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BandiT setting tips
Settings Tips for your kSA BandiT System for easier thin-film temperature monitoring.
Last month saw a 1859 first edition of Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection auctioned for $500,075. Elsewhere, for a mere $2.3 million one could have procured a, somewhat larger, 150 million year old allosaurus skeleton.
Top unis
MIT, Stanford and Harvard top the QS World University Rankings 2020.
Become an astronaut
NASA has announced that it is opening up the international space station for private astronaut missions. Terms and conditions apply. Not cheap.
Wrist action
I don't recall that Navier, Stokes, Bernoulli or Reynolds ever wrote a recipe book or opened a creperie, but fluid dynamics has hit the kitchen. The surface kinematics of producing the perfect pancake has been examined using Monte Carlo methods and partial differential equations. Apparently success is associated with rotating and decreasing the pan's angle of inclination whilst adding the batter. Mine still stick to the pan.
Help find ET
Are we alone? After 3 years of searching the Breakthrough Listen project notes that "We found no evidence of artificial signals from beyond Earth, but this doesn't mean there isn't intelligent life out there: we may just not have looked in the right place yet, or peered deep enough to detect faint signals". In sharing its two recent papers and 1 PB of raw observational data the team is encouraging the astronomical community to look afresh with different tools and perspectives. Did they miss something?
Help #TeachTheReach
Over 500 people are injured every year in car-dooring collisions, and it can even be fatal. Yet 35% of drivers admit to not looking for cyclists before getting out of their car - which probably includes some of your friends and family. You can change that.
7th XPS Workshop, Versailles June 5-7, 2019
Cool LEDs
Running an LED in reverse could cool future computers.
Disruptiveness index
Small research teams 'disrupt' science more radically than large ones.
Costly subcontract issue
Expensive photoresist
Does counting sheep help you sleep?
Sheeplessness
Hangover analysis
Grape or grain
From cats to pigeons - a philosopher's journey
Schrodinger's pigeon
Almost nothing is new, in fact.
PVD Products, Inc. partnership with Northwestern University
Through extensive communication, PVD and Northwestern University have developed a custom system that allowed them to expand and improve their deposition applications.
k-Space Associates, Inc. narrows BandiT spectrum
The kSA BandiT is now available in a UV/VIS model! - contact us for more details.
Thermo Scientific correlates XPS and Raman
Correlative chemical & structural analysis of 2D materials is easy with the right tool like the Thermo Scientific™ Nexsa™ XPS System. Watch the webinar, it's around 10 minutes, so perfect for a coffee break!
LIGO to double
A $35M upgrade to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory will see a doubling of its sensitivity to gravitational waves.
Taiwan (21.8%) and S. Korea (21.3%) head the global IC wafer capacity in 2018 according to the Global Wafer Capacity 2019-2023 report.
Oppy dies on Mars
Rover over, One dead?
Last month NASA declared that after nearly 15 years of successfully trundling around Mars the exploration rover nicknamed "Oppy" had ceased to function. A far less auspicious Martian enterprise may also have come to an end with Mars One Ventures AG entering administration. The proposed reality TV funded project to send people to Mars may sadly linger on through a new investor.
Dangerous tools?
A paper at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting has questioned whether we are producing erroneous science by the use of machine learning algorithms. The concern being that these tools have been developed specifically to find interesting things in datasets and so when they search through huge amounts of data they will inevitably find a pattern. A lack of reproducibility in science may also be a result. Others suggest that it is not the tools but how they are used that produces problems.
Some people believe that the earth is flat, others that the Apollo moon landings were faked. The Flat Earth International Conference is being held in November. Two days with an exhibition! The conference website promotes a Flat Earth cruise in 2020, clearly unconcerned that for many years marine navigation has relied upon a more spherical model of the earth. Can we dismiss these people and ideas as irrelevant or are there wider lessons to be learnt that impact more serious issues? Bernstein's concept of an idiot culture maybe a bit harsh but too often scientific rationale is lost, and sometimes poorly communicated, in a plethora of opinions. Being right is not the same as being effective.
One ring to rule them all?
CERN has published, in four volumes, its ideas for a £20bn successor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), given the working name of Future Circular Collider. The circular tunnel would have a circumference of about 100 kilometres (62 miles), almost four times longer than the current LHC. Undoubtedly it would be a tool for progressing particle physics and our knowledge of matter and dark matter. However will politicians and those in other scientific areas think it precious?
Customer Application Spotlight: Driving adoption of unique MAPLE deposition techniques at Duke University.


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Home » News & Events » News » Mar 20 » British Cycling Launches it's First Ever Women and Girls' Club Toolkit
British Cycling Launches it's First Ever Women and Girls' Club Toolkit
Posted: Mon, 02 Mar 2020 14:00
The toolkit, which will be distributed to each and every one of British Cycling's 1845 affiliated clubs across the country, contains advice, tips and best-practice examples of making the cycling club environment as appealing as possible to prospective female members.
While huge strides have been made in encouraging more women into both competitive and recreational cycling, only 18% of overall affiliated club membership is currently female.
In launching the toolkit, British Cycling has highlighted the barriers which research shows still exist to female participation, and outlined ways in which clubs can overcome these and thus increase its female membership.
British Cycling's Head of Programme Design, Jill Puttnam explains:
"We know that there are huge, ever-growing numbers of women cycling, and playing active roles in the sport throughout the country. However, the figure that shows that only 18% of club members are female highlights that there is still work to do in ensuring that women see a cycling club as an environment that is suitable to them.
"We have launched this toolkit to work alongside clubs to help this to happen. Some clubs are doing fantastic work in recruiting more women and girls, but we know that others want to do more but lack the time and resource, which is where we hope this toolkit will help.
"There are clear and achievable steps which clubs can take, all of which are informed by research, which would make a real difference to both the levels of female participation and the health of individual clubs."
Since launching its Women's Strategy in 2013, British Cycling has made significant advancements in inspiring more women to get into cycling, as it strives to narrow the sport's gender gap. Further information is available here, while the toolkit is available to download here.
Tags: Cycling, Featured, News, Women's Sport

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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By Dennis Larson on Fri, 12 Jul 2019
Here are the four ebooks that you will find in Parrot Secrets and the essential Parrot knowledge you will find in each digital book. Book One : How to Get Your Parrot To Talk And Do Astonishing Tricks. Mute as a fish? Discover the best way to inspire your Parrot to talk more. How to use an under-estimated old powerful training technique that has just been rediscovered in the Parrot world. the Positive Reinforcement Technique. that will help you tremendously to teach your Parrot to say the funniest stuff in front of your friends and family, perhaps even within a few days or hours! Book Two : How To Get My Parrot To Love Me Some Basics To Start. Discover this expert bird training author's personal favorite solution on how to fix your Parrot's behavioral problems, that your Parrot will Love!. Lovingly Stop The Screaming! Watch the amount of light your Parrot gets. Exactly how many hours of sunlight should your Parrot get every day? Giving it more than the recommended number of hours of sunlight can make your Parrot start screaming! Right now, you could very well be unknowingly giving your Parrot much more sunlight than what it should be getting!. Does your Parrot scream? Or are you afraid that your Parrot might start screaming in the future? Find out more about a brilliant new technique to prevent your Parrot from screaming. You will also read about a real-life case study in which a bird that used to regularly scream upwards of 45 minutes at a stretch every day was trained to stop screaming altogether! How should you react to a screaming Parrot?. see the most common mistakes most Parrot owners make that only make this worse! Ook Three : A Happy Parrot Diet. A shiny, smart Parrot tip .How you can turn your Parrot into a glossy-looking, intelligent and bright bird just by modifying its diet. 11 secret psychological tricks (currently known only by the Top experts in this field) you can use to persuade and convince your Parrot to try a new and improved diet rich in nutrients even if your bird is extremely reluctant to shift to the new diet!. Too many seeds? What is the maximum percentage of your Parrot's diet that should be composed of seeds? If you exceed this percentage, it can have really harmful consequences for the health of your bird! Give 'em power veggies! What are the 2 vegetables that Must be included in your Parrot's diet? . Book Four : How To Choose Your First Parrot Wisely. The 5 different types of sellers where you can buy a Parrot. and how to choose which place is the best for You. Effective research tips. How to research before deciding on getting a Parrot. The 4 crucial store questions that you must ask any store from which you buy your Parrot . More here...
Unique Parrot Training Ebooks Summary
Author: Nathalie Roberts
Official Website: www.parrotsecrets.com
My Unique Parrot Training Ebooks Review
I've really worked on the chapters in this ebook and can only say that if you put in the time you will never revert back to your old methods.
My opinion on this e-book is, if you do not have this e-book in your collection, your collection is incomplete. I have no regrets for purchasing this.
The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots
Here's just a taste of what you'll discover. A complete guide to the parrot cage and how to easily maintain a healthy environment. The 5 things you must do before placing your parrot in his new home. What to feed your parrot and what not to give him! There is a ton of inaccurate info out there. I'll tell you the truth so you never have to wonder again! How to care for a single parrot and more than one! Why your parrot is squawking at you! You may be surprised to learn the answer to this. How to choose a healthy parrot from the store there are little known things to look for that the pet store owner's don't want you to know! The surefire signs of parrot illness that will tell you if your parrot needs medical attention. An entire chapter devoted to parrot illnesses and cures. Your parrot has the potential to completely recover from an illness, but it's not how you think. I'll show you the truth about curing your parrot. What species of parrots are more likely to learn to talk than others. A complete guide to all the accessories your parrot needs to be happy in his new home. A complete parrot first aid kit. This is an important one! The supplies in this kit just may save your parrots life! Where you should never place your parrot cage in your house. Put it here and it just might kill him! What to do if your parrot does get sick. There are several very important steps on caring for a sick parrot before you have the chance to take him to the vet. Just how many species you have to choose from in the parrot world. Probably a lot more than you think. The one location you should never place your parrots cage. Put his home here and youre nearly guaranteeing that hell develop emotional and physical problems. A crash course on parrot behavior. Knowing whats normal and healthy behavior and whats not! can help you provide the best possible care for your parrot. All about feeding your parrot, including tips on varying his diet to make sure his intestinal tract stays healthy. More here...
The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots Summary
Contents: Ebooks
Author: Michael Joseph
Official Website: www.learnaboutparrots.com
Psittaciformes Parrots
Sat, 21 Oct 2017	| Fossil Birds
Fossil Psittaciformes have been known for a long time from the Neogene of the Northern Hemisphere, and the specimens are morphologically very similar to extant parrots (Mhkovsky 1998b Mayr and G hlich 2004). Only in the last two decades, however, Paleogene stem group representatives were identified, all of which stem from European fossil sites. No representatives of crown group Psittaciformes are known from Paleogene fossil deposits. On the basis of a single humerus, Waterhouse et al. (2008) reported a presumptive psittaciform bird from the early Eocene of the Danish Fur Formation. This species, which was named Mopsitta tanta, is clearly distinguished from crown group Psittaciformes, which have a stouter humerus with a more elongated dorsal tubercle and ventral condyle (contra Waterhouse et al. 2008). Apart from vaguely similar overall proportions, which can be quite misleading in the case of Paleogene birds, I can see no reasons for an assignment of the Danish fossil to the...
Why life before dinosaurs
Last Updated on Thu, 04 Oct 2018	| Fossil Worms
In this book you'll discover some strange animals that lived in the sea half a billion years ago (one looked like a vacuum cleaner with teeth and five eyes). You'll find out about scorpion-like animals bigger than you, insects as big as parrots and spiders as big as cats (it's true ). You'll find out who, or what, your long-lost ancestors looked like, and whether we really did come from slime.
The Radiation Of Modern Birds
Last Updated on Fri, 15 Dec 2017	| Amphibians
What of the 100 or more records of Neornithes that have been reported from the Cretaceous It turns out that most of these supposed earliest representatives of flightless birds, ducks, flamingos, pelicans, loons, woodpeckers and the like have been rejected mainly because the specimens are too incomplete to show diagnostic characters or, in some cases, were wrongly dated. So far, all Cretaceous records of palaeognaths have proved to be unacceptable (Hope, 2002).Among neog-naths, Hope (2002) and Dyke and Van Tuinen (2004) recognize valid specimens of Anseriformes (ducks and geese), Gaviiformes (loons) and Pelecaniformes (pelicans), and are less certain of possible representatives of Galliformes (game birds), Charadriiformes (shore birds), Procellariiformes (albatrosses and relatives) and Psittaciformes (parrots). Virtually all of these records are based on single bones, quite different from the quality of the record of non-neornithine birds in the Cretaceous.
The Impact of Passerines on the Diversity of Paleogene Avian Insectivores
Last Updated on Fri, 11 Jul 2014	| Fossil Birds
For example, crown group Upupiformes either forage on the ground (Upupidae) or are specialized toward trunk-climbing (Phoeniculidae), whereas the Messelirri-soridae, as evidenced by their foot structure, seem to have been perching birds (Mayr 1998b). Within crown group Pici, the Picumninae and Picinae are specialized toward trunk-climbing and wood-pecking, the Indicatoridae mainly feed on beeswax, and toucans and many other Ramphastidae mostly eat fruits. By contrast and according to its bill morphology, the early Oligocene piciform Rupelramphastoides appears to have been a rather generalized insectivorous or omnivorous bird (Mayr 2006g). The Coliiformes exhibited a great diversity in the Eocene and, judging from their bill shape, included omnivorous or insectivorous species by that time (Houde and Olson 1992 Mayr and Peters 1998 Mayr 2001d), whereas the six modern species of mousebirds are mainly frugivorous. The cacique-like beak of Chascacocolius (Sect. 16.2.2) is a particularly...
FZygodactylidae and Passeriformes Passerines
Last Updated on Thu, 20 Jul 2017	| Fossil Birds
From analyses of morphological data, the closest extant relatives of the Passeriformes were considered to be either the Piciformes or taxa of the non-monophyletic Coraciiformes (Manegold 2005 Livezey and Zusi 2007). Recent analyses of nuclear gene sequences, by contrast, resulted in a clade including the Passeriformes and Psittaciformes (Ericson et al. 2006 Hackett et al. 2008). This hypothesis is as yet not supported by independent gene loci. It is, however, of particular interest because of the fact that the Passeriformes can be shown to be the sister group of the Zygodactylidae, which were among the most abundant small birds in the Paleogene of the Northern Hemisphere. Both the Psittaciformes and the Zygodactylidae have zygodactyl feet, and if future studies support a close relationship to parrots, passerines may thus have evolved from an at least semi-zygodactyl ancestor.
Flightless Birds Palaeognathae
Last Updated on Mon, 20 Mar 2017	| Amphibians | 1 comment
There were at least ten species of moas (Figure 9.10(b)), which ranged in size from that of a turkey to heights of over 3 m. In recent molecular studies, where DNA has been recovered from their subfossil bones, it has been shown (Bunce et al., 2003) that the three 'species' of the moa Dinornis, distinguished by their size (small, medium, large) were wrongly identified. It turns out that the smaller ones were males and the larger females, and that there were in fact only two species, one on North Island and one on South Island. Moas fed on a variety of plants and, together with kiwis, flightless rails, ground parrots, geese and others, formed unique communities in the absence of mammals. After the arrival of polynesian settlers about ad 1250, it seems the moas were hunted to extinction in 100 years or less (Holdaway and Jacomb,2000).
Higher Level Phylogeny of Extant Birds
Last Updated on Wed, 20 Mar 2019	| Fossil Birds
Assemblage includes the Strigiformes (owls), Coliiformes (mousebirds), Trogoniformes (trogons), Piciformes, Passeriformes (passerines), Apodiformes, Caprimulgiformes, and Coraciiformes (Olson 1985 Mayr et al. 2003). Molecular analyses do not support a clade including these taxa, but the two analyses that form the basis of the cladogram in Fig. 3.1 congruently obtained a clade including the higher land birds, as well as the Falconiformes, Psittaciformes (parrots), and, certainly most unexpectedly, the Cariamidae (seriemas), which were traditionally assigned to the Gruiformes. At present, this clade, which also resulted from the analysis of Hackett et al. (2008), cannot be characterized with morphological apomorphies.
FPsittacopes and Allies
Last Updated on Sun, 14 Oct 2018	| Fossil Birds
To at least three different species, which are represented by three-dimensionally preserved skulls and bones of most major limb elements (Fig. 16.6 Mayr and Daniels 1998). All are very similar to the sparrow-sized P. lepidus, and closely resemble crown group Psittaciformes in their postcranial features. The slender tarsometatarsus exhibits an accessory trochlea for the retroverted fourth toe. As in the Quercypsittidae (Sect. 16.3.2) and extant Psittaciformes, but unlike in other zygodactyl birds except the Piciformes, this accessory trochlea is separated from the main trochlea by a distinct furrow (Mayr and Daniels 1998). The humerus of Psittacopes and its allies is less stout than that of crown group Psittaciformes and has a less protruding deltopectoral crest. The derived humerus morphology of extant parrots is functionally correlated to the large crop and weak furcula of these birds, and their ability for hovering flight over a short period of time (Stegmann 1964). The most...
Giving birth to convergence
Last Updated on Sat, 13 Jul 2019	| Easter Island
The ability of birds to vocalize needs, of course, little emphasis twittering, booming, squawks, hooting, and melodious song are all familiar, as are the mimics, such as some parrots and the mynah birds. One African Grey I knew could produce a remarkable repertoire of sounds, including the Greenwich time pips with eerie accuracy and now, her companion Caroline Pond tells me, is well up with mobile phones and car alarms. And there are more poignant instances. Darwin, for example, in a section on the extinction of races and tribes remarks that 'Humboldt saw in South America a parrot which was the sole living creature that could speak a word of the language of a lost tribe.'170 Even so, we tend to regard bird mimics as simply amusing, and their songs as only incidentally beautiful and in reality vocal expressions of territorial demarcation and the urgent priorities of mate attraction. Perhaps so, but it transpires that in reality there are under-appreciated similarities between our...
Last Updated on Fri, 11 Jul 2014	| Fossil Worms
One of the best things at a funfair, I think, is the bumper cars. You push your foot on the accelerator, the car lurches forward, and bump You smack into someone else. Strange as it may seem there is a link between bumper cars, mountain ranges, coal, electricity and . . . insects the size of large parrots
Last Updated on Fri, 11 Jul 2014	| Paleobiology
Hennig invented a rather complex terminology for cladistics, but some terms are commonly used, and should be mentioned. He called phylogenetically informative characters apomorphies, or derived characters (and distinguished them from plesiomorphies, the characters present in wider groups). Apomor-phies shared by two or more species are termed synapomorphies. Apomorphies are features that arose once only in evolution, and therefore diagnose all the descendants of the first organism to possess that new character. Synapomorphies of parrots, the bird Order Psittaciformes include the deep, hooked beak and the unusual foot in which two toes point forward and two back.
Last Updated on Fri, 11 Jul 2014	| Mammoths
Hawaii saw the near-time extinctions of many birds, including a flightless gooselike duck, Thambetochen, and a flightless ibis, Apteribis, both named by Storrs Olson and Alexander Wetmore of the Smithsonian Institution. Other islands in the remote Pacific lost endemic parrots, pigeons, doves, megapodes or bush turkeys (Megapodius), and especially flightless rails (Gallirallus), as well as large invertebrates such as land snails.
Neognathae
Last Updated on Mon, 25 Apr 2016	| Amphibians | 3 comments
But what did Diatryma eat Witmer and Rose (1991) noted that the deep jaws and the curved beak are very similar to those of parrots and other seed-eaters, which are capable of delivering powerful bites to nuts and seeds. They argued, however, that Diatryma was much too big to be a seed-eater and its beak was designed for enormous biting forces. They suggested that it is much more likely that it was a flesh-eater, like the phorus-rhacids of South America (see Box 9.5), and that it fed on the diminutive mammals found with it, horses and other ungulates and monkeys. Andors (1995) disagreed and argued for herbivory. He noted that Diatryma lacks a hooked beak, as seen in other raptorial birds, and that as a galloanserine it belongs to a herbivorous clade. He argues that Diatryma crushed and sliced rank vegetation in the forests and savannas of early Eocene largely aquatic forms and a clade consisting of woodpeckers, songbirds and relatives. The other orders, from owls to pigeons and swifts...
Giant brains
Last Updated on Fri, 24 Aug 2018	| Easter Island
In fact the evidence suggests otherwise, at least on this planet. To start with, there is strong evidence that among the primates those with bigger brains show more innovatory behaviours, social learning, and tool use, while among the birds those with greater behavioural flexibilities and adventurousness (or fewer neophobias) again have larger brains.89 This accords with the fact, returned to at various points below, that some monkeys, parrots, and crows are all markedly intelligent. So, too, of course, are the great apes, but at least in this case the fact that chimps, for example, have important parallels to human mentality is hardly surprising. To find striking similarities to human intelligence that might persuade the disinterested reader that such represents a general biological property likely to emerge on any suitable planet, we need to turn to the toothed whales (the odontocetes) and especially the dolphins.
Carolina Parakeet
Last Updated on Fri, 08 Dec 2017	| Disappeared Species | 7 comments
Few animals have fascinated humanity for as long as the parrots and their relatives. Indigenous people in the tropics and people from Western societies alike covet these birds, One of the most tragic examples of how humans have actively exterminated one of these interesting birds is the tale of the Carolina parakeet, a beautiful bird and the only native parrot of the United States. Around 30 cm long and 250 g in weight, this colorful bird was very common in the eastern deciduous forests of the United States, and especially in the dense woodland skirting the many great rivers of this region. The birds normally lived in small groups, although larger flocks would gather in the presence of abundant food, and it was not unusual to see 200 to 300 birds in a brilliant, raucous gathering. Like so many other parrots, the Carolina parakeet was a monogamous, long-lived species that brooded two white eggs in the cavities of deciduous trees. During most of the day, the Carolina parakeet would...
What Is Encephalized
Last Updated on Tue, 11 Jun 2019	| Natural Selection
One problem with ratios is that they are not normally distributed and thus present a statistical problem for parametric statistics. Large ratios tend to get larger faster than do small ratios. For example, parrots and corvids may easily reach values of 20 in a Portmann ratio, while ducks vary only around 1.6. Log transformations of the ratios can solve the problem by compressing the skewed high values (Lefebvre et al., 1997). A second, more important, problem is that ratios may not entirely remove the confounding effect of body mass (Deacon, 1993). If we conclude, for example, that carnivory is associated with large brains and our estimate of relative brain size is confounded with body mass, there is a risk of type 1 error if carnivores also have larger bodies. In this case, the apparent brain-diet relationship could be a spurious effect of the brain-body and diet-body associations. A third problem is that ratios of variables whose relationship is not 1 to 1 will overestimate one end...
Once Proud Wings
Last Updated on Sun, 02 Sep 2018	| Evolutionary Theodicy
The bodies of whales and sirenians abound in historical relics that we notice because they live in a very different environment from their land-dwelling ancestors. A similar principle applies to birds that have lost the habit and equipment of flight. Not all birds fly, but all birds carry at least relics of the apparatus of flight. Ostriches and emus are fast runners that never fly, but they have stubs of wings as a legacy from remote flying ancestors. Ostrich wing stubs, moreover, have not completely lost their usefulness. Although much too small to fly with, they seem to have some sort of balancing and steering role in running, and they enter into social and sexual displays. Kiwi wings are too small to be seen outside the bird's fine coat of feathers, but vestiges of wing bones are there. Moas lost their wings entirely. Their home country of New Zealand, by the way, has more than its fair share of flightless birds, probably because the absence of mammals left wide open niches to be...
Eye Size and Shape
Last Updated on Mon, 17 Sep 2018	| Placental Mammals
Figure 6 plots axial diameter of the eye against head and body length in extant primates and birds. Tarsiers fall within the range of nocturnal birds, i.e., Strigiformes (owls), Caprimulgidae (nightjars), and Podargidae (frog-mouths). Most of the diurnal birds lying between the nocturnal bird and diurnal primate distributions are falconiforms (Hall, 2005). The rest of the diurnal birds are parrots, pigeons, and procellariform sea-birds, which fall among and below the primate distributions. Across nocturnal and diurnal birds, eye axial diameter is negatively allometric. However, the 95 confidence limits for the slope across nocturnal birds almost include 1.00 ( 0.99), a slope significantly steeper than that of primates.
Where Can I Get Unique Parrot Training Ebooks
For a one time low investment of only $39.95, you can download Unique Parrot Training Ebooks instantly and start right away with zero risk on your part.


The 555 timer IC is an integrated circuit that is popular used in a variety of timer, pulse generation, and oscillator applications. This NE555 frequency adjustable pulse generator Module utilizes the NE555 timer IC to generate pulses from about 4Hz to 1.3Khz, which can be used for experimental development, or driving a stepper motor, it would be also a good choice for users learning& experiencing the analog RC circuits.
There are 4 jumpers and 2 variable resistors on the module, users can adjust the output wave with these components, to get their ideal wave easily.


text:
import { StateOptions , StateModelBuildEntry , StateModelsBuildOption , StateModelMode , StateModelEntry , StateBuildOptions , BuildAppConfig , DirectoriesInfo , ResourceConfig , RuntimeConfiguration } from '../index.d';

import path from 'path';
import fs from 'fs-extra';
import _ from 'lodash';
import fileUtils from '../utils/filepath-utils';

import appConfigUtils from '../utils/module-config-init';
import directoriesUtil from '../tools/directories-utils';
import optionUtils from '../tools/option-utils';

import logUtils from '../utils/log-utils';
import { WebpackAppConfig } from '../index-webpack.d';
const log = logUtils.log;
const warn = logUtils.warn;

const DEFAULT_MODE = 'extended';

function readDir(dir: string, list: StateModelBuildEntry[], options: StateModelsBuildOption): void {

    const files = fs.readdirSync(dir);
    const dirs = [];

    //sort file list to prioritize 'dialog.xml' and 'input.xml' (i.e. put at the beginning of the list)
    const re = /^(dialog|input)\.xml$/i
    files.sort(function(f1, f2){
        if(f1 === f2) return 0;
        if(re.test(f1)) return -1;
        if(re.test(f2)) return 1;
        return f1.localeCompare(f2);
    });

    // log('read dir "'+dir+'" -> ', files);//DEBU

    files.forEach(function(p){
        const absPath = path.join(dir, p);
        if(fileUtils.isDirectory(absPath)){
            dirs.push(absPath);
            return false;
        } else if(/\.xml$/i.test(p)) {

            const normalized = fileUtils.normalizePath(absPath);

            let defModel: RegExpExecArray, id: string, modId: string;
            if(/^(dialog|input)(DescriptionSCXML)?\.xml$/i.test(p)){// BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY: do also accept old/deprecated file names ...DescriptionSCXML.xml
                // -> state models for input- or dialog-manager
                defModel = /^(dialog|input)/i.exec(p);
                id = defModel[1].toLowerCase();
                modId = id === 'dialog'? 'mmirf/dialogManager' : 'mmirf/inputManager';
            } else {
                // -> custom state models
                const opt = options && options[id];
                id = opt && opt.id? opt.id : path.basename(p, path.extname(p));
            }

            const opt: StateModelBuildEntry = options && options[id];
            if(opt && (opt.exclude || opt.file)){
                //-> ignore/exclude this scxml!
                //  (if was not exlcuded, but file was specified -> will be added later in addFromOptions(..))
                log('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): excluding scxml file for '+id+' model at "'+normalized+'"!');//DEBUG
                return;//////////////////// EARLY EXIT //////////////////
            }

            if(opt && opt.id && opt.id !== id){
                warn('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): ignoring option id "'+opt.id+'", using default id "'+id+'" for ', normalized);
            }

            if(!modId){
                if(opt && opt.moduleId){
                    modId = opt.moduleId;
                } else {
                    log('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): no moduleId specified for "'+p+'", using ID "'+id+'" as module ID!');
                    modId = id;
                }
            } else if(defModel && opt && opt.moduleId && opt.moduleId !== modId){
                warn('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): ignoring option moduleId "'+opt.moduleId+'" for state model ID "'+id+'", using default moduleId "'+modId+'" instead!');
            }

            if(contains(list, id, modId)){
                warn('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): entry for ID '+id+' (module ID '+modId+') already exists in state model-list, ignoring state model in file '+normalized);
                return;//////////////////// EARLY EXIT //////////////////
            }

            list.push({
                id: id,
                moduleId: modId,
                file: normalized,
                mode: opt && opt.mode? opt.mode : DEFAULT_MODE,
                ignoreErrors: opt && typeof opt.ignoreErrors === 'boolean'? opt.ignoreErrors : void(0),
                force: opt && typeof opt.force === 'boolean'? opt.force : void(0),
                strict: opt && typeof opt.strict === 'boolean'? opt.strict : void(0)
            });
        } else {
            log('scxml-utils.addFromDirectory(): ignoring non-XML file '+absPath);//DEBUG
        }
    });

    // log('read sub-dirs -> ', dirs);
    var size = dirs.length;
    if(size > 0){
        for(var i = 0; i < size; ++i){
            readDir(dirs[i], list, options);
        }
    }
}

function addFromOptions(stateModels: StateModelsBuildOption, list: StateModelBuildEntry[], appRootDir: string): void {

    let s: StateModelBuildEntry, entry: StateModelBuildEntry, moduleId: string;
    for(var id in stateModels){

        s = stateModels[id];
        if(s && s.file && !s.exclude){

            entry = _.cloneDeep(s);
            if(!path.isAbsolute(entry.file)){
                entry.file = path.resolve(appRootDir, entry.file);
            }
            entry.file = fileUtils.normalizePath(entry.file);

            if(entry.id && entry.id !== id){
                warn('scxml-utils.addFromOptions(): entry from modelOptions for ID "'+id+'" has differing field id with value "'+entry.id+'", overwritting the id field with "'+id+'"!');//FIXME proper webpack error/warning
            }
            entry.id = id;

            //TODO verify existence of entry.file?

            if(!entry.moduleId){
                if(entry.id === 'dialog'){
                    entry.moduleId = 'mmirf/dialogManager';
                } else if(entry.id === 'input'){
                    entry.moduleId = 'mmirf/inputManager';
                } else {
                    log('scxml-utils.addFromOptions(): entry from modelOptions for ID "'+id+'" has has no module ID set, using ID "'+id+'" as module ID!');
                    entry.moduleId = id;
                }
            }
            moduleId = entry.moduleId;

            if(!contains(list, id, moduleId)){
                // log('scxml-utils.addFromOptions(): adding ', entry);//DEBU
                list.push(entry)
            } else {
                warn('scxml-utils.addFromOptions(): entry from modelOptions for ID '+id+' (module ID '+moduleId+') already exists in state model-list, ignoring entry!');//FIXME proper webpack error/warning
            }
        }
        // else {//DEBU
        // 	log('scxml-utils.addFromOptions(): entry for '+id+' has no file set -> ignore ', s);//DEBU
        // }
    }
}

/**
 * add (minimal) default state models for 'dialog' and/or 'input'
 *
 * @param kind the mode for the create default models, specified and other than 'minimal', a warning will be printed
 * @param list INOUT parameter: the list of state model entries, to which the created default models will be added
 * @param _appRootDir this path to app's root directory
 */
function addDefaults(kind: StateModelMode | 'minimal' | '', list: StateModelBuildEntry[], _appRootDir: string): void {

    //TODO support other types/kinds than "minimal" engines
    if(kind && kind !== 'minimal'){
        warn('WARN scxml-utils: only support "minimal" for default input- and dialog-engine!');
    }

    const inputEngine: StateModelBuildEntry = {
        id: 'input',
        moduleId: 'mmirf/inputManager',
        mode: 'extended',
        file: fileUtils.normalizePath(path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'defaultValues/inputEngine.scxml'))
    };

    const dialogEngine: StateModelBuildEntry = {
        id: 'dialog',
        moduleId: 'mmirf/dialogManager',
        mode: 'extended',
        file: fileUtils.normalizePath(path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'defaultValues/dialogEngine.scxml'))
    };

    list.push(inputEngine, dialogEngine);
}

function contains(list: StateModelBuildEntry[], id: string, moduleId: string){
    return list.findIndex(function(item){
        return item.id === id || item.moduleId === moduleId;
    }) !== -1;
}

function toAliasPath(stateModel: StateModelEntry): string {
    return path.normalize(stateModel.file);
}

function toAliasId(stateModel: StateModelBuildEntry): string {
    return 'mmirf/state/'+stateModel.id;
}

export = {

    /**
     * [description]
     * @param  {ScxmlOptions} options the SCXML model options where
     * 										options.path: REQUIRED the directory from which to add the scxml models, and has the following structure:
     * 																				<directory>/../dialog.xml
     * 																				<directory>/../input.xml
     * 																				...
     * 										options.models: OPTIONAL a map of SCXML model IDs, i.e. {[scxmlID: string]: ScxmlOption} with specific options for compiling the corresponding SCXML model:
     *														options.models[id].exclude {Boolean}: OPTIONAL if true, the corresponding SCXML model will be completely excluded, i.e. no executable state model will be compiled
     *																																				from the corresponding SCXML state model definition
     *														options.models[id].mode {"extended" | "simple"}: OPTIONAL run SCXML modle in "simple" or "extended" mode,
     *																																				DEFAULT: "extended"
     * @param {String} appRootDir the root directory of the app (against which relative paths will be resolved)
     * @param {Array<ScxmlEntry>} [stateModels] OPTIONAL list of ScxmlEntry objects, to which the new entries (read from the options.directory) will be added
     * 																					if omitted, a new list will be created and returned.
     * 										ScxmlEntry.id {String}: the SCXML engine ID (one of "input" or "dialog")
     * 										ScxmlEntry.file {String}: the path to the SCXML file (from which the executable state model will be created)
     * 										ScxmlEntry.mode {"extended" | "simple"}: run SCXML modle in "simple" or "extended" mode, DEFAULT: "extended"
     * @return {Array<ScxmlEntry>} the list of ScxmlEntry objects
     */
    scxmlFromDir: function(options: StateOptions, appRootDir: string, stateModels: StateModelEntry[]): StateModelBuildEntry[] {

        var dir = options.path;
        if(!path.isAbsolute(dir)){
            dir = path.resolve(appRootDir, dir);
        }

        var list = stateModels || [];
        readDir(dir, list, options.models);

        return list;
    },

    scxmlFromOptions: function(options: StateOptions, appRootDir: string, stateModels: StateModelEntry[]): StateModelBuildEntry[] {

        var models = options.models;

        var list = stateModels || [];
        addFromOptions(models, list, appRootDir);

        return list;
    },

    scxmlDefaults: function(options: StateBuildOptions, appRootDir: string, stateModels: StateModelEntry[]): StateModelBuildEntry[] {

        const kind = options && options.defaultType;

        var list = stateModels || [];
        addDefaults(kind, list, appRootDir);

        return list;
    },

    /**
     * apply the "global" options from `options` or default values to the entries
     * from `stateModels` if its corresponding options-field is not explicitly specified.
     *
     * @param  {ScxmlOptions} options the state-models options
     * @param  {{Array<ScxmlEntry>}} stateModels
     * @return {{Array<ScxmlEntry>}}
     */
    applyDefaultOptions: function(options: StateOptions, stateModels: StateModelEntry[]): StateModelBuildEntry[] {

        stateModels.forEach(function(st){
            [
                {name: 'mode', defaultValue: DEFAULT_MODE},
                {name: 'ignoreErrors', defaultValue: false},
                {name: 'force', defaultValue: false},
                {name: 'strict', defaultValue: true}
            ].forEach(function(fieldInfo){
                optionUtils.applySetting(fieldInfo.name, st, options, fieldInfo.defaultValue);
            });

        });

        return stateModels;
    },

    /**
     * add SCXML models to (webpack) app build configuration
     *
     * @param  {Array<ScxmlEntry>} stateModels list of ScxmlEntry objects:
     * 										stateModel.id {String}: the SCXML id ("dialog" | "input")
     * 										stateModel.file {String}: the path to the SCXML file (from which the executable SCXML model will be created)
     * @param  {[type]} appConfig the app configuration to which the SCXML models will be added
     * @param  {[type]} directories the directories.json representation
     * @param  {ResourcesConfig} resources the resources configuration
     * @param  {[type]} _runtimeConfiguration the configuration.json representation
     */
    addStatesToAppConfig: function(stateModels: StateModelBuildEntry[], appConfig: WebpackAppConfig, directories: DirectoriesInfo, resources: ResourceConfig, _runtimeConfiguration: RuntimeConfiguration): void {

        if(!stateModels || stateModels.length < 1){
            return;
        }

        if(!appConfig.paths){
            appConfig.paths = {};
        }

        //use scion runtime for compiled SCXML models instead of scion compiler/runtime
        resources.paths['mmirf/scion'] = resources.paths['mmirf/scionRuntime'];

        // log('scxml-utils.addStateModelsToAppConfig(): set mmirf/scion module implementation to ', appConfig.paths['mmirf/scion']);//DEBU

        if(!appConfig.config){
            appConfig.config = {};
        }

        var stateIds = new Set();

        stateModels.forEach(function(s){

            if(stateIds.has(s.id)){
                warn('scxml-utils: there already is a state model for "'+s.id+'", omitting state model from: "'+s.file+'"');
                return;
            }
            stateIds.add(s.id);

            var aliasId = toAliasId(s);
            appConfigUtils.addIncludeModule(appConfig, aliasId, toAliasPath(s));
            directoriesUtil.addStateModel(directories, aliasId);
            if((appConfig as BuildAppConfig).includeStateModelXmls){
                directoriesUtil.addStateModelXml(directories, aliasId);
            }

            var configId = s.moduleId;
            if(!appConfig.config[configId]){
                appConfig.config[configId] = {};
            }
            if(appConfig.config[configId].modelUri){
                if(appConfig.config[configId].modelUri !== aliasId){
                    warn('scxml-utils: state model for "'+s.id+'" is already set to "'+appConfig.config[configId].modelUri+'", omitting configuration to load from module ID "'+aliasId+'"');
                }
                // else {//DEBU
                // 	log(' scxml-utils: SCXML model for "'+s.id+'" is already set to "'+aliasId+'", do nothing ...');//DEBU
                // }
            } else {
                // log(' scxml-utils: setting SCXML model for "'+s.id+'" to "'+aliasId+'", do nothing ...');//DEBU

                appConfig.config[configId].modelUri = aliasId;
            }

            if(!appConfig.config[configId].mode){
                // log(' scxml-utils: setting mode for SCXML model "'+s.id+'" to default mode: ', JSON.stringify(s.mode || DEFAULT_MODE));//DEBU

                appConfig.config[configId].mode = s.mode || DEFAULT_MODE;
            } else if(s.mode) {
                warn('scxml-utils: SCXML model mode for "'+s.id+'" is already set to "'+appConfig.config[configId].mode+'", omitting mode-setting ', JSON.stringify(s.mode));
            }

        });
    }
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Neuritic regeneration and synaptic reconstruction induced by withanolide A . Lasix is indicated in adults and pediatric patients for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and renal disease, including the nephrotic syndrome. It was written by a master clinician and botanist in the late 18th century. The metabolism of Rofecoxib can be decreased when combined with Amiodarone. After two years of trying to attribute Chuck Perry's suicide to other causes, Roche settled a wrongful death suit with Linda Perry last May. The Journal of Sexual Medicine.


text:
Blog: Hello Islington!
I STRODE through King's Cross last night, and once again found it Not Very Nice. As a regular user of St Pancras station i always imagine the area around it will be LOVELY, as St Pancras serves THE MIDLANDS and would therefore act as a Midlands Embassy, suffusing its environs with it's Midlands loveliness, also a regular supply of samosas.
This is not the case, and so i was quite relieved to get to the venue, where i bumped into THE FIGHTING COCKS, also preparing. We entered to discover that the first band were soundchecking, and LO! they were a BONGO and SITAR combo. Charlie had WARNED me of this, but I'd thought he was joking. I dropped a full pint glass upon the floor in horroseeing this... or maybe it just slipped, but STILL it was quite a sight, and it gave me the chance to INVESTIGATE the sitar a bit, as I've always wondered what those nobs along the side to. They appear to hold STRINGS. Aha!
The Cocks then soundchecked, so i went in search of FOOD, and instead found some PALS in the next room, so we did a bit of the PUB QUIZ. This was VERY OBVIOUSLY organised by some people who didn't do pub quizzes, as the questions were all Clever - not DIFFICULT, but CLEVER, i believe the quiz masters may have been some of Islington's famous Guardian Readers, and they were LOVELY - and they didn't take the prize money until AFTER we'd answered most of the questions. Also the prizes outnumbered the teams - everyone else seemed to know each other, although i don't think FIXING was the reason our team came third out of three... we just didn't have the knowledge of caribbean republics that they did.
During all this I did my soundcheck and soon it was time for the first band to go on... and on... and on. SUDDENLY we were drastically behind schedule, but the promoter didn't seem arsed about it. The second band came on eventually, and though they TOO seemed like nice enough chaps, they weren't really MY THING, and they especially weren't when they TOO played for longer than they OUGHT. ALSO their last song was called "Mediocrity" (which, really, is ASKING for trouble), and was about how TELLY is RUBBISH (which it isn't) and is full of GAME SHOWS, which it isn't. I got a bit PEEVED and asked the promoter what the PLAN was, as by now we were half an hour later. He seemed to think that if this band finished at 10, i could get on AT 10, do half an hour, and then the Cocks would start at half past - he didn't seem to realise there are CHANGEOVERS here in the world of ROCK, and went on to say "I don't know how it's got so late..." "Maybe it's because you haven't made anybody start, or indeed FINISH on time" i DIDN'T say, but i THOUGHT it very hard. I THEN asked if it'd be a problem if, in the eventuality that it took MORE than ZERO SECONDS to changeover, the Cocks went on past 11 o'clock, and he said there certainly wouldn't.
I was a bit RILED by now and anxious to get on, so it was nice to see that PEOPLE had arrived - thanks, by the way, to everyone who came, it was VERY much appreciated, especially to those people who had to LEAVE for TRANES before i eventually managed to get on! Band 2 came to a halt, having stood around INFURIATING me by DISCUSSING what song to do last for THREE HOURS (or so it seemed), and i DASHED HEADLONG into my SET. Here's what I did:
Work's All Right
Red & White Sockets
Another Man's Laundry
Bands From London
Peterborough All Saints
It went really well! I SPED through it, cutting out "Mr Right" and "Leave My Brother Alone" as i went along, because I wanted to keep it SWIFT and PUNCHY, and then adding "Easily Impressed" to the otherwise All-Warriors SET at the end because i was having FUN. Everyone there PROPER got into it, so it felt like i was fighting AGAINST the cheering between songs, just to get on with it - it was GRATE! I think "Fucking Hippy" will be making a re-entry into the Uber-Set, and the rest was FUN, especially "Easily Impressed" as i DIDN'T do the explanatory bit... everyone had done unprompted participation in "Bands From London" so i was feeling confident, until the "Oi HIBBETT" section APPROACHED, when FEAR gripped me. Luckily all was well, and i came off stage a HAPPY Hibbett. PHEW!
I'd come in under time, so cleared up FAST, and then AMAZINGLY it took The Cocks more than NO TIME AT ALL to get themselves set up, so it was quarter to eleven by the time they got going. They were LOVELY. Now boasting even MORE WOMEN than before, they're a bouncing dancing bunch of GLEE, with DANCE STEPS, with Charlie jumping up and down in the middle trying to look SCARY but, actually, looking sort of SWEET. This is NOT something that happened during previous incarnations. Brilliantly, Asha started introducing the band halfway through, it was GRATE to see them FUNCTIONING as a BAND of people all ENJOYING it, and shortly after Charlie said "It's GANGSTA Karaoke!" It was - and in a GOOD WAY too.
Just as it seemed JOY would flow untrammelled, a VERY apologetic soundman said it was no eleven o'clock, and so the show had to END. The Promoter, oddly, had CLEARED OFF well before then, it was discovered, and only after a lot of SHOUTING (NB of "Oh go on, let them do another one") did the Landlord RELENT.
So yeah, the evening was a FUNNY one. The actual DOING A GIG bits were GRATE, it was just the event itself that WOBBLED WONKILY at times. STILL, many beautiful people were there who it was LOVELY to see to talk to, especially the KOOBA chaps, with whom i talked VEGETABLES. Also, The Cocks have tentatively agreed to VOYAGE with me once more to THE MIDLANDS. Leicester! GIRD Thyself!
SPAMBOT FILTER: an animal that says 'miaow' (3)


For perfect, evenly browned bacon, try baking it in the oven. Not only is the bacon perfectly cooked, there's no stovetop splatter or burnt-on mess on utensils and pans. And you won't be burned in the process! Another plus, it needs no attention or turning; the strips of bacon come out of the oven perfectly browned and flat.
All you have to do is line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack in it. Or spray the foil with nonstick spray and lay the bacon right on the foil. Let the oven do the work while you go about other tasks.
Keep the bacon plain or flavor it lightly with freshly ground or cracked black pepper, brown sugar, or a drizzling of maple syrup.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet or two jelly roll pans with foil. Place a cooling rack in the pan and arrange the bacon on the rack. If you don't have a rack that will fit in the pan, spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the bacon on the foil.
Bake the bacon for about 26 to 30 minutes, until the bacon is nicely browned. Thin strips of bacon will take less time than thick strips. When you begin to smell the bacon, start watching.
Transfer the bacon strips to paper towels to drain.


text:
Blizzard Bumps Burning Crusade
By Russ Pitts Legacy Author October 24, 2006
Blizzard Entertainment announced a slight delay for the highly-anticipated World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade, pushing the release date to January of 2007.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm surrounding World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and we're excited about putting the finishing touches on all of the new content," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, in a press release issued today. "We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve."
The Burning Crusade closed beta began this month, open to select invitees only. WarCry's crack team of WoW heads have been chronicling their adventures in the Outland and have posted a thorough guide to the expansion.
According to Blizzard, an exact release date and pricing info for The Burning Crusade will be released "in the near future."


If you haven't had a chance yet to visit Minted's pop-up shop in San Francisco, you still have time as the shop is open now through the end of the year. You probably already know Minted as an online destination to buy cards or artwork but did you know there's so much more? In the shop, you'll find not only modern prints but fabrics, pillows, journals and lots of inspirational decor for your home. There's also an area where you can have a Minted stylist help you work on the perfect card whether it's for a wedding, baby announcement, holiday cards and more.
But one of the really cool things about the Minted pop-up is the many DIY classes that are offered in the shop.
Minted will be doing bridal workshops twice a month, so this is the first of many. The workshop will show you how one wedding invitation can spark many different design directions for tablescapes. Sip champagne whil learning how to bring elements from your invitation to life at your wedding.
This is a free monthly event at Minted. There are 4 artists working throughout the store and you can watch them paint and draw. (Last month's event drew over 100 people!) You can also purchase what they make during the evening. This month there will be an artist who will be doing quick portraits during the event. This is a fun event for the entire family! Free wine and cheese is provided.
Learn the basics of flower arranging by Heather Lee an Oakland-based freelance florist and writer. You will learn how to care and prep for your blooms and work with the seasons. Leave the class with a beautiful centerpiece, plus know how to create more arrangements at home.
Learn how to create beautiful watercolor paintings featuring geometric patterns and shapes taught by local illustrator and graphic designer Liz Conley.
Needlework artist Lisa Anderson Shaffer of Zelma Rose will give you an introduction to the basics of embroidery. In this class, you will create a stylish home decor sampler hoop on gorgeous Minted fabric.
These are the classes so far listed for September and October. I'll update you on more of the offerings for the rest of fall and winter when I find out. There will most likely be a Halloween event in the shop for kids and family photo shoots for holiday cards.


text:
Home » Microsoft Lays Of 10,000 People, Cuts Reportedly Include Xbox And Bethesda
Microsoft Lays Of 10,000 People, Cuts Reportedly Include Xbox And Bethesda
Microsoft is cutting more jobs this week, with CEO Satya Nadella confirming 10,000 layoffs during what the executive described as "times of significant change." The job losses reportedly affect people at Xbox and Bethesda, in addition to Microsoft's wider teams at large.
In a memo to staff, Nadella said the 10,000 layoffs–which amount to less than 5% of the company's total workforce of more than 220,000–will take place beginning today, January 18, through the end of its third quarter of fiscal year 2023. According to The New York Times, Microsoft hired more than 75,000 people since 2019 to help meet demand for the growing interest in online services and cloud computing due to the onset of the pandemic.
This is just the latest round of layoffs at Microsoft, as Nadella eliminated around 25,000 jobs between 2014 and 2015 as a result of abandoning the company's Nokia business.
"It's important to note that while we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas. We know this is a challenging time for each person impacted. The senior leadership team and I are committed that as we go through this process, we will do so in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible," Nadella said.
The CEO did not say which departments within Microsoft are affected, but Bloomberg reported that Microsoft's Xbox and Bethesda divisions are affected in some capacity.
Explaining the job cuts, Nadella said they stem from Microsoft's making adjustments to its business in response to the pandemic, looming recession fears, and advancements to AI technology.
"First, as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we're now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less. We're also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one," he said. "At the same time, the next major wave of computing is being born with advances in AI, as we're turning the world's most advanced models into a new computing platform."
Nadella said he is confident that Microsoft will "emerge from this stronger and more competitive."
Microsoft will make "strategic" investments as it looks to future growth, with AI being one of these pillars, while the company will also "divest" in other areas, Nadella said.
"These are the kinds of hard choices we have made throughout our 47-year history to remain a consequential company in this industry that is unforgiving to anyone who doesn't adapt to platform shifts," Nadella said.
Microsoft will incur a $1.2 billion charge due to severance costs for outgoing employees, as well as "changes to our hardware portfolio, and the cost of lease consolidation as we create higher density across our workspaces."
Nadella described the job cuts as "difficult, but necessary." He said affected employees will receive Microsoft's "full support," and this includes "above-market" severance pay, healthcare for six months, ongoing vesting of stock awards for six months, career transition services, and 60 days' notice before termination for those not yet notified. This applies to Microsoft workers in the US. Affected workers outside the US will receive benefits aligned with local employment laws.
For Microsoft's latest quarter, the company earned $50.1 billion in revenue, which was up 11%, and made a profit of $17.6 billion (down 14%).
Looking ahead, Microsoft is reportedly going to invest $10 billion into OpenAI and continues to try to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Vatican restricts French priest following allegations claiming he sexually abused his therapy patients
Elon Musk's tweet on vaccines sparks new debate on social media


Cates is great at taking what may look like a bad idea and turning it into a creative one.
I am in love with this new line up. This comic is gonna be a wild ride!
Loved it! The writing by Donny Cates was as on point as always and Geoff Shaw's pencils were fantastic.
Great set up issue. It seems that Cates will be taking the epic route of the Abnett and Lanning days, rather than trying to make the Guardians an irrelevant copy/paste of the movie characters, which prett much sums up Bendis'run.
The issue takes the rug from under you pretty fast, assembles a great cast and sets up a big cosmic epic. First rate.
Yes! This is so good. Cates and Shaw kill it! So creative and so entertaining. Let's hope these guys keep the momentum going 'cause this will be epic.
I wasn't supposed to take it. I didn't like the gardians since they reappear after Annihilation. I was more a fan of the old 90's team. But I have to say this issue is very strong.
I turn each page with a eager I didn't have for some time. The joke about Richard Ryder is funny. And for now all thing make sense. I'm sure the cast we lost there will reappear shortly but this was very surprising. Love how the Black Order was use. They are Brightest than on No surrender or even their own title.
What should I say? This is a Donny Cates comic, so obviously it's written well. And Goeff Shaw is drawing it, so it looks great. It's a great comic. Shocking no one.
What a wonderful introduction. Cates does a fantastic job at setting up the main setting of the story, and the Guardians read like proper Guardians once again. Shaw's artwork is incredible as always, and suits the book very well. Hopefully, this will pave the way for the other Marvel Cosmic stories.
Donny Cates does a great job in setting up the new Guardians of the Galaxy team with a good reveal at the end. Meanwhile, the art and colours have let me down. Geoff Shaw's art was inconsistent at times for me. At some panels the art was good but in the other panels the art felt rushed and i know this isnt Geoff Shaw's best work. The fans of the "Thanos Wins" story know how great Geoff Shaw's art can get but sadly this isnt his best work. That being said the art still wasnt bad, it was still good but not "Thanos Wins" good. The colours at the first 10 to 15 pages were just ok but in the rest of the book it got better.
Overall, great writing and script from Donny Cates. The art could have been better and the colours by Marte Gracia were just ok.
It's mostly just set up and bringing the team together. But there are some interesting ideas at play and I'm looking forward to seeing how the team deals with them.
"We don't talk about Rocket"
I'm not well versed in Marvels' space mythology so names like Moondragon or Eros ring zero bells for me, but this was an enjoyable issue.
It starts a bit wordy but quickly jumps into details with Thanos' testament and then head first into some pretty good looking action.
The story itself seems to be heading in a direction of some fun, universe spanning adventure. Also, Groot can talk in full sentences. That's good.
I don't really know what led the universe to the state it is or how Thanos lost a very important part of his body, but I'm going to be on the lookout for the next issue.
The characters have personality and the art is robust, but GOTG #1 doesn't have the thematic or emotional resonance that made the movies so iconic.
"You're just angry because this isn't like the movies," I can hear you saying. Well, like I said, this is an entertaining read. However, it has no depth. It's just going through the motions you'd expect in an event or crossover. Not much more.
Are GOTG movies really considered iconic? I don't know, I wouldn't go that far.


text:
Book: A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain
Lots of fun traveling the world in search of the perfect meal
A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal
Bloomsbury, 2001
Fresh from the success of Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain persuaded his publisher and The Food Network to finance a year-long series of junkets in which he'd travel the world, notionally in search of the perfect meal. That's not an enormously inventive theme for a book, but it could be a good one. And, happily, in this case it is. Mr Bourdain goes to a bunch of interesting places, many of them places that few tourists visit, he conjures their atmospheres well, he eats interesting things, and he's almost always good company while he does it.
Mr Bourdain begins the book with a chapter called "Where Food Comes From" in which he goes to a small town in Portugal that's the hometown of a colleague. He goes there for the traditional butchering and cooking of an entire pig. And the people there use every part of the pig. That was once surely a matter of economic necessity for them. But having learned over centuries how to make every part of it delicious, they are justifiably proud of their tradition and are glad to show it off. There's also a sense of respect for the animal that comes through in the process.
In the next chapter, Mr Bourdain goes back to the part of France where he spent summers as a boy. Perhaps not surprisingly, he finds that you can't go home again. Even though he doesn't find what he's ostensibly looking for there, the stories he tells about the trip are good ones. And since a year-long search for the perfect meal is bound to be disappointed pretty often, it's a good thing for the book that his narration is good enough that he can make the disappointments as well as the successes interesting.
Mr Bourdain goes to all sorts of places. He looks for the perfect meal in food stalls on Asian streets, in fancy restaurants, in the middle of the North African desert, and even in remote Pailin, Cambodia. That last trip is one where Mr Bourdain's sense of adventure goes a bit over the top. He says:
The road to Pailin. It's not a Hope/Crosby movie --
and Dorothy Lamour is definitely not waiting in a
tight-fitting sarong a the journey's end. I'd wanted
to go up a no-name river to the worst cesspit on
earth and, for my sins, I got my wish. (p .173)
But even that isn't as daunting to him as the prospect of going to a vegan potluck in Berkeley.
Happily, Mr Bourdain mostly has rather better experiences than those. His descriptions of the delights of Vietnamese food were especially likely to make my stomach growl.
The book is fun; Mr Bourdain is often funny, he keeps the narrative's pace up, and he's thoroughly unpretentious, especially about himself. Of course there's no such thing as a perfect meal, but in the search for it even the occasionally crass and profane Mr Bourdain communicates an almost spiritual connection with food.
There are a couple of minor factual mistakes in the book. For example, bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a prion disease, not a bacterial one (p. 186). But they don't detract from the enjoyment.
Posted: Tue - June 3, 2008 at 05:21 PM Main Category:
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Published On: Jun 03, 2008 06:01 PM


I have a BSC-1200 controller running 6.5.1.03 which looks to be the latest release. I've configured a Guest Wireless role and given that role 256Kbps of bandwidth allocation for incoming and outgoing traffic. The priority for incoming and outgoing is medium and I'm not marking DSCP.
The config looks OK to me, but the 256K limit isn't working and I can easily pull over 2Mbps using this role.
Would you mind screenshooting your role settings, and attaching the image files?
Hi Charlie - Thanks for your reply. Images attached and any thoughts gratefully received.
After some more testing it looks like the outgoing bandwidth limit works OK, but the incoming limit doesn't work. I can set it whatever I like and can always pull large bandwidth using that role.
You may want to disable the per-service override just to be sure no other marking are preempting these settings.


text:
CREATE  TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `VIRTUAL_FIREALARM_DEVICE` (
  `VIRTUAL_FIREALARM_DEVICE_ID` VARCHAR(45) NOT NULL ,
  `DEVICE_NAME` VARCHAR(100) NULL DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`VIRTUAL_FIREALARM_DEVICE_ID`) )
ENGINE = InnoDB;


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text:
Q: MS Outlook 2016 auto-forward if body of email contains today or tomorrow's date I have Outlook 2016, and would like to set up auto-forward rule if the body of email contains today or tomorrow date.  So the date will change based on current date.  Is this something Outlook is capable of?

A: I'm afraid not with build-in Outlook feature, the OOF message do not check the content of incoming message.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Rabbi Eyal Rav-Noy arrived at the Jewish Learning Academy on Pico Boulevard on Sunday morning, Aug. 23, to discover swastikas, along with a profanity written in mirror image, painted onto a door of the building. Rav-Noy reported the graffiti to the West Los Angeles division of the LAPD, which is investigating the incident.
The graffiti appeared to have been painted with a brush on the door of the men's bathroom, which is in an outdoor corridor at the building's back parking lot. Random brush strokes also marred other surfaces of the building, located west of Beverly Drive.
Rav-Noy had led Shabbat services there the previous day and confirmed that the graffiti was left sometime overnight. It is the first incident he has seen since he began leasing the space three-and-a-half years ago.
JLA, affiliated with Chabad, runs adult education and youth classes for those new to the Jewish tradition, and Rav-Noy leads Shabbat services peppered with explanations. Rav-Noy leases the ground floor of the building with his brother, Rabbi Michy Rav-Noy, director of the Friendship Circle, which pairs teen volunteers with special needs kids.


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In The Golden Egg , as the first leaves of autumn begin to fall, Vice Questore Patta asks Brunetti to look into a minor shop-keeping violation committed by the mayor's future daughter-in-law. Brunetti has no interest in helping his boss amass political favors, but he has little choice but to comply. Then Brunetti's wife, Paola, comes to him with a request of her own. The mentally handicapped man who worked at their dry cleaner has just died of a sleeping pill overdose, and Paola loathes the idea that he lived and died without anyone noticing him, or helping him.
Brunetti begins to investigate the death and is surprised when he finds nothing on the man: no birth certificate, no passport, no driver's license, no credit cards. As far as the Italian government is concerned, he never existed. Stranger still, the dead man's mother refuses to speak to the police, and assures Brunetti that her son's identification papers were stolen in a burglary. As secrets unravel, Brunetti suspects that the Lembos, an aristocratic family, might be somehow connected to the death. But why would anyone want this sweet, simple-minded man dead?
Publisher: New York : Atlantic Monthly Press ; Berkeley : Distributed by Publishers Group West, 2013
Read more reviews of The Golden Egg at iDreamBooks.com
nofasternan Jun 25, 2017
I liked this book even more than Death at La Fenice or Death in a Strange Country. Brunetti, his colleagues, his family, each with their rituals and routines are strongly personalized and simpatico (yes, even Patta). So what if the story develops slowly, the city and its denizens are flavorful and enjoyable like a good liqueur, to be sipped. And no, I was not smart enough to guess the denouement before the end of the book.
maipenrai Nov 06, 2016
Book 22 in the Guido Brunetti series
carlosgil Oct 31, 2014
Leon, Donna. The Golden Egg (Grove Press 2013). This is another book by the author (the first for me) of a series of mysteries solved by Commissario Guido Brunetti, an aging Venetian detective. A professional book reviewer in a woman's magazine led me to this volume despite the fact that the reviewer panned The Golden Egg as yet another, tired installment of Brunetti's gumshoe performance. I couldn't disagree more.
I found Leon's construction of Brunetti's sixth-sense of the people he engages in his every day investigations, including his relationship with his wife, quite convincing. His ability to penetrate his interlocutor man or woman with ease and guilelessness kept me turning the pages admiring Leon's writing ability at the same time. I couldn't help but notice that her phrasing at certain moments reflects her Italian-English, a big leap I make since I'm only guessing she's Italian or Italian American.
I do note that in my hoping to learn something about Venice at the same time I was reading a detective's tale, the author kept that dimension limited somewhat. Even so, I learned (although I can only assume it's true) that the government of Venice retains an awful lot of personal files because Brunetti and his assistant sleuths were able to access a considerable amount of facts with a few clicks on the victim in the story and others who knew him. Leon has made Brunetti her life's work, it seems, most probably based on a close observation of the people of Venice.
rsmbarlow Jun 05, 2014
This was a great read! As with each book in this series, I quickly and happily settled into the familiar characters, setting and images. The plot is slow-moving and focuses more on the characters and what motivates people in general. There are some great one-liners: "And I think you should bear in mind that most people don't change as they go through life, and as life goes through them."
herbel Apr 08, 2014
This really was not the book for me. I finished it, as I'd promised a friend I would! So slow and very old fashioned. I cannot imagine a real policeman in any country acting in such a cerebral manner. There is so much "thinking' going on. He never seems to ask any real questions of his witnesses, but wonders afterwards if he should have asked something. Not sure I'd want him on a case my life depended on. The conclusion is no surprise--thought it was that character from the start. So no skillful plot designing here. Author's voice intrudes often. Can't imagine detective Brunetti really would interject thoughts more appropriate for an older woman. Such a focus on blood relationships, too, feeling the need to clarify if someone was your birth father or adopted father seems so outdated in today's age. Have visited Italy often and did not even get the flavour of today's country. Disappointing.
blue_cat_2971 Jan 30, 2014
I love this series, but this was not one of the best.
Daphne57 Aug 05, 2013
Enjoyed Donna Leon's Brunetti series once again. Such a great background in Italy.
pokano Jul 24, 2013
A 40-something neighborhood deaf mute dies from what looks like an overdose of sleeping pills. Brunetti can't find any record of his existence. Has a crime been committed or not?
Malca Jul 17, 2013
Donna Leon's Brunetti is a great character. If I ever get to Venice, I'd love to meet him. Leon's mysteries never fail to please.
robertalg Jun 24, 2013
I'm giving up on Donna Leo . She extremely cynical and Disparaging of the Italian judicial system; Makes me very uninterested and visiting Italy. and this was a really sad book. I've read all of her books but this will be the last one
Brunetti, Guido (Fictitious Character) — Fiction
Police — Italy — Venice — Fiction
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text:
GRACE(FUL) SOUL…
TILLY GRACE is a Brit, blue-eyed soulstress. Over the last few years she's released some tasty singles like 'Chill' and 'Soul Man Theme'. Both were collaborations with the DSG label and were mixed my mix master Nigel Lowis. Importantly she also released a well-received version of the old Vera Lynn song, 'We'll Meet Again' which was given a sort of Philly makeover. Sounds odd – but it worked and, even more importantly, the revenue and donations that the track earned went to the NHS at the hight of the pandemic.
We're told that Ms G is working on a soon-to-be released album under the intriguing "Majestic Soul" banner. For her role, Tilly appears to be performing as TILLY & THE GRACES and you can maybe hear why from the sound of both sides of the album's first single which pairs 'Go Now' with 'I Ain't Getting Over You'. Both are new songs (so, it's not Bessie Banks' 'Go Now') but both tunes have a real 60s girl group flavour which, (probably?) explains the subtle name change. On both, young Tilly sings her socks off ably supported by a femme chorus. Tilly is once again working with Nigel Lowis as producer and between them they create sound that might make you think the music came straight out of the 60s Brill Building. The cover art work reinforces that message. Investigate via DSG Records… https://dsgmusicstore.com/home
Tags: Tilly Grace


Using "forged composite" in the sole and crown enable the design team to precisely control wall thickness. PLUS, I haven't yet had the opportunity to demo a good aftermarket in this head yet. Just normal marks from play. The HO in me wants to install a nice aftermarket, but the results are making it hard for me to pull the trigger. It allows for a l Dan, who fit me, told me he travels with the van all year and fits the pros. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest which does not give you access to all the great features at GolfWRX such as viewing all the images, interacting with members, access to all forums and eligiblility to win free giveaways.
Posted 19 May – All single pieces drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, single irons, wedges, putters.
This driver is now my go-to and has earned its place in my bag. CONS The curved seam on the crown can be off-putting; impact is too muffled for a few testers.
Prototype Tour only driver. Edited by buster, 09 May – See each listing for international shipping options and costs.
Sign Up for Newsletters Receive insider analysis, swing tips, equipment news, special offers and much more. Posted 24 May – If I need to play it lower or have to go the other way, I just move the ball back a bit and it works out just nicely. Between this and the R11, my daughter like the looks of the R11; mostly for the red lines.
Used, overall in good condition.
Pleasing head shape with black coloring; shaft has red arrow alignment aid. You'll start to eazr all of these clubs in your local pro shops in the middle of February.
I just need to match it with the proper shaft and I will be all set. Why Rickie Fowler is so excited about a game-improvement Cobra 4-iron. If my new d2 doesn't behave itself then this will be what ahwk in and replaces it. Good condition with normal use. Also shop in Also shop in.
Testers praise directional consistency on mis-hits all over the face; minimal distance loss on heel and toe shots. This is a driver that is every bit as good as the early hype promised it would be! Solid feel without a loud sound; mis-hits can be detected but are subtle; light but stable sensation throughout the swing. Item has been heavily used and shows signs of bawk.
JB lefty, on 09 May – Nice job, your Swiss-ness. Dan, who fit me, told me he travels with the van all year and fits the pros. Receive insider analysis, swing tips, equipment news, special offers and much more. Testers hit all sorts of shots with ease; repeatable, hot hqwk. Let me if you get sick of it. While I was at the first demo, one golfer was being fitted on the trackman and the Callaway rep asked them to go back to the bag and get their current driver to hit on the trackman to compare against the Razr Hawk.
AccuFlex Lie Angle Dexterity: Several cllaway hit this inch club longer than their current club — as much as 20 yards farther; very consistent results, misses get plenty of help distance-wise.
We apologize for any inconvenience. Draw bias razor hawk driver. It's great to hear that Callaway was so helpful with the fitting and provided an option that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.


While other jobs in the film industry are well defined, such as actor and writer, the job of the producer is a bit ambiguous. The difference between producers of indie films and producers of studio films lies in the resources and goals of indie and studio pictures. Whereas studios are more bottom-line focused, willing to scrap a flick on a second's notice if profit isn't easily visible, independently produced movies focus more on artistry. Without the funds of a studio, indie producers usually raise the money to create the film on their own, taking on extra duties in the process.
The types of producers are the same in independent films as in Hollywood. Executive producers are the heavy financiers of the film. They procure at least 25 percent of the budget and may own the rights to the book the film's based on. Executive producers usually remain off set, far away from creative and technical procedures. Co-executive producers are studio executives or distributors who also have a financial stake in the film, albeit a smaller one. The co-producer helps with casting and in post-production. Line producers are always on the set supervising the budget. They have little to no creative input. The associate producer ensures the production runs smoothly along schedule, handling all problems that the production faces. Of these producers, there are essentially two types -- business and creative. Business handles the money; creative works with the director.
The producer gives birth to the project. He does this by acquiring the financing for the film. Sometimes he hires the director, oversees casting and assembles a crew. Producers may occasionally come up with the idea or the story of the film. While procrastinating on writing "The Dark Knight Rises," for instance, David Goyer and Christopher Nolan conceived "Man of Steel." Goyer told Nolan his idea, the two of them expanded on it and Nolan called the studio on the spot to get the green light on producing the film. Depending on the extent of their involvement, producers may also dabble in post-production work, such as editing, music score and promotion. The most important difference between indie and studio producers is independents assume legal, business and financial responsibilities, while studio producers have the luxury of letting the studio shoulder those burdens.
Independent producers take on several additional functions compared to studio producers. Indie producers act as business managers, dealing with dozens of rules, regulations and forms necessary to close deals to get their movies made. They develop their projects by writing or supervising the screenwriters' progress and acquiring the rights to the material. After completing the screenplay, the producer packages the film by presenting potential financiers with the script, director, producers and cast. Producers find sources of financing, usually from family, friends, equity investors, banks and distributors. After the financing is in place, producers have to set up production, including hiring employees, setting up accounting and payroll and finding locations. Once the film's finished, the producer must find a distributor. When the deal's in place, the producer then has to deliver the film and all its physical elements, including sound tracks, masters and stills, and paper elements, including copyright registration, rights documents insurance and talent agreements.
Independent film producers make varied salaries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, producers and directors earn a median annual wage of $68,440. Studio producers often receive a salary upfront from the studio, but independent producers don't get their money this way. Their salary depends on the contract they negotiate. It may help if they have Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists membership. SAG-AFTRA negotiates the best wages and working conditions for actors and other media professionals. The amount of money indie producers earn depends upon the deal they negotiated and the film's gross.
Kilhefner, Johnny. "Job Description of a Producer of Indie Movies." , https://careertrend.com/job-description-producer-indie-movies-13031.html. 05 July 2017.


I am a fan of the carefully chosen analogy, O Dearly Beloved. Perhaps you have noticed this. Analogies can be persuasive rhetorical devices, both illuminating and clarifying difficult topics by drawing attention to their similarity to situations and things with which we are more familiar. Using an analogy can reveal aspects of the subject in question which would otherwise be difficult to perceive. A well-chosen analogy can make the reader say, "Why, yes, of course. Why didn't I see that? How clever."
But analogies can be dangerous, too. In particular, analogies can encourage an over-facile equation of things which are fundamentally dissimilar based upon a few, selected characteristics they share in common. This can lead an author and reader to draw unsupported conclusions, or to extend the analogy to other aspects of the subject to which it does not truly apply. Carried too far, an unsupported or overextended analogy can conceal more than it reveals, or beg the more interesting questions at hand in favor of cheap and easy parallelism. Carried to an extreme, a faulty or weak analogy can even suggest an incorrect interpretation of events, or counterproductive behavior.
Analogies are like spices: a judicious application can enhance and bring out the flavor of a dish; too much can overwhelm it and even change its character entirely. Sriracha, anyone?
Hence, you may understand why I am less than enthusiastic about a recent article written by Roger Martin, the Dean of the Rotman School of Management, which appeared in the Harvard Business Review. In it, Professor Martin draws an extended—if not exhaustive—analogy between the behavior of business executives and American football quarterbacks. His basic complaint, if I read him aright, is that, unlike quarterbacks who play to accomplish real results (i.e., winning), public company CEOs run their businesses to satisfy market expectations. That is, they manage to their company's stock price, not to its real financial and operating results.
CEOs routinely go to the microphones to apologize or make excuses for missing the analysts' consensus earnings estimates — even if their real results are substantially up. And executives routinely take extreme and risky actions at the end of fiscal periods in order to juice results to hit those consensus earnings estimates.
Why is it that what is inconceivable in football is standard in business? The answer is that compensation is largely based in the expectations market in business and is strictly based in the real market in football. CEOs have a large portion of their compensation based on the performance of their company in the stock market, so CEOs spend their time shaping and responding to expectations. Quarterbacks have no part of their compensation based on the performance of their team against the point spread, so they focus completely on winning games.
Football has figured this out a lot better than has business. Football focuses its key players on the real game; business focuses its key players on the expectations game. Football gets 100% useful activity from its key players; business has them engaging plenty of their time in non-value-adding activities, like talking to analysts. It is time business learned a few things from football.
Perhaps Mr. Martin has been addled by enthusiasm for his analogy, but I think this is pretty silly advice. For one thing, quarterbacks and football players get paid for "real" results (winning football games and championships, for example) because those results are so well-defined and easy to measure. Did the Steelers beat the Bengals last night or not? That's a simple yes or no answer. Did the Steelers win the Super Bowl or not? Ditto. On the other hand, how do you measure success in business? Is it that net income increased by 15% year over year, or revenue by 10%? Is it that your company gained three points of market share, or reduced its outstanding debt by 10% with free cash flow?
Sports teams and fans track lots of statistics over the course of a season, but let's face it: the only thing that matters at the end of the day is whether they win or lose. Football teams and quarterbacks can put up better statistics than anyone else in the league, but if they don't win games, it just doesn't matter. Football is simple: over the course of a season each team in the league competes against all the others, and the playoffs and championship determine—by definition—the "best" football team of the season. There is no equivalent in the world of business. The metrics of success in business are far more multiform, variable, and relative: revenue growth, income growth, operating margins, free cash flow, market share, etc. You cannot point to a company's results at the end of a fiscal year and definitively declare that it "won" or "lost." Even if it outperformed its entire history in terms of growth, margins, and profitability, that does not mean it outperformed its competitors. There is no commonly accepted measure of absolute success in business.
Therefore, while it is relatively easy to track and incentivize football players based on whether they won or lost, and how often, it is quite tricky to pick one or two easily measured metrics to determine compensation for business executives. It makes no sense to pay a CEO solely based on operating or financial results, because that ignores industry conditions and relative performance, among other things. Why pay a CEO an incentive bonus if net income increased by 15% on his or her watch, but net income at the company's closest competitors increased by 20% or more? Why pay him or her for increasing sales if sales across the entire industry rose due to exogenous factors outside any executive's control?
There is, however, one universal metric in business—at least for publicly traded companies—which can be easily tracked and measured: a firm's stock price. Since this stock price presumably embodies the real-time, summary judgment of investors about both industry conditions and a company's individual prospects, it can act as a reasonably reliable proxy for the performance of the company and, hence (again presumably), its executives. That is why you see so many companies tie a significant portion of their executives' compensation to their stock price. Now, because a company's stock price incorporates factors external to its own performance—most notably investors' perceptions of the company's absolute and relative success—you will see corporate executives devote a great deal of time and attention to persuading investors of their case, to satisfying investor expectations, and to generally managing to the share price in addition to delivering actual results.
But—and this is crucial—this makes all the sense in the world. Why? Because management's incentives are aligned with those of their company's investors. They want to see the share price to go up, just like investors do. In fact, for both investors and management, a rising stock price is "winning." Just like quarterbacks and their teammates get paid to win games, win playoffs, and win championships, corporate executives get paid to boost their company's stock price, because that's what their owners (employers) want them to do. Football players are incentivized to win because it makes the franchise earn more money, it gratifies the team owners' egos, and because to the best of my knowledge the NFL takes a very dim view of owners and players betting against their own teams. Corporate managers are paid at least partially in stock and options because investors want them incentivized to raise the stock price, so the investors who own the company can make money.
Now, can excessive focus on raising the stock price distract management's attention from running the business and delivering the operating and financial results over which they have real control? Sure. Does an effort to drive the share price occasionally encourage managers to engage in counterproductive and dangerous games like managing earnings and creative accounting? Of course. But no incentive system is foolproof, and no incentive system is immune from being gamed for someone's advantage.
Perhaps in his obvious enthusiasm for the apparent purity and nobility of American football, Mr. Martin has forgotten that sport is vulnerable to the very same distortions and bad behavior that he chastises in business. There is a very old set of bad, distorting, and counterproductive behaviors which afflict and undermine any sport which is focused on winning. It is called cheating.
So, in contrast to Mr. Martin's recommendation, I would posit another. There is something important which business can teach the followers and encomiasts of sport: never underestimate the incentive, opportunity, and temptation for human beings playing high-stakes games to cut corners.
That is called human nature.
1 If you remain unconvinced, indulge me with a little thought experiment: what do you think the competition between implacable soda pop rivals Coke and Pepsi would look like if they could bomb each other's plants, machine gun each other's employees, and assassinate each other's leaders? Yeah. See the difference?
2 Before the sports mad take up pen and cudgel, let me explain. Sport operates with far fewer degrees of freedom than does business. The rules, structure, and forms of acceptable behavior are limited and highly codified, by definition. That's what makes it sport. I say this not to take anything away from the skill, beauty, and excitement which well-played sport entails. It's just that sports participants channel their energy, skill, and determination into extremely limited and well-defined channels. In contrast, business is much more like a barroom brawl.


text:
Q: Drawing on the picturebox with semitransparent pen I'm trying to draw on the pictureBox with "semitransparent" pen. However, when my mouse moves to the painted region, the color will become darker and the color isn't uniform as the following picture.
!the up-left region is darker than the below-middle region which was painted only one time→.1
Is there any method which can uniform the color used to paint on the pictureBox.
the following is part of my code
private: System::Void pictureBox1_MouseMove(System::Object^  sender, System::Windows::Forms::MouseEventArgs^  e)
{
  if(e->Button==System::Windows::Forms::MouseButtons::Left)
  {
    Graphics ^ gg = Graphics::FromImage(pictureBox1->Image);
    Pen ^pen=gcnew Pen(Color::FromArgb(20, Color::Red),20);
    pen->StartCap = System::Drawing::Drawing2D::LineCap::RoundAnchor;
    pen->EndCap = System::Drawing::Drawing2D::LineCap::RoundAnchor;

    gg->DrawLine(pen,x0,y0,e->X,e->Y);
    x0=e->X;
    y0=e->Y;
    pictureBox1->Refresh();
  }
}


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