text:
VR Health Insider Podcast – Episode 5: Cix Liv
Welcome to a brand new episode of the VR Health Insider Podcast!
Be a part of us as we welcome again Cix Liv of LIV, YUR and REK for Half 2 of our interview with him. He's a digital health pioneer utilizing XR applied sciences to enhance the world of sports activities and health.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Subscribe on Spotify
Episode 5 – Cix Liv – Half 2
Preston Lewis: [00:00:00] Welcome to the VR Health Insiders podcast, for the creators who're constructing the way forward for the VR and AR sports activities and health industries that can revolutionize the way in which the world will play sports activities, work out and get match along with your hosts. Preston Lewis and Ryan DeLuca, the founders of Black Field VR, who're constructing the world's first full health VR fitness center and convey many years of expertise from creating a few of the largest health know-how firms on this planet. They're bringing collectively the perfect and brightest minds that will help you and your organization succeed within the VR health revolution.
All proper. Welcome to half two of our interview with Cix Liv, who's a VR, AR XR guru and pioneer. In our earlier Half 1 Episode with Cix, he defined his background, which actually make clear how creators have to have a ardour for the tech and trade they need to break into, and in addition to construct shortly and keep near the voice of the shopper to essentially perceive what they're loving and hating.
Let's decide up with our final query from the earlier podcast the place Cix shares insights as to one of the simplest ways to gather person suggestions for a [00:01:00] product.
Do you've any small suggestions so far as the way you go about intelligently accumulating that suggestions? Is it simply straight up scouring the Fb posts, establishing a Discord? Or do you've particular issues that you simply do, for instance create surveys, do focus teams, or how does that course of go for you with accumulating the suggestions?
Cix Liv: Should you talk with an individual, like, straight, it's form of just like the distinction between speaking to somebody by way of 4Chan and speaking to somebody by way of their face. Like face-to-face. Proper?
should you're on 4Chan, you're gonna shit on all the things. It's nearly like straight from mind stem to face, proper? Like "this fucking is horrible, that shit blah, blah, blah, blah." After which after they speak to you, they're gonna be like, "effectively, I believe you must, , enhance this" or no matter. Proper? So, I believe it's getting each of these views. Proper? As a result of what you miss whenever you're chatting with their customers are those that didn't even care sufficient to speak to you, proper? Normally [00:02:00] the customers that you simply're speaking to are someplace between precise customers and professional customers. Proper?
And also you're often getting not lots of the suggestions of the folks that simply turned immediately. Proper? They don't wanna fucking reply to you. They don't give a shit, they don't wish to inform you what their expertise was. So that you're gonna have a blind spot on that class of potential customers. Proper?
So for these, you're gonna need to, like, discover it anecdotally by way of, like, Fb posts or unhealthy evaluations, and this is the reason I'd at all times chase the unhealthy evaluate individuals. Should you're constructing that shopper product to know what's churning individuals from the start and what enhancements can I make for these informal customers, after which the professional customers, ought to we cater to them or not? So I believe that getting these three views and possibly bucketing individuals in these three issues, is an effective option to iterate in your product.
Preston Lewis: That's good recommendation.
Ryan DeLuca: And it appears like, I imply, the troublesome half, in fact is simply having that open [00:03:00] mindset. Proper? It's very easy to, such as you stated, low cost the destructive evaluations, or when anyone's telling you one thing you wish to like clarify it. And relatively than get extra details about why do they assume that, and what would they like, how would we alter it? Typically you instantly wanna go into, like, defensive mode. However I agree with you, like, interacting with the group as a lot as you probably can. Creating alternatives for these interactions, like, by way of, like, locations like Discord, on-line, or for us really within the fitness center. Taking customers out to breakfast or lunch, and actually digging into it. And doing it from a spot of studying, not a spot of simply attempting to make them say good issues, and taking that mindset again to the product.
Preston Lewis: A few of our greatest suggestions has come from our form of squeakiest wheels, if you'll. Those who, after they do strategy it, it's like this, , they're possibly rage quitting on an expertise or one thing like that. And it's, to your level, it's good to have these individuals which might be at the least passionate sufficient to present us the suggestions that we will hearken to after which iterate. As a result of it's often, it's often on the mark for bigger teams of our customers. So, yeah. Recognize that recommendation, man. That's superior.
Cix Liv: Yeah.
Ryan DeLuca: Effectively, let's get into thrilling new issues [00:04:00] that you simply're doing. So, um, now not with YUR, um, and now you've began a brand new AR sports activities firm referred to as REK and we'd like to be taught much more about that. So how'd that come about? What made you determine to begin that and, uh, inform us somewhat bit concerning the product.
Cix Liv: The newest firm I began is REK. So it's form of a mixture of the 2 prior firms within the learnings that I had there. So, LIV, the largest studying was how can we attain the individuals outdoors the headset? How can we make it attention-grabbing for individuals to observe? Should you mix that with health, which , is in my view the largest use case of headsets, the information means that retention for health associated apps is twice as excessive as the rest in VR.
Yeah, really, that's one small level to say at YUR that we observed. So we had an underlying tracker that labored on the headset it doesn't matter what. Proper? And what we acknowledged is that when individuals used their headset for health, they used it over twice as lengthy.
So the typical utilization [00:05:00] size for a headset was about eighteen minutes. However after they used it for health it went as much as forty. That was an enormous studying for me, proper? So the massive studying from LIV was we have to present what individuals are doing and we have to make it cool for different individuals to observe.
The most important studying from YUR was headsets getting used for health have the perfect retention. And, , I consider essentially it's the largest use case of HMDs. Um, so should you mix these two learnings of health and spectating, you create, what is actually sports activities. Proper?
I began this firm beneath this premise that, , sports activities are going to be the subsequent huge factor. And the rationale I consider that's as a result of I did some ideation in augmented actuality and it form of fell into the identical problems with VR, which is, like, why the fuck do I placed on a headset? Proper? And lots of AR apps have that very same problem the place they're like, "okay, I placed on a headset so I can play puzzles with my pal who's additionally bodily there." After which at that time, I'm similar to, "why don't you simply fucking [00:06:00] put a puzzle there?" Proper? Like, why are we digitizing that have when it's one thing that you are able to do in actual life?
Or like, "you wish to do augmented actuality basketball? Why don't you simply play basketball?" Proper? Like, the individual's already there. A basketball is, , like twenty bucks. Proper? It's like know-how attempting to unravel an issue that doesn't exist. Proper?
So, , there was lots of people who have been doing VR sports activities and for me, I used to be like, "effectively that's not gonna work in AR, since you're finally simply gonna churn out and do the true factor." Proper? For this reason I've an issue with VR sports activities; I consider that the issue with VR sports activities is that the final word purpose is whenever you grow to be adequate at it, you flip into the true factor.
What I grew to become fascinated with is, like, Tron. Let's make a sport that doesn't exist in actual life. You watch any sci-fi film that's ever existed. Proper? [00:07:00] And after they present the way forward for sports activities it's often comparatively comparable. Proper? Individuals doing stuff and like dueling one another and killing one another digitally, doing stuff which you could't do in regular sports activities. Like, you possibly can't kill your pal in basketball.
Sci-fi motion pictures form of demonstrated what the way forward for sports activities might appear like, and generally you don't wish to combat towards the cultural zeitgeist of one thing and simply comply with by way of with it.
I began this firm with my co-founder Bart.
He was a senior AR engineer at Apple. And , one of many issues he's at all times been actually focused on is, what are legitimate use instances of AR that may really exist proper now? And so he constructed a laser tag recreation that received the primary place for an open laptop imaginative and prescient contest final 12 months.
And mainly I reached out to him and I used to be like, "hey, , like, we should always take into consideration what's gonna be, like, the Beat Saber of AR? As we transfer to AR, what's gonna be a correct use case of headsets?" So after we first got here collectively,[00:08:00] we have been testing issues like House Pirate Coach Enviornment.
So House Pirate Coach Enviornment, it's thirty by thirty ft, and it's like a laser tag recreation the place you run round and also you shoot at one another in VR. Proper? And so we have been testing video games like that, and to start with, it was such a fucking ache within the ass to discover a place that was thirty by thirty ft precisely. After which the way in which that you simply draw the Guardian with the Quest was an enormous nightmare. So it needed to even be even greater than that. And if it was outdoors, we'd need to hotspot it, and it could solely work throughout sure occasions of the day and all this nightmare. However then one other large factor that we observed, is that whenever you really bodily run in VR, it's so uncomfortable. Your mind begins freaking out.
It's like, "the place the fuck are you? Like, are you gonna run into one thing? Is somebody gonna mug you?" It must be AR whenever you're operating. When you introduce operating, there must be augmented actuality.
Ryan DeLuca: [00:09:00] Like, I agree. Like, I've by no means skilled really operating in VR. Um, yeah, however you'd need to, like, have a ridiculous quantity of belief.
Cix Liv: Yeah. I imply, should you've performed any boxing recreation in VR and punched something, proper? I keep in mind I punched a desk one time and my complete hand was bleeding, however I didn't notice till I took off the headset and I used to be like, "holy shit."
Preston Lewis: Oh, wow.
Ryan DeLuca: There's much less ache notion, so I suppose that might be good and unhealthy. There's a complete subreddit of VR to ER. Proper? Uh, for a cause.
Cix Liv: Oh, is it actually referred to as VR to ER?
Ryan DeLuca: Oh yeah. Persons are exhibiting them destroying issues or hurting themselves.
Preston Lewis: It messes with the immersiveness. Proper? As effectively. As a result of, yeah, such as you stated, like, when you do this one time, you then're not excited about being within the expertise. You're excited about hitting one thing. Identical factor occurred to me after I was, uh, I used to be enjoying one of many baseball video games and it miscalibrated my place and so I used to be, like, inches from a wall and went to swing for a pitch and simply slugged the wall as exhausting as I probably might. Yeah, I'm not enjoying that anymore.
Cix Liv: The second you introduce [00:10:00] operating, that worry turns into a lot extra realized.
Preston Lewis: Attention-grabbing.
Cix Liv: Your physique actually begins freaking out. Trigger it's, like, is that an actual wall or is {that a} digital wall? The way in which these video games sync, they interlace the avatar on high of the individual. Proper? But when that's off by any vital diploma, you're simply gonna run head first into you're a pal. And simply slam into them. Proper? I essentially consider that when you develop out of the restricted footprint of VR, it must be AR, should you're like operating and doing stuff like that.
However there's large, large challenges with AR. One of the apparent ones, should you begin constructing for this, is that, like, any of those cross by way of headsets, they don't really section the gamers correctly. So what finally ends up taking place is that all the things renders in entrance of the individual. So say that you simply're, like, competing towards another person. Proper? And that individual is there and also you wanna put a purpose behind them. Oh, it sounds easy. Proper? However you [00:11:00] can't, as a result of the purpose must render in entrance of them. It may't minimize the individual out and render the item behind them.
So it's a must to do immensely sophisticated technical stuff to unravel one thing that wouldn't exist in VR. Proper? Since you don't have that very same downside in VR the place it's a must to, like, section the individual out. So it's a must to introduce an invisible avatar that renders on that very same individual, the place the individual is, after which it's a must to be sure that the individual is synced correctly.
After which, you're creating that cutout in entrance of the purpose that's behind them. In any other case, you'll see the small purpose, however it'll render in entrance of the individual, even when they're, like…
Preston Lewis: That's attention-grabbing. So it's like real-time rotoscoping slash masking. That's attention-grabbing.
Cix Liv: For this reason, , after we introduced REK, or no matter, we did a extremely easy factor. We did spell duals. Proper? And the rationale we did spell duals have been, okay, you're punching. This can be a mechanic that anyone can perceive. [00:12:00] And one of many greatest issues for me that I decide as a hit standards, is the simplicity of preliminary adoption. So whenever you placed on a headset, the period of time that it takes somebody to know methods to play a recreation is extremely necessary. Trigger I've demoed VR for hours and hours and hours, and the longer that point takes, the upper probability that they're gonna churn out. Proper? In order that must be, like, as slender as attainable.
So we began, okay, you're punching on the individual, no buttons. Quite simple. Proper? After which the rationale it's a spell duel, is since you don't need to render any objects behind them. So it wasn't similar to, hey, we awakened and we have been like, "Hey, let's do a spell twin like Harry Potter or some shit." It was based mostly off the constraints of the Quest headset. Proper?
Like, we will't have targets behind them. We are able to't do all this different fancy stuff with out a large quantity of engineering effort. So the bottom bar for us have been simply, "effectively, let's punch Fireballs at one another." And in order that's form of the rationale why that preliminary demo was [00:13:00] the way in which it was.
Preston Lewis: Small little be aware there for our customers, form of placing a pin in the truth that we talked about you getting scrappy with person suggestions and letting that form of information product choices. That was a very good instance you simply gave of enjoying within the sandbox of what the know-how can really do and attain and discovering enjoyable, as quick as attainable within the expertise. So, that's good.
Ryan DeLuca: An enormous a part of REK, and why individuals appear to love us a lot additionally, is with the ability to spectate. Proper? To allow them to really watch it from the surface. What you actually put a give attention to with REK, was making it in order that different individuals can watch it in actual time and cheer them on in actual time such as you would a sport. And the way did you get that to work and what have you ever discovered from that kinda skill?
Cix Liv: We realized from fairly early on that having any kind of serious obstacles, wouldn't solely be complicated for the gamers, however create visible conflicts for spectators. Proper? Once you're watching a soccer recreation otherwise you're watching a soccer recreation or [00:14:00] one thing, they don't have like partitions. Proper? Hypothetically if a digital camera existed in soccer they usually had all these partitions all over the place, you wouldn't be capable to see what the gamers are doing. It's design challenges like that which might be necessary, however they're additionally limiting. Proper? Now you possibly can't do lots of the shit that you simply've accomplished in VR with all these cool environments. Principally the atmosphere nearly disappears at that time. Proper? You possibly can't have a fancy atmosphere should you're attempting to spectate. So, I believe that that's additionally gonna be one thing to consider that we're gonna have to determine. We could need to render one thing totally different for the gamers contained in the headset than what individuals outdoors see. So, like, within the headset you'll see opaque pillars, however within the spectator view they're clear. Proper?
Like, all these design choices that you simply're gonna need to make, that you simply wouldn't need to even take into consideration in VR, should you're designing deliberately for spectating. The last word product that [00:15:00] we're gonna launch will not be gonna be a spell duel recreation in the identical capability. Um, however yeah, we have been simply, , what's the most simple factor that we will do? And what's the mechanic that anyone on this planet can perceive? And yeah, that's form of the place that got here.
We've been engaged on fairly a couple of totally different recreation ideas and within the subsequent few months we'll announce that, uh, and it's not gonna be fairly the identical because the spell duel for the ultimate product, so.
Ryan DeLuca: Effectively, now I'm excited to listen to extra about that.
I don't know if there's the rest you needed to say about creating REK and like the selections that have been made round that.
Cix Liv: So we initially got here on this concept, like, "hey, we're gonna do LBE and stuff". Proper? After which we really went by way of the method of attempting to get into the LBE recreation and, uh, whew, man, I don't…
Ryan DeLuca: Location based mostly leisure, so precise retail footprint. Proper?
Cix Liv: Yeah, yeah. So we checked out Sandbox and we have been like, okay, Sandbox has all these areas, [00:16:00] however they're capital costly, ? So then we have been like, "okay, so we'll ship individuals {hardware} and have them set it up at their venue." And we have been like, "okay, however then we're gonna have like a 15 12 months outdated recent outta highschool attempting to handle this shit. In order that's gonna be a nightmare and a half attempting to, like, handle that remotely." Um, so we have been simply, , we tried to work some channel companions on it and we simply realized the LBE technique is one thing that we simply couldn't afford, truthfully. You recognize, we couldn't afford to even strive it.
So we're going again to approaching it as creating shopper product. That's additionally like the place my specialty comes from, like constructing in VR, is on the patron facet. So we're gonna have a VR mode that connects to an AR mode, and our greatest focus is gonna be constructing the bridge between these two worlds. How do you really get individuals to convey a headset outdoors? And I believe that's an unsolved downside. And the way in which I like to clarify it, in essentially the most succinct means attainable, is REK is [00:17:00] attempting to do to headsets what Niantic, , Pokemon Go did to telephones. Which is get individuals to, like, consider their gadgets as nearly like a health extension of themselves. Or, like, utilizing that to stroll round.
I do assume that in some unspecified time in the future we could return into LBEs, however it's probably gonna be extra like UFC tournaments, excessive manufacturing worth, , advertisers, no matter. As a result of, yeah, it's actually costly and we don't have the, , we didn't have the cash to try this. Proper?
Preston Lewis: We've observed that as you're constructing these experiences, one of many stuff you've accomplished, you and the staff have accomplished rather well is making them look cool. Not solely within the expertise, however within the advertising and marketing. We form of talked about the viral movies and issues that you simply did early on. It sounds kinda like a easy factor. Proper? To make issues look cool. As a result of that is future tech, this new tech, and it looks like it'd be simple to make it cool. However, with Black Field VR, we've needed to combat the notion within the early days, at the least that VR Health was just for [00:18:00] tremendous techy individuals.
However you guys have accomplished simply an superior job making it approachable and funky. Even trying on the REK movies, these are additionally getting a bunch of consideration and simply kudos to you and the staff on making the tech look cool.
Ryan DeLuca: It's a such a very good level. So many occasions some new VR health factor comes out or exercise recreation, and it's similar to the worst graphics, the worst advertising and marketing. And clearly that's not an important factor, , in lots of experiences. Like, we at all times speak about Minecraft, for instance, , beginning out extra pixelated form of stuff.
It's at all times, like, man, individuals wanna look cool. Like, , such as you stated, it's like no one desires to experience a Segway, however we'll experience a cool fowl scooter down the highway. Proper? You recognize, it's like the identical factor, only a totally different configuration. So, such a very good level that Preston made is, like, all of your stuff appears fashionable and funky, that folks wanna be part of it.
Preston Lewis: It's superior. Earlier than we jumped on right here, I used to be a few of your stuff and also you form of poked enjoyable on the, uh, what was it? Horizon Worlds or one thing like that. And you've got, like, you've the form of the dorky form of graphics and stuff, after which you've you're a hero shot. I assumed that was actually good. I imply, that's one other factor that's actually necessary, once more, in driving [00:19:00] adoption is that device of contrasting. Proper?
And exhibiting individuals, like, it doesn't need to be this, it may be this. Something that we've seen you do, it's, you've accomplished a extremely good job with that.
Cix Liv: You're speaking concerning the tweet the place it was like their Metaverse our Metaverse, after which it was just like the… yeah.
Preston Lewis: Yeah. That was superior.
Cix Liv: I imply, to be sincere, Meta is making it fairly simple, okay. I've to be considerably on their good graces, so I'm sorry upfront. However, uh, you actually gotta work in your advertising and marketing. The Horizons World stuff, I consider, is so unhealthy that it's taking down our complete trade.
I consider Horizon Worlds is so poorly marketed, and such a foul product, that's taking down the complete VR area. As a result of whenever you go into the cultural zeitgeist of speaking to individuals about Metaverse. Proper? The very very first thing they're gonna consider is the shitty trying Zuck avatar and, , Horizon Worlds And that's by intention, that Meta is, like, that is the Metaverse, proper? And it's discrediting [00:20:00] what so many cool issues that we've constructed on this area appear like. And it's actually disappointing, as a result of I believe it's such a foul allocation of assets, and it's such a foul search for headsets that it's really hurting all of us.
Ryan DeLuca: A number of the commercials they make are superb. You recognize, after they present, like, what it's wish to be in VR and put the headset on. Now you're on this large factor and simply thoughts blowing. And also you're proper, and clearly it's nonetheless early days, so we're all hopeful. Proper?
As a result of I agree with you, like, with the quantity of funding that they're placing into it, they'll make or break it, ? And in the event that they do an incredible job, the {hardware} will get to the place it must be. It's gonna be very useful for all of us. However you're proper, it might convey us down if it's not the product that the mainstream desires.
Cix Liv: I'd look into the PICO if I have been you guys, I don't know should you used the PICO 4 in any respect, however, like, this factor is all the things the Quest 2 ought to be. It's thinner, it's smaller, it's extra light-weight, it's designed extra for health. It's all the things the Quest 2.5 ought to have been. And as an alternative, they got here out with a Quest Professional, which is $1,500 that has face [00:21:00] monitoring and eye monitoring, however it's even heavier than the Quest 2. And the burden was already an enormous downside. I simply I don't get it.
Preston Lewis: You talked concerning the AR, VR experiences that you simply've constructed or are constructing. What are your favourite AR, VR sports activities and health experiences as we speak? And what makes 'em good?
Cix Liv: I actually like this recreation referred to as Blaston. I used to be enjoying it so much within the pandemic. So it's a twin recreation, it's one v. one, and also you're taking pictures these varied velocity projectiles at one another and there's no type of locomotion. You're each on these small pillars, after which what it finally ends up changing into, is like, you're having to do lots of dodging… it's actually energetic. I believe I hit like a thousand energy an hour enjoying that at full depth. I actually preferred that.
One of the best sports activities kind recreation in VR proper now might be Nock. So should you've tried Nock, Nock makes use of arm locomotion the place you maintain a set off and also you form of fly within the air after which it makes use of [00:22:00] bows. So that you're taking pictures arrows at a ball.
I believe my greatest recommendation for individuals who construct VR and AR content material, is on the absolute elementary of what that is, it has to really feel good. If it doesn't really feel good, nothing else fucking issues. You may make the perfect graphics on this planet, you can also make an incredible storyline, you can also make regardless of the fuck particle results which might be superb. If the bottom mechanics don't really feel good, none of that shit issues.
And what completely, completely represents that is Gorilla Tag. Should you have a look at a screenshot of Gorilla Tag, you'd be like, "what the fuck are you doing?" They've handed Beat Saber for essentially the most evaluations on the Quest now. They're now the primary fucking utility, they usually're not even within the retailer. And the rationale for that goes again to the purpose that I made right here, at its baseline, there's a locomotion methodology. And the locomotion methodology is mainly you operating in your fingers. Proper? [00:23:00] No buttons, no complexity in any way. And it's train. It's like tag, it's mainly like tag for teenagers. And the children are in there and it positively will get offensive so much, so possibly that's why they're not in the primary retailer. But it surely's mainly youngsters operating on their arms, yelling at one another. And that grew to become the primary. I'm not even kidding. They're simply screaming at one another they usually're simply operating like this.
Preston Lewis: That's superior.
Cix Liv: Feels good. Feels good. It doesn't really feel good nothing fucking issues. And your app goes to flop.
Ryan DeLuca: Anytime I'm attempting to reload a gun in one among these sophisticated form of first individual shooters, I suppose my definition of VR, they're all first individual, ?
But it surely's like, I'm hitting my controllers collectively, or I'm attempting to do that factor and the man's coming at me, and I can't fairly get the little elements of reload. It's like, it kills it for me, as a result of it's like, I'm positive I might get good at, I'm positive if I performed at one other ten hours, I'd in all probability like, , don't have any downside.
However at first it's simply, you're simply, it's very awkward.
Cix Liv: You recognize Denny from Cloud Head, proper? He's a VR OG and he's made a bunch of [00:24:00] experiences. His unique video games have been form of like Myst, like, Name of the Starseed, the place you want, would mainly clear up puzzles in VR with actually excessive constancy. And he constructed Pistol Whip, you guys know Pistol Whip, proper? And Pistol Whip is mainly similar to Time Disaster on rails when it comes to, like, the psychological math and what that you must do. You recognize, you're going from extraordinarily advanced, and dynamic and superb graphics into, like, mainly Cel Shaded Time Disaster.
It was his most profitable title. And, like, I believe lots of recreation builders are mad about that. They usually go, " why can't now we have superb graphics? Why can't now we have dynamic storylines? Why can't now we have all this different shit?" And it's like, effectively, if it doesn't really feel good, individuals are simply gonna use their console. They're simply gonna go play their Ps. Proper?
Preston Lewis: You form of alluded to designing in recreation mechanics and interplay patterns which have decrease cognitive load, proper? In order that the sport continues to be enjoyable and folks keep immersed. So what do you're feeling like [00:25:00] is lacking from the AR, VR sports activities and health trade as we speak?
Cix Liv: Effectively, if I informed you that I'd be freely giving my secrets and techniques.
Preston Lewis: There we go.
Cix Liv: So I've divulged all the things.
Preston Lewis: Wonderful, inform us your first identify, then. Wonderful. Simply inform us your first identify.
Ryan DeLuca: Yeah, what's your actual identify?
Preston Lewis: Yeah, what's your beginning identify?
Cix Liv: I believe which you could form of, like, paint the image of what I believe goes to be the long run based mostly off what I've stated previously. Which is, , low cognitive load, simple to know, cause to placed on the headset is energetic, , attention-grabbing for individuals to observe. After which the largest situation in our area, by far, is working across the limitations of the {hardware}. Proper? As a result of like, oh my God, I can inform you what number of occasions I ideated on some shit, and I turned out as, like, can't do it. It's, like, ninety p.c of the shit you construct in our trade, falls into "sounds good, doesn't work."
Trustworthy to God, it's like nearly each fucking concept that I've, it's [00:26:00] like, "oh, , I can't do this due to Fb platform management. I can't do this as a result of we don't have decrease physique monitoring. I can't do this as a result of the hand monitoring wasn't skilled to work outdoors, so it solely works in low gentle environments. I can't do this as a result of, , the second you set a weight in your hand, it may well't detect your hand anymore. So you possibly can't quantify the health." Proper?
One other huge situation with creating for AR, is that you simply don't have entry to the digital camera information, it simply mainly is available in as a shader. That's it. And in order that limits a complete bunch of stuff that you are able to do. After which there's no dying digital camera in it, so you possibly can't simply section gamers out. You recognize, there's some like laser tag ideas that folks have made with the Quest. They usually create this video and it makes it look so good.
It's, like, "okay, there's individuals of their workplace they usually're hiding behind containers they usually're taking pictures at one another, that's gonna be so fucking superb." Proper? And you then go about to do it your self and develop it, like something like that, and also you're, like, "holy shit, this [00:27:00] is unimaginable". Like, to start with, you possibly can't flip off the guardian for the Quest until you're in dev mode. Okay? How many individuals are in dev mode. Proper? Like, individuals on SideQuest, nobody else. So, you possibly can't make an AR expertise that has the guardian off. And also you're gonna what, draw a thirty foot guardian each single time in your workplace? Proper? In order that's an enormous situation. After which I discussed the difficulty of, like, rendering individuals on high of it, after which the truth that there's no shared SLAM maps?
So, like, if I've a SLAM map in my headset, I can't share it to any headset round me within the Quest ecosystem. You possibly can within the Vive, so the Vive has shared SLAM maps. So, I've to go map the complete scene with my headset, after which I can't share that SLAM map with anyone else. So all these ideas that folks present are very conceptual, as a result of you possibly can't really do lots of this shit.
The factor that's aged me essentially the most on this [00:28:00] area is the "sounds good, doesn't work" shit, which seems to be like ninety p.c of something that you simply consider.
Ryan DeLuca: It's attention-grabbing, as a result of often what we hear is "it's irritating as a result of most individuals don't have a headset", ? In order that's already the limitation that we're coping with. Is that, it's not that everyone's bought a headset, however we will't do these issues. That simply provides onto it, and it simply creates much less causes for individuals to get the headset.
And we run into the identical issues. It's, , we're caught in, uh, , SteamVR ecosystem. And, , we're utilizing the Vive Professionals at, uh, Black Field. As a result of now we have to have some kind of option to do exterior monitoring of arms and fingers, with out coping with occlusion from regular hand monitoring for various actions, like squats and deadlifts and overhead press.
And so we'd love to have the ability to use a wi-fi headset. We're nonetheless caught with the wired headset, as a result of we want to have the ability to have mainly the Vive monitoring pucks, or we use the Tundra Trackers. And, , there's different issues like Kinect-style cameras that we doubtlessly might use. We've examined a bunch of these issues, however they're not quick sufficient, , as a result of we're doing lots of punching and slicing and actions, or they cope with occlusion as [00:29:00] effectively.
So, , it seems like all the things's actually shut. Like, man, good hand monitoring and, , if we might simply get that in order that the sector of view is somewhat bit higher. Full physique monitoring, even when they're simply form of like guess somewhat bit round, it might be actually attention-grabbing. However, such as you stated, these shared experiences are just about unimaginable with the constraints of this closed down {hardware}, and we're gonna have all that stuff quickly, ? And when are we gonna have all that stuff we wish? It might be tomorrow, it might be an announcement from anyone tomorrow. It might be three years from now and we simply don't know.
You've talked about Beat Saber, like that modding group. I completely agree, like, with out LIV, with out that modding group, and all the opposite songs and all the opposite stuff, it wouldn't be the place it's as we speak. It's clearly nonetheless an superior recreation, however it might need been extra of an Audioshield and get some traction, however not lots of traction prefer it did. They usually've taken lots of that stuff away, particularly talking concerning the Quest platform, which is the largest platform as we speak, in fact.
Preston Lewis: The following query was gonna be describe your excellent AR, VR sports activities and health expertise. But it surely appears like it's staying inside the sandbox of the {hardware} that's presently [00:30:00] obtainable. Attempting to future forged somewhat bit, however not going loopy, as a result of as you talked about, should you construct too far forward all you're gonna have is a bunch of tears and no shipped merchandise.
You talked concerning the spectator side of it, which we from day one we thought was tremendous necessary in Black Field VR. We at all times say that the good factor about sports activities, constructing a sports activities title, is which you could construct it and it's infinitely replayable. Versus having to truly construct a title that's form of this linear storyline that has x quantity of hours and you then gotta construct it once more. So, that's large. We completely agree.
And never just for the enjoyable of the person, however we actually do consider that AR, VR spectating modes might be superb. Proper? We've all seen the World of Warcraft slash League of Legends, gigantic spectacles of eSports and stuff like that, so appears like the identical web page there.
After all provides you a exercise, in fact is immersive, makes use of patterns that aren't an excessive amount of cognitive load. And mainly, simply, we have to one way or the other crack the whip on the {hardware} producers and get them to construct stuff quicker for us, as a result of[00:31:00] that's what we run into.
Cix Liv: I'd attain out to PICO although. The PICO 4, , the 2 important focuses they've are health and video games, they usually appear to be taking health very severely. There's additionally a extremely attention-grabbing cause for that, by the way in which.
In China, they've caps on what number of video, how a lot you possibly can play a online game per day. And should you can persuade the federal government that it's a health system, you escape of that limitation. In order that's really one of many small causes they're hyper-focused on health, is that if they'll persuade the federal government that it's a health system and never a recreation system, they'll really escape of that limitation.
That's a small factor I found by taking place the trail of localizing to China.
Ryan DeLuca: Effectively, man, we've discovered a lot from you. I believe we bought like 1,000,000 notes right here. This'll positively be our longest podcast ever, thus far. So, uh, actually respect it. I believe to wrap issues up, what's subsequent for you? What's subsequent for REK? We've, you've heard so much about, uh, these upcoming variations of the sport and what it's not gonna [00:32:00] be, and somewhat little bit of what it's gonna be, however the place, what's subsequent for you and, and what are you guys, uh, as much as subsequent?
Cix Liv: I suppose you'd need to comply with my Twitter.
Preston Lewis: There we go. Name to motion.
Cix Liv: C I X L I V. Um, I'm prepared to reveal all the things concerning the previous of how I bought so far, however a few of the stuff that we're engaged on sooner or later, I'd wish to maintain beneath wraps till we announce it. We're positively going to be constructing one thing that works in AR and VR, and we're positively going to construct a companion utility that lets you spectate that. After which, hopefully in some unspecified time in the future, transfer this into tournaments with brackets and leagues and, , all of the stuff that sports activities have.
I believe one of many huge issues I wanna depart individuals with, that's one thing that, may be a light-weight bulb second. Is after we have been doing our assessments, we did a pilot, down in, um, Los Angeles. There have been a couple of various things that occurred that made me assume we're happening the proper path.
Um, there was a [00:33:00] boyfriend and girlfriend who have been, , the boyfriend was going to go play towards his pal. And earlier than he performed, and he was placing on a headset, his girlfriend came visiting to him, gave him a kiss, and stated, "you higher win". After which we had a second the place a dad was watching his son, and he was enjoying towards his son's pal, and he was standing there subsequent to the TV like, , cheering on his son, like, very, very clearly, cheering on his son. And he might see his son and he might see how he was enjoying his pal and all this different stuff. And so these moments have been actually necessary.
However the factor that actually gentle bulb this to me, is that if this was a online game that by no means would've occurred, as a result of what would've occurred is, to start with, that girlfriend could be like, "what the fuck are you doing?" Like, "we're at a venue", like, "why are you going and sitting and enjoying League of Legends?"
Like, , "we're right here to have enjoyable, what the fuck are you doing?" Proper? As a result of she couldn't take part in what was taking place, as a result of she'd don't have any [00:34:00] concept or the context of what the fuck is going on. Proper? And so that will've occurred. After which the identical factor would've occurred with the dad and his child. The place if his child came visiting and sat down and performed a online game, though it was, , quote on quote eSports, he'd be like, "what the fuck are you doing? We're out right here to have enjoyable." Once more, as a result of he couldn't take part or perceive what was taking place. And so my huge obsession with this area is that I consider if we nail this, that is greater than the complete XR area, as a result of it breaks out of the area like that Beat Saber video did 5 years in the past.
And that's why I do that. I consider that if that is nailed, XR sports activities grow to be greater than the complete area, as a result of it may well get adoption from individuals who aren't in headsets. And that's why I'm like, gentle bulb second. That is it. You recognize? Now, whether or not or not the {hardware} is gonna get there in time and, , [00:35:00] all this different fucking bullshit we cope with in our area is one other query. However, , that's the hope. That's the dream.
Preston Lewis: Yeah, so, all proper, that's on a regular basis now we have. Thanks a lot, Cix for being right here with us. I'm positive our viewers actually appreciates it. And for anybody within the viewers, as at all times, we'll put something within the present notes to get into contact with Cix and to become involved in what he's doing. Actually respect it. Thanks once more.
Thanks for listening to the VR Health Insider podcast. Are you aware of anybody that ought to be on our present or have suggestions? Don't neglect to electronic mail us at podcast vr health insider.com and comply with us at VR Health Insider on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. You can even be a part of our Discord channel. Till subsequent time, maintain creating and dreaming up the subsequent huge factor that can revolutionize the world of health.
Tags: Cix, Episode, Fitness, Insider, Liv, Podcast
Apple has hiked HomePod Mini and iMac costs in some international locations
Dwelling Assistant coming on your automobile!


To be offered by Auction. Two parcels of land opposite each other extending to 0.4 hectares (0.11 acres) approximately.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant former corner shop and a one bedroom flat above in need of refurbishment.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant mid terrace house in need of refurbishment.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant one bedroom duplex apartment in a Grade II listed building.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant three storey end terrace property in need of refurbishment.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant three bedroom semi-detached house in needs of some refurbishment.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant two bedroom back to back terrace house in need of refurbishment.
To be offered by Auction. Vacant two bedroom terraced house.
To be offered by Auction. Parcel of land let on a 999 year lease from 1994 at a peppercorn rent. Extending to approximately 0.79 hectares (1.97 acres).


Cannes official and Cinéfondation in-competition short films line-ups have been announced ahead of the festival's feature announcements, which come late tonight NZ time. Abbas KIAROSTAMI leads the jury for both shorts line-ups.
After a good run in recent years, no NZ shorts feature in the line-ups announced today.
The nine titles selected for the Cannes Short Films Competition were chosen from 3,450 submissions from 128 countries.
* The Italian film A Passo D'Uomo by Giovanni ALOI was removed from the Short Films Competition because he has proved to break the regulation of this Selection.
The Cinéfondation Selection runs to 16 films (14 fiction, 2 animation) chosen from 1,631 submissions from cinema schools around the world.


text:
using System;
using AutoFixture.Kernel;

namespace AutoFixture
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Provides convenience methods to perform (partially) anonymous Commands.
    /// </summary>
    public static class SpecimenCommand
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Invokes the supplied action with an anonymous parameter value.
        /// </summary>
        public static void Do<T>(
            this ISpecimenBuilder builder,
            Action<T> action)
        {
            if (builder == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(builder));
            if (action == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(action));

            action(builder.Create<T>());
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Invokes the supplied action with anonymous parameter values.
        /// </summary>
        public static void Do<T1, T2>(
            this ISpecimenBuilder builder,
            Action<T1, T2> action)
        {
            if (builder == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(builder));
            if (action == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(action));

            action(builder.Create<T1>(), builder.Create<T2>());
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Invokes the supplied action with anonymous parameter values.
        /// </summary>
        public static void Do<T1, T2, T3>(
            this ISpecimenBuilder builder,
            Action<T1, T2, T3> action)
        {
            if (builder == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(builder));
            if (action == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(action));

            action(
                builder.Create<T1>(),
                builder.Create<T2>(),
                builder.Create<T3>());
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Invokes the supplied action with anonymous parameter values.
        /// </summary>
        public static void Do<T1, T2, T3, T4>(
            this ISpecimenBuilder builder,
            Action<T1, T2, T3, T4> action)
        {
            if (builder == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(builder));
            if (action == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(action));

            action(
                builder.Create<T1>(),
                builder.Create<T2>(),
                builder.Create<T3>(),
                builder.Create<T4>());
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Our guest is Karen Owen-Lee who has a Masters in Gerontology (the study of aging) and established and launched Housing Options for Seniors, Inc. This service offers coaching to locate various housing options within a defined geographical area, care level and budget. Karen offers free placement services to independent living, assisted living and memory care or Alzheimer's care in the greater Denver area. She will share with us her insights on planning for the future when dealing with aging parents. Her systematic coaching style guides friends, families and other loved ones through the fear and anxiety of dealing with senior related issues and housing options. Karen's book, 'The Caring Code: What Boomers Need to Know About Seniors' is a step-by-step guide for children with aging loved ones.
Karen Owen-Lee caught her passion of Gerontology (the study of aging) from her mother, a college professor who started the first Gerontology accredited program at York College of Pennsylvania. Karen completed her Masters in Gerontology from Pennsylvania State University and she went on to work with seniors in five states and over 40 retirement communities. Today, Karen is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and senior placement expert who has helped thousands of families navigate the endless options of senior care.
Sparked by a lifetime passion for locating housing for seniors, Karen Owen-Lee has established and launched Housing Options for Seniors, Inc. This service offers coaching to locate various housing options within a defined geographical area, care level and budget. Karen offers free placement services to independent living, assisted living and memory care or Alzheimer's care in the greater Denver area. She also educates seniors and families on the confusing arena of senior housing, particularly Baby Boomers dealing with the fear and anxiety of caring for an aging parent. Karen's additional skills include coaching, writing, consulting and public speaking. Her effective approach is systematic has been tested for thirty years.
Her speaking performances are presented with a light hearted approach about serious topics. Audiences have been comprised of employees and the general public at Lockheed Martin, City and County of Denver, Denver Senior Coalition, Kiwanis, Optimist, Sertoma, Manor Care, churches, TransAmerica Capital Management, Cambridge Investment Research, Life Care of America and Erickson Retirement Community. The attendees have been overwhelmingly receptive to her practical approaches, particularly Baby Boomers.
Karen has made appearances on Colorado & Company on Channel 9 News in Denver and has had articles published in The Denver Post, L.A. Daily Times, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, Canada and the Sterling Journal Advocate in Sterling, Colorado.
Karen's book, 'The Caring Code: What Boomers need to Know About Seniors', is a step-by-step guide for children with aging loved ones. Caregivers must know as much as possible about planning for the future before an emergency or crisis occurs.


text:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>

NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN

/**
 An object conforming to the `MGLOfflineRegion` protocol determines which
 resources are required by an `MGLOfflinePack` object. At present, only
 instances of `MGLTilePyramidOfflineRegion` may be used as `MGLOfflinePack`
 regions, but additional conforming implementations may be added in the future.
 */
@protocol MGLOfflineRegion <NSObject>

@end

NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_END


Using Greenland's Milky body lotion mousse after your bath or shower ritual, is like covering yourself with the richness of whipped cream. The rich creamy mousse is a delight to all your senses. It feels soft and smells heavenly. Just Milky!
Shake well before use. Evenly apply a generous amount of Greenland Milky body lotion mousse to a clean skin. Spread the body lotion mousse over the body and massage gently. Ensure that the body lotion mousse is entirely absorbed by the skin.
Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycerin, Butane, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum (Fragrance), Propane, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Sodium Hydroxide, Coumarin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Alcohol, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Aroma (Flavor), Sorbitol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Xanthan Gum, Benzoic Acid, Citral, Cocos (Coconut) Nucifera Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin. 92% ingredients of natural origin.
Free of (negative) parabens, colorants, gluten, lactose, SLS/SLES, silicons, mineral oils, PEG, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, microplastics, GMO.


I have recently purchased the Kintex Ultrascale KCU 1500 acceleration board. My project is to accelerate a custom software application in Windows OS. The software is programmed in Visual Studio. This software is interfaced with a data acquisition system and performs signal processing on the stream of acquired data.
I know that SDAccel is not compatible with Windows and therefore, I cannot use the software.
Please recommend the best tool (in Windows) where I can partition the software into programmable logic and processing system and perform hardware acceleration using the KCU 1500 board. I want to have the run time and development environment of the tool in Windows!
Unfortunately there is no support or development for KCU1500 on windows OS.
I will recommend you to use a standalone linux machine for further development.
Could you please recommend a xilinx board which is compatible with Windows OS?
For the purpose you are looking for this is the only high performance board available with the latest Xilinx device.
This KCU1500 acceleration kit is the only one with the key features and benefits.


text:
High dose bisphenol A impairs hippocampal neurogenesis in female mice across generations
Toxicology. 2012 Jun 14;296(1-3):73-82. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2012.03.007. Epub 2012 Apr 3.
Young Jung Jang 1 , Hee Ra Park, Tae Hyung Kim, Wook-Jin Yang, Jong-Joo Lee, Seon Young Choi, Shin Bi Oh, Eunjin Lee, Joo-Hong Park, Hyoung-Pyo Kim, Hyung Sik Kim, Jaewon Lee
1 Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug Development, Longevity Life Science and Technology Institutes, Pusan National University, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2012.03.007
Bisphenol A (BPA) is used as a monomer during the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. However, BPA adversely affects reproductive organ growth and development, and it has been proposed that the detrimental effects of BPA could extend to future generations. The present study was conducted to evaluate the transgenerational effects of BPA on hippocampal neurogenesis and neurocognitive function. Pregnant female C57BL/6 mice (F0) were exposed to BPA (0.1-10 mg/kg) from gestation day 6 to 17, and female offspring (F2) from F1 generation mice were prepared. It was found that exposure of F0 mice to BPA at 10 mg/kg decreased the number of newly generated cells in the hippocampi of F2 female mice. Passive avoidance testing revealed that high-doses BPA (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) decreased cross-over latency time in F2 mice, suggesting a BPA-mediated neurocognitive deficit in terms of memory retention. Furthermore, it was found that levels of phospho-ERK, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and phospho-CREB in hippocampi were significantly lower in F2 mice. Interestingly, the effects of BPA on hippocampal neurogenesis were found to be correlated with altered DNA methylation. In particular, high-dose BPA exposure increased DNA methylation of the CREB regulated transcription coactivator 1 (Crtc1) generated in F2 mice. These findings suggest that BPA exposure of pregnant mothers could adversely affect hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function in future generations by modulating the ERK and BDNF-CREB signaling cascades.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Benzhydryl Compounds
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / metabolism
Cognition / drug effects
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / metabolism
Endocrine Disruptors / toxicity*
Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / toxicity*
Hippocampus / cytology
Hippocampus / drug effects*
Hippocampus / physiology
Learning / drug effects
Maternal-Fetal Exchange
Neurogenesis / drug effects*
Phenols / toxicity*
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Creb1 protein, mouse
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
Estrogens, Non-Steroidal
Phenols

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Discover volunteering opportunities in Tanzania, home to Africa's highest peak - Mount Kilimanjaro - and many of the continent's great lakes and wildlife reserves.
Australian volunteer Dani Yannoulis is shown how to make traditional jewellery at Sidai Design in Arusha. Photo: Harjono Djoyobisono
Australian volunteer Ron Schimpf (right) with his colleague Peter Odullah at Kondiki Dairy Coop in Mwika Village. Photo: Harjono Djoyobisono
Maasai woman Monica at Sidai Designs, Arusha, a partner of the Australian Volunteers Program. Photo: Harjono Djoyobisono
Australian volunteer Farah Hassim (far left) with her colleagues in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. Photo: Harjono Djoyobisono
Vegetable seller at Arusha market, Tanzania. Photo: Harjono Djoyobisono
Tanzania offers a variety of natural attractions including the vast wild plains of the Serengeti, pristine beaches of Mafia and Zanzibar islands, rugged snowcapped Kilimanjaro Mountain, the depths of Lake Tanganyika, as well as the historical towns of Bagamoyo and Kilwa.
Key cities include the capital of Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Tanga and Arusha. There are 120 tribes in Tanzania with more than 120 languages, the most commonly spoken is Kiswahili.
Tanzania gained independence from the UK in 1961. Despite sustaining relatively high economic growth over the last decade, and achieving some success in reducing the poverty rate, rapid population growth has meant that Tanzania's absolute number of people experiencing poverty has not declined.
Poverty is a major problem in Tanzania, contributing to significant and complex development challenges. Almost a third of Tanzanians live below poverty line, and the country faces a number of tough barriers to development. The economy is largely restricted to agriculture. Infrastructure is often insufficient, and local businesses are constrained by limited support and investment opportunities.
Australian volunteers have supported a wide range of Tanzania partner organisations achieve their development goals since 1992.
Volunteering opportunities in Tanzania support communities across a range of development priorities, including:
Women's leadership, economic empowerment and eradicating violence against women and girls
Supporting people living with disabilities
Improving access to basic health services – especially maternal and child health
Supporting local artisanal miners
Supporting socio-economic enterprises aimed at reducing poverty levels
Read about our impact in Tanzania in 2020-2021
'Karibu' is the word that followed us everywhere: 'welcome'
Discover how Australian volunteer, Gerry and his family of six spent 18 months in Tanzania
Life as a volunteer in Tanzania
Culture and religion
Tanzanian society is male-dominated - men tend to hold most positions of power and are regarded as head of the family and main provider.
Religion plays an important role in the day-to-day lives of Tanzanians. Islam and Christianity are the two main religions, with a smaller minority of people practicing Hinduism, Buddhism or traditional beliefs.
Volunteers in Tanzania will predominantly work alongside local staff who speak English. However, a basic understanding of Kiswahili is helpful as it will lead to a more fulfilling experience. We recommend learning basic phrases as it will be much appreciated by your colleagues and wider community. We offer local language training to all volunteers, which can be discussed further with your in-country team.
Situated on the East African Coast along the Indian Ocean, Tanzania is experiences a variety of temperatures from tropical weather on the coast to a cooler climate in the highlands.
There are two major rainy seasons; light rainfall from October to December and more consistent, heavy rain from March to June. The central plateau tends to be dry and arid throughout the year.
There are five mobile phone providers in Tanzania, the two biggest providers are Vodacom and Airtel. All mobile phone providers offer internet connectivity. Internet connection is typically strong and affordable in all major cities and towns.
Supermarkets are common in cities, although most locals prefer buying produce from markets. Restaurants offer a range of dishes including western style food and local and international cuisines. Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for as meals are often plant-based, however, options may be limited when visiting rural areas.
There is a range of accommodation on offer across Tanzania including private houses, apartments and long-term bed and breakfasts. Most rental houses are unfurnished. Our in-country team will support you to find a suitable accommodation option.
Most locals use public buses, known as 'daladalas', to get around cities. Taxis are plentiful but they not metered, so fares should be negotiated and agreed upon prior to beginning your journey. Alternatively, apps including Uber and Bolt are available in Dar es Salaam, and inDrive is popular in Arusha.
Larger buses connect all cities, towns and villages across the country. There are three railway lines in Tanzania; Tazara, running from Dar es Salaam to Lusaka passing through Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya. Central line runs from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma through Dodoma and Northern line from Dar es Salaam to Tanga and on to Arusha.
Tanzania is generally safe for visitors. Petty crimes like pickpocketing are common in urban areas but can be avoided or minimised by following basic safety precautions. Women can be targets of sexual harassment and assault. The in-country team briefs volunteers on safety precautions.
Before applying for a volunteering assignment in Tanzania, please do some further research on living in Tanzania and the organisation you are hoping to volunteer with. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to discuss expected living and working arrangements with their recruitment officer.
This dish of rice, meat and spices, cooked in stock, is a favourite of Musa, one of our team in Tanzania.
Download the recipe for Pilau Masala


View all the MLS listings for 1, 2 and 3 bedroom penthouses, lofts, condos, apartments, properties and real estate for sale in Vancouver Eastside, BC. You can browse through other areas or dwellings by clicking the menu above. Call Adina Dragasanu today at 778-881-7115 to view any of these listings.


We at Down Under Visa get asked this question sometimes, with Australian sponsor's not only wanting to include a child in an Australian partner visa application or even for a child visa application, but wanting to adopt the child as well. It's actually a nice question, and would be a wonderful question to the Filipina mother of the child knowing that there's a decent Australian man there willing to adopt her child as his own. This is especially so when so many men are not keen to include the child or children even in the visa application. The question is do you actually NEED to adopt the child?
So first and foremost? Well done, gentlemen! And you ARE gentlemen for your chivalrous behavior. Well done again. Always a pleasure to see that good men still exist. Secondly? For what you want to do, it shouldn't be actually necessary to go through the entire adoption process if what you want to do is to give the child your name so that people will see that you are functioning as a family with your wife and children from the Philippines and not as a "step family".
Adoption is a long and complicated process, because of the permanency of it all. It effectively dissolves previous familial ties and creates new ones legally. An adopted child is legally no less your child than a biological child, and their ties are severed with any previous parents, siblings, etc. And because of that, it's not done easily or taken lightly, therefore there are plenty of legal hoops to jump through to get it done. You can expect it to take years and cost plenty in legal fees, etc. Attempting to, say, adopt a niece of nephew from the Philippines is similarly a legal minefield.
In Philippines it's fairly common to have "informal adoptions" or arrangements where a child ends up living with grandparents or an auntie somewhere due to convenience or because a particular bond develops. Maybe your wife has a niece or nephew who grew up in her household and is considered like a child of their own? Very common. However in the eyes of the law, this is not her child or her dependent, and it would be a waste of time trying to include the child in a visa application. And trying to get your Filipina lady to try to organize a legal adoption in the Philippines is no easier than it would be if you tried to legally adopt in Australia. Noble gesture, most definitely. But highly impractical.
In the Philippines, names of children are taken very seriously. Everyone wants to know who is "their blood" and who isn't. I don't get it myself, but yes it's a serious matter here. Up until recently, a child born out of wedlock could not even take the name of the biological father. That's since changed, but birth certificates still show if a child is "illegitimate" (which is a term I detest). However, it exists. And if you were living here in the Philippines and wanted to give your "step child" your name, you would need to go through a formal adoption process, which starts with living here for 3 years or more. And you could not choose the name the child used at school. They will only use the family name from the child's birth certificate.
In Australia, so much simpler! At school, they will just ask you what name you want used for the child. If you want to avoid confusion and use your last name…..especially of value if you have your own biological siblings at the same school…..you just tell them to use that name, and they will. That's just an informality, of course. How about to formally change the last name of your step-child to your own family name? Can it be done? Yes, and quite easily.
You need to go to the website of the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state, and look up "change of name". You will find a form you can download. You will need IDs, of course. Birth certificate for the child, proof of visa status, etc etc. and you'll find they want proof of residence in that particular state generally for 12 months or more. The fee is Western Australia is currently $165.00, and I suspect it would be similar in other Australian states. So you fill out the form…..pay the fee…..send it in…..and you will get a change of name certificate for the child, and from that point on this is the child's new legal name. Simple! And well done!
Plan A, use my name, then adopt in Australia when the legalities are sorted and I don't have to ask the bureaucratic nightmare that is the Filipino system for permission.
And then deal with the bureaucratic nightmare of adoption IN Australia, Brett? Why bother? You can change the child's last name, and there is no legal requirement for you to adopt. Why would you?


text:
Timothee Heijbrock (born 28 October 1985) is a Dutch rower. He competed in the Men's lightweight coxless four event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

References

External links

1985 births
Living people
Dutch male rowers
Olympic rowers of the Netherlands
Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
People from Naarden
Sportspeople from North Holland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
IndigenousX
We must demand a seat at the table when decisions are being made about us – it's Mabo's legacy
Jayde Geia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is vibrant, our people are resilient. Why are we still the most disadvantaged group in Australia?
Thu 6 Jun 2019 02.47 EDT Last modified on Tue 11 Jun 2019 06.01 EDT
'Notwithstanding the lack of political will, the Uluru Statement from the Heart continues to gather momentum across the community, business and finance sector.' Photograph: IndigenousX
The biennial Mabo oration was held earlier this week to pay tribute to Eddie Mabo and the landmark high court decision Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1. The 2019 oration featured IndigenousX founder Luke Pearson as orator and Rhianna Patrick as host and explored Indigenous storytelling in the digital age. Notably, the Mabo oration was streamed live on Facebook and has inspired action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs.
High court native title award of $2.53m may open floodgates
During the 2017 Mabo oration the audience of over 800 people agreed to a resolution – a request that the government respond to the Connection to Country report and the Australian Law Reform Commission's recommendation to reform the Native Title system. The resolution was proposed by Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM, QC, seconded by Bonita Mabo and carried by an overwhelming show of hands.
Since then reforms have been proposed in the Native Title Legislation Amendment Bill that seek to amend the process of applicant decision-making. The intent of the bill is to improve resolution and agreement-making. However, the bill falls short of addressing the onerous requirements of proof considered to be one of the fundamental problems with the system. Two years on from the 2017 Mabo oration, we are yet to see comprehensive native title reform.
I try to avoid framing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in a deficit discourse but what remains at the front of my mind is the alarming rise in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide and our continuing overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. These two issues need urgent attention. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is vibrant and our people remain resilient. Notwithstanding the lack of political will, the Uluru Statement from the Heart continues to gather momentum across the community, business and finance sector. Australia has its first ever Aboriginal minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt. We have significant numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university graduates in Australia and across the world at institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford. Nevertheless, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain the most disadvantaged group in Australia.
Mabo 25 years on: let's look at the vast, absurdist fiction this ruling toppled | Paul Daley
This nation's history and the changing political landscape demonstrates that nothing is promised. Relying on political leaders to honour Mabo's legacy will mean a long wait before we see radical change. For me, the Mabo oration and celebration of the Mabo decision is a reminder that we must continue to invest in our young people and demand a seat at the table when decisions are being made about us. Equipping our next generation with the experience, opportunity and savviness needed to navigate our ever-changing political climate and to achieve structural and system changes remains a priority.
We will continue to be inspired by Mabo's leadership to shape a better future for our communities.
• Guardian Australia is proud to partner with IndigenousX to showcase the diversity of Indigenous peoples and opinions from around the country.
• Comments on this article have been pre-moderated to ensure the discussion is on the topics that have been written about in the article.
Law (Australia)


It so happened that I'm currently working on scaling some Python app. Specifically, now I'm trying to figure out the best way to scale SSH connections - when one server has to connect to thousands (or even tens of thousands) of remote machines in a short period of time (say, several minutes).
How would you write an application that does that in a scalable way?
The first blog post was exploring a solution based on threads, while the second blog post was exploring an architecture around asyncio.
In the two first articles, we wrote programs that could handle this problem by using multiple threads or asyncio – or both. While this worked pretty well, this had some limitations, such as only using one computer. So this time, we're going to take a different approach and use multiple computers!
As we've already seen, writing a Python application that connects to a host by ssh can be done using Paramiko or asyncssh as we've seen previously. Here again, that will not be the focus of this blog post since it is pretty straightforward to do.
As a reminder, running this program alone and pinging serially 255 IP addresses takes more than 10 minutes. Let's try to make it faster by running it in parallel.
Remember: if pinging 255 hosts takes 10 minutes, pinging the whole Internet is going to take forever – around five years at this rate.
With our ping experiment, we already divided our mission (e.g. "who's alive on the Internet") into very small tasks ("ping"). If we want to ping 4 billion hosts, we need to run those tasks in parallel. But one computer is not going to be enough: we need to distribute those tasks to different hosts, so we can use some massive parallelism to go even faster!
Use a queue. That works well for jobs that are not determined in advance, such as user-submitted tasks or that are going to be executed only once.
Use a distribution algorithm. That works only for tasks are determined in advance, and that are scheduled regularly, such as polling.
We are going to pick the second option here, as those ping tasks (or polling in the original problem) should regularly be run. That approach will allow us to spread the jobs onto several processes whose can be even spread onto several nodes over a network. We also won't have to "maintain" the queue (e.g. make it work and monitor it) so that's also a bonus point.
The algorithm we're going to use to distribute this task is based on a consistent hashring.
Here's how it works in short. Picture a circular ring. We map objects onto this ring. The ring is then split into partitions. Those partitions are distributed among all the workers. The workers take care of jobs that are in the partitions they are responsible for.
In the case where a new node joins the ring, it is inserted between 2 nodes and take a bit of their workload. In the case where a node leaves the ring, the partitions it was taking care of are reassigned to its adjacent nodes.
If you want more details, it exists plenty of explanations about how this algorithm work. Feel free to look online!
However, to make this work, we need to know which nodes are alive or dead. This is another problem to solve, and the best way to tackle it is to use a coordination mechanism. There are plenty of those, from Apache ZooKeeper to etcd.
Without going too much into details, those pieces of software provide a network service where every node can connect to and can manage its state. If a client gets disconnected or crashes, it's then easy to consider it as removed. That enables the application to get the full list of nodes, and split the ring accordingly. There's no need to have any shared state between the nodes other than who's alive and running.
To get a list of nodes that are available to help us pinging the Internet, we need a service that provides this and a library to interact with it. Since the use case is pretty simple and I don't know which backends you like the most, we're going to use the Tooz library.
Tooz provides a coordination mechanism on top of a large variety of backends: ZooKeeper or etcd, as suggested earlier, but also Redis or memcached for those who want to live more dangerously. Indeed, while ZooKeeper or etcd can be set up in a synchronized cluster, memcached, on the other hand, is a SPOF.
For the sake of the exercise, we're going to use a single instance of etcd here. Thanks to Tooz, switching to another backend would be a one-line change anyway.
Tooz provides a tooz.coordination.Coordinator object that represents the connection to the coordination subsystem. It then exposes an API based on groups and members. A member is a node connected through a Coordinator instance. A group is a place that members can join or leave.
# Start it (initiate connection).
Don't forget to run etcd on your machine before running this program. Running a first instance of this program will print set(['client1']) every second. As soon as you run a second instance of this program, they both start to print set(['client1', 'client2']). If you shut down one of the clients, they will print the member list with only one member of it.
join_group method, we're gonna use the join_partitioned_group method.
Here we got a third client in the mix, excellent! If we stop one of the clients, the rebalancing is done automatically.
The distribution algorithm is not made to be perfectly even. If you have a vast number of objects, it might seem pretty even statistically, but if you are trying to distribute two objects on two nodes, it's probable one node will handle the two objects and the other one none.
The distribution is not done in real time, meaning there's a small chance that an object might be owned by two nodes at the same time. This is not a problem in a scenario such as this one, since pinging a host twice is not going to be a big deal, but if your job needed to be unique and executed once and only once, this might not be an adequate method of distribution. Rather use a queue which has the proper characteristics.
Now that we have our hashring ready to distribute our job, we can implement our final program!
"""Returns a unique byte identifier so Tooz can distribute this object."""
On the other hand, client2 is skipping nodes that are belonging to client1. If you want to scale further our application, we can start new clients on other nodes on the network and expand our pinging system!
This ping job does not use a lot of CPU time or I/O bandwidth, neither would the original ssh case by Alon. However, if that would be the case, this method would be even more efficient as the scalability of the resources would be a key.
that you can implement using Python. There are a few other options available on top of this mechanism such as defining different weights for different nodes or using replicas to achieve high-availability scenario. I've covered those in my book Scaling Python, if you're interested in learning more!


text:
The Dark River: Book Two of the Fourth Realm Trilogy
Abridged / Go to Unabridged Audiobook
Written By: John Twelve Hawks
Narrated By: Scott Brick
A frantic race to save a long-lost Traveler.
An epic battle for freedom.
Two brothers whose power puts them on a collision course . . .with each other.
In The Traveler, John Twelve Hawks introduced readers to a dangerous world inspired by the modern technology that monitors our lives. Under constant surveillance of the 'Vast Machine,' a sophisticated computer network run by a ruthless group, society is mostly unaware of its own imprisonment. Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, brothers who were raised "off the grid," have recently learned they are Travelers like their long-lost father— part of a centuries-old line of prophets able to journey to different realms of consciousness and enlighten the world to resist being controlled. But power affects the brothers differently. As The Traveler ends, Gabriel hesitates under the weight of responsibility. Michael seizes the opportunity—and joins the enemy.
THE DARK RIVER opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel's father, who has been missing for nearly twenty years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his Harlequin protector, Maya, immediately mobilize to escape New York and find the long-lost Traveler. Simultaneously, Michael orders the Brethren—the ruthless group that has been hunting Gabriel—into a full-scale search. Gabriel yearns to find his father to protect him; Michael aims to destroy the man whose existence threatens his newfound power. The race moves from the underground tunnels of New York and London to ruins hidden beneath Rome and Berlin, to a remote region of Africa that is rumored to harbor one of history's greatest treasures. And as the story moves toward its chilling conclusion, Maya must decide if she will trade everything to rescue Gabriel.
A mesmerizing return to the places and people so richly portrayed in The Traveler, THE DARK RIVER is propelled by edge-of-the-seat suspense and haunted by a vision of a world where both hope and freedom are about to disappear.
Mystery, Thriller & Horror >
Science Fiction & Fantasy >
Dark River: Book Two of the Fourth Realm Trilogy
by John Twelve Hawks
This title is due for release on July 10, 2007.
This title is due for release on July 10, 2007


text:
When the Texas Rich Were Really Texas Rich
by Jerome Weeks 23 Sep 2008 12:44 PM
Journalist Bryan Burrough has a knack for taking what would seem to be a thoroughly well-worn topic — 1930s bankrobbers, say, like Bonnie & Clyde or Machine Gun Kelly — and finding a fresh, inventive angle on the story. Which is what he did with Public Enemies, his action-packed history of how the gangsters and […]
Journalist Bryan Burrough has a knack for taking what would seem to be a thoroughly well-worn topic — 1930s bankrobbers, say, like Bonnie & Clyde or Machine Gun Kelly — and finding a fresh, inventive angle on the story. Which is what he did with Public Enemies, his action-packed history of how the gangsters and the early FBI fed off each other, establishing the legends of both and leading America, for good and ill, to accept a nationwide, internal security force without public debate.
Now, Burrough, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, has turned his eye on Texas oil clans in his new book, The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes. The book won't be out until January, but Burrough's chapter on hell-raising Houston wildcatter Glenn McCarthy has been excerpted in the newest issue of Vanity Fair. (I'd expect Texas Monthly would like an advance excerpt, too, seeing as it concerns favorite topics of the magazine: the creation of Texas legends, wealthy Texans and their conspicuous consumption.)
These are certainly characters who've inspired plenty of books before this, notably John Bainbridge's The Super-Americans from 1961 and Sandy Sheehy's gossipy 1990 volume with the rather similar title, Texas Big Rich. As for the VF excerpt: Anyone who's lived in Houston for any length of time or anyone conversant with mid-century Texas history would find most of the stories about Glenn McCarthy, especially the splashy, chaotic opening of his once-infamous hotel, the Shamrock, familiar enough. Ditto how McCarthy provided the inspiration for the character of the rebellious Jett Rink in Edna Ferber's1952 novel, Giant. (In the 1956 film version, any physical resemblance is more evident in the later scenes when James Dean plays Jett as an older man. With his hairline shaved back, a pencil-thin mustache and his sunglasses, Dean looks much more like McCarthy in his latter heyday — as above.)
Even so, a former Houstonian, I learned things from reading Burrough I didn't know (mostly about McCarthy's later years). And because his book aims to chronicle families like Dallas' own Hunts and Murchisons — the dynasties who established the entire mythos and the (mostly right-wing) politics of the Texas oil industry, all the while shaping campaign fundraising and much of our country's energy policy — you should expect The Big Rich to get a lot of local talk and attention come January.
Photo of McCarthy from blogs.chron. Photo of Dean from exquisitelyboredinnacogdoches.blogspot
Big Rich
Bryan Burrough
Edna Ferber
Glenn McCarthy
History or Science
About Jerome Weeks
Jerome Weeks is the Senior Arts Reporter/Producer for KERA. Previously at The Dallas Morning News, he was the book columnist for 10 years and the drama critic for 10 years before that. His writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, American Theatre and Men's Vogue magazines. View more about Jerome Weeks.
Irving Public Library Book Clubs
@ Irving Public Library System
Join an Irving Public Library book club! These programs for adults ages 18 a...
Books: Book Groups
THROUGH 28FEB 2022
Royal Reads
In January and February, Irving Public Library presents Royal Reads, the the...
Books: Libraries
COMING 22JAN 2022
Understanding the Mind-Body Connection
@ Highland Park Library
The last two years have been a struggle for us all - a reminder that our abi...
Arts & Letters Live Virtual Event: Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende's sweeping new novel tells the epic story of Violeta Del Va...
Books: Authors & Events


text:
A falling-sand game is a genre of video game and subgenre of sandbox games using a two-dimensional particle game engine or a cellular automaton.

In falling-sand games, the user can interact with (e.g. place and remove) particles on a canvas which can interact with other particles in various ways, which can lead to complex emergent behaviour. As sandbox games, they generally have an emphasis on free-form gameplay, relaxed rules, and minimal goals.

Despite the name, falling-sand games typically contain a multitude of materials besides sand, often called "elements".

History

The first known popular example in the "falling-sand" genre was a web-based Java applet on the Japanese Dofi-Blog in 2005 which was later expanded and rehosted as the "Falling sand game", which kick-started the genre as a trend and gave it its name.

The genre is not limited to free play canvas-style games; games such as the Powder Game contain additional mechanics, such as pressure based fluid simulation  allowing for example water equalisation, and RPG elements such as controllable characters.

Noita blends the traditional sandbox physics with Roguelike RPG mechanics, with sophisticated playable characters and enemies.

References

Online games
Java platform games
Flash games
Simulation video games
Video game genres
Cellular automata in computer games