What has a plumb bow and two sets of caterpillar treads? The category-breaking Iguana Commuter Sport Exclusive.
Just when you thought surf and turf was a restaurant-only thing, along comes a stylish, top-shelf speedboat with a set of rubber, terra-firma-travelin' tracks.
I've sea trialed thousands of boats over my ever-lovin', 31-year, marine-mag career, but this baby—arguably the most unusual, interest-generating entry at last year's Cannes boat show—had to be an absolute first. Indeed, as Editor-in-Chief Dan Harding and I strolled down the steeply sloping beach just off the show's entrance we were constrained to stop for a moment and just stare. I mean, the sleek, plumb-bowed, post-modernistically styled, metallic-grey Iguana Commuter Sport Exclusive constituted a sort of vision out there on the sand, fairly glistening in the French Riviera's sunshine, sturdily supported upon two sets of caterpillar-type tracks.
"Nope—neither have I, Capt. Bill," he replied as we resumed walking, ultimately drawing close enough to carefully examine the Commuter's two, metallic-grey, color-matched, 200-hp Mercury V6 3.4L four-stroke outboards, her angular Euro-transom and her rakish, tempered-glass windshield (topped off with what appeared to be an up-and-down adjustable hardtop). Assorted clumps of wet sand clung to her rubber tracks, a surefire indicator of sea trials in the offing, ours included. Steve Huppert of Iguana Yachts International met us on the beach.
In short order, he explained that the Commuter—one of several models from Iguana (including a nifty yacht tender)—was designed by Normandy-based inventor Antoine Brugidou to be a relatively fast, dry, stable, super-handling carbon-fiber speedboat. But in addition, Brugidou had given the craft an electric-motor-energized "Ground Mobility Drive" (GMD) that facilitates coming ashore, caterpillar-style, and then moving about, forward, backwards, left or right, over fairly rough terrain at speeds in the 4- to 5-mph range.
The GMD's basic technology was impressive. The tracks deploy hydraulically and, because of the considerable draft they ultimately produce, safely take the ground well before the skegs of the outboards. In seagoing mode, the tracks retract into molded depressions in the hullsides, above the chine line, so they create no performance diminishing drag or handling issues, even in sharp turns. Moreover, when retracted, they keep the boat's vertical center of gravity low, a feature that both tightens and flattens cornering at speed.
Dan and I were equally impressed with the finer points of the GMD's engineering. The drive wheels for the tracks, for example, can be dynamically tensioned to soften both ride and footprint—tighter for rocky surfaces and looser for sandy beaches. All of the components are made of galvanically isolated aluminum and high-grade stainless steel. And, according to Huppert, the system is capable of slowly but surely climbing a challenging 30-percent grade.
The Commuter occupies the high end of Iguana's product line, by the way—she costs $693,000 with a single 350-hp Merc and $784,400 with twin 200-hp Mercs. So, in keeping with these lofty figures, I was not surprised when our perusal of the cockpit and interior turned up some truly fancy electrically adjustable, shock-absorbent helm seats (with automotive-style memory) and a swim platform ladder that went up and down with the push of a button. Other noteworthy features included top-stitched, leather-upholstered lounge seating abaft the helm, a cuddy forward with a V-berth and portable head and a self-cooling, energy-dense Kreisel lithium-ion battery pack belowdecks.
In order to sea trial our Commuter we had to manipulate the two, dashboard-mounted, side-by-side levers that actuate the GMD, an exercise best accomplished (if forward motion is desired) by laying the thumb across both levers and applying gentle pressure either right, left or straight ahead. For grins, Huppert encouraged me to simultaneously push one lever ahead and pull the other aft, thereby generating a sort of twin-screw rotation. Backing up entailed simply applying the forward-motion principles in reverse.
All this sounds simple enough, I suppose. But I found it quite challenging, not least of all because I occasionally got a tad confused, attempting to exert control using the binnacle's throttle and shift levers with my right hand (like we were already riding the waves) instead of the levers of the beach-cruising GMD with my left hand.
"I'd need a little practice to get the hang of this," I told Huppert as we meandered embarrassingly towards the water. Once afloat, I was in my element, however. I simply lowered the Mercs until their pickups were submerged, cranked 'em up and then continued seaward until we were obviously in deep water, at which time I retracted the tracks.
In spite of her landing-craft capabilities, she's more speedboat than Jeep.
And indeed we were. While I'd been counting on slow-pokey performance, what materialized was anything but. Arrow-straight, one-way speeds, as shown on our Garmin MFD, hovered in the 36-knot vicinity and cornering had a race boat feel, with no appreciable slide or blowout. Had I had some extra time to play with the drive trim, I might have gotten even more speed out of our rousing reptile atop the 2-to-3-footers of Cannes Bay.
Dan drove back to the beach—and hey, the guy was a freakin' natural! Once the Commuter's tracks were deployed and touching bottom, he deftly cut the Mercs, raised them and beelined straight ashore at a top speed of 4.5 mph, thereby demonstrating an immediate grasp of proper terra-firma technique.
"Well, thank you, I appreciate that," he responded with a grin. "My mom used to say all those years of playing PlayStation would rot my brain—well, mom, who's laughing now?


Rosetta Stone was founded in 1992 with the goal of accelerating language learning through the use of interactive software. Rosetta Stone's unique approach of Dynamic Immersion uses images, text and sound to teach words by spaced repetition, without translation or grammar explanation. Rosetta Stone's Learn Languages app, free to start, allows users to extend their experience away from their computers putting more than twenty languages at their fingertips.
Caitlin Romig, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing–Global Consumer, has been tasked with overseeing all paid digital marketing efforts on both mobile and the web for Rosetta Stone. In addition to managing all of the digital display advertising the company uses at any given time, Romig and her team must optimize ongoing campaigns in order to maximize the number of installs these campaigns generate. Ultimately the digital marketing team is working towards the goal of gaining new customers who will eventually become paid users of the Rosetta Stone solutions.
From an analytics perspective, the team that Romig oversees is tasked with determining how leads are converting and the cost associated with those leads. On the developer side, the team is able to see how the app is used in individual sessions. Together with the Kochava data, these combined insights allow the digital marketing team to make informed decisions about how best to market to users and what campaign adjustments to make in order to optimize the ad spend.
Prior to using Kochava, Rosetta Stone was only able to track basic metrics, and thereby was only able to measure its campaigns by the cost per installation. Since updating its SDK, Rosetta Stone has been able to look at email registration and purchases based on source. Now, with the help of Kochava, the company is working towards improving its attribution data enabling them to further verify the ad dollars spent and optimize campaigns at a more granular level.
As Rosetta Stone continues development of its mobile marketing strategy, Kochava is there to help the company gather even more information, for example downstream events like in-app purchases, and then to adjust Rosetta Stone's campaigns to further target the highest value users.
Romig not only relies on the Kochava account team's responsiveness to troubleshoot any issues but also looks to the team for advice and best practice recommendations to ensure Rosetta Stone is getting the most out of all the various Kochava features available. The Kochava account team makes useful suggestions and takes the time to provide detailed explanations around new features or capabilities that Rosetta Stone could be benefiting from to help the company maximize the usefulness of the Kochava solution.
As Rosetta Stone looks to the future of its mobile offerings, one thing is for certain, they only plan to work with the best, as a successful app strategy is key to remain the leader in language learning.


text:
require 'json'
require 'yaml'
require 'oj'

class UserController < ActionController::Base
  def marshal_example
    data = Base64.decode64 params[:data]
    object = Marshal.load data
    # ...
  end

  def json_example
    object = JSON.load params[:json]
    # ...
  end

  def yaml_example
    object = YAML.load params[:yaml]
    # ...
  end

  def oj_example
    object = Oj.load params[:json]
    # ...
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
What's On Near You?
Get weekly event alerts to your in-box close Sign me Up!
The Week Ahead from 31st Jan 2011: White Lies, Paul Weller, Madness, Joan as Policewoman, Feeder, Penguin Cafe and more
Finally, 2011 starts to kick into gear during February with some big names starting to loom on the horizon, all armed with their cunningly released new albums (or at least forthcoming). The week ahead is no exception - it's rammed with many big boys - read on!
All prices are exclusive of booking fees. For ticket availability, click on the images, below.
Theatre, Comedy and Arts
Having just issued their acclaimed "Ritual" album recently (we gave it 3.5 stars, by the way), Ealing's White Lies take the new songs (and the old) on the road for a nearly-sold out UK tour, starting in Cambridge on Friday. If you have only just landed on Earth, you can steer that spaceship towards Norwich, Brighton, Shepherd's Bush, Glasgow and Newcastle - the only locations with tickets at face value!
Their new album "Red Barked Tree" is a bit of a brooding beast and possibly their best since "A Bell Is A Cup", so no pressure with their upcoming live dates - they've been performing live since the mid '70s and are still the mutt's nuts. They open the UK tour in Brighton on Tuesday, followed by a night at London's Scala on Wednesday (and many more afterwards). Tickets start at £14.
The folk-rock legends who always pull in the crowds are back for a busy, yet spread-out, February, beginning with an appearance at York's Grand Opera House on Tuesday. Tickets for this one start at £19, but you might want to check their other chosen venues - an interesting mix!
Paul Weller
A victim of the severe winter-weather (and clearly in need of buying himself some skis), was Mr Weller who literally became stranded en route between two venues during December. He plays his two rescheduled gigs in Aberdeen (Thursday - standing tickets available for £35) and Newcastle (Friday - seating available also for £35). The Rifles are supporting.
Also victims of the same icy shenanigans before Christmas were those Nutty Boys who will play their two rescheduled nights on Saturday in Hull and Sunday in Sheffield. Unlike Mr Weller's concerts, there are no tickets left (except resales) for this pairing, further proof of the demand for a bit of Madness.
The Go! Team
We can lay claim to one thing - this lot's new album is a jolly affair and no mistake (review soon come!), so you may well want to muscle in on some action from this never-less-than-interesting instrumental/soul-pop outfit. Their first gig is in Glasgow on Thursday, followed by more Scottish gigs and then nearly a month of live action. Tickets are £12 (or £14 for London).
Held in high-esteem by many (including our Solange), The Bravery begin a four-night weekly residency in Hoxton on Tuesday, the first of which has already sold out - the others are still available in limited numbers for £12.77 (odd price thanks to the VAT-man), plus the in-between regional dates in Brum, Glasgow etc are up for a tenner each.
Joan as Policewoman
Another act with a new album, "The Deep Field" (out now) is Joan Wasser, singer and violinist and contributor to Lloyd Cole's recent set. Her first night is in Oxford next Tuesday, before hitting Brighton, Nottingham, Bristol, London and many more. Her gigs cost £15 and there are some left for all concerts.
Busy in the studio for the last few weeks has been Welsh rock-band Feeder, aiming to have a new album ready as soon as possible. Their recent tweets have revealed that New York has been home for a while - now they start their new tour on Friday in Belfast, before resuming next week in Liverpool, Leeds and many more. Note that face value tickets for Dundee, Cambridge and Leamington have sold out - the rest are £20 - £22.50.
Penguin Cafe
Next Saturday sees the return of one of the most quintessentially English neo-classical/nu-folk outfits from the past 40 years, reform, rename and reconvene with a different line-up. New material beckons, but first it's the unlikely location of Croydon that heralds the start of touring activity next Friday. After this, they team up with jazz act Portico Quartet from Saturday onwards. Tickets vary from £15 upwards.
It's certainly going to go all Pete Tong in Portsmouth next Saturday night - the 'Essential Selection/ Essential Mix' master is appearing at the Pyramid for a rare DJ-ing set in the city. Tickets are just £15. Expect guests and the usual array of classic tracks and breaking new tunes from the Radio 1 legend.
Next Big Thing 2011
For the next couple of weeks, dozens of up and coming artists and performers will vie for your attention, provided you live in or near London - first up on Friday are sets from Anna Calvi, James Blake, Skepta and more spread across numerous venues. Many are sold out - click the image for the full list.
Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2011
This branded event attempts to get out a bit more than Next Big Thing, plus the line-up of Good Charlotte, Four Year Strong and Framing Hanley remains consistent throughout the tour which begins in Dublin on Friday, followed by Southampton, Norwich and university towns throughout February. It's pretty much sold-out apart from balcony seats at the Birmingham gig (17th).
NME Awards Tour 2011
Another magazine and another important tour, this time in support of their annual awards. Four big names in: Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, The Vaccines and Everything Everything ensures that your £15 - £17 is money well spent - and when you think about it, when did you last spend under £20 and see four top-notch chart bands? The first night is in Glasgow on Thursday.
Al Murray
The pub landlord has an extensive UK tour coming up later in the year (he added some dates earlier this week), but prior to all that he is rehearsing for a new Channel 4 show called "My Funniest Year". For just a fiver you can join in with celebrating The Pub Landlord's favourite moments from 1997, featuring archive clips and Murray patter. The gig takes place on Thursday on the moored Tattershall Castle on Victoria Embankment and there are now just a handful of tickets remaining.
This touring production of the popular musical (from the '80s film) should enable everyone to get a little footloose (and fancy free). Next week, the lively all-dancing, all-singing show begins the first of six performances in Southampton on Monday (until Saturday). Seats cost £25 and still available before it heads off to Milton Keynes from the following Monday (7th).
The all-dancing troupe from Britain's Got Talent resume touring by playing two nights in Manchester, then Liverpool, Grimsby, York etc, right through until March. Tickets for the shows start at £20 and you can expect energy and nimble-footedness par excellence.
Otherwise translated as "The Magic Flute", this very famous Mozart opera will begin a short residency at the splendid Royal Opera House in Covent Garden (they've just announced their new season - we'll have more of that in our newsletter, so sign up now! [http://www.allgigs.co.uk/newsletter.php - helpful Ed]). Opening night is on Tuesday and tickets are few and far between for pretty much all nights.
Just down the road from Covent Garden sees the ENO presenting the incredible Donizetti opera based on the Victor Hugo play of the same name. As usual with opera, passion jealousy and murder-plots abound and tickets are still available for the month-long residency from Monday onwards, priced from £10 upwards.
Hoxton's Courtyard Theatre will host their production of Shakespeare's "Taming Of The Shrew" from Tuesday until 20th Feb, with tickets costing just £10 - £12 for all performances. This is one of the Bard's greatest comedies, full of trickery and sub-plots and well worth witnessing.
Winterlong [play]
Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre will feature an award-winning playwright's new work from Wednesday onwards - Andrew Sheridan's "Winterlong" concerns Oscar, a character who surrounds himself with losers up to the point where he must decide whether to take flight, or remain trapped in the underworld. Tickets are £10.
Abigail's Party
Why go all the way to the West End, if you live in Oxfordshire? Abingdon's Unicorn Theatre is presenting the acclaimed Mike Leigh play made famous in the '70s, "Abigail's Party", from Wednesday onwards for four nights. Presented by the Old Gaol Theatre Company, tickets for this social commentary that seems oddly relevant today cost £7 (but they are selling fast).
Deirdre and Me
From one '70s icon to another - Corrie's Deidre Barlow, the subject of dowdy Susan White, writer Rachael Halliwell's character in this one-woman comedy-play. Brockley Jack Theatre (in South East London) will present this light-hearted evening for four nights only - £8 - £10.
Happy clicking!
Paul Pledger
What's On:
Near You?
Rock/ Alternative
Jazz/ Blues
Folk/ Roots
© 2001 - 2022 AllGigs Limited, company number: 05113554. Registered office: 3 Silverdale Drive, London, SE9 4DH, England All Rights Reserved. Use of this site is subject to our Terms and Conditions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Migrando do WebForms para o MVC, qual a melhor maneira de armazenar e manipular os dados de um usuário logado? Durante anos trabalhei com sistemas c# em WebForms, porém, por necessidade migrei meu objetivo de desenvolvimento para aplicações mobile com Xamarin e padrões MVVM.
Agora em paralelo estou desenvolvendo novamente sistemas WEB porém, em padrões MVC. Mas uma uma dúvida vem me perseguindo...
Em WebForms, sempre utilizei Session para tratar o usuário logado pela MasterPage¹.
Agora em MVC, onde Filters e Roles são itens básicos de um bom projeto, qual a melhor forma de armazenar os dados do usuário logado? Pois preciso carregar os dados do usuário logado na View e também preciso dos dados para salvar registros no banco e etc.
Atualmente venho utilizando uma filter para verificar o estado da sessão, e ainda estou felizmente/infelizmente utilizando Session para salvar² seus dados e manipula-los, porém, como todos sabem as Session's dependendo do tanto de usuários logado, acaba consumindo muitos recursos do servidor.
Como fazer? Mantenho as Session's? Utilizo Cookie? TempData? ViewBag? ou outro...
¹ Em uma aplicação WebForms eu havia uma classe por ex: UsuarioLogado, que continha os dados de UsuarioId, Nome, Email, Foto etc.
Eu realizava as verificações na PageLoad da MasterPage simplesmente utilizando:
if(UsuarioLogado.UsuarioId < 1)
   Response.Redirect("~/Login");

² Nas aplicações atuais em MVC, eu também utilizo uma classe para salver os dados do usuário:
Abaixo, utilizo uma classe para passar os dados que consultei no banco para salvar na Session:
private void SessionAdd(Usuario dados)
{
    System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Session.Add("UsuarioId", dados.UsuarioId);
}

Utilizo também uma Filter IAuthorizationFilter que faz o seguinte:
public void OnAuthorization(AuthorizationContext filterContext)
        {
            if (filterContext.ActionDescriptor.IsDefined(typeof(AllowAnonymousAttribute), true)
                || filterContext.ActionDescriptor.ControllerDescriptor.IsDefined(typeof(AllowAnonymousAttribute), true))
            {
            return;
        }

        if (filterContext.HttpContext.Session != null && filterContext.HttpContext.Session["UsuarioId"] == null)
        {
            filterContext.HttpContext.Response.Redirect("~/Login/Acesso");
        }
    }

Quando eu preciso dos dados para exibir na View, simplesmente faço @Session["Nome"].
Minhas aplicações vem funcionando, porém, acredito que a maneira com a qual faço a manipulação funciona bem somente para poucos usuários logados, mas não é a melhor maneira para muitos usuários.

A: Respondendo de forma simples baseado na experiência que tive.
Fiz uma classe/filter que cuida dos usuários logados, além de validar se ele pode ou não acessar tal classe, isto baseado em "roles" que fiz de uma forma genérica.
Também salvei os dados em uma classe, Id, Nome e Perfil para que eu possa comparar na minha Filter.
public void OnAuthorization(AuthorizationContext filterContext)
{
    //Se não tiver mais session, ou não logado, redireciona para o login
    if(Logado.UsuarioId < 1)
        return filterContext.HttpContext.Response.Redirect("~/Login/Acesso");

    //Pega qual controller e action ele quer acessar
    var actionName = filterContext.ActionDescriptor.ActionName;
    var controllerName = filterContext.ActionDescriptor.ControllerDescriptor.ControllerName;

    if(!isEnable(actionName, controllerName))
        return filterContext.HttpContext.Response.Redirect("~/Error/Permitido");
}

//Lógica para verificar se permite ou não o usuário
private bool isEnable (string action, string controller){
    return true;
}

E ai eu só preciso alterar a lógica da função isEnable, colocando o que deve ser checado para informar se ele pode ou não acessar.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I've spent the last several days cooped up in bed, trying to overcome an illness, which I found out today is strep throat. After holding a fever of around 102F for 3 days on end, I decided it was time to go to the doctors and get something for it. It's been more than 3 years since I last had to see a doctor. After a 2 hour wait and a 5 minute examination, I was off to claim my prescription of 30 capsules of Amoxicillin.
I think I was already on the path to recovery when I got the antibiotics today, but I'm sure they've helped and I'm now able to sit here and write. My fever's barely over 99F and I feel less like curling up into a ball and sleeping all the time. I'm rarely sick, and it's even more rare that I'm sick for this long.
Consequently, I also haven't returned to Waterloo. Needless to say, I didn't go into work today. I also won't be going into work tomorrow, although I do hope another day of rest will set me up to return to Waterloo tomorrow evening, which means I should be able to get back to work on Thursday. I absolutely hate missing work – and it's not because I don't want to work late to make up the time – I do that regularly anyways. I've got several projects on the go right now and I don't want to be the bottleneck in anyone else's timeline. Specifically, two of the projects are extremely time sensitive. I should have a bit more than a week to complete both of them when I get back.
Well, here's to (hopefully) another 3 years of doctor-free living.
Next PostNext HP Compaq 2133 UMPC Inbound?


Nokia waiting for Mango, WP7.5, due October at earliest.
According to the Guardian, Nokia are waiting for Windows Phone Update called "Mango" aka Windows 7.5 which is due October at the earliest.
As far as dates are concerned, Elop and Harlow suggest a 2011 release of which we have 10 months left. In an interview with engadget, Elop told Ziegler that he (Elop) would find out about release date of Nokia's first Windows Phone device in the next couple of months. To be fair, the blogosphere and Nokia have been careful to talk about only "Windows Phone" and not "Windows Phone 7" (of which suggested to some that Nokia would wait all the way up for WP8 due 2012).
The Guardian points out that refusal to be so specific in emitting certain details now stand out as it would have given away Microsoft's then unannounced plans (I haven't been following WP so I don't know if this was the first time the updates were announced).
Both The Guardian and BGR cover a similar point on the "Death of the Zune brand", of which "Zune's music services" another omission during the MS-Nokia marriage ceremony last Friday. It rolls in to place that Ovi Music is being ramped down in lieu of whatever services Microsoft's Zune would be renamed to.
« The world as seen by Nokia…and 10 years from now.


text:
Tower Opens Branch, Makes $2,500 DonationHome » Tower Opens Branch, Makes $2,500 Donation
Tower Opens Branch, Makes $2,500 Donation
Laurel, MD – A grand opening celebration brought 350 people to Tower Federal Credit Union's newest branch in Pasadena's Magothy Beach Plaza, an event that featured residents shredding 2.5 tons of paper and a $2,500 contribution to an area organization dedicated to serving those living with disabilities.
Providence Center of Glen Burnie was the recipient of the grant, which it will use to continue its efforts on behalf of people with disabilities. The center has, for over 50 years, striven to help those 21 and older live more independent lives and function well in society.
"It means a lot when it's a local branch giving back to its community," said Aimee Bullen, director of development and community relations at Providence Center. "We're all partners in our communities."
About 100 people brought boxes to the giant shredder that was stationed next to the new branch at 25 Magothy Beach Rd., with one local resident saying she was taking care of all the papers in her attic and another deciding to shred the first check he ever wrote.
The BBQ Joint, a tenant of the plaza, donated sliders, and attendees also enjoyed food that Tower provided from others that populate the plaza, including Ledo Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts.
"We can offer better assistance to our members because of the location," said Maryte Meisinger, manager of the new branch. "This is a built up shopping center, so there are more services for everyone."
The new Magothy Beach branch replaces Tower branch on Fort Smallwood Road, located about three miles away in a less travelled shopping area. Staff at the Fort Smallwood location, which did not have a drive-thru, has moved to the Magothy Beach branch.
The new branch features an updated look, a drive-thru, Remote Teller Stations, for enhanced privacy and security, a self-service coin counting machine and ample parking.
The branch relocation is the latest step by Tower, the state's largest federal credit union by assets, to position itself to best serve its members. Tower has grown to $2.9 billion in assets since it was started in 1953 by seven members who each contributed $5 towards its creation. Tower offers comprehensive financial services through 16 branches and online, at towerfcu.org.
Tower Partners with Blue Star Families to Help Local Military Families in Need
2FA Gives Stronger Security for Your Accounts
Five Habits Every Budgeter Should Develop
17 Strange Facts You Never Knew About Your Money
6 Costly Mistakes Shoppers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
previous post: New TowerCares Foundation Makes First Five Grants
next post: Tower Employees Raise $1,700 for TowerCares Foundation


Green Lawn Fertilizing knows the value of curb appeal. We deliver premium results and superior service to our clients in the Bryn Mawr area. We work tirelessly to create and maintain lawns that you'll be proud to show off.


36 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 294 — 2018 will exercise their leadership responsibilities through the articulation of broad goals/objectives for RPT leads and provide direct traditional oversight for the library's core functional areas (for example, cataloging, acquisitions) and shared services utilized by multiple RPTs (for example, GIS services, fiscal services, human resources). In this brave new world of decentralization, the USF Libraries leadership will focus on ensuring constant communication and careful coordination. Conclusion At the time of writing (May 2018), the first RPT has been launched. Led by a librarian with a graduate certificate in environmental studies and complemented by a newly hired ABD subject expert in geoscience education, that team is focused on the School of Geosciences (including the more traditional disciplines of geology, environmental studies, and geography). Three Research Platform Teams will be in place by fall 2018. They are the result of existing strong collaborative relationships with the departments and represent a translation of these relationships into a more formalized arrangement. The USF Libraries' five-year hiring plan includes 10 additional RPTs hired at a rate of two per year. The department chairs and departmental faculty (geosciences, English, and history) have expressed high levels of enthusiasm for working with the library to forge a new kind of partnership centered around increased support for faculty and graduate students. As the discussion progressed, the chairs from the departments circled areas of Figure 1 that were most interesting to them as an indicator of their interest in, The department chairs and departmental faculty (geosciences, English, and history) have expressed high levels of enthusiasm for working with the library to forge a new kind of partnership centered around increased support for faculty and graduate students.


Livonia: At age 82, Mary Ellen passed away peacefully on January 29, 2019 with her family by her side. She was born in Angelica, NY to the late Leonard and Almeda Hargraves. Mary Ellen is predeceased by her husband; Carmen Griffo, her son Charles Griffo and her sisters; Virginia McKnight and Beverlee Loper. Survived by her children; Joseph Griffo of Gates, NC; John (Cindy) Griffo of Franklin, OH; and Charlene (Paul) Leistman of Livonia, NY; and her grandchildren; Ricari, Jermayn, Jazzmyn, Michael, Desirea, Jacob Griffo, Samantha, and Rebecca Leistman.
A graduate of Alfred Almond High School, where she was a cheerleader all 4 years of high school, Mary Ellen went on to become a nurse at the Craig Colony in Sonyea, New York before her marriage to Carmen In April 1948. Shortly after marriage, Mary Ellen became a loving mother and homemaker whose life was dedicated to her family. In the years leading up to her passing, she was an avid reader, sewing enthusiast, cook, and baker.
Charlene, Paul, Samantha, and Rebecca lovingly cared for Mary Ellen in their home for the last 3 years of her life. Joe and John give them their greatest and most heart-felt gratitude.
Friends and family are invited to visit and share memories at the Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home, 21Big Tree Street in Livonia on Saturday, February 9, 2019 from: 2-4 PM with a Funeral Service to immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions may be made to: American Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.org.


text:
Football / September 24, 2013
Physical vs. Physical in Minneapolis
Coach Ferentz News Conference Transcript | Coach Ferentz News Conference Video
2013 Game Day Central
2013 Fall Camp Central
Read the September issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Moments after the University of Iowa's 59-3 victory against Western Michigan on Sept. 21, Hawkeye linebacker James Morris bemoaned that after four games, no team had `pinned their ears back and run at us.'
That could change Saturday when Iowa opens the Big Ten Conference season at Minnesota. The Gophers have run the ball 197 times, third-most in the league behind Iowa (218) and Nebraska (202).
"(Minnesota is) a physical football team," UI head coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday at his weekly news conference inside the Hayden Fry Football Complex. "They're a little bit different with the quarterback situation now, and then they are running the ball really well."
For the Gophers at quarterback, freshman Mitch Leidner stepped in for Philip Nelson last week and ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns during a 43-24 win against San Jose State. In four games, Leidner has carried the ball for 251 yards and five touchdowns and completed 12-of-20 passes for 176 yards.
Minnesota has run the ball 38, 43, 49, and 67 times in the first four outings.
To Ferentz, the 2013 Minnesota team reminds him of the 2010 Northern Illinois team he saw on film. Then, the Huskies were coached by Jerry Kill, who is now head coach for Minnesota.
"The key is to take care of business week to week. Every game is so important because you only get 12 cracks and now being in conference play, divisional play, that amps it up even more. Every game is important on your resume. It's the nature of the beast when you only play 12."
Kirk Ferentz
UI head football coach
"I remember watching film and seeing a very impressive Northern Illinois team and then (three) years later, it looks like the same thing," Ferentz said. "Different uniforms obviously, but they look like a good football team."
Iowa won last year's meeting, 31-13, but the Gophers have prevailed in the only two games played in TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota won 27-24 in 2010 and 22-21 in 2011.
"Part of that is credit to them, but part of the blame lies at our feet, too," Ferentz said. "If we play like we did the last two times, we're not going to win the game, I'll make that prediction right now."
Ferentz continues to emphasize that in college football, every game is important. Things are magnified for the Hawkeyes and Gophers in Week 5 because it is not only a conference opener, but a Legends Division opener as well.
"The key is to take care of business week to week," Ferentz said. "Every game is so important because you only get 12 cracks and now being in conference play, divisional play, that amps it up even more. Every game is important on your resume. It's the nature of the beast when you only play 12."
With such a physical game looming, line play could be crucial. Ferentz said his troops are "gaining ground, but this will be a big test for us."
Minnesota's interior offensive line averages 311.4 pounds, compared to 300 for the Hawkeyes. On the defensive line, Iowa has an edge by an average of 13 pounds per head. The largest of the Gophers on defense is senior nose guard Ra'Shede Hageman at 6-foot-6, 311 pounds.
"They've turned into a good outfit," Ferentz said of the Minnesota lines. "They're reaping the benefits."
Special teams play by the Hawkeyes received compliments three days after they returned two punts for touchdowns, averaged 32.5 yards per kickoff return, and limited Western Michigan to 18.7 yards per kickoff return.
"I think we're moving forward, that was one of the good things about Saturday beyond the returns," Ferentz said. "We're not there yet, but at least we're starting to make some strides. That was a big concern a couple weeks ago."
Iowa and Minnesota meet for the 107th time in football Saturday. The game will begin at 2:36 p.m. (CT) and will be televised by ABC with reverse mirror on ESPN2. The announcers are Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, and Jeannine Edwards.


text:
AllCelebritiesNatureTravelFood
Budapest film gemini man shooting Will Smith
Will Smith: "Budapest is a Gemstone, a Wonderful Blend of a Thousand Years of History"
As part of the promotion of Will Smith's new film, 'Gemini Man' in Hungary, after Wednesday's birthday concert in downtown Budapest, Ang Lee, the director of the film, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and the Hollywood actor held a joint press conference for the Hungarian international press on Thursday afternoon.
In Gemini Man, Will Smith plays a professional assassin who is being chased by a clone, created 25 years ago. Alongside Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen also appear in the film. Besides Colombia and the United States, the film was partially shot in Budapest. The film will feature several major sights of the Hungarian capital, including Heroes' Square, Széchenyi Bath, and Buda Castle.
Will Smith Birthday Concert at Budapest's St. Stephen's Square – Videos!
To journalists, Will Smith described Budapest as a small gemstone with a wonderful and strong history. He particularly liked the way the old buildings were redesigned to meet the demands of modern life, which resulted in the whole city becoming a wonderful and special blend of thousands of years.
Will Smith Back in Budapest, Impressed by Bridges of the Capital
In the movie, he almost perfectly pronounces the word "Vajdahunyad," as in Vajdahunyad Castle, but he said it took him a lot of work and practice to get it right. He added that he tried to learn other Hungarian words as well, but failed. Smith said no matter how much he tried they did not stick in his brain since the words contain too many consonants one after another.
Back in Budapest for 51!! #geminiman
A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) on Sep 25, 2019 at 1:23pm PDT
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that he knows Budapest well from his previous productions, and he thinks the city has great funds for shooting, while the bridges, the castle, and the museums are all very nice places for a movie, which is why they chose it for Gemini Man as well.
Jerry Bruckheimer producer (left), actor Will Smith (middle) and director Ang Lee at the Gemini Man's Hungarian promotion campaign in Buda Castle. (photo: Tamás Kovács/MTI)
He also confirmed the information that they originally wanted to shoot the Budapest parts of the movie in Paris, but when director Ang Lee came to see the city before the actual work began, he fell in love with the Hungarian capital and even rewrote the script so the relevant parts would be set in Budapest.
Will Smith Celebrated Fathers' Day with a Slow Motion Video at the Chain Bridge
At the end of the press conference, Will Smith received a gift: a poster of the film, which was put together out of 1872 Rubik's cubes by Danish artist Torgeir Amundsen. Gemini Man will premier in Hungarian movie theaters in October.


Anytime Fitness is a 24-hour health and fitness club. The company operates over 2400 franchised locations in 19 countries. The gym facilities are open 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year.
The Wake Forest location offers a wide selection of free weights, cardio equipment and personal training.


text:
Alumni Arena may refer to:
 Alumni Arena (Armstrong State University), arena on the campus of Armstrong State University, Georgia
 Alumni Arena (SUNY Cortland), ice arena on the campus of SUNY Cortland, New York
 Alumni Arena (University at Buffalo), arena on the campus of the University at Buffalo, New York

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


BEKASI, West Java—Alfie Catalan reclaimed a long-lost title by ruling the 4,000-meter individual pursuit event of the Southeast Asian Games after soundly trouncing Indonesia's Warseso Projo, on Sunday.
The corporal in the Philippine Army, humbled by Projo in the qualifiers, was lightning-quick this time, posting a time of four-minutes and 53.1 seconds for the first cycling gold for the Filipinos at the Rawamangun Velodrome here.
"This gold (medal) is truly special because we had only four months to prepare for the event," the 29-year-old Catalan said in Filipino after winning his third gold medal, counting victories in 2005 in Manila and in Thailand two years later.
Catalan failed to compete in Laos because of leadership crisis in the cycling federation.
"This victory is also special because we didn't know the caliber of the opposition here," he added.
The Philippines finished 1-3 in the event after John Rene Mier checked in with a time of 5:00.90 for third, nosing out Amir Mustafa of Malaysia, who timed 5:01.51.
The men's 4,000-meter team pursuit squad led by Mier and Catalan and John Paul Morales and Arnold Marcelo, also took the bronze medal.


Sporty Piper is back for fall in my new magnolia print- the perfect floral for fall and winter. Sleek side pockets are a plus! I plan on layering this with my black Britt blazer, black tights, and loafers. Cortney has hers on with heels because she always wear heels- no flats in her closet! She likes the extra inches to go eye to eye with all the men she works with. Makes sense if you are a lawyer. For me- I'll be in flipflops, tennis shoes or loafers with this dress. And it's going to Palm Springs with me for Christmas!


I was born in Budapest, Hungary and moved to Finland at a fairly young age. Worked as a musician first but soon started studying photography in New York, Basel and Schaffhausen. Besides photography I also have a degree in film editing.
Recieved awards in Advertising photography both home and abroad.
I watch life passing by and try to capture the moments and things that attracts me.
I also do assigments and real estate photography to bring the bacon to the table, so to speak.


Smartisation, digitization, big data, those are actual words that are also becoming a reality in the Airport business. Why? Because, airports are complex mechanisms where different stakeholders interact and where the flow of information among them, avoiding silos, is critical to reach an optimum performance in the airport as a whole. In that sense, Collaborative decision-making as a result of analyzing interrelated data from different sources and systems points the way to the future. Digital transformation is here and disruption of new technologies will change how we perceive as passengers the airport experience, which will also affect the P&L of airport stakeholders.
Having this in mind, there is a need to develop airport solutions transforming those infrastructures into smart airports worldwide. In other words, intelligent assets where information is constantly captured, processed and integrated. With a customer-centric goal: ensuring that decisions are correctly made in a collaborative way, planning is improved, non-aeronautical revenues are increased, resource allocation is optimised… And as a result of all this, passenger experience is maximised.
Ikusi is a renowned IT specialist in the airport market. We offer a proposal based on our deep knowhow on the airport business on one side and mastery over the state of the art technologies on the other side. This is the foundation of our solutions and services targeted towards the increase of operational efficiency and the improvement of passenger experience. Those two, being the greatest challenges that airport managers are facing today and realities that are intimately linked.
Listening and aligning ourselves with the specific objectives of our customers is key to become their strategic partner. We help them grow and grow with us. This added-value offer has enabled Ikusi solutions and services to be present in more than 130 airports in 25 countries and 4 continents, serving 250 million passengers. IKUSI brings close to 40 years of experience in the field.


text:
R/E/P >
R/E/P Archives >
Terry Manning >
Terry: About Vocal Production
Author Topic: Terry: About Vocal Production (Read 28424 times)
Curve Dominant
Terry,
First off, thanks for guest-hosting this forum! I was really happy to see you begin posting here at REP recently. In addition to the knowledge and experience you bring, I also enjoy your upbeat and positive tone (no doubt a factor in your success!).
OK. It seems now more than ever (or perhaps always), vocal production makes or breaks a song recording. And it's a particular interest for me since I'm making a specialty of producing vocalists.
So, I was hoping you could discuss with us your philosophies, techniques and antecdotes regarding vocal recording, editing and mixing...mic placement, signal chains, compression approaches, EQ, getting the lead vocal "present," etc.
As well as the "non-gear" factors such as arrangement, performance coaching, and the like.
Thanks in advance! ...and looking forward to a fun and informative month (nasty Philadelphia winter weather is going to keep me in front of the computer a lot!).
http://www.curvedominant.com
http://www.myspace.com/studiocurvedominant
compasspnt
Re: Terry: About Vocal Production
I imagine that almost anything I can say about vocal recording is being done by many others as well, but I will try to at least give my viewpoint about the process, and provide some details.
I think that vocal recording and production is the single most important ingredient in music making. You can have the greatest track, the tightest feel, and the best sounds ever, but without a great vocal to which the listener can relate, you really don't have much. Unless it's an instrumental, where the vocal is much less important.
The primary concern is the relationship between the producer and/or engineer and the vocalist. I find that I must develop a good rapport with the singer, and try to understand his/her needs, moods, and motivations. A good knowledge of music theory and of singing mechanics is very helpful, also. I like to start by discussing the lyrics in the control room; I want to understand (especially if the singer is also the author) what is actually being said, and why. This helps me to guide the vocalist through the process, where that guidance is necessary. (Of course, there are those few special singers who need no help or guidance.) If small changes are necessary for timing, alliteration, etc., this is a good time to figure those things out.
I like to build a special area for the singer, moving tall baffles into a "squared-off U shape" behind and to the sides of the singing area, not only for the purpose of controlling unwanted reflections, but also to provide a "cocoon" space in which the singer can feel comfortable. I usually put a small table inside this area for their lozenges, kleenex, tea, or whatever. I use a music stand with a light, covered on the face by special acoustic cloth, so that the stand doesn't become an undesirable 'reverb source.' I hang tube/valve condenser mics with the capsule at the bottom, so that any heat from the tube itself doesn't radiate upwards onto the capsule. Having said all of this, when you look at photos of The Beatles in AR2, they are standing right in the middle of that huge room, with no baffles, and the mic hung the other way...and they did just fine. I have recently been using the Stedman pop screen, but have found that in some cases of extreme air output, I have to put a second nylon one behind it.
When doing an entire album, one of my main concerns is always to use the one microphone suited to any one song, or even to any part of one song. I hate to just set up one mic, in one spot, and do every song that same way. On the album I'm working on right now, we've just finished the 14th song's vocal tonight, and we've already used 8 or 9 different mics, just on lead vocal.
I have used many different mics for vocals over the years. Of course, I love the sound of an LDC (who doesn't?) I still have one U48 which I like [my OTHER U48, which I used extensively for lead vocals over many years, was stolen from my studio a while back; please see the Klaus Heyne mic forum for details. Klaus has very kindly locked the relevant post and placed it at the top! Thanks, Klaus!], and also several 87's, 47fet's, Soundelux 251, Gefell UM-92's, two early Neumann M-49's, an AKG C12VR, etc., etc. I recently added a couple of R
RMoore
compasspnt wrote on Sun, 06 February 2005 09:15
Stories....? ..... Well, Bj
People's Republic of Ryan
http://www.myspace.com/twilightcircus
http://www.youtube.com/user/Ryonik
By the end of today, another day is gone forever. You will never get it back.
We must never let up for a second. Work harder at every single thing - Terry Manning
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take - Wayne Gretzky
Ryan Moore wrote on Sun, 06 February 2005 05:34
Hmm, not much different than anyone else?
Can't say I've heard of too many ocean splash or bat vibe sessions...
Whatever it takes - classic!
I am <loving> all the info and anecdotes in this forum - thanks Terry!
I feel a little strange here...this idea was Bj
posted by Terry Manning:
Ever notice how often they "get sick" just when it's time to sing?
So it's not just ME who they do that to??!!!
Thanks for sharing all that, Terry! Can I ask one more question?
About headphone mixes, and the general subject of how vocalists monitor their performance: I was wondering how you generally approach this aspect, and if there are certain things you find consistently work well (or cause problems)?
(BTW: I'm also a big fan of the Stedman, been using it for years.)
Eric Vincent wrote on Sun, 06 February 2005 13:29
Man, do I hate headphones! If there were any other way, I would do it in a flash. I often sing myself, so I see it from both sides, the bad side and the bad side. I hate the Sony headphones, they are so brittle. The ones I have found that I like are the Fostex T-120 (I think that's the number, T-something.)
I find that it works for me, and I often tell the vocalist, to move one earpiece off of the ear itself, so they can hear themselves more naturally. This seems to help pitch.
I find that most vocalists want themselves insanely loud in their mix.
Our cans systems here are transformer balanced, which seems to help general sound quality and loudness without bass overload; also helps with impedence matching, if there are two different brands of phones being used.
I sometimes send the artist the stereo mix, but more often use a stereo cue send with everything in "pre," just in case I move a fader which would upset them. All of this is probably very common practice, though.
I've tried to use speakers instead, and put two together out of phase, so that the live sound would more or less cancel out at the mic. Worked OK, but most find it strange.
I often sing in the control room, and just listen with the Genelec monitors instead of headphones. But there is always that bleed, and you can't really get it loud enough to hear phrasing and pitch properly.
Bob Olhsson
I once talked a great vocal coach into co-teaching a vocal recording class with me. (How else could someone like me who can't sing learn?)
Something I had always wanted to do is to give beginners the experience of singing to both a screwed up track and a really good one. (I've worked with too many singers whose confidence had been destroyed by inept production or engineering.) As part of this exercise, we compared singing with both phones on, one phone on and each way both with and without the vocal mike in the cans. To my surprise the pitch was best by far with both phones on and no vocal mike in the phones! These were beginners with no preconceived notions about how vocal recording should be done.
I've never been able to talk anybody experienced into trying it but it's been great food for thought.
Bob's workroom (615) 562-4346
http://www.hyperback.com
http://www.thewombforums.com
http://georgetownmasters.com
ted nightshade
compasspnt wrote on Wed, 09 February 2005 23:23
Man, do I hate headphones! If there were any other way, I would do it in a flash.
Well, you *could* track the vocalist with a live band in the same room! Now that's my idea of a good time.
Ted Nightshade aka Cowan
There's a sex industry too.
Or maybe you prefer home cookin'?
Bob Olhsson wrote on Thu, 10 February 2005 11:04
...To my surprise the pitch was best by far with both phones on and no vocal mike in the phones! These were beginners with no preconceived notions about how vocal recording should be done.
I will try this tonight! Let you know...
mitgong
Rolfer!! That's great!!
Not to nag, but would you happen to remember which tunes Bjork sang in which location?
You are royalty. Thanks for sharing.
My name is Matthew Saccuccimorano. I should be working, but I'm posting this message instead. I deserve punishment.
Bill Mueller
Rolfer huh? I had a Rolfer in the studio once.
This guy was an acoustic guitarist who sang real soft. I had two mics close up on his guitar and a vocal mic pointed up at his face, and for some reason I had the Urie monitors cranked up loud. All of a sudden, he SCREAMS AAAAAAGGGGGG!!!!!! AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS RIGHT INTO THE MIC!!!!!!!! I was literally knocked off my chair. The crossover lights on the Uries lit up like strobe lights. I think my assistant wet herself. She ran out of the room and never came back.
The entire office staff came running into the control room, thinking that someone was being killed. (They didn't want to miss it, of course.)
Turns out that in addition to being a Rolfer, he also practiced PRIMAL SCREAM THERAPY. His playing sucked.
"Don't take it personally. But this shit is a science." J.J.Blair
"The Internet is only a means of communication," he wrote. "It is not an amorphous extraterrestrial body with an entitlement to norms that run counter to the fundamental principles of human rights. There is nothing in the criminal or civil law which legalizes that which is otherwise illegal simply because the transaction takes place over the Internet." Irish judge, Peter Charleton
Awesome story, Bill!
Hopefully, a once in a lifetime event.
Thanks for sharing it.
As part of this exercise, we compared singing with both phones on, one phone on and each way both with and without the vocal mike in the cans. To my surprise the pitch was best by far with both phones on and no vocal mike in the phones! These were beginners with no preconceived notions about how vocal recording should be done.
That is very interesting, I'm going to try that one. There's two things I do all the time that seem to help singers. First, I never put any reverb or delay into the cans. For some reason, reverb always seem to skew their sense of pitch. Second, when doing harmony/background parts, I never play any of the other vocal tracks in the cans, just the one they are singing at the moment. Sometimes the rhythm is a little out, but the pitch is dramatically better. Like Terry said, these are things most people probably do anyway...I'm just throwing them out there just in case someone has never tried it.
One question I have for Terry, you mention slightly overdriving each piece of gear in the vocal chain. Do you do this often? I've always liked that type of distortion Lenny uses on his vocals, Like in the PreChorus for "Live" and to a lesser extent the sound of the vocals on "Can we find a reason". I've never been able to fully get that same sounding distortion and had always wondered how it was achieved. Every time I overdrive a preamp it sounds too harsh. I have a Manley, an Avalon and a Neve 1073 reissue that I use a lot for vocals. But I've never been able to get that pleasing yet subtle distortion. I've tried putting a tape delay on the vocal to see if that, in conjunction with the distortion from the preamp, would get the sound but it hasn't worked for me. Do you think very lightly overdriving each piece of gear in the chain is the key?
And by the way, while I'm here posting...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A GUEST MODERATOR!!!! I must say, I find myself sitting infront of the computer, waiting anxiously for your replies to all the questions being asked in this forum. Thanks again for all the time and expertise you've shared with all of us.
"I always say I can teach anyone HOW to get a great snare sound, I just can't teach WHAT a great snare sound is." -Dave Pensado
Etch-A-Sketch wrote on Fri, 11 February 2005 21:30
First, I never put any reverb or delay into the cans. For some reason, reverb always seem to skew their sense of pitch......
..... I've never been able to fully get that same sounding distortion and had always wondered how it was achieved. Every time I overdrive a preamp it sounds too harsh. I have a Manley, an Avalon and a Neve 1073 reissue that I use a lot for vocals. But I've never been able to get that pleasing yet subtle distortion. I've tried putting a tape delay on the vocal to see if that, in conjunction with the distortion from the preamp, would get the sound but it hasn't worked for me. Do you think very lightly overdriving each piece of gear in the chain is the key?
Thanks for the kind words Derek.
I agree about the 'verb in the cans, but every time I try, the artst always asks immediately for reverb. I try to explain, but usually there is no point in arguing with them. I just try to put it in, then back it out slowly once they're used to it (please don't tell them this, I'll never get away with it again!)
The only pre I have found that does the vocal distortion I like is the API 512 (at least of the ones I have, or have tried). I always said I would never give away any 'trade secrets,' but anyway, if I want max voc overdrive, I will run the mic into the first API pre, then actually go line-out into mic-in of a second one, which sends it into orbit (be careful!), then do the overdriving slightly of each subsequent piece as mentioned before.
But if course this is only a rare thing when needed for effect; most of my vocal recording is totally normal!
Lee Flier
compasspnt wrote on Fri, 11 February 2005 22:23
LOL... I often have the same experience. But then too there are some singers who DO have better pitch with a bit of verb because they can tell if they're off pitch with the verb tail. I put a goodly amount of predelay on the verb and if they're singing right on with it, they know. And if they can't, they can tell that too. It's the really "washy" reverb - long tail and little predelay - that seems to throw them off. A little bit of plate or room verb with a lot of predelay makes them happy AND helps with the pitch, at least in my experience.
FWIW, I recorded a number of metal singers in the 80's who sang without any of their voice in the cans as Bob described. Mind you these guys were LOUD singers, and not hearing themselves in the cans would force them to sing stronger and louder and push their voices more - which they liked. Singers who like to hear a lot of nuance, wouldn't like it I suppose.
Awesome stories once again Terry!
http://www.what-the.com
http://www.myspace.com/whattherock
Radio KIRA
http://www.radiokira.com


TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia's new government led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili plans to cut President Mikheil Saakashvili's budget next year.
"The president spends 800,000 lari ($482,000) every year only on electricity bills, and the state budget will not include this spending any more," Ivanishvili said Friday, adding that the president could move from his administration building and take a floor at the state chancellery, where the government works.
The government also plans to scrap the president's plane, which he uses for official visits and trips.
Ivanishvili, who has promised to try to ease tensions with Russia, also said Friday that his government would work to get Georgian exports to the Russian market.


text:
Posted · April 12, 2018 1:00 PM
Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins plans 3rd campaign in governor's race
CNY Central (CBS, CS, NBC - Syracuse), April 12, 2018
Howie Hawkins / file photo
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Howie Hawkins, a two-time Green Party candidate for New York governor who finished third in the 2014 election, plans to announce that he's again seeking the party's nomination to run in the November election.
The 65-year-old retired Teamster from Syracuse plans to launch his campaign Thursday at a news conference in Albany.
Hawkins was the Green Party candidate for governor in 2010 and 2014, when he garnered more than 184,000 votes to finish third behind incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and then-Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican. Hawkins received nearly 60,000 votes in the 2010 race won by Cuomo.
Hawkins' strong showing in 2014 moved the Green Party up to the fourth line among ballot-qualified parties.
Posted · April 12, 2018 8:00 AM
Syracuse's Howie Hawkins jumps into NY governor's race
Syracuse Post-Standard, April 12, 2018
Howie Hawkins of Syracuse will seek the Green Party nomination in the New York governor's race and a chance to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the November election.
Syracuse political activist Howie Hawkins plans to launch his campaign for governor today, seeking the Green Party's nomination to take on Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November.
For Hawkins, 65, it will be his 22nd campaign for public office and his third consecutive bid for governor against Cuomo. Hawkins said last month that he was assembling a campaign team and would likely enter the governor's race to promote the Green Party's agenda.
In an interview Wednesday night, Hawkins said he plans to campaign as an "eco-socialist" and tout reforms that include a single-payer healthcare system, a ban on new fossil fuel plants and pipelines, and a switch to 100 percent clean, renewable energy within 15 years.
Hawkins said he also wants to promote public financing of political campaigns to curb corruption in Albany.
In the 2014 election, Hawkins received 184,419 votes, or about 5 percent of the statewide vote for governor. His vote total pushed the Green Party onto the fourth line of the New York ballot this year, surpassing the Independence and Working Families parties.
The Rojava Revolution and the Battle Against ISIS
Love and Rage: April 7, 2018
This event will consist of a panel discussion including cofounder of the US Green Party Howie Hawkins, Rochester community organizer and Kurdistan solidarity activist Cresczenzo Scipione, IWW Organizer and Adjunct Professor of History Brendan Dunn, a veteran of the YPJ militia who volunteered to fight in the revolution, and a Kurdish refugee.
Posted · March 28, 2018 10:18 PM
Howie Hawkins: The Art of Defeat
The Alt (Albany), March 28, 2017
A popular quote states that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. Howie Hawkins, Green Party Gubernatorial candidate, is set to mount his third challenge to incumbent Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The average voter, if aware of Hawkins' bid at all, probably regards his previous two bids as failures.
Hawkins lost both general-election contests by huge margins. Hawkins, however, believes his two gubernatorial bids paid off in spades. Hawkins crossed the 50,000 vote threshold in both elections, guaranteeing the Green Party automatic ballot status in the next election cycle.
Hawkins believes that campaigning on major progressive issues like the $15 minimum wage, a ban on hydraulic fracturing and free college tuition forced Cuomo to the left in search of larger vote margins to tout to boost his rumored presidential bid.
"Our plan is to get on the ballot line, and leverage our performance to secure real reforms," said Hawkins in a recent phone interview. Under Hawkins, the Green Party outperformed the Working Families Party and the Independence Party on the gubernatorial ballot in 2014. This won the group a higher spot on the ballot line.
It isn't insanity to do something over and over if it gets you exactly what you want.
Howie Hawkins to officially launch 3rd bid for governor
Daily Orange (Syracuse University), March 27, 2018
"We want to leverage reforms because Gov. Cuomo can't take progressive votes for granted. We got five percent in 2014," Hawkins said. "Cuomo has to compete for progressive votes and as a result he's moved our way on over a dozen issues."
Capital Pressroom Interview
Capitol Pressroom, March 22, 2018
In 2014, Howie Hawkins received the most votes ever for a Green Party gubernatorial candidate in New York. Now, he joined Susan to discuss the issues impacting New York State as he weighs a third consecutive run for the Governor's office.
Howie Hawkins Welcomes Cynthia Nixon to the Race for Governor
Urban CNY, March 21, 2018
Howie Hawkins, the Green Party's 2014 gubernatorial candidate who is contemplating another run in 2018, welcomed Cynthia Nixon's declaration of her candidacy with the following statement:
I welcome Cynthia Nixon's entrance into the gubernatorial race. Her candidacy should open up debate on issues New York must address, starting with the need to finally fully and equitably fund all public schools.
Howie Hawkins
I hope her candidacy will provoke more action in Albany during this legislative session around funding mass transit, public campaign finance, ethics reform, single payer health care, and clean energy.
I would be happy to host a public forum with Cynthia Nixon in my home city of Syracuse for a wide-ranging discussion of the issues.
Here's exactly how much trouble Cynthia Nixon can cause for Andrew Cuomo
CNN, March 21, 2018
In term two, Cuomo made peace with the state's major public employees unions and the New York State United Teachers union. He banned fracking soon after his re-election, winning him praise from environmental groups. He won the passage of an increase in the state's minimum wage, which will phase in to $15 in the New York City area in the coming years. The $15 minimum wage policy was actually on the platform of the Green Party candidate, Howie Hawkins, in 2014. The $15 minimum wage went from the Green Party to state law in two years.
Green candidate Howie Hawkins plans on third run for Governor
WSYR-TV Syracuse (ABC), March 20, 2018
Hawkins has run for governor two times before, in 2010 and 2014, being beaten by Governor Andrew Cuomo twice.
Hawkins says the Green positions have forced Cuomo to move toward their position on several issues including tuition-free college and the minimum wage.
Green Party's Hawkins Wants A Forum With Nixon
NY State of Politics, March 20, 2018
Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins in a statement Tuesday welcomed Cynthia Nixon to the race for governor, saying her run could help spur needed debates on issues.
"I welcome Cynthia Nixon's entrance into the gubernatorial race. Her candidacy should open up debate on issues New York must address, starting with the need to finally fully and equitably fund all public schools," Hawkins said. "I hope her candidacy will provoke more action in Albany during this legislative session around funding mass transit, public campaign finance, ethics reform, single payer health care, and clean energy."
Hawkins is making his third bid for governor this year. In 2014, Hawkins pushed for a $15 minimum wage and supported a ban on hydrofracking. Both became policies adopted by Cuomo after he won a second term.
Hawkins wants to work with Nixon, or at least appear with her upstate for a forum to discuss issues in the election, he said.
"I would be happy to host a public forum with Cynthia Nixon in my home city of Syracuse for a wide-ranging discussion of the issues," he said.


Social media is becoming an integral part of our business communications today. Using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn enhances your interaction with customers, suppliers and between the members of your team.
It is possible to use these platforms to you advantage but there are some pitfalls to remember when embracing this form of communication.
While initially launched for social interaction, Facebook is now a key component of your business success. Providing an easy-to-use, accessible space for discussions, negotiations, sharing files, making comments and undertaking research, Facebook can become your business communication hub.
An excellent example of the opportunity provided by this platform is the Australian company, RB Bell. The company began as a micro home-based business and is now selling their innovative bike bell internationally – by using simple communication on Facebook.
Facebook revolutionised the way we use communication. Most people join under a personal profile and this becomes part of their personal brand. However many users are now seeing this platform as a way to combine their personal and professional life. It is crucial to remember how your personal brand can impact your business environment.
Be sure to set a Social Media Policy for all your team members outlining their expected online behaviour while representing the company. You might stipulate that during working hours, Facebook is for business usage only, with lunchtime and after hours for personal usage. You may also need to set down guidelines for the kind of communication between members inside and outside the workplace.
People find professional leads, share ideas, and pick up business opportunities through LinkedIn. You can choose to create "Invite only", closed, or open groups to tailor to specific needs. You can keep tabs on the professional careers of people you have met, say fellow school graduates. This offers the potential to generate business opportunities with professionals you know and respect. This method of contact works. I know one business that doesn't use anything but LinkedIn for their communication and they generate 60% of their business through the platform.
LinkedIn is also excellent for getting through gatekeepers who can sometimes stand in the way of small business connecting to decision-makers. You can access names and information about professionals through their LinkedIn profile. You then know who to call within the company and you know something about them to help generate conversation once you connect.
Gain access by sending a message to someone connected to you. You can use LinkedIn to see who is an employee of a company you want to connect with. See how they are connected to you, make contact and ask for an introduction.
Being connected via multiple media platforms helps when things don't go as planned. One web designer I know uses a hosting from the USA. When the server went down the designer's website and emails went down as well. By communicating through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the hosting company kept in contact with him and other customers. It only took around six hours to get the server up again and the company was able to keep in touch with clients the whole time.
You communications can be customised to your customers' interests and allow them to give feedback about what they want, and what they like. They can also give you feedback on what they don't like.
This feedback is valuable. Don't miss your opportunity to interact with your customers and respond to their comments. This is especially true if you ignore their views when they tell you what they don't like. A classic example is the Nestlé group who ignored comments on Facebook created by Green Peace members who were unhappy with the impact of the company's production methods on the orang-utans' habitat. Nestlé chose to ignore the comments then started deleting them. The backlash was harsh! The Green Peace members started posting even more and produced a damning video.
Some small businesses avoid using social media because they think it will take up too much of their time. This is only a problem if they fail to plan their promotions. By planning your communications and automating their delivery, you reduce the time needed to set them up; stay connected with your customers; and maintain consistency in your message. It is far more cost effective than doing it in a stop/start fashion.
If you expect others to read what you have to say, make sure you show the same level of respect when someone comments on a post. Plan to spend half an hour per day to look at comments and engage in communication with these people. You will soon see the value in social media communication and reap the benefits through expansion in your business.


text:
class Hunspell;

namespace spellchecker {

class HunspellSpellchecker : public SpellcheckerImplementation {
public:
  HunspellSpellchecker();
  ~HunspellSpellchecker();

  bool SetDictionary(const std::string& language, const std::string& path);
  std::vector<std::string> GetAvailableDictionaries(const std::string& path);
  std::vector<std::string> GetCorrectionsForMisspelling(const std::string& word);
  bool IsMisspelled(const std::string& word);
  std::vector<MisspelledRange> CheckSpelling(const uint16_t *text, size_t length);
  void Add(const std::string& word);
  void Remove(const std::string& word);

private:
  Hunspell* hunspell;
  Transcoder *transcoder;
  Transcoder *toDictionaryTranscoder;
  Transcoder *fromDictionaryTranscoder;
};

}  // namespace spellchecker

#endif  // SRC_SPELLCHECKER_HUNSPELL_H_


text:
"""Implements loss functions for dual encoder training with a cache."""

import abc
import collections
from typing import Callable, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional, Tuple

import tensorflow.compat.v2 as tf

from negative_cache import negative_cache
from negative_cache import retrieval_fns
from negative_cache import util

CacheLossReturn = collections.namedtuple('CacheLossReturn', [
    'training_loss',
    'interpretable_loss',
    'updated_item_data',
    'updated_item_indices',
    'updated_item_mask',
    'staleness',
])

class CacheLoss(object, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):

  @abc.abstractmethod
  def __call__(
      self, doc_network,
      query_embeddings, pos_doc_embeddings,
      cache):
    pass

_RetrievalReturn = collections.namedtuple('_RetrievalReturn', [
    'retrieved_data', 'scores', 'retrieved_indices',
    'retrieved_cache_embeddings'
])

def _score_documents(query_embeddings,
                     doc_embeddings,
                     score_transform = None,
                     all_pairs = False):
  """Calculates the dot product of query, document embedding pairs."""
  if all_pairs:
    scores = tf.matmul(query_embeddings, doc_embeddings, transpose_b=True)
  else:
    scores = tf.reduce_sum(query_embeddings * doc_embeddings, axis=1)
  if score_transform is not None:
    scores = score_transform(scores)
  return scores

def _batch_concat_with_no_op(tensors):
  """If there is only one tensor to concatenate, this is a no-op."""
  if len(tensors) == 1:
    return tensors[0]
  else:
    return tf.concat(tensors, axis=0)

def _retrieve_from_caches(query_embeddings,
                          cache,
                          retrieval_fn,
                          embedding_key,
                          data_keys,
                          sorted_data_sources,
                          score_transform=None,
                          top_k = None):
  """Retrieve elements from a cache with the given retrieval function."""
  all_embeddings = _batch_concat_with_no_op([
      cache[data_source].data[embedding_key]
      for data_source in sorted_data_sources
  ])
  all_data = {}
  for key in data_keys:
    all_data[key] = _batch_concat_with_no_op(
        [cache[data_source].data[key] for data_source in sorted_data_sources])
  scores = _score_documents(
      query_embeddings,
      all_embeddings,
      score_transform=score_transform,
      all_pairs=True)
  if top_k:
    scores, top_k_indices = util.approximate_top_k_with_indices(scores, top_k)
    top_k_indices = tf.cast(top_k_indices, dtype=tf.int64)
    retrieved_indices = retrieval_fn(scores)
    batch_index = tf.expand_dims(
        tf.range(tf.shape(retrieved_indices)[0], dtype=tf.int64), axis=1)
    retrieved_indices_with_batch_index = tf.concat(
        [batch_index, retrieved_indices], axis=1)
    retrieved_indices = tf.gather_nd(top_k_indices,
                                     retrieved_indices_with_batch_index)
    retrieved_indices = tf.expand_dims(retrieved_indices, axis=1)
  else:
    retrieved_indices = retrieval_fn(scores)
  retrieved_indices = tf.stop_gradient(retrieved_indices)
  retrieved_data = {
      k: tf.gather_nd(v, retrieved_indices) for k, v in all_data.items()
  }
  retrieved_cache_embeddings = tf.gather_nd(all_embeddings, retrieved_indices)
  return _RetrievalReturn(retrieved_data, scores, retrieved_indices,
                          retrieved_cache_embeddings)

def _get_data_sorce_start_position_and_cache_sizes(
    cache, embedding_key,
    sorted_data_sources
):
  """Gets the first index and size per data sources in the concatenated data."""
  curr_position = tf.constant(0, dtype=tf.int64)
  start_positions = {}
  cache_sizes = {}
  for data_source in sorted_data_sources:
    start_positions[data_source] = curr_position
    cache_sizes[data_source] = tf.shape(
        cache[data_source].data[embedding_key], out_type=tf.int64)[0]
    curr_position = curr_position + cache_sizes[data_source]
  return start_positions, cache_sizes

def _get_retrieved_embedding_updates(
    cache, embedding_key,
    sorted_data_sources, retrieved_indices,
    retrieved_embeddings
):
  """Gets the updates for the retrieved data."""
  updated_item_indices = {}
  updated_item_data = {}
  updated_item_mask = {}
  start_positions, cache_sizes = _get_data_sorce_start_position_and_cache_sizes(
      cache, embedding_key, sorted_data_sources)
  for data_source in sorted_data_sources:
    updated_item_indices[
        data_source] = retrieved_indices - start_positions[data_source]
    updated_item_data[data_source] = {embedding_key: retrieved_embeddings}
    updated_item_mask[data_source] = (
        retrieved_indices >= start_positions[data_source]) & (
            retrieved_indices <
            start_positions[data_source] + cache_sizes[data_source])
    updated_item_indices[data_source] = tf.squeeze(
        updated_item_indices[data_source], axis=1)
    updated_item_mask[data_source] = tf.squeeze(
        updated_item_mask[data_source], axis=1)
  return updated_item_data, updated_item_indices, updated_item_mask

def _get_staleness(cache_embeddings,
                   updated_embeddings):
  error = cache_embeddings - updated_embeddings
  mse = tf.reduce_sum(error**2, axis=1)
  normalized_mse = mse / tf.reduce_sum(updated_embeddings**2, axis=1)
  return normalized_mse

_LossCalculationReturn = collections.namedtuple('_LossCalculationReturn', [
    'training_loss', 'interpretable_loss', 'staleness', 'retrieval_return',
    'retrieved_negative_embeddings'
])

class AbstractCacheClassificationLoss(CacheLoss, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
  """Abstract method for cache classification losses.

  Inherit from this object and override `_retrieve_from_cache` and
  `_score_documents` to implement a cache classification loss based on the
  specified retrieval and scoring approaches.
  """

  @abc.abstractmethod
  def _retrieve_from_cache(self, query_embeddings, cache):
    pass

  @abc.abstractmethod
  def _score_documents(self, query_embeddings, doc_embeddings):
    pass

  def _calculate_training_loss_and_summaries(
      self,
      doc_network,
      query_embeddings,
      pos_doc_embeddings,
      cache,
      reducer=tf.math.reduce_mean):
    """Calculates the cache classification loss and associated summaries."""
    positive_scores = self._score_documents(query_embeddings,
                                            pos_doc_embeddings)
    retrieval_return = self._retrieve_from_cache(query_embeddings, cache)
    retrieved_negative_embeddings = doc_network(retrieval_return.retrieved_data)
    retrieved_negative_scores = self._score_documents(
        query_embeddings, retrieved_negative_embeddings)
    cache_and_pos_scores = tf.concat(
        [tf.expand_dims(positive_scores, axis=1), retrieval_return.scores],
        axis=1)
    prob_pos = tf.nn.softmax(cache_and_pos_scores, axis=1)[:, 0]
    prob_pos = tf.stop_gradient(prob_pos)
    training_loss = (1.0 - prob_pos) * (
        retrieved_negative_scores - positive_scores)
    interpretable_loss = -tf.math.log(prob_pos)
    staleness = _get_staleness(retrieval_return.retrieved_cache_embeddings,
                               retrieved_negative_embeddings)
    if reducer is not None:
      training_loss = reducer(training_loss)
      interpretable_loss = reducer(interpretable_loss)
      staleness = reducer(staleness)
    return _LossCalculationReturn(
        training_loss=training_loss,
        interpretable_loss=interpretable_loss,
        staleness=staleness,
        retrieval_return=retrieval_return,
        retrieved_negative_embeddings=retrieved_negative_embeddings)

class CacheClassificationLoss(AbstractCacheClassificationLoss):
  """Implements an efficient way to train with a cache classification loss.

  The cache classification loss is the negative log probability of the positive
  document when the distribution is the softmax of all documents. This object
  allows calculating:
    (1) An efficient stochastic loss function whose gradient is approximately
        the same as the cache classification loss in expectation. This gradient
        can be calculated by feeding only O(batch_size) documents through the
        document network, rather than O(cache_size) for the standard
        implementation.
    (2) An approximation of the value cache classification loss using the cached
        embeddings. The loss described above is not interpretable. This loss is
        a direct approximation of the cache classification loss, however we
        cannot calculate a gradient of this loss.

  Calling the CacheClassificationLoss return a CacheLossReturn object, which
  has the following fields:
    training_loss: Use this to calculate gradients.
    interpretable_loss: An interpretable number for the CacheClassificationLoss
        to use as a Tensorboard summary.
    updated_item_data, updated_item_indices, updated_item_mask: Use these in
        the negative cache updates. These describe the cache elements that were
        retrieved and current embedding calculated.
    staleness: This is the square error between the retrieved cache embeddings
        and the retrieved embeddings as defined by the current state of the
        model. Create a summary of this value as a proxy for the error due to
        cache staleness.
  """

  def __init__(self,
               embedding_key,
               data_keys,
               score_transform = None,
               top_k = None,
               reducer = tf.math.reduce_mean):
    """Initializes the CacheClassificationLoss object.

    Args:
      embedding_key: The key containing the embedding in the cache.
      data_keys: The keys containing the document data in the cache.
      score_transform: Scores are transformed by this function before use.
        Specifically we have scores(i, j) = score_transform(dot(query_embed_i,
        doc_embed_j))
      top_k: If set, the top k scoring negative elements will be mined and the
        rest of the elements masked before calculating the loss.
      reducer: Function that reduces the losses to a single scaler. If None,
        then the elementwise losses are returned.
    """
    self.embedding_key = embedding_key
    self.data_keys = data_keys
    self.score_transform = score_transform
    self.top_k = top_k
    self.reducer = reducer
    self._retrieval_fn = retrieval_fns.GumbelMaxRetrievalFn()

  def _retrieve_from_cache(
      self, query_embeddings,
      cache):
    sorted_data_sources = sorted(cache.keys())
    return _retrieve_from_caches(query_embeddings, cache, self._retrieval_fn,
                                 self.embedding_key, self.data_keys,
                                 sorted_data_sources, self.score_transform,
                                 self.top_k)

  def _score_documents(self, query_embeddings,
                       doc_embeddings):
    return _score_documents(
        query_embeddings, doc_embeddings, score_transform=self.score_transform)

  def __call__(
      self, doc_network,
      query_embeddings, pos_doc_embeddings,
      cache):
    """Calculates the cache classification losses.

    Args:
      doc_network: The network that embeds the document data.
      query_embeddings: Embeddings for the queries.
      pos_doc_embeddings: Embeddings for the documents that are positive for the
        given queries.
      cache: The cache of document data and embeddings.

    Returns:
      A CacheLossReturn object with the training loss, interpretable loss, and
      data needed to update the cache element embeddings that were retrieved and
      recalculated.
    """
    loss_calculation_return = self._calculate_training_loss_and_summaries(
        doc_network, query_embeddings, pos_doc_embeddings, cache, self.reducer)
    training_loss = loss_calculation_return.training_loss
    interpretable_loss = loss_calculation_return.interpretable_loss
    staleness = loss_calculation_return.staleness
    retrieval_return = loss_calculation_return.retrieval_return
    retrieved_negative_embeddings = loss_calculation_return.retrieved_negative_embeddings
    sorted_data_sources = sorted(cache.keys())
    updated_item_data, updated_item_indices, updated_item_mask = _get_retrieved_embedding_updates(
        cache, self.embedding_key, sorted_data_sources,
        retrieval_return.retrieved_indices, retrieved_negative_embeddings)
    return CacheLossReturn(
        training_loss=training_loss,
        interpretable_loss=interpretable_loss,
        updated_item_data=updated_item_data,
        updated_item_indices=updated_item_indices,
        updated_item_mask=updated_item_mask,
        staleness=staleness)

def _get_local_elements_global_data(all_elements_local_data, num_replicas):
  all_elements_local_data = tf.expand_dims(all_elements_local_data, axis=1)
  return tf.raw_ops.AllToAll(
      input=all_elements_local_data,
      group_assignment=[list(range(num_replicas))],
      concat_dimension=1,
      split_dimension=0,
      split_count=num_replicas)

class DistributedCacheClassificationLoss(AbstractCacheClassificationLoss):
  """Implements a cache classification loss with a sharded cache.

  This object implements a cache classification loss when the cache is sharded
  onto multiple replicas. This code calculates the loss treating the sharded
  cache as one unit, so all queries are affected by all cache elements in every
  replica.

  Currently, the updated_item_* fields (i.e., the embedding updates for items
  already in the cache) in the CacheLossReturn are empty. This does not affect
  new items introduced to the cache.
  """

  def __init__(self,
               embedding_key,
               data_keys,
               score_transform = None,
               top_k = None,
               reducer = tf.math.reduce_mean):
    self.embedding_key = embedding_key
    self.data_keys = data_keys
    self.score_transform = score_transform
    self.top_k = top_k
    self.reducer = reducer
    self._retrieval_fn = retrieval_fns.GumbelMaxRetrievalFn()

  def _score_documents(self, query_embeddings,
                       doc_embeddings):
    return _score_documents(
        query_embeddings, doc_embeddings, score_transform=self.score_transform)

  def _retrieve_from_cache(
      self, query_embeddings,
      cache):
    sorted_data_sources = sorted(cache.keys())
    all_query_embeddings = util.cross_replica_concat(query_embeddings, axis=0)
    num_replicas = tf.distribute.get_replica_context().num_replicas_in_sync
    # Performs approximate top k across replicas.
    if self.top_k:
      top_k_per_replica = self.top_k // num_replicas
    else:
      top_k_per_replica = self.top_k
    retrieval_return = _retrieve_from_caches(all_query_embeddings, cache,
                                             self._retrieval_fn,
                                             self.embedding_key, self.data_keys,
                                             sorted_data_sources,
                                             self.score_transform,
                                             top_k_per_replica)
    # We transfer all queries to all replica and retrieve from every shard.
    all_queries_local_weight = tf.math.reduce_logsumexp(
        retrieval_return.scores, axis=1)
    local_queries_global_weights = _get_local_elements_global_data(
        all_queries_local_weight, num_replicas)
    local_queries_all_retrieved_data = {}
    for key in retrieval_return.retrieved_data:
      local_queries_all_retrieved_data[key] = _get_local_elements_global_data(
          retrieval_return.retrieved_data[key], num_replicas)
    local_queries_all_retrieved_embeddings = _get_local_elements_global_data(
        retrieval_return.retrieved_cache_embeddings, num_replicas)
    # We then sample a shard index proportional to its total weight.
    # This allows us to do Gumbel-Max sampling without modifying APIs.
    selected_replica = self._retrieval_fn(local_queries_global_weights)
    selected_replica = tf.stop_gradient(selected_replica)
    num_elements = tf.shape(selected_replica)[0]
    batch_indices = tf.range(num_elements)
    batch_indices = tf.cast(batch_indices, tf.int64)
    batch_indices = tf.expand_dims(batch_indices, axis=1)
    selected_replica_with_batch = tf.concat([batch_indices, selected_replica],
                                            axis=1)
    retrieved_data = {
        k: tf.gather_nd(v, selected_replica_with_batch)
        for k, v in local_queries_all_retrieved_data.items()
    }
    retrieved_cache_embeddings = tf.gather_nd(
        local_queries_all_retrieved_embeddings, selected_replica_with_batch)
    return _RetrievalReturn(
        retrieved_data=retrieved_data,
        scores=local_queries_global_weights,
        retrieved_indices=None,
        retrieved_cache_embeddings=retrieved_cache_embeddings)

  def __call__(
      self, doc_network,
      query_embeddings, pos_doc_embeddings,
      cache):
    loss_calculation_return = self._calculate_training_loss_and_summaries(
        doc_network, query_embeddings, pos_doc_embeddings, cache, self.reducer)
    training_loss = loss_calculation_return.training_loss
    interpretable_loss = loss_calculation_return.interpretable_loss
    staleness = loss_calculation_return.staleness
    return CacheLossReturn(
        training_loss=training_loss,
        interpretable_loss=interpretable_loss,
        updated_item_data={k: None for k in cache},
        updated_item_indices={k: None for k in cache},
        updated_item_mask={k: None for k in cache},
        staleness=staleness)


The StuffAlert website is designed to be viewed on a Personal Computer (PC) using compatible internet web browsers. We have tested the website on Apple iPad (Safari web browser) and the website functions correctly within this environment.
There are plans to make a mobile version of StuffAlert available that would allow you to access and use the StuffAlert search and alert creation processes easily from a Smartphone (Apple, Android or Blackberry).
It is possible today to access the StuffAlert website using a Smart Phone/web browser. However, it is not optimised for this technology and viewing and using the website in this way may not be optimal.


The back-lighted glass shelves give a hint of light, in perfect equilibrium with the style of the collection. All materials are carefully selected to ensure the best quality. The generous thickness enhances the prominence of the elements.
The upholstered headboard gives sophistication to the sleeping room. The hidden storage is conceived to grant excellent handiness and comfort.
This platform bedroom set will create a visual fantasy in your bedroom using traditional shapes in the modern interpretation.
The standard set is composed of a platform bed, two nightstands, dresser and a mirror. The optional vanity dresser, chest and ottoman can be added for your ultimate convenience.


text:
Tyršův sad je veřejný park v Brně, ve čtvrti Veveří. Nachází se mezi ulicemi Botanickou, Smetanovou, Kounicovou a Sokolskou, jeho rozloha činí 1,7 ha. Je spravován městskou příspěvkovou organizací Veřejná zeleň města Brna. Park je chráněn jako kulturní památka České republiky.

Historie

Hřbitov
V roce 1785 byl v místech dnešního Tyršova parku, severně od tehdejšího Brna, zřízen městský hřbitov, který byl prvním brněnským hřbitovem založeným mimo vlastní město po zákazu Josefa II. pohřbívat mrtvé v intravilánu obcí. Celkem čtyřikrát byl rozšířen, při svém největším rozsahu zabíral území mezi dnešními ulicemi Antonínskou a Sušilovou. Od poloviny 19. století však bylo uvažováno o založení nového hřbitova, k čemuž došlo v roce 1883, kdy byl zprovozněn Ústřední hřbitov jižně od Brna, kam byly postupně přeneseny významné osobnosti. Poslední pohřeb na městském hřbitově se konal 30. října 1883.

Park
Od konce 19. století bylo území původního městského hřbitova zastavováno. Zachován byl prostor u křižovatek dnešních ulic Botanické a Smetanovy, který byl mezi lety 1908 a 1912 parkově upraven. Za první republiky získal park název Tyršův sad, který odkazuje na sousední sokolský areál v Kounicově ulici, resp. zakladatele Sokola Miroslava Tyrše. V parku zůstal centrální litinový kříž z roku 1847 a v roce 1969 zde byl realizován pomník francouzského generála Jean-Marie Valhuberta, který byl smrtelně zraněn v bitvě u Slavkova v roce 1805 a který byl na městském hřbitově pohřben.

Ještě před vznikem parku zde byla zřízena malá školní botanická zahrada (zrušena 1922 po zřízení botanické zahrady v nedalekém areálu Přírodovědecké fakulty Masarykovy univerzity), v roce 1937 začala v Tyršově sadu fungovat malá zoo (zrušena 1947).

Park byl v 90. letech 20. století zrekonstruován podle projektu architekta Ivara Otruby, úpravy byly dokončeny v roce 2000.

Od roku 2008 zde sídlí městská příspěvková organizace Veřejná zeleň města Brna, která Tyršův sad společně s dalšími městskými parky spravuje.

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy

 Tyršův sad, vzmb.cz

Veveří
Parky v Brně
Zaniklé hřbitovy v Brně
Kulturní památky v Brně
Postaveno 1785
Zaniklo 1883
Veřejná prostranství nazvaná po osobách
Miroslav Tyrš


text:
SpaceX Launches Satellites, Narrowly Misses Rocket Landing at Sea
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS 2A communications satellites to orbit.
(Image: © SpaceX)
SpaceX successfully launched two satellites to orbit today (June 15) but couldn't quite pull off its fourth consecutive rocket landing at sea in the process.
The first stage of the California-based company's Falcon 9 rocket managed to hit its target — a robotic "droneship" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the Florida coast — but wasn't able to stick the landing.
"Ascent phase & satellites look good, but booster rocket had a RUD on droneship," SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said via Twitter during the liftoff. ("RUD" is Muskspeak for "rapid unscheduled disassembly.") [Photos: SpaceX Launches Satellites, Tries Rocket Landing]
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT). About 2.5 minutes later, the booster's two stages separated; the upper stage continued carrying the Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A commercial communications satellites to a distant geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), while the first stage turned around and headed back to Earth.
The Falcon 9 first stage comes down on the deck of a robotic "droneship" in a cloud of smoke on June 15, 2016. The landing was not successful, SpaceX representatives said. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Then, less than nine minutes after launch, the first stage descended onto the deck of "Of Course I Still Love You," one of SpaceX's two autonomous, ocean-going landing platforms. SpaceX's live video feed cut out during the landing attempt, so it's unclear exactly what happened. But Musk soon confirmed that the booster didn't survive the touchdown try.
SpaceX representatives had cautioned before today's launch that the landing would be tough. Rockets toting satellites to GTO have to travel very fast, which means that the Falcon 9 first stage was subjected to very high temperatures and forces when it came back into Earth's atmosphere.
"Looks like thrust was low on 1 of 3 landing engines. High g landings v sensitive to all engines operating at max," Musk tweeted today.
"Upgrades underway to enable rocket to compensate for a thrust shortfall on one of the three landing engines. Probably get there end of year," he said in another tweet, adding that the droneship is OK and that video of the landing attempt will probably be available later today.
Landings during GTO missions, while difficult, are not impossible. SpaceX's two previous droneship rocket touchdowns — successes that occurred on May 6 and May 27 — also came during launches to the distant orbit.
The company also pulled off an ocean landing on April 8, but that one was a bit easier: The Falcon 9 blasted SpaceX's robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station, which orbits at an altitude of just 240 miles (385 kilometers). (GTO lies about 22,245 miles, or 35,800 km, from Earth.)
So today's RUD ends SpaceX's streak of successful ocean landings at three.
SpaceX also brought a Falcon 9 first stage back on land at Cape Canaveral in December, during the launch of 11 satellites for customer Orbcomm.
These touchdowns, and the failed attempts as well, are part of the company's effort to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets, a breakthrough that Musk has said would cut the cost of spaceflight dramatically.
Indeed, SpaceX aims to refly the booster that landed on April 8 as early as this fall, Musk has said. (The rocket that came down in December will go on display at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, while the Falcon 9 that touched down on May 6 will be used as a testbed to certify other rockets, SpaceX representatives have said; the fate of the May 27 vehicle is unclear.)
Ideally, SpaceX would prefer to land every rocket on terra firma, at or near the launch site; doing so would speed up the inspection and reflight processes. But some missions require so much fuel that the booster can't make it all the way back, and must therefore come down on a droneship.
The Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A satellites will be operated by the communications-services companies Eutelsat and ABS, respectively. Eutelsat 117 West B was successfully deployed today about 30 minutes after liftoff, while ABS-2A began flying freely 35 minutes after launch.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The quantum world may have a favorite flavor, tantalizing results suggest
Earth's oldest known impact crater may tell us a lot about our planet's frozen past