sequence — an early scene in which Mr. Washington's character, Whip Whitaker, manages to land a malfunctioning plane despite a raging storm and the three mini-bottles of vodka he's consumed to take the edge off his drug-induced hangover. And yet the film contains more than 300 shots in which the image has been digitally manipulated.
Sometimes the technology is used to create shots that no film crew could capture in real life, like the scene in which an upside-down jet flies across the background at the exact moment when, in the foreground, the film's heroine-to-be, a down-and-out drug addict played by Kelly Reilly, is carried out of her apartment on a stretcher, oblivious to the drama playing out on the sky behind her.
But mostly Mr. Zemeckis uses his digital toolbox to tune up images imperceptibly, gradually shifting the color scheme from open and airy blue-green tones at the beginning to yellowish, sodium-vapor tinge as the film approaches its down-to-earth climax or adding a bit of instability to shots in which Whip is feeling the effects of his most recent ingestions.
"I did things that you'll never see," Mr. Zemeckis said. "You have an actor over here, and an actor over there, and you have to wait in the shot until the one actor does the head turn you need. I put a split in the frame and just digitally tighten up one half of the shot so that the rhythm works. The actors never know you do that kind of thing."
For some people such manipulation is a violation of the integrity of the filmed image, an affront to the rules of screen realism laid down by the French theorist André Bazin in the 1940s and '50s. But in practice, filmmaking has always entailed a great deal of mediation between the world in front of the camera and the image that arrives on the screen.
"Isn't a close-up a kind of special effect?" Mr. Zemeckis asked, referring to the battery of lights and army of technicians required to capture an expressive close shot. "The actor being surrounded by equipment and a big piece of glass being right here," he said, drawing a circle a couple of inches from his nose to indicate the looming presence of the camera lens. "It's the most unrealistic thing you can do to shoot a close-up, and it's the most unrealistic place you can be as a performer. And yet actors grouse about having to do visual effect shots, but they love doing close-ups."
The key, he said, is to use digital technology as a tool, not as a substitute for planning or an excuse for delaying creative decisions. As a filmmaker schooled in the precise visual rhetoric of classical Hollywood, Mr. Zemeckis begins planning his shots from the moment he first reads a script. His films reflect little of the off-the-cuff, run-and-gun aesthetic that seems to have emerged as an unintended consequence of the greater ease and convenience of digital filmmaking.
"From where I sit I see the digital cinema creating sloppiness on the part of filmmakers because they know if they really get in trouble, they can fix it later," Mr. Zemeckis said. "So they don't pay that much attention, and of course it costs a lot more money."
"Flight" came together quickly for Mr. Zemeckis, after his longtime production partner Jack Rapke gave him the screenplay by John Gatins ("Real Steel") in February 2011. "I read it, and it was really good," he recalled. "And then literally the next day I heard that Denzel had been hovering around it for many years, so I called him. He said, 'Let's do it.' "
Because of the film's dark subject matter both he and Mr. Washington had to waive their fees in order to attract studio backing, which eventually arrived from Paramount. (Their financial reward will come as a percentage of the profit.)
As it happened, the screenplay arrived shortly after the demise of ImageMovers Digital, the Marin County effects studio that Mr. Zemeckis's company operated in partnership with Walt Disney Studios. "I had assembled all these magnificent digital artists," he recalled, "All these young kids who were great and who were hungry. There was a group of them who started their own effects house, and I knew they were great and they could do the work for a fraction of what the big effects houses would charge."
In the end Mr. Zemeckis and his crew brought in the film for $31 million, an almost comically low figure for a movie involving major talent and digital effects. (For example Mr. Washington's "Unstoppable," from 2010, about a runaway freight train, cost an estimated $100 million.)
"It was great just to do an inexpensive movie," Mr. Zemeckis said. "I'm really tired of making these huge, over $100 million movies where they literally mean life and death for a studio. It's really rough making these expensive movies. Everyone is hysterical."
Still, Mr. Zemeckis has no plans permanently to abandon the large canvas. As a veteran filmmaker who has successfully crossed the digital divide, he remains enthusiastic about the expressive possibilities of CGI and 3-D, and hopes to find applications for those technologies beyond animation and action films.
"I've got this movie I want to do," he said, with that distant look in his eye that directors get when they contemplate dream projects. "It's sort of a docudrama. You saw 'Man on a Wire,' I assume, the documentary about Philippe Petit. It's the next chapter of that, where you present the walk between the Twin Towers. That's the kind of story you want to tell in 3-D. That would be breathtaking to see."
"I can't see any reason why a dramatic story can't be in 3-D," he said, adding mischievously, "I think 'Lawrence of Arabia' would have been fabulous in 3-D."


text:
Monetization: the next frontier of SaaS / S+S architecture
Over the week end, I was looking at AMZN DevPay announcement and I started thinking in more general terms about the architectural impact of different monetization schemes. At a high level, software / service monetization can be put into 4 main categories:
- perpetual license (e.g. one time charge of $85 and you get unlimited access to the software)
- subscription (e.g. $20 per user per month)
- usage based also known as transaction based (e.g. $0.05 per text/SMS sent)
- and ad-funded (the service is free for the user and is paid for by someone interested in getting your attention while you are using the service/software)
Each scheme has an implication on the overall architecture of the service, and even further, some scheme cannot be used unless some architectural elements are part of the solution. Let me explain this in taking these 4 schemes one by one.
Perpetual license
Selling software through a perpetual license is a very attractive in many ways (for the seller); the money is received up front, reducing the impact of churn (even the user stops using the service, it was paid for already) and it is good for the treasury. From the buyer perspective it is often less attractive as by paying up front, most of the risk is on the buyer side.
From an architecture perspective, perpetual license can mostly be performed "out of band"; meaning that the software itself does not need to know, who is using it, how much it's been used... in other words, there is no real need to meter the usage. A perpetual license gives "all you can eat" access, forever. In other words, in a perpetual license scheme, the architecture does not need to be 'monetization-aware' (a part from any anti-piracy aspects)
But, as we all know, forever is quite a long time :) which means that if you are hosting the service on behalf of your customers (saas model) you are incurring an hypothetical infinite hosting cost with this model. This is not the case in the more traditional "on premise" model where the software is deployed on customer data centers and/or desktops. Architecturally then, you are better off not having to host what you sell on a perpetual basis. Unless of course, (a) you believe the up front charge can cover all the hosting cost (unlikely) (b) you know that the service will be time bound and therefore your perpetual license is not that perpetual after all (c) you can attach some additional monetization schemes after the perpetual license is sold (e.g. maintenance fee).
Summary: Good for the treasury, no need to do much from an architecture perspective to support this model, but watch out for hosting cost if you are in a saas model.
The "per user, per month" scheme is, at least currently, the most popular option in the saas space. Akin to the perpetual license, it can be supported from an architecture perspective mostly "out of band". Meaning that here again, the billing/invoicing can be mostly separated from the application itself. A business contract can be established for say 50 users "out of band" of the application itself, and a monthly bill of 50 x cost per month is sent to the buyer.
The most important aspect that your architecture needs to do to support this monetization scheme is to verify that the user is 'current' on his monthly payment (as the license is to perpetual). In a hosted model, this can be done without having the application itself being aware of whether the caller is 'current' or not. The hosting infrastructure could check that 'out of band' by looking up into the payment database and restrict access to the application endpoint(s) (e.g. taking down the web site, modifying DNS entries, place site in read only...) for all customers not paying their bills.
From an architecture perspective, one could think of subscriptions as renewable time-bound perpetual licenses. This said, there are multiple areas where a provider could benefit from a tighter linkage between the order system and the application. Automatic/self provisioning comes to mind. But as mentioned, not strictly required by the monetization model.
This model also removes the problem of having to host 'forever' the customer; as it is a renewable monthly contract that is in place. Every month a new injection of cash is received from the buyer.
The issue for the seller here are more around customer acquisition costs and churn. Since there is no up front payment in this scheme, it usually takes multiple billing cycles (i.e. multiple months) for recovering the customer acquisition costs. So. if churn is high, customers might not stick around long enough to recover the acquisition costs. Although customer acquisition costs are mainly marketing related (awareness campaigns, introductory prices, free trials, referral fees...) good architecture as always can help :).
A typical example is to architect for self service and automation. An architecture that reduces any type of human intervention, reduces the operating cost. So, if you are giving away free trials, you'd better off if these free trials do not require (expensive) humans having to touch the system, run scripts, provision resources etc.
Another example is to architect for high density, i.e. trying to 'pack' as many free trial customers as possible in a single unit of infrastructure. Multi-tenancy here can come handy as well as virtualization technologies.
Summary: subscription base monetization is architecturally similar to the perpetual license in the sense that it can mostly be done "out of band", customer acquisition costs and churn are the elements to watch out for, architecting for self service, automation and high density can greatly help.
Usage based a.k.a. transaction based
In a usage based model, you cannot rely on a "out of band" model for monetization anymore; the architecture has to be able to meter the actual consumption of the service. This consumption can be captured either by the application business logic itself or by the hosting environment. It is often the case that if the monetization at the resource level (bandwidth, CPU, storage...) the hosting environment meters it; if the monetization is at the business transaction level ('check credit score', 'apply for open position') the business logic meters it.
In addition to metering that is now mandatory, another architectural aspects related to usage-based is the potential need of 'non repudiation of usage' systems. Trust between the service provider and service consumer is often enough to cover this, but in case of litigation or limited trust, there should be a way of getting to 'the truth'. There are multiple ways to handle this, one being using a 3rd party 'mutually trusted' auditor, another one is to emit billing events to the service consumers as they happen so they can capture them in their systems and correlate at each billing cycles whether the numbers match. It is a little bit like taking your own meter in a taxi and at the end of the trip comparing the taxi meter with yours (not sure what happens when there is a discrepancy).
There are other elements, but one can quickly see that implementing a usage/transaction based system is heavier on the architectural side than the "out of band" monetization schemes possible with the previous models.
On the plus side, usage based pricing is very low risk from the buyer perspective as the buyer only pays for what is actually used. The lower risk of usage means that service provider might be able to attract more companies to use their service(s). Zero cost of usage when the service is not used is a quite appealing proposition (compare that to your gym membership that you keep paying monthly although you never go there:). Free trials in the subscription model are of course low risk, but in the free trial model, the service provider incur an actual cost (part of the customer acquisition cost).
A good analogy here is the "pay as you go phones" vs. "phones with monthly plans". My understanding is that pay as you go phones are marginally profitable and the strategy (hope?!) is to convert "pay as you go" customers into more long term profitable "with a plan" customers. Alternatively, once a consumers start using the service (and hopefully like it) the usage could go up and a "all you can eat" user/month model or hybrid model (N transaction included in your plan + $x per transaction after that) can be offered.
In other words, enabling an usage based monetization could be a good way to de-risk the trial of service without incurring potentially large customer acquisition costs while retaining an up sell opportunities once consumers increase their usage of the service.
Summary: this model has explicit architectural requirements: metering for sure, non repudiation... it can be a good way to offer a low risk access to buyers without exposing itself to the customer acquisition cost / churn problem.
The premise of this model is simple, consumers access software or a service for free and someone interested in their attention sponsors it. This model has been recently talked about as the 'ultimate disruption'; I am not 100% about that, so for now I'll stick to the architectural impact.
Most of the ad funded software I see, is monetized "around" the application. That is to say, the application or service has the central area of the screen and banners, links, sponsorships are placed around the application (think of search as a perfect example of that). In more complex application, there is a clear opportunity to modify the architecture of ad-funded software to allow 'in application' ad placement (as opposed to around); one can think of this as similar to 'in game' ad placement we are seeing in the latest console games.
Another aspect is that these 'around' ads are selected based on various level of assumptions about the user. The better the assumptions, the better the selection; the better the selection (a.k.a targeting), the more likely it is that the ad placement is effective (of course, other elements such as size and richness of inventory plays a role but let's leave these aside for the moment). A second opportunity for ad-funded software architecture is therefore to better capture the 'user context' that could lead to better capturing 'intent' that could lead to (more) accurate targeting.
At this stage I do not know, what sort of APIs should be exposed by ad-funded software to allow 'in application' ad placement and even less about how 'intent' can be better captured, but be reassured that these are topics that are being investigated.
Summary: ad-funded software has proved to worked in certain areas of the software industry, we are still in the infancy of how to architect for ad-funded optimization.
As we have seen (albeit only superficially), monetization has many impacts on software architecture, some are known (e.g. metering) others are new (e.g. 'in application' ad placement). There is a clear need in better understanding these models and extract best practices in all of these. So, expect more in depth entries from myself and members of my team on this topic soon.
As always, comment/feedback welcome.


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Should safety come before rate hikes?
Acknowledging they haven't done enough to ensure companies such as PG&E operate safely, state regulators are considering major changes in the way they approve utility rate increases to reduce the chance of another catastrophe like the San Bruno natural gas explosion.
The ideas, which include having the California Public Utilities Commission's safety experts involved in rate-setting proceedings, are due to be hashed out at a commission workshop Wednesday. The changes could wind up boosting customer bills, some consumer advocates fear, adding that just because a utility asks for more money to make safety improvements doesn't mean the commission should automatically approve the request.
Advocates are particularly alarmed about PG&E's recent plan to have its customers shoulder 90 percent of the $2.2 billion cost to improve its pipelines after the Sept. 9, 2010, San Bruno disaster, which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.
Billing ratepayers 90 percent "is way too high," said Joe Como, acting director of the state PUC's division of ratepayer advocates, which argues at the commission on behalf of utility customers to keep gas and electric rates low. "That has no basis in reality."
In the past, whenever proposed rate increases were debated by the commission and other concerned groups, the potential dangers lurking in utility company gas pipes and electrical gear tended to get little attention.
A report in June by an expert panel that examined the San Bruno explosion concluded that those involved in setting rates "were only casually familiar with PG&E's safety programs" and "none had devoted resources to determining whether PG&E's proposed programs were appropriate." Commission officials also acknowledged in a regulatory filing last month that their own safety staff "has not traditionally participated in rate-making processes."
Moreover, a week after the San Bruno accident, PG&E came under fire over revelations that it had put off making pipeline repairs for which it already had received millions of dollars in rate money. PG&E said it had decided after getting the money that the fixes weren't urgent. Critics claimed the disclosure showed regulators needed to keep closer tabs on PG&E.
"I'm frankly quite shocked" at how little auditing the commission does, Como said. Noting that he might have to quadruple his auditing staff to systematically monitor how well companies spend ratepayer money—particularly on safety—Como added, "we probably need upward of a dozen people. I think we have three."
Under the new rules the state agency is considering for reviewing proposed rate hikes, utility companies would have to detail potential dangers in their operations, explain how safety fits into their goals and provide independent audits of their system weaknesses. Commission safety experts also would be involved in rate-making decisions, and the commission would emphasize tracking how utilities spend ratepayer money.
In response, PG&E spokesman Jonathan Marshall said his company looks forward to discussing the proposal and strongly believes safety should be "a major consideration when the CPUC looks at rates."
Others question how well the public would be served by the changes.
"We agree that the CPUC should be tracking whether or not customer money awarded for claimed safety improvements is used for that purpose," said Mindy Spatt, a spokeswoman for The Utility Reform Network, a consumer group based in San Francisco. "However, the success of the effort will depend not just on putting new regulations in place but also on the CPUC's ability to enforce those regulations."
That's also of concern to Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who on Monday said he is reintroducing legislation that failed to pass last year that would require the commission to consider utility safety performance when setting rates.
"Until recently PG&E leadership was solely focused on profits, and safety took a back seat to the bottom line," Hill said. "Until we tie rate of return to safety there is no encouragement, there is no carrot or stick to make a difference in safety."
Hill, whose district includes the site of the San Bruno explosion, said the agency will need more staff members to adequately monitor companies like PG&E. In addition, he said, a common standard should be established for how utility safety is measured. Otherwise, he said, "every utility is going to find their own metric and that's going to be so darn confusing it creates a problem for the CPUC."
James Weil of the Aglet Consumer Alliance, which seeks to keep utility rates low, also suspects the proposed rule changes may simply prompt utilities to characterize every new spending project they want as safety-related, assuming the commission then will automatically approve rate hikes for the projects.
Others share the same concern.
"All of us want to make sure the system is safe," said Stephanie Chen, senior legal counsel of the Greenlining Institute, a Berkeley group that advocates on behalf of the poor. "We just want to make sure it's done at an appropriate cost."


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I just wanted to remind everyone about the giveaway. It ends March 15! I'm giving away some really awesome elastic headbands that are very similar to the Anthropology ones. You can enter HERE. All you have to do is be a follower and comment!
Over the weekend the fiance and I did some shopping. We were both really craving Cracker Barrel, so we headed out to the closest one, which is 40 minutes from where I live. Well honestly, everything is. And I had a few coupons that were about to expire for Victoria Secrets (free cheekster panty!) and Bath and Body Works. So I did a little bit of shopping.
When I was at a previous Bath & Body Works they came out with a new Sweetheart scent collection. Not sure if it's just for summer. But I tried out one of the scents and it smelt really fruity (exactly what I like) and have been thinking about it ever since. I didn't have any coupons at the time, so I passed it up.
They came out with three different scents: Honey Sweetheart, Berry Flirt, and Daisy Dreamgirl
My favorite is the Berry Flirt. Smells just like Strawberrys. My favorite!
The day I went they had a promotion going on buy 2 signature collections pieces get 2 free. It was a total steal. Plus I had a 20% off your total purchase coupon. And a free travel sized item of your choice for free. So I picked up a small lotion of the Berry Flirt. They also came out with a new version of the cupcake scentables. I'm a sucker for these. I have about 4 of them, I don't know why. I'm thinking of giving away a set in my next giveaway. :)


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Fear the Walking Dead is one of those shows that took some time to find its footing. I don't know about any of you, but for me, when the show first started airing in the summer of 2015, I wasn't a fan of the characters and it took me a long time to get into the world. But as the show continued to tell its story on the west coast of the United States, it slowly found its groove and voice as it adjusted the main set of characters that were being focused on. If you've been watching, you know the first half of season 4 – which aired from April to June this year – featured some major changes to the show and I think it was the best eight episodes they've done. I'm really looking forward to seeing the second half of the season when it returns with new episodes starting August 12th on AMC.
At this year's Comic-Con, I got to talk to the cast (Colman Domingo, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lennie James, Danay Garcia, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace and Jenna Elfman) in the Collider studio shortly before they did their big panel presentation. During the fun interview they revealed some behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Fear the Walking Dead, some of the upcoming storylines which include a few unexpected pairings, what it's like reading the script when it says they're going to be covered in blood, if they ever go out as a group for dinner or drinks, and a lot more. In addition, they answered some fun questions like what TV show they'd like to guest star on, what they collect, and which TV show have they watched all the way through more than once.
Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Colman Domingo, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lennie James, Danay Garcia, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace and Jenna Elfman:
- What would surprise people to learn about making Fear the Walking Dead.
- What can they about the second half of the upcoming season. They tease a lot of unexpected pairings.
- When they read the scripts and it says they're going to be covered in blood do they dread it or is it now just a part of their lives?
- Do they ever go out as a group for dinner or drinks?
- What TV show would they like to guest star on?
- What do they collect?
- What TV show have they watched all the way through more than once?


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3 articles
Are you looking for a great quality SLR which is easy to use ? At Nation Photo, we have what you're after : the Pentax Spotmatic, a model which we've carefully tested, checked and reconditioned, and which comes with a 2 year warranty ! Here's all you need to know about the iconic camera.
Introducing the Pentax SpotmaticRead more
Published : 07/08/2018 12:45:50 | Categories : Zoom on
You may already know about how we develop films by hand in our traditional photo lab — but now there's more! Lovers of B&W photography, rejoice. We're now equipped with specialised paper and an enlarger for your most prized negatives and most beautiful shots: to produce exceptional quality prints !
High quality prints with our enlarger !Read more
Published : 03/16/2018 14:37:59 | Categories : Lab news
Yep, winter is upon us again, and light is getting scarcer and weaker. Does your stock of summer films have to sit months in the fridge waiting for spring? The answer is no. You can "push" your film, whether it's black and white or color. It's very simple and you'd be surprised by the results!
Not enough light? Push your film !Read more
Published : 12/16/2015 12:41:16 | Categories : Lab news


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Out of Stock
We lose our naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid in the skin as we age. This serum helps boost the levels in the skin to moisturize and protect skin and collagen. Hyaluronic acid can hold 1,000 times its weight in water and is key to keeping skin properly hydrated.
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Heya Everyone,
In my journey towards a healthy and fit body, I have decided to make changes in my lifestyle every 10 days so that I have enough time to adjust. Good habits are not easy to adapt for a person like me (Read – I am a foodie and a lazy bum 😛 ).
So let's start with easy lifestyle changes I have made this week to kick start my weight loss.
Replaced refined oil with Olive oil for cooking – Read the benefits of using Olive oil here .Although I have always been using a good refined Oil like Saffola but still it is not beneficial for us. As far as cost is concerned, Olive oil is expensive but if you are using non-stick cookware, it will not hurt your pockets too much. Generally, I have seen better bargains on Olive oil in big supermarkets like Auchan and More, here in Bangalore. For families, you should never miss such a deal. So , Olive oil in, refined oil out J . You can also use coconut oil for your cooking, it is equally good.
Replaced Sugar with Stevia – I don't have much of a sweet tooth but I am totally a tea satiator. I need my morning tea else I feel doomed :P. Tea and coffee lovers generally overdo sugar in their bodies. Sugar is the biggest devil in our meals, please please stay away from it unless you have low sugar or any other medical problem. There are many artificial sweeteners in the market and I have used almost all the variants. I have switched to Stevia sweetener since it is low in carbohydrates and does not contain Aspartame. The sweetener is made of Stevia , a plant with natural sweet leaves. So , Stevia in, Sugar out 🙂
Raw food before every meal – You might have understood that all calories are not same. I am trying my best to eat some raw foods, say a fruit or salad half an hour before every meal. Fibre helps in digestion of food, so my meal is digested in a better way. Also, I eat in proportion since I have had salad or fruit, my meal quantity is controlled.
No water after having meals – When we drink water after food, our digestion process slows down. So , I have started to wait for at least half hour after my meals to drink water.
Processed foods out of my kitchen – Yes, you have read it right. I have removed all the processed foods (Read – maggi , pasta , cookies , white bread etc ). If they are present in my kitchen, I tend to eat them some point in time. Avoiding processed foods is very important factor to gear your weight loss.
These lifestyle changes – olive oil instead of refined oil, stevia instead of sugar, raw food before meals, no water after meals and no processed foods, are going to be with me forever. I don't think I would have a problem following them religiously.
What changes have you made to be healthy ? Share with us , after all collaboration is the way to succeed 🙂 !


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Tri-Cities Chapter
The Tri-Cities Chapter promotes service to the public and the engineering community on the local level. Activities include sponsorship of Engineers' Week and MathCounts as well as recognition of local engineers and engineers to be. Furtherance of Engineering Education is achieved through an ongoing scholarship award program designed to encourage local students to consider engineering as a career.
Chapter Officers
Douglas Hendrickson, P.E.President and Secretary
Ted Anderson P.E.Treasurer
William Lenzke, P.E.Vice President
Neil Norman, P.E.Trustee
Tim Linenbrick, P.E.Past President
Sam Dawoud, P.E.Trustee


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In 2004, I bought my first Mac. I'd used Macs for decades before that, but those Macs always belonged to someone else. The first Mac that I called my own was a 233 MHz PowerBook G3 I bought off eBay for the princely sum of US$205. It quickly became my main machine, which thrilled my wife because it meant she could have her PowerMac G4 all to herself again.
A few weeks ago, I bought an iPad 2. I had barely used an iPad before dropping $829 on one, but after two years of using various iterations of the iPhone, I expected a certain level of familiarity. Today, the iPad 2 performs most of the tasks that my MacBook Pro used to handle. In fact, besides editing and posting on TUAW, downloading files and photo editing, I barely use my Mac anymore -- and considering that it has a history of breaking and is now out of warranty, that's probably a good thing.
Now the fun part: comparing my first Mac -- the PowerBook G3 -- to the iPad 2. As expected, the iPad 2 is superior in almost every way. Check out the details below, noting how much the "limited" iPad, a machine that some pundits hesitate to call a "computer," has to offer compared to the state-of-the-art from 1998.


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Full name Peter The Cat
Born 1950, Unknown
Died November 5, 1964, Lord's, London (aged 14 years)
Also known as The Marylebone mog
Cat, Peter, whose ninth life ended on November 5, 1964, was a well-known cricket-watcher at Lord's, where he spent 12 of his 14 years. He preferred a close-up view of the proceedings, and his sleek brown form could often be seen prowling on the field of play when crowds were biggest. He frequently appeared on the television screen. Mr SC Griffith, Secretary of MCC, said of him: "He was a cat of great character and loved publicity."
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack


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I've tried to open port 8605 on my server (used for socket connections) using:
iptables -I INPUT 2 -s 0/0 -p tcp --dport 8605 -j ACCEPT
However the change is not persisting, the port closes itself once a day (I assume something is being regularly reloaded).
How can I make my change persist?
Despite saving it, the change does not persist, each day it needs to be corrected.
Crontab does not seem to have any obvious changes, and the server is not restarting. Any ideas?
I found out that iptables was running under apf - advanced policy firewall so I needed to updated the rules in there.


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R&I Report: Mumbai's Marine Drive is hardly a place where you would expect to "bump into" a Russian Orthodox Church priest, let alone one from as far away as Siberia. On a breezy late-monsoon evening, a tall and young Russian man asked me the time. His features and accent had "Russian" written all over them and when my response came in his native language, he was pleasantly surprised. At first glance, I assumed the bearded man got lost somewhere in Goa's hippie trail and ended up in India's financial capital, but it was my turn to get surprised when I found out who he was.
The young priest hailed from Tomsk, a university town that unfortunately came in the radar of the Indian public in late-2011 when there were attempts by local officials to get the ISCKON version of the Bhagawad Geeta banned. He was in Mumbai to try and do some "personal research" on ISKCON or the Hare Krishna movement. After 3 months, he was convinced that the movement was not "extremist in nature" but still had reservations about its practitioners.
His knowledge of Hinduism as a whole was strong enough to put many practising Hindus to shame. "Hinduism is a religion of freedom and encourages thought," he said. "But the ISKCON people both back home in Russia and here are neither open to debate or questioning." When I told him that I thought he was generalising, he said that his talks with believers convinced him that they were on a mission of proselytisation and were authoritarian. "This is a movement that refuses to recognize any other version of the Geeta except their own," he said. I couldn't challenge the statement that particular evening, but I did find out later on that there was truth in it.
"One can only be born a Hindu," the priest said. "So why are they trying to convert so many Orthodox Christians?" He went on to say that Hindus are actually a race and that all Indians belong to that race, "which within its own principles allow people to practise or believe in whatever they wanted." He said Sufi Islam in India was Hinduism as well. If he wanted to leave the Orthodox Church in Russia, there are enough organisations in India that would make him their poster boy.
His views are in no way meant to be taken as the word of the Russian Orthodox Church, but the young priest said the church was a unifying factor in Russia and was ideal for a country, that is largely homogenous, despite having many ethnic minorities. "India's greatness lies in it finding its Hindu spiritual roots and for all Indians to understand that and you see, Russia is again becoming great now since more people understand and appreciate traditional Russian Orthodox values," he said.
The priest equated the Hare Krishna movement with Western missionaries and said both groups were looking at misleading Indians and Russians and destabilising the countries. I'll admit that I have heard these "CIA agents" conspiracy theories but I am not really one hundred percent convinced.
The very fact that the young man came to India with an open mind to try and find out for himself what he heard from others has to go to his credit. He said he hoped that more people embraced vegetarianism and that in his opinion when Jesus said, "Thou shall not kill," he meant to include animals as well. When I joked that his "friends" from ISKCON were also vegetarians, he took it in good stride and laughed as he called them "extremists" in their vegetarianism as they refused to eat onions and garlic!
He kept insisting that the Orthodox Church has a lot of regard for Indian culture, customs and traditions, but then was critical of the Indian government for decriminalising homosexuality. Calling it a sin and a sickness, the young priest said homosexuality was a Western creation and a serious danger for India as well! Divorce, single-parents, alcoholic women and rejection of traditional values would spell doom for Russia and India. This he argued was an orchestrated plan by the West to keep the countries "in suffering."
Despite his speaking with clarity, I sensed a great degree of confusion in the young priest. He believed with his whole heart in the concept of a great Russia and a great India. Is some sort of religious conformity across both countries the only way to unite the largely "traditional" people and help the countries progress? The "godless Chinese" whose country is sandwiched between Russia and India seem to be doing just fine after experimenting first with the "Western evil" of communism and then with another "vice" from the West called capitalism.
Tailpiece: I personally love visiting Orthodox Churches and monasteries in Russia. Many of them are architectural marvels and the followers welcome outsiders, much in keeping with Russian tradition of hospitality. This kind of openness towards outsiders is not seen in Hindu temples in some parts of India.


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Year 2F News
The Year 2 boys had a busy and enjoyable Summer Term. The highlight being our first Year 2/ Year 12 collaboration, where the boys, big and small, challenged themselves to build a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows in order to support the weight of an egg.
Another major event involved meeting the awesome Jacqueline Harvey, the author of, 'Kensy and Max'. Many of the boys wanted to become authors or spies following the presentation as she was fantastic!
We hit the ground running in Autumn Term with preparation for our Mother's Day assembly. The boys were excited to present a special poem and song for their mothers, while a slide show featuring newborn photos and current photos of boys with their mums, certainly surprised them on the big screen. We aren't sure how many dry eyes there were on the day!
We hope all the mums loved their hand drawn key-rings and a big thank you to our pre-service teacher Olivia Jacobsen, for working with us so tirelessly to have them ready for the special day.
Mrs Tara Fowles
Year 2 Teacher