text:
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton
With F. Gary Gray's phenomenal biopic Straight Outta Compton taking the world by storm and grossing hundreds of millions of dollars, it was only natural that someone was going to slap something together to cash in on some of that sweet action. Directors Mike Corbera and Andre Relis clearly had this idea with NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton, a rather amateur and rushed production that serves as a companion to Straight Outta Compton but can't really be truly enjoyed as its own film. Out now on DVD, I kinda feel like it should've just been a special feature on the Straight Outta Compton release…
The film tells the band's entire story, and as the title suggests, has something of a focus on Eric Wright, the man we know and love as Eazy-E. Most importantly, it does feature contributions from the entire band although it's debatable which (if any) were filmed for this documentary and which are just archive interviews – something which is most noticeable with the clearly dated interviews with the more successful faces like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. The interviews clearly shot for the film are with people you've never heard of, whose stories you have to take at face value. Claiming to be 'friends' or 'bodyguards' of the legends, I guess we have to just believe everything we hear is true! But then I've always been a sceptic with these things - if you're the right age and from the right part of the world, you could make anything up to appear on one of these cheaply made little films.
But the biggest issue with The Kings of Compton was the fact it is clearly unauthorised and thus doesn't have access to the band's music. Instead, the film has an almost constant soundtrack of instrumental generic hip-hop beats that you could probably find on some royalty free music website. For a documentary about one of the most famous bands of their genre, it seems like a HUGE part is missing when we don't actually hear any of their work. The anecdotes still entertain, though – whether you believe them or not – and the true love and admiration for Eazy-E is felt in spades. And what interviews we do see with original members like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are really interesting for a fan. But that's not enough.
On the technical side of things, the low budget and presumably rushed nature of the film comes into play. The interviewees' talking heads are rather poorly chopped and pasted onto more relevant backdrops, which is hugely distracting in some instances. And the pacing itself is a bit uncomfortable, made all the more irritating by the frequently repeated shit music. It's hard to explain why The Kings of Compton is so underwhelming, other than the fact it just feels cheap and feels rushed. You can't describe why but you'll pick up on it. And you'll be as disappointed as me – because the only reason you'd be watching this, is if you were a fan or someone who enjoyed the biopic film.
I can only assume The Kings of Compton came about because Straight Outta Compton was doing very well and someone thought "blimey, let's get in on that!" and shat out a documentary in a couple of weeks. But this is the film's downfall. As a fan of NWA, I was looking forward to this documentary and excited to see the true events I'd seen unfold in Straight Outta Compton. And I guess I got a bit of that with The Kings of Compton. But I'm also a fan of documentaries in general and couldn't enjoy this poorly put-together rush job. If Universal Studios had teamed up with the folks behind this film and made an official companion piece of Straight Outta Compton, perhaps it would've been great. But as it stands, it's an uncomfortable watch and one that just feels like a big missed opportunity.
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton is an extremely disappointing 80 minutes that will just make you want to watch Straight Outta Compton again. 2/5.
NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton at CeX
Australia India Ireland UK USA
Labels: Australia, DVD, Film/movie review, India, Ireland, UK, USA
Sebastién Loeb Rally Evo
Developed by Milestone S.r.l and out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC comes Sebastién Loeb Rally Evo. At last, the current gen Frenchman simulator we've all been waiting for! If you like prancing around the house, affecting a French accent in the obnoxious and insensitive way that the British are unmatched at and saying things like "oh look at me, I like ze baguettes and ze onions", then you might be interested in this. If this is an accurate description of you then please don't talk to me though – you sound like a bit of a racist prick.
The 'Frenchman simulator' thing wasn't (just) an excuse for a cheap and questionable joke. Whereas the vast majority of sports games with a team or celebrity name stapled onto them wouldn't be any different without, that's not the case here. Of course, there's the familiar claim that Sebastién Loeb himself helped design the game to ensure that it's as realistic as possible. We'll never know how much involvement Monsieur Loeb truly had, but it's certainly accurate to say that this is usually a pretty unforgiving racer. For example, the press release goes to pains to explain that other, (presumably) lesser rally games artificially widen the tracks. I know, right? Tweaking the roads so that things are a little more comfortable for players? Utter bastards!
The claim is, naturally, that the tracks and car handling are as close to the real thing as is humanly possible. I'll reluctantly admit that I have participated in very few professional rally races, so I'll basically take their word for it. Some very important boxes are ticked, though. For one thing, there's an immediately noticeable difference between cars, though this tends to be in terms of power rather than handling. There's a variety of road surfaces you'll find yourself driving over too, sometimes more than one in the same track, and the impact they have on your car is enormous. Dry tarmac? Pah! Bring it on! The likes of icy roads, gravel, and snow will however have you reassessing your skill level very quickly.
One thing that will probably strike you on your first session is the graphical quality. It's not bad – not really – but, well... if Forza 6 is a high class call girl, Sebastién Loeb Rally Evo is a strumpet who does special favours in exchange for a pack of Benson and Hedges. In a weird kind of way that adds to the rough and dirty atmosphere of the rally driving, and only for two brief moments in cockpit view did I experience any kind of frame rate issues.
As well as a career mode with the aim of eventually joining Loeb himself, there are a series of events where you replicate notable moments in Loeb's real-world career, each time assigning you a specific car and track accordingly. It's a neat idea, and you're even given a specific objective to match. Most of the time this basically just means 'win' but in one event, for example, you must win and attain a top speed of at least 100mph.
It's not all roses and sunshine. I played this before release, and literally nobody was playing online, so I can't comment on that. This is unfortunately often a sign that things won't be much better when the game releases – but who knows? Then there's the now-obligatory rewind feature, both a blessing and a curse. It's a godsend for those who find rally games challenging at the best of times (which this is even with all assists on), but the limits placed on the regularity and length of its use can on rare occasion render it useless. Worse yet, I twice somehow managed to crash in such a way that my car was stuck on its side and the game wouldn't reset me to track and the rewind feature wouldn't go back far enough. But then, that sort of thing does seem to happen to me.
So online is a complete unknown at time of writing, there are minor technical issues, and on top of that some car design and track combos make playing in cockpit view impractical. And yet... it kept me coming back for more.
It's unforgiving, but rally rather good. 3/5.
Luke Kemp
Sebastién Loeb Rally Evo at CeX
Labels: Australia, Game, gaming, India, Ireland, PS4, UK, USA, xbox one
Detectorists: Series 2
In October 2014, a new comedy-drama series called Detectorists aired its first episode on BBC Four. Directed and written by Mackenzie Crook, the show revolved around the lives, loves and metal-detecting ambitions of Andy (Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones) in the fictional town of Danebury. Throughout the first 6-episode series, Detectorists was met with extremely positive reviews from both UK and US media outlets. Understandable really, as it was one of the finest new shows of the year – a truly beautiful, funny and touching piece of work. This October, Detectorists returned for a second series. Does it suffer the age-old 'disappointing second series' curse, or is it even better than the first?
Out now on DVD as an individual release as well as part of a boxset with the first series, Detectorists: Series Two is really just more of the same. And that is in no way a bad thing. Picking up one year on from the end of the first series, we re-join our 'heroes' in their same little world. Becky's baby, Stan, has been born. But other than that, nothing else seems different. Andy and Lance continue to search the beautiful country landscapes for gold while, as Lance puts it, 'talking bollocks'. Their peaceful little existence is undisturbed. That is until a young German man named Peter arrives in Danebury looking for the Danebury Metal Detecting Club's help in finding a crashed WWII bomber plane – he claims, the burial site of his grandfather. But there's something not right about him…
Series Two feels slightly different to the first in that it has more subplots, and we spend more time away from Andy & Lance. There's Sophie (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and her budding friendship/romance with Peter (Daniel Donskoy), there's the case of the Mayor's missing Chain of Office with Russell (Pearce Quigley) and Hugh (Divian Ladwa), and there's more of 'Simon' (Paul Casar) and 'Garfunkel' (Simon Farnaby). And of course, there is the mystery of Peter's motives of why he truly wants to find the crashed WWII plane. Some of these sub-plots are a bit tedious – the Mayor story-line seems a little out-of-place in its immature nature, while Peter's foul intentions are somewhat predictable. But at the show's heart, Andy and Lance remain – with a new set of problems for them to discuss, as the series progresses. Lance meets his long-lost daughter Kate and attempts to build a relationship with her, while Andy's marriage is struggling through living with the new baby and Becky's desire to move to Botswana. But alongside these issues, Andy and Lance still find time to discuss issues greater than love and life, like metals and "last night's University Challenge".
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what Detectorists' story is. Like with the first series, the show's true charm lies in its subtle low-key humour and heart. Detectorists continues to avoid painting a nasty picture of the enthusiasts and hobbyists it depicts, but instead shows their mundane existence with gentle affection and love. This is complimented perfectly by the stunningly beautiful rural cinematography and a gorgeous soundtrack from returning musician Johnny Flynn, who brings back that wonderful theme song along with his gently understated folk score. Yes, Detectorists is a show of immense beauty that put a tear in my eye on several occasions through its poignancy – particularly a heart-warmingly special moment in the closing moments of the series. A hard feat to achieve at the best of times, and to achieve it in an understated show about metal detectorists is nothing short of genius. While the friendship of Andy and Lance is never explicitly explained or thrown in your face, it's always felt thanks to a pair of incredible performances from Crook and Jones. Their chemistry is as perfect as ever, and thanks to impeccable writing from Crook, I could spend hours just watching them talk. Crook's acting often leaves a bit to be desired – especially alongside the brilliant Jones – but this isn't a major issue. His deadpan, quiet delivery often adds to the show's beautiful mundanity, so perhaps it's intentional.
Detectorists truly is a modern masterpiece, and will be a future classic without a shadow of a doubt. It's a truly gorgeous series that I cannot praise enough, and although this second series might not quite reach the immense highs of the first, it's still near-perfect television. The only reason I can fathom for this is that when Detectorists came along last year, nobody knew what to expect. But now, having seen the flawless first series, there's a certain sense of expectation with this follow-up. But even its lowest points are a hell of a lot better than most of the stuff on television today. It's a beautiful and funny show that continues to bring something new to television, which nowadays is a rare treat indeed.
Detectorists: Series Two is a near-perfect second series in what is quickly becoming one of my favourite comedy shows of all time. 4/5.
Detectorists: Series 2 at CeX
Get ready to put on your favourite man-liner (man eyeliner), squeeze into those leather chaps, and touch an electrical current to get your hair standing nicely because my band, The Bollockers, are back! Except, it's all plastic instruments and it's me just standing around shouting to my friends: "Guys, you wanna play the new Rock Band?" while they scoff at me.
Out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 comes Rock Band 4 from developers Harmonix. Despite its absence for half a decade, virtually nothing has changed since Rock Band 3; In fact, there's less to Rock Band 4 than its predecessor simply in the fact that they keyboard is no longer used for the set list in Rock Band 4. Apart from that and the lack of pro modes, nothing has really changed. But it also proves that absence makes the heart grow fonder. The thoughts of picking up a plastic guitar and playing songs when the new generation came along two years ago would have generated a large, audible sigh. Now? It was pretty great.
The trump card Rock Band 4 has though is its legacy. If you carried over previous games' set lists to the next game last time around, or if you bought a bunch of songs, they're all here, thousands of them! This means if you were a fan of previous games, you have a ton of content here to enjoy.
Therein, though lies the problem: It just feels like threading the same old notes again. While that feels great for a time, it isn't long before you realise why you stopped playing them in the first place; a fun thing to take out at parties but ultimately an expensive party trick. Thankfully though, most Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments can be simply set up and be used in Rock Band 4. While it's a simple plug and play for PlayStation 4, the Xbox One requires an adapter that is sold at a premium meaning you're expected to pay a little bit more on Xbox One.
Rock Band 4 is very much a game that has the series stripped back down to its essentials. Gone are pro modes and the keyboard instrument and it's just all about the guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. The set list available in Rock Band 4 fares on the weaker side. Don't get me wrong, they're not inherently bad songs but they're also not the list you'll see and get amped to play one after another. There are definitely some massive names to be found including R.E.M., Queens of the Stone Age, Ozzy Osbourne and more but they aren't exactly their biggest hitters. You'll be relying on the thousands of downloadable tracks to keep the party going.
The career mode is interesting, even if it can feel a little bare. Rather than start off in a dive-bar, and slowly build up the band's popularity, the career plays out more like an RPG as you make choices as to what's more important to your band: money or popularity. It's an interesting take but the set list included isn't strong enough to make it an essential play. It's nice to have something to explore the varied set list.
Rock Band 4 is very much aimed to bring back in the old crowd that miss playing on plastic instruments. It doesn't change things up much at all but to be fair it was a formula that proved very successful. It's very much a game made for those pining for more and that's exactly what they've got. We may never see a Rock Band 5 and that's fine because Rock Band 4 feels more than just a game, it's a platform that will continue to grow and expand.
Rock out with your plastic instrument out 3/5.
Jason Redmond
Rock Band 4 at CeX
On the 8th of January this year, the BAFTA nominations were announced. As usual, film enthusiasts around the country were quick to debate those who were chosen and express their anger at those who were snubbed. This year, it seems the majority of people were particularly shocked and disgusted by the omission of 45 Years' Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling in the acting categories, while the film itself was only nominated in the Outstanding British Film category. With the film earning more awards and nominations in other areas – including the Oscars - to this day, is 45 Years deserving of this praise? Or was it right of BAFTA to snub it so savagely?
Directed by Andrew Haigh and based on David Constantine's short story In Another Country, 45 Years, out now on Blu-Ray and DVD, is an unusual film in that nothing really happens in the conventional sense – we follow Kate Mercer (Rampling) and her husband Geoff (Courtenay) over a week as they prepare for their 45th anniversary party. But when shattering news arrives from the Swiss authorities – Geoff's ex-girlfriend Katya who he lost in an Alpine crevasse 50 years earlier had been discovered, her body perfectly preserved – a wedge is driven between the old couple as Geoff begins thinking a little too much about what could've been if he had never lost 'his' Katya. There are no big set-pieces, no action, not a lot of music – 45 Years is an extraordinarily slow, quiet and understated study of marriage. This put a lot of people off. But if you go in knowing what to expect, you will find a lot to like.
Firstly, the two performances are phenomenal. A lot has been said about Rampling and yes, she is excellent. She portrays an increasing sadness, confusion and embarrassment that many actresses couldn't and is extremely deserving of the accolades she has received, including an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category. But it is Courtenay who steals the film and has had nowhere near enough credit for his performance as Geoff. His growing obsession and distraction throughout the film is impeccably performed and, for me, truly made the film work. But I suppose this is a film of two halves, and one character simply wouldn't work without the other. They're both incredible. I'd just like to see Courtenay pick up a few more awards and nominations for his work, I mean what makes Rampling deserving of an Oscar nod and not him? Grrrr. Anyway, the pair have an amazing chemistry that makes the characters' 45 years together stunningly believable. The natural performances make the film almost feel like a documentary.
The film is a visual feast too, although the beauty of the film's look comes from a certain relatable mundanity of life. Long, bleak shots of the rural countryside of England and the naturally lit interior of Kate and Geoff's messy home make for a very real experience. And, with the quiet dialogue and (on the surface) uneventful screenplay, this adds to the film's deceivingly simple feel. But as I said, this did put a lot of people off and I can't stress enough that 45 Years is not one for action-lovers or mainstream cinema escapists. No, 45 Years is cinema as an art form. It's a thinking persons' film.
45 Years is many things. But for me, it was a thought-provoking experience. It asked a lot of deep questions about love, and how long it can truly last. The dilemmas of the characters are left open in a sense – and you can give the story your own ending, based on how you would act. It's almost a mirror onto its audience, asking you to assess your love life and any secrets you may have. Two incredible performances give this film the opportunity to excel and excel it does. 45 Years is one of the finest British films in years, and certainly is deserving of the hype. Bravo, to all concerned. Don't let BAFTA's snubs get you down, they're a bunch of bloody idiots!
45 Years is deserving of 45 stars, but for now I'll just settle for 5/5.
45 Years at CeX
Labels: Australia, Blu-ray, DVD, Film/movie review, India, Ireland, UK, USA
There have been many screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's 1939 novel And Then There Were None, originally published in the UK under a different and now rather politically incorrect title. It is Christie's best-selling novel with over 100 million copies sold – also making it the best-selling mystery novel of all time, as well as one of the best-selling books in literary history. It is widely considered a masterpiece. But when it was initially adapted for the stage, the novel's powerfully bleak ending was changed to a more upbeat one – an ending that carried over into the majority of the screen productions, too.
However, BBC's And Then There Were None, out now on DVD, proved to be the first English-language adaptation to use the novel's original ending. Now despite the book being released 76 years ago, I will not reveal any spoilers in this article just in case you haven't read or seen the story before. But I will say that And Then There Were None is one of the darkest productions on British television in years. And it's bloody brilliant.
You may be familiar with the premise, as it's something that many contemporary thrillers have taken inspiration from – and if you haven't seen any of those, you may've seen it spoofed in Family Guy and the iconic 80s comedy Clue. When a group of people are lured to an isolated island under different pretexts – offers of employment, holiday, to meet with friends, etc. – they think nothing of it. But as shortly after arriving, they are all played a gramophone recording charging them with 'crimes' they've committed in the past…and they realise they've been brought to the island to pay for their actions. They soon discover they're the only people on the island and cannot escape due to being totally cut-off from the world, and as they're murdered one-by-one they begin to realise they can't trust each other, for the killer may be among them. Sound familiar? There are elements of this iconic story in many films and TV shows – hell, you could even argue Saw is inspired by it. But even if you know the story back-to-front and are aware who the killer is from reading the book or seeing another adaptation in the past, there's still a lot to like here.
First, the cast is truly stellar across the board. While the characters themselves a rather cliché now – an old general (Sam Neill), a retired judge (Charles Dance), a detective (Burn Gorman), a creepy butler (Noah Taylor) and a dashing young gent (Aidan Turner) to name but a few – the talent bring immense depth and believability to these characters that make you constantly question the identity of the killer – even if like me, you know who 'dun it' from a previous knowledge of the work. This is truly a testament to the incredible performances with particular praise for Dance, and Toby Stephens as Doctor Armstrong. And you have to remember that although certain elements of it are predictable now – smart viewers who are new to the tale might see the twists coming – you have to remember that this was written 76 years ago, when such twists were far less common and far more shocking.
The greatest performance here is that of the location. While I'm sure And Then There Were None works stunningly well on stage, as most of Christie's works do, there's something about seeing the island and the surrounding endless ocean that creates a greater sense of isolation and dread than any theatre ever could. While the moody establishing shots of the island accompanied by loud, creepy music did become tiring, they still packed a punch. Powerfully dark cinematography throughout only heightened the sense of confusion, culminating in an incredible 'party' sequence that perfectly represented the psyches of the remaining guests, swallowed up by paranoia and fear. And the small cast of characters and majority of time being spent in the various rooms of the creepy mansion made for a rather theatrical feel anyway, especially as the narrative is so dialogue driven. But as the original novel is less than 300 pages long, dragging it out to 3 hour-long parts did allow room for a little bit of filler here and there – particularly in the slow first episode. This is the show's only issue.
The production itself is stunning. Sets and costume are incredibly era-authentic, while the foreboding opening credits and dread-filled score created an extremely uncomfortable feeling throughout. While all the hallmarks of your generic big old house murder mysteries are there, they are of such a high quality that it feels fresh – like something you've never seen before. Occasionally the delivery of the narrative veered slightly into pretension due to this immense quality, but this doesn't remain a problem once you let yourself become absorbed by the tale. And Then There Were None is one of the strongest BBC productions in years, as well as the best adaptation of Christie's iconic masterpiece.
A flawless set of performances and excellent locations make this a hauntingly beautiful piece of work. And Then There Were None earn a damn fine 4/5.
And Then There Were None at CeX
Family Guy – Season 15
Another year, another season of Family Guy. Growing up, I loved Family Guy. I won't deny that. But as I've grown older, I've become less and less amused by it. Out now on DVD comes Season 15, although technically, it is Season 13 – due to the way seasons are split in the UK, we've had more individual DVD releases than seasons and it's gone wrong somewhere along the way. It's all a bit confusing. In any case, this Season 15 release is technically Season 13. The simplest way to review this is by saying that if you like Family Guy, you'll enjoy it. It's just more of the same. However, there is one thing that makes this season stand out as one of the most historic and important.
After much planning, Fox delivered a huge announcement in July 2013 – Family Guy and The Simpsons were going to have a crossover episode. It would be an extended hour-long special, and would finally give fans what they wanted – Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane said it would be "really about the character interaction. People want to see Peter interact with Homer. They want to see Bart interact with Stewie. In a way, the story in a crossover episode, while it has to be there, is never quite as important as how the characters interact with each other". Hype built, and on September 28th 2014 the episode aired to 8.45 million people. But it was met with a far less warm reaction than expected. The episode, entitled The Simpsons Guy, was more Family Guy than Simpsons – obviously, being part of the Family Guy season as opposed to The Simpsons. This in itself was a problem for many.
The episode was written by Family Guy's writers and so lacked elements of Simpsons humour, while the over-the-top Family Guy humour in a Simpsons world felt uncomfortable and just didn't work. There were some moderately smart jokes – the argument between Peter and Homer about their show's beers was a clear statement on the argument between the shows themselves, and it felt fresh to see them debating it themselves. But this culminated in an uncomfortably long and unfunny fight sequence which, along with a completely out-of-place erotic carwash sequence, were the episode's low points. The Simpsons is a show that has succeeded without shock value, so to see these characters involved in violence and rape jokes felt completely out-of-character and ridiculous. Critics panned the episode and The A.V. Club named it in their 'Worst TV of 2014' list.
So, aside from this episode, is there much else to report? Not really. Family Guy is a show that has succeeded on standalone episodes with no overarching plot, so there's nothing here that feels any different to previous seasons. It's the same childish humour, the same animation, the same 'cutaway jokes', the same endless references (some of which are lost on UK audiences), and the same inappropriate pushing of boundaries. If you like the idea of Stewie becoming pregnant with Brian's baby, Meg becoming a foot-fetish model, Peter becoming Liam Neeson's servant and Jesus admitting he's a virgin to try and get Lois to pity-f**k him, then you'll love this season. Seth MacFarlane is a man who finds what his audience likes, and doesn't change his formula when he knows it is working. Just look at Ted 2. It's just more of the same after the first Ted. And his A Million Ways To Die In The West? Well, that was just 'Family Guy in the West'. This is the best way to explain each passing season of Family Guy. Nothing changes. Because MacFarlane knows the fans will eat it out of his hand. But from what I'm hearing, even the most loyal fans are losing patience with the show.
The voice-actors are all on their same good form, while Liam Neeson shines as the best cameo voice actor of the season who seemed to have a ball with the ridiculous material. And after roles in Ted 2 and A Million Ways To Die In The West, he's clearly made a friend out of MacFarlane. There are some funny jokes scattered across the series, but there's not enough. A good episode made me laugh once or twice at best, but for the rest of the time I was left with a vacant face and a vacant mind. Maybe I'm just too old for Family Guy now. I'm sure the 13-year old fans out there are still loving it. But in today's world with such sharp, smart comedy available to us, we're running out of space for this shit.
Family Guy – Season 15 is a mediocre season of a show that seems to be on its way out. 2/5.
Family Guy – Season 15 at CeX
In 1983, one of my favourite comedy films of all time was released. National Lampoon's Vacation, based on John Hughes' short story Vacation '58 that appeared in National Lampoon Magazine, was hugely successful critically and financially - and so rather predictably started a franchise. National Lampoon's European Vacation and my annual festive-favourite National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation followed, before losing the National Lampoon label for the weaker fourth film Vegas Vacation in 1997. The films followed the misadventures of the Griswold family, as they attempted to enjoy their holidays through continual disasters and increasingly embarrassing predicaments. Now, 18 years since the last film, director/writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein bring us a new chapter in the franchise – released in cinemas 32 years to the day after the first film. I wish they hadn't bothered…
Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray comes Vacation, a total disaster of a film that doesn't seem to know what it is. Is it a remake, a reboot or a sequel? It's all of the above – at least, it likes to think it is. Set in the same universe as the original films, we follow the now grown-up Rusty (Ed Helms) who, in an effort to repair his estranged marriage with Debbie (Christina Applegate), decides to take her and the kids on a road-trip to Walley World. The fans among you reading this article will remember that this is the vacation the family took in the first film. This is where the remake side of things comes into it. Lots of scenes, jokes and overall characterisation seems lifted from the original here. But Rusty's motivation to take this trip involves looking at old family photos from the first films, and a cameo from original stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo towards the end of the film reprising their roles as Rusty's parents Clark & Ellen show us this is a sequel. But one could also argue this is a reboot, breathing life into a dormant franchise with a new cast. Whatever it is, it doesn't work. At all.
The main issue with Vacation, as it is trying to be a comedy, is how many of the jokes fall flat. The humour here is as dumbed down and juvenile as you can get – the sort of jokes that seem written by 13-year old boys at a sleepover, off their heads on Coca Cola and crisps. I think I pulled a muscle in my face due to all of the cringing. But this isn't the good sort of Alan Partridge-enduced cringing. This is the "this is one of the worst films I've ever seen" cringing. And it makes for a painful viewing experience. The entire cast are on hugely unlikeable form due to this weak material and it's just upsetting to see. I've always had a soft spot for Ed Helms, he was the highlight of The Hangover films for me and one of the strongest characters in The Office. But here, I shook my head in disappointment as he uttered some of the most poorly-written 'comedy' dialogue I've heard in years, often in a blatant (and awful) impression of Chevy Chase's Clark from the original films. The two kids (Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins, 2 of the silliest names in Hollywood) are nothing special and painfully uncomfortable appearances from Chris Hemsworth, Leslie Mann and Charlie Day bring nothing good to this terrible film.
There were some mildly entertaining moments purely from a fan's perspective, as there are references to the earlier films – the original Holiday Road theme song, an appearance from the original film's car, etc. - but on the whole these scenes just made me sad. And this sums up the film. Seeing the old, overweight Chevy Chase reprising his legendary role of Clark just made me emotional. I wasn't around when the original film came out, but I watched it a hell of a lot in my early teenage years. And now, seeing him effectively pass the torch to a much weaker and less entertaining lead…I'm not prepared to see that. Remember the fear, sadness and anger we had in our hearts when we thought Shia LaBeouf was going to take over the role of Indiana Jones? That is what this feels like.
I wasn't expecting a lot from this. Like I said, the original films are near and dear to my heart and I knew this reboot/remake/sequel/whatever-the-f**k-it-is would never come close to it. But it turned out a whole lot worse than I could've ever imagined, and if this is the end of the Vacation series then what a horribly sad way to close the book. Vacation is exactly why I hate remakes and reboots. It's an embarrassingly unfunny and painfully unnecessary piece of shit that only serves to make the fans sad. It's one of modern comedy's darkest hours, but on the bright side, it will be forgotten quicker than you can say...wait, what was I talking about?
Vacation is a trip you don't want to take. Avoid at all costs. Watch the originals. 1/5.
Vacation at CeX
The Who - Live in Hyde Park
"I've looked at early photos. You can look at the clothes, you can look at all those things, but it's more to do with the eyes. There's an attitude there. We still maintain that today." –Roger Daltrey
On June 26th 2015, The Who took the stage in London's Hyde Park in front of a 50,000-strong crowd as part of their 50th anniversary tour, The Who Hits 50. Despite only 2 original members remaining (bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon shuffled off this mortal coil in 2002 and 1978 respectively), vocalist Roger Daltrey says "I really do feel we are on top of our game now. This is a good as it's ever been". He's right.
Out now on DVD & Blu-Ray in a variety of editions issued with CDs and LPs, The Who – Live in Hyde Park is an absolutely stunning show to behold. Shot in a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio, this is more than just a filmed concert. This is a concert film. As the band perform a long set-list of some of their best ever songs, the sun sets over Hyde Park in such a way that could arguably reflect The Who themselves. As they get ready to start the next leg of their Hits 50 tour in the new year, The Who's 'long goodbye' continues but the end is in sight. In the past year, Daltrey has had to cancel multiple dates due to his failing voice. But at 71 years old, it's incredible that he's able to do the amount of shows he is. Guitarist and writer Pete Townshend, at 70, still plays like a God but doesn't throw himself around the stage and leap into the air as he pounds out some noise with his famous windmill move. It sure is inspiring and even moving to see these men still performing with such passion and mod angst, but you can't help but think that one of these days you'll switch on the news and see 'Iconic rock band The Who announce end to performing'.
But until that day, we can continue to enjoy one of the greatest live bands in music. Yes, Entwistle and Moon's presence is missed. There's no getting around that. But Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr and godson of Keith Moon, is a formidable drummer. I've had the pleasure of seeing two of The Who's Hits 50 dates including their phenomenal Royal Albert Hall performance, and I couldn't help but smile when I overheard an old cockney chap leaving the venue say to his friend "if those drums had been any louder, you'd think it was Moonie playing!". As for the bass, Pino Palladino fills Entwistle's shoes with respect and faithfulness, particularly in the iconic My Generation. The whole band is on fire here, but nobody more than Daltrey and Townshend themselves. Daltrey's voice drops in quality a little occasionally but at his age, it's a miracle he's still willing to sing for us. And for the majority of the time, he's incredible. Singing powerful numbers like Love Reign O'er Me, Won't Get Fooled Again and Bargain, you can close your eyes and see the Roger Daltrey from the 1960s and 1970s. There's something sweet about hearing him roar out "I hope I die before I get old" during My Generation now.
Live at Hyde Park is a fantastic performance, and likely to be the last fully recorded concert of The Who. Sat next to their Live at Kilburn and Live at the Isle of Wight recorded shows, it's a piece we're lucky to have forever safe for years to come. It brings me joy to know that in many years time, when we've all passed on and our children's children are learning about music history, they can watch a show like this. There's more to this film than just the music. Between some songs, we're shown short interviews with Daltrey & Townshend, aswell as Iggy Pop and Paul Weller, briefly discussing the power of the music. Thankfully, this is never intrusive – some concert films insist on putting this over the music. Not here. Visually and sonically, Live at Hyde Park is breath-taking. The 16:9 aesthetic is beautiful, and the sound mix is phenomenal. Played through surround sound speakers on Blu-Ray, prepare to have eargasms as The Who flawlessly perform some of their best songs in your living room.
In conclusion, Live at Hyde Park is one of the finest concert films available and a perfect souvenir for the Hits 50 tour. If you get a chance to see them before it's too late, GO. It'll be one of the best nights of your life. Over the end credits of this film, we see Iggy Pop perform an acoustic version of My Generation. As he finishes this gentle and touching tribute, he softly says "Hail The Who." Indeed.
The Who – Live at Hyde Park is a beautifully shot film of one of music's greatest bands on top of their game. Long live rock. 5/5.
Set list – I Can't Explain/Who Are You/The Kids Are Alright/Pictures of Lily/I Can See For Miles/My Generation/Behind Blue Eyes/Bargain/Join Together/You Better You Bet/I'm One/Love Reign O'er Me/Eminence Front/Amazing Journey/Overture/Sparks/Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You/Baba O'Riley/Won't Get Fooled Again
The Who - Live in Hyde Park at CeX
Peep Show: Series 9
In 2010, cult-favourite Peep Show became the longest-running comedy series in Channel 4's history. Following the painfully but hilariously mundane lives of dysfunctional friends Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb) through point-of-view camerawork with their thoughts heard as voiceover, the show was extremely well-observed, relatable and consistently brilliant. In September 2013, Channel 4 made an upsetting but understandable announcement – the show's 9th season would be its last. After airing through November and December of 2015, Peep Show: Series 9 is out now on DVD. Does it end on a strong note?
After series 8's love-triangle ending, time has not healed the rift between Mark and Jeremy. With Jeremy now living with Super-Hans (Matt King) and Mark having a new flat-mate (Tim Key), it looks like the Peep Show we know and love is over. The friends are now almost enemies and the dynamic has changed. But this doesn't last long. By the end of the episode, Jeremy is living with Mark once again and we embark on another series that doesn't have much of a feeling of finality to it.
There are some extremely funny moments of social awkwardness and cynical observation – the traits we love Peep Show for – but on the whole, there's nothing here that feels like it will stand out as one of the stronger seasons years down the line. After announcing this season in 2013 and finally airing it in 2015, there was a certain hype and level of expectation – especially knowing it was the final season right from the get-go. And while this expectation was met, it was not exceeded. A lot of people have dropped in and out of Peep Show over the years but I've been a devout fan for a long time. While I confess I wasn't there at the very beginning, I've been loyal ever since jumping in around series 2 or 3. This is what makes the disappointment all the harder. The plots are predictable and don't feel like anything we haven't seen before in earlier seasons – the only major difference being Jeremy now has a boyfriend and being quite openly homosexual, or at least bisexual, around Mark. To quote Seinfeld, "not that there's anything wrong with that!".
But it is the ending that gives me the most mixed feelings – even now, weeks after I saw it. Without giving anything away, Peep Show's ending is arguably the only ending it could be. Nothingness. We leave our characters almost exactly as we met them, destined for a life of mediocrity and emptiness. But although on the one hand this seems fitting, on the other it feels like a rather weak ending. I can't think what I would've liked more – be it a character death, some big twist or even a happy ending – but there's something about this ending that didn't feel like an ending at all. I still don't feel like I've said goodbye to the show, or that it won't be back again next year. Nothing about it felt conclusive. There was no closure. Yes, Mark and Jeremy don't deserve happiness. But they deserve an ending to their show, after 9 seasons.
To conclude, Peep Show is one of the all-time best British comedies and a personal favourite of mine but even weeks after this final series finished airing, I still don't feel like it had anything to make it feel like a final hoorah. While it was funny, it wasn't anywhere near as funny as the show was at its peak – and a somewhat "is that it?" after-taste to the final episode left me confused and underwhelmed. But at the end of the day, even weak Peep Show is better than most of the stuff on television today, and Series 9 is historic. It's the end of an era. I've spent many years laughing at this brilliant show and the ending, disappointing or not, made me emotional. Just typing these words feels strange. And even with other brilliant British television cropping up these days like the beautiful Detectorists, there will never be another Peep Show. Goodbye, Mark and Jeremy. Thanks for everything.
Peep Show: Series 9 isn't an explosive or particularly exciting conclusion, but then again, was it ever going to be for these mundane characters? 4/5.
Peep Show: Series 9 at CeX
Thank you for donating over £10,000 in Q4 2015!
We'd like to thank all of you for your generous in-store and online donations to our charity partners and let you know that in Q4 of 2015, you all managed to donate approximate £6,000 for Help for Heroes and £5,000 for Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Every donation helps to change the lives of those supported.
If you're interested in making a donation, see how much your stuff in worth at webuy.com and donate online or at your local CeX store. If you donate 100% of the value of your items we'll even top it up by another 10%.
Got old phones, games, electronics, gadgets, DVDs of more collecting dust? Turn them into a charity donation easily with us!
To learn more about where the donations you help raise go and how they affect real people, click the images below.
Labels: cex, Donate, UK
Rather than conform to what's expected, Guitar Hero's return is like that kid that just has to have the black hair with the red mohawk just to stand out in class. When that didn't shock anymore and his ginger roots began to show, he shaved the black out of the sides and coloured the top black to create one of the most hideous colour combinations ever, just to say it was different than what's expected. Not that I knew that kid, I would have punched him in the gut if I had, but Guitar Hero Live is like him, standing out against the current rather than easily phoning it in. Guitar Hero Live is a culmination of mixed ideas and attempted innovation in a long-believed dead genre and honestly its equal parts a resounding success and disappointingly underwhelming.
Out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 comes Guitar Hero Live which is essentially broken into two main modes: Live and TV. They say fortune favours the brave and the Live mode is certainly brave. Its execution is also pointless and cringeworthy. Rather than have video game graphics play in the background while you hit the notes on the highway, everything is shot in live-action. As you play a song, the video plays and it reacts to how well you're playing. If you hit every note perfectly, you are a rock god as your bandmates and crowd give you canned, forced smiles and cheering that's hard to notice just how inauthentic it all looks. Play badly and you're left to hear jeers and boos from the crowd and unhappy bandmates. The problem is that there is no in between. You are either a rock god or a gobshite.
The controller also strays from the path with a brand new six button layout that features three on top and three below it to imitate a more realistic feel with power chords as you play. It simply being different certainly makes it feel fresh. It also means a couple of songs of fumbling about is back as you get acclimated to the new layout. From someone who's played guitar for over 10 years now, it feels more natural and authentic to the real thing, well, as authentic as 6 plastic buttons can feel.
The Live portion of the game is bitterly disappointing, but the game is completely redeemed by the TV mode. This mode is essentially a streaming service that allows you to play along with essentially music stations as they feature hundreds of songs across multiple genres. You may not be able to buy any of these games but you can pay to play whatever song you want or simply stream some great songs in the hope the ones you want will come on. The "paying" part can be both real money or by the credits earned by simply playing on one of the channels for some time. It's not perfect simply by the fact that you can't buy the right to own and download a song but it's a sacrifice that's worth it for the mode that's created.
The setlist on GHTV fares much better than the one in the Live mode. Live mode features mostly songs from the last five years and side more on the pop side of things. TV features more classic and good rock songs but still expect the pop songs to be found in the +200 songs available.
Ambitious, daring, different, unusual, cringe-inducing, and eventually it becomes pretty good again. It's the true definition of hit and miss but at least they tried to give fans of the genre a new experience. I still can't get those cheese-riddled faces smile at me while playing. I don't hit people but if I ever met them I would have to ask them to explain themselves to me first before I cast my fist of judgement.
Guitar Hero Live is alive and trying something different 3/5.
Guitar Hero Live at CeX
"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge."
And with these words, one of the most influential and seminal records of all time begins. The album is Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A, a hip hop group from Compton, California. Released in 1989, the album was hugely controversial with songs glorifying drugs and crime, as well as the authorities-bashing F**k tha Police. It got to the point where N.W.A were banned from many radio stations and often had to perform with police present - ready to stop their shows at any second. But there's more to N.W.A than you might think. Nowadays, many will dismiss them as just being chavvy rappers with no artistic merit or cultural relevance. But F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton, out now on DVD & Blu-Ray, aims to change that.
In terms of delivery, Straight Outta Compton is a fairly typical rags-to-riches biopic. It is much more than that. We meet our heroes living in crime-ridden poverty, as both the racist police department and local gangs rule the streets. Expressing their anger at this world through lyrics, "Ice Cube" joins up with "Eazy-E", "MC Ren", "DJ Yella" and of course "Dr Dre" to form the now infamous band. At two and a half hours, or almost 3 if you're watching the director's cut, Straight Outta Compton covers a lot of ground. We start in 1986 and finish up in 1996, and you really feel this time pass – in a good way. Most films cop out and stick a "(x) YEARS LATER" subtitle here, there and everywhere, skipping huge chunks of time. But here, you feel like you're seeing everything. And yet the film still flies by. When the characters are looking back at the end of the epic 3 hours, you truly feel like you're looking back with them and that you've been on this huge journey. It feels more like a series than a film.
This is down to a number of factors. Firstly, the cast are phenomenal – something that makes or breaks any biopic. Ice Cube's son portrays his father here, so of course has an advantage where voice and appearance is concerned – it's an often uncanny resemblance, and a damn good performance. But Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr make up N.W.A with almost equal resemblance and certainly equally powerful performances. Hawkins and Mitchell, playing Dr Dre and Eazy-E respectively, are particularly impressive. The passion these actors portray in their roles makes the story that more inspiring and believable, and I often felt I was watching a documentary they're that good. Outside of the band, there aren't a huge amount of characters. The great Paul Giamatti, recently seen playing a twat in the music world in Love & Mercy, plays another twat in the music world here as Jerry Heller, N.W.A's somewhat shifty manager.
A dear friend of mine once said that he didn't have a specific genre of music he liked, but rather that he could listen to anything if he could hear the passion in the performers. That passion is something N.W.A delivered in spades, and something that is really the main theme of Straight Outta Compton. The band started from nothing and stood up for the things they believed in. Their violent lyrics and aggression, at least in their debut album from which this biopic gets its name, had purpose. It wasn't just for the sake of it, it was to make a point. And it certainly made one, being widely considered a pioneering and ground-breaking piece of work that had an enormous impact on the US, while still to this day being the hip hop record. Unfortunately, they still have a name for themselves as being 'gangsta thugs' but music/culture historians and people with brains can see they're much more than that.
Straight Outta Compton is lucky in that it had the permission to use the band's original music, lending a huge amount of authenticity to the tale. Many music biopics – recently, the Hendrix biopic All Is By My Side – aren't granted this privilege. But with Ice Cube and Dr Dre producing this film, you can expect to hear all of the tunes you love (or hate, depending on who you are). And don't worry, Ice Cube and Dr Dre's involvement doesn't make this a love letter to themselves. The film doesn't shy away from the darker sides of the story and often paint unflattering pictures of themselves. Very impressive.
In conclusion, Straight Outta Compton is an incredible piece of work. Far better than I think the entire world was expecting, really. Initially dismissed as being a thuggy tale for wannabe gangstas, the film found itself on the receiving end of critical acclaim, huge box office success and award nominations. This is an important film because many of the racial hatred themes are still rife, but also an inspiring and timeless film about the power of music and the strength of passion. It was one of the best films of 2015, and now you can own it. You lucky people.
Straight Outta Compton is a phenomenal film, and one that is truly deserving of a perfect 5/5.
Straight Outta Compton at CeX
When Absolutely Anything was announced, people pricked up their ears and were understandably quite excited. Sure, it's not an original premise – it's basically a British Bruce Almighty. But with a stellar comical cast including Simon Pegg, Eddie Izzard, Robin Williams and the surviving members of Monty Python, not to mention Terry Jones at the helm, Absolutely Anything did seem promising. But on the 14th of August, it was released…to dreadful reviews. Currently standing at 9% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, is Absolutely Anything really as bad as everyone says? Warning: this review may contain angry ranting…
Out now on DVD & Blu-Ray, Absolutely Anything tells the story of Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg), a disillusioned schoolteacher and average loser. When a group of aliens (voiced by the surviving Pythons) bestow upon him the ability to do absolutely anything he wants - so they can determine whether the human race can be good, and whether or not Earth should be obliterated - he struggles to deal with his new-found powers. From the cast alone, you can probably assume the comical turns this narrative takes. Well, Terry Jones clearly thinks it's comical. But it isn't. With a premise like this, the filmmaker could do absolutely anything. Nothing is off limits. It could be hilarious. But unfortunately, Jones wastes any potential the film has by making it an instantly forgettable load of old shit filled with predictable and juvenile humour and an abysmal narrative.
I'll start with the very few positives. Robin Williams, in his last ever role, arguably steals the show as Dennis the dog – Neil's pet, whom he gives a voice with his powers. Despite being wholly predictable and completely unoriginal, there is some well-observed humour here regarding a dog's constant desire for affection and praise, while living to serve his 'master'. Yes, it's nothing we haven't seen before – Disney/Pixar's Up did it much better with Dug. But as a dog-lover, it got a chuckle or two out of this reviewer. The only chuckles this film gave me. Other than Williams, I could spend a bit of time telling you that Simon Pegg did his best with the material he was given, or I could even stretch to say that the film's cinematography was decent, or the premise brought some satire, or some bollocks like that. But unfortunately, the film's countless flaws make it difficult to give Absolutely Anything any praise. Shall we get into the nitty-gritty? That's what you want, isn't it?
Firstly, the humour was ridiculously dumbed-down and childish from the outset. In the first 20 minutes, we have a cringe-worthy early sequence involving anthropomorphic dog shit skipping around Pegg's apartment. If that's the sort of thing you find funny, you'll love Absolutely Anything. Oh look, Simon Pegg is using his power to get 'a massive dick' which is so heavy, he falls over. Isn't that just hilarious? He asks for 'a great body' but doesn't specify gender, so ends up with a pair of tits! Oh my, how do they come up with this? It's genius! No, it's not, because I'm not 12 years old. The jokes throughout just made shake my head, both at the cast for being involved, and at the prospect that anyone might find this amusing.
The next issue was the narrative. In a film like this, all we need is 80 minutes of a normal bloke twatting around with his powers, causing a few problems and learning his lesson. Maybe a little romance in there somewhere is acceptable. But no, Terry Jones rammed so much shit into this awful film, there isn't enough time to develop any of it. The main offender here is Rob Riggle, one of the most annoying 'comedy' actors working today. Basically, Pegg's character is in love with his neighbour Catherine (Kate Beckinsale) – but Catherine's ex-boyfriend, the boisterous American soldier Grant (Riggle), is stalking her. One thing leads to another, he learns of Pegg's power, takes him hostage and forces him to make ridiculous things happen like "All Englishmen must have big pointy ears and webbed feet". It's making me angry just typing this. F***ing ridiculous. You know what? I don't want to spend much more time talking about this and I'm sure you don't want to read about it. To summarise my remaining points, the CGI was shite, some sub-plots and cast-members are criminally underused and rushed, and the awful narrative/strange pacing/short length just make it feel like one, long, bad sketch in a bad TV show.
To conclude, Absolutely Anything is absolutely awful. Just dire. An insult to comedy and a slap in the face to cinema. It's a poorly written mess. Douglas Adams, the great man behind The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, apparently looked over the script before he died and, according to Terry Jones, said 'Dennis the dog's scenes were the funniest'. That's his polite way of saying 'Dennis the dog's scenes are the only scenes in this script that are remotely entertaining'. Everyone involved in this disaster should be ashamed of themselves.
Absolutely Anything is the worst 'comedy' film in years. 1/5
Absolutely Anything at CeX
Mario Tennis Ultra Smash
Me & Earl & The Dying Girl
Monster High: Boo York, Boo York
Yu Yutopia
Slowhand at 70 – Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Rodea The Sky Soldier
Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Online purchases can now be returned in store
10 Films To Watch Out For In 2016


text:
Q: How to detect if the image path is broken? I am trying to detect if the image is available in javascript.
I have a switch statement which return different type of images.
switch (type){

case 'oldProduct':
return ""
break;

case 'newProduct':
return ""
break;

more cases....

}

I was wondering if there are anyways to detect if the images exist before I return the image.  src could be a broken path in my case. Thanks a lot!

A: If you just wanted to use javascript and not jquery my only suggestion would be to load the image onto the page like

then check the onerror method "not may not work in really old ie"
var image = document.getElementById('testImage');
im.onerror = function(){
  //do something on error
};

However a much neater and reliable way would be to run a jquery get on the image.
Like this
function checkImg(src){
   var jqxhr = $.get(src, function() {
     return true;
   }).fail(function() {
    return false;
   });
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Sykes Consulting, Inc.
It was a tall order from city leaders when they solicited for a design team to create a plan for a new parking deck in Grant Park. Home to Zoo Atlanta, the city's oldest traditional park is one of the area's most popular destinations with more than a million visitors annually. The new structure had to be smart, convenient, and aesthetically appealing for neighboring homes—a typical above-grade, cement monstrosity wouldn't do. Plus, like all new construction in Georgia's capital city, the structure needed to be at least LEED Silver certified while simultaneously increasing parking capacity, incorporating the latest technology, and most importantly, blending seamlessly into the natural landscape.
While, on its face, a parking garage may pale in comparison to some projects in a firm's portfolio, what Atlanta's leaders had in mind was anything but ordinary—and the experts at Smith Dalia Architects were up to the challenge and gladly accepted the award to design the Grant Park Gateway Project.
Thoughtful consideration was given, too, to the parking deck's long-term usability. "There was this classic conversation that, in 50 years, what do you do with a multi-level parking garage," Phuong recalls. So the parking deck was designed so that, if desired, the next generation of leaders can easily convert the structure into another facility based on its intelligent design and construction.
The Grant Park Gateway Project broke ground in spring 2018 and completion is expected in 2019. "Atlanta wants to be a top-tier sustainable city, and our leaders have made major strides toward that goal," Phuong says. The Parks and Recreation team traveled to Dallas to study the nationally renowned Klyde Warren Park, an urban green space known for its innovative design over a recessed freeway. That's where the idea for Grant Park's green roof and restaurant were born. Phuong's team also visited a parking garage project in a community near Dallas Arboretum to gather notes on its unique design and smart technology.


text:
Jewish Interest
B'nai B'rith UK is deeply disappointed at the decision to re-admit Jeremy Corbyn into the Labour Party.
B'nai B'rith UK is deeply disappointed at 18/11/20's decision to re-admit Jeremy Corbyn into the Labour Party. Mr Corbyn has refused to apologise for initially stating that antisemitism in Labour was exaggerated, offering instead a meaningless clarification of his remarks.[...]
Civilisation in Crisis
Civilisation in Crisis Freedom of religion and belief is regarded as a sacrosanct foundation of any civilised society and is upheld in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Yet millions suffer from the absence of such freedoms and are imperilled when[...]
B'nai B'rith UK mourns the passing of former Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks
B'nai B'rith UK mourns the passing of former Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks.[...]
B'nai B'rith UK welcomes the conclusions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
B'nai B'rith UK welcomes the conclusions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission[...]
UNRWA: An institutional barrier to Middle East peace
Executive summary UNRWA has lasted 70 years and failed to provide any lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Instead, it has exacerbated the conflict by inflating the number of actual Palestinian refugees, encouraging the most extreme and unrealistic solutions to the[...]
B'nai B'rith Cheshire fills 3 car boots with donated food and toiletries for Sukkot appeal
B'nai B'rith in Cheshire has this year inaugurated a Sukkot appeal, with a superb collection of food and toiletries for the Wythenshawe Food Bank in Manchester. This helps those who are in more vulnerable and disadvantaged situations, especially with Covid[...]
Edna and Alan Miller wish everyone Shana Tovah
Edna and I wish Shana Tovah to all members of B'nai B'rith together with their families and friends around the world. In these most difficult and exceptionally challenging times for us all let us hope and pray for a future filled with Good health, Peace and[...]
BBLBIA Latest Newsletter
BBLBIA Latest Newsletter 2020[...]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Amazing Image of Rope Curtain Rod is one of several design collections from 19 Photos Designs rope curtain rod Brilliant Decoration Items similar to Nautical Curtain Rod Great for a Nursery or Lake house Monkey Fist Knots with a rope rod that is reinforced with a metal center on Etsy which is one of the very popular designs of the year.Rope Curtain Rod published on Thursday, August 16, 2018 At 11: 31 am.
We are have 19 beautiful pictures about Rope Curtain Rod. We hope you enjoyed it and if you want to see the high pictures, simply just click the images and you will be redirected to extra large page of Rope Curtain Rod.


The ratio between the prompt ψ(2S) and J/ψ yields, reconstructed via their decays into μ+μ-, is measured in Pb-Pb and p-p collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV. The analysis is based on Pb-Pb and p-p data samples collected by CMS at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 150 μb-1 and 5.4 pb-1, respectively. The double ratio of measured yields (Nψ(2S)/NJ/ψ)Pb-Pb/(Nψ(2S)/NJ/ψ)p-p is computed in three Pb-Pb collision centrality bins and two kinematic ranges: one at midrapidity, |y|<1.6, covering the transverse momentum range 6.5<pT<30 GeV/c, and the other at forward rapidity, 1.6<|y|<2.4, extending to lower pT values, 3<pT<30 GeV/c. The centrality-integrated double ratio changes from 0.45±0.13(stat)±0.07(syst) in the first range to 1.67±0.34(stat)±0.27(syst) in the second. This difference is most pronounced in the most central collisions.


the house without a word.
I was terribly scared because of the way he looked at me.
I knew it was just a matter of seconds before he kicks us out of his room.
I sobbed quietly as i lamented my fate.
and stared at him pleadingly.
large bag, fetched winnie's things and equally dumped them in it.
myself doing it mtcheeew" he muttered and threw the money at me.
grabbed the bag and threw it out of his room.
preachings as he pushed us out of his house that fateful morning.
A day i was supposed to be happy because it was my birthday.
0 Response to "STORY:THE MISTAKE OF MY LIFE (Episode 2)"


text:
Q: Getting, Storing, Setting and Modifying Transform Attributes through PyMel I'm working on something that gets and stores the transforms of an object moved by the user and then allows the user to click a button to return to the values set by the user.
So far, I have figured out how to get the attribute, and set it.  However, I can only get and set once.  Is there a way to do this multiple times within the script running once?  Or do I have to keep rerunning the script?  This is a vital question for me get crystal clear.
basically:
btn1 = button(label="Get x  Shape", parent = layout, command ='GetPressed()')
btn2 = button(label="Set x Shape", parent = layout, command ='SetPressed()')
def GetPressed():
    print gx #to see value
    gx = PyNode( 'object').tx.get() #to get the attr
def SetPressed():
    PyNode('object').tx.set(gx) #set the attr???

I'm not 100% on how to do this correctly, or if I'm going the right way?
Thanks

A: You aren't passing the variable gx  so SetPressed() will  fail if you run it as written(it might work sporadically if you tried executing the gx = ... line directly in the listener before running the whole thing -- but it's going to be erratic). You'll need to provide a value in your SetPressed() function so the set operation has something to work with.
As an aside, using string names to invoke your button functions isn't a good way to go -- you code will work when executed from the listener but will not work if bundled into a function: when you use a string name for the functions Maya will only find them if they live the the global namespace -- that's where your listener commands go but it's hard to reach from other functions.
Here's a minimal example of how to do this by keeping all of the functions and variables inside another function:
import maya.cmds as cmds
import pymel.core as pm

def example_window():

    # make the UI

    with pm.window(title = 'example') as w:
        with pm.rowLayout(nc =3 ) as cs:
            field = pm.floatFieldGrp(label = 'value', nf=3)
            get_button = pm.button('get')
            set_button = pm.button('set')

    # define these after the UI is made, so they inherit the names
    # of the UI elements

    def get_command(_):
        sel = pm.ls(sl=True)
        if not sel:
            cmds.warning("nothing selected")
            return
        value = sel[0].t.get() + [0]
        pm.floatFieldGrp(field, e=True, v1= value[0], v2 = value[1], v3 = value[2])

    def set_command(_):
        sel = pm.ls(sl=True)
        if not sel:
            cmds.warning("nothing selected")
            return
        value = pm.floatFieldGrp(field, q=True, v=True)
        sel[0].t.set(value[:3])

    # edit the existing UI to attech the commands.  They'll remember the UI pieces they
    # are connected to

    pm.button(get_button, e=True, command = get_command)
    pm.button(set_button, e=True, command = set_command)

    w.show()

#open the window
example_window()

In general, it's this kind of thing that is the trickiest bit in doing Maya GUI -- you need to make sure that all the functions and handlers etc see each other and can share information. In this example the function shares the info by defining the handlers after the UI exists, so they can inherit the names of the UI pieces and know what to work on.  There are other ways to do this (Classes are the most sophisticated and complex) but this is the minimalist way to do it.  There's a deeper dive on how to do this here


Our store have a great variety of Discount Nike Free Run 3 Mens Running Shoes Black PK79989 in stock. Welcome to purchase Nike Free Run 3 Mens. You can enjoy much discount here. High quality,top service and secure payment.


text:
HABITS: Improved policy to mitigate pollutant and inactivity related health burdens through new big data
Lead Research Organisation: University of Leeds
Department Name: Institute for Transport Studies
The project will consider implications of 'track and trace' data generated from mobile phones in relation to health impacts. Two areas of impacts will be considered: individual-level health burdens of air pollution through exposure, and health related to levels of travel activity. Track and trace data (T&T, the trace of individual's movements through the city) will be generated as a result of introducing a new travel application in Newcastle, SMART. SMART has mature tracking algorithms that have been tested for over 5 years in Europe. The app is being tailored to Newcastle and implemented on a large scale as part of the H2020 EMPOWER project. The emphasis for this project will be to take T&T data collected in a transport policy context and explore the challenges, methodologies and policy implications related to use in reducing individual health burdens. The project will research new methods and tools to investigate the cross-referencing and integration of real-time T&T data with existing and emerging databases such as pollution data; and new approaches to modelling health impacts arising from exposure and the individual patterns of travel activity.
The project will build on an existing collaboration between Mr Rob Snowball at Newcastle City Council (NCC) in the H2020 EMPOWER project. NCC has recently established a 'Healthy Streets Board' to provide governance to joint projects on air quality and healthy, liveable cities such as the Cycle City Ambition Programme, the Streets for People project. The Board comprises Cabinet Members for Transport and Health, including the Director of Public Health (NCC) who will contribute assistance to the project in the area of health impacts. Mr Robert Snowball and the Board will provide active input to the direction of the project and policy insights on the issues arise from scaling up the approach through infrastructure investment.
The project will be led by Professor Susan Grant-Muller of the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, together with non-academic Co-I, Mr Robert Snowball and academic CO-I's Ms Frances Hodgson and Dr Nick Malleson. The PI and Co-I's all have extensive experience of research with T&T data, and also social media textual data, Bluetooth, GPS data and other user-generated content. Grant-Muller and Hodgson are the PI and Co-I for the E5m H2020 EMPOWER project concerned with the use of ICT enabled incentives to influence travel choices. They bring a substantial knowledge base on the broader policy and contextual issues in large scale implementation and policy uptake of influencing technology and active travel. Prof. Eugene Milne is the Director of Public Health for Newcastle and will provide expertise on inactivity and public health. Dr Malleson is currently working with large scale analytics of T&T data from Boston, USA, is a member of the Obesity Network and has expertise in modelling methodologies including agent based modelling and spatial analytics. The project will be based in the ESRC funded Consumer Data Analytics Centre (CDRC), which has critical mass of expertise including large scale data analytics for health, an obesity network, and a mobility research theme.
As the central research questions posed by HABITS will be answered through the development of policy demonstrators, impact through new policy is a foundation that underpins all of the overall research goals. The specific beneficiaries of the project and the ways in which they will benefit from the project are summarised as follows:
1) City stakeholders such as City Councils, regional authorities and municipalities (primarily in the UK but also internationally) - who will benefit from the demonstrated potential and benefits of Track and Trace data in supporting both Transport and Health policy making through a stronger and expanded evidence base
2) Newcastle CC and the greater Newcastle City region - who will benefit from the use of policy demonstrators specifically for the Newcastle area, involving schemes and scenarios with relevance to the region.
3) Members of the travelling public across the UK and internationally - who will benefit from improved short, medium and long term policies related to transport provision and healthy lifestyles
4) Academic Communities (in particular those involved in Evaluation methodology, Big Data analytics, Transport and Health modelling, and Behavioural studies) - who will benefit from new knowledge generated on the potential and opportunity presented by Track and Trace data, together with the identification of further novel research areas
5) Two early career researchers - who will benefit from opportunities to apply and further develop their skills in modelling, transport pollution and the transport-health impacts. Due to the strong links with stakeholders in the project, the researchers will also benefit from the development of industry contacts. As the project has close synergies with an EU funded project 'EMPOWER', the researchers may also benefit from new networking opportunities with European and international researchers.
Feb 17 - Apr 18
ES/P01139X/1
Susan Grant-Muller
Civil eng. & built environment
Transport Ops & Management
University of Leeds, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
EMPOWER project (Collaboration)
Newcastle City Council, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
Federal Technological University of Paraná (Collaboration)
Chinese University of Hong Kong (Collaboration)
Newcastle University, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
Technion Israel Institue of Technology, Israel (Collaboration)
Iuav University of Venice (Collaboration)
Haifa University, Israel (Collaboration)
University of California Davis, United States (Collaboration)
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (Collaboration)
Susan Grant-Muller (Principal Investigator)
Frances Clea Hodgson (Co-Investigator)
Nick Malleson (Co-Investigator) http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6977-0615
Robert Snowball (Co-Investigator) http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9597-8815
Anwer I (2018) Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation
Crols T (2019) Quantifying the ambient population using hourly population footfall data and an agent-based model of daily mobility. in GeoInformatica
Grant-Muller S (2017) Enhancing Energy, Health and Security Policy by Extracting, Enriching and Interfacing Next Generation Data in the Transport Domain (A Study on the Use of Big Data in Cross-Sectoral Policy Development)
Kieu L (2019) A stochastic schedule-following simulation model of bus routes in Transportmetrica B: Transport Dynamics
Kieu LM (2020) Dealing with uncertainty in agent-based models for short-term predictions. in Royal Society open science
Kuflik T (2017) Automating a framework to extract and analyse transport related social media content: The potential and the challenges in Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
Research Tools and Methods
Description • Micro-level mobility data (a new and emerging data form, NEDF) has been successfully interfaced for the first time with a model of transport - energy- health impacts. This allows investigation of health outcomes from individuals travel choices (or from policy changes), together with outcomes related to other societal burdens.
• An indicator for equity in the distribution of impacts (health, energy) arising from the introduction of software app based behavioural (incentives) schemes to encourage modal shift has been developed and demonstrated for the Newcastle city region case. The indicator is derived from use of new micro location data together with small-area Index of Multiple Deprivation data.
• We have combined 'big data' arising from 1) the road network and 2) data from a No2 monitoring sensor network (Newcastle Urban Observatory) into a newly developed method for estimating the spatio-temporal patterns of No2 concentrations. This has been validated against the Official DEFRA roadside model. Our model shows a good correspondence with the DEFRA model but has advantages: for example, No2 estimates aren't restricted to main roads and the model provides an estimate of the diurnal variations of No2.
• A new prototype interactive software tool (the 'HABITS tool') has been developed to allow policy makers to explore micro-level mobility pattern data alongside patterns of No2 for the Newcastle region. The tool also produces summary indices, including equity and health outcomes.
Exploitation Route The findings are being taken forward in a newly awarded project KARMA (sponsored by the Alan Turing Institute). The new method for estimating the spatio-temporal patterns of No2 concentrations is suitable for uptake by local/regional authorities to understand pollutant patterns and target resources appropriately. The HABITS tool is in prototype form but can be adapted to other forms of app derived micro location data.
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy,Healthcare,Transport
Description City stakeholders taking part in workshops have reported that the app used to generate Track and Trace data is well developed and has a range of capabilities beyond those of others available. This has given rise to conceptual and instrumental impact relating to the use of NEDF in Transport Planning work and as one of a range of data sources that help to make informed decisions. A large UK based not-for-profit organisation with a sustainability agenda has requested training and awareness raising for 100 staff on the use of the software and incentives. A global not-for-profit organisation (also with a sustainability agenda) has supported a staff member to undertake a PhD in the field and is exploring potential to transfer some of the expertise in the team to the health sector.
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Transport
Impact Types Policy & public services
Description Department for Transport Scientific Advisory Council
Description Joint UITP/EU committee of the regions
Description UnHabitat inaugural assembly
Description VOI advisory board
Description Alan Turing Institute fellowship
Organisation Alan Turing Institute
Description Alan Turing Project
Description Micromobility behaviour
Organisation World Resources Institute
Description RAIM
Organisation Economic and Social Research Council
Description Raphtory: a practical system for the analysis of dynamic graphs
Title Ethical guidance on new and emerging data forms
Description Guidelines for a range of stakeholders on the ethics of handling new and emerging data forms in transport. The guidelines were developed jointly with the EMPOWER project and form the basis for a joint workshop with the cabinet office.
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure
Provided To Others? Yes
Impact The guidelines formed a basis for a training workshop with a range of city stakeholders from the UK and Europe. The participating stakeholders reported that they had adjusted their written policies and consent forms and also amended their internal data handling procedures.
URL https://empowertoolkit.eu/ethics/
Title Air Pollution Potential (APP) Model
Description The APP model estimates the spatial variation of air pollution within a city, based on the proximity of a point to the road network, road junctions and estimates of road traffic intensity (based on a proxy measure of road segment network centrality). This has been developed using open source software (R) and open source data (the Ordnance Survey's Open Road Network), meaning the method could be applied within any city of the UK.
Impact The model will be written into a paper and presented at the AAG meeting in April 2018.
Title Micro-level transport-health interactions model
Description The model takes new mobile phone location data (Track and Trace data) to calculate individual exposure to activity and pollutant related health burdens arising from travel choices. The model is also able to calculate an equity outcome for the resultant health burdens. The model has significantly adapted an existing macro level model of transport-health (ITHIM).
Type Of Material Data analysis technique
Impact The model is still under further development and hasn't yet been made available to others. The background input data is not publicly available.
Description Collaboration with Newcastle City Council
Organisation Newcastle City Council
PI Contribution Members of the research team have worked with Newcastle City Council to identify current data sources and models, identify candidate policies related to the HABITS agenda and have contributed to the policy agenda through the Healthy Streets Board. The team have discussed priority features for a decision support tool with key members of NCC to ensure it has relevance to their needs local context.
Collaborator Contribution NCC team members have participated in regular (fortnightly) meetings to discuss the research and contribute to the forward direction. They have provided access to relevant data, models and key personnel to support the research. NCC have facilitated a joint workshop based around the HABITS project.
Impact Two joint workshops held in Newcastle, attended by regional policy stakeholders, academics, researchers and others.
Organisation Newcastle University
Description EMPOWER project
Organisation EMPOWER project
PI Contribution HABITS research has provided additional, in-depth analysis of EMPOWER Take-Up-City data, bringing an increased understanding of a range of impacts from positive incentives and the value of new Track and Trace data.
Collaborator Contribution Take-up-City operational infrastructure and outcomes.
Impact This collaboration is multi-disciplinary, spanning data analytics, transport science, health, ICT, behavioural science.
Description Harvesting transport preference information from web social communities to support sustainable mobility solutions
Organisation Iuav University of Venice
Department Department of Architecture & Arts
PI Contribution Leadership to the technical research and co-ordination of the network collaboration as a whole. Leadership of a bid for research funding. Lead authorship of journal articles and conference papers/presentations. Technical research inputs. Hosting a visit by an ECR.
Collaborator Contribution Partners have made contributions in lead authorship of journal articles and conference papers/presentations. Technical research inputs. Hosting visits by researchers.
Impact 3 journal articles 3 book chapters 7 conference papers/presentations 1 masters dissertation 2 finalist awards for best presentations The collaboration is multi-disciplinary involving text mining, transport policy, transport economics, statistical analysis
Organisation Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Organisation University of Haifa
Department Department of Information Systems
Description Newcastle Urban Observatory
PI Contribution Team members have arranged a joint workshop with the Observatory. Technical feedback on the observatory sensors/sensor data has been provided to observatory staff.
Collaborator Contribution The observatory have assisted access to large scale pollutant monitoring data to support understanding of personal exposure patterns
Impact New modelling approach for diurnal patterns of atmospheric pollutants in the Newcastle City region. Joint workshop on modelling individual exposure to pollutants using sensor data with new and emerging data forms.
Description Shanghai Jiao Tong University - new joint centre
Organisation Shanghai Jiao Tong University
PI Contribution Participation in joint workshops to develop a new joint centre between the two Universities - exchanging knowledge and using shared expertise to address grand challenges. Team members are bringing expertise with new data forms and understanding on modelling of complex cross-sectoral interactions (transport-energy-health-environment)
Collaborator Contribution Mega datasets from large urban conurbations that challenge existing modelling methodologies.
Impact Both collaborators have hosted joint workshops. The center is still in development. Multi-disciplinary collaboration spanning transport-health- environmental pollutants-energy-data analytics
Description University of Curitiba
Organisation Federal Technological University of Paraná
Country Brazil
PI Contribution I have acted as external examiner to student activity at the university. The University of leeds has signed an MOU with UTFP.
Collaborator Contribution UFTP have supported data collection activities to better understand incentives for behavioural change.
Impact Two student thesis, publication.
Description WUN network
Organisation Chinese University of Hong Kong
PI Contribution Determination of a joint research agenda. Hosting a student for an internship. Hosting a planned joint international workshop. Financial support to travel for joint events.
Collaborator Contribution Determination of joint research agenda. Hosting a planned joint international workshop. Financial support to travel for joint events.
Impact this collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving disciplines including transport, population health studies, sustainability experts, behavioural experts.
Description collaboration on micromobility
Organisation University of California, Davis
PI Contribution Joint development of research bid(s) and staff resource/expertise for joint research outputs.
Collaborator Contribution Joint development of research bid(s) and staff resource/expertise for joint research outputs.
Impact Two conference abstracts prepared and research proposal under development. Main disciplines involved: transportation studies, behavioural science, marketing, modelling.
Description collaboration on transport-health research
Organisation University of Cambridge
PI Contribution Further development of software. Led workshops and large research proposal
Collaborator Contribution Use of modelling software and contribution of expertise to joint proposals, engagement with workshops.
Impact Multidisciplinary, involving epidemiology and transport studies. Workshop outputs from two events.
Title HABITS policy support tool
Description Interactive visualisation and diagnostic tool to explore: city pollutants, mobility profiles, transport-health outcomes from travel choice and the equity consequences of policy.
Type Of Technology Software
Impact to be developed further and impacts monitored
Description Conference presentation (European Transport Conference)
Results and Impact A paper entitled "A TRANSPORT AND HEALTH POLICY TOOL UTILISING NEW GENERATION DATA" was presented at the European Transport Conference in Dublin, Ireland in October 2018. This was in a session on 'Big Data' alongside two other related papers. The session was attended by approximately 40 people (standing room only in the room), who were fully engaged in the discussion session, with a number of attendees following up individually after the session. The wider ETC event attracts around 1000 attendees from across Europe (and beyond), from consultancy, academia, and government.
URL https://aetransport.org/en-gb/past-etc-papers/conference-papers-2018?abstractId=5934&state=b
Description Conference presentation (POLIS)
Results and Impact A presentation to the POLIS conference in Manchester, UK in November 2018 entitled "The role of new track and trace data in supporting planning and decision making at the
interfaces of transport, health and the environment - The Newcastle city case study". Polis is a network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport. The session included 8 related papers on "DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING" and approximately 60 attendees who engaged in the question and answer sessions, as well as number of individuals who followed up personally following the session.
URL https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicdocuments/download/2461/document/the-role-of-new-track-and-trace-d...
Description HABITS final event
Results and Impact The final event involved speakers from the UK and internationally and was used to demonstrate the HABITS tool, in addition to disseminating the main project findings. It generated a lot of questions and discussion afterwards, which continues.
Description Maurice Bloch Seminar
Results and Impact collaborative visit to the Institute for Health and Wellbeing and Urban Big Data Centre Glasgow to discuss joint research activity. As part of this I delivered the Maurice Bloch seminar.
Description Quantifying Personal Pollution Impacts to Inform Transport Scheme Innovation through New Generation Mobility Data
Results and Impact Presentation to the European Colloquium on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography (ECTQG) 7-11 September, 2017, York, UK.
URL http://surf.leeds.ac.uk/p/2017-09-08-ectqg-surf.pdf
Description Sustrans Webinar
Results and Impact Approached by Sustrans Director following POLIS presentation to give Webinar to Sustrans employees on incentivisation schemes and use of new and emerging data forms. Employees logged in at sites across the UK, with many follow up questions both on and off line.
Description Sustrans Workshop
Results and Impact Supported the organisation of a Sustrans internal team event (Research and Monitoring) at the Institute for Transport Studies. Arranged presentations from colleagues that would be of interest to Sustrans and Frances Hodgson gave presentation on Habits related work.
Results and Impact Habits website
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity Pre-2006,2017
URL http://www.habitsdata.org
Description Workshop 1
Results and Impact The first HABIT's workshop, entitled 'Improving the Evidence Base' was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Wednesday 6th December 2017. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss current data gaps for the development of health, transport and air quality policy, and the potential of new and emerging forms of smartphone Track and Trace (T&T) data. The workshop comprised of presentations by HABITS team members and small group discussions, on existing data sources, opportunities for the use of T&T data, current HABITs research activities (eg physical activity modelling and pollution exposure) and a potential T&T tool.
Invitations were targeted to air quality, public health and transport planning practitioners and policy makers from local authorities in the North East of England. There were 15 attendees in total from eight councils (Newcastle, South Tyneside, Durham, Gateshead, Northumberland, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington), as well as the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Public Health England (NE). There was an even share of attendees working in transport and public health with interests related to air quality and modelling.
Although there were concerns about representativeness, accurate reporting, data standards/protection and interoperability between different apps and their data, useful features of T&T data identified by the attendees:
• Can allow the targeting of specific demographics.
• Allows for gathering qualitative feedback that is often missing.
• May help challenge perceptions or assumptions.
• Can overcome issues of dated or limited data
URL https://habitsdata.org/news/
Results and Impact The second HABIT's workshop, entitled "Air quality exposure and mobility tracing" took place on January 29th 2018, hosted by the Newcastle Urban Observatory. The purpose of the workshop was to demonstrate the potential and discuss the challenges of using environmental sensing and mobile phone "track and trace" (T&T) data to:
- Understand the exposure of individuals and populations to air pollution,
- Understand the physical activity levels of individuals and populations,
to inform policy and debate around air quality, physical activity and travel choices.
The workshop featured an introduction by Dr Nick Malleson, an introduction to the Newcastle Urban Observatory by Jennine Jonczyk, a talk describing recent research undertaken by the HABITS team by Dr Tom Redfern, a live demonstration of an interactive visualisation of a new air pollution model for Newcastle and a group discussion around how T&T data can be combined with air pollution data by transport planning practitioners and policy makers from local authorities, as well as academics, local residents and other interested parties. There were around 20 attendees from local authorities, the Universities of Newcastle, Oxford and the Open University, as well as the Newcastle Urban Observatory, Sustrans and local resident groups.
The workshop discussions focussed on recent work to create a spatio-temporal model of NO2 concentrations within Newcastle and the surrounding region, combining the data collected by the Urban Observatory with a new geospatial method developed specifically as part of the HABITS project. The discussion session focussed on two topics (i) how the pollution model can be improved and validated against existing models, and (ii) how T & T data can be used to target and implement air quality, transport planning and public health policy.
Several opportunities and challenges in using T & T data were expressed during the group discussion:
- How to ensure that the "digital divide" doesn't exclude individuals who lack access to the required technology to engage with the T&T App?
- How representative of the overall population is the data generated by the T & T app, given the small number of people generating the dataset in relation to the population?
- The app generating the T & T data could be adapted to inform users of their air pollution exposure, and people could be incentivised to alter their mode (and thus route) to reduce exposure.
- An air pollution map could be used by individuals to understand how their own route and mode choices affect their individual exposure to air pollution.
- The pollution map and T&T data could be used to find locations with reduced pollution levels, which could then be used to reconsider cycling/walking infrastructure to provide low exposure routes.
- Pollution mapping could be used to plan important infrastructure (e.g. hospitals) to (i) reduce the exposure of buildings and (ii) plan more sustainable transport routes.
- T & T data could be used to monitor the effectiveness of transport policies and physical engineering schemes, potentially in near real time.
Description workshop on New and Emerging Data Forms
Results and Impact workshop on the role of new and emerging data in the transport sector.


For progressives it is no new story that astonishingly malnourished messaging by the Obama administration compounded by egregiously misrepresentative coverage by the mainstream media has allowed an unending flow of air to feed the anti-ACA (Obamacare) gluttons. Personal, anecdotal stories, many against and a few supporting the ACA have been around for months. What has been lacking are the "it worked for my small business" stories so I thought I would throw this onto the table for general consumption.
I own a small manufacturing business and we have always provided health insurance to our employees. This has come at great expense to our firm as the cost of our policy increased by double-digit percentages every year. In recent years, much to our shame, we could no longer survive the full cost of the insurance so we had to pass twenty percent on to all participating employees. That percentage was, in turn, enough to cause several employees to have to drop coverage entirely. We were horrified and crushed but no amount of shopping around seemed to get us close enough to be able to overcome the huge mountain of cost. Ultimately, we ended up covering seven employees for a cost of, brace yourselves, $6570.58 per month!!! Please forgive me my scoff when I hear people complain about the high cost of their coverage under the ACA. Quality insurance has, for many years, cost an obscene amount and anyone who doesn't know that wasn't really paying attention to all the details.
So, what have we done under the ACA?
Well, we dropped our former policy, the group coverage, for our employees…and they are thrilled.
Our former policy was equivalent to a silver plan plan under the ACA Marketplace so we asked each of our employees to go on-line into the Marketplace and find the cost of their individual silver plan options. We asked them to print out that section (which contains no actual, private, information). We calculated the median cost of a silver level plan for that person. Each employee now receives, on their paycheck, a line item called "Recommended Health Insurance Bonus" which constitutes one hundred percent of the median silver plan cost, as described above, plus the extra needed to allow for the tax hit so that each employee truly nets out the necessary amount for the insurance.
Every employee can now elect, of their own free will, to purchase insurance (or not) and at what "metal level", utilizing the new bonus in the manner they feel is best suited for them.
Several things are notable about this.
1. We are now able to provide for 100% of the cost of insurance as opposed to eighty percent.
Before the ACA we were covering seven employees at a cost of $6570.58 per month. Now we are providing for the coverage of eleven employees at a cost of $1863.76 per month. This is a savings of $56,481.84 per year!!!
…which we are using to hire a new employee and purchase some, much needed, new tooling.
The ACA is a boon for small business and we, for one, are using it to grow. There's the small business messaging that is missing from, well, everywhere. Spread the word.