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Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art
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08/16/2018: Field Test & Gallery Images posted
06/27/2019: Field Test updated
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art Field Test
Ultra-wide, ultra-fast and very good
by Jeremy Gray | Posted 08/16/2018
Update, 06/27/2019
Revised on June 27, 2019: In my original Field Test of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art lens, I had some issues with its corner performance. Upon revising my sharpness test shot methodology in more recent lens Field Tests, I revisited the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 to see if the lens was better than I had originally thought. Therefore, the sharpness section of this Field Test has been redone with new test images and analysis. Additionally, I have revised the conclusion of this Field Test with new findings.
Nikon D800E: f/6.3, 1.6s, ISO 100.
This image has been modified. Click here for the RAW file.
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 is a unique lens. It's not often you can say that a lens has no direct competitor, but in the case of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, it's true. It's the world's first full-frame ultra-wide-angle lens to offer an f/1.8 maximum aperture. Let's take a closer look at the lens to see how it handles and performs in real-world use.
*Note: All gallery images in this Field Test were shot using a Nikon D800E.
Key Features and Specifications
"World's first and only full-frame f/1.8 ultra-wide-angle lens"
Splash- and dust-resistant design
Aperture range of f/1.8 to f/16
16 lens elements in 11 groups, including three FLD elements and four SLD elements
Minimum focus distance of 10.6 inches (27 centimeters)
9 aperture blades
Compatible with Sigma USB dock
Available for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA and Sony E
Retails for $1,599 USD
Construction and handling
Large, heavy and very well-built is how I'd describe the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art lens. It's a hefty lens, weighing over 2.5 pounds (1,170 grams). Its shape and heavy front elements also mean it won't balance well on smaller cameras. With that said, the weight is not wasted. The lens has a splash and dust resistance construction and rubber sealing. The lens is built using both metal and Sigma's Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) material. All in all, the lens is designed for the rigors of a professional workload.
The lens feels very nice in the hands, you can sense the quality. The focus ring is large and features a rubbery ridged design that's easy to grip. The lens also has a built-in focus scale, which is always a welcome addition. There's a switch for toggling between autofocus and manual focus on the side of the lens.
It's a fairly long lens in addition to being heavy. The lens is just under five inches long (126 millimeters) and has a maximum diameter of 3.8 inches (95.4 millimeters). It's not too different in size when compared to a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, if that gives you a better sense of the lens' size. Despite its weight, the lens is fairly comfortable to hold and use. As I mentioned, it can feel a bit front-heavy, but that's not easy to avoid with an ultra-wide-angle optic.
Optical design and image quality
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens has a complex optical structure. It features 16 elements across 11 groups. Of these elements, three are FLD elements, four are SLD elements, four are aspherical elements and the lens also features SMC coating to suppress ghosting.
I was dissatisfied with the original sharpness test images I shot with the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens, so I redid them. The crops below are from raw files which were processed with Adobe Camera Raw default settings and lens profile corrections enabled. You can download the original raw files in the Gallery. Upon additional investigation, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 performs better than I originally thought.
When shooting wide open, center sharpness is impressive. When considering the extreme edge, sharpness does understandably decrease a bit, which is typical of any lens, but especially ultra-wide angle lenses. However, even when shooting at f/1.8, the lens resolves a good amount of detail in the corners. It's a strong performance here for the Sigma 14mm f/1.8.
f/1.8, 1/3200s, ISO 100.
RAW processed image with Adobe Camera Raw defaults and lens profile corrections enabled. Click for full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
100 percent center crop from RAW processed image with Adobe Camera Raw defaults and lens profile corrections enabled. Click for full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
100 percent top right corner crop from RAW processed image with Adobe Camera Raw defaults and lens profile corrections enabled. Click for full-size image.Click here for the RAW file.
Corner sharpness improves a little bit as you stop down to f/2.0 and f/2.8, but the first really noticeable change is at f/4.0, when corner sharpness improves a fair bit. You can see better separation in the posts along the railing on the bridge, for example.
At f/8.0, performance across the entire frame is even more consistent. Center sharpness remains very good and corner performance is even further improved. For landscape shooters, this aperture strikes an excellent balance as it offers good depth of field for 14mm and strong sharpness across the entire frame. At f/11, the lens continues to impress, although to my eyes, maximum sharpness in the center of the frame does decrease slightly as diffraction starts to become apparent. The entire frame gets noticeably softer at f/16, although the lens is not terrible at its minimum aperture, which is pretty impressive.
f/8.0, 1/250s, ISO 100.
100 percent center crop from RAW processed image with Adobe Camera Raw defaults and lens profile corrections enabled. Click for full-size image.Click here for the RAW file.
Overall, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 is more impressive upon further reflection. I already believed the center sharpness to be impressive, but the corner performance is better than I originally believed. It's a really impressive performer.
Where I'm less impressed with the lens is with respect to vignette. Vignette is quite strong at f/1.8. Fortunately, by f/2.8, the situation is considerably better. In most cases, vignette won't be particularly noticeable, but it is most-visible when trying to capture images with a shallow depth of field at f/1.8 or when shooting at night, another situation where f/1.8 makes sense.
Vignette test, -100 clarity applied in Adobe Camera Raw to reduce fine detail in the subject. Click here for the RAW file.
The lens generally performs quite well with respect to aberrations, although there are some cyan and magenta chromatic aberrations around high-contrast edges and fine details. There is also some purple fringing, which is a bit distracting at times. With that said, overall performance with respect to CA is good, and the issues that are present are not particularly obtrusive nor are they difficult to correct during post-processing.
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 is an interesting lens to use because it offers a very wide field of view and also a fast aperture. Like many other ultra-wide angle lenses, you will struggle with using filters. You'd need some sort of an adapter to use large filters on the front as there is no filter thread.
In my case, I needed to perform extensive autofocus fine-tuning with the Nikon D800E I was using to achieve acceptable results with the Sigma 14mm f/1.8. This could be due to the camera, the particular lens sample, or perhaps a bit of both. In any case, I wanted to mention it, but I can't speak to whether this may be typical with the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 in general or just the sample I used.
After the fine-tuning, the lens focused quite smoothly. It's not rough, loud or apprehensive during focusing. I wouldn't say that it's super fast, but it's certainly quick enough and delivers solid, reliable focusing.
f/8.0, 1/10s, ISO 100.
With its wide field of view and fast aperture, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 practically begs to be used as a night sky lens. Even wide open, the lens does not display much by way of comatic aberration. There is some at the extreme corners of the frame, but it's not bad at all. Further, the lens has a built-in focus scale and a nice focus ring, which is great in general, but especially appreciated when trying to dial in focus at night.
f/1.8, 15s, ISO 1600.
Click for full-size image. Click here for the RAW file.
100 percent crop from the above image. Click for full-size image. Click here for the RAW file. We can see a fair bit of comatic aberration in the extreme corner.
Compared to manual focus fast prime lenses, of which there are multiple options out there including at 14mm, the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 is considerably more expensive and heavier. On the other hand, there's a substantial difference between f/1.8 and f/2.8. The extra light-gathering ability cannot be understated, especially for shooting at night. I cannot say which is the right choice for you, but I can say that I would definitely recommend the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 for night photography.
Field Test summary
Impressive ultra-wide angle lens delivers great performance and fun
What I like:
Very good build quality
Impressive image quality, even wide open, across the entire frame
One-of-a-kind full-frame lens
What I dislike:
Heavy and not well-balanced
Autofocus performance is fair
Some comatic aberration
Quite a bit of vignette
Like other ultra-wide lenses, you won't be able to easily use filters
f/7.1, 0.6s, ISO 100.
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art ultra-wide lens is a very interesting and enjoyable optic. The lens has pro-grade build quality, high-end optical performance and is well-suited to many different ultra-wide angle shooting situations thanks to its bright maximum aperture.
f/6.3, 6s, ISO 100.
If wide-angle photography is up your alley, then this niche lens is a very good choice. Its price is fairly high at just under $1,600 USD, but you get a lot of lens for the money. The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens is a very good choice for architecture, landscape and night sky photography.
(From Sigma lens literature) In taking photographs of starry skies or other celestial scenes at night, or of the seashore with a wide perspective, a large-diameter lens is a strong ally, since it allows the capture of a moving subject by adjusting shutter speed without relying on ISO sensitivity. With its full-frame 35mm coverage, 14mm focal length for an ultra-wide angle of view, F2 barrier-breaking F1.8, the SIGMA 14mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art is the true high-speed ultra-wide-angle lens for which so many photographers have been waiting. Although some zoom lenses are available that can cover 14mm, the large diameter delivering F1.8 brightness is a singular advantage. Going beyond fast shutter speed, this lens can capture a swarm of fireflies with crystal clarity, a beautiful bokeh effect, and outstanding control of light streaking.
1. 14mm ultra-wide angle of view and F1.8 brightness deliver a new dimension of visual experience
By leveraging its extreme angle of view and the dramatic perspective this creates, an ultra-wide-angle lens can get up close and personal with a subject while at the same time taking in a vast background-an example of photography going beyond normal human vision.
SIGMA 14mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art combines the extremely deep depth of field that comes from an ultra-wide angle of view with the extremely shallow depth of field that comes from F1.8 brightness. The result is a sharply captured subject set against a vast background dramatically blurred with a beautiful bokeh effect. It is a highly impressive mode of photographic expression that until now simply has not existed.
Minimized chromatic aberrations
Three FLD ("F" Low Dispersion) glass elements and four SLD (Super Low Dispersion) glass elements help minimize transverse chromatic aberration, which tends to be noticeable in shots taken with ultra-wide-angle lenses. The result is outstanding image quality from the center of the image to the edges.
Featuring a large-diameter aspherical lens element
The SIGMA 12-24mmF4 DG HSM | Art was the first SIGMA lens to feature a large 80mm aspherical lens element. Building on the expertise derived from this success, the new lens features a large 80mm precision-molded glass aspherical lens as its front element. This technology has made possible the 14mm F1.8 specification-the first of its kind.
Minimized distortion
Serving as the front lens element, the large 80mm precision-molded glass aspherical lens effectively minimizes distortion. Offering excellent peripheral brightness, this lens delivers outstanding image quality from the center to the edges.
Distinctive bokeh effect
Even at the 14mm ultra-wide-angle of view, F1.8 brightness makes possible a very shallow depth of field with the subject standing out dramatically against a bokeh background. It's the unique mode of expression that only a large-diameter lens can deliver.
2. Seventh 35mm full-frame prime lens to join the Art line
Launched in 2012, the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art was the first lens in the Art line. Since then, SIGMA has developed a wide variety of lenses for the line, and the SIGMA 14mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art is the seventh prime lens in the line to offer 35mm full-frame coverage. Now even stronger, the Art line sets the new standard for prime lenses in the ultra-high-megapixel era.
3. Other features
Fast AF with full-time manual override
Note: The operation of full-time MF may vary based on mount type
Compatible with Mount Converter MC-11
Available SIGMA USB DOCK
Makes customization and flexible adjustment possible
Available Mount Conversion Service
Allows use with another camera body
Rounded diaphragm
Designed to minimize flare and ghosting
High-precision, durable brass bayonet mount
Evaluation with SIGMA's own MTF measuring system "A1"
With outstanding craftsmanship
The lens barrel is engraved with the year of release
Buy from Amazon for $1,599.00
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art User Reviews
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art doesn't have any user reviews yet!


'British-based car stylist A. Kahn Design has arrived at Geneva to present the latest collection of vehicles, which includes the firm's first interpretation of the Range Rover Sport.
'With Afzal Kahn focusing purely on style upgrades, modifications are purely cosmetic. These include an aerodynamic body kit, brushed 23-inch alloys, new side vent surrounds, orange brake calipers and Kahn's signature single exit crosshair exhaust system.


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Q: Change src of iframe from a popup window In my web application, the user can open a popup window to select an edit an object. When the user presses OK on the popup, it's supposed to update the src of an iframe in the parent window (and of course reload the iframe) according to which object was selected.
My function (in the parent window) is:
function dismissEditPopup(win, newId) {
    newId = html_unescape(newId);
    var elem_iframe = document.getElementById("iframe_id");

    // (*) this line doesn't work
    elem_iframe.src = '/view_object/' + newId;

    elem_iframe.contentWindow.location.reload();

    win.close();
}

This function is called from a popup window, which contains a script:
<script type="text/javascript">
    opener.dismissEditPopup(window, "hash_of_new_object");
</script>

The problem is that the line (*) fails silently. In the inspector in both Firefox 3.6 and Google Chromium, I see that the src attribute of the iframe is being updated, but elem_iframe.contentWindow.location.href is unchanged. (If I add a line elem_iframe.contentWindow.location.href = elem_iframe.src;, the assignment is ignored.). There are no errors in the Javascript error console. Strangely, it does work as expected if I assign to elem_iframe.src from the Javascript console.
I am able to change the value of a hidden <input> field in the same way, using document.getElementById("hidden_id").value = newId;.
Everything is served from the same website.
(Similar to Changing iframe src with Javascript, but the answers to that question don't work, presumably because the code is called from a popup.)

A: Take this line out:
elem_iframe.contentWindow.location.reload();

It's reloading the iframe and the new src is not loaded.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We do have a problem with young voters and have to find a way to appeal to them. The first step I think we should take is annulling all student loans in default and then change the law to allow student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy after five years – with a proviso that 25% of the discharged amount is charged back to the institutions they attended. As I've said for years, the student loan system is a mere scam – a subsidy for the far left. And, no, I'm not interested in making kids suffer the burden of it. They were conned. So, let's unburden them and start to gain their trust and support…and with the charge back, start to punish our enemies in the academic left.
We lost in Arizona – and while I'm sure the Democrats did commit voter fraud in Arizona (as they do everywhere they can) the bottom line is that McSally lost. The Republican governor of Arizona got hundreds of thousands more votes than McSally did…so, she was misfiring somewhere.
That said, voter fraud is a huge problem. It looks like we stepped up in time in FL and GA to prevent the most brazen theft in history. Usually, voter fraud works around the small margins. You know – Democrat behind 400 votes on election day, and then finds just enough to win. The reason for this is that manufacturing tens of thousands of votes is a risky business. But, the Democrats seem to have tried just that in FL and GA. It just shows how completely lawless they have become – how absolutely certain they are that the laws simply don't apply to them. One of the reasons why is neatly shown by Jeb Bush's statement about it – he wants the Broward official in charge removed, but only after the vote is certified. In other words, old line Republican that he is, he's ok with the theft and then merely wants the crook to quit. So it has always been – and Democrats have expected it will always be. But the new GOP has a bit of backbone…and all the Democrats may really have done here is put the issue of voter fraud on the front burner.
Latest from the incoming House Democrats is that they're going to drop the program of impeaching Kavanaugh (maybe Schumer pointed out that this would be an insanely stupid thing to do?), but they are still saying they'll take on Trump, even if Mueller doesn't show any criminal behavior (and, he won't). No one can read the future – I guess we'll find out if the American people in 2020 will reward or punish such behavior. My view is that Trump holds the advantage here because most casual observers simply don't care about such inside baseball stuff. And if the Democrats shut down the government over it (and they are de-facto threatening that), then it could end badly for them. But, in the event, we'll have to see. Maybe Democrat insanity is what the American people crave? Time will tell.
If, as I expect, we do prevail in FL, it means we will have taken down four sitting Democrat Senators in 2018. Not a bad bit of work – in fact, I don't think the out party has lost that many Senators in a midterm since the 1930's. Democrats are, rightly, pleased at their House victory…but getting back to 51 in the Senate is going to be a difficult prospect for them. Now, if the GOP gets crushed under a landslide in 2020, lots of GOP Senators will go down with it. But if its a GOP victory or even a narrow loss, then the only GOPer really at risk is in CO. Meanwhile, the GOP has an excellent chance of recapturing Alabama that year and can at least take a shot at New Hampshire and Michigan. Moving on to 2022, the GOP will have a shot at NV, CO and NH while the Democrats really only have hope in Wisconsin. On balance, absent a meltdown by either party, the 53 Seats we'll hold in January should be pretty tough to take from us over the next two cycles, meaning that if Trump is re-elected, he's going to have a GOP Senate (at least) through his whole term of office. That will simply be devastating to the Democrats in the judiciary.
And now you know why the Democrats are suddenly talking up abolishing the Senate.
We just can't avoid them, now can we?
Seems that whole economy things still isn't working out as well as promised.
Insufficient numbers of uninsured residents? But, wait – weren't we told of tens of millions of uninsured who were all going to die horrible, painful deaths unless we passed ObamaCare? Could it be that – and I'm just spit balling here – they exaggerated the numbers of uninsured in order to create a crisis which they would not let go to waste?
I just received the fabulous news that my premium has gone up another 31% on top of the 22% increase last year. When I called my provider, to inquire about the increase, I was told that due to mandates of the ACA this increase was necessary, and that I may actually lose my plan at the end of this year because my plan is not 100% ACA compliant. That is of course provided the President doesn't change his mind again and make more unilateral changes as he is known to do.
Almost 9 in 10 respondents said Obamacare would be "important" in determining their vote, and 60 percent said debate on the health care law should not be over.
We need to get rid of this law, we need to get rid of this President, we need to electorally wipe out progressives, and we need bring back that "shining city on the hill"! So I don't know, or care who the GOP candidate is in your district – vote for him or her, because any Democrat in any district in any state, only becomes a tool for the progressive agenda. It's that simple.
I will also make one more obvious observation – the VA IS single payer Government Healthcare, so the problems we are seeing with that, is what we all have in store if we don't shed ourselves of this cancer. No pun intended – well ok pun intended.
Now, you can think that this is just some honest effort by the Obama Administration – or you can be rational and understand that they want a success that Low Info Voters can believe in and so they are just going to fudge the numbers until they get it. This is much like the way they've finagled around with the unemployment and labor force participation numbers – can't create jobs? Then just change the way we report the number of jobs! Have a completely unworkable health care system? Then just change the way insured and uninsured are counted until you get fewer uninsured!
But, it won't work. The problem with ObamaCare is not in the marketing, it is the fact that people are having to pay more for health insurance than they did before. The problem is in the millions of people who have had their policies cancelled. The problem is in the fact that the bloody thing just doesn't work. Democrats will pay the ObamaCare price this November no matter how many made-up numbers Team Obama comes up with.
Tell us something we did not already know!
The Affordable Care Act contains provisions for "death panels," which decide which critically-ill patients receive care and which won't, according to Mark Halperin, senior political analyst for Time magazine.
"It's built into the plan. It's not like a guess or like a judgment. That's going to be part of how costs are controlled," Halperin told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
Halperin went on to say that he believes the country "can't afford to spend so much on end-of-life care," but those judgments need to be made by individuals and insurance companies rather than the federal government.
Did he have a moment of clarity? "…rather than the federal government"?
Remember when Sarah Palin was trashed and mercilessly attacked by the left (typical) for revealing the fact of Death Panels? This is more evidence by the obame administration that obamacare was sold on a pack of lies. I am still waiting for my annual premiums to be lowered by $2500….
…. I won't hold my breath. Wait until the end of the year when corporate health insurance policies will be subject to the minimum federally mandated standards…. The cancellations seen at the end of last year won't compare to those that will be cancelled this year.
"If you like your insurance you can keep your insurance." "If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor." obame (obay me) knew the lessons learned from Hillarycare. If people could not keep their insurance and doctors they would reject his plan like they did Hillary's. The need to lie was necessary to get it passed…just like the one that said "this is a penalty and not a tax".
…. but the low information voters on the left (and they still troll this blog) will still be as ignorant as ever (voluntarily) and defend obAMATEUR while still maintaining he did not lie.
UPDATE: Obamacare continues to be the massive failure that we know it is and the pRegressive low information voters continue to deny.
The mindless drones continue to defend obamacare and regurgitate the talking point of millions have signed up. However, signing up on a dysfunctional web-site and actually getting insurance are two different things. Many are finding out that after signing up insurance companies through the website (when it doesn't crash) have no records with the targeted insurance company of such an enrollment.
Now before you pRegressive drones screech about the link, notice that the article is from the Associated Press. But we all know, you will latch onto that common pathetic tactic rather than address the real point of the post.


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Confidence Chatter
Confidence Is…
Mind Roamings
Random Chatter
Mind Chatters
~ What You Think, You Become.
How to become excited about your job when you don't feel motivated at all
Posted by evelynmarinoff in Confidence Chatter
happiness, work
Not too long ago, I was caught-up in a spinning wheel. I would go through the motions every day at work—the emails, the small chats in the hallways, the back-to-back meetings, the one-on-ones with my manager strategizing about my career. And I would feel completely unmoved.
At first, it didn't feel out of sync. After all, most people I know are not fond of their jobs. Studies consistently confirm it as well. Employee dis-engagement is around 70% in the U.S., according to the latest State of the American Workplace report by Gallup. So, I'm about average, I figure.
Then, slowly, my brain cells finally started synapsing again, and I begin to worry a bit. Is it such a good thing that I'm so typical in my behavior and attitudes when it comes to work? I wonder what it's like to be passionate about what you do.
I can't help but feel jealous of the likes of Sheryl Sandberg or Warren Buffet, or Bill Gates, or even the CEO of my own company. I envy their motivation.
Of course, the more salient question for me here is: How can I get there? Is it even possible to feel excited again about work?
An Internet search on "How to become motivated at work?" is my first step to get some meaningful answers. Well…maybe not quite so. I can't imagine advice like "stop bitching about it; just do it, or set a quit time" to make me more fulfilled at work. Even more serious websites don't seem to be able to fully grasp my situation—again, I don't quite align with "lose yourself in service, or ask for a raise" for instance, as a way to get me going every morning. I come to a rather unsurprising conclusion: the 5-or 10-bullet advice doesn't quite work.
According to the famed Self-Determination theory, introduced in the mid-80s by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci—both professors of psychology from the University of Rochester, what drives us on a quest for self-enhancement are two distinct sets of instigators—external and internal. These have been widely researched, and what has transpired is an outcome many are well aware of—external motivation (money, more specifically) is not a sustainable solution. In fact, 75K is the widely-accepted threshold of job satisfaction.
What's even more—doing something for the sake of predominantly externalities has a detrimental effect on our internal motivation as we are three times less engaged than if we were motivated intrinsically.
But how do we become so driven, engaged and interested in what we do?
Of course, the most obvious answer is that we find our "dream" job, our true vocation—the one that will make us fulfilled. Or as Confucius proclaimed many years ago: "Choose a job that you love and you'll never have to work a day in your love."
The caveat here, of course, as many of us are painfully aware, is that it's easier said than done. For a variety of reasons, we do or have held positions we only have a peripheral interest in, or otherwise known as "it-pays-the-bills" jobs.
I've found that even in situations where we feel that we hate every minute of our time spent at work and we believe that we can't make it better in any way, we do have a choice and room for some improvements. Viktor Frankl once said: "Everything can be taken from a man but on thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
So, we have a choice in how we approach our lack of motivation.
Here's what I found to work for me.
A New Mental Framework
Know your company's desires and how you can plug your work into achieving them
Many people believe that strategy and goals communication is solely an obligation of management. According to a much-cited research, 80% of employees from various industries don't know how their work contributes to the company success, aren't enthusiastic about their company goals, and don't trust the organization.
But this is a journey that goes both ways. Companies must do a better job to align us with their long-term strategy. However, oftentimes, all the information is there for anyone to read —on the company's website, for instance. When was the last time you checked to see what the business intends to do in the next year or five years and how it may link to your work?
Think of the end
Interestingly, career coaches often prescribe exactly the opposite—that to be successful, we need to commit to the process and not get too hung up on the outcome. Goals can sometimes be counter-productive, we are told, since we frequently focus on the end result, and not on improvement or the lessons we may learn along the way.
Fair enough. However, not knowing where we want to go, or not having a benchmark to measure our progress against can be highly demotivating too. We need to know what we want to achieve. For instance, a mentality of "I'll just play it by ear today" at work is not a good enough stimulus. Rather, we can think along the lines of: I'll try to respond to at least 80% of my emails today, or I'll finish that spreadsheet I started yesterday.
This idea taps into the notion about macro-vision. By volunteering to do more than it's expected of us, we will gain access to teams and projects, which will help us further learn about the business and its different elements.
So, the idea here is to become engaged in more diverse ventures at work even if we don't feel 100% prepared for or knowledgeable about, but it will widen our work horizons. Be mindful that there aren't great benefits if we just take on more of the same type of work—a distinction, known in management theory as job enlargement vs. enrichment.
Consider increments
Sometimes, starting with the big finale in mind can be rather intimidating, discouraging and may even lead to some self-sabotaging. Therefore, once we have an understanding of where we want to go and what needs to be achieved, we should break fragment these into smaller, more manageable steps. Many companies have such break-downs already in the form of strategic and tactical plans.
Or, as an article in Forbes magazine prescribed, "thinking small is the secret to big success." To stay motivated, we seem to need both—a top-down approach to initially guide us at a high-level, and a bottom-up plan to outline the specific tactical steps we need to take.
Bump up the creativity
That is, inoculate some creativity in the processes and create the habit of questioning what you do.
For instance, asking myself "Is this be best way this can be done?" has produced some "aha" moments and has kept me engaged and awake during the workday. It all starts with a critical mind and a predisposition to query the things we do. And yes, it does take some courage to go against paradigms such as "it's always been done this way," "don't rock the boat," or "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
But it's worth it. If anything, it pushes us to proactively keep our brain cells on their toes for a good purpose.
Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness
The Self-Determination theory I mentioned earlier focuses on three primary psychological human needs, as the drivers of internal motivation: autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Autonomy entails having a choice. It is not a desire to be separate and independent of others, but rather—especially in work settings, it's the freedom to take decisions and to pick our style of work.
Competence is the sense of mastery and the confidence that we have control over out outcomes.
Later research by Profs. Deci and Ryan has shown that these two elements can't motivate separately. For instance, competence alone isn't enough to inspire us, unless it's accompanied by a sense of autonomy.
Relatedness means to seek connection, to feel a sense of belongingness and that we are understood and respected.
That is—search for jobs (or work towards creating an environment in our current position) which meet these three needs, science tells us, and we may create some very favorable grounds to nurture our skills and talents and to reach our potential.
Certainly, not an effortless endeavour, but again—think of Shery, Warren and Bill. What would or could you do to get to their level of job fulfillment? Then, imagine a life full of the pays-the-bills. It's a no-choice choice, really.
In the end, we need to recognise that work is not going away, as much as many may dream about a coveted freedom—be it from the cubicle, or any other work environment. Admittedly, it's not easy to wake up every day, year after year, and to feel illuminated and enthusiastic about paying our dues to society.
Motivation, Frederick Herzberg taught us in his famous HBR article, is like an internal battery. "But it's only when one has a generator of one's own that we can talk about motivation. One then needs no outside stimulation. One wants to do it."
It sounds like a beautiful feeling—one that's worth pursuing, I think. And not because we have to, but because we want to!
Evelyn Marinoff
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Large print ed. of "Is there a dead man in the house?".
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One of my sweetest 2014 newborn clients came to visit me for his first birthday portrait and smash cake. It's lovely to see him so grown up! Such a quiet, tender and curious little one, with a hint of mischief in his eyes. You should have seen him light up when he saw that cake! That cake made the whole studio smell sooooo good! I wanted to tell the story of this cake as Weston's mom told it to me that day- but instead I asked one of the most eloquent writers I know to tell it herself.
"I pride myself on being – for the most part – a very healthy eater. Now that I'm a mom, I've become even more aware of what I consume, and even more so what I feed our son. Leading up to his first birthday I did a lot of research about 'Healthy Birthday Cakes', hoping to find something I could make for his cake smash photo shoot that wouldn't be 'bad' for him. I narrowed the options down to one, from many (supposedly) successful options, and being a procrastinator to the core, made it at midnight the night before.
"It's a classic fan favourite I can make with my eyes closed, and I've never met a person who hasn't loved it. I even made it as our wedding cake, as my Mom passed away the previous year (and I'd always warned her she'd have to make it when I got married). I didn't get to bed until 2am that night but it didn't matter. It was perfect, and he loved it. Maybe a little too much.
Lesson learned? Balance is key. The carrot cake will always win. It's tradition, and I shouldn't have ever overthought it in the first place. Kids should eat cake, especially on their birthday, even if it isn't 'good' for them!
And now the fun part- clean up! Actually, it's not fun. And sometimes, like Weston, 1 year old's get a tad grumpy when you take their cake away. Who wouldn't? But most kids also like baths. So, a last minute decision was made to include a tub and some bubbles in the session. It worked! Sort of. At least he got clean?


text:
Home » Information Systems Management » Understanding Different Eras of Data Analytics
Understanding Different Eras of Data Analytics
Back in the 1950's and 1970's, the role of information systems (IS) was to support operational functions within the organization. IS was primarily used in transaction applications, involving accounting transactions. The focus was on IS efficiency and IS effectiveness. With the advent of internet and as information technology (IT) advanced over time, the methods to assess the data and the amount that could be processed increased significantly. Data became more quickly accessible and could be processed at greater speeds. This assisted organizations and managers to report and run data more effectively. Information systems have helped organizations improve their decision making process and help managers reduce the risk involved.
The way in which Data Analytics field has evolved in terms of capabilities and volume is of significance. Analytics has evolved and has been perceived differently across different periods in time or eras.
ANALYTICS 1.0 – THE ERA OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND TRADITIONAL ANALYTICS
The term 'Business analytics' has been in use since the 1950's where decision making was considered to be central to a manager's job. It was something that consumed most of their time. And in order to take better and wide ranged decisions, managers needed the right set of information.
This was a progressive time, as for the first time transaction data had been recorded, aggregated and analyzed. To facilitate this a team of internal analysts used to operate from a back office to provide managers with feedback and information analysis to help them make better decisions to run the organization on a day to day basis. New computing tools were used initially by companies large enough to justify this investment. And maximum of the time was invested in data gathering and creating data sets than in analyzing the data, and the process was slow often taking up to a few months. Data warehouses started being set up to query and report the structured data using business intelligent software's.
This required recruitment of competencies to manage this data. Because of the long and slow analysis time. The primary form of analysis was done on past data and did not provide any explanation or prediction.
However, traditional models for decision making left out certain key factors. It ignored outside factors and assumed that the human decision makers knew all the permutations for making a decision.
ANALYTICS 2.0 – THE ERA OF 'BIG DATA'
Organizations have started swimming in larger and ever-expanding sea of data. Where data is too voluminous and unstructured, which cannot be analyzed by traditional methods. The term 'big data' entails data from a burgeoning number of sources. From clickstream data from the internet, social media profiles, online purchase history, video streaming data, call center voice data, data about biological research etc. big data companies, for example, google alone processes and analyses over 24,000 terabytes worth of data. What distinguishes 'big data' from small data or data used in analytics 1.0 era is that big data goes beyond internal operations or transaction systems. It processes data from external sources such as the internet, sensors and ad campaigns. Organizations leverage this information to base their decisions on to create new offerings. They capitalize on 3 factors:
They pay attention to data flow.
They rely on data scientists rather than data analysts.
Moving analytics beyond IT operations and into processes such as inventory, tracking, and production information.
The decision to implement new offerings on the backbone of these factors help them in customer acquisition and retention.
Innovative technologies and big data firms had to be acquired and the requisite skills had to be mastered by organizations to implement this. Technologies like Hadoop and noSQL were used to process and store big data as the volume of data was plenty for a single server. And 'Cloud' has been a disruptive form of technology to deliver these big data capabilities and has also been a good source to capture data. Big data can be used to mine existing, old and new data sources constantly for patterns and opportunities to provide predictive and prescriptive analytics. This process requires extensive storage and high processing power and a reconfigurable flexible grid, all of which is provided by cloud.
Data scientists are the key resources in this era to carry forward the decisions based on this form of analytics. These professionals understand analytics, IT, have sound mathematical and statistical skills. This coupled with their high business acumen and their ability to communicate with key decision makers puts them in a position to shape businesses. This is what separates them from traditional data analysts.
Examples of how companies use analytics in this era to decide how to create unique customer offerings include:
Facebook tracks user's clickstream activities, the people you follow, the pages you follow to make recommendations such as, people you may know, groups or pages you might want to join or like.
Linked in matches your profile, work experience and skills to suggest People You May Know, Jobs You May Like, Groups You May Be Interested In, etc.
ANALYTICS 3.0 – THE ERA OF COMPETING ON DATA AND DATA ENRICHED SERVICES
When every big organization started noticing how Silicon Valley big data firms began to get more attention via targeted ads, and how they started investing big in analytics driven customer offerings. They decided to follow suit and this was the emergence of the analytics 3.0 era.
Every firm in every industry that sold assets, worked with customers, and were involved in shipment or delivery operations had data, which it could use to improve its operations.
Analytics 3.0 is when traditional analytics and big data were used together to improve an organizations overall efficiency. This trend can be attributed to diffusion of enterprise IT such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. These can capture and process vast amount of data as part of their operation, and these capabilities further extended by Business intelligent systems enable a wider set of data analytic tools to be applied to operational data. Furthermore, the sources and opportunities for data collection outside of operational systems such as Mobile phones, vehicles, factory automation systems, are routinely instrumented to generate streams of data on their activities, making "reality mining" a possibility.
These enterprise solutions with related technologies allow organizations and its key decision makers to leverage information in one part to improve performance across the firm as a whole.
This form of data driven decision making is what firms compete on nowadays. By developing products and services around information, it helps them increase profitability and increase customer traction while reducing operating costs. Descriptive, predictive and prescriptive forms of analytics were all used together in this era. The Internet of Things (IoT) industry is a consequence of the analytics 3.0 era. The purpose of IoT is to provide interconnectivity between various devices and is hosted in a private cloud, such as Amazon Web Services. Analyzing the data sent to/from amongst which is collected via sensors helps organizations observe various performance indicators which can support better decision making to calibrate and control the further working of the IoT devices. For example: A cloud platform that allows hospitals to record and analyze inventory data meticulously. Remote monitoring and support would help during the unavailability of the equipment having a control check by scheduling and restocking supplies would help to increase efficiency to serve patients.
Some examples of how companies use analytics in this era to make key business decisions:
General electric. GE is becoming increasingly optimum in their services and providing assets which is a part of their manufacturing business. They use sensors that stream data from turbines, locomotives, medical imaging devices which helps them determine an efficient service interval for these devices.
UPS has used analytics in the frontline of its operations. They track package movements of over 16.3 million packages on an average every day. The initiative ORION (On-Road integrated optimization and navigation) comprised of using telematic sensors in more than 46,000 delivery trucks which track various forms of metrics such as speed, direction, braking and drivetrain performance. This form of tracking helped them determine the best route and improve daily operation level efficiency, and ended up saving them 4.5 million gallons of fuel per year.
Starbucks is another prominent user of analytics. Through its Loyalty Card program, Starbucks is able to amass individualized purchase data on millions of its customers. They used this information to predict what purchases and offers an individual customer would likely be interested in. They reach out to customers regarding these offers via mobile phones. This system drew customers to their stores more frequently, in turn increasing their volume of sales.
Amazon uses analytics along with business intelligence to provide product recommendations and market products tailored to individual user activity, and it also uses analytics for logistical operations. Its emphasis and in-depth analysis enables Amazon's massive supply chain to run smoothly. They extend their use of analytics to optimizing shipping routes and inventory allocation in warehouses. Analytics constitutes for practically every step of Amazon's supply process.
Uber is a technology company, that offers customers cabs from any location, without physically owning any cabs. They use GPS tracking to provide customer the location of their cab, the amount of time the trip will take, and the estimated fare for the trip.
The era of analytics 3.0 has given opportunities to many disruptive innovations to take place, which has replaced legacy industries that dominated for decades. Using this form of analytics has made business model innovation and decisions facilitating this crucial for organization's to survive in today's market. For example: Uber replaced legacy taxi services all around the globe. Netflix's offerings made blockbuster go bankrupt.
Importance of Computer in the Modern Society
Data Warehousing and Data Mining
Role of Information System in Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
Role and Impact of Management Information Systems (MIS) in an Organization
Data Mining - Meaning, Processes and Models
Information Systems and Business Forecasting
Transaction Process System - Activities, Objectives and Characteristics
What is Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)?
Information Systems in Various Levels of Modern Organizations
Scope of Grid Computing
Information Systems ManagementData Analytics, Data Management, Data Management Concepts
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Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence
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Action of Surveiling Left-wing Activists Coded as 'Pepper"
You are here: Home / Теорија / колумни / Action of Surveiling Left-wing Activists Coded as 'Pepper"
Prominent members of the recently founded political party named Levica, were detained by the police in Skopje for interrogation on Monday morning, 25 of April 2016, due to charges of demolishing the office of the President of the Republic of Macedonia during one of the protests which have been shaking the streets of Skopje for 12 days now. In addition, it was proven that the Macedonian secret services are following a large number of left-wing activists in an action coded "Pepper".
The political tension in Macedonia does not have an end in sight. Anti-government protests are being staged every day at 6pm, regardless of the poor weather conditions, arrests and intimidation with repressive methods adopted by Nikola Gruevski, the ousted Prime Minister, for exerting control. Contrary to the disinformation and lies in terms of the protesters which the conservative VMRO-DPMNE serves to the public with the aid of pro-government media and fantasy conspiracy theories, the protests are not organised by international evil axis, but by a plethora of completely diverse activist groups whose policies and strategies are determined by Macedonians.
The mentioned organisations differ in terms of their social values, political orientation and the methods for struggle, but they still stand united under the basic demand for ousting Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE from the government and restoring the fundamental democratic processes in Macedonia. Aside from Levica, Lenka and Solidarnost, the biggest opposition party SDSM, led by Zoran Zaev, is also actively taking part in the protests, as well as numerous human rights and green non-governmental organisations; student plenums and organisations comprising the Albanian ethnic minority, As the government is increasingly falling from grace, the protesters are joined by a mounting number of organisations, even some small central and right-wing parties.
Despite the continuous protests ongoing for over a year, the crisis does not abate. After the realisation that the Przino agreement has failed, a new meeting was scheduled for Friday in Vienna. The international community is trying to play the role of a peace-maker and arbitrator, that it appears it considers Gruevski worthy of another chance. The meeting, however, did not take place, due to Zoran Zaev, the president of SDSM, not making an appearance. He has announced the boycott of the elections owing to lack of fulfillment of the basic conditions for fair and democratic elections. SDSM's boycott announcement has prompted other parties to opt for boycotting the elections as well.
SDSM withdrew from the protests last week, due to which there were speculations that Zaev is negotiating with the international community and Gruevski behind closed doors; however, new information on the content of the (un)held negotiations is not available to us. "But even if there are negotiations ongoing, they are not going well, because SDSM joined the protests on Monday again", according to the sources of Bilten, active organisers of the protests. For Zaev, negotiations with Gruevski would imply potential loss of the public's support, which has learnt its lessons due to his former withdrawals and concessions and has no confidence in SDSM's resolution to truly adhere to the announced election boycott and not participate in the elections scheduled for June, 5th. The assembly dissolution implies that the elections must take place, and if SDSM legitimises them by taking part, Zaev, in addition to his party, would compromise a year of protests. The protests are hence important as a democratic pressure mechanism upon the social-democratic party, whose tactics have oftentimes been withdrawal under pressure rather than perseverance in its own principles.
"No justice, no peace"
As the election date is approaching, pressure on the social movement is increasing. For instance, Gjorгje Ivanov, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, highlighted in an interview a week ago how the secret intelligence services, under his authority, were surveilling the left-wing activists that in yesterday's Dnevnik publication were accused of toppling the democratically elected government in Macedonia, including premeditated creation of a refugee crisis in the country. According to Dnevnik's article, they are aided by Die Linke, a party in the German parliament, numerous NGOs from Macedonia, Greece, the EU, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US, Soros Open Foundation, the Muslim brotherhood etc.
The article published by the biggest Macedonian media is an incredible example of the capitulation of all criteria of journalism, but also a clear indicator that Dnevnik is under the control of Nikola Gruevski. Except for personal names, addresses and phone numbers of individual left-wing activists, the article does not contain almost a single accurate information, and the very composition is markedly tendentious and false, representing the prime example of a conspiracy theory, usually a reflection of lack of understanding of social relations. The accused organisations' political objectives are oftentimes contradictory, they also have different methods of fight and are in general on diverging sides of the spectrum in societal conflicts. The aim of the mentioned article is discreditation of the growing social movement; on the other hand, this blatant abandon of journalist criteria is clearly indicative of an increasingly mounting despair of Nikola Gruevski, who has less and less resources at his disposal. The protesters now have to simply persevere until the very end, despite the arrests and the political and personal pressures under which they find themselves.
Disclaimer: The text is written and published in Bilten.org
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Guest Editorial: Mexico's incoming president makes many promises
One hopes that Mexico's elimination by Brazil from the World Cup soccer tournament on the day after he was elected president will not prove to be a bad omen for Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the leftist who rode a wave of popular outrage over Mexico's corruption and violence to a landslide victory. But the prospects of a populist who makes as many promises as AMLO, as the president-elect is commonly known, are even harder to predict than a tournament as filled with surprises as this World Cup.
Why he won is not the mystery. Killings are at record levels, corruption scandals are ceaseless and nearly half the population lives in poverty. Like populists elsewhere around the world (and also north of Mexico's border), Mr. López Obrador promised a break with the past. So voters not only denied the presidency to the two mainstream parties that have dominated Mexican politics for two decades, they also gave Mr. López Obrador a likely majority in Parliament.
That means Mr. López Obrador, the 64-year-old former mayor of Mexico City, has considerable leverage from the outset. But to do what? Here is where things become more complicated. "Only I can fix corruption," Mr. López Obrador declared in his campaign, but he offered few details.
Equally unclear is how Mr. López Obrador intends to curb Mexico's endemic violence. A decade ago, the government deployed the military against the powerful drug cartels, yet more homicides were reported in May than in any single month since the government began the current record-keeping system two decades ago, and 2017 was the deadliest year.
Then there's the mystery of Mr. López Obrador himself, a complex politician who defies stereotypes. He can be leftist ideologue and pragmatist, populist and fiscal conservative; he shares a leftist aversion to the North American Free Trade Agreement but has pledged to continue the current government's negotiations.
Conservatives in the United States have raised alarms about a radical leftist in the mold of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez who will send swarms of migrants across the border. Mr. López Obrador's pledges to upend the status quo have also led to inevitable comparisons to President Trump — with whom the Mexican shares a thin skin and irritation at critical news media. Yet unlike Mr. Chávez and Mr. Trump, the president-elect is a lifelong politician with firm faith in democracy and demonstrated pragmatism in his five years as Mexico City's mayor. And Mexico is not the oil-rich petrostate Venezuela was.
One thing is certain: Mexico's relations with the United States will not improve. Mr. Trump is despised in Mexico for all the obvious reasons, and though Mr. López Obrador said he would seek "respectful and cooperative" relations with the United States, he is keenly aware that his predecessor's efforts to forge positive relations with Mr. Trump ended in his humiliation.
If there is a danger for the United States in Mr. López Obrador's election, it is not that he will move his country radically leftward, but that he will fail to meet the high expectations he has raised. His predecessors promised many of the same things he has but ended up managing crises, not ending them. The predecessors, however, were from established parties; to their promises, Mr. López Obrador has appended the populist promise of profound transformation.
If the Trump administration chooses to make life difficult for him, it will only deepen Mexico's problems and increase the power of the drug cartels and the despair driving people to head north. It is in Mexico's best interest, and therefore in America's, that the new president succeed.
Newsday, July 5


Steven Dale Crain was born on November 3, 1957 in Tulsa Oklahoma to Bobby Crain and Shirley Jean (Hale) Crain. He passed from this life on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 61. Steven was raised and educated in Sperry, Oklahoma and graduated with the Sperry High School Class of 1976. He was married on February 14, 1986 in Sperry to Brenda Gale (Buttery) Crain. Steven spent most of his working life as a salesman for BG&S Manufacturing for about 25 years. He had been a faithful member of Destiny Life Church in Collinsville, Oklahoma for about 5 years. He enjoyed a variety of pastimes such as watching football and basketball, especially OU, fishing, and playing board games.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bobby, and brother, Kevin.
Visitation will be held 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, February 11, 2019 at Mowery Funeral Service in Owasso. Memorial Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at Destiny Life Church in Collinsville with Pastor Jonathan Cook and Pastor Glenn Shaffer officiating. Interment will be held at Rest Haven Cemetery in Sperry, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Steven's memory to Destiny Life Church Mission Fund, 14003 East 116th Street North, Collinsville, Oklahoma 74021. Arrangements and services were entrusted to Mowery Funeral Service of Owasso.


text:
Q: What is so special about closures? I've been reading this article about closures in which they say:

*

*"all the plumbing is automatic"

*the compiler "creates a wrapper class" and "extends the life of the variables"

*"you can use local variables without worry"

*the .NET compiler takes care of the plumbing for you, etc.

So I made an example based on their code and to me, it seems as though closures just act similarly to regular named methods which also "take care of the local variables without worry" and in which "all the plumbing is automatic".
Or what problem did this "wrapping of local variables" solve that makes closures so special / interesting / useful?
using System;
namespace TestingLambda2872
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Func<int, int> AddToIt = AddToItClosure();

            Console.WriteLine("the result is {0}", AddToIt(3)); //returns 30
            Console.ReadLine();
        }

        public static Func<int, int> AddToItClosure()
        {
            int a = 27;
            Func<int, int> func = s => s + a;
            return func;
        }
    }
}

Answer
So the answer to this one is to read Jon Skeet's article on closures that Marc pointed out. This article not only shows the evolution leading up to lambda expressions in C# but also shows how closures are dealt with in Java, an excellent read for this topic.

A: Your example isn't clear, and doesn't (IMO) show typical capture usage (the only thing captured is a, which is always 3, so not very interesting).
Consider this text-book example (a predicate):
List<Person> people = ...
string nameToFind = ...
Person found = people.Find(person => person.Name == nameToFind);

Now try it without a closure; you need to do a lot more work, even if we are lazy:
PersonFinder finder = new PersonFinder();
finder.nameToFind = ...
Person found = people.Find(finder.IsMatch);
...
class PersonFinder {
    public string nameToFind; // a public field to mirror the C# capture
    public bool IsMatch(Person person) {
        return person.Name == nameToFind;
    }
}

The capture approach extends further to lots of variables at different scopes - a lot of complexity that is hidden.
Other than the names, the above is an approximation of what the C# compiler does behind the scenes. Note that when additional scopes are involved we start chaining the different capture classes (i.e. inner scopes have a reference to the capture class of outer scopes). Quite complex.
Jon Skeet has a good article on this here, and more in his book.

A: The closure is a functionality of the Compiler. You don't see it, it just makes the code you write work.
Without it, the call to AddToIt(3) will fail, because the underlying lamda uses the local variable a = 27 in the scope of AddToItClusure(). This variable is does not exist when AddToIt is called.
But because of the Closure, a mechanism used by the compiler, the code works and you don't have to care about it.


text:
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ
Vaccine FAQ (04/06/21)
How to book a COVID vaccine: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/
Ontario vaccine hotline: 1-888-999-6488
Learn about Ontario's vaccination program to help protect us against COVID-19: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccines-ontario
Northwestern Health Unit:
Their website of the Northwestern Health Unit has the most up to date details about vaccinations in the area and information on how to get appointments.
The COVID-19 vaccine will be offered across the region according to the Ministry of Health's 3-phase vaccine distribution plan.
To learn more about the vaccine itself, see resources at the website below. This page will be updated as the roll-out progresses and new information becomes available.
https://www.nwhu.on.ca/covid19/Pages/covid-19-vaccines.aspx
The NWHU can be contacted at the number below M-F, 8:30am-4:30pm, cst.


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Optical Image Stabilization May Be Differentiating Factor for 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 [Updated]
Tuesday June 24, 2014 4:52 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Rumors have suggested Apple's next-generation iPhone may include camera improvements in the form of optical image stabilization with modules produced by sensor company InvenSense, but according to a new prediction from Pacific Crest Securities analysts John Vinh and Kevin Chen, optical image stabilization may be a feature limited to just the larger 5.5-inch iPhone.
Citing a cost premium of $4 to $5 for optical image stabilization over traditional auto focus solutions, the two analysts believe that Apple will use the feature as a differentiating factor between the 4.7-inch iPhone and the more premium 5.5-inch iPhone.
We believe the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 smartphone camera will support optical image stabilization (OIS) and anticipate that it will represent one of several opportunities at Apple that will benefit InvenSense. In our analysis, we believe Apple chose to only include OIS camera technology in the larger iPhone 6 given that there is still a significant cost premium ($4 to $5) over standard auto focus solutions and that it provides a point of differentiation between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the step-up model (5.5-inch)
Optical image stabilization (OIS) is designed to reduce shake and stabilize photos and videos using either a lens with built-in stabilization or a separate sensor. In the past, this has been limited to traditional digital cameras, but recently, cell phone manufacturers like Google, HTC, Nokia have been incorporating OIS systems in order to improve photo quality. Currently, the iPhone 5s uses software-based image stabilization techniques, which are seen as inferior to OIS.
Comparison image courtesy of Electronics 360
Apple aims to improve photo quality with each iteration of the iPhone, so new image stabilization techniques make sense for the next-generation phone. The company also has a history of limiting features to its flagship offering, such as Touch ID for the iPhone 5s, and it appears that the 5.5-inch iPhone may be the higher-end 2014 model. Rumors have suggested that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 might include a $100 price premium over the 4.7-inch version and that it might be the only model to receive a sapphire crystal screen.
Along with optical image stabilization for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone, Chen and Vinh are also "increasingly confident" that the iPhone 6 will support NFC, based on supply chain conversations. This is in line with previous rumors that have suggested NFC may finally be deployed in the iPhone 6 ahead of an upcoming mobile payment solution.
While it was initially thought that Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 would launch first due to manufacturing issues with the 5.5-inch version, it seems Apple may have solved those problems. A report from Bloomberg earlier this week has suggested both the 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch iPhones may launch simultaneously later this year.
Update 5:15 PM PT: KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is also predicting the larger 5.5-inch iPhone will be the only model to offer optical image stabilization due to supply constraints.
Differing from market consensus, we don't expect the main camera of the 4.7" iPhone 6 to use OIS VCM due to production capacity restraint at iPhone 6 VCM suppliers Mitsumi (JP) and Alps (JP). Rather, we predict it will use a middle-mount type of open-loop VCM updated from the one used in the existing iPhone 5S. The 5.5" iPhone 6 is more likely to be equipped with OIS VCM due to lower estimated shipments and the need for more product features to differentiate itself from the 4.7" iPhone 6
The smaller 4.7-inch iPhone is expected to feature a lens module that will offer faster focusing speeds and power efficiency than the module being used in the iPhone 5s, however, which Kuo suggests "will lead its rivals."
[ 303 comments ]
mrxak
If the specs really are different (other than screen size) between different sizes of iPhones, a lot of people are going to be pissed off. Not everybody wants a huge phone.
Rating: 105 Votes
farewelwilliams
$4-$5 cost premium. So expensive.
*sips Starbucks*
DanielDD
I thought the Differentiating factor would be the size of the screen. I'm so dumb :(
Mr Dashles
Don't worry, folks. Next week, an analyst will predict both models will get OIS, and all will be right with the world. :rolleyes:
goobot
Can't believe people are complaining about this....
The 4.7" model is going to be the "C" model and the 5.5" is going to be the premium model. It's funny because people never complained over the lack of Touch ID in the 5c.
Lol, maybe because the 5 and 5s are the same size bud and some people like their mobile phones mobile.
BeeJee
I wanted a 4.7 inch because I feel like it's the "Goldie Locks" for me. I don't really play games or anything that would warrant the need for a screen as large as the 5.5. So something like this would kind of piss me off because it's almost like punishing the user for not wanting a huge screen. I don't want a 4.7 to save money, I want it because I know for a FACT the 5.5 would be too large for everyday use, and my pockets.
Imory
Don't believe in this rumor for a second. The sh*tstorm that would ensue would simply not be worth it. Really doesn't make any sense in terms of manufacturing either. Not to mention that Apple have never really differentiated products so similar with only one feature being a difference (aside from screen ofc which relies more on personal taste imo).
joelisfar
So it's official? The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will be $204 or $205 with a contract?
KillerTree
Disappointing if true because this would force me to spend $100 more dollars than I wanted to on a phone size I didn't plan on getting. Photo quality on a phone is very important to me #
Really doesn't make any sense in terms of manufacturing either.
Why not? OIS takes more space, the 5.5" is bigger than the 4.7".
1 hour ago on Mac Blog


Have you been struggling to boost your local business in Google Search results for quite a while now?
You work on your link earning strategy, you furnish your blog with topical content and you focus on those CTR-boosting title tags and meta descriptions, but your local rankings are still in poor condition?
It seems like you haven't been concentrating on the top priority ranking factor in local: your business Citation Consistency.
Now don't shy away from the complex terminology; Local SEO might seem like a mouthful, but here is an easy way to figure out its essentials. If you have the geeky passion of following the sci-fi Star Wars saga you could quickly catch up with all questions related to Citation Consistency by skimming through the Local SEO Wars: Episode I. Citation Inconsistency Awakens infographic.
Let's start from the beginning: Google Local Ranking algo focuses on these top three factors: relevance (to the specific search query), prominence (in the online space) and proximity (to the user's actual location, or the one specified in his search).
As you can see, prominence is the one sure characteristic of your online presence that you could influence. One way to make your business more prominent in Google search results is by working on your Citation Profile.
Citations are the online mentions of your business: Name, Address and Phone (NAP). They are your loyal army that will bring you closer to the longed-for online visibility, so take good care of them.
Just like the army of Stormtroopers, your business citations may fall for the Dark Side and go wrong on their choice of alliance.
In the Star Wars universe, Stormtroopers are brainwashed soldiers who are manipulated to serve the Dark Force. How does this apply to your citations? It's quite simple: remember that the most important characteristic of your citations is the business NAP (name, address, phone) info they carry? Well, if there is any inconsistency in the data they carry and the actual NAP of your business, then you could surely conclude that your Citations have gone to the Dark Side.
Being a leading local ranking factor, if inconsistent, your business citations may cause a great damage to your online visibility. So in case you've lost your army of Stormtroopers you should strive to timely strategize their retrieval.
In the last episode of the epic saga, Finn personifies a Stormtrooper who realizes that he's fighting the wrong cause and turns to the Light. In order to succeed in the Local Ranking game, you should attempt to Finn all of your inconsistent citations!
There are a lot of reasons why your business citations may go inconsistent. Among the most widespread ones is a change in your company name, address or phone. Building new citations without much care of following the citation consistency rules is another major threat to your local rankings that you should eliminate. Always be careful when using a toll-free or tracking number on your website or when creating your army of citations.
And most importantly, always make sure that the person responsible for managing your business citations is a competent and experienced specialist. Be responsible towards your business citations and your local rankings will flourish.
Having the right local search listings management plan can have a tremendous ROI for local SEO & conversion optimization efforts. Don't take a nap until your NAP listing is clean!
Hey this is so great, and captivating to read as well. I now a digital marketing company in Charlotte NC area. Having the correct business citations are so paramount, and we are always trying to connect with our customers and educate them on how important they really are. I agree with Chad, they do help drive so much traffic and are huge for ROI. NAP syndication is only one of the 4 criteria we use to help local businesses become more visible to their consumer bases. Thanks again for the good read!


Living Miracles is a devotional community founded by A Course in Miracles teacher, David Hoffmeister. We are committed to living the experience of God's love. The term "Mystic" is often used for those who have a deep call of the heart and have devoted their lives to this inner experience of God, truth, joy, and peace. We have heard this call and we have answered. Our journey now is a commitment to the heavenly realms of Love, forgiveness, innocence, and Holiness, which are our natural state. This is a non-dualistic experience that can only be expressed as Divine.
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This website is a free video library devoted to that Divine expression of Love. As we go deeper within, we find that each of us has a unique expression through silence, laughter, song, prayer, poetry, music, etc. We feel blessed to use this medium solely as a backdrop for our own deepening into this inner relationship. As the flower was created to bloom, so are we to continue to open and expand in our natural state of grace and beauty. We welcome you to delve deeply with us.


Phat Nutrition was started in July 2017 with the goal of getting a sugar free, artificial sweetener free, and keto friendly beverage out into the world. In January 2018 Phat Tea was born.
Phat Tea was made to solve the problem of wanting to stay on the ketogenic diet but missing the great taste of a refreshing iced tea. To combat dehydration and add some healthy fats, electrolytes from Himalayan pink salt and MCT oil were added to the formula.
The founder of Phat Tea is a ketogenic diet veteran and will be speaking at this seminar about how to start the ketogenic diet, how to avoid some pitfalls and why keto is working for so many people.


The first book to focus on small-scale and domestic green roofs with project details for design, construction, and installation, as well as how-to tips on how the roof was planted and cared for.
Until now, the green roof movement has been limited to large-scale, professional endeavors and public buildings. But homeowners everywhere are catching onto the benefits of a green roof, water conservation, energy savings, and storm water management. In Small Green Roofs authors Dunnett, Gedge, Little, and Snodgrass profile ordinary homeowners who scaled green roofs down to the domestic level.


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The future of regulation
MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND DEREGULATION
THE HON LINDSAY TANNER MP
ADDRESS TO THE CENTRE FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT
MELBOURNE, WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2008
The Future of Regulation: next steps in the Rudd Government's deregulation agenda
I'm delighted to be here today to address the Centre for Policy Development on the Rudd Government's plans for regulatory reform.
A little under 10 months ago, I was very pleased to become not only Finance Minister, but also Australia's first Minister for Deregulation.
There are significant similarities between the role of a Finance Minister and a Deregulation Minister. In both cases you are often seen, fairly or not, as 'Dr No'. That is, as the first to say no to new spending proposals and no to knee-jerk regulatory responses.
But both my portfolios entail a broader role than merely being 'Dr No'. Balancing a budget is more than keeping costs down and making the numbers add up. Deregulation is about more than simply reducing the number of regulations on the books.
The focus of the Government's deregulation agenda this year has been on reducing the regulatory burden on business. We have a number of reform processes underway aimed at rationalising and harmonising the existing stock of business regulation.
Today I want to explain these reform processes and highlight some of the key outcomes we are expecting in the near future.
Reducing the regulatory burden on business, while critical, is only one part of a much bigger and broader reform agenda.
Today I also want to outline the wider dimensions of regulatory reform under the Rudd Government.
Prioritising the 'how' question
At its core the Rudd Government's deregulation agenda is about making government regulation as efficient, adapted and responsive as we can to achieve our policy goals.
To achieve this we need to consider whether existing regulation measures up against these standards, whether the design of new regulation is rigorous and subject to best practice oversight, and whether government has a sufficient dialogue with the citizens and firms who are subject to regulation.
Seen this way, it is clear that better regulation is not always less regulation. Government, after all, exists to regulate. The best regulation is that which delivers on the policy priorities of the government, at lowest cost, with lowest chance of unintended consequences. Often this means getting rid of redundant or poorly implemented regulation. But sometimes this means imposing new regulation when this is necessary to deliver on the Government's policy objectives.
The starting point here is to recognise that the question of how government regulates is often just as important for good policy outcomes as the question of what government regulates. Sometimes the how question is even more important. Think of tax: the most conceptually rigorous tax regime means little if the regulation enforcing it is poor. Think of education: it is no use legislating for world class universities if we tie them up in red tape. Think of climate change, an issue where how we respond to carbon pollution is the critical question.
Yet outside academia, the bureaucracy and a small, well educated part of the citizenry, the question of how we regulate receives little attention compared to the question of what we regulate. This is despite the huge impact that matters of regulatory design have on the lives of ordinary Australians.
We spend much of our lives interacting with government regulation. The ease with which citizens can fill in a tax return, apply for government support and set up and run a business, makes a big difference not only to the efficiency and productivity of our economy, but also to the way people engage with their government.
The reason that there is so little focus on the process of government can be attributed to a number of factors. The style and substance of the media cycle is one. The 'Someone Should Do Something' mentality of many political commentators is another.
But the most significant factor fuelling our contemporary lack of interest in how government regulates is the attitude our predecessors had toward policymaking.
Look at their $10 billion dollar water plan – announced by the government before even being considered by Cabinet. Look at the introduction of the so-called 'fairness test' last year, done with both no regard to the capacity of existing workplace institutions to actually administer the test and without the preparation of a regulatory impact statement.
I've recently received a major report into the Commonwealth's use of information and communications technology, completed by UK efficiency expert Sir Peter Gershon. It is an indictment of the haphazard approach to the ICT aspects of policy design under the previous government. The report makes it clear that policies have in the past been announced with no consideration of ICT costs or implementation issues.
This is the 'pay now, ask questions later' approach to regulatory design.
This is no way to run government and no way to approach the task of regulating. The creation of a cabinet level minister responsible for making regulation better signals a significant change in approach to this issue by the Rudd government. We see regulating well as core government business.
The progressive side of politics has largely ignored issues surrounding regulation. It's just assumed that reducing the regulatory burden is merely a device to help the rich and powerful. This perspective is simplistic and misguided. Most of the time it is working people who pay the price for poor regulation.
People investing their retirement savings get no benefit from complex 80 page product disclosure statements full of legalese, but they effectively pay for them. Plumbers and electricians working interstate get no benefit from being forced to pay for a new licence.
Small business people with multiple dealings with different layers of government have to build the costs of doing so into their prices.
Better regulation means lower costs, higher productivity, and greater opportunity. It removes dead weight from economic activity.
Reducing the regulatory burden on business – the state of play
It is easy to parrot statistics or horror stories about poor regulation. Moving beyond admiring regulatory problems to actually solving them is much more difficult.
The hard work which underpins regulatory reform often does not make the headlines. A lot of the work we have been doing this year has gone on behind the scenes. A team of people within my department have been working with their counterparts in other agencies, both Commonwealth and state, to identify high priority reform areas.
Along with the Minister Assisting on Deregulation, Dr Craig Emerson, I have been meeting at least once a month with state and territory officials to progress areas of regulatory reform which require greater coordination between the different levels of government.
We now have over 30 areas of reform on our agenda. By the time we get to COAG in October, we hope to report even further progress on these reform areas, including a new national consumer policy law as agreed by the Ministerial Council for Consumer Affairs.
In the government's own backyard, I have been working with portfolio Ministers on deregulation partnership projects. Our first project is to clear up the mess made of the Financial Services Reform Act by the previous government.
When financial institutions start offering the new First Home Saver Accounts from next month, customers will be given not a 50 or 80 page Product Disclosure Statement, but a maximum of four A4 pages.
These four pages will contain information potential investors need, in a format that has been road-tested by the government to ensure people can read and understand it.
The Financial Services Reform Working Group that Nick Sherry and I established has now moved on to the next phase of the project, applying the lessons learnt designing the First Home Saver Account Product Disclosure Statement to other financial products such as superannuation and simple managed investments.
We have also been consulting with industry about what are the regulatory and non-regulatory impediments to the provision of simple advice to superannuation fund members on issues relevant to their superannuation investment. This is another example where poorly designed regulation can price working people out of accessing services to assist them in managing their retirement savings.
I have been meeting with my ministerial colleagues to finalise details of a number of further partnership projects and expect to announce a number of new initiatives before the end of the year.
We have deliberately focused on reform projects, rather than a simple target. This approach is different to that adopted by countries such as the UK, Holland and, more recently, a number of state governments.
While we do not have a target, we do recognise the importance of political will.
It is no coincidence that most of the regulatory hotspots agreed after the Banks Review in 2006 were still the burning, but unresolved, regulatory issues we uncovered on coming into government.
The previous Liberal Government only paid lip service to regulatory reform. In 1997 John Howard announced a target to cut red tape for small business by 50% in his first term. But there was no political will to reform and not much happened.
We have a lot of work to do.
An initial stocktake of regulation across the Commonwealth has many items of potentially redundant regulation. Think about this for a moment – regulatory arrangements in various portfolios that are on the Commonwealth's books, that people need to understand and ensure they are complying with, that even the responsible departments admit are completely redundant.
The Banks Review revisited
After nearly a decade of inaction, in 2006 the Howard Government created the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business, headed by Gary Banks. The Banks Review was a useful exercise. In a short timeframe it identified just under 180 areas of regulatory reform across all areas of regulation. It allowed businesses to raise issues of unnecessary regulatory burden that are too often forgotten or invisible to regulators and
politicians.
Yet a one off review is no substitute for continuous dedicated effort in regulatory reform. In reviewing progress with the large menu of Banks recommendations, we found that a number of recommendations, though accepted by the previous government, have not translated into real improvements for business.
As at the end of March this year, my department found only 40% of accepted recommendations had been completely implemented. Half were still in progress, and no progress had been made at all on the remaining 10%.
A number were, as I've already mentioned, languishing in various COAG Ministerial Councils or Taskgroups. The Ministerial Taskforce on reform of chemicals and plastics had not even met at all before we took office. Other recommendations had been shunted off for further review, but nothing had come out the other end.
I am pleased to report the Rudd Government has taken action.
We have actually asked the Productivity Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of anti-dumping policy and legislation, rather than just agreeing to do so. This was not only an outstanding recommendation of the Banks Review, but part of the unfinished National Competition Policy work started by the previous Keating Labor Government.
Senator Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, has recently held consultation sessions with industry and other interested parties on reforms to update and streamline the existing therapeutic goods regulatory framework.
This includes reforms which had stalled when New Zealand withdrew from the proposal to form a new trans-Tasman regulatory body, including those reforms identified by Banks. But it also goes further, including enhancements to information access and speed of the TGA processes, including capacity for electronic lodgement of applications and supporting technical documents.
A broader deregulation agenda
As the projects already underway illustrate, simply removing regulation is a small (but important) part of my agenda. In a lot of areas the focus is not removing unnecessary regulation, but improving necessary regulation.
I see my role as Minister for Deregulation as equipping the Commonwealth with the necessary capabilities and advice to make better regulation.
Better regulation also comes from better harmonisation between jurisdictions, to deliver seamless national markets. With my co-chair, Minister Emerson, I have been working through the Business Regulation and Competition Working Group at COAG to coordinate this harmonisation process.
Better regulation comes from ensuring regulatory impact analysis supports a culture of robust policy development and design, not a tick the box compliance exercise. The Office of Best Practice Regulation remains the independent umpire of whether the best practice regulation principles have been met. And we are working to increase the transparency and awareness of these principles and ensure we maximise opportunities for genuine consultation with stakeholders.
Better regulation comes from streamlining the administrative and compliance burden of regulations, making it easier, simpler and cheaper for people to comply. This can occur on a specific basis for each piece of regulation. Or, as projects such as Standard Business Reporting show, there are large gains to be made by joining up various arms of government so that they extend a single hand to citizens and business.
Standard Business Reporting will join up reporting requirements of the Tax Office, ASIC, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and State Revenue Offices. They will speak a "language" that can be understood by major accounting softwares so that businesses can send their financial reporting straight from their accounting program to the government. This will save businesses up to $800 million per year.
The examples I've spoken about this afternoon highlight key points about the future of regulation and its reform that I do not think have been clearly understood.
Fixing up the Financial Services Reform regime has shown that the old-fashioned divide between light-handed market-based or prescriptive heavy-handed regulation obscures important realities.
A so-called light-handed regime can impose a greater burden on business if insufficient attention is paid to implementation and compliance arrangements. When this occurs both business and consumers are worse off.
Most complex policy challenges can only be solved with a range of regulatory tools. Lighthanded or self-regulatory regimes are often the best solution for complex regulatory environments, where direct government intervention and control is often ham-fisted and counterproductive.
But sometimes policy goals can only be achieved by recourse to direct regulation. Unfair dismissal, the Commonwealth Crimes Act, and elements of the eventual Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme all fall into this category.
We should not have an overly ideological approach to questions of regulatory design. Those on the far left who want to command and control all aspects of government policy are no less wrong than those on the far right who believe all direct regulation is a mortal sin.
Our approach to regulatory design sits squarely in the reforming centre of politics. The question is not what sort of regulation the government should always prefer, but what sort of policy lever will get the job done in the most efficient, adapted and responsive way.
Technology and continuous improvement
A crucial part of making regulation more responsive is paying more attention to the experience and insights of those regulated. This means deepening our current means of consultation and building a culture of continuous regulatory improvement.
This requires an open ongoing relationship between governments, regulators, regulated entities and the wider community.
Business, interest groups, and ordinary citizens have a wealth of knowledge about how regulation works in practice, what regulation is redundant, and how the existing stock of regulation can be applied better. It makes sense to tap this knowledge where it improves regulation in line with the Government's policy priorities.
To achieve this will be difficult, but we have one very important tool – significant and rapid improvements in technology.
Technology is an enabler for the sort of consultation that will make our regulatory regimes more effective. Blogs, wikis, or even a simple suggestion box at the bottom of an online form, all enable government to enter into a dialogue with citizens about their experience of regulation.
Technology can also enable changes to the way we regulate.
For example, the UK Food Safety Regulator runs a 'scores on the doors' program where the results of food hygiene inspections are made publicly available on a government website and can also be displayed by the restaurants themselves. Tech-savvy members of the public have suggested this information be linked into mapping software, so citizens can search for high rating restaurants on their mobile phones.
Experience with these schemes suggests that providing such useful information not only empowers consumers but encourages greater compliance with food standards. This is only one such example of how merely freeing up information flows can have a significant regulatory impact.
I am very interested in exploring opportunities for the Rudd Government to be more open and innovative with government information, and have asked the Australian Government Information Management Office within my department to advise on the potential for domestic application of some of the innovative work being done in this area by other countries.
The mainstay of the Government's agenda is meeting our commitment to reduce the burden of regulation. Creating seamless national markets with the states through COAG, tackling problem areas of regulation with my Commonwealth colleagues and ensuring new regulatory proposals are subject to proper scrutiny all contribute to this goal.
But the point needs to be emphasised: for the Rudd government deregulation is a lot more than simply striking out poor regulation. We want to ensure that the Commonwealth develops the capability to regulate better. And we want to ensure that all regulation not only meets our policy goals, but does so in the most efficient and responsive way possible.
Achieving this will require the Commonwealth to take a hard look at how we have regulated in the past and the way we control the quality of regulation into the future. It will also require us to open up the regulatory reform process to include the insights of those citizens and firms who are subject to regulation.
I look forward to engaging with think tanks like the Centre for Policy Development as part of this process.
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R-ACT looks for laughs with bizarre comedy in Rochester
Scott Tady @scotttady
Jul 31, 2019 at 11:41 AM Jul 31, 2019 at 12:40 PM
ROCHESTER — R-ACT Theatre touts its latest play as an "incredibly bizarre comedy."
So get ready for surprises and laughs if you're headed to see "The Book of Liz," being staged at 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, and Aug. 9-10 at the Rochester Borough Theater.
The well-known acting-humorist sibling team of Amy and David Sedaris created "The Book of Liz" in their sardonic and slightly naughty style with some adult language.
A handful of local actors play all 15 characters, which keeps the action brisk and interesting for audience and performers alike.
"Playing all these characters is made doubly challenging by the fast pace of the show and all of the quick costume changes," John Basinger, a cast member from Baden, said.
Cast member Jenn Rian of Beaver Falls said it "feels like I'm making up for lost time .... After a year off the stage, I get to create four new characters at once."
The story revolves around Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, who makes cheese balls that sustain the existence of her entire religious community, Clusterhaven. Feeling unappreciated in her community, she decides to try her luck in the outside world, where adventure and hilarity ensue in a "sort of coming of age" comedy, according to an R-ACT press release.
Vicki Mann of Brighton Township will direct the show, assisted by Conrad Bianco. The cast also includes Amy Joseph of Monaca, Bill Mackaly of Chippewa Township and Pamela Miller of Brighton.
Joseph said, "Satirical comedy is a new challenge for me. I hope to get the joke by opening night."
Miller will be appearing in her first show in 20 years, and said, "It's so nice to be returning to the stage with such a welcoming community theater as R-ACT."
Tickets are $12, available at the door or at showclix.com/event/book-of-liz.
For more information about this or upcoming shows, contact the R-ACT office at 724-775-6844 or visit the nonprofit community theater's website, RACTProductions.com.