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The Nature of Disappointment
It's been a tumultuous month in the world of bucket list experiences. The New York Times art critic ran a story about the sheer and utter disappointment of seeing the Mona Lisa, glassed away from the masses of crowds expecting something more...transcendent. Asked on national radio about my own experience with Leonardo's masterpiece, I recalled seeing it many years ago, and feeling distinctly underwhelmed: "I thought there would be God rays and confetti, and angels would be singing with harps." If I didn't know it was regarded as the pinnacle of artistic expression, I would have walked past it, marvelling at plenty other works in the Louvre that would better match that description. The subject moved onto travel experiences that are disappointing. Each to their own, but there's really only a few factors that will make an activity or destination disappointing:
There are too many people and the crowd overwhelms the experience.
It is too expensive and you feel jilted by the cost.
The wildlife didn't turn up because, you know, wildlife.
The weather sucked, so you're too busy focusing on how great it would be if the weather didn't suck.
You were robbed, fell ill, got hit by a bus, or were press-ganged into slavery aboard a Thai tuna fishing vessel.
All this to say: The experience did not live up to your expectations. The higher your expectations, the higher the chance that the destination or activity will disappoint you. Reality simply can't compete with your imagination. And I can't blame anyone for having an imagination stoked by the most perfect of all scenarios. On television shows, in travel articles, in books (ahem), you rarely see or hear about crowds, costs, and crap weather. The sky is mostly blue, and the animals always show up. It is very rare that everything comes together exactly as it does in the brochures, and yet the marketing of peak experience does no favours to your expectations. You're being set up for disappointment, so better to have no or limited expectations to begin with.
Is that it? No wonder my head is steaming.
One of the tools proposed to combat the scourge of overtourism is Responsible Marketing. This would require tour operators and destination marketing organizations to use real people in real situations, not models beneath a Photoshop sky. Imagine if casinos were restricted to responsible marketing? Instead of hot couples smiling as they win at the roulette table, you'd see leathered alcoholics flushing away next month's rent. Any activity that depends on good weather is particularly vulnerable to unmet expectations. Nobody wants to visit a beach in a hailstorm, ski on a mountain without snow, or get rained on during a parade. My biggest disappointment is the northern lights – a dreamy bucket list experience that is particularly weather dependent. Ten times I should have seen a magical natural fireworks display in the sky, and ten times the sky was overcast, or the solar ions weren't firing, or the sky lit up the day before I arrived, and the day after I left. Ten times in the freezing northern winter, including trips to Whitehorse and Yellowknife during peak aurora-watching season. Eventually I did see the northern lights, but compared to all the alluring photographs and stories, witnessing a slight pulsating green fog in the frigid, early morning sky (few people know that the best time to see the lights is well after midnight) was a let down. At least I hadn't flown in all the way from Japan, unlike the disappointed aurora-watchers around me.
The global bucket list took another hit this month with the chaos surrounding One Ocean Expeditions. I've worked with this Squamish-based company for several years, having visited Antarctica, crossed the Northwest Passage in the high Arctic and more recently taken my mom and daughter to remote islands in the Atlantic on their wonderful boats, guided by their wonderful crew. I've recommended the company at dozens of talks and in my books, and was shocked to hear they've been shipwrecked with financial difficulties. Passengers were left stranded shortly before an Antarctica sailing, most support staff have left the company, and information from the permanently closed head office to hundreds of out of pocket clients has been cryptic and scarce. The source of the issue appears to have been the damage that occurred to one of their Russian leased vessels in August 2018. There are competing claims as to who was responsible and should foot the bill, and as a result the Russians withdrew their ships from One Ocean's service. This sent the company scampering to fill exist bookings on their single remaining ship, and in all likelihood broke the sea camel's back. The company's mysterious restructuring has been devastating for their amazing staff and crew, many of whom are owed tens of thousands of dollars in wages. It has been devastating for passengers around the world who have footed up to $14,000 per ticket, and have no travel insurance recourse to get their money back. It has been devastating for the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, who benefitted from One Ocean as a major sponsor, and it has been devastating for polar tourism. One Ocean did vital, generous and important work for the Arctic and Antarctica, supporting scientists, educators, communicators and students. I remember telling passengers that One Ocean did not just help us tick Antarctica off our bucket list, the company had helped us become ambassadors for a truly incredible, vulnerable and oft-misunderstood eco-system. Despite hope that a new financial partner will save the day, the damage to the brand and betrayal of trust of both clients and crew is, in all probability, fatal. Despite some wild rumours swirling around, I do believe One Ocean had a wonderful heart. Operating at the mercy of the roughest of natural elements, it just needed a better business brain. Here's hoping for smooth waters and easy sailing ahead for passengers, crew, company and the polar region itself.
Book Review: Atlas of Untamed Places
Just when I thought I'd seen something of the world, along comes a book about 45 remarkable places… and I've been to exactly one of them. Chris Fitch, a senior staff writer at the Royal Geographical Society's Geographical magazine, has assembled an impressive collection of little known spots from all seven continents, divided into sections of Extreme Environments, Untouched Lands, Human Activity, Weird Worlds, Isolated Realms and Nature's Wilderness. Illustrated with clear maps and black and white photography, it is an atlas of destinations so remote, rugged and bizarre that many chapters could be describing locations on alien planets.
A mysterious lake appears out of nowhere in the Tunisian desert. Off the coast of Croatia, a steep rocky island consisting almost entirely of volcanic magnetite sends navigational equipment haywire, and more than few sailors to their doom. In China, the world's largest tidal bore draws thousands of people each year to watch a wall of water racing up the Qiantang estuary. On North Sentinel Island in the Andaman Islands, an uncontacted tribe of hostile islanders continue to shower arrows (and occasionally death) on anyone who approaches their shores. The world's largest cave system in Georgia, an accidental coal fire that burns beneath a town in Pennsylvania, the -93°C extremes of Dome Argus Antarctica, a hidden valley of impenetrable rainforest in Borneo – most of the short chapters had me reaching for Wikipedia and falling down an online rabbit hole. Google Mount Mabu Rainforest in Mozambique, Mexico's Cave of Crystals, or Colorado's Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge, and try not to annoy your friends by dropping the tremendous trivia of your discoveries.
This is the kind of book that inspires lunatics like me to actually run off and find these places. Sure, it could all be researched online (along with similar books like Atlas Obscura), but it does take a twisted genius to assemble these untamed places into something cohesive, and talent to write concise chapters that explain just enough to make you scratch your head, say "Whoa!" and desire to know more. As for the one place in the book I've actually visited? Chernobyl's Zone of Alienation, a chapter in my own book, The Great Global Bucket List. Books like these, which belong on the coffee table of the more eclectic traveller, forever ensuring that your bucket list continues to grow.
Atlas of Untamed Places
By Chris Fitch
with maps by Martin Brown
Published by Aurum Press
US$29.99 / $38.99 CAN
Buy it on Amazon.
Oscillating in Transdniester: A Conversation about Travel
When we last caught up with travel-fanatic Rus Margolin, he had just been to over 100 countries. Well, he just ticked off his 200th. I met Rus at Arctic Watch, one of the highlights on The Great Canadian Bucket List, and the kind of remote shore where rather interesting people wash up. For example, former-bond traders from New York who decide to visit every country in the world. Many years ago, I remember telling a girl in Hungary that I was travelling around the world, and without missing a beat, she asked me: So, what have you learned?" I caught up with Rus for a conversation about travel, experiences, highlights, some places you might not have heard of, and what he has learned himself. Check out some of his incredible photos in the slideshow above.
RE: I bet a lot of people ask you what your favourite country is. Does it drive you crazy?
RM: It's pretty much the most common question. And the less travelled people ask it even more. And my typical answer is: It depends. Are you interested in culture, history, nature, landscapes, people, food? And so on…
RE: Travel is so personal. I always tell people, "just because I had a great time in X, doesn't mean you will." Perhaps folks just want reassurance. I do like throwing in amazing countries they wouldn't have thought of much, like Sri Lanka, and Cook Islands.
RM: I do the same and go a step further - Mauritania, Greenland, Turkmenistan, Iran, Vanuatu. See how their eyes open wide in disbelief. Djibouti as well.
RE: At this point, you could just start making names up! I've got a text box in my new Global Bucket List book about the amount of countries in the world. "The United Nations currently has 193 members; the US State Department recognizes 195. FIFA has 208 members because it takes into account countries that are governed by other countries but can still kick a soccer ball. Most sources give the number at 196." How do you define a country? How many are on your list?
RM: I have my own list of countries. To me a country is not a UN entity but more like a unique destination - with it's own culture, nature, people, history, geographic isolation, and its own government. You start with a UN list, add various former colonies and islands and territories, add a bunch of de facto independent countries and you get close to 300. Greenland, Cayman Islands, Transdniester, New Caledonia, Galapagos, Easter Island, Canary Islands - these are all countries to me. Here's my full list of countries.
RE: And is your goal to visit all of them?
RM: Not the primary objective. I am interested in seeing the most incredible and unique places in the world, having incredible experiences while doing it, and meeting people from all over the world. Plus I like contrasts - one day you are trekking Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, next week you are in Norway seeing Northern lights, next week you are clubbing in NYC and next week you are in the South American jungle. I am also still trying to see every possible animal migration and mammal species there is.
RE: I found the richness of the experience can become overwhelming, like eating too much dessert. How do you keep it fresh? How do you prevent becoming a jaded traveller?
RM: Alternate the experiences. When I got to "chateau-ed out" in France, I went hiking in Pyrenees. When the Western European democracy gets under your skin - you try Russia or Egypt.
RE: I'm sure many readers will be asking themselves: how the heck does this guy afford it? Were you a Wolf on Wall Street? Do you have to make personal and professional sacrifices to travel with such dedication?
RM: The fact is that travelling is actually often cheaper then living in a big metropolitan city. In many countries you can survive on $50 per day in relative comfort. The biggest expense of travel is airfare - which you minimize of you country to neighboring country, or allow for flexibility in finding cheap flights. You could lease a car in Europe for a long-term lease as cheap as 20 euro a day. South America, Asia, Middle East are all relatively cheap. Professionally it's definitely a huge sacrifice - but I'd rather look back at my life and think about incredible experiences than stare at a bank account or remember sitting in front of monitors and watching markets oscillate.
RE: Oscillating in Transdniester. That's a good title for a book. And I confess I'd never heard of Transdniester until you mentioned it!
RM: In Transdniester you actually experience time travel. It's like going back to USSR - Lenin statues, rubles with hammer and sickle on them, beer in metal barrels sold in the streets. It's a completely independent country with its own government, money, military and police, language, sports teams. Just not recognized by UN
RE: I just looked it up on Wikipedia just in case you were making it up! OK, so what country did you find the most welcoming, and what country was the most hostile?
RM: For the most part I have to say that pretty much every country is welcoming. You always meet people who are proud of their country and want to show it to you. Iran was probably the biggest surprise in how open and friendly people were. Same for Cuba. Slovakia, Rwanda, the Pacific Island nations, Central Asia. Different culturally, definitely, but open arms everywhere. Perhaps maybe the Gulf Countries were a bit stuffy. But so are some states in USA.
RE: Have you noticed any universalities among the nations? Is globalization as prevalent in the cultural sense as the media would have us believe?
RM: Well, there's cell phones. No matter how poor or isolated the country is - everybody has iPhones or smart phones of some sort, and most places have wifi. It was easier or find wifi in Egypt then in New York.
RE: Even in Transdniester and Djibouti?
RM: Transdniester absolutely. Djibouti, in the capital city. When I was camping in the desert, not so much.
RE: You're chasing migrations and mammals too. What's your favourite mammal? Some of them can be quite elusive. Like the virtuous and honest politician (or so I'm told...)
RM: I haven't met a virtuous and honest (or even either/or) politician yet. In the animal world - gorillas, orangutans, whales, grizzlies, elephants, lions are much easier and more enjoyable to deal with.
RE: You take some incredible images (some of which I've used in my books). Do you have a favourite? The pic that always brings a smile to your face?
RM: My top 3 stunning places, visually: Danakil in Ethiopia, Kamchatka in Russia, the Icefjord in Greenland. Most pictures bring incredible memories. That's the beauty of travel. Every country and city gets a real feel and taste and color, rather than just being a name on the map. Some of my favorite pics were from most insane experiences - like hugging a white baby seal in Canada, standing on top of Mt Kenya, stretching my arm toward a gorilla or whale shark, dancing my ass off in Ibiza during fluorescent spray-paint night. It's an endless list really.
RE: So, you travel around the world. What have you learned?
RM: Be open to other people and their views of life; be respectful of their cultures and traditions; try every food you can; take on all physical challenges; learn about everything and anything. Enrich yourself with knowledge and experiences, and then continue to repeat the process. The sky truly is the limit.
RE: I totally agree. And what's next?
RM: A small trip to British Virgin Islands, then back to New York for DJ classes. And then: West Africa, Polynesia, Mongolia, India, more of Brazil and Russia
You can catch up to Rus on Facebook and Instagram.
The World's Most Extreme Places
Hot, cold, dry, wet and windy – there are some places in the world where everything is taken to the extreme. Those craving excitement might put them on the radar. Others should make a mental note to avoid these spots at all costs.
The World's Hottest Place
Here's a contentious category, with various contenders vying for the top hot spot. Historically, the victor was El Aziza in Libya, where the ground temperature was recorded in 1922 at a whopping 58°C. Furnace Creek in California's Death Valley clocked in at an impressive 56°C, but it was not until satellites could measure thermal temperatures that the true victor could scorch their way to the top. Researchers at the University of Montana analysed infrared satellite data and the results were surprising. According to five years worth of data, the hottest place on Earth is Iran's Lut Desert, where the land skin temperature was measured at 70.7°C. At that heat, you can fry an egg on your hand!
The World's Coldest Place
On November 23, 2010, Alberta recorded temperatures that made it the second coldest place that day on the planet. What's remarkable about this fact is that it included populated cities like Edmonton and Calgary, where the wind chill cranked the chill to around -41°C. Pollockville, 250km east of Calgary, had to deal with -49°C. But that's toasty compared to how cold it can get in Antarctica, which reigns supreme for recording the coldest temperatures on Earth. Scientists in Vostok, near the magnetic south pole, recorded land temperatures at a brrrr-isk -89.2°C, measured during the dark winter months of June and July. The coldest permanently inhabited town is said to be Oymyakon in Russia's northern Sakha Republic, which clocked in at a frisky−71.2 °C.
The World's Wettest Place
There are half a dozen contenders in this category, with different research methodologies determined to soak up the glory. When I visited Kauai, Hawaii's Garden Island, I was told by proud locals and guides that Mount Wai-'ale-'ale is the wettest spot on Earth, with rain falling between 335 and 360 days a year, drowning in up to 13,000mm each year. The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes this achievement, but the US National Climatic Data Center gives the title to Colombia's Lloro, which receives over 12,000mm a year. Cherrapunji in north-eastern India is another contender, even more remarkable since its annual rainfall (almost 11,000mm) falls mostly in the monsoon months between June and August. Back in Colombia, a freak rainy season in 1974 deposited 26,303mm of rain on the town of Tutunendo. It puts living in rainy Vancouver, where the average annual rainfall is just 1588mm, in perspective.
The World's Windiest Place
For 75 years, Mount Washington in New Hampshire held the record for the highest wind speeds ever recorded, 231 miles per hour at the top of its peak. It was a freak event, much like the cyclone in Barrow Island, Australia that blew right past the record, clocking in at 253 miles per hour. The most consistent windiest place on the planet is Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica. As for the windiest cities, forget Chicago. Citizens in Wellington New Zealand, Reykjavik Iceland and Cape Town South Africa would do well to invest in extra strength umbrellas. As for the windiest city in Canada? The title goes to St John's, Newfoundland.
The World's Driest Place
The Atacama Desert stretches across northern Chile into parts of Bolivia and Peru, and is known as the driest place on the planet. Average rainfall is as little as 1mm a year, with some weather stations having never recorded any rain at all. The town of Arica, a launchpad for tourism excursions into the Atacama, did not record any rain for over 15 years! Crossing the Atacama in a 4x4 is one of my highlights of visiting South America, witnessing its otherworldly landscapes and rock structures. Scientists have compared the Atacama to conditions of Mars, which is why NASA test-drove their Mars Rovers here. Oddly enough, the driest continent is Antarctica, which receives less than 2mm rain a year, even though it is primarily made up of compacted snow and ice.
The World's Deepest Place
James Cameron, director of Avatar and Titanic, broke the world record to become the first human to visit the deepest spot on the earth – the desolate, alien and lunar landscape that sits almost 11km deep at the bottom of the ocean known as the Mariana Trench. Located in the Western Pacific, the 2550km long trench forms the boundary of two tectonic plates. While pressure at the bottom is over 1000 times that found at sea level, researchers have still found life in the form of fish, shrimp and other organisms. Decaying animal skeletons, shells and other organisms give the seabed a yellow colour. Cameron filmed his descent in 3D for a documentary, and collected samples for scientists to shed more light on the darkest of ocean deeps.
The World's Highest Place
The world's highest mountain is Mount Everest, towering at 8848m above sea level. If you dared to climb atop its dangerous peak, as thousands of climbers do every year, you wouldn't however be the closest to the moon. The planet's shape is an oblate spheroid, much like the shape of balloon if you were to sit on it. The result is that mountains close to the equator stick out further than mountains closer to the poles, not in terms of height above sea level, but in terms of its closeness to the stars and distance from the earth's centre. Cleverer people than I have done the calculations, and determined that the 6310m high Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador lies on the bulge, and as such is about 2.4 km closer to space than Everest!
The Deepest Place Below Sea Level
On dry land, you can't get any lower than visiting the Dead Sea, the salty lake that shares its banks with Israel and Jordan. To get there, you'll drive along the world's lowest road, and float in its famously buoyant waters 423 metres below sea level. 67 kilometres long and 18 kilometres wide, this lifeless sea is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean, which is why you can comfortably sit back and read a newspaper during a dip. The health benefits of the mineral waters and thick mud of the Dead Sea have been prized since Biblical days, making it one of the world's first health resorts. A drop in groundwater and flow of water from the Jordan River has resulted in significant shrinking of the Dead Sea, causing much concern for both the tourism and cosmetic industries that support it.
The World's Most Dangerous Country
Forbes Magazine went through data looking at crime rates, risk of terrorism and kidnappings, police protection, corruption and political stability to determine the world's most dangerous countries. Receiving the bronze medal on the podium is Somalia, which has not had a real government for 15 years, where militants run wild and piracy is rampant. The silver medal goes to Iraq, a hotbed of fundamentalism and instability, its citizens living under the constant threat of bombings and deeply corrupt government officials. Winning the gold medal, which will probably make its way to a Swiss bank account faster than I can type this sentence, is Afghanistan. Tribal warfare and corruption is rife, especially on the Pakistan border, where it is estimated that every citizen owns an automatic weapon.
The Youngest Place on Earth
Iceland, the real land of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones notwithstanding) boasts the youngest place on the planet with its southern-most point, Surtsey Island. This 1.4 km2 island dramatically emerged from the sea during a volcanic eruption in 1963. The volcano stopped erupting almost four years later, with the intense flow of lava resulting in a newest island in the Atlantic. Since then, erosion has whittled away some of the land, but its hard igneous core has remained firm. The island was declared a nature reserve in 1965, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, for its scientific value. Scientists are studying how plant, bird and marine life are evolving on the island, with human impact carefully monitored and kept to a minimum.
The Rise of the Bucket Lister
This month I'm a talking, highly animated head on a 60 Minutes Sports episode about the rise of Adventure Travel. Why are more and more tourists leaving the all-inclusive beach resorts to go hiking or cycling or bushwhacking? In effect, why are tourists becoming travellers? I call it the Rise of the Bucket Lister.
Here's a preview of the episode. Warning: I'm pretty certain my two year-old daughter fell into a cauldron of Red Bull and is incapable of any form of rejuvenating sleep. My eyes tell this story accordingly.
I've seen this trend with the success of the Canadian Bucket List project. Bucket Listers, as I call us, are drawn to unique and memorable experiences. Beach vacations tend to blur together, but you never forget seeing a polar bear in the wild, or staying in an ice hotel, discovering an island by bicycle or crossing the country by train. Not that there's anything wrong with a beach vacation, especially if we're looking for relaxation and rest. I've always said that travel is as personal as the underwear you're wearing (assuming you're wearing underwear!)
Demographically, we're at an incredible time for travel. Active boomers and empty nesters with more disposable income than any other generation in history are game for adventure. Millennials and Gen X'ers are taking advantage of low-cost airfare and helpful online tools to find great deals, information and inspiration for their own adventures. Factor in online bookings, credit cards and e-devices, and there's never been an easier time to travel. Clumsy travellers cheques and paper airline tickets have gone the way of the dodo. A tiny USB stick can hold hundreds of albums for any road trip. Even in far-flung Albania, I could access local currency at ubiquitous ATM's. Tour operators have become more professional, and more environmentally responsible, and the rise of volun-tourism has brings with it the opportunity for more meaningful travel.
For 60 Minutes Sports, I spoke about my recent trip to Antarctica, and how a night camping on the ice turned into a bigger adventure than anyone bargained for (thank you snowstorm!) I also explain it was the highlight of my trip. I was cold, wet and uncomfortable, but I was experiencing Antarctica as it is – a cold, wet and uncomfortable place. So while the fantastic meals and service and friendships I enjoyed on One Ocean Expedition's ice-breaker might fade in my memories, surviving one miserable night on the forbidding seventh continent will not. I would argue there is Bucket List travel, and there are Bucket List moments, and this one was of them.
In August, I'll be heading to Baffin Island one One Ocean's sister ship, the Ioffe. You are welcome to join me for this Photographic Symposium, it's going to be a Bucket List journey to be sure. As the Writer-in-Residence, I'll be researching a new chapter for The Great Northern Canada Bucket List edition, to be published next year, and putting the final touches on my international opus, The Great Global Bucket List too. Visiting the starkness of the Arctic in a Russian-flagged expedition ice-breaker is sure to be unforgettable. Massive glaciers crashing into shark-fin mountains, abundant wildlife, the rich culture of Inuit communities, hikes on the tundra – is it any wonder that yesterday's tourists are becoming today's adventurers?
60 Minutes Sports airs and repeats on Showtime. My segment appears in Episode 6 of season 3, titled Backroads.
Lock up the Penguins, I'm going to Antarctica
That time legendary polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and I escaped certain death on the pack ice. Man, that was hilarious.
The story of how continents became continents is quite a fascinating one, and I'll let one of my favourite Youtubers CGP Grey explain it, because he explains things better than just about anybody else out there.
But the fact remains that I've never been to Antarctica, and to miss a country is one thing, but to miss a whole continent, well really, that's just annoying. I mean, what did that continent ever do to you? Besides being the most hostile, desolate, unforgiving, unwelcome and dangerous place on Earth?
To be fair, Antarctica isn't like that anymore, at least not for the vast majority of the people who visit each summer. Instead of fabric tents been torn to shreds, pack ice crushing ships and everyone eating the sled dogs, modern expedition vessels bring thousands of tourists into the peninsular each summer season - in safety and comfort.
I've wanted to go to Antarctica since forever, and now that I'm researching my new book, The Great Global Bucket List, I could not dare leave it out. This is why I'm packing for a 10-night journey on One Ocean Expedition's Russian-flagged Akademik Sergey Vavilov. I'll be flying to Buenos Aires, and onwards to Ushuaia, the most southern tip of South America, catching the boat there. British Columbia-based One Ocean Expeditions are the cream of the crop when it comes to Antarctic adventures. Their 117m boat has a bar, library, sauna, plunge pool, and presentation room for talks about penguins, and the great age of polar exploration. When men didn't complain even if frostbite had bitten off half their face.
Last week, I read Alfred Lansing's classic book about the story of Shackleton's incredible adventure on the ice in 1916. I couldn't put it down...what these men went through over 18 months stranded on the ice is a testament to survival, instinct and endurance. Refreshingly, nobody had to be eaten. But you're probably wondering why visiting Antarctica belongs on the Global Bucket List? Me too. I know the wildlife encounters are supposed to be incredible. There are icebergs the likes I've never seen before, and coastlines that defy description. Sailing the world's roughest crossing - The Drake Passage - is going to be an adventure in itself. However, the activity I can't stop thinking about is that, weather permitting, we will be spending a night sleeping on the pack itself. It's approaching summer solstice down there so stars are not the draw, nor the southern lights. It's the fact that I'll be spending a night on the elusive seventh continent, the one very few people get to see. With little access to the internet, my next post will be post-trip. If you don't hear from me in a month, send a rescue party. And I mean party...with hats and booze and confetti and cups to play beer pong with. I'll invite the penguins.
- RE
Please come in. Mahalo for removing your shoes.
After many years running a behemoth of a blog called Modern Gonzo, I've decided to a: publish a book or eight, and b: make my stories more digestible, relevant, and deserving of your battered attention.
Here you will find some of my adventures to over 100 countries, travel tips and advice, rantings, ravings, commentary, observations and ongoing adventures.
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Our wines are produced on our family domain. This is the first meaning.
A is the initial of our daughter's name, Andreea, and of our nephews' names, Andrei and Alexandru.
V comes from Valeriu, my first name, and I comes from Irinel, my wife.
The central word of the AVINCIS brand is VIN, meaning wine.
The last three letters, CIS, are the initials of my wife's full name: Cristiana Irinel Stoica. She is entitled to this privilege because the VILA DOBRUSA family domain was inherited from her family.
The second meaning comes from the association of the AVINCIS brand with the latin verb "vinco, vincere" — to win. In other words, the person tasting our wines will overcome all difficulties and will enjoy only victories.
The third and not less important meaning comes also from a sound resemblance: the French word "vainqueur" can also be understood as "vin coeur", "wine of the heart".
The AVINCIS wines are good for the hearts of all the people faithful to them.
In short, wines produced by our family, for your heart with witch you will win all battles.


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Let's ask Our Lord to give us the insight to forgive even when we have no motive or incentive to do so. Only then can we hope to receive the forgiveness to enter heaven.
One day I got up the courage to ask him about it. He said someone had really hurt him, and he wasn't about to forgive that person. So he figured he'd better not say those words because he'd be calling the Lord's condemnation upon himself.
Let it be known, however, that before he died, he did finally forgive the person who had wronged him, and I'm sure Our Lord accordingly forgave him as well.
My lesson for today: Let's ask Our Lord to give us the insight to forgive even when we have no motive or incentive to do so. Only then can we hope to receive the forgiveness to enter heaven.


text:
News Climate 16 January 2019
Ocean temperatures hit unwanted record
Temperatures climb higher and more rapidly than predicted, sparking concerns. Samantha Page reports.
The world's oceans can absorb enormous amounts of energy - but at a growing cost.
Josh Berry-Walker / EyeEm/Getty Images
2018 was the hottest year on record for the world's oceans, new research reveals.
Ocean temperatures, measured in the upper 2000 metres of the surface, are "direct evidence" of continued global warming, the researchers say. They are also rising faster than previously expected.
"The new data, together with a rich body of literature, serve as an additional warning to both the government and the general public that we are experiencing inevitable global warming," says the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Lijing Cheng, lead author of the new report, which appears in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.
Warming has "already taken place and caused serious damage and losses to both the economy and society," he adds.
2018 now tops 2017 as the warmest year for the ocean in modern records, followed by years 2015, 2016 and 2014.
The full report comes on the heels of an analysis by Cheng's team recently published analysis in the journal Science, which showed that the oceans have warmed much faster than earlier predictions indicated.
Oxygen-starved oceans can take a million years to recover
According to the researchers, about 93% of the energy imbalance in the world is absorbed into the ocean as heat. The increase from 2017 to 2018 was equivalent to approximately 388 times more than the total electricity generated by China in 2017 and about 100 million times more than the heat of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
The new data comes from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is consistent with other data collections.
The seas may be absorbing the bulk of global warming, which scientists have determined is due to human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases, but the repercussions of that warming are not felt only by the oceanic biosphere.
Warming oceans contribute to sea-ice loss, which in turn leads to rising ocean levels. Sea surface temperature has also been found to correlate with stronger, wetter storms. For instance, climate change is thought to have helped power the record rainfall of 2017's Hurricane Harvey, which flooded the US city of Houston, killing 107 people and causing $175 billion in damages.
Meanwhile, a new study finds that "global wave power" (GWP) has increased 0.4% per year since 1948, driven by increasingly warmer water.
"Oceanic warming in the different basins has likely led to an increase in GWP through the influence of [sea surface temperature] on wind patterns," write Borja Reguero, Iñigo Losada and Fernando Méndez in the journal Nature Communications.
"Wind-generated ocean waves drive important coastal processes that determine flooding and erosion," they note.
Explore #oceans #global warming
Samantha Page is a science journalist based in Spain.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00376-019-8276-x
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6423/128.summary
https://cosmosmagazine.com/climate/the-467-hazards-of-climate-change
https://cosmosmagazine.com/climate/arctic-sea-ice-outlook-at-worst-point-in-125-000-years
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/science/global-warming-extreme-storms.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Harvey
World's smallest thermometer offers nanotech boost
A new method for measuring temperature could be crucial in preventing nanotech machines from overheating.
Hot weather banjaxes bird bollocks
Rising temperatures may be influencing the reproductive success of birds.
Arctic sea ice hits a record low wintertime maximum
The 13 smallest maximum extents on the satellite record have happened in the last 13 years.
Ocean temperatures predict US heat waves seven weeks ahead
The telltale sign: odd temperature patterns in the North Pacific.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Interline isn't a new concept for Daiwa, it is a guideless fishing rod, where the fishing line runs through the blank. With only one external guide, it provides plenty of advantages over a standard fishing rod. More than the update in the cosmetics, the interline sees an improvement on what was already an exceptional blank action and feel in hand.
The new Silver Wolf Z Ronin 662ULFS-I is the latest interline iteration for Daiwa. With its sleek black design, the blank provides three major advantages.
In terms of practicality, the interline does away with tip wraps or guide wraps and can be fished in windy conditions. For this very reason, it is one of my favourite rods to use when fishing from a kayak. Not only are they robust enough to be knocked around a little bit but they're less likely to get tangled when stored and especially when in use.
Interlines are great for casting into the wind. They are surprisingly good at punching out the lure and when loaded up to cast, can produce a flat and high velocity cast. As there are no guides, the line is allowed to run smoothly and without restrictions through the blank. The Ronin is my favourite rod to cast Presso Rollin Cranks around boat hulls, especially into the wind.
Fishing crank baits with small trebles for bream can be hugely successful but fraught with the danger of pulling hooks. Small hooks can't drive in as far as bigger hooks, like jigheads but the interline has one last trick up its sleeve. Traditional rods have the disadvantage of loading up unevenly due to the spacing of the guides. Ideally, fishing small trebled lures requires the rod to form a parabolic arc and this can be achieved by having lots of guides, spaced to match the taper of the fishing rod blank, to evenly distribute the pressure and create a consistent bend but more guides can impact casting distance. Due to the way the line lays within the blank of the fishing rod, the interline is capable of creating the parabolic arc without sacrificing the casting ability.
Am I sold on the interline? Yes, I am and have been for some time and the new Silver Wolf Z Ronin provides a reincarnation of the interline of old. The latest Silver Wolf range has provided anglers with a comprehensive range of rods that provides technique specific solutions across a broad price range but most importantly, has resurrected the interline.
I was able to christen the interline with a decent Mangrove Jack, it handled the size and lunges of the fish well and tested the parabolic arc of the interline and small trebles on the Daiwa Spike to perfection.
What started as four has now become five. The three Seeto brothers, Greg, Ian and Chris along with Josh Carpenter and Vicki Lear share their passion for fishing on this site.
Lureandfly.com started a few years ago with a simple, broad idea, to be the kind of site that we would have loved to read when we first got right into fishing. All five of us met through the tournament scene but we also love getting out there and chasing anything with fins.
One week we might be chasing mountain Trout in a tiny stream, the next chasing Marlin offshore. If it swims, we want to catch it and try and help you catch it.
Between us, we regularly contribute to Fishing World, Fishing Monthly, Tournament Angler Guide, Tackle Junkie and Yak Fisher magazines.
If you'd like to contribute to Cancer Council NSW you can do so through our official lureandfly.com Do your thing page.
Enter your email address to follow lureandfly.com and receive notifications of new posts by email.
All content and images © 2014 by lureandfly.com and cannot be used or altered without permission.


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text:
Early Praise for The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us
Latest News and Solutions
Sheril Kirshenbaum
With four months until The Science of Kissing debuts, some early praise for the book: "They say you never forget your first kiss—it sears itself into your memory. The Science of Kissing will no doubt do something similar. From the neurology of smooching to practical tips on locking lips, Sheril Kirshenbaum makes reading about this […]
With four months until The Science of Kissing debuts, some early praise for the book:
"They say you never forget your first kiss—it sears itself into your memory. The Science of Kissing will no doubt do something similar. From the neurology of smooching to practical tips on locking lips, Sheril Kirshenbaum makes reading about this strange and fascinating practice almost as much fun as doing it."
~ Sam Kean, New York Times-bestselling author of The Disappearing Spoon
"If you fear that knowing the science of kissing will unweave the poetry of it, fear not. This engaging book, chock-a-block with eye-popping science and fun stories not only makes for great reading but plumps up the pleasure of a smooch itself. You'll never think of kissing—what e.e. cummings called "a better fate than wisdom"—in the same way again."
~ Jennifer Ackerman, author of
Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body
"Sheril Kirshenbaum gives you everything you wanted to know about this wonderful way we use our mouths. If you've ever wondered why we kiss under the mistletoe, or why two out of three people tilt their heads to the right when they zoom in for a kiss, Kirshenbaum will tell you, in a way that is witty, wise, and pucker-perfect."
~ Robin Marantz Henig, contributing writer, The New York Times Magazine
Sheril Kirshenbaum is a research scientist at UT Austin's Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy. She is author of The Science of Kissing and Unscientific America.
TopicsannouncementsBooksscience of kissing


text:
There's a lot to admire about China, but not much to copy from it – yet
China's going to have to work much harder than it currently is if it wants to become a global role model, says Professor Arturo Bris
By Arturo Bris
China is set to become the world economic power of the 21st century. A booming corporate sector in the most populated country in the world, with the horsepower provided by a dominant public sector, it has moved the center of gravity of the world economy from West to East.
One direct implication of economic dominance in history is political and social dominance. Spain gave Parliamentarism to the world; France gave it civil law and democracy; Britain extended the Industrial Revolution, banks and capitalism beyond its borders; and the US's legacy for the world is its dominance of markets, intellectual property rights, bankruptcy and competition rules.
China should, in theory, be expected to do the same in the future. And yet, despite its visible economic dominance, the ability of Chinese enterprises to conquer the world, and the increasing interest of foreign companies in entering the Chinese markets, the Chinese model is not being followed by any other country, and no relevant Chinese institution is currently being adopted outside China itself. Why is this?
Part of the explanation behind the lack of institutional dominance of China is the so-called "Great Divergence" that put China behind the West for centuries and until the 1960s.
Turning to now, and looking forward, it is doubtful that Chinese institutional arrangements, such as the communion between the corporate sector and the state, the lack of individual liberties in favor of social progress, and the role of technology as a tool for the government to behave as big brother are about to infiltrate the West.
One reason why the Chinese model is not exported is that it is not as successful as one may think, at least not yet. The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking puts China in the number 20 spot out of 63 economies in 2020; behind other economies such as Canada, Qatar and Austria. Even economies that share some of China's cultural and social features, like Taiwan and Hong Kong, are way ahead in competitiveness and prosperity.
The Chinese economy has been a miracle in terms of economic and productivity growth in the last decades but – size apart – it remains a normal economy when it comes to prosperity and competitiveness.
Here are three major hurdles China would need to overcome in order to become a role model:
The biggest lesson we have learned from the success of the failure of nations, as explained in Daron Acemoglou and James A. Robinson's 'Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty', is the need for inclusive institutions; ones that favor the participation of citizens in decision making.
Inclusive institutions do not require democracy, as economies such as Singapore and Hong Kong have shown. In fact, several non-democratic countries and economies (the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong among them) generate more prosperity than some full democracies. Over time, the ability to generate social consensus proves critical when political and economic reforms are necessary.
China needs to ensure that its economic success is spread evenly across provinces, generations and social classes. The country has made extraordinary progress in poverty alleviation, with 2016-2020 plan allocating about 12 billion USD per year to increase financial support. Between 2005 and 2016, the percentage of the population living with less than $1.90 a day has dropped from 18% to 0.5%. Today, only 5.4% of the Chinese population live with less than $3.20 a day according to the Poverty and Equity database of the World Bank Development Indicators.
However, the cost of raising the living standards of the poor has been a significant increase in income inequalities. China is an unequal society between generations, between East and West, between the rich and the poor, between private-sector and public-sector employees, between urban and rural populations and between men and women. It is also more unequal than other less developed economies.
If China wants to sustain capital markets for the long term it will need to eliminate corruption, improve corporate governance and accounting rules, intellectual property rights and lack of state intervention on private sector matters (as the recent Alibaba IPO episode has shown). This will require political reforms which currently seem unthinkable.
At the same time, state protectionism and the subsequent lack of competition (that has created financial giants such as ICBC and Ping An, or digital platforms such as Alibaba and Tencent) is at odds with business practices established in the West throughout the last five centuries.
Europe is leading the sustainability race, having reached the social and political consensus that such policies require. China is by far the most polluting country in the world, which has terrible consequences for its people: while in the US the mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution per 100,000 population was 13.3 in 2016, it was 113 in China. By comparison, it was 10 in Switzerland and 61 in Thailand (World Bank Development Indicators).
This situation of China's is due to an industrial policy designed with a final objective based on growth and productivity and poor social awareness of the importance of preserving a green society.
Five years ago I predicted that "the next crisis will have a Chinese name." I didn't have a pandemic in mind, but the systemic risk posed by the weaknesses in China's prosperity and its deficient health system became a stark reality in 2020. The US spends 17% of its annual GDP on health provision, while China only invests 5.4% (data for 2018), according to World Bank development indicators.
Many assets make China a successful economy, but for its institutions to dominate the way of life in the West, it requires profound changes led from the bottom up – and that seem unthinkable in the next decades.
Let us admire China and its economic success, but not seek to copy it.
Article Economics Politics
La Chine va encore bouleverser l'économie mondiale
After 1016 days of zero covid policy, China has decided to open up again to the rest of the world. The impact on our economies will be considerable...
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in Le Temps 20 January 2022
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Customer loyalty is a myth, just ask my taxi driver
In his new book The Human Experience, John Sills explains why the "usefulness" of a retailer or service provider is far more important than any mis...
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in I by IMD 9 January 2023
Les illusions perdues
As we begin 2023, we cannot help but feel that a profound break has taken place. The business model that has been ours for forty years, that of an ...
in Le Temps 6 January 2023
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Re-use of collateral: Leverage, volatility, and welfare
We assess the implications of collateral re-use on leverage, volatility, and welfare within a calibrated infinite-horizon asset-pricing model with ...
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Tukule Founder Khadija Mohamed-Churchill offers advice for other impact entrepreneurs
Tukule Founder & CEO Khadija Mohamed-Churchill reveals what motivates her and offers advice for other impact entrepreneurs.
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text:
How Long Should You Look Back To Forecast Forward?
Johnny Hopkins September 1, 2022 PodcastsLeave a Comment
In their latest episode of the VALUE: After Hours Podcast, Brewster, Taylor, and Carlisle discuss How Long Should You Look Back To Forecast Forward?. Here's an excerpt from the episode:
Bill: Did we talk about a mailbag question about how many years should you look back and through cycle analysis? Did I bring this up last week or did we get cut off?
Tobias: No, that's good one. Let's do it.
Tobias: Like John Wayne.
Bill: Somebody at my alma mater is being taught to do– I think they're doing models with three years of backwards financials and then forecasting for five, and he was curious to have us riff on that a bit.
Jake: Yeah. I think there's probably like the Lindy effect is a reasonable assumption here to invoke? The longer that look back, the further that you can probably project off of that, knowing nothing else about it. So, I would probably not try to forecast further forward than I am looking backwards as a general rule.
Bill: I like that.
Jake: It's like taking a beam off of or a board off of side of a building. You don't put just the edge of it on the building and then walk away out on the edge of it.
Bill: Yeah, that's fair.
Jake: It's better to have just a little bit of it sticking out in your projection and a lot of it behind in the historical.
Tobias: We tested that in quantitative value and found no advantage over, but that's an aggregated–
Bill: Hold up, hold up, finish your sentence. You didn't finish your sentence. You found no advantage over– [crosstalk]
Tobias: Looking back through the Compustat data to '63 taking an average of EBIT, earnings, whatever we were looking at on every different metric that we tested, which was about, I think, five, or six, or seven, something like that, there was no advantage consistently to adding more years. You get just as good a result in your estimation on the TTM as you do at the eight-year average.
Jake: Really? Interesting.
Tobias: It sounds nuts. But the problem is that some stocks get these funny years, where they just get something– It's like a factor more than they've ever earned. But it doesn't help you to average that over a few years. It still makes it stand out. I don't know if that information is particularly helpful. I prefer not to use TTM figures as well, but that's the case. There's no advantage. There's no consistent advantage. There were some instances of five years being better, eight years being better, but it wasn't consistent across the lot.
Bill: Sort of like my beloved Qurate. Rest in peace.
Bill: You wouldn't want to take 2020 and say, "Okay, well, I could just spread this over 10 years, because that's a once in a hopefully lifetime event," right?
Tobias: All the bits that were spun out from that, is it still down after all of the–? [crosstalk]
Bill: Yeah. It's a shame. They're working on it. We'll see.
Jake: You see that a lot with– some companies will have one big revenue contract that's coming due and it's a lot of question marks like, "Oh, God, are they going to get this re-signed or not?" Oftentimes, it'll sell off big time relative to the current earnings that it's showing.
Jake: That happens a fair number of times. I could see where that wouldn't really look much probably different between TTM and five years or something.
Tobias: Keith Hillman says, "Throw out best and worst years per decade." Winterization. I don't mind something like that. it could work.
Jake: Yeah, it's not bad.
Tobias: I like the– [crosstalk]
Bill: Throw out the best four and the worst four every eight years.
Bill: [laughs]
Jake: It's like the Olympic scoring system for that, right?
Jake: You throw out the highest and lowest scores, the Russian judge.
Bill: I think the thing that's tough when you're looking back to the global financial crisis is, economically, it was slow, but it's all up into the right. So, how do you actually [crosstalk]
Tobias: That's the other problem that we have. There's no recession in the data going back. So, you have to go back a lot further to see– That was one of the things I used to do, how does this thing fare when it went through a recession, or does it completely shut the bear or does it sort of struggle through and it's okay? Because if it's one of those ones that falls over, then any debt becomes lethal in that scenario. But it's been so long now that, to get a good comp, you go back to 2008, starting to get those businesses that reinvest a little bit. They're vastly different businesses now.
Bill: Got to do a money supply overlay to find out real recession. You dig now that we solved the businesses.
Tobias: Yeah, it looks like we have.
Jake: Permanent plateau.


[11:01]  BlueWall.Slade @gateway.bluewallvirtual.net:8002: becuase, technically, you are still on your grid.
[11:01]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: What's he on, satellite?
[11:01]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Still shouldn't ill a sim for everyone, though.
[11:02]  Richardus.Raymaker @hypergrid.org:8002: aha, avatar that got stuck in the door entrance ?
[11:03]  Nebadon Izumi: you mean this week?
[11:07]  Richardus.Raymaker @hypergrid.org:8002: there's no per user query ?
[11:10]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: Main computer is down (bad motherboard?) and the HD in my laptop died several days ago.
[11:10]  Richardus.Raymaker @hypergrid.org:8002: Your playing with dead bodies and zombies andrew ?
[11:10]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: I'm using the drive from my old laptop that died with a hardware failure.
[11:12]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: Blue, yea. If I have to replace my MB in the main computer I would need different CPU and RAM all costing about $500. Not an expense I want at Christmas time.
[11:13]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: How's your frame rate in Kokua, Neb? It's been oddly slow for me.
[11:13]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: In another day or so should be able to start looking at code changes/fixes for OpenSimulator once more.
[11:14]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: Good thing I have backup drives.
[11:14]  Nebadon Izumi: any updates on Bulletsim or anything Robert?
[11:16]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: what does ExtendedPhysics do?
[11:17]  Alicia.Raven @grid.spellscape.co.uk: goes where no physics has gone before?
[11:17]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: like quantum entanglement?
[11:19]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: I can be in two grids at once as well.
[11:19]  Richardus.Raymaker @hypergrid.org:8002: bluewall, does that not give a hugh exp[losion ?
[11:20]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: but if you are seen in one grid you are no longer in the other?
[11:20]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: It works surprisingly well. If you get a friend request on on grid, it will repeat on the other, though. So there's minor gotchas.
[11:20]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: How about full puppeteering?
[11:21]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: do ode ragdolls still work?
[11:25]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Wouldn't that sort of thing work better on the viewer side? At least for anything more than the main position on the object?
[11:28]  Aine.Caoimhe @refugegrid.com:8002: that's called "marriage" Neb?
[11:35]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: Nice choice of music in that planet prims video,.
[11:37]  Nebadon Izumi: do you think it would be possible to do planetary body type simulations, gravational attraction etc..
[11:42]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Seems to me as a practical matter that the question isn't whether or not Bullet can do these sorts of things, but whether it can be communicated to a viewer in a smooth and useful way. The NInja ragdoll was cool, but also very messy.
[11:43]  Andrew.Hellershanks @login.greatcanadiangrid.ca:8002: I need to log out early today. My cat is calling for me and I have an errand I was supposed to be doing this afternoon.
[11:44]  Nebadon Izumi: he was IBM?
[11:44]  Nebadon Izumi: or Intel?
[11:46]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: I haven't been there in almost two years, but it's a safe bet. Heh.
[11:47]  BlueWall.Slade @gateway.bluewallvirtual.net:8002: haha, what does that say about Alicia??
[11:48]  Robert.Adams @home.livingroomcam.us:14559: will this core group stick with OSGrid (when it comes back) or should these core meeting move to another grid?
[11:49]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Is there a reason we shouldn't go back to OSgrid when it returns?
[11:51]  Richardus.Raymaker @hypergrid.org:8002: wich year ?
[11:52]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: According to the OSgrid forum latest update, a month from now may be the target.
[11:52]  Jak Daniels: osgrid doesn't completely use all of core for it's grid services, so there's less mass of people testing some things in robust?
[11:52]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Actually, that reminds me..
[11:53]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: OSgrid had been using SRAS for assets. The forum post with the latest news from Allen states that it will now be using ROBUST for assets. If that correct?
[11:53]  Jak Daniels: i thought profile and search were different too?
[11:55]  Aine.Caoimhe @refugegrid.com:8002: there hasn't been any testing on a test grid in 4 months....why worry about it?
[11:55]  Nebadon Izumi: is that right Allen?
[11:56]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: I thought percona was just a hot backup tool for MySQL.
[11:57]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: Huh, didn't realize that.
[11:59]  Justin Clark-Casey: most important thing is backup?
[12:00]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: how about the other services?
[12:01]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: "will likely" implies "not currently backed up"
[12:03]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: justin, simian or sras?
[12:06]  Marcus.Llewellyn @grid.verymad.net:8002: The motivation may have been more of an administrative than speed concern. A file system has simpler tools for managing large amounts of binary data.
[12:08]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: and what happens when the total assets requires multiple disks or servers?
[12:08]  BlueWall.Slade @gateway.bluewallvirtual.net:8002: is that the way the inventory is setup ?
[12:10]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: justin, lower because the regions serve to viewers?
[12:12]  Justin Clark-Casey: Dahlia: I guess I'm really thinking in terms of asset storage.
[12:13]  Dahlia.Trimble @grid.wwweb3d.net:8002: I wonder how simple it is to keep one's own backup of an asset service that was provided by a CDN?
[12:13]  Aine.Caoimhe @refugegrid.com:8002: I should really get going too since I still have a few more things I need to finish this afternoon....is it safe to assume no meeting for the next 2 weeks (Dec 23 and Dec 30) considering people's likely holiday schedules?


Asynchronous Fire and Forget With Lambdas – Check out the comments. Writing good multithreaded code is never as easy as it seems.
Geeknews » Playmobil Security Check Point Toy? WTF? - How in the world a toy company thought this would make for an interesting plaything I'll probably never know. But here it is, available on Amazon for US $55 in all it's Homeland Security glory. The only thing missing is the ATF, the cavity searches, the torn locks on the luggage and the latex gloves. Think that's weird? Check out Barak Obama's inauguration in Legos!
Installing the Windows 7 Beta with Virtual PC 2007 SP1 – Microsoft technical evangelist Brian Keller's step by step procedure with screen shots.
dimebrain « Introducing tweet#, the complete fluent C# library for Twitter – Complete C# library for Twitter that allows you to write short and sweet expressions that are automatically converted to Twitter queries.
the physics arXiv blog » Blog Archive » Memristors made into low cost, high density RRAM – This is pretty cool. It's a brand new passive component for electronics discovered only months ago (the others being the resistor, capacitor and inductor). Memristors (from memory-resistors, geddit?) are resistors whose resistance depends on their past. In that sense they remember the past or, as an electronics engineer might put it, they store information. Obvious computer memory applications are being developed.
Ubuntu and Its Leader Set Sights on the Mainstream - NYTimes.com – Did you know that Ubuntu is championed by an Internet billionaire (he founded Thawte Consulting which was later bought by Verisign).
NANY 2009 Release: DropCommand - DonationCoder.com – Vista won't allow you to drag and drop files onto the cmd window like earlier versions. This program solves that problem in part.
[Army going electric for light-use vehicles Planetary Gear](http://news.cnet.com/8301-17912_3-10140994-72.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5) – Pure electrics are coming! Even the armed forces see their utility.
[Murder conviction for teen in 'Halo' case Gaming and Culture - CNET News](http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10141467-235.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5) – Even when parents "Do the right thing", it can go very wrong. Sad story.
ScreenToaster Does a YouTube for Screen Videos - ScreenToaster, the best online screencasting application that lets you record as well as host screencast videos, just got better.
Toolmonger » Blog Archive » A New Twist On Wire Connectors – Much nicer the the crimp kind.
Geeknews » Klingon Keyboards Are Here, Bring On Vulcan – Standard keyboards with Klingon lettering. Very geeky.
Monitoring HTTP Output with Fiddler in .NET HTTP Clients and WCF Proxies - Rick Strahl – Fiddler is a great tool for Internet Explorer that has other uses.
Hardcoding Considered Harmful - or is it? : Jeffrey Palermo – Controversial to say the least. Good argument.
Patrick McGoohan dies at 80; TV's 'Secret Agent' and 'Prisoner' – This is definitely a generational thing. I have fond memories of watching the Prisoner with my Dad. RIP.
[Pop Music Mystery Solved Popular Science](http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009-01/pop-music-mystery-solved) - The opening chord to "A Hard Day's Night" has reached an almost mythical status. For years, no one knew what it actually was. People would come close, through trial and error, watching Ed Sullivan performances, and studying advanced music theory, but no attempts ever quite captured the exact chord (until now).
Coding Horror: Die, You Gravy Sucking Pig Dog! – An entertaining story about garbage collection vs. explicit memory management.


text:
DISAPPOINTED IN UNITED STATES
Posted on March 1, 2017 March 1, 2017 by garynorrisgray
Gary Norris Gray-BASN Newsroom Staff Reporter
Since the election of November 5, 2016, we have witnessed a complete change in the political and social attitude of the United States of America. The Era of Hope has given way to the Era of Fear and Rejection; The Era of Inclusion to the Era of Division.
This country is being watched around the world and most American viewers are bewildered with this country's political kneejerk actions and reactions the last three months. They are disappointed in the way our country's leader has conducted business. Many African Americans are profoundly confused.
It is profound because the United States of America could be repeating the history of the 1920s and 30s. This is not beneficial to America or the world. Many are disappointed by this administration's demonization of Latino and Arab Americans, wanting them out of the country. Last, this administration is mounting a war with the American press corps, in an obvious to control the dissemination of information.
Remember, we are all immigrants. The only true Americans are Native American Indians. The growing attacks on free speech and the side-stepping of anti-Semitic incidents continue to grow. History is truly repeating itself and Americans are standing around watching.
Scapegoating immigrants is nothing new in the United States. The Irish, Germans, Poles, Italians, Greeks, French, went through the same issues decades ago. Chinese immigrants felt the sting in the 1870s.
Japanese Americans felt the sting of America's rage in 1941 when the Japanese Imperial Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor. The United States put all Japanese Americans in internment camps in 1942 in California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona. These same Japanese American citizens fought in World War II in Germany only to return to internment camps. Are we about to do the same thing with Arab Americans and Latino-Hispanic Americans?
African Americans also fought in both theaters of WWII only to return to a segregated nation. Are we slowly going back to this ugly part of history with this current administration in Washington?
Our new leader has pulled the country into an extreme right turn and a precarious position. Allies all over the world are closing their political doors to our new president. America's allies do not know what to expect from the man that occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They don't know if he will turn on them just as he has turned on some of his own employees in the White House.
WAR ON PEOPLE OF COLOR
This man has declared war on people of color in the United States and Americans has allowed it to happen. Hate crimes have increased since November 6, 2016, because these individuals (white supremacist extremists) who perpetrate such crimes have been given the green light to do so by our elected officials in Washington. This administration refuses to put the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other white supremacy groups on the terrorist watch list when every African American knows that they are clearly a domestic terrorist.
Government employees of color have walked away from their jobs in the past 30 days rather than deal with this administration's attitude of the good old boys club. Rumana Ahmed, a Muslim woman who wears the hijab and worked in the National Security Council in the White House in the Obama administration, left her job after eight days of work under the new administration. She felt unwanted and not welcome. She wanted to give this administration a chance, a chance for them to experience a different view of Islam and the American Muslim community. IT DID NOT HAPPEN!!!
Apparently, The Muslim travel band and the Syrian refugee issue was the last straw for Ms. Ahmed. Many other fellow employees have also left because they could not work in the White House in good conscience with the attitude it has about people of color, A SILENT PROTEST.
She stated to Michael Anton senior advisor:-
"I told him I had to leave because it was an insult walking into this country's most historic building every day under an administration that is working against and vilifying everything I stand for as an American and as a Muslim. I told him that the administration was attacking the basic tenets of democracy. I told him that I hoped that they and those in Congress were prepared to take responsibility for all the consequences that would attend their decisions."
This administration really believes that diversity is a weakness and teaches the virtues of authoritarianism and that Islam is incompatible with the modern western world. If that were really TRUE, the Islamic world would have attacked the western world decades ago.
Ms. Ahmed is a 2011 graduate of George Washington University in International Relations but this administration does not care. Ms. Ahmed started working in the White House those eight days brought back the feelings after the 9/11 attacks. What made this worse is that people in power were fueling the fires of Islamophobia and fear.
This administration did not like her because
She is a woman.
She is perceived to be the enemy just as Japanese Americans in 1942.
She is a person of color.
She had an education and the intelligence to speak up on issues this administration did not want to hear.
This administration is on a very difficult road and the treatment of this woman is an example of the arrogance, obscurity, and stupidity the White House displays; wasting talent that could make this country stronger through diversity.
This administration has also gone after African Americans, Latino-Hispanic Americans and Native Americans.
1st: – The Government ordered all of the protesters at Standing Rock, North Dakota off of the property or be arrested as the Corps of Army Engineers restarted the oil pipeline project. Once again Native Americans are removed from their own land for American progress and greed. This is a human disgrace but this Administration does not care. Money is more important than human lives.
2nd:- This administration has failed to have a political, economic, or social discussion with prominent African American leaders; leaders that have the eyes and ears of the Black community, and can inform the White House what concerns that community and how this administration and Black leaders can work together to improve the lives of African Americans. With the Alt-Right members in the White House and at the forefront of this administration, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
3rd: – The military style round-up of undocumented Latino-Hispanic residents of Santa Cruz and Daly City, California could be a view of the future.
The deception by this administration on the police departments of Santa Cruz and Daly City, stating it was searching for undocumented alien criminals, in reality, was a test run for The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security agents searching for all undocumented residents. All of the individuals arrested were released three days later with the exception of one, who had an outstanding criminal warrant. So the question needs to be asked, why these government entities have to misinform (LIE) the local police forces to get their cooperation? Second, why did these federal agencies wait until after the police forces left the scene to arrest these individuals? The answer is SANCTUARY CITIES.
My fellow Americans, in about six months after millions of undocumented Latino-Hispanic residents leave the country, don't complain when an orange, a grapefruit, or a pear cost three dollars each, don't complain when your hotel bill doubles, don't complain when the roofer states that you have to wait six months before they can repair your roof because he/she does not have enough employees to do the job, don't complain when your lawn looks like a national park. This is the cost of this administration.
4th: – Wednesday night February 22 Adam Purinton went to a bar in Olathe, Kansas opening fire on two Indian-(New Delhi) men, killing one and injuring the other. Witnesses stated he yelled, get out of my country" before shooting the two men.
Months before this horrible event, the diseased man's father requested that his son leave America after the elections in November because of the fathers fear of violence against people of color. He also urged all parents of Indian students not to send their children to the United States. This is what this new administration in Washington has fostered. Nothing new but the eight years of President Barack Obama and the ascension of this present administration has doubled racial animosity and fostered fear.
Last, the attack on the Fourth Estate, the United States press corps, and this, my fellow Americans, is the most dangerous issue of them all. When this administration continues to threaten schools, cities, towns, and states by withholding federal funds to these entities because of their political or social stance that is in opposition to Washington, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. When you silence Native American Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts; when you silence Representative Janet Nguyen, California's Orange Country Republican; when you silence disabled children in public schools with new laws to restrict disabled children from participating with their non-disabled counterparts; and then allow the hate-filled speeches of Breitbart News Network editor and writer Milo Yiannopoulos, we are on the road to disaster.
It is dangerous when this administration can choose and bar who can or cannot attend the weekly White House press conference and dictates when the information can be released. That is propaganda and once again America is just standing there watching.
Barring The Guardian, The Washington Post, New York Times, CNN-Cable News Network, and BBC-British Broadcasting Corporation just magnifies this point.
That means, my fellow Americans, STATE RUN MEDIA in our future? This administration must be taking private lessons from Comrade Vladimir Putin and his state run paper called PRAVDA.
The different style of governing can be contrasted with the grace, compromise, and humility of 44 that cannot be duplicated by 45. President Obama encouraged inclusion, discussions, and debates; this administration does not or will not.
During the campaign last February, Obama visited a Baltimore mosque and reminded the public that "we're one American family, and when any part of our family starts to feel separate…It's a challenge to our values." His words would go unheeded by his successor.
I'm very disappointed that we, Americans, have to fight this fight all over again.
Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian. Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor Pad Network, Disabled Community Activist. Email at garyngray@blackathlete.com
©Copyrighted Gary Norris Gray @ Gray Leopard Prod
Disabled-American, Afri.-Amer.-Native American Indian, So. Ill. Univ. Saluki, New York and Oakland sports fan, History grad. New Jersey born, Black history, love asian movies, culture, and food. book-"Analects of a Black Disabled Man"


text:
Q: Same Torrent, different client, different results I was recently downloading an old .wmv file format torrent with a few peers but no seeders.
As you can expect it took ages (about four weeks) to download entirely due to the absence of seeds (but I eventually struck lucky with some peers). I wondered if using two different torrent clients (uTorrent and BitComet) would help, and it came as a surprise to notice that the clients connected to the different peers - even though using the same torrent file, and the same tracker list. Maybe DHT comes into play?
Anyway, the question is this: I decided to run a file comparison check and it shows that there are ~1000 bytes (out of a total of 400 MB) that are different in the two versions of the file.
Both versions of the file work well and there is no noticeable difference in the result but the fact remains that is different file content.
The total file size is exactly the same on both files, and there is no one file with seemingly blank data. On both files there are occasions where one has a bunch of 0s while the other does not, but mostly it's different byte values altogether, e.g. byte #17 <-> byte #253
How can this happen? Aren't the clients supposed to check that the downloaded segments are correct?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Genetics,
Immune Science
Smuggling a CRISPR gene editor into staph bacteria can kill the pathogen
The technique takes advantage of the way the microbes naturally swap genes to become more harmful
Laurel Hamers
9:00am, October 1, 2018
BATTLING A SUPERBUG A new approach to fighting antibiotic-resistance Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (purple spheres, shown in this scanning electron microscope image being ingested by a white blood cell) co-opts genes that normally make the bacteria more dangerous.
NIAID/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Bits of DNA that make bacteria dangerous can be co-opted to bring the microbes down instead.
Stretches of DNA called pathogenicity islands can jump between bacteria strains, introducing new toxin-producing genes that usually make a strain more harmful. Scientists have now modified pathogenicity islands by replacing the toxin-producing genes with genes that, in mice, disabled or killed Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. If the approach works for humans, it could offer an alternative to traditional antibiotics that could one day be used against deadly drug-resistant Staphylococcus strains, researchers report September 24 in Nature Biotechnology.
Pathogenicity islands are already primed for such inside jobs: The stretches of DNA naturally get bundled into small parcels that can easily enter bacteria to deliver new genes. Researchers turned those parcels into Trojan horses of sorts, replacing the toxin-producing genes with sequences of the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, which snips DNA in specific places.
In one version, the Cas9 cuts the staph DNA, killing the bacteria. In another, a modified version of CRISPR/Cas9 doesn't make any cuts; instead, the Cas9 latches onto a gene that controls how dangerous staph bacteria are to make them less effective at causing infection.
Researchers tested these DNA-loaded parcels, which they refer to as "drones," in mice. Both versions, when injected under mice's skin, stopped the animals from developing an abscess. And the mice that received the bacteria-killing version survived a lethal injection of S. aureus in their body cavity.
The drone treatment is somewhat akin to phage therapy, an alternative to antibiotics where patients are given a cocktail of different bacteriophages, viruses that target bacteria (SN Online: 5/20/13). Phage therapy, often used against multidrug resistant infections, isn't currently approved for use in the United States, but is common in Eastern Europe.
But the drone approach is simpler, says coauthor Richard Novick, a microbiologist at the New York University School of Medicine. For a phage to kill a cell, it needs to reproduce inside the cell. But with a drone, "all it has to do is express one gene, and that'll kill the bacteria."
That's a very effective way to target Staphylococcus bacteria, says Gail Christie, a microbiologist at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond who wasn't part of the study.
Resistance might still be an issue with the new approach, though. A few bacteria strains didn't react to either version of the treatment in mice. If the approach is used clinically — and that's still a long way away — a patient would probably receive drones that target the bacteria in several different ways, Novick says.
A next step is to test the system in other infections that can be caused by staph bacteria, such as pneumonia, he says.
Editor's note: This story was updated October 4, 2018, to clarify how the drones might work clinically.
G. Ram et al. Conversion of staphylococcal pathogenicity islands to CRISPR-carrying antibacterial agents that cure infections in mice. Nature Biotechnology. Published online September 24, 2018. doi:10.1038/nbt.4203.
E. Eaton. Live antibiotics use bacteria to kill bacteria. Science News. Vol. 191, June 24, 2017, p. 22.
T.H. Saey. Viruses and mucus team up to ward off bacteria. Science News Online, May 20, 2013.


The graduate student from Würzburg was awarded for the presentation of her work in the field of liquid-crystalline porphyrins at the German Liquid Crystal Conference in 2019.
At the Hasselt Diamond Workshop SBDD XXIV, one of the most important conferences in the field of diamond research with more than 230 participants and 120 posters, the PhD student from Würzburg was awarded one of the two Diamond Poster Awards for his excellently designed poster and the competent discussion with the jury.
Chemical laboratory assistant Olga Anhalt is the best graduate in the region of Mainfranken in 2018.
More than 150 participants attended the 7th conference "Solar Technologies Go Hybrid", organized by the current coordinator of the research network, Prof. Lambert, and his team in October 2018.
Dr. Prince Ravat is among the 13 junior research group leaders who are supported for five years by the University of Würzburg, with a programme called "Excellent Ideas". On 1 August he started his research project at the Institute of Organic Chemistry.
For the third time in only 13 months, the PhD candidate from the Lehmann group has been awarded a poster prize at an international conference. This time in Kyoto, Japan.
The University of Pretoria has awarded the professor from Würzburg and President of the Scholarship Program BEBUC an Extraordinary Professorship. It is intended to intensify the already most fruitful collaboration between the South‐African University, the German NGO Förderverein Uni Kinshasa e.V. (fUNIKIN), and the University of Würzburg.


This three-quarter sleeve tee with scoop neckline is comfortable, durable and made of soft colored peach 100% certified organic cotton. Machine washable. Made in the USA. Available in adult sizes (S-XL) $39.99.
Product Comments: Love this top! Its a gift for my mother, who also loved receiving it.


text:
Sean Waltman On The ROH/MLW "Politics" Situation, Ivelisse's Lucha Underground Contract
By Ross Kelly | January 21, 2019
Earlier this week Ring of Honor announced that Mexican star Rush had signed an exclusive deal with the company, and as a result, was being forced to pull from an upcoming match on Major League Wrestling's card.
MLW CEO Court Bauer obviously wasn't thrilled with this and issued a press release which said, "This is a match and organization Rush wanted to be a part of but sometimes politics get in the way and that's what this comes down to: politics."
Many took that statement as a sign of turmoil between ROH and MLW who had a working relationship before. Sean Waltman weighed in on this promotional beef during his X-Pac 1,2,360 podcast.
"I don't see how that's politics though, how is that politics," Waltman asked about Bauer's statement. "That's not politics, that's just business. It might be bad business but it's not like political maneuverings or something. I don't see that…
"It was only a matter of time until this type of stuff was going to happen, all the great cooperation from All In and what a beautiful thing that was, I am not sure that's going to be able to happen like that again moving forward."
MLW wasn't represented at All In, but the event brought in performers from various promotions including ROH, New Japan, Impact, CMLL and others. That type of camaraderie could be jeopardized according to Waltman based on Bauer's quote.
Sean Waltman Talks "All In" Fans Possibly Turning On AEW, Omega Vs. Tanahashi At Wrestle Kingdom 13
Waltman also weighed in on the Ivelisse-Lucha Underground situation in which Ivelisse wrote on Twitter that she's being held hostage by the company. Many others have come out in support of Ivelisse in attempting to get released from her contract, and Waltman also agrees she should be let free.
"The thing that I don't get though is alright, if they say 'Oh don't worry we'll let you out if you want out' then put that in writing," stated Waltman. "If you're going to do that you shouldn't have a problem putting it in writing. And it should have been put in writing. It's lame. It's not like she's the No. 1 ratings draw on Lucha Underground, let the girl go make a living."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit X-Pac 1,2,360 with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Sources: X-Pac 1,2,360
Paul Heyman Responds To Cricket World Cup Offer, Memorable WWE Royal Rumble Debuts (Video), Maryse
JBL Gives Props To Michael Cole, 1990s WWE Superstars Episodes Now Online (Video), Next Total Bellas


text:
Q: add limit php upload image I use a php ajax script for uploading image in my site and it's don't has limit for upload image.
I want a user can upload only for example 3 image. how can add this limit in my code?
This is my php code for uploading image:
 if(isset($_POST) and $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == "POST")
      {
     $vpb_upload_image_directory = "uploads/";

  $vpb_allowed_extensions = array("gif", "jpg", "jpeg", "png");

foreach($_FILES as $file)
{
    /* Variables Declaration and Assignments */
    $vpb_image_filename = basename($file['name']);
    $vpb_image_tmp_name = $file['tmp_name'];;
    $vpb_file_extensions = pathinfo(strtolower($vpb_image_filename), PATHINFO_EXTENSION);

    //New file name
    $random_name_generated = time().rand(1234,9876).'.'.$vpb_file_extensions;

    if($vpb_image_filename == "")
    {
        //Browse for a photo that you wish to use
    }
    else
    {
        if (in_array($vpb_file_extensions, $vpb_allowed_extensions))
        {
            if(move_uploaded_file($vpb_image_tmp_name, $vpb_upload_image_directory.$random_name_generated))
             {
                 //Display Uploaded Files
                 $image .= '

';

                 //$image .= '
'.$vpb_image_filename.' uploaded
';

             }
        }
        else
        {
            // Do not upload files which are not in the allowed file array
        }

       }
    }
    //Display the files
    if($image != "") echo $image;
    }
     ?>

A: In javascript, you can do something like this,
$(document).ready(function(){
$('#photoUploader').click(function(){
      $('#photoUI').toggle('slow');
});
var ctr = 1;
$('#add').click(function(){
    if(ctr < 3)
    {
        $('#ulPhoto').append("
<input type='file' name='file[]' onchange='loadPreview(this,"+ctr+")' id='photo"+ctr+"' />
<input type='text' autocomplete='off' name='caption[]' id='caption"+ctr+"' placeholder='ID Number' />
");
        ctr++;
    }
    else
    {
      alert('Only 3 Images Allowed at a time');
    }
});
});

HTML

     <input type="file" name="file[]" id="photo0" />

     <input type="text" autocomplete="off" name="caption[]" onchange="loadPreview(this,0)" id="caption0" placeholder="Default ID Number" readonly disabled />

   Add More...