Some trips
During the last two weekends (and some days around them), we have been away to see The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Niagara Falls (boats, caves), Thousand Islands, Salem (105 km on bike in 34 Celsius degrees), New England Aquarium, Navy Yard so I apologize for the silence. Among the six movies in the bus, I would recommend you The ... (Read on Source)
How the Murad Program Works -6
In the "Optional" column of some of the regimens, I've made r suggestions that you can use in addition to or alternate with e in the "Treat and Repair" column. And some, such as the e ...
NASCAR driver back in court on drug charges
By Tiffany Y. Latta, Oxfordpress.com LEBANON — NASCAR driver Aaron Fike was arraigned Wednesday in Warren County Common Pleas Court on charges of possession of heroin and drug abuse instruments. Fike, 24, of North Carolina was arrested July 7 when police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and two people engaging in suspicious activity ... (Read on Source)
Search Engine Marketing Firm Netconcepts® Hyper-Prepares Major Retailers for Cyber Monday in Rec
Via GravityStream search engine optimization management platform, savvy retailers ensured to achieve holiday preparedness. (PRWeb Sep 20, 2007) Post Comment:Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1Ib3JyLU1hZ24tTWFnbi1UaGlyLVplcm8=
Sept. 26, 1983: The Man Who Saved the World by Doing ... Nothing
You're responsible for protecting your nation from a nuclear-missile strike. The alarm bells go off and your monitor says you're under attack. You should counterattack, and quickly. But, well, you have this feeling that something isn't right. What do you do? (Read on Source)
Bills to start rookie Edwards at QB for third game in a row - San Jose Mercury News
 Twin Falls Times-News | Bills to start rookie Edwards at QB for third game in a row San Jose Mercury News - Buffalo rookie Trent Edwards will make his third start in a row Sunday when the Bills play host to Baltimore, leading to questions about whether JP Losman will ever get his job back. Sitting doesn?t sit well with Losman Trent Edwards named Bills starter Sunday |
Remember When P2P Wasn't Just About File Sharing?
These days, it certainly does seem like the term "P2P" is forever linked with unauthorized file sharing. However, that wasn't always the case. It is true that it was often associated with file sharing -- but there was lots of talk about other P2P applications that focused more on distributed computing -- allowing more powerful applications that pulled spare cycles and bandwidth from computer systems around the world? Certainly, there are still some of these projects going -- but the big promise for how distributed computing systems were going to become a hugely powerful part of the next generation of applications and services hasn't matched the predictions from five or six years ago. There certainly are some success stories. Things like Skype show a distributed application at work -- but whenever you hear people talking about P2P today, it tends to just be about file sharing networks. In some ways, this is too bad, because there were some really powerful possibilities that made sense for distributed computing. Perhaps part of the problem, though, was that it was simply overhyped at the beginning with people thinking that anything could be made better with distributed computing systems. However, not everything really makes sense as a distributed app, and when things like a distributed search engine failed to catch on, those who were simply jumping on the hype bandwagon seemed to shift gears and focus on more shiny AJAX widgets instead. That's probably a good thing, because now it means those who are working on serious distributed systems can focus on them in peace, without having to deal with all the hype.
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Energy Dept. Official Frowns on Cutting Ethanol Requirements
The Energy Department frowned on relaxing federal requirements to boost the use of ethanol in gasoline.
John Walcott wins the first I.F. Stone Medal
Award goes to the DC bureau chief who led Knight Ridder’s skeptical coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war, producing dozens of stories that, pretty much alone among news organizations, challenged the Bush administration claims. The award is administered by the Nieman Foundation and the Nieman Watchdog Project. Following is a press release ... (Read on Source)
Learn About The Psychology Of Colour in Website Design
Palettes plays a prominent purpose in website design. aside from ruling how worthy a website appears, but it can similarly define how the end user replies. Getting palettes decisions exact can cont...
Elan dives as double whammy rocks Irish drugmaker
DUBLIN/LONDON (Reuters) - Shares in Irish drugmaker Elan dived more than 50 percent to their lowest level since 2005 on Friday as a second product setback in a week shattered confidence in its line-up of biotech medicines.
How to Select Stock Trading Software Posted By : wallstreettrader
The correct stock market analysis software is an essential tool of the trader or investor. Not only does it allow one to identify opportunities in the market, but it aids the investor in their decission making. This is a simple 5 step guide on how to select the correct stock analysis software to help traders and investors identify opportunities in the stock market. It will save you a lot of time and help avoid potential traps and pitfalls.
A Few Thoughts on the Funding Process
I sat on a panel a few weeks ago at SD Forum about term sheets ? it was called ?Term Sheet Negotiations ? Do?s and Don?ts.? I was the sole entrepreneur on the panel. I was joined by David Rolf from VantagePoint Ventures , and two attorneys ? Kerry Smith from DLA Piper , and Mark Fumia from Davis Wright Tremaine . The panel was ... (Read on Source)
Daily Debrief: Online attack, retaliation in Russia-Georgia conflict
In Wednesday's edition of the Daily Debrief, CNET's Kara Tsuboi and Robert Vamosi discuss the latest exchange of cyberattacks between warring countries Russia and Georgia.
Choking under pressure -- four fighters who had it all and still blew the fights of their lives
By Jason Peck - ... (Read on Source)
Tim Hortons Coffee Locator Comes to the IPhone
My fellow Canadians, rejoice. You will never again be driving around an unfamiliar city and wonder where you next cup of Tim...
Games Without Frontiers: Games Give Free Reign to the Douchebag Within
I really want to nuke Athens.
I know it's possible. Hell, I've watched and rewatched the YouTube videos of the 14-year-olds who've done it in Sid Meier's new game, Civilization Revolution. The guttural roar of the ICBM taking off, the flare of the missile as it arcs slowly across the sky, the terrifying rumble in your Xbox 360 controller as the nuke pulverizes the target: It's awesome. I can't sleep until I've rained that sort of death on the world.
What the hell is wrong with me? There are a lot of ways to win at Civilization Revolution that do not involve taking a happy, peaceful city and reducing it to a smoldering gravesite filled with radioactive trinitite. I could, for example, train my country in brilliant artistry, building Wonders of the World -- a "cultural victory," as it's called. Or I could win by becoming a great economic power, enriching my citizens and the global community.
But no. Every time I plunge into a game, I inevitably choose the most Cro-Magnon, "Hulk smash, Hulk destroy" strategy possible. Or maybe I geek out and try to discover spaceflight before anyone else, so I can outfit my hermetically sealed, glassed-in astronaut city with interstellar warp drives, blur the stars into hyperspace, arrive at Alpha Centauri, encounter alien worlds ... and then try to kill them. Ooooh, you guys back home wanna spend your time carefully building the Hanging Gardens, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Alexandrian Library? Fine. Go for it. Hippies. Me, I'm gonna reach for the goddamn stars, built some kickass mechs, flatten anybody in my way with a molten avalanche of plasma.
I repeat: What's wrong with me? One of the classic highbrow defenses of videogames is that they allow you to experience new personalities -- to, in the words of Sherry Turkle, create a "second self." This is considered supremely healthy, because self-exploration is generally a good thing.
But what happens if the second self you create inside videogames turns out to be a total dick?
Sometimes I think the best way to get a grip on my true inner self would be just to list all the people I choose to be inside games.
For example:
- In racing games, I never want gearhead realism that replicates the precise feel of a Porsche 911. No, I want cartoon, Tex Avery physics and fishtailing insanity -- pedestrians screaming and diving out of the way and not quite making it.
- In first-person shooters, I hate, hate, hate any complexity or nuance -- like protecting innocents, avoiding friendly fire or figuring out which stupid door to open. I don't even like games that don't give me unlimited ammo.
- In MMOs, I inevitably play as a class that can work solo -- like a Paladin, balanced between skull-crushing might and self-healing magic.
"OK, so, deep inside you're a frustrated geek with serious masculinity issues who doesn't like authority," said a gamer friend of mine when we talked about this over drinks. "And you're a loner who can't handle complexity."
Except, except ... wait a minute, that's not even vaguely what I'm like in real life. In meatspace, I'm a total people-pleaser who avoids all conflict (to the point where I often get completely doormatted in my professional life). And I have a superhighly tuned, sensitive-boi EQ. Christ, I cry at weddings. What's going on?
Nothing weird, said Ian Bogost, a friend of mine who's one of the smartest game academics and game designers around. The whole reason my in-game choices are so divergent from my wussy-ass actual self is because I'm using games to see life from a different perspective; the Walter Mitty effect, as it were. Nothing wrong with that. And, he added, I'm imprisoned by a lack of options. Too many mainstream games are predicated on loony macho conflict because it's easy to model, and because the industry is focused on the power fantasies of 14-year-olds. I shouldn't blame myself for getting sucked into their poor choices.
Fair enough. Except ... there's been a huge growth in alternative forms of gaming in recent years, and the sad truth is that I rarely get as excited by them. All those "click management" games, like Diner Dash or Cooking Mama -- the ones that model the chaos of real life in a charming, witty way, and let you deal with it? That stuff puts me to sleep. Hell, I don't even have the patience for computer golf. When offered a choice inside games like Civilization, given the option of picking amongst different types of personalities, I choose to play as a complete douchebag. (In Halo 3, as you may recall, I wound up embracing suicide-bomber tactics.)
Now, I'll issue my usual caveats here. I don't mean to suggest that I, or anyone else, should police their fantasy lives. Games are -- at least partly -- an exercise of the imagination, and it's always a perspective-broadening experiment to visit the dark or creepy places of the mind.
But interestingly, the rest of the world is beginning to realize that one's game preferences can be regarded as a Myers-Briggs personality type for the digital age. Plenty of college kids list their most-played games on their Facebook pages, under the presumption that this speaks as clearly about their inner lives as their religion or political stances.
And in the last few years, Silicon Valley companies have begun actively recruiting the leaders of major World of Warcraft guilds, under the assumption that people who choose those roles are good at being leaders, motivating teams and defusing interpersonal drama.
Just imagine what things will look like 10 years from now. "Hmmm, this job applicant has a kind of cool Alliance-Mage thing going on, so she'd be good in the legal support department, eh? Yeah, but her team-killing stats in Gears of War 4 are really troubling."
Or in the world of dating: "I just don't know if I can go out with someone who never plays any of the side missions in Grand Theft Auto!"
Maybe, for the sake of my social reputation, I should start playing some Diner Dash. Who knows: If I play it enough, I might get really into it. Yeah, I think I'll head out to the GameStop and get a copy.
Right after I nuke Athens.
- - -
Clive Thompson is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a regular contributor to Wired and New York magazines. Look for more of Clive's observations on his blog, collision detection.
Becoming a LEED Accredited Professional
Passing the LEED Exam Last Thursday I took--and passed--the LEED accreditation exam. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a performance-based rating system for green buildings established by the U.S Green Building Council . It has come to be accepted as the benchmark for green building, and covers all aspects of ... (Read on Source)
Political Memo: Storm Politics Present Risks and Rewards
The hurricane?s approach recalled failings of the Bush presidency just as John McCain?s big moment arrived. (Read on Source)
Why Does the Bailout Start At the Top?
I would really, really like someone to answer that question for me before we go giving Wall Street what it wants. The problem is that largely unregulated financial institutions used sometimes shady deals to sell people mortgage products that they probably could not afford. Other largely unregulated financial institutions then sliced and iced ... (Read on Source)
Continuent Partners with Miracle to Provide Continuous Data Availability Solutions
Miracle Expands Business Opportunities With Addition Of Continuent Tungsten For Oracle (PRWeb Oct 30, 2008)
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/continuent/miracle/prweb1545824.htm
John Hollinger's PER Diem: Nov. 13, 2008 - ESPN
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Technique To Differentiate Between Original And Bootleg CDs Developed
A group of scientists has developed a new optical technique which permits to know if a Compact Disc (CD) is original or a copy. This new technique is economical, fast and effective, and allows to detect illegal CD copies.
What Programming Language For Linux Development?
Slashdot: "Over the years I've developed a healthy fear of everything Java and I'm not too sure of what I think of Python's use of indentation to delimit blocks. The question that remains is: what language and tools should I be using?"
VMware Hires Google Executive to Run Europe
VMware has named its first general manager for EMEA as to tries expand sales internationally.
Windows 7 May Add Spice to CES
Microsoft's Windows 7 OS could steal the thunder away from the latest gadgets at CES 2009.
name: MAGPIE