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US9223484B2 - Selector control for user interface elements - Google Patents
Selector control for user interface elements Download PDF
interface element
Rolf Krane
2012-12-18 Application filed by SAP SE filed Critical SAP SE
2013-01-15 Assigned to SAP AG reassignment SAP AG ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KRANE, ROLF
2014-08-26 Assigned to SAP SE reassignment SAP SE CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: SAP AG
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G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
G06F3/0484—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object or an image, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
G06F3/04842—Selection of a displayed object
G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
G06F3/04815—Interaction with three-dimensional environments, e.g. control of viewpoint to navigate in the environment
G06F3/0483—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
A user input at a location on a user interface screen that intersects or otherwise touches a grouping of more than one overlapping user interface element can enable selection of a specific one of the overlapping user interface elements as the user interface elements in the grouping are made active in sequence (e.g. in a loop), which can be stopped by a second user input when the desired user interface element is currently active in the sequence. Related methods, system, article of manufacture, and the like are also disclosed.
The subject matter described herein relates to a control for making a selection of a user interface element, for example a user interface element displayed in a graphical user interface.
A graphical user interface can, in some examples, include one or more visual objects or "user interface elements," which can include shapes, pictures, text, combinations of such elements, or the like. In various graphical user interfaces, it is possible for multiple user interface elements to be positioned on a two-dimensional display such that at least part of one or more user interface elements overlap at least one other user interface element. In other words, a first user interface element can occupy a first area on a display of the graphical user interface. A second user interface element can occupy a second area on the display of the graphical user interface, and the first area can be at least partially contiguous with the second area such that if the first user interface element and second user interface element are both presented as opaque, the one of the first and second user interface elements depicted in a higher layer of the graphical user interface at least partially occludes or covers the other of the first and second user interface elements depicted in a lower layer of the graphical user interface. The use of the term "layers" can be used interchangeably with terms such as "ordering," "stacking," or the like, which are typically used in drawing or presentation software, such as for example PowerPoint™ or Visio™ available from Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, Wash.), or the like. These terms refer to parameters that determine how a grouping of multiple, overlapping user interface elements is presented via a graphical user interface. User interface elements in a higher layer, those that are ordered closer to a "front" or "top" of a stack, or the like are typically shown overlaying and, if set with an opaque or at least partially opaque visual characteristic, at least partially occluding those user interface elements occupying at least some of the same area on the graphical user interface and existing in a lower layer, that are ordered closer to a "back" or "bottom" of a stack, or the like.
When multiple user interface elements overlap on a graphical user interface, a user can experience difficulty in selecting a specific one of the overlapping user interface elements. Selection of a single user interface element can be desirable for a number of reasons. For example, the user may wish to move the user interface element, change a size of the user interface element, add or alter a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, delete the user interface element, move the user interface element to a different layer, or the like. Selection of a user interface element in an topmost layer of the graphical user interface can typically be relatively simple—a touch on a touch screen, a "click" or other activation of a user input device for moving a pointer or cursor on the screen (e.g. a mouse, a trackpad, a trackball, or the like), one or user inputs in conjunction with a keyboard stroke, or the like within or on the boundary of a user interface element in the top layer or within or on the boundary of a user interface element that is in a lower layer but not fully occluded by another user interface element in a higher layer is usually sufficient to select such a user interface element. However, a user interface element positioned below the upper layer and at least partially occluded by one or more user interface elements in higher layers or otherwise ordered closer to the front or top of a stack can be quite challenging to select without moving one or more of the user interface elements disposed above it in higher layers or closer to the top or front of the stack.
In one aspect, a method includes first detecting a first user input at a first location within a user interface. The first location intersects one or more of a boundary and an internal area of each of a plurality of user interface elements. The method further includes first identifying a first user interface element of a plurality of user interface elements as active. The first user interface element overlies and occludes at least part of a second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements. A second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements is second identified as active instead of the first user interface element such that the second user interface element is shown in the user interface without the first user interface element overlying and occluding the at least part of the second user interface element. A second user input is second detected at a second location in the user interface. The second location intersects one or more of the boundary and the internal area of the second user interface element. The method further includes performing a function on the active second user interface element in response to a receiving further user input.
In some variations one or more of the following can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The second identifying can occur without further user input such that the first identifying occurs for a predetermined amount of time before the second identifying occurs. The second identifying can occur in response to an additional user input. The function can include one or more of moving the user interface element to a different location on the screen, changing a size of the user interface element, adding or altering a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, deleting the user interface element, moving the user interface element to a different layer. The visual indicator can include one or more of a knob element associated with the first or second user interface element when the first or second user interface element is the active user interface element, changing a visual feature of a border or at least part of the interior of at least one of the active user interface element and other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element, and changing a brightness of at least one of the active user interface element and the other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element. The first user input and the second user input can each include at least one of a tap or touch on a touch screen; a click or other activation of one or more of a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, and another device for moving a pointer within the user interface; and a keyboard input.
Implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are not limited to, systems and methods including one or more features as described as well as articles that comprise a tangibly embodied machine-readable medium operable to cause one or more machines (e.g., computers, etc.) to result in operations described herein. Similarly, computer systems are also described that may include one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors. A memory, which can include a computer-readable storage medium, may include, encode, store, or the like one or more programs that cause one or more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Computer implemented methods consistent with one or more implementations of the current subject matter can be implemented by one or more data processors residing in a single computing system or multiple computing systems. Such multiple computing systems can be connected and can exchange data and/or commands or other instructions or the like via one or more connections, including but not limited to a connection over a network (e.g. the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, or the like), via a direct connection between one or more of the multiple computing systems, etc.
The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. While certain features of the currently disclosed subject matter are described for illustrative purposes in relation to an enterprise resource software system or other business software solution or architecture, it should be readily understood that such features are not intended to be limiting. The claims that follow this disclosure are intended to define the scope of the protected subject matter.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawings,
FIG. 1 through FIG. 8 show a series of screenshots of a user interface displaying features relating to selecting a user interface element consistent with implementations of the current subject matter;
FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating aspects of a method having one or more features consistent with implementations of the current subject matter; and
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating aspects of a system including features consistent with implementations of the current subject matter.
When practical, similar reference numbers denote similar structures, features, or elements.
Implementations of the current subject matter can include user interface functionality in which a plurality of stacked user interface elements displayed in a graphical user interface of an application program can be selected by a first user input. Using one or more approaches consistent with the descriptions provided herein, this plurality of user interface elements can be presented in series for selection by the user via a second user input. For example, upon receipt of the first user input to select the plurality of stacked user interface elements, the application program or another software module or program operating in conjunction with the application program can cause the plurality of user interface elements to be presented for selection in sequence. A second user input received when a specific one of the plurality of stacked user interface elements is presented for selection can cause that user interface element to be made active for the user to perform one or more functions on it, for example via one or more further user inputs. For example, once the specific user interface element of the plurality of stacked user interface elements is made active, the user can perform one or more of moving the user interface element to a different location on the screen, changing a size of the user interface element, adding or altering a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, deleting the user interface element, moving the user interface element to a different layer, or the like.
Any user input discussed herein should be understood be any one of a variety of user inputs available for selection of a user interface element. For example, if the computing system includes a touch screen interface, the user input can be a tap or touch within a boundary of the user interface element. If a mouse, touchpad, trackball, or other device for moving a cursor, pointer, etc. on a screen is used, a user input can include a click or other activation of such a device while the cursor, pointer, etc. is on or within a boundary of the user interface element. A user input that involves a keyboard input is also within the scope of the current subject matter.
One or more approaches can be used to indicate that a given user interface element of the plurality (e.g. a grouping) of stacked or overlapping user interface elements is currently presented for selection. For example, visual indicator that a given user interface is active (e.g. currently presented for selection) can be a knob element displayed in a manner such that the knob element is associated with the given user interface element. As used herein, the term "associated with" is used to refer to a relationship between such a knob element or other indicator or control feature and a given user interface element. The knob element and selected user interface element need not overlap or be connected or otherwise in contact on as seen on a display showing a screen of the user interface. For example, the knob element can be displayed such that at least part of it overlaps or otherwise contacts the selected user interface element. Alternatively, the knob element can be displayed proximate or otherwise adjacent to the selected user interface element.
Alternative visual indicators usable to identify a given user interface element of the plurality of stacked user interface elements is currently presented for selection (e.g. active) are also within the scope of the current subject matter. For example, the currently available for selection user interface element can be displayed in a different visual manner than the other user interface elements of the plurality. This different visual manner can optionally include one or more of making the active user interface element brighter or dimmer (e.g. changing a brightness of the active user interface element) than the other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements (e.g. by enhancing/dimming a brightness of the currently available under interface element and/or by dimming/brightening a brightness of the other user interface elements of the plurality), changing a visual feature of a border or at least part of the interior of the active user interface element or of the other user interface elements that are not currently active, etc.
FIG. 1 through FIG. 8 show a series of screenshots 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800 illustrating features of an approach usable for facilitating selection of a user interface element from a group of overlapping user interface elements. The series of screenshots 100-900 shows features of a graphical user interface of a program for analyzing sales pipeline data. In this example, a given sales opportunity can be represented by a circular graphical element, which a user can manipulate by moving it along a Y- (vertical) axis to reflect a probability of success, by moving it along a X- (horizontal) axis to reflect an expected time that the opportunity can be realized, and by changing its size to reflect a magnitude of the opportunity relative to other opportunities. While this example is provided to illustrate features that may be included in one or more implementations of the current subject matter, it will be understood that none of the features described are intended to be limiting. Features consistent with or otherwise similar to those described herein can be useful in a wide variety of graphical user interface applications in which a user can change a size of a graphical element of any shape and for any reason.
In the screenshot 100 of FIG. 1, several user interface elements having circular shapes are shown, including a grouping 102 of overlapping user interface elements. As noted above, each of these circular user interface elements respectively represents a sales opportunity, each having a chance of success (represented by a position along a vertical axis), a date of expected completion of the opportunity (represented by a position along a horizontal axis), and an expected value of the opportunity (represented by a size of the user interface element). In the screenshot 200 of FIG. 2, a user provides a first user input within or on the boundaries of a first user interface element 202 of the grouping 102. In this example, the user interface is presented on a touch screen, and the first user input includes a touch of the screen area representing the first user interface element 202 by part of the user's hand 204 (e.g. a finger).
In this example, the first user input results in a visual indication identifying the currently selected user interface element (in this case the first user interface element. As shown in the screenshot 300 of FIG. 3, the visual indication includes a display of a knob element 302 that is associated with the first user interface element 202. However, as noted above, one or more of any variety of visual indications of the selection of a user interface element can be used. For purposes of the discussion of the example of FIG. 1 through FIG. 9, references to a knob element 302 should be interpreted to refer to any visual indication of a currently selected user interface element unless such an interpretation is incompatible with the discussion provided.
Also shown in FIG. 3 is a detail panel 304 that can optionally be displayed in response to selection of a user interface element 202. In this example, the detail panel 304 can include textual information such as a start and end date, an expected value, a chance of success, an indicator of a sales phase, etc. of the opportunity represented by the second user interface element 104.
Upon selection of the first user interface element 202, a user can be permitted to select one of the other user interface elements in the grouping 102 of overlapping user interface elements. Access to the other user interface elements in the grouping (beyond the first user interface elements 202 that received the first user input) can be provided via a progression in which each user interface element in the grouping 102 is successively identified as active. In other words, the user interface elements in the grouping 102 are made active in a sequence or cycle. A second user input when a desired one of the user interface elements in the grouping 102 is active causes the sequence (e.g. the cycling, the progression, etc.) to stop and the currently active user interface element at the time of the second user input to remain selected such that the user can perform additional actions upon the selected user interface element.
The sequence in which each user interface element in the grouping 102 is successively identified as active can be initiated in one or more of several ways. Unless otherwise specified in the claims that follow, any approach to starting the sequence after detection of a first user input is within the scope of the current subject matter. In some examples, the sequence can by initiated simply as a consequence of the first user input being detected within or on the boundaries of a first user interface element 202 of a grouping 102 of one or more user interface elements. In this example, if the first user input is detected as occurring at a point or in an area of the user interface includes a grouping 102 of two or more user interface elements that overlap, the user interface element located in an uppermost layer of the grouping 102 is shown as currently selected (e.g. as discussed above). The other user interface elements in the grouping 102 can be automatically cycled through without any further user input required. For example, after a delay of a predetermined amount of time (e.g. a second, a few second, etc.), a next user interface element in the grouping 102 can be indicated as currently selected. The predetermined amount of time can be hard coded into an application program supporting or providing the user interface, user-configurable, etc.
In another optional variation, an additional user input, such as for example a multi-touch gesture, a keyboard input, a double click or activation of an additional button of a mouse, a voice command, or the like can be necessary to initiate the sequence in which each user interface element in the grouping 102 is successively identified as active. For example, the first user input can be detected within or on the boundaries of a first user interface element 202 of a grouping 102 of one or more user interface elements. In this example, if the first user input is detected as occurring at a point or in an area of the user interface includes a grouping 102 of two or more user interface elements that overlap, the user interface element located in an uppermost layer of the grouping 102 is shown as currently selected (e.g. as discussed above). For the sequence to move to a next user interface element in the grouping, however, an additional user input (e.g. as discussed above in this paragraph) is received. Variations of this approach can function similar to a slide show: once the sequence has started, it can proceed automatically such that each user interface element in the grouping 102 is identified as active for a predetermined period of time (which can, e.g. be set by a developer, user configurable, etc.) before a next user interface element in the grouping 102 is next identified as active. An optional feature can also include advancing to a next user interface element in the grouping 102 upon detection of an additional user input, which can be a same additional user input as was detected to initiate the sequence, or alternatively some or other user input.
The screenshot 400 of FIG. 4 shows the sequence progressing as described above such that a second user interface element 402 of the grouping 102 of overlapping use interface elements is now identified as active. The detail panel 304 now shows information about or related to the second user interface element 402. Similarly, the screenshot 500 of FIG. 5 shows the sequence progressing as described above such that a third user interface element 502 of the grouping 102 of overlapping use interface elements is now identified as active. The detail panel 304 now shows information about or related to the second user interface element 402. The screenshot 600 of FIG. 6 shows a continuation of the sequence in which the first user interface element 202 is once again identified as active. The sequence can optionally loop back to the initially selected first user interface element 202 (e.g. the user interface element selected directly by the first user input and continue the sequence in a loop as shown in the screenshot 700 of FIG. 7, in which the second user interface element 402 is again identified as active by the presence of the knob element 302. In the screenshot 800, a second user input—in this example another touch of the screen area representing the second user interface element 202 by part of the user's hand 204 (e.g. a finger).
In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 through FIG. 8, the grouping 102 includes three user interface elements 202, 402, 502. The number of user interface elements in a grouping can be determined by the number of user interface elements having a boundary or internal area that intersects the point within the user interface where the first user input is detected. In the illustrative example, only the three user interface elements 202, 402, 502 have a boundary or internal area that intersects the point at which the first user input occurred. A grouping 102 of overlapping user interface elements as used herein can include any number (e.g. two or greater) of user interface elements.
FIG. 9 shows a process flow diagram 900 illustrating features of a method, at least some of which can optionally be included in implementations of the current subject matter. At 902, a first user input is first detected at a first location within a user interface. The first location intersects one or more of a boundary and an internal area of each of a plurality of user interface elements. A first user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements is first identified as active at 904. The first identifying includes presenting a visual indicator associated with the first user interface element. The first user interface element overlies and occludes at least part of a second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements. At 906, a second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements is second identified as active instead of the first user interface element. The second identifying includes presenting a second visual indictor associated with the second user interface element. The second identifying further includes showing the second user interface element in the user interface without the first user interface element overlying and occluding the at least part of the second user interface element. A second user input that is second detected at a second location in the user interface causes the second user interface element to be selected at 910. The second location intersects one or more of the boundary and the internal area of the second user interface element. A function is performed at 912 on the active second user interface element in response to receiving further user input.
FIG. 10 shows a diagram of a system consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. A computing system 1002, which can include one or more programmable processors and can optionally be a distributed computing system with multiple parallel systems across which processing loads are distributed, can execute functions of one or more core software platform modules 1004 providing one or more features of a business or other software architecture. The computing system 1002 can optionally also aggregate or otherwise provide a gateway via which users can access functionality provided by one or more external service providers 1006. Client machines 1008, which can be computers, smart phones, tablet devices, or any other computing device, can access the computing system 1002, either via a direct connection, a local terminal, or over a network 1010 (e.g. a local area network, a wide area network, a wireless network, the Internet, or the like). A user interface element sizing module 1012 can be hosted on the computing system 1002 or alternatively, on an external system accessible over a network connection. The user interface element selector module 1012 can optionally include one or more discrete software and/or hardware modules that perform operations such as those described herein. Alternatively, one or more of the client machines 1008 can execute a module, application, other software functionality that provides one or more features similar to those described herein.
In some implementations of the current subject matter, the computing system 1002 can access one or more metadata repositories and/or other data repositories 1016 (e.g. process repositories, scenarios repositories, transactional data repositories, etc.) that can store definitions of business scenarios, business processes, and one or more business configurations as well as data, metadata, master data, etc. relating to definitions of the business scenarios, business processes, and one or more business configurations, and/or concrete instances of the data objects (e.g. business objects) that are relevant to a specific instance of the business scenario or a business process. In some examples, the definition can optionally be stored as a business object. In some implementations, the business object can include a template definition of a standard business process. The template definition that can optionally be modified via one or more extensions that are stored in the one or more metadata repositories 1016.
One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.
These computer programs, which can also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device, such as for example magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium can store such machine instructions non-transitorily, such as for example as would a non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. The machine-readable medium can alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner, such as for example as would a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.
To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as for example a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, such as for example a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as for example visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including, but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible input devices include, but are not limited to, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices such as single or multi-point resistive or capacitive trackpads, voice recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and associated interpretation software, and the like.
The subject matter described herein can be embodied in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations consistent with the subject matter described herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent with aspects related to the described subject matter. Although a few variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and/or variations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above can be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several further features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the accompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.
1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:
a first detecting of a first user input at a first location within a user interface, the first location intersecting one or more of a boundary and an internal area of each of a plurality of user interface elements located within a single window displayed in the user interface, wherein a shape of each of the plurality of user interface elements are circular;
a first identifying, based on the first detecting, of a first user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements as active, the first identifying comprising presenting a visual indicator associated with the first user interface element, the first user interface element overlying and occluding at least part of a second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements;
a second identifying of a second user interface element of the plurality of user interface elements as active instead of the first user interface element, the second identifying comprising presenting a second visual indictor associated with the second user interface element, the second identifying further comprising showing the second user interface element in the user interface without the first user interface element overlying and occluding the at least part of the second user interface element;
a second detecting of a second user input at a second location in the user interface determined from the second identifying, the second location intersecting one or more of the boundary and the internal area of the second user interface element; and
performing a function on the active second user interface element in response to receiving a further user input.
2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the second identifying occurs without further user input such that the first identifying occurs for a predetermined amount of time before the second identifying occurs.
3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the second identifying occurs in response to an additional user input.
4. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the function comprises one or more of moving the user interface element to a different location on the screen, changing a size of the user interface element, adding or altering a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, deleting the user interface element, moving the user interface element to a different layer.
5. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the visual indicator comprises one or more of a knob element associated with the first or second user interface element when the first or second user interface element is the active user interface element, changing a visual feature of a border or at least part of the interior of at least one of the active user interface element and other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element, and changing a brightness of at least one of the active user interface element and the other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element.
6. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the first user input and the second user input each comprise at least one of a tap or touch on a touch screen; a click or other activation of one or more of a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, and another device for moving a pointer within the user interface; and a keyboard input.
7. A system comprising:
at least one programmable processor; and
a non-transient machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:
8. A computer program product as in claim 1,
wherein the presenting of the visual indicator comprises generating a graphical element within the user interface, but distinct from the first user interface element, wherein the visual indicator is positioned on the user interface to at least partially overlap the first user interface element in order to identify the first user interface element, and
wherein the presenting of the second visual indicator comprises generating a second graphical element within the user interface, but distinct from the second user interface element, wherein the second visual indicator is positioned on the user interface to at least partially overlap the second user interface element in order to identify the second user interface element.
9. A system as in claim 7, wherein the second identifying occurs without further user input such that the first identifying occurs for a predetermined amount of time before the second identifying occurs.
10. A system as in claim 7, wherein the second identifying occurs in response to an additional user input.
11. A system as in claim 7, wherein the function comprises one or more of moving the user interface element to a different location on the screen, changing a size of the user interface element, adding or altering a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, deleting the user interface element, moving the user interface element to a different layer.
12. A system as in claim 7, wherein the visual indicator comprises one or more of a knob element associated with the first or second user interface element when the first or second user interface element is the active user interface element, changing a visual feature of a border or at least part of the interior of at least one of the active user interface element and other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element, and changing a brightness of at least one of the active user interface element and the other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element.
13. A system as in claim 7, wherein the first user input and the second user input each comprise at least one of a tap or touch on a touch screen; a click or other activation of one or more of a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, and another device for moving a pointer within the user interface; and a keyboard input.
14. A computer-implemented method comprising:
a first detecting of a first user input at a first location within a user interface, the first location intersecting one or more of a boundary and an internal area of each of a plurality of user interface elements located within a single window displayed as a simulation application window in the user interface;
performing a function on the active second user interface element in response to receiving a further user input on the second user interface element, wherein the function includes displaying a detail window comprising simulation parameters corresponding to the second user interface element.
15. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein the second identifying occurs without further user input such that the first identifying occurs for a predetermined amount of time before the second identifying occurs.
16. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein the second identifying occurs in response to an additional user input.
17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein the function comprises one or more of moving the user interface element to a different location on the screen, changing a size of the user interface element, adding or altering a color or texture or pattern of a line or interior of all or part of the user interface element, deleting the user interface element, moving the user interface element to a different layer.
18. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein the visual indicator comprises one or more of a knob element associated with the first or second user interface element when the first or second user interface element is the active user interface element, changing a visual feature of a border or at least part of the interior of at least one of the active user interface element and other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element, and changing a brightness of at least one of the active user interface element and the other user interface elements in the plurality of user interface elements that are not the active user interface element.
19. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein the first user input and the second user input each comprise at least one of a tap or touch on a touch screen; a click or other activation of one or more of a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, and another device for moving a pointer within the user interface; and a keyboard input.
20. A computer-implemented method as in claim 14, wherein at least one of the first detecting, the first identifying, the second detecting, the second identifying, and the performing is performed by a system comprising at least one programmable processor.
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We can help, too. Once we understand a little more about your business structure and goals, we can take a look at your income and expense history, make some personalized recommendations, and start you on the path to a more focused financial future.
Legally, the IRS cannot directly accept credit card payments so they use three different approved payment processors for taking credit and debit card payments. At the time of writing, the processor with the most favorable rate is pay1040.com. Their minimum processing fee is $2.59, otherwise charging 1.87% of your balance. So, if you owe $2,000 in taxes, then you'd be charged a total of $2,037.40.
Keep in mind that this processing fee is steeper the bigger that your outstanding balance is, and you need to pay it on top of whatever you'll owe in interest. If you go on a payment plan and pay by direct debit or check, you'll only pay the IRS interest rate and any applicable penalties with no processing fees.
Interest rate varies by the credit card that you have, but the average rate is 15.07%. For the first quarter of 2018, the IRS interest rate on underpayments is 4% (expected to go up to 5% for the second quarter.) This interest rate is in addition to any applicable penalties like the .0.50% late fee that applies every month until the balance has been paid off. But the interest rate the IRS charges is a lot less than the average credit card interest rate.
If you anticipate paying your balance off over time, you will definitely pay a lot more interest with a credit card even if it's less confusing to calculate than the IRS interest rates, which change more often. However, if you open a new credit card intended for balance transfer if your credit's good, then you can get a few months to a whole year to pay off your balance at a 0% interest rate which both buys time and saves money. But if you're late on the payments eventually and/or your credit isn't that great, this isn't a likely option.
Credit card rewards, like cash rebates and frequent flier miles, are what often makes the extra fees and interest tempting to put your tax balance on your credit card: Why not get a free vacation for paying your taxes?
But financial experts estimate that most credit card rewards only net you about 1% back of what you purchase. It's worth sitting down and doing the math on how much the IRS interest rates and forgoing processing fees would save you so you can take that vacation out of pocket instead. Unless you plan on paying off your entire balance immediately and the reward offered is worth what you'll pay in fees, reward programs aren't likely to completely defray the costs of using a credit card for your taxes.
Ultimately, if you need extra time to pay your taxes, you are better off with an IRS installment or short-term payment agreement since owing money on these plans does not appear on your credit report. However, carrying a balance will appear once you shift the responsibility from the IRS to your credit card company. In addition to impacting your available credit, it also affects your credit utilization score based on how much of your available credit is being used.
If you're looking for housing, more credit, or other situations that warrant your credit report being pulled, then you'll want to avoid paying your taxes with a credit card.
Ultimately, it's up to you to weigh the risks and benefits of using a credit card to pay your taxes. If you're taking a longer-term approach, an installment agreement is likely to cost you less both upfront and in the long run. If you have any questions related to the pros and cons of using a credit card to pay your taxes, please give us a call.
https://tarlow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo.png 0 0 Joanna Castle https://tarlow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo.png Joanna Castle2018-06-20 16:03:002018-06-21 13:04:32Should I Use a Credit Card to Pay My Taxes?
Summer is just around the corner, and your children may be looking for summer employment. With the passage of the most recent tax reform, the standard deduction for single individuals jumped from $6,350 in 2017 to $12,000 in 2018, meaning your child can now make up to $12,000 from working without paying any income tax on their earnings.
In addition, they can contribute the lesser of $5,500 or their earned income to an IRA. If they contribute to a traditional IRA, they could earn up to $17,500 tax free, since the combination of the standard deduction and the maximum allowed contribution to an IRA for 2018 is $5,500. However, looking forward to the future, a Roth IRA with its tax-free accumulation would be a better choice.
Even if your child is reluctant to give up any of their hard-earned money from their summer or regular employment, if you have the financial resources, you could gift them the funds to make the IRA contribution, giving them a great start and hopefully a continuing incentive to save for retirement.
With vacation time just around the corner and employees heading out for their summer vacations, if you are self-employed, you might consider hiring your children to help out in your business. Financially, it makes more sense to keep the family employed rather than hiring strangers, provided, of course, that the family member is suitable for the job.
Rather than helping to support your children with your after-tax dollars, you can instead hire them in your business and pay them with tax-deductible dollars. Of course, the employment must be legitimate and the pay commensurate with the hours and the job worked. A reasonable salary paid to a child reduces the self-employment income and tax of the parents (business owners) by shifting income to the child.
Example: You are in the 25% tax bracket and own a self-employed business. You hire your child (who has no investment income) and pay the child $15,000 for the year. You reduce your income by $15,000, which saves you $3,750 of income tax (25% of $15,000), and your child has a taxable income of $3,000 ($15,000 less the $12,000 standard deduction) on which the tax is only $300 (10% of $3,000).
If the business is unincorporated and the wages are paid to a child under age 18, the pay will not be subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare taxes) since employment for FICA tax purposes doesn't include services performed by a child under the age of 18 while employed by a parent. Thus, the child will not be required to pay the employee's share of the FICA taxes, and the business won't have to pay its half either.
Example: Using the same information as the previous example, and assuming your business profits are $130,000, by paying your child $15,000, you not only reduce your self-employment income for income tax purposes, but you also reduce your self-employment tax (HI portion) by $402 (2.9% of $15,000 times the SE factor of 92.35%). But if your net profits for the year were less than the maximum SE income ($128,400 for 2018) that is subject to Social Security tax, then the savings would include the 12.4% Social Security portion in addition to the 2.9% HI portion.
A similar but more liberal exemption applies for FUTA, which exempts from federal unemployment tax the earnings paid to a child under age 21 while employed by his or her parent. The FICA and FUTA exemptions also apply if a child is employed by a partnership consisting solely of his or her parents. However, the exemptions do not apply to businesses that are incorporated or a partnership that includes non-parent partners. Even so, there's no extra cost to your business if you're paying a child for work that you would pay someone else to do anyway.
If you have questions related to your child's employment or hiring your child in your business, please give us a call.
Businesses today must take a closer look at their accounting methods. Since the passage of new tax laws, with changes to thresholds for choosing accounting methods, all companies need to take an inward look at their current accounting methods to determine if they are the most beneficial permissible method applicable. It is important to work closely with accounting professionals here — making changes as well as decisions on how accounting methods need to be updated.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act put into place new laws for a variety of sectors. One key area impacted that many business owners do not immediately consider is accounting. The overall method of accounting and the type of business can be key factors to consider. This tax reform set out to support small business owners and offer key ways to reduce some taxes. It also put into place provisions and accounting method reform with a focus on keeping things simple. Outdated methods of accounting minimized the amount of information shared, but they tend to overcomplicate methods. This is especially true with outdated gross receipt thresholds. Old methods required business owners to use accrual basis accounting which tends to increase overall administrative costs and compliance requirements.
Here is a look at some of the key changes businesses should recognize moving forward.
Sound recording (NAICS code 5112).
The new law changes this. First, it increases the threshold to $25 million. It also indexes this to inflation (meaning it can rise over time due to inflationary measures). Companies who are now able to use this method will note an accounting method change. It will allow the company to recognize ratable taxable income from this change over a period of four years — you do not have to adjust this all at one time. Additionally, any losses are recognized immediately.
The law also changes Internal Revenue Code Section 263A. These UNICAP rules made for very specific restrictions for business owners. Prior to the changes, the revenue threshold was subject to the UNICAP rules. It requires businesses that maintain an inventory to apply specific costs to their inventory. When this cost is applied, it raises the company's balance sheet. Overall, it increases the amount of taxable income the company has, therefore making it harder to overcome the threshold.
Now, companies with $25 million in revenue that qualify for the cash method of accounting will be able to note their inventories as non-incidental supplies or materials. Another option is to use their financial accounting treatment for inventories.
Another key area of the law has to do with long-term contracts. Previously, any business with $10 million or less in average annual gross receipts and maintained contracts expected to end within two years were considered small contractors. As a result of this classification, the businesses did not have to use a percentage of completion method of accounting. This helped streamline efforts for the company. The new law still applies for the most part. However, the new law increases that threshold from $10 million up to $25 million. And, it is indexed for inflation. This means more companies — those with revenue under $25 million — now achieve this same benefit.
Do the changes apply to your situation? Any business around the gap of $10 million ($1 Million for certain companies) to $25 million may need to consider the new methods of accounting available to them.
Do the changes benefit the company? Choosing the cash method of accounting over the accrual method is often beneficial, but not to all organizations.
Does the change require substantial changes to business operations? Though operations may stay the same, tax planning will change.
For these reasons, companies should work closely with accounting professionals to apply the changes under these laws. The law went into effect in December of 2017 – which means it applies to 2018 and beyond. For this reason, it is important to get up to date now. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your accounting methods, please give us a call.


The Ultimate in Dancehall & Reggae Music. Quality Music 24/7.
Live shows. Artist promotions. Great Interviews. Located in Atlanta, NY & Kingston Ja.
In October 2011 Reggae Vibes Radio was founded to serve as a conduit for upcoming reggae artistes to showcase their skills and talents. They wanted to have a focus on the Atlanta and New York dancehall, reggae and soca party scene. It was also their intention to provide a means of networking for Caribbean listeners the world over.
Reggae Vibes Radio was launched on a platform of promotional ventures. In 2013 they were part of a joint live broadcast from the Atlanta Caribbean Festival, and also broadcasted live from the Caribbean American Cultural Festival in Mcdonough Square Atlanta.


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Climate Tech
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This fund seeks to accelerate business solutions for the SDGs
A new accelerator, launched at the UN, will finance public-private partnerships that promote the SDGs.
By Anya Khalamayzer
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The Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the SDGs or Global Goals, were adopted nearly three years ago. But the ambitious agenda of 17 initiatives for economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability is on a tight implementation timeline. The goal is to achieve them by 2030, even as the world careens towards deepening inequality, worsening climate catastrophes, a booming population and dwindling resources.
To kickstart more action, especially from the corporate sector, a new public-private accelerator program was launched at the United Nations that is backed with at least $4 million annually, with the promise of more funds on the horizon. The initiative, Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 (P4G), was formed in September with the intention of helping incubate and scale solutions that could have global relevance.
"To accelerate and deliver concrete results on the SDGs, it is paramount that governments and cities join hands with the private sector through innovative public-private partnerships," said Lars Lokke Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark, the primary country that has stepped up to fund the accelerator.
P4G is led by the governments of Chile, Denmark, Ethiopia, Kenya, Korea, Mexico and Vietnam along and nonprofits such as the World Resources Institute (WRI). The Danish government has committed to making a $4 million annual investment. Another fund that is expected to contribute is the SDG Investment Fund, an initiative that hopes to inspire up to $5 billion in total investments by working through public-private cooperation.
The P4G hub will be in Washington, D.C., although the United States is not part of the initiative at this time. It will benchmark the results of the partnership through summits, providing technical support and financial assistance and producing a growth report to showcase best practices for cross-sector collaboration.
Interlocking interests
"Even apart from the altruistic, moral reason to pursue SDGs, there is an overriding profit motive," said Amy Jadesimi, managing director of LADOL, a logistics base for oil and gas companies operating in Lagos' free trade zone.
The base was set up to provide a safe and equitable environment that benefits local Nigerian workers and communities, a model that LADOL hopes to scale through the region. Jadesimi was chosen by the P4G secretariat to speak about public-private partnerships that deliver on energy, water, land use, food and circular economy solutions.
"If you don't pursue the SDGs, your business is not going to be viable 10 years from now," she said. "And mostly for low-income, high-growth countries where the majority of the population will be and where young people will be."
Sustainability ensures profitability and a better return for all corporate stakeholders, including shareholders, she said. Experimenting to find sustainable business models, however, takes innovation and knowledge sharing between the private and public sector — the goal of P4G.
Sustainable growth that follows SDG guidelines could create $12 trillion worth of business, according to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, a nonprofit organization that researches the business case for the SDGs. Action against the SDGs could generate 380 million jobs by 2030, with almost 90 percent in developing countries, according to WRI.
There has been some corporate progress since the SDGs were outlined in 2016: Car company Volvo will sell an all-electric fleet by 2019 (SDG 13, climate action); Google is working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to help cities integrate the circular economy (SDG 12, responsible consumption and production, and SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities); and financiers are pouring effort and investment into equitable energy solutions (SDG 7, affordable and clean energy).
But, according to the 2017 SDG index (PDF), the OECD countries, a coalition of 34 rich democracies aligned for economic cooperation, are in the red zone for many goals. Australia, for example, is lagging on Zero Hunger, responsible consumption and climate action. The United States, meanwhile, performs poorly on unemployment and gender inequality.
According to the SDG Index, this causes a "spillover" effect of exacerbating problems for poorer countries. That's why P4G will focus on boosting solutions that could have a positive ripple effect on sustainable development.
To accelerate and deliver concrete results on the SDGs, it is paramount that governments and cities join hands with the private sector through innovative public-private partnerships.
"The Global Goals have enormous potential for everyone — for the environment, for growth, for jobs, for business," said Robert Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, in a statement about P4G.
The Kenyan telecommunications company is one example of how a small monetary catalyst can boost large-scale innovation. The British government gave an investment of about $1 million to Safaricom to experiment with mobile transfers of money using a cell phone, a technology it created in 2007, said Andrew Steer, president and CEO of WRI.
He believes that Safaricom's owner, Vodafone, would not have taken the risk if not for the government funds. Now, tens of millions of people use their mobile phones to transfer money through Safaricom's M-Pesa technology, even if they do not have bank accounts.
As a result, in Africa, "there has been a total revolution in the mobile transfer of funds," Steer said.
"In order to make the private investments achieve what's necessary, it's often important to have the government creating the right policy environment, even putting some of their own money in," he said. "It's also important to have the right startup capital. And that's what the accelerator seeks to do."
Public-private partnerships could address, for example, the ongoing issue of food waste — the EPA estimates that up to 20 percent of the U.S. waste stream is linked to this problem. In September, the Consumer Goods Forum, a network of NGOs working with 400 of the largest food and consumer goods companies around the world, including Walmart, Kellogg and Amazon, asked retailers and food producers to simplify "sell by" dates on food labels. The rationale: Conflicting phrases such as "use by" and "sell by" could lead people to toss products before they expire.
"No one company could have done that and no government could have done that because labels are put on by individual companies," Steer said.
From dreams to practical ideas
Urbanization is an example of the kind of problems that P4G intends to tackle. Most of the world population will live in cities by 2050, according to UNICEF, exacerbating water problems, skyrocketing energy consumption and stressing demand for affordable housing.
A potential solution outlined by P4G might include a partnership that brings together city planners, building owners and developers, water and energy service companies, financiers and residents to design a collaborative business model for future housing solutions.
An overlapping challenge is urban water waste. Leakage loss rates of up to 50 percent of water are common in urban distribution systems, according to the U.N. High-energy water consumption is another challenge. The P4G accelerator might help build energy-efficient water facilities while turning sewer waste into biogas.
Companies that already do this include the Ghanaian company Safi Sana, which builds public toilets in urban slums and collects waste to produce biogas and biofertilizer.
"It's important that people understand how profound the transition is to a sustainable, global system that is multi-stakeholder," Steer said.
While the $4 million annual investment committed at the P4G launch may not be the solution that will solve the puzzle of sustainable development, it is one key to harnessing the ingenuity of public, private, civil society and NGOs to respond to an ever-shifting landscape of global challenges.
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An informative and historical overview of Warren County, Missouri including three separate sections on one CD which include 5 historical maps (1851, 1902, 1904, 1920's and 1929) showing the locations of 25 Warren County, Missouri settlements; plus the full 1885 History of Warren County, Missouri book by National Historical Co. including 95 Warren County, Missouri family biographies plus a full copy of the book on CD: A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri which includes an additional 67 Warren County, Missouri family biographies. An important resource for the study and research of Warren County, Missouri history and genealogy.
D. A map from the 1920's which includes details of where various tourist sites and service stations were located.
Section Three of three, ALL on one CD: The complete 1885 History of Warren County, Missouri by National Historical Co.
This detailed (over 185 pages in all) book has an incredible amount of historical and genealogical information about Warren County, Missouri from its earliest settlement up to 1885. This is an exact photo replica of all the pages pertaining to Warren County, Missouri including all of the historical and biographical information. Included are a total of 95 different Warren County, Missouri family biographies.
The cost for this CD containing all three sections described above is only $9.95 plus shipping, or only $5.95 as a digital download! A large amount of history and genealogy information for very little cost! A truly fascinating view of Warren County, Missouri from its first settlement to 1885.
Since we offer many different county history and genealogy CDs, please be sure to specify that you wish to order the Warren County, Missouri History, Genealogy and Maps CD. If ordering more than one CD, the shipping cost is $1.95 for the first CD plus only 25 cents shipping for each additional CD purchased.


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Audacious Fox
a tiny column by K.Q. Dreger
Unroll.me, Unravelled Apr. 24
Yesterday, Mike Isaac of The New York Times wrote a profile on Uber C.E.O. Travis Kalanick and his drive to turn Uber into a winning machine, regardless the cost. It's a fascinating piece, and you should make time to read it.
But in Mr. Isaac's digging, he unearthed some unsettling information about another company, Unroll.me. Owned by Slice Intelligence, Unroll.me labels itself as a way to "clean up your inbox", by intercepting and archiving your email, and then sending you a simple summary of all your receipts and newsletters. As reported by Mr. Isaac's, however, Unroll.me was selling aggregated, "anonymized" email message data to whoever wanted to buy; in this case, Uber. Mr. Isaac:
Uber devoted teams to so-called competitive intelligence, purchasing data from an analytics service called Slice Intelligence. Using an email digest service it owns named Unroll.me, Slice collected its customers' emailed Lyft receipts from their inboxes and sold the anonymized data to Uber. Uber used the data as a proxy for the health of Lyft's business. (Lyft, too, operates a competitive intelligence team.)
Slice confirmed that it sells anonymized data (meaning that customers' names are not attached) based on ride receipts from Uber and Lyft, but declined to disclose who buys the information.
Following this story, Unroll.me's CEO and founder Jojo Hedaya wrote the following apology:
Our users are the heart of our company and service. So it was heartbreaking to see that some of our users were upset to learn about how we monetize our free service.
And while we try our best to be open about our business model, recent customer feedback tells me we weren't explicit enough.
Sure we have a Terms of Service Agreement and a plain-English Privacy Policy that our users agree they have read and understand before they even sign up, but the reality is most of us - myself included - don't take the time to thoroughly review them.
This apology blog post has made its way around the internet, but I found most takes or tweets to be surprisingly harsh. Sidestepping the tone deaf "it was heartbreaking" and Mr. Hedaya's bizarre admission of not thoroughly reviewing his own company's documents, we're left with an unassailable fact: There is an Unroll.me privacy policy, and every Unroll.me user agreed to it. And in that policy, which at nearly 2,500 words is not short yet reasonably formatted and readable, right under "Our Collection and Use of Non-Personal Information", is the money quote:
We also collect non-personal information − data in a form that does not permit direct association with any specific individual. We may collect, use, transfer, sell, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose.
Plain English to me.
That said, we need to separate and articulate the different issues at play here, which I see boiling down to three different arguments:
Uber has been conducting a masterclass in how to alienate the average, decent person. From their toxic culture — full of sexism and bullying — to the Uber executives' visit to a Seoul "escort bar", the company, led by a flame-throwing C.E.O., is both massively valuable and morally bankrupt. Uber employees looking for new jobs have to defend themselves to recruiters, and in the current climate, anything associated with Uber is prequalified for scrutiny.
Slice's selling of aggregated and "anonymized" email data is a scummy thing to do to its users. Additionally, the premise that stripping out a user's name ensures reasonable anonymity is ridiculous. Remember, this data isn't being combed through by humans, it's being dumped into machines that are designed to pick out patterns. Word usage, locale, time of day. With enough data and context, your emails will point to you, even if they don't explicitly include your name. Unroll.me should have been more upfront about how they used their users' data.
We forget that using free online services almost guarantees our information is being sold to help pay the bills. Email, social networks, news sites. They all sell the same thing, often to advertisers: us. We need to be more conscientious about what companies we let use our data.
When you combine #1 with #2, the revelation that Slice was selling user data to Uber created a perfect storm. The internet jumped, and the narrative was largely about how despicable Unroll.me's behavior was. However, when you add in #3, the following two points have to be acknowledged:
For a large number of free online services, the practice of selling user data to advertisers — or whoever is willing to pay — is common practice. I don't like it, nor do I support it as a route to keep the lights on (I'd rather pay a few dollars a month), but we can't treat Slice as some exception to the norm.
Unroll.me was unlucky and hit doubly hard because they appeared in an article with Uber. Unroll.me wasn't caught red-handed, common sense and the privacy policy clearly outline the possibility of selling user data, but the fact the data went to Uber made things worse.
Mr. Isaac's story highlighted an unfortunate side effect of free online services. If that makes you uncomfortable, go delete Unroll.me's access to your email. In fact, now's a great time to go review any apps that you've granted access to your email or social accounts.1
But Slice's participation in an industry practice, despite their business dealing with Uber, doesn't grant us clemency in this story. Ultimately, the blame for our data being sold is on us. We agreed to Unroll.me's privacy policy. We've agreed to terms and conditions without reading a single word. Many of us know, deep down, how these free sites and services make a living, but when we choose to care is often arbitrary.
There's this classic scene in "Casablanca", where nightclub and gambling den owner Rick Blaine gets confronted by corrupt police officer Captain Louis Renault, who has come to shut down Blaine's operation:
Blaine: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
A croupier hands Renault a pile of money.
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.
We're allowed to be upset we didn't read Unroll.me's privacy policy or that it wasn't presented more visibly; we can even revoke Unroll.me's access to our email and never use any of their parent company's services in the future; but after years of using free email, free social networks, and free news sites where our data is routinely sold to the highest bidder, how are we shocked?
MyPermissions.org has direct links to the "review" pages for many popular services. (You don't need to install anything, just click the icon of the service you want to go review.) ↩
'Breath of the Wild' for Nintendo Switch Outsells Actual Switch Consoles
'What Happened to Who?'
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text:
Q: Exit status of a piped command executed over ssh I'm executing a piped command chain in bash via ssh. I want to exit if any one of the command fails. Its okay if the the exit happens after the whole pipelines finishes executing. I just want to assign the pipeline an overall 'fail' status  if one of the command fails.
A minimal example is:
ssh $REMOTE_HOST "CMD1 | CMD2" >> file.txt
I want to exit with failure if any one command in the pipeline fails. If I'm executing the command chain locally, I can use ${PIPESTATUS[0]} to pluck out exit status of any command in a chain. But over ssh, I'm getting the exit status of the last command. I.e. if CMD1 fails and CMD2 succeeds, $? on localhost gives me 0. How can I assign an overall fail status to the pipeline if CMD1 fails?

A: Since this question is tagged bash, I assume the default shell of your remote user is Bash. In that case, you should set the pipefail option through set -o pipefail. According to Bash Reference Manual linked above:

If set, the return value of a pipeline is the value of the last (rightmost) command to exit with a non-zero status, or zero if all commands in the pipeline exit successfully. This option is disabled by default.

Try, for instance,
ssh $REMOTE_HOST 'false | true'
ssh $REMOTE_HOST 'set -o pipefail; false | true'

to see the difference in exit status of the ssh command.

On the other hand, if your remote user's default shell is zsh, like I do, you should use setopt pipe_fail instead. Be aware this is a relatively recent addition to zsh. I can't say for sure when it was added, but I know it works on 5.0.5 but not 5.0.2.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A Category 5 hurricane is battering the Church. A swirling storm of burnout among pastors and spiritual leaders is brewing right under our noses. The eye wall has hit land. The storm surge threatens to drown out the Church's collective voice and dilute its influence in our culture. The question is… what can we do? We must recognize the storm is here, realize it could get worse… but understand it does not have to. This practical guide, written for pastors, leaders and churchgoers, identifies the real problems behind the current leadership crisis and provides workable solutions that will strengthen leaders and help the Church re-establish its influence.
John Opalewski is a graduate of Oral Roberts University. He served as a pastor for fifteen years. He has worked in the business world for nearly two decades, serving in multiple leadership roles. John's experience as a leader in both the church and business arenas has made him a sought-after speaker, coach and mentor. He and his wife Laura founded Converge Coaching in 2012 to help leaders be effective in their roles while maintaining health in their personal lives.


We accept all major credit cards and financing with Wells Fargo and Keystone Help through Renew Financial. Contact us about special financial offers.
Ask about our maintenance agreements! We make our customers a priority with no service charges for emergency calls, discounts on parts, and no overtime charges.


text:
Amber Park condo at East Coast sold 115 units over launch weekend
Approximately 150 units were launched for sale over the 2 days, which saw one of its penthouse being sold as well.
By Edison F. On May 6, 2019 Last updated Aug 24, 2022
The latest luxury condominium project by City Development Ltd (CDL), Amber Park had sold a total of 115 units – at a median per square foot (psf) price of $2,425 over its weekend launch.
CDL said that around 150 out of the 592 total units available were launched for sale over last weekend; includes one penthouse unit and unit types of all variants.
It was also mentioned by CDL that around 85 percent of the purchasers were Singapore citizens, while the rest are mainly foreigners from Malaysia, China, India, and Indonesia, etc.
The pricing of Amber Park starts from $1.088 million for a 1-bedroom plus study unit to a 5-bedroom unit that costs $4.98 million. The sizes range from 463 square feet 1-bedroom apartment unit with a study to a 5,005 square feet penthouse unit (that comes with 6 bedrooms and a study).
Property consultants noted that some of these buyers of Amber Park include ex-owners of the former Amber Park that sits on the current site.
According to reports, CDL was pleased with the sales of Amber Park and believes it is a good start for the project; indicating the strong demand for new launch projects which are well-located and has an astounding design.
A research analyst from DBS Group commented that the sale prices of Amber Park are comparable to some of its neighboring projects, but has outperformed its peers by a fair margin.
For instance, Coastline Residences – which is developed by Sustained Land sold only 7 out of 144 units over its initial launch a few weekends ago, at an average per square foot price of $2,450.
At another East Coast new launch – Nyon, sold only 4 out of 92 units over its launch weekend at an average of $2,434 psf.
Other upcoming East Coast condo launches include MeyerHouse (former Nanak Mansions) by UOL and Kheng Leong, Bukit Sembawang's new project on the site of former Katong Park Towers, and the redevelopment of Casa Meyfort by GuocoLand.
city developments ltdEast CoastLuxury Condo


text:
Trey Sofia and Lake Travis look to continue the dynasty
2019 Season Articles Central Texas Players Teams Week 9 Article
by Tristan Larsen October 31, 2019 November 6, 2019 0
The Lake Travis Cavaliers are synonymous with Texas High School football.
Since 2007, Lake Travis has won six state championships, including a state record five consecutive between 2007-2011. Their name is associated with greatness throughout the state. Dynasties are necessary for sports, they make the game interesting. Lake Travis is one of the biggest dynasties the state of Texas has ever seen.
Lake Travis high school is located 20 miles outside of the state capital in beautiful Austin, Texas. The public school is a 6A program that houses more than 3000 students. The best part though? They've been consistently dominant for a period longer than some of their current players' ages.
Since 2004, the Cavaliers have an astonishing record of 198 wins to just 24 losses. That's good enough for a win 89% of the time. Statistically, since 2004, Lake Travis is more likely to win a game than Dirk Nowitzki is to make a free throw.
In that time frame, they have three perfect 16-0 seasons. The most losses they've ever had in a season in that same period? Just three. The Cavaliers are greatness personified.
To put their greatness even more into perspective, since 2004 the Cavaliers have a point differential of 5,750 points. That essentially means that on average the Cavaliers are winning by 26 points every time they come out onto the field.
💪The #16 Lake Travis Cavs MUSCLED their way to a dominant 59-7 victory over Lehman.💪
🚨4 ⭐ Longhorns commit, Cavs SR QB Hudson Card accounted for 3 total TDs on an efficient night for the offense.🚨
📽FULL HIGHLIGHTS📽: https://t.co/ymGnsbv5ri#TXHSFB | TheOldCoach pic.twitter.com/TcwDcGMcFd
— Devon Messinger (@devonmessinger) October 5, 2019
A lot of exceptional players have walked through Lake Travis' doors and with them brought success. Quarterback Garrett Gilbert led them to three consecutive titles from 2007-2009 even becoming the first Texas high school athlete to win the prestigious Gatorade National Football player of the year. 2018 first overall pick Baker Mayfield even left his mark on Lake Travis. But one constant source of success, head coach Hank Carter.
2019 is coach Hank Carters' 10th season as the Cavaliers coach. With that, he's become the winningest coach in Cavaliers history (124) and has more state titles than any coach in its history as well (3). Coach Carter was also responsible for two more Lake Travis championships as he served as Defensive Coordinator for the team as well in 2008 and 2009.
With such success in such a long period of time, one would naturally think "when is this finally going to stop?" the answer? Not anytime soon.
The Cavaliers have started 7-1 to begin the 2019 season. They're on average scoring more than 45 points a game whilst giving up only 15. More importantly, they got a huge win over in-town rival Austin Westlake, a team that has given them four of their 24 losses since 2004.
🚨INSTANT CLASSIC: #15 Lake Travis UPSETS #6 Westlake 26-25🚨
💰It's Hudson Card's world and we're all just living in it. The SR Cavs QB passed for 3 TDs, including this GAME WINNER to SR Grayson Sandlin💰
📽FULL HIGHLIGHTS📽: https://t.co/y0yWyribi3#TXHSFB | @TheOldCoach pic.twitter.com/QV1QjUaPuq
— Devon Messinger (@devonmessinger) October 12, 2019
Senior quarterback Hudson Card has been exceptional through seven games completing over 67% of his passes for 1,660 yards, 19 touchdowns to only two interceptions. The Cavaliers also have a two-headed snake in the form of two senior wide receivers who are putting up ridiculous production thus far.
Senior Kyle Eaves leads the team in catches and receiving yards with 49 and 880 respectively while also hauling in eight touchdowns. Grayson Sandlin, however, isn't too far behind with 37catches himself for 627 yards as well as nine touchdowns himself.
It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows however for the Cavaliers as for every action there is a reaction. They may have beat edged out their rival Westlake by a single point, but Card is now lost for the season with a foot injury. He has played his last game as a Cavalier.
The Cavaliers had their bye week after the Westlake game allowing them to get junior quarterback, Nate Yarnell some extra reps before his first start of the season against at the Del Valle Cardinals. Yarnell looked as good as he could be considering the circumstances completing 65% of his passes for 222 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. The Cavaliers relied heavily on their running attack as they ran the ball 63% of the time for 145 yards and three touchdowns as a team.
If the Cavaliers want to keep their dynasty going it may have to rely more and more on the defense.
Hudson Card
This season the Lake Travis defense has been impenetrable. They've allowed the fewest points in district play (66) through six games, including two shutouts on the year. One big reason for their success on that side of the ball, however, is senior Trey Sofia.
Sofia in his senior campaign has put up quite the resume with 49 total tackles including a team-leading 11 for a loss with four and a half sacks and two forced fumbles.
Sofia first got inspired by playing football from his family and the Cavaliers.
"Just growing up in such a football influenced environment and watching football with my parents, and going to Lake Travis games at such a young age really got me into playing when I was little."
Despite the loss of Card, Sofia isn't worried about the rest of the season.
"For the rest of the season, we plan on finishing our district with the district championship and taking that momentum into playoffs to make a state championship run."
Lake Travis' only loss of the season was in the season opener, by 21 points at the hands of now 7-1 Martin. If there has been a flaw to their dominance, it's season openers. Through the last eight seasons, Lake Travis is 3-5 in such games.
5 tackles and 3 sacks in one half in a 49-0 win Vs Akins https://t.co/S9skOuue5Z @LT_FBRecruiting @LTHSCavFootball
— Trey Sofia (@trey_sofia11) September 25, 2019
Sofia, however, likes to see the good in his team's early setback.
"I think after our first loss we really rallied as a team and re-evaluated ourselves and came out with a different intensity than we did vs Martin. I also think the aggressiveness and speed we've been playing with especially as a defensive unit has been a real problem for the teams we've played so far and we just keep building every week and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we do in the playoffs."
Sofia doesn't feel the pressure to live up to Cavaliers teams of the past, in fact, it motivates him and his teammates.
"I think that our senior class especially knows that this is our last shot to play together and add another state championship to our programs accolades and it motivates us a lot to be one of those teams that go down in our schools' history and is remembered forever."
When asked however about his own personal success Sofia had to say, " I think competing with such a talented offensive line and quarterback all spring and fall has really helped me prepare for the teams we play on Friday nights. Also, my coaches helping me perfect the little things and really cleaning up my game and building every week has really helped me a lot. Also film study on our opponents and watching practice film to clean up assignment errors and technique errors I made so that I can really have an edge when it comes to Friday night."
No matter which way you cut it, Lake Travis is one of the most impressive stories in all of Texas. The fact that they are able to acquire such top talents such as Trey Sofia each and every year is absurd.
Lake Travis though might have one of their toughest games of the season coming up this Friday night, November 1st, when 7-1 Hays comes to town looking to knock Lake Travis off of their throne. One knock on being a dynasty is that you're going to get every team's absolute best shot.
But as we've seen through the years, it almost doesn't even matter. Lake Travis has found ways to win for 15 years plus, and it doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon.
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Tristan Larsen
Writer/ Reporter since May 2019. Sophomore at The University of North Texas. | Pinnacle '15
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You could sit around wishing you were one of those kinetic people with endless stamina on the trail--or you could eat your way to better endurance. Start by choosing energy-boosting foods and consuming them in power-maximizing combinations. "A combination of high carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low fats at each meal produces a higher energy level by stabilizing your blood sugar," says Bob Seebohar, a sports nutritionist with the University of Florida who counsels endurance athletes. Seebohar recommends the following backpacker-friendly superfoods, and the recipes at right.
The natural sugars in dried fruits work as fast-acting carbs--perfect for a boost at the bottom of a big hill. All varieties are jammed with nutrients, but plums are a standout with lots of fiber and antioxidants--compounds that boost the immune system, which can be compromised by endurance activities like 12-mile hikes.
Combine carb-rich fruits with protein and fat for balance. Try sunflower seeds and chocolate-covered soy nuts.
Dense calories, protein, and a dose of healthy fat make nuts of all varieties nutritional powerhouses, with walnuts and almonds leading the pack. Walnuts are packed with antioxidants and heart-helping omega-3s, while almonds contain a significant amount of calcium and nearly as much potassium per 2-ounce serving as a medium banana.
Combine with carbs like raisins, pretzels, or pasta.
This staple of the endurance athlete is still a smart choice, but noodles made with whole grains or ground legumes pack a nutritional punch that puts their white-flour brethren to shame. Our heartiest and tastiest find is Barilla Plus; a quarter-pound serving of this penne, rotini, spaghetti, or elbow macaroni provides a whopping 20 grams of protein.
Combine with fat and protein from foods like nuts or hard sausage.
Pack jerky--beef, turkey, salmon--because it's lightweight, edible on day 5, and loaded with protein (11 to 18 grams per serving for most brands). Its high sodium content also helps replenish salt lost through sweating. Salt is an important electrolyte that regulates your body's fluids and keeps you from feeling sluggish.
Combine with fattier, high-carb foods such as cheese and crackers, tortillas, and grits.
Oats provide those slow-burning carbohydrates that make you feel full longer, stabilize blood sugar, and are known to reduce bad-cholesterol levels. Bypass those sugar-laden instant packets; instead, opt for unadorned rolled oats or steel-cut oats. McCann's new Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal cooks in 5 minutes instead of the usual 30.
Combine with your favorite varieties of nuts for protein and fat.
How to complete your backcountry kitchen for $5 or less.
On the trail, when you're snacking is just as important as what you're consuming.