Get a closer view of the capital with a tour by foot or bike! A London walking tour is one of the best ways to get to know the real heart of the city and bike riding through the historical streets is both convenient and comfortable. Whether you are interested in the charming tales of the Royal family or the gruesome stories behind Jack the Ripper. These fabulous London walks are great for visitors who like a slower pace.
If you wish to discover London's attractions in greater depth than you would on a London bus tour, our range of London walking tours and bike tours are sure to intrigue you. Such tours will also provide you with an excellent grasp of a particular region of London and the many things to do in London.
Choose from a variety of London sightseeing tours, from themed walking tours such as our renowned Jack the Ripper walking tour and our celebrity walking tour of London, to walking tours around particular areas of London, including Soho and Covent Garden. All of these are guided London tours, and your guides are experts, more than willing to answer all your queries.


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Brad Aimone, Ph.D.
Frances Chance, Ph.D.
Conrad James, Ph.D.
Laura Matzen, Ph.D.
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William Severa, Ph.D.
Mallory Stites, Ph.D.
Craig Vineyard, Ph.D.
Christy Warrender, Ph.D.
Michael Trumbo, PhD
Kristofor D. Carlson, Ph.D.
Kristofor Carlson is a postdoctoral appointee in the Data-driven and Neural Computing group (1462) at Sandia National Laboratories, where he is a researcher in computational neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering. He is currently part of the Hardware Acceleration of Adaptive Neural Algorithms (HAANA) Grand Challenge, a research initiative aimed at developing novel neural based computing algorithms and computing architectures. Kristofor also performs verification and validation on large-scale neural simulations using uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis techniques.
Before joining Sandia, Kristofor was a postdoctoral scholar in the department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He participated in the DARPA-funded Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) project where he tested and developed large-scale spiking neural networks (SNNs) for implementation on neuromorphic hardware. Kristofor also extended and maintained an SNN simulator called CARLsim for use on graphics processing units (GPUs). He created a simulation framework that allowed for the parameter optimization of SNNs using evolutionary algorithms and GPUs. Kristofor has a long standing interest in synaptic plasticity and homeostasis at the molecular, cellular, and network levels. He received his B.S. in applied physics and Ph.D. in physics from Purdue University. His thesis work involved the development of biophysically realistic computational models of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
kdcarls@sandia.gov
Analysis and development of spiking neural network models
Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of neural systems
Computational studies of the dentate gyrus and hippocampus
Neural Computing
Developing novel neural-inspired algorithms and computing architectures
Exploring the interface between machine learning and spiking neural networks
*Carlson, K.D., *Beyeler, M., *Chou, T.S., Krichmar, J.L., Dutt, N., (2015) CARLsim 3: A User-Friendly and Highly Optimized Library for the Creation of Neurobiologically Detailed Spiking Neural Networks. Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN'15)
Carlson, K.D., Nageswaran, J.M., Dutt, N., and Krichmar, J.L. (2014) An Efficient Automated Parameter Tuning Framework for Spiking Neural Networks. Frontiers in Neuroscience 8(10)
Carlson, K.D., Richert, M., Dutt, N., and Krichmar, J.L. (2013) Biologically Plausible Models of Homeostasis and STDP: Stability and Learning in Spiking Neural Networks. Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN'13)
Carlson, K. D., Giordano, N. (2011) Interplay of the Magnitude and Time-Course of Postsynaptic Ca2+ Concentration in Producing Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity. J Comput Neurosci, 30, 747-758.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I am very interested in using the codec daughter board (as described on GitHub) to use as a substitute for the Teensy Audio board. However I can find no reference to it on the Tympan site. Would someone please let me know the status of this project - the release date is stated as this month (March 2019).
I would be very happy to be a pre-release beta tester if you are looking for help (I have extensive hardware/software experience with Teensy).


text:
Q: java: convert binary string to int I'm trying to convert a couple of binary strings back to int. However it doesn't convert all my binary strings, leaving me a java.lang.NumberFormatException exception.
Here is my test code with 3 binary string:
public class Bin {

    public static void main(String argvs[]) {
            String binaryString ;
            binaryString = Integer.toBinaryString(~0);
            //binaryString = Integer.toBinaryString(~1);
            //binaryString = "1010" ;
            int base = 2;
            int decimal = Integer.parseInt(binaryString, base);
            System.out.println("INPUT=" + binaryString + " decimal=" + decimal) ;
    }
}

If I convert the "1010" it works great, but when I try to convert one of the other two I get the exception. Can someone explain to me why this is ?
Cheers

A: As explained above, Integer.toBinaryString() converts ~0 and ~1 to unsigned int so they will exceed Integer.MAX_VALUE.
You could use long to parse and convert back to int as below.
int base = 2;
for (Integer num : new Integer[] {~0, ~1}) {
    String binaryString = Integer.toBinaryString(num);
    Long decimal = Long.parseLong(binaryString, base);
    System.out.println("INPUT=" + binaryString + " decimal=" + decimal.intValue()) ;
}

A: From http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/lang/Integer.html#toBinaryString(int) : the toBinaryString() method converts its input into the binary representation of the "unsigned integer value is the argument plus 232 if the argument is negative".
From http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/lang/Integer.html#parseInt(java.lang.String,%20int) : the parseInt() method throws NumberFormatException if "The value represented by the string is not a value of type int".
Note that both ~0 and ~1 are negative (-1 and -2 respectively), so will be converted to the binary representations of 232-1 and 232-2 respectively, neither of which can be represented in a value of type int, so causing the NumberFormatException that you are seeing.

A: The bits for "~0" are 11111111111111111111111111111111 (32 1's).  Normally, this represents the number -1.  The bits for "~1" are 11111111111111111111111111111110 (31 1's followed by a zero).  Normally, this represents the number -2.
I tried "01111111111111111111111111111111" (a 0 and 31 1's), which represents the highest signed integer, in parseInt and there was no error.  But I tried "10000000000000000000000000000000", which represents the minimum signed integer, and there was the error again.
The parseInt method seems to expect a "-" in the input to indicate that a negative number is desired.  It looks like this method is detecting overflow in the integer and throwing the NumberFormatException.

A: Adding all four updated methods and comparisons here for easier understanding
public static void binary() {

    // Gives magnitude in binary along with sign for negative values
    System.out.println(Integer.toString(-1,2)); // -1
    // Give the int value of input binary representation along with sign
    System.out.println(Integer.parseInt(Integer.toString(-1, 2),2)); // -1

    // Gives signed binary representation of input value
    System.out.println(Integer.toBinaryString(-1)); // 11111111111111111111111111111111
    // Gives the integer value of signed binary number
    System.out.println(Integer.parseUnsignedInt(Integer.toBinaryString(-1), 2)); // -1
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I put temperament at the top of the list because a horse with a good attitude makes for safe and fun riding. The capabilities of the horse may not be up to your goals in years to come, but in a lease situation, it is fine if the animal is only suitable for your immediate goals. You can always lease another horse if your abilities surpass the current one. Soundness is also crucial, for a lame horse will waste your time and money.
The specific lease arrangements vary according to the worth of the horse. For example, if you are leasing a fairly old horse, then the owner my only require that you pay for insurance for the animal and absorb all of the fees attached to the upkeep of the horse, such as board, shoeing, and vet bills. If the horse is younger than ten years old or is a horse with a winning record, you'll probably have to pay a lease fee as well, especially if you'll be showing in recognized horse shows or events. A typical lease fee for the span of a year is 1/3 the value of the horse; but in cases of exceptionally successful horses—such as those that have performed well in hunter seat equitation finals—the lease fee can be thousands of dollars per day.
Note: The reference to GR1108 is the current number of the rule that covers leases in the USEF Rule Book. However, the rule numbers change often, for as new rules are added, the number of every rule that follows in that section is affected.
Fig.1—Across the Long Diagonal-–If you are already posting the trot and the change of rein calls for a posting trot with a lengthening of stride, you don't change the diagonal in the center of the ring (which would be X in a dressage arena), but should wait until you reach the end of the line and change diagonals just before you bend the horse in the new direction (Note: The rider of the black horse would change diagonals at M, while the rider of the brown horse, travelling the other direction, would change diagonals at K). If, however, the test does not call for a lengthening of stride, but simply asks you to change rein across the diagonal, then you can change your diagonal at X or can wait until the end of the line and change your diagonal just before you bend the horse. Changing the diagonal at X is considered the more elementary of the two choices, allowing the rider to change diagonals, then change the bend; whereas changing at the end of the line combines getting a new diagonal and changing the bend at the same time.
Fig. 3—A Half-Turn and a Half-Turn in Reverse—The top diagram shows a half turn, which is a half-circle, then a return to the track on a diagonal line. In this case, the rider stays on the same diagonal throughout the half-circle and the diagonal line, then changes diagonals as he bends the horse back onto the track on the long side of the arena. In the bottom diagram, the horse is performing a half turn in reverse, in which it leaves the track on a diagonal line, then performs a half-circle to return to the track. In this case, the rider stays on the original diagonal until the end of the diagonal line, then changes diagonals as he changes the bend to commence the half-circle.
Fig. 6—Serpentine—These are three good examples of serpentines, except that they are all based on an odd number of loops, which would make you end up travelling the same direction that you started. In order to change rein through a serpentine, you must have an even number of loops—2,4, etc. The rider's change of diagonal occurs as his shoulder crosses the centerline of the ring—about where the black horse is shown in the second of the three diagrams.
Fig. 9—Change of rein through a circle—The change of rein through a circle involves making a two-loop serpentine in the middle of a circle. In this case, the rider changes diagonals as he changes the bend from the first loop of the serpentine to the second loop.
Figs. 12 & 13—Although the turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, and leg yield are sometimes used in equitation classes, the change of diagonals does not apply. The turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches are performed at the walk, and the leg yield back to the track is performed at the sitting trot.
Generally, the types of things that people can exchange for the opportunity to ride are grooming, mucking stalls, and feeding. If you are well-organized and good in mathematics, you might even be able to do some bookkeeping; and babysitting is sometimes attractive to the professional horseperson who has children. Anything that you can do for the professional that is not immoral, unethical, or dangerous is a possibility for a trade-out.
This type of arrangement, however, usually involves trading your work for the opportunity to have lessons, rather than for the opportunity to compete a horse. A professional can give you a group lesson once a week on a school horse without loss of money; but once you're in the realm of showing, the situation is more difficult. There are shipping costs and stabling fees; so it doesn't make sense for the professional to let you use one of his or her horses for showing unless the horse's costs are being covered by a paying client who is competing in other classes at the same show.
Working students often complain that they are so tired by the time they get to ride that they really don't get much out of the lesson. Although this route is a way to get "free" lessons from a professional, it's a hard way to go. I think it would only be a good trade-out if you were receiving instruction from a highly-competent professional, so that you could take knowledge with you as part of your compensation, rather than leaving with only memories of time spent on a horse.


Walking the streets in Oregon have me thinking about going back to school and studying botany (again… it was one of the majors I was briefly studying, until I let chemistry scare me away). There is such a plethora of foliage up there!! OR, I could just get myself a good reference book on trees and leaves!
Just a few photos of the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to!!
🙂 Yes…. I am biased!
….. I'm leaving early Monday morning….. HOW exciting!!
I'll post photos of the wedding when I get back!
I made myself a couple of new silk tank tops to bring with me on vacation…..
This first one was a combination of black walnut leaves, snakeweed and baby silver dollar eucalyptus….. simmered for three hours in a black walnut dye bath (along with some more yarn).
The second was pressure cooker dyed with rose and baby eucalyptus leaves pressed between some tiles….. then dipped into an indigo vat. Not quite how I envisioned it, but I like it! Next time I think that I'll do the shibori indigo first, so that I have a better idea for the leaf placement.
Just a few skeins I've dyed in the last two weeks. A combination of hand spun and commercial yarns.
I have my slip/underskirt in it's final stage. It's going a bit more slowly than I expected as my sewing machine took this moment to have some sort of tantrum (hopefully it just needs a good cleaning). I sewed the side seam of the slip last night… then as I started to sew the next seam, the bobbin thread and the top thread started to skip areas of joining. And the tension began to go wonky. I tried everything I could think of to fix it (with my limited knowledge). But alas.
So in frustration I began to hand hem it (when I knew all along that the nicest hem would be hand done anyway)….. pricked my thumb several times, and let a few tears slip.
But the wonderful part was the transformation of my mood while I was sewing!! I went from feeling stressed, sad, angry, frustrated to such a nice blissful calm! Not even the few droplets of blood on the white silk bothered me!
I know that I can gather the top of the slip easily….. but am a bit concerned about hand stitching in it place under the dress. What will keep the gathers in place? I'm sure the question will resolve itself as I'm actually sewing….. but ANY hints will be appreciated!
I also plunged an off-white cotton shawl from Oaxaca into the indigo vat, thought that it might work as a wrap for the wedding. If not, I love blue anyway!
🙂 Of course I forgot to check my gloves for holes before I used them! So now my hands match everything else! Won't my boss love that when I go back to work on Thursday!


text:
Consolidators
Refinish
Shop Operations
Micki Woods
Read Latest Digital Edition
Guess the Car
The information source for the collision repair industry.
Proprietary Repairs
"Do you think that in the near future, other car manufacturers will follow Jaguar's lead and require repair shops to be 'certified' to fix their vehicles?"
By Charlie Barone
- Sticker Shock at the SEMA Show
- Keys To Making 2023 A Huge Success For Your Auto Body Shop
- Vehicle Scanning & Calibration Technology
— Terry Smith, body shop manager
Shepherds Chevrolet-Cadillac
North Manchester, Ind.
Question answered by: Charlie Barone
Before OPEC, the energy crisis and the CAFE mandate ever existed, aluminum to some extent has been present in automotive construction. Typically found in bumper rebars, hoods and deck lids, aluminum parts can yield as much as 40 to 50 percent weight savings, which translates to better performance as well as increased fuel mileage.
Today we have aluminum-intensive vehicles, which are cars built with aluminum inner structures as well as outer body panels. The familiar Jaguar XJ sedan is one of these, as is the Audi A8 sedan, the new Audi TT and the Range Rover SUV. These are only a few of the aluminum cars coming at us at an ever- increasing rate.
Aluminum is one of the more readily available elements in the world and is relatively inexpensive to process from bauxite ore. When aluminum processors create alloys with the addition of varying amounts of magnesium, silicon and copper, the material becomes incredibly strong and versatile.
The most common aluminum alloy application in autos is in the construction of wheels, which are strong enough for racing use and reduce the unsprung weight of a car or truck.
The challenge to body shops in the repair of aluminum car bodies is that aluminum doesn't react like steel in terms of straightening, heating and welding. Because aluminum is a great conductor of electricity, it cannot be welded with STRSW (squeeze-type resistance spot welding). Unlike steel, which becomes red hot and will become molten when high currents are applied to sandwiched panels, aluminum doesn't offer the resistance to create that heat.
Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding, however, is the recommended method for some repairs, although many car makers direct shops who repair their aluminum cars to use a combination of rivets and structural adhesives.
Because of the special handling required when repairing aluminum cars, their manufacturers are at times very protective of their customers and their products. In fact, some manufacturers will only sell structural parts to those body shops that have been certified as aluminum repair centers (see article entitled "Jagging Rights" in May 2005 BodyShop Business). The effect of this is that many independent body shops have been cut out of the picture, with only a few favored.
While there are no manufacturers that have gone to this extent to ensure that their customers' cars are repaired according to their strict guidelines, the appearance of factory-certified body shops has a way of changing what was previously an entirely open market to one of proprietary repair networks.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi also have their certified body shops, both dealer-owned and independently operated. While their network of body shops does not restrict the sale of structural body parts to those shops exclusively, the dealers are given telephone scripts with word tracks to use for referrals to their customers in need of collision repair, structural damage in particular. In fact, the referral process to their certified shops doesn't wait until the unfortunate occurrence of an accident, but is presented to the owner of the new car at the time of purchase.
To get their response to the development of these proprietary repair networks that have a way of cutting out many of their franchisees, I contacted CARSTAR, the largest group of independently-owned auto body repair shops in North America. The privately held company currently has 270 locations in 25 states and the District of Columbia, and 110 locations in Canada.
"As vehicles become more complicated and as repair standards change, manufacturers have a responsibility to publicize updated repair information freely, and should have the right to designate the criteria by which they will recommend repair shops to customers," says Dan Bailey, CARSTAR's president and chief operating officer.
"All shops should have equal access to repair information and equal opportunity to invest in training and technology to service the changing nature of our work and to strive to meet manufacturers' criteria for recommendations.
"But customers must continue to have the right to choose freely the shops to repair their vehicles. Restricting their choice, by exclusionary certification or parts distribution practices by manufacturers, is unnecessary – and works against the foundational principles of entrepreneurship and free enterprise in America."
What the OEs Say…
In an effort to see what the auto makers have in store for the independent body shops in the U.S., I contacted many of them for their views on who should be repairing their cars, what types of certifications are offered, what restrictions there are on parts sales and any limitation on which shops may be certified.
Honda, Acura
With respect to the Honda and Acura brands, their spokespeople said there are no restrictions on parts sales or recommendations for repairs. While that statement was not unexpected by any means, it was somewhat surprising because the Acura NSX is an all-aluminum body and also requires special handling in terms of collision repairs. American Honda didn't respond to my follow-up questions on aluminum-bodied car repairs. I do know, however, that they do have a certification for body repairs to the NSX. However, due to the NSX's limited sales numbers, the certification won't have an appreciable effect on the independent body shops.
Steve Nantau, who's the Collision and Light Repair Engineering Supervisor for the Ford Customer Service Division's Aftermarket Engineering and Remanufacturing Operations, had this to say in response to my questions regarding certification and the restriction of parts sales:
"Ford Motor Company does not have a program like Jaguar, nor are we planning one. We do not limit part sales to body shops."
Volkswagen's public affairs person Keith Price says:
"Volkswagen has no such certifications or restrictions of this type. I checked with our product planning group, and we even contacted the body shop under contract to do repairs on our corporate vehicle administration fleet, and they knew of no such policies for the VW brand."
I conducted an interview with Greg Marks, manager of BMW's aftersales business development and marketing, and Walter Malec, body and paint technical and training manager.
BSB: What models does BMW sell that require special training to perform structural repairs?
Malec: "Quite honestly, all models require proper training to do structural repairs. But specifically, the 5 series and 6 series, which would be engineering code E60. [Also] E61, E63 and E64, and we just launched a new X5, which would need similar repair technology (engineering code E70)."
BSB: Why do those particular models require proper training?
Malec: "On the 5 and 6 series, we use an aluminum front structure, the frame rails are extruded aluminum, the strut towers are cast aluminum, the upper rails are made from stamped aluminum and so is the firewall (cowl). And it's riveted and bonded to the steel structure. On the new X5, we use an aluminum strut tower along with a steel frame rail, so there is some bonded and riveted technology on that
vehicle."
BSB: Could you expand on the requirements for the certified body shops?
Malec: "The requirements for those repairs are no different than any other model, i.e., you would need an approved frame machine…but we have some tools and equipment we use for aluminum repairs. There's a special welder that's used for welding steel pins to the self-piercing rivets used to hold the steel structure to the aluminum structure."
Marks: "Our certification program for body shops is one in which we offer training and support as far as how to run the business for a dealer-owned body shop. And if they meet certain standards and buy the specific tools we ask them to and attend the training, then we'll call them a certified BMW Collision Repair Center. In exchange for that, there are some qualifiers for parts rebates that we [return] to those dealers. But as far as aluminum repairs, we offer training to any dealer-sponsored or owned paint and body facility. Basically, an independent repair shop could, if they bought the right tools and equipment, become a shop that's approved to do the aluminum repairs on those vehicles."
BSB: Where is the training provided?
Marks: "We have a couple of different locations: one here in Montvale, New Jersey, one down in Spartanburg, South Carolina and another one in Oxnard, Calif."
BSB: If one of your customers has an accident with a 5 or 6 series car, and it's repairable, how does the dealer from which he bought his car handle the referrals?
Marks: "We provide them with marketing materials to give to the customer when they sell the car, and we talk about the benefits of taking the car to a certified collision center. Obviously, we don't control that 100 percent, but we would hope that that's the case with our dealer network."
BSB: Are sales of the aluminum inner structure parts restricted to certified repair shops?
Marks: "No, they're not. We have had situations in which repairers bought parts to repair a 5 series and got themselves into trouble, in which case we had to help – which we do."
The BMW spokesmen said that there's a difference with a certified BMW repair center, which is owned by a dealer. When we talk about other, non-owned shops that have attended all the training, they're referred to as "trained."
BSB: Does BMW or its dealers require that the specific cars be repaired by certified or specially trained technicians and shops?
Marks: "We have a certification program in which we offer training and support for dealer-owned body shops…we call them BMW certified training centers. We offer training to any dealer-sponsored shop."
BSB: How many shops have been certified and how many have gone through the training?
Malec: "We have 50 certified repair centers that are dealer-owned. We can't track the number of shops with certified technicians because they tend to bounce around so much. I know we're knocking on the door of over 2,000 technicians, or close to it."
The BMW spokesmen couldn't offer an opinion as to what rates shops were charging for repairs to those vehicles that require certification, but acknowledged that a premium is traditionally charged for aluminum repairs. They also couldn't say how the insurance underwriters have responded in terms of higher premiums for those cars. However, they assured me that the labor times for the R&R of the structural parts for the aluminum cars are nearly the same for their steel counterparts.
BSB: How does the damage to the front inner structure on the 5 or 6 series BMW affect the warranty coverage?
Marks: "If the repairs are done to factory specifications, there is no effect at all on the warranty. On a CPO (certified pre-owned) vehicle, which is one of the highest standards we have, any car with structural damage is not allowed to be certified under the program."
In closing, they added that, from a business perspective, BMW is looking to collision repair in the future as a strong avenue for dealer profitability.
"In the past, [new car dealers] didn't want to get involved in paint and body, but it can be a profitable business," says Marks. "Our 50 certified shops are doing well, they're making money and we're teaching them how to run [their shops] more as a business. Our goal in the U.S. is to have about 150 dealer-owned certified shops. Cars keep getting into accidents and somebody's got to fix them, and we think that our dealers being trained are the right ones to do that. At the same time, we can really satisfy our customers and they get a good product back."
A person who prefers to have his name withheld is the owner of a shop that specializes in the repair of BMWs and related some of his views on the subject. For the purposes of this article, we'll refer to him as John Smith. A local BMW dealer sponsored several of his technicians, who've been certified by BMW for the aluminum body repairs. According to Smith, his experience in the marketplace has not been a walk in the park.
"We spent the money on the capital investment and the training and getting ourselves geared up to do the work the way the manufacturer calls for it to be done," Smith says. "The fact of the matter is that once we posted the rate, which is based on the capital expense and the training, the insurance companies did everything it could to find other places to have the work done…or it pretended that it knew nothing about any such sensitive aluminum issues or having the work performed by a certified technician with specific equipment. As a result, we've only seen two of the 5 series cars since we've put all this equipment in place."
Smith said that one of his techs he paid to have trained and certified went to work for one of his competitors, which happens to be someone who will perform the specialized work for the prevailing body labor rate – which, by the way, is still under $40 an hour.
"What it comes down to for the insurance company is to keep the cost of the claim down to a bare minimum," Smith says. "They don't care how a car is fixed. Period.
"Even after you've got the mechanical component removed, you're still performing a repair that has not been well-engineered with repairability in mind. BMW says that if the car gets hit and there's any structural movement, the parts must be replaced because of the glue bond being broken. That's the rule. I guarantee you that these insurers are settling claims with shops that need the job – and certainly aren't going to tell the customer that they can't do the job – and they're pulling the aluminum over and putting the cars on the frame machine and doing the best they can to make a dollar. It's being directed away in many cases by unscrupulous insurers to shops they have arrangements with and whom they control. The work is being done at the customer's expense for the benefit of the insurance company."
Smith also related the difficulty he has in getting reimbursed for fixture rentals required for repairing the cars on his dedicated bench. The fixtures cost him $65 per day to rent, and the time involved is sometimes as long as a week. "The insurance company does not want to reimburse for fixture rentals…maybe 20 percent of them will pay the rental costs. State Farm's policy on the fixture rental is that it's not the exclusive remedy and that there are remedies that others utilize that conform to the manufacturers' requirements. So there are those shops that are not charging for the fixture rental, therefore reinforcing State Farm's position that they don't owe it."
Smith says that State Farm is resolving the issue of fixture rental by adding unnecessary parts to their bids, such as a $3,000 wiring harness.
"They know exactly what they're doing. It keeps them from establishing a written precedent," Smith says. "Any aluminum automobile needs be fixtured because it's going to be a glue and rivet repair."
Smith concluded by saying, "If you can generate the work to the door, [the investment] becomes justified and gives you walk-away power."
Mercedes Benz is a car maker with a network of dealer-owned and independent certified body shops. Their corporate spokesperson Rudolf Pfeiffer also responded to some questions via
BSB: What is your process for certifying body shops in the U.S.?
Pfeiffer: "The Certified Collision Repair Program has been developed by Mercedes-Benz as a dynamic program to certify and distinguish body shops that meet or exceed a defined set of standards for repair work, training, equipment and delivery of customer service. These body shops are either Mercedes-Benz dealer-owned facilities or Mercedes-Benz dealer-sponsored facilities. In either case, a Mercedes-Benz dealer must initiate the certification process."
BSB: How does one certify a business for repairs to Mercedes-Benz cars?
Pfeiffer: "After submission of the application to Mercedes-Benz, a third-party independent auditor reviews the application and schedules a visit to the collision facility. During the audit, the auditor makes sure the facility meets or exceeds Mercedes-Benz standards for customer service, sound business practices, workspace and organized facility layout, training, tools and workshop equipment. If all certification guidelines are met, the facility is approved."
Some of the specific equipment a body shop must have in order to qualify for certification by Mercedes-Benz includes:
A dedicated aluminum repair kit and a dedicated aluminum working area
Approved MB downdraft spray- booth/drying oven
Approved MB welding equipment
A dedicated Fixture Bench and Chassis Measuring System (Celette or Car Bench)
Two-post vehicle lift
Use of an approved paint vendor
Paint equipment approved by MB
Approved MB alignment system
Approved MB refrigerant equipment
Pfeiffer: "Shops may purchase tools and equipment from our Standard Service Equipment Program (SSEP). The SSEP catalog combines a catalog, specific notes/information on the requirements, prerequisites for equipment use and general useful information concerning workshop equipment. The SSEP catalog is intended to provide a convenient source for obtaining approved equipment.
"Certified Collision Facilities are required to commit to a Basic Repair Course. This course is approximately two to three days of training per employee.
"In addition, personnel are required to attend collision training on any new models as they're released for sale. This averages three to four days per employee. Painters are required to remain current with paint training. Training is provided through Mercedes-Benz approved paint vendors. Collision technicians must also complete training in aluminum repair methods. This training will be provided in new model training."
BSB: Are there certain cars, such as your C class autos, that require repairs to be performed by certified shops only?
Pfeiffer: "Due to innovative materials and assembly techniques that are used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles, we strongly recommend that any paintwork or body repairs on any Mercedes-Benz models be performed only by those repair facilities which have been certified by Mercedes-Benz. Clients are encouraged to exercise their right to insist that these types of repairs be performed by only those repair facilities which are certified by Mercedes-Benz."
BSB: Will the customer be penalized for having structural repairs done to certain Mercedes cars by non-certified body shops, such as having the factory warranty voided?
Pfeiffer: "While vehicle owners may elect to have repairs performed at non- Mercedes-Benz Certified Collision Facilities, damage or malfunctions caused by body repairs not performed in accordance with Mercedes-Benz specified repair procedures or otherwise not properly performed are not covered by the Mercedes-Benz New Car Limited Warranty.
"We recommend that only Certified Facilities undertake paintwork or body repairs on our vehicles. Certified Collision Facilities understand the unique features and particular needs of our vehicles and they have the tools, equipment and training needed to repair paint and body damage properly.
"One benefit customers receive by having their vehicle repaired at a Mercedes-Benz Certified Collision Facility is that genuine Mercedes-Benz parts are used in the repair. Our exacting standards help restore the car to its pre-accident condition, so that it will react as intended in the event of a subsequent accident. Another benefit is that the customer can count on proper fit and accurate measurement. That's because each facility employs a dedicated fixture bench developed exclusively from factory blueprints, ensuring repairs are made with assembly line accuracy. Each facility receives training to ensure that the vehicle is properly repaired in accordance to MB standards."
BSB: Are the certifications open to any willing and properly equipped body shop in the U.S.? Or are there restrictions on the number of shops in a given market area?
Pfeiffer: Certification is limited to Mercedes-Benz dealer facilities or Mercedes-Benz dealer-sponsored facilities. Independent facilities which are not sponsored by an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer are not eligible to participate in the program.
BSB: Do you know of a premium charged for labor in the body shops certified by Mercedes?
Pfeiffer: Mercedes-Benz does not dictate labor rate charges. Dealers and sponsored body shops are free to set their own labor rates for their markets.
BSB: Are there restrictions of sales or structural parts to certified body shops only, or can anyone purchase the parts?
Pfeiffer: Mercedes-Benz does not restrict the sale of collision parts.
While Toyota, the one to beat in terms of new car sales worldwide, does have factory-certified body shops, they build no cars that require special handling in terms of collision repair. Their response from Senior Wholesale Collision Parts Administrator Karl Krug was:
"Toyota does not plan to restrict the sale of components. All parts will continue to be available through Toyota dealerships as they are today."
Brad Brahe, Toyota's body shop development manager, described their certification program:
"The Toyota Certified Collision Center (TCCC) program was developed to support Toyota dealers in the collision repair industry. Of Toyota's 1,218 dealers, approximately 450 have body shops. Currently, 157 dealers have enrolled in Toyota's certification program and, in 2006, the program was expanded to include Lexus. TCCC dealers are encouraged to market their services to Toyota owners through the collision center, service department, parts department, new/used vehicle sales departments, as well as all dealership events including new owner clinics. In addition, TCCC dealers also market to local insurance companies.
"The TCCC program is being expanded in 2007 to support those dealers interested in entering the collision repair industry. In addition, this year Toyota will be studying the feasibility of enrolling independent shops in a referral type program to support dealers who are not in the industry.
"Regarding training, managers, estimators and technicians utilize training offered through the University of Toyota. As far as technicians go, Toyota brand-specific training is offered to Toyota dealer collision repair/refinish technicians."
The following is a list of the courses:
Non-structural body repair techniques
Structural body repair techniques
Color matching for painters
Advanced painting techniques
Toyota technician certification specific I-CAR courses and paint vendor equivalent courses are accepted by Toyota. Independent body shop technicians may also attend Toyota training classes if sponsored by a Toyota dealer.
Audi does have certification for the collision repair of its aluminum intensive cars. Company spokesman Patrick Hespen had this to say about their program:
"As far as A8 collision repair is concerned, vehicles are returned to the dealer to be sent out for repair. Audi has approved aluminum repair shops all across the U.S., and the vehicle can be delivered within a day of its arrival at the dealer. These shops are certified by Audi for repair of aluminum vehicles."
Specialization Ahead
While there are other car makers – General Motors, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Nissan and Land Rover, to name a few – they didn't respond by press time as to whether they've set up a certified body shop program. To my knowledge, none have. With that being understood, the cars and trucks in the marketplace today are becoming increasingly complex with respect to passenger restraint systems, high strength steels, aluminum construction and electronic management systems – so much so that the number of average shops that have been accustomed to taking on all cars of all makes and models may be on the decline. Specialization may be the way to go.
One of the benefits of specializing in a brand of vehicle or specific model is the return on investment one may realize as a result. Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar cars clearly yield much higher dollars with respect to labor. What's more, the labor databases haven't entirely kept up with the new specialized repair procedures, so the specialized professional may find himself back in control again in terms of pricing his work. It's not likely that the shop down the street can meet the requirements to do the repairs. Of course, this means the customers must be educated as to what constitutes a proper repair.
Writer Charlie Barone has been working in the body shop business for the last 35 years. He's an ASE Master Certified technician, a licensed damage appraiser and has been writing technical, management and opinion pieces since 1993. He can be reached at [email protected].
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Do you know a "rockstar" in the automotive aftermarket? Then it's time to nominate them as a Vehicle Care RockStar!
By Jason Stahl
Unless you have been on a remote desert island the past few weeks, you've likely seen some intriguing teasers for the latest brand launched under the Babcox Media umbrella — Vehicle Care RockStars. If you have seen it, I'm sure you've got some questions.
It can be tough to articulate exactly what defines a RockStar. Is it Mick Jagger's swagger? Eddie Vedder joyously stagediving into a crowd? Eminem's clever lyrical prowess or Beyonce's ability to inspire viral TikTok dances? Elvis' upturned lip? Is it Slash's iconic top hat and leather jacket? Dave Grohl's infectious anthems?
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By now, we all should know that vehicles today are made from an amalgam of different materials that require identification and research.
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Don't just grab and go; are you looking up the OEM procedures before welding?
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Plug welding and spot welding are not the same, but many use these two terms as if they're interchangeable.
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BodyShop Business 2022 Executives of the Year
This year's Single-Shop award winner is Michael Bradshaw of K & M Collision in Hickory, N.C., and the Multi-Shop winner is Matt Ebert of Crash Champions.
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Vehicle Calibrations and Mechanical Repairs
Whether you're replacing a radiator or repairing collision damage, deviating from OEM requirements will make a shop a target for blame should something go wrong.
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Today's electric vehicle/hybrid revolution combined with the lightning-speed proliferation of ADAS features has made training essential.
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The goal is not to declare war against insurers; it is to declare independence for your organization so that you're able to provide the highest level of service to your true customers.
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Salvo Photo & Video was founded 28 years ago by husband and wife team, Chris and Suzanne Salvo. Since that time the Salvos has traveled to over 70 countries on still and video assignments ranging from ad campaigns to CSR and annual reports imagery and including editorial illustration and social media support projects. Exotic shoot locations have included: Baghdad, the North Slope of Alaska, numerous places throughout India, remote islands in the South China Sea, Siberia, and the jungles of South America (ask Suzanne about the midnight battle with the giant spider). And that's just to name a few. They also have extensive experience in Middle East and Muslim countries including Indonesia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Kuwait and Iraq.
From over two decades of working with corporate, industrial and editorial clients, the Salvos understand the mindset and needs of the communicator. They know that clients expect more than mire image documentation and for the Salvos 'just a pretty picture' is not enough. That is why, unlike most photo and production studios, the Salvos begin a project by developing a visual strategic plan that will assure that the images captured will be on message and relate back to the client's overall image, mission statement and core values. Experience shows that starting with a well thought out plan assures success.
And now they offer their expertise and experience to you in custom designed on site training for you and your staff. Everything from strategy for the 'word-ographer' to video editing techniques, archiving and of course hands-on shooting skills. If it has to do with images, still or moving, the Salvos have a training module for it. Ask Suzanne how to put together a workshop to fit your specific needs.
The Salvos have a very long list of happy clients including ExxonMobil and Halliburton (plus many other energy majors), American Express, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Alcon Pharmaceuticals and Newsweek Magazine. Salvo Photography keeps getting work because as Suzanne says, "We are very good at turning boring, ugly stuff into amazing award-winning photos and video". Accolades are too numerous to list but include Gold and Silver Addies, ARC top annual report photo awards, IABC Gold Quills, AMA Best in Show, recognition and profiles by The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and selection in numerous juried shows including FOTOFEST.
The Salvos' individual talents and personalities are unique, and so is their approach to business."We are the business. There is no line between personal and professional success for us." For Chris and Suzanne Salvo, the only way to do business is to handle every project and every client on a personal level. When Salvo Photo & Video agrees to an assignment, they commit their talents, minds, hearts and egos totally. To the Salvos, making business personal means going beyond the expected on every project.
"When it gets right down to it, clients really are buying trust, not images or videos," says Suzanne. With over 20 years experience, often in difficult shooting conditions, the Salvos are a trusted team of creative professionals. Sending Chris and Suzanne out on an assignment, whether it's across town or across the globe, means you don't have to worry. With experience shooting award winning images in over 70 countries, they know how to manage complex multi-national projects and sensitive corporate subject matter. Their clients (list available upon request) trust the Salvos with their photography budget and more importantly, their company reputation.


text:
Q: When I am running scripts with IE in robot framework, I am getting below error:WebDriverException: Message: Invalid timeout type specified: sessionId When I am running scripts with IE driver in robot framework, I am getting the  below error:
WebDriverException: Message: Invalid timeout type specified: sessionId

Code:
Open Browser    ${url}  ie
Maximize Browser Window
Input Text  ${x_username}   ${d_username}

I am using IEDriverServer with version 3.13. Could you please help me why I am  getting this error. Same script is working fine with chrome and firefox.

A: Some people here have similar issue. Seems that IEDriverServer v5.0.0 works. Have you tried?


text:
You Should Know… Jessie King Regunberg
Eric Schucht
Jessie King Regunberg (Photo by Erica Regunberg)
A is for Alcohol. R is for Recession. E is for Essential Workers. And each of the 23 other letters of the alphabet has its own corresponding word and image in the latest project of District artist Jessie King Regunberg.
Regunberg, 33, challenged herself to paint a pandemic-related image corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. Each painting for "Q is for Quarantine" was later compiled into a single image and turned into a 500-piece puzzle.
So what brought you to do this art challenge?
It really just came to me one night as I was falling asleep. I wanted to create a challenge for myself, like a daily painting challenge, so I wouldn't lose sight of doing art and doing something creative, but also something that would connect me to a community of people and also create a way for us to see these historic trends that were going on.
What did you do for this challenge?
I would do a daily painting and post [it] on social media. Actually, I ended up getting a few people to do the challenge with me, which was fun. It got to the point where people were texting me, "What's letter X going to be?" Like, "what's tomorrow's letter going to be?" And I think it was just kind of a fun way for my extended network to connect.
So what was letter X?
Letter X was Xanax. Most of them were humorous, which I think was nice because it's so hard to find things to laugh about these days. The letter C, for example, was for Carole Baskin from Tiger King. She ended up seeing the portrait I painted of her and wrote me a personal thank you note. Yeah, so that's my claim to fame.
That's so cool! How did you turn this into a puzzle?
At that time, we were all in quarantine. People were trying to kill time with things like puzzles. So I thought, what a perfect sort of memento of this period and a way to kill time until we're back to something more normal and able to interact with other humans. I worked with my cousin, who's really good at graphic design and Photoshop, and she put it all together and we created this puzzle.
How do you relate to your Jewish identity and how do you express that?
My Jewish identity and my connection to history influence the work I do. My grandfather escaped from Nazi Germany in 1939, which was a lot later than most Jews were able to get out. And I definitely feel like a sense of both historical duty [and] also privileged to carry on the Jewish tradition and cultivate a Jewish family. And I think some of the more narrative slants of my art are drawn from my Jewish education and exposure to Torah teachings and the narrative way that the Torah teaches us right from wrong.
You decided to donate the proceeds of the puzzle to charity.
It was released right when the Black Lives Matter protests started and I really felt compelled to do something having to do with the pandemic and racial injustice. The ACLU has a national prison project and they're advocating the rights of prisoners to have proper medical care and prioritizing the release of pregnant women and just trying to reduce jail populations in general. And so the proceeds of the puzzle are going to the National Prison Project. Also part of it is going to go to The ARK [an organization that provides services to Chicago Jews in need].
What kind of impact do you hope the puzzle has on people?
Visual art is such a powerful way to try to make sense of things that are going on in our crazy world. And some of the more serious pieces in the puzzle I would hope would raise some awareness. But also just the idea of raising money for these organizations is important to me.
@EricSchucht
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One particular of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities, it really is romantic and pretty, with canals, cobbles, and gabled homes. It's also little: you can stroll from a single side of the egg-shaped and almost car-free centre to the other in half an hour. And it's stuffed complete of museums, excellent restaurants, atmospheric bars and cafes, and tempting chocolate shops - Bruges apparently has 47 chocolate makers.
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This 9- by 25-foot deck covered with multicolored slate tiles offers the excellent spot for quiet and relaxation. Handsome stone pavers ― a item known as Stone Deck ― make it feel like a terrace on the ground. These tiles rest on the very same type of framework a wooden deck does. The broad wooden methods are created of ipe, a wealthy, red-colored Brazilian hardwood.


text:
West Brom Lucky to Escape With a Point
By: Wayne Gordon | September 15, 2018
West Brom will count themselves lucky to take a point as Birmingham City failed to make their dominance count in the Midlands derby. Birmingham started unchanged from their previous fixture as they looked for their first win of the campaign, while West Brom made just one change with Conor Townsend making his first league start for the Baggies in place of Kieran Gibbs. The sides played out a 1-1 draw at St Andrews in a game that offered very little quality.
Birmingham neutralised West Brom from the outset, not allowing the Albion back three to play their preferred passing style. Darren Moore tried to get his back-line to collect the ball and play into the feet of the midfield but Gary Monk's side immediately unsettled them. Birmingham were gifted chance after chance throughout the game as the Baggies showed no conviction in their passing, repeatedly playing terrible passes that were easily picked off.
West Brom struggled to get a foothold in the first 30 minutes and, despite Birmingham having the majority of possession in that time, they were limited to shots from distance and easily dealt with crosses. The Blues looked to be lacking the ruthlessness that has evaded them so far this season before the game entered a three-minute spell in which the Baggies forgot how to defend.
Birmingham's Big Three Minutes
Birmingham's well-deserved breakthrough came just before the half-hour mark as Jota poked home from close range after a back-post knock-down by Lukas Jutkiewicz. West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was as static as his teammates as the ball fell to the Spaniard.
The Blues winger could've bagged his second just three minutes later when Kyle Bartley inexplicably handled the ball high above his head. Jota's penalty kick was saved low to his left by Sam Johnstone, the Baggies goalkeeper facing his third penalty of the season with the summer arrival yet to be beaten from the spot.
Phillips Continues Good Form
Matt Phillips was West Brom's best player, particularly in the first half, and it was the Scot who dragged the Baggies level late in the half. The winger pounced on a mistake from the Birmingham full-back as a botched clearance ricocheted off Phillips, who then buried his chance by guiding the ball past Lee Camp.
Phillips has been one of West Brom's most consistent performers so far this season with his goal in this game taking his total to four goals in seven games. Already double his tally for the entire season last campaign, notching a disappointing two goals in 30 games.
West Brom Flurry
West Brom's defenders continued to cause their own difficulties in the second half but toothless Birmingham failed to put the visitors to the sword. Blues' inability to put games to bed has cost them heavily this season and so it proved here, although it could've been worse.
Albion began to look dangerous in spells and a flurry of chances in the final ten minutes almost gave them an undeserved away victory. Harvey Barnes had the best chance as neat build-up up play saw the young loanee strike the crossbar from a narrow angle. The rebound sliced back across goal by Matt Phillips before a short period of pinball-like action.
Darren Moore will be grateful for this point as the Baggies really didn't deserve anything from the game. Gary Monk, meanwhile, will be slightly disappointed that Blues couldn't notch their first win of the season but will be pleased with his side's competitive spirit as they are unbeaten at home since March. If they can become more ruthless in games they dominate, such as this one, that win won't be far off.
Main Photo
Posted in Championship, EFL, West BromTagged Birmingham City, Championship, Darren Moore, EFL, Football League, Gary Monk, Jota, Matt Phillips, Sam Johnstone, West Bromwich Albion, World Football
Roman Abramovich's Russian Revolution: Part 1
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text:
// Copyright 2015 PingCAP, Inc.
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

package stringutil

import (
	"strings"
	"unicode/utf8"

	"github.com/juju/errors"
)

// ErrSyntax indicates that a value does not have the right syntax for the target type.
var ErrSyntax = errors.New("invalid syntax")

// UnquoteChar decodes the first character or byte in the escaped string
// or character literal represented by the string s.
// It returns four values:
//
//1) value, the decoded Unicode code point or byte value;
//2) multibyte, a boolean indicating whether the decoded character requires a multibyte UTF-8 representation;
//3) tail, the remainder of the string after the character; and
//4) an error that will be nil if the character is syntactically valid.
//
// The second argument, quote, specifies the type of literal being parsed
// and therefore which escaped quote character is permitted.
// If set to a single quote, it permits the sequence \' and disallows unescaped '.
// If set to a double quote, it permits \" and disallows unescaped ".
// If set to zero, it does not permit either escape and allows both quote characters to appear unescaped.
// Different with strconv.UnquoteChar, it permits unnecessary backslash.
func UnquoteChar(s string, quote byte) (value []byte, tail string, err error) {
	// easy cases
	switch c := s[0]; {
	case c == quote:
		err = errors.Trace(ErrSyntax)
		return
	case c >= utf8.RuneSelf:
		r, size := utf8.DecodeRuneInString(s)
		if r == utf8.RuneError {
			value = append(value, c)
			return value, s[1:], nil
		}
		value = append(value, string(r)...)
		return value, s[size:], nil
	case c != '\\':
		value = append(value, c)
		return value, s[1:], nil
	}
	// hard case: c is backslash
	if len(s) <= 1 {
		err = errors.Trace(ErrSyntax)
		return
	}
	c := s[1]
	s = s[2:]
	switch c {
	case 'b':
		value = append(value, '\b')
	case 'n':
		value = append(value, '\n')
	case 'r':
		value = append(value, '\r')
	case 't':
		value = append(value, '\t')
	case 'Z':
		value = append(value, '\032')
	case '0':
		value = append(value, '\000')
	case '_', '%':
		value = append(value, '\\')
		value = append(value, c)
	case '\\':
		value = append(value, '\\')
	case '\'', '"':
		value = append(value, c)
	default:
		value = append(value, c)
	}
	tail = s
	return
}

// Unquote interprets s as a single-quoted, double-quoted,
// or backquoted Go string literal, returning the string value
// that s quotes. For example: test=`"\"\n"` (hex: 22 5c 22 5c 6e 22)
// should be converted to `"\n` (hex: 22 0a).
func Unquote(s string) (t string, err error) {
	n := len(s)
	if n < 2 {
		return "", errors.Trace(ErrSyntax)
	}
	quote := s[0]
	if quote != s[n-1] {
		return "", errors.Trace(ErrSyntax)
	}
	s = s[1 : n-1]
	if quote != '"' && quote != '\'' {
		return "", errors.Trace(ErrSyntax)
	}
	// Avoid allocation. No need to convert if there is no '\'
	if strings.IndexByte(s, '\\') == -1 && strings.IndexByte(s, quote) == -1 {
		return s, nil
	}
	buf := make([]byte, 0, 3*len(s)/2) // Try to avoid more allocations.
	for len(s) > 0 {
		mb, ss, err := UnquoteChar(s, quote)
		if err != nil {
			return "", errors.Trace(err)
		}
		s = ss
		buf = append(buf, mb...)
	}
	return string(buf), nil
}

const (
	patMatch = iota + 1
	patOne
	patAny
)

// CompilePattern handles escapes and wild cards convert pattern characters and
// pattern types.
func CompilePattern(pattern string, escape byte) (patChars, patTypes []byte) {
	var lastAny bool
	patChars = make([]byte, len(pattern))
	patTypes = make([]byte, len(pattern))
	patLen := 0
	for i := 0; i < len(pattern); i++ {
		var tp byte
		var c = pattern[i]
		switch c {
		case escape:
			lastAny = false
			tp = patMatch
			if i < len(pattern)-1 {
				i++
				c = pattern[i]
				if c == escape || c == '_' || c == '%' {
					// Valid escape.
				} else {
					// Invalid escape, fall back to escape byte.
					// mysql will treat escape character as the origin value even
					// the escape sequence is invalid in Go or C.
					// e.g., \m is invalid in Go, but in MySQL we will get "m" for select '\m'.
					// Following case is correct just for escape \, not for others like +.
					// TODO: Add more checks for other escapes.
					i--
					c = escape
				}
			}
		case '_':
			if lastAny {
				patChars[patLen-1], patTypes[patLen-1] = c, patOne
				patChars[patLen], patTypes[patLen] = '%', patAny
				patLen++
				continue
			}
			tp = patOne
		case '%':
			if lastAny {
				continue
			}
			lastAny = true
			tp = patAny
		default:
			lastAny = false
			tp = patMatch
		}
		patChars[patLen] = c
		patTypes[patLen] = tp
		patLen++
	}
	patChars = patChars[:patLen]
	patTypes = patTypes[:patLen]
	return
}

const caseDiff = 'a' - 'A'

// NOTE: Currently tikv's like function is case sensitive, so we keep its behavior here.
func matchByteCI(a, b byte) bool {
	return a == b
	// We may reuse below code block when like function go back to case insensitive.
	/*
		if a == b {
			return true
		}
		if a >= 'a' && a <= 'z' && a-caseDiff == b {
			return true
		}
		return a >= 'A' && a <= 'Z' && a+caseDiff == b
	*/
}

// DoMatch matches the string with patChars and patTypes.
func DoMatch(str string, patChars, patTypes []byte) bool {
	var sIdx int
	for i := 0; i < len(patChars); i++ {
		switch patTypes[i] {
		case patMatch:
			if sIdx >= len(str) || !matchByteCI(str[sIdx], patChars[i]) {
				return false
			}
			sIdx++
		case patOne:
			sIdx++
			if sIdx > len(str) {
				return false
			}
		case patAny:
			i++
			if i == len(patChars) {
				return true
			}
			for sIdx < len(str) {
				if matchByteCI(patChars[i], str[sIdx]) && DoMatch(str[sIdx:], patChars[i:], patTypes[i:]) {
					return true
				}
				sIdx++
			}
			return false
		}
	}
	return sIdx == len(str)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Ambitious About Autism
WAAD
anna kennedy online
artism
autisms got talent
beautiful octopus club
denise chapman weston
jake chodosh
royal festivall hall
the fish police
the memory machine
September 2016 – two exhibitions for Artism by Jake!
What is it like to have a brother with autism?
"He's autistic?" "No, he's artistic"
Jake's art features in new ebook 'The Memory Machine'
Jake Chodosh, Artist
Justice for LB
The Fish Police are a three piece band from South London. Their sound is a solid combination of funk, pop, electronica and hip hop that's inspired by popular culture and Japanese anime. The band (who are supported by the amazing arts organisation Heart n Soul) are also influenced by singer Dean Rodney and guitarist Matt Howe's autism.
Dean Rodney - lead vocalist, songwriter and front man "pictures the world as if it were a TV show - he takes things he observes in his own life and twists them into unique creations." The tunes are catchy - I dare you not-to bop along to Fish Water (featured above). The lyrics are refreshing - 'Chicken Nuggets for Me' is, as you might guess, the story of how one man likes his chicken whilst 'Japanese Girl' tells the mildly heart-wrenching tale of a Japanese Girl he can't talk to, because she keeps falling asleep in class.
Jess and I went to see The Fish Police at The Macbeth in Hoxton. This was one night out of an eight day UK tour. Whilst you have to recognise that this is, in itself, a huge accomplishment for musicians with learning disabilities, this really wasn't the focus of the gig. The place was packed out. And the last time I checked, people don't go to gigs out of sympathy.
If you're into danceable music with lyrics worth listening to, get involved. You can listen to and purchase the album 'The Marzipan Transformations' on bandcamp and/or iTunes. Have fun.
- Katie
© 2013 Artism by Jake


David is an avid wildlife and landscape photographer and enjoys shooting with DSLRs, compact cameras and his iPhone. He particularly focuses on photography of wildlife in habitat, macro images of insects and abstracts images of patterns and textures. Before joining Lindblad-National Geographic, David worked as a staff field biologist and education coordinator at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, an independent research institution in California. At PRBO David studied songbirds, seabirds, owls and elephant seals while overseeing a broad education program, which included classes for school-children, workshops for professional biologists and interpretation for the general public. His home, which is completely off the grid, is at the crest of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon.


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Commodities Take A Hit After The Fed's Talk Of Tapering
Phil Flynn
Oil prices got hit in risk-off mode by the Fed's suggestion that tapering could happen this year
Oil demand concerns over Covid-19 flareups are overshadowing solid demand numbers in the U.S.
The selling looks like we're getting to the capitulation point
The Phil Flynn Energy Report
Taper Caper
Oil prices got hit in risk-off mode by the Fed's suggestion that tapering could happen this year, along with continuing concerns of Covid-19 spread and a lack of confidence in the leader of the free world.
The Washington Examiner reported the following:
President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan over the objections of other NATO allies has enraged officials in the United Kingdom, stoking distrust and contempt for American foreign policy leadership.
"Now this is a harsh lesson for all of us," senior British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, told Parliament. "We can set out a vision, clearly articulate it, for reinvigorating our European NATO partners to make sure that we are not dependent on a single ally, on the decision of a single leader, but that we can work together with Japan and Australia, with France and Germany, with partners large and small, and make sure that we hold the line together."
Those sentiments could reinforce France's desire for "strategic autonomy" from the United States. French and British foreign policy cooperation has been impeded by acrimonious disputes over the U.K.'s exit from the European Union, but those controversies seem to pale now in comparison to Tugendhat's self-described "anger, grief, and rage" over Biden's decision and his barely restrained contempt for the American president's justification for the chaotic exit.
Oil has also been weak. Demand concerns over Covid-19 flareups are overshadowing solid demand numbers in the U.S., even though there are signs of the summer driving season being past its peak. The total products supplied over the last 4-week period was an impressive 20.8 million barrels per day (bpd), up by 13.2% from the same period last year. That's a demand number akin to pre-pandemic metrics.
Become Smarter Every Day
Over the past 4 weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 9.5 million bpd, up by 8.4% from the same period last year. Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 4.0 million bpd over the past 4 weeks, up by 10.9% from the same period last year. U.S. oil production also ticked up to 11.4 million, but it's still a far cry from where we were pre-pandemic.
If Covid-19 weren't enough to sink us, the Fed news was. MarketWatch reported:
Most of the 19 top Federal Reserve officials said last month that they thought it would be appropriate to start reducing the pace of its asset purchases this year, according to minutes of their policy meeting released on Wednesday.
These officials said they thought the Fed's benchmark of "substantial further progress" criterion had been met in terms of inflation and was "close to being satisfied" in terms of the employment goals.
The Fed is buying $120 billion per month of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities each month to put downward pressure on long-term interest rates.
The minutes show that there were sharp divisions on the tapering questions. It wasn't clear whether the Fed would be prepared to announce a tapering at the next meeting in September.
That announcement put a damper across the commodity spectrum. The selling looks like we're getting to the capitulation point! Look to use the weakness to lock in winter hedges or speculate on some calls.
Don't miss out on my wildly popular trade levels on all major markets, as well as special subscriber-only updates. Call me at 888-264-5665 or email me at pflynn@pricegroup.com.
Phil Flynn is a senior energy analyst at The PRICE Futures Group and a Fox Business Network contributor. Phil is one of the world's leading market analysts, providing individual investors, professional traders, and institutions with up-to-the-minute investment and risk management insight into global petroleum, gasoline, and energy markets.


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Iron Sky (2012), the over-the-top Sci-Fi space-Nazi movie that will put a silly grin on your face.
tags: Dark Side of the Moon, iron sky, Julia Dietze, nazi movie, nazis on the moon, space nazi, spaceship, The Coming Race, Timo Vuorensola, udo kier
by John Leavengood
MY CALL: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) and Star Wars (1977) plus a dash of Sucker Punch (2011) form this genre-crossing mash-up of space Nazis invading the Earth. This may sound like a dumb B-movie, but it's more like a B+ movie… on steroids.. Trust me, it's fun.
MORE MOVIES with NAZI VILLAINS: Dead Snow (2009), Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014), Overlord (2018), Hellboy (2004), Inglorious Bastards (2009), Green Room (2015), Yoga Hosers (2016), Manborg (2011), Zombie Lake (1981), Oasis of the Zombies (1982), The Keep (1983), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Frankenstein's Army (2013), Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991), Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003), Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010), Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (2012) and Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017).
In this zany straight-to-DVD movie important questions are answered like "If we elect Sarah Palin into office will God smite us with space Nazis?" and "Can thousands of Nazis find sufficient resources on the moon to survive for 73 years?" This film also confirms conspiracy theorists' notions that a cadre of Nazis did, in fact, escape to the moon in 1945, brought a tremendous amount of machinery to mine elemental resources, built space artillery and warships with room-sized computers that rival the 1970s in order to propagate an army to return to Earth and reclaim the world in the name of the Fuhrer.
Well, that's evidently exactly what Nazis did in this story. They fled, somehow completely unnoticed, to the dark side of the moon where they developed weapons of mass destruction. But things get interesting when a lost—yes, "lost" on the moon—American astronaut James Washington (Christopher Kirby; Daybreakers, Predestination, The Matrix: Reloaded & Revolutions) is captured in the year 2018. He's black, which really perturbs the Nazis.
But they get over it when they discover that his cell phone evidently has 1000-times the computing power of all the Nazis' computers combined. The real catch here, and the writers obviously saw how farcical this was, is that the Nazi "Death Star" wasn't able to fly until they hooked up their ship's computer main frame to a SmartPhone—which naturally he had on him… during a space mission… while moonwalking! You know, in case he wants to post a selfie in front of the Earth to Facebook.
So now the Nazis initiate a mission to send their spies to Earth to gather the additional SmartPhones they'll need to launch a full assault on Earth. Renate (Julia Dietze) is a school teacher molding young space-Nazi minds and the resident expert on all things American and Earthling. She joins her future husband and Fuhrer-to-be Klaus Adler (Götz Otto; Cloud Atlas) on a mission to Earth with the now-Nazified-made-Caucasian Washington who will take them to his leader: President Palin. This is somewhat offensive, very funny and incredibly stupid. But hold on, it's actually surprisingly well-acted! And, despite the nature of the content, it's well-written and generally composed on-screen as well!
The physical action is a bit hokey-clumsy and the CGI, which accounts for almost all unearthly sets, spaceships and backgrounds, may be well-shy of theatrical quality but remains quite impressive for direct-to-DVD—it's more than good-enough and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved the Nazi Moonbase, by the way. So cool!
Director Timo Vuorensola has developed a zany idea into something so much more than its silly premise. Plus we have cult horror icon Udo Kier (Mother of Tears, Halloween, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich) as the Moon Fuhrer.
The lunacy continues to mount as the American President teams up with the Nazis, promotes her leather corseted and cleavage-baring PR girl (Peta Sergeant; The Originals) to space warship commander on a whim, someone gets killed with a high heel, spaceships are modeled after Zeppelins, and Renate actually Zeig Heils someone to death.
If you're the kind of person who giggles at the idea of a movie about space Nazis attacking present-day Earth, then this movie is clearly for you.
from → John Leavengood, Movies
← The MFF Podcast #201: Total Recall and Cereal on Mars
John's Horror Corner: Dolls (1987), a heavy dose of 80s-nostalgic murderous stop-motion demon dolls from goretastic director Stuart Gordon. →
Tony Briley permalink
I remember this one, and it was an over the top fun movie. I like the comparison to Sucker Punch, never thought of that but yes…..
John Leavengood permalink
It's weird. I can't place it precisely, but both this and Sucker Punch have this dark-filtered sleekness to the CGI and lighting that create a special tone. Almost like Sin City movies have their own style, so do these two films.
Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2019), where Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) meet a kooky Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Xena: Warrior Princess in this over-the-top Sci-Fi space-Nazi sequel | Movies, Films
John's Horror Corner: Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013), a mediocre medical-mystery horror remake of the 1978 classic. | Movies, Films & Flix


What Insurance Is the Best for an Aesthetic Healthcare Professional?
Any aestehetic healthcare professional needs an insurance. In the following article we will explore possible solutions and will help you figuring out what plan works best for an aesthetic healthcare pro.
Is it necessary to have good coverage for an aesthetic healthcare pro?
First of all, if you are professional aesthetic or cosmetic specialist, you must be insured. You want to make sure, before you start your practice and admit your first client, that you and your whole business are well-protected from the type of claims referred to as medical malpractice ones.
These are the most common types, yet there are plenty of others, not so common.
In many cases, these claims are accusations that can be defended by the insurer party to protect you as a professional from reputation losses.
What if you are employed?
If you are employed, you will need to figure it out with your employer what exactly you are covered for. However, it is important to note that if you are self-employed (i.e. have a private practice not associated with any other legal entity), the burden of insurance responsibility falls on you personally. There is no outside organization, such as union, etc., that would be capable to legally take care of your coverage.
Besides professional insurance, you will also need public liability cover. What is it?
Personal injury (may include slips, falls, etc.). In other words, injuries that were not a result of your treatment.
Property damaged (caused by the actions of you and/ or professional you employ).
The exhaustive list of all possible covers needs to be discussed and determined in person with your broker who would also help you purchasing the right plan at the best current price.
How to reduce risk and get a better profile with insurers?
The key is to get in touch with a good broker. The role of a broker is to understand your operations and the risk management you follow. Brokers can advise on enhancing your risk management and guide you to the insurance market, while presenting your profile in the best possible manner.
An insurance on a so-called 'claims-occurring' basis means insurance claims that happen during the whole policy timeframe, regardless when the claim is made.
Another insurance is what is known as 'claims-made' policy, which means claims that are reported during the policy period for work that was previously undertaken. The policy usually has a 'Retroactive Date' meaning the date from which cover would be effective. A claims-occurring policy nulls the necessity for 'run-off' cover if a healthcare professional stops his practice for good. On the other hand, a claims-made policy requires a 'run-off' extension.
When is the right time for an aesthetic healthcare professional to notify a claim?
The details on claims notification process is are thoroughly explained within an insurance policy document. One must comply with the process of claims notification, or else your insurer would refuse to provide your indemnity. Usually insurers will insist that any insurance claim, or circumstances that could give a potential rise to a claim, should have been presented within 30 days period (exceptions occur regarding the exact amount of days). It's crucial to engage insurers earlier in the claims process to keep them on-board and to make them active participants in a defence process. This will ensure future renewal negotiations, as insurers tend to work with responsible healthcare professionals who have an interest in mitigating potential losses.
Should an aesthetic healthcare professional settle or fight claims?
The rule of the thumb is that you never admit liability. Insurers might argue that you have prejudiced their position and potentially can altogether refuse to provide indemnity in that case. Make sure to get the insurer involved instead instead of trying to defend the claim yourself. In any case, it should be clear that the strongest possible defence strategy should be presented. The potential for the claim to be defended depends on your records and existing documentation. Usually the insurer will battle for not to pay a claim. Sometimes, when insurers are unable to offer a proper defence, they would opt for seeking the settlement, which may be at odds with how you look at the case regarding the numbers specified in the settlement. You should be prepared for that.