Two drake pintails swoop across the dawn sky toward a duck blind where Carl Boudreaux and Ryan Lambert are waiting.
Lambert's voice ricochets across the muddy water.
There are two shots. A duck falls.
The pintail had likely flown more than 1,000 miles to this swath of Mississippi River Delta near Buras, Louisiana. Nobody knows that better than Lambert, who's been guiding hunters and anglers into the marshes here for some 40 years.
When the ducks don't show up in the marshes in southeast Louisiana and the hunting is as bad as it's been this winter, Lambert blames farmers draining wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region — 276,000 square miles pockmarked by shallow, wet depressions in the Upper Midwest and Canada — otherwise known as North America's "duck factory."
"The archipelago is a little world within itself," a young Charles Darwin mused in his London study in 1839. Four years earlier, the aspiring naturalist had spent five weeks on the Galápagos Islands, some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. So taken by the "extreme tameness" of the species he encountered, he wasn't an ideal visitor by today's standards: He hopped on the backs of giant tortoises and "pushed a hawk off the branch of a tree" with the muzzle of a gun.
These days, that "little world" is brand-name nature, drawing an increasing number of visitors from around the world to see, among other creatures, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas that swim alongside equatorial penguins, and the giant tortoises for which the islands are named. In 2017, 241,800 people visited the islands, according to the Observatorio de Turismo de Galápagos, up from 173,419 a decade earlier.
Much of the growth — more than 90 percent from 2007 to 2016 — is from land-based tourism: visitors who fly into airports on the islands of Baltra and San Cristóbal, check into hotels and take à la carte tours that are considerably cheaper than the expensive cruises that traditionally are how most visitors have seen the islands.
It's estimated that a million animals are killed every day by collisions with vehicles — and that's just in the United States, which is not unique in this regard. The scale is almost incomprehensibly vast; what might be done to stop it? And could reducing roadkill's toll ultimately save people money?
An instructive story comes from central Arizona, where in the early 2000s the state's Department of Transportation reconstructed an 18.6-mile-long stretch of highway that crossed a well-traveled elk migration corridor. Unlike most such efforts, the project included multiple underpasses and bridges for wildlife.
Requests from biologists for elk-proof roadside fences that would channel animals into the crossings were denied, though, and elk preferred to walk straight right across the highway rather than use the crossings. Elk-vehicle collisions actually increased.
In 2004 the state's Game and Fish Department secured federal funding to do the fencing right.
When a wildfire rages, some animals fly, hop, or run to safety. But fish can't.
During a fire, the temperature of a stream or river will sometimes rise to a lethal degree. If a fish survives without being cooked, short-term changes to its environment might finish it off. Denuded stream banks erode quickly, with topsoil and ash clouding streams and making it difficult for fish to breathe or find food. Even firefighting efforts are a threat: foam fire suppressants can suffocate fish , while fire retardants can be toxic.
Following those immediate threats, wildfires can also change a fish's habitat for months and even years. If trees that once provided shade burned down, that stream's water could heat up enough to make it unsuitable for cold-water fish, such as trout. Heat is particularly dire for eggs and fry.
Not surprisingly then, in the weeks and months after a wildfire, "fish populations will decline, sometimes dramatically," says Rebecca Flitcroft, a fish biologist at the US Forest Service.
Old-school hunters will tell you the biggest buck in the woods is the king, the sire of all fawns, and the owner of all does. That's not only false, it's scandalously so.
In fact, research conducted by Dr. Randy DeYoung in Oklahoma showed that almost a quarter of twin or triplet fawns had more than one father. Clearly, the dominant buck isn't the only one seeing rut action.
To take things a step further, the notion that dominant bucks control any breeding rights at all is fairly suspect. The same research out of Oklahoma showed that not only do dominant bucks not control the breeding season, the primary factor in deciding which buck gets to breed is geography. When a doe comes into heat, whatever buck (or bucks) happen to be nearby end up getting lucky.


text:
const Letter = require('./Letter');
const Ball = require('./Ball');

class World {
	constructor() {
		this.paper = document.getElementById('paper');
		this.w = window.innerWidth;
		this.h = window.innerHeight;

		this.physic = Physics();
		// create render
		this.renderer = Physics.renderer('dom', {
			el: 'paper',
			width: this.w,
			height: this.h,
			meta: false,
		});
		this.physic.add(this.renderer);

		this.letters = [];
		this.balls = [];

		this._createPhysic();
		this._bindEvents();
		Physics.util.ticker.start();
	}
	_bindEvents() {
		//events
		this.physic.on('render', this.render.bind(this));
		this.physic.on('step', this.update.bind(this));
		this.physic.on({
			'interact:poke': (pos) => {
				this.physic.wakeUpAll();
				this.attractor.position(pos);
				this.physic.add(this.attractor);
			},
			'interact:move': (pos) => {
				this.attractor.position(pos);
			},
			'interact:release': () => {
				this.physic.wakeUpAll();
				this.physic.remove(this.attractor);
			}
		});

		// create ticker event
		Physics.util.ticker.on((time) => {
			this.physic.step(time);
		});
	}

	_createPhysic() {
		// create border
		this.viewportBounds = Physics.aabb(0, -200, this.w, this.h/2);

		//add behaviors
		this.edgeCollisionDetection = Physics.behavior('edge-collision-detection', {
			aabb: this.viewportBounds,
			restitution: 0.3
		});
		this.physic.add(this.edgeCollisionDetection);

		// add interactive
		this.physic.add(Physics.behavior('interactive', {
			el: this.renderer.container,
		}));
		this.attractor = Physics.behavior('attractor', {
			order: 0,
			strength: 0.002
		});

		// add behaviors
		this.physic.add(Physics.behavior('constant-acceleration'));
		this.physic.add(Physics.behavior('body-impulse-response'));
		this.physic.add(Physics.behavior('body-collision-detection'));
		this.physic.add(Physics.behavior('sweep-prune'));
	}

	addLetterBox(config) {
		var obj = new Letter(this, this.letters.length, config)
		this.letters.push(obj);
	}

	addBall(config) {
		var obj = new Ball(this, this.balls.length, config);
		this.balls.push(obj);
	}

	removeFloor() {
		this.viewportBounds = Physics.aabb(0, -200, this.w, this.h+200);
		this.edgeCollisionDetection.setAABB(this.viewportBounds);
	}
	addFloor() {
		// create border
		this.viewportBounds = Physics.aabb(0, -200, this.w, this.h/2);
		this.edgeCollisionDetection.setAABB(this.viewportBounds);
	}

	render(data) {
		// magic to trigger GPU
		var style;
		for(let i = 0; i < data.bodies.length; i++) {
			style = data.bodies[i].view.style;
			style.WebkitTransform += ' translateZ(0)';
			style.MozTransform += ' translateZ(0)';
			style.MsTransform += ' translateZ(0)';
			style.transform += ' translateZ(0)';
		}
	}

	update() {
		for(let i = 0; i < this.letters.length; i++) {
			if(this.letters[i].body.state.pos.y > this.h) {
				this.physic.removeBody(this.letters[i].body);
				this.letters.splice(i, 1);
			}
		}
		for(let i = 0; i < this.balls.length; i++) {
			if(this.balls[i].body.state.pos.y > this.h) {
				this.physic.removeBody(this.balls[i].body);
				this.balls.splice(i, 1);
			}
		}

		for(let i = 0; i < this.letters.length; i++) {
			this.letters[i].update();
		}
		for(let i = 0; i < this.balls.length; i++) {
			this.balls[i].update();
		}
		this.physic.render();
	}
}

module.exports = World;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Scrape mp4 file from a URL? I am running ffmpeg on my server and am using it with PHP. I was wondering if it was possible to enter a URL of a web page and have it search the source code for a .mp4 file. Then use that as the uploaded file in the HTML form and process it with PHP. I would also like to be able to scrape other data found on the page.
Can someone recommend a good tutorial or lesson for scraping data by just entering a URL in an HTML form? Or just answer my question if it's simple. I am a bit of a noob at this.

A: That's quite a tall order and this won't be a complete answer, but a place for you to start...
Retrieving data from a url
<?php
$homepage = file_get_contents('http://www.example.com/');
echo $homepage;
?>

This is from => http://php.net/manual/en/function.file-get-contents.php
Basically, it download the contents of a web page and stores the resulting text in the variable $homepage, then outputs it.
NOW!  Instead of outputting your variable, you will want to instead look for the string ".mp4", but it's not that simple.  You will have to use regular expressions.
Have a look at
Regular expression pattern to match url with or without http://www
You need to match URI's with .mp4 at the end.
For example
<?php
$subject = "abcdef";
$pattern = '/^def/';
preg_match($pattern, substr($subject,3), $matches, PREG_OFFSET_CAPTURE);
print_r($matches);
?>

Will produce
Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [0] => def
            [1] => 0
        )
)

You can use this same behavior and functionality for preg_match and retrieve all the hits you got for all .mp4 files on the page.  In the code provided from the link above, you will have to modify the PATH portion and include .mp4 at the end
Once you have the url to the MP4 file, you need to check if it has http(s) in front of it.  If it doesn't, that means it a relative path.  If this is the case, you need to parse the url to prepend the absolute path on the relative path to get the full URL to the MP4 file.  Then you can use file_get_contents again to download the mp4 file and do as you wish.
Conclusion
This isn't a complete answer with code, but it is a method on how you can accomplish what you wish.  If you need further guidance, I can edit and include more information.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This crisp and nutty cookie is made with organic almonds and Swedish light syrup that has a distinctive brown sugar-like flavor.
All of UNNA Bakery's cookies are handmade in Harlem using only the finest ingredients to ensure the flavor and texture of these delicious treats. No preservatives are added.
Each package contains 3..4 oz of cookies or approximately 8-10.
Ingredients: Organic flour, sugar, organic butter, bicarbonate, Swedish light syrup, and almonds.


text:
2019 Mercedes-AMG A35 Review
Paul Horrell 2018-12-06
06 Dec 2018 Paul Horrell
Paul Horrell's 2019 Mercedes-AMG A35 Review with Specs, Performance, Ride and Handling, Safety, Verdict and Score.
In A Nutshell The cheapest, slowest full-house AMG made, although by other measures it's not cheap or slow, with all-conditions performance and a lavish cabin.
2019 Mercedes-AMG A35 Specifications (EU)
Price $65,000 (approx) Engine 2.0L petrol turbo four-cylinder Power 225kW at 5800rpm Torque 400Nm at 3000-4000rpm Transmission 7-speed auto DCT Drive all-wheel drive Body 4436mm (L) 1797mm (W) 1405mm (H) Turning circle 11.5m Towing NA Kerb weight 1480kg Seats 5 Fuel tank 51 litres Spare No Thirst 7.3L/100km combined-cycle European average
THE Mercedes-AMG division made a version of the outgoing A-class, called the A45. There will be a replacement A45 based on the new A-Class too, but this isn't it. The A45 sat above a yawning gap down to the mainstream A-Class and that's the gap this A35 is here to fill, just like how Audi makes the S3 to sit between the RS3 and the regular A3.
So we've got a 225kW engine getting its surge to the road via all-wheel drive and grippy tyres. The AMG engineers say the new car is about as fast around corners and as strong in its brakes as the old A45. Pretty hefty claims, then.
To hold it all together and improve the steering accuracy, the techs redesigned the front uprights, changed the steering mounting, put in solid bushes for some of the suspension arms and subframe bolts, and added body reinforcement under the engine. Brakes are bigger too. So it's far from just a tarted'n'chipped A250 – at least on paper.
What's The Interior Like?
No compact car hatch has anywhere near as high perceived quality or as plush cabin design as the A-Class. Any A-Class. Look at the high-resolution screens, the air-jet vents, the soft-touch materials and ambient lighting strips.
Even so, AMG has taken that foundation and added a dose of its own fairy-dust. It's nothing you wouldn't expect: super-embracing seats, some splashy decor in the dash, aluminium pedals. The steering wheel has a thick contoured rim. That's easy to love: what takes longer is the initially bewildering array of buttons and touchpads on its spokes. They control hundreds of infotainment and display functions, and they're too easy to knock or stroke accidentally when you're turning a sharp bend.
Down on the centre console is a batch of switches to alter driving characteristics one-by-one: damping, transmission program, degree of electronic stability control (ESC) intervention. You can also combine batches of settings into favourites.
An optional pack includes a superb head-up display showing speed, navigation signage, driver-assist graphics and entertainment. It's configurable, too, so you can spread info across the head-up and the dash displays.
In the back, space and amenities are like the normal A-Class, including lights and vents. Head and legroom aren't bad for a compact hatch, but foot space is limited.
Also, in the A35 it's hard to see out around the tombstone front thrones. If you're in the back, your last meal might well return to haunt you if you can't see forward when the driver is throwing it through the bends like an A35 wants to be thrown. A 370-litre boot lies behind, which is exactly expected of this sort of hatch.
What's The Infotainment And Controls Like?
We'd point you in the direction of our A-Class and B-Class reviews for a fuller explanation on Mercedes' remarkable highly connected, voice-activated, twin-screen layout. Those screens are vast and ultra-high in resolution.
For the A35, AMG has added several different additional displays, giving you readouts of any number of mechanical parameters and your G-force loadings. Fun to play with, perhaps, but for the business of driving they're just a distraction.
Still, there's some extremely useful stuff in there. Every A-Class has navigation with traffic, and the 'learning' system that's supposed to figure out what you're likely to want next based on your past habits and the time of the day – destinations, radio stations, phone numbers.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well if you don't want to learn the rather complex Mercedes system, but if you're an aesthete you might want to stick with the unified colours and fonts of using the car's native operating system and displays.
A trackpad in the centre console is a second input method, so you don't need to use the touchscreen if you don't want to get jammy fingerprints all over it.
In any case it's hard to use a touchscreen when the car's moving energetically.
What's The Performance Like?
It's a properly quick little hound, but it stops short of violent acceleration. A figure of 4.7 seconds from 0-100km/h is a rollicking good boast, but it's partly flattered by the epic traction away from the start-line. Turbo-lag is there to be found if you've locked the transmission in manual and prevented a downshift.
But normally it's not an issue, especially once you're up into the higher regions of the rev-counter. It's an engine that sucks keenly towards redline, and it's smooth enough, so you never feel you're punishing it. The sound's not as fruity as you'd expect from AMG, though. It's a bit of an anonymous hum in Normal mode, and although Sport adds some rasp (via both exhaust flaps and speaker enhancement) it's just louder, not all that inspiring. A V8 this is not.
The automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) operates presciently in Auto mode, and generally very crisply when you take charge. The gaps between its gear ratios have been closed-up compared with a normal A-Class, so it's easy to keen the engine on the boil. All good.
What's It Like On The Road?
The A35 sits on tyres 205mm-wide at the front and 235mm behind. All four wheels share the drive, and the wide-set chassis strongly resists lean in corners. So as you'd expect it clings on like a demon through any bend or acceleration spurt. Damping is potent too, and the steering progressive and accurate. So if you want a compact car to sling at speed down a difficult twisting road, you've found one.
The niggle is in the lack of multi-layer engagement. Steer, accelerate, brake: those inputs do what they say, and nothing more. Don't try adjusting the cornering balance with the throttle, even in the Sport modes that channel slightly more drive rearwards. Or tipping it in more effectively under brakes. It won't have it. Not unless it's a very slippery road, or maybe dirt.
By the same token, it doesn't feed back much of its efforts. It anaesthetises you from the action. Away from such vein-popping antics, it rides pretty firmly but there's not much crashing or jiggling, and at a cruise it sits placidly.
What About The Safety Features?
The base-model A-Class collected five stars in ANCAP, and some superb scores in the various sections: 96 percent for adult occupants, 91 for children, an excellent 92 for pedestrians, plus 75 for the safety assist systems.
There are two rear i-Size points (that's the international successor to ISOFIX). In the front seat, the airbag is deactivated automatically if a rear-facing child seat is fitted. It doesn't need a transponder – the seat detects the pressure of the baby seat.
Standard driver-assist includes lane-departure warning. The collision mitigation and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system recognises vehicles, walkers and cyclists. An active pop-up bonnet should protect these vulnerable people if the car does hit them.
The blind-spot warning system is also now able to detect cyclists to the side.
A more advanced optional (at least overseas) driver-assist pack includes what's close to level-two autonomous highway driving: lane centring and vehicle-following even when the white lines aren't clear.
The adaptive cruise control uses navigation and camera data to slows the car down for speed limits, junctions and bends. (It takes those bands faster if you're in sport mode). Those driver-assists are of course only safety systems if you use them to cut long-distance fatigue. You've absolutely gotta keep full concentration on what's going on.
How do we rate the interior?
How do we rate the controls and infotainment?
How do we rate the performance?
How do we rate the ride and handling?
How do we rate the safety?
Practical Motoring Says: The AMG name carries a lairy reputation, but this one is actually surprisingly mature. It's quick in a straight line and brutally so through difficult corners. But it's slightly too aloof if you're a driver who wants to feel every layer of sensation and really become involved in the driving. Still, that mature nature goes well with the beautifully furnished cabin, for what should be a far more affordable price than the outgoing circa-$75K A45 AMG...
Tags:2019a35Mercedes-AMG
2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
2019 Jaguar I-Pace Review
2019 Hyundai Ioniq Review
2019 SsangYong Tivoli Review
Paul's working life has been paced out in cars. He began road-testing when the VW Golf was in its second generation. It's now in its eighth. He covers much more than the tyre-smoking part of the road-test landscape. He roots around in the financial machinations of the car corporations and the apparent voodoo of the technologies. Then he clarifies those complications so his general readers – too busy to lodge their heads up the industry's nether regions – get the fast track on what matters and what doesn't. A freelance writer living in London, he usually gets around the city by bicycle, which adds to his (sometimes justified) reputation as a bit green and a bit of a lefty. He's a member of Europe's Car of the Year jury.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
By Nick Awad
Jonathan Hassell is the founder and CEO of Hassell Inclusion. As one of the world's leading accessibility thought leaders, he has demonstrated an incredible talent for finding practical solutions to complex problems.
Today, Jonathan leads Hassell Inclusion's team of accessibility experts to help businesses and organizations meet and exceed accessibility compliance standards. They do so through audits and thorough consultations. Hassell Inclusion boasts an impressive client list including Payfont and The BBC.
For almost two decades now, Jonathan has helped influence trends of digital inclusion. His efforts have led to the authorship of both British Standard (BS) 8878 in 2010 and, more recently, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 30071-1.
In November 2022, Accessibility.com was lucky enough to have Jonathan lead a panel discussing the benefits of businesses following the ISO 30071-1 model.
On January 20, 2023, we were lucky to have him here again to talk about the standards he has authored, his experience in the field, and his take on the current state of accessibility.
You're known for your work in the accessibility field. But before that, you earned quite an extensive educational background in computer sciences. What led you from computers to accessibility?
So, I did a Bachelor of Sciences at Warwick and then a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Human-Computer interaction at York. The thing that I really loved about computers was how they interface with humans. My DPhil was all about usability, and how to make sure what we were creating with computers actually worked with people.
My focus on accessibility actually came after that. Around the turn of the century, my nephew was born with a condition called spina bifida. He's never been able to walk and he uses a wheelchair. He's also slightly autistic and has learning difficulties as well.
At the time, I was working at the BBC, and I was actually asked to look at accessibility as part of my job. My job was standards and guidelines. I had to try and define what "good" looked like in the qualities of websites, and then mobile apps.
Because the BBC had been doing a lot on TV and radio, we had to make sure that people with disabilities were able to consume both of those. We were working in "digital media accessibility" which was the term.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) had also just come out and nobody understood them. It was my job to translate it. I had to understand what this thing was, and how to make sure that people in all the BBC teams could implement it. This partly involved technical stuff, but also managerial stuff.
Did working in accessibility come naturally to you?
I think it helped that my nephew had been born. So I knew that there was a human reason for this. Each one of those rules in WCAG is emblematic of somebody with a particular need, you know, a human being.
I was able to understand these rules. Not just how to apply them, but also why they were there.
Accessibility can feel like the thing that gets you between you and launching your product. For me, right from the start, it was about more than just how to get this right, but why.
If you haven't got the "why" the "how" doesn't happen.
Was your position at the BBC your first job in accessibility?
Yeah, that was my first job in the accessibility field. And because the field was quite young at the time it was quite easy to be considered an expert.
I mean, I was invited to give my first presentation about accessibility at a conference about three months after I started trying to help this at the BBC.
I said, "Well, you don't want me… You know, I didn't know any of this stuff three months ago."
And they said, "That makes you at least three months in advance of everybody else."
So that's how, if you like, I became an expert in this field. I had the great fortune and circumstance to be ahead of other people. And that's always really been the case all the way through, through my career,
A real pioneer them?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And it's the most exciting place to be a pioneer because you have to think differently. And you need to be at the forefront of things when you're doing accessibility. That's why I've stayed in it for that long and will continue to stay in it because it is the most interesting, exciting part of digital for me.
What led you to start your own accessibility company?
So I had been at the BBC for about 10 years. And we'd won loads of awards for accessibility. And it had gotten to the point where my ambition was for us not to win.
We had established what the accessibility benchmark was and we won some of these awards for like three years in a row. And it was like, "Is nobody else following this?" It's not enough for one company to be good at accessibility.
And so I started working on British standard 8878. I got together with a number of people who also worked in accessibility at other companies to see how we could get this right.
We asked, "What are the bits that aren't in WCAG that would enable organizations to understand why to do this and how to do this, not just from a technical level, but from a managerial level." I tried to codify things so that other organizations can get good at it.
In the end, I kind of just thought, I want to be in a company where we help all of those organizations because every single moment I spend doing that is going to have more of an impact on the world than me staying at the BBC.
We were already good. I needed to be somewhere else where we actually helped people who weren't good yet. So that's, that's why I moved on when BS 8878 came out. I wanted to share it with other companies that also needed to get good.
You mentioned British standard 8878. People may not know, but this was actually the forerunner to another standard you helped author, ISO 30071-1. Was there a particular moment when you decided that you needed to take the British standard globally?
So we launched BS 8878 in, I think it was, November or December at the time. Then, in January, there was a big conference at the British Standards Institute in the UK. Lots of people from all over the world came to it. And someone from Japan came to me and said, "We need your standards. Right now. Can we have it please?"
And I said, "Totally, but see it's a British standard at the moment. I'm not totally sure how we make it a Japanese standard."
I knew that it was needed in other places.
Then later on, maybe that year, or the year after I decided to write a book on the standard so that people understood how to use it. And I went to the CSUN conference to interview people for it.
One of them was Debra Ruh (CEO of Ruh Global) who basically said, "We need your standards in the states. The only thing I don't like about your standard is it's got the word British on the front of it!"
It then became less about whether or not we should make it into an ISO standard, but more about how to handle the politics of international standards so that we can actually get this done.
What's it like to author an ISO standard?
So if you can pick your favorite film that is set in the United Nations, that's what it's like. It's at most 50%, about accessibility. The other 50% is diplomacy.
We'd already proven that the standard was good. I'd already taken it to places like the Middle East, America, all sorts of different places. People were going," Yeah, we get it, we want it."
But for it to be an international standard, it needs to work in all sorts of places. You know, some of the language in the standard had double negatives in it. As far as I recall double negatives don't exist in, say, Japan.
So a lot of what we were doing was actually trying to understand how these things traveled. For this to land and be helpful in a particular country, how would it need to be slightly changed to make sure it was not misunderstood?
See there's a double negative.
You can't get away from them.
There were also various aspects of the standard that were specific to the British context. Why you should do this from a UK perspective in terms of the law and various things like that. So it was very much a process of translating it culturally. So that all of these different countries could actually adopt it.
Some people might not realize this, but we've had an ISO standard about accessibility before. Most people know it as the WCAG. What sets 30071-1 apart from WCAG?
The way I tend to think about it is it's a managerial wrapper around WCAG. WCAG is great for improving an individual product. It's telling a designer, developer, or content author how they should design a product.
What, 30071-1 does is to try and enable product managers who are trying to work out, "Okay, I've got all of these people in my team, how do we get them working together so that what we're creating is delivered in an accessible way?"
WCAG says some things about how to test for accessibility. But there are loads of different ways of testing for accessibility. Some are really automated, some are very human. Some are really expensive, some are really cheap. What should you do? It's not quite as easy as just saying, "Follow WCAG," because you need to make decisions.
A product could be a robot vacuum, it could be the metaverse, it could be any IT system, it could be for an internal audience, or for the widest general public like YouTube. Do you make each of those in the same way?
From our perspective, that's inefficient.
Organizations need to say, "Can we work together to come up with some strategies so that we can standardize accessibility across the organization? "
So, WCAG tests a product website or mobile app, but ISO 30071-1 tests a company.
It says, "Is this company set up to consistently repeatedly sustainably make all of their products accessible?"
So it's focusing on the producer rather than the product?
Yeah, absolutely.
Say I create a product that I sell out there to loads of companies, they all want to know, not just that the product at the moment is accessible because that might be a fluke. It could be that at the moment, we've got a really great accessibility team. And then, like three months after, the accessibility team goes away. And so suddenly, the product that was bought, because it was accessible, is no longer accessible.
That's a real problem. For companies who care about accessibility, it's not just about the product. It's about how we, as an organization, have set ourselves up so that we will always deliver accessible products.
So since the standard has come out have you noticed any change in broader business practices?
In some ways, ISO 30071-1 is BS 8878, just kind of written large. We noticed a lot of really good stuff happening after we came out with 8878. When, when 30071-1 came out, I guess, you know, it took a while for people to get going.
But the interesting thing, it's almost like we're in a sweet spot. Most organizations maybe five years ago, were, really struggling to get one website accessible, according to WCAG. Most companies can do that these days. Look at, you know, Microsoft, or Atlassian. And most of the people who I've known from CSUN, are now Chief Accessibility Officers at these big companies.
This should just be business as usual And the way you ask an organization if this is business as usual, is ISO 30071-1.
Because of that, we're getting companies all over the world saying, "You guys have got what we need and you guys can take us with your standard to the level of 'business as usual', that our customers are now demanding from us."
Can you describe a little bit what Hassell Inclusion's auditing process is like? What are some common mistakes you find businesses running into?
So, auditing against ISO 30071-1 audits the business, not the product. We do look at some products in there to see if the results processes and policies that they've got in place actually are where they need to be.
We're looking at who's bought in. Are they doing things right? Do they understand what the benefits are?
A company that is doing accessibility because they don't want to be sued is probably a company that I wouldn't ever want to work with. Because, because all they're doing is using accessibility as an insurance policy.
What that generally means is, they will go to a certain point, and no further, and actually most of the benefits that come from accessibility, or when you properly deliver.
It comes back to the "why," then.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So you need to understand why for every individual company, accessibility is good business.
You mentioned lawsuits. So the last couple of years in the US has seen a rather striking increase in accessibility lawsuits. Just last year, we had something like 4061, which is a 75% increase from 2018. From your perspective, what might be causing this uptick?
If I'm honest…lawyers.
In the states, there is a much more litigious society. You know, if there's something wrong, you reach for the lawyers. The reason to be accessible is not just because there is a lawyer after you.
The law is helpful. And yet the law is such a battering ram, especially in the States. People get obsessed by little minutiae that in the grander scheme of things are probably not as important as something as simple as whether somebody with a particular condition can actually use your product to do what they want to do with it.
That, from my perspective, is what the aim is. The aim is so much more than running away from lawyers, who or may not be trying to make money out of the situation. It's about actually helping people.
Let's say, a longstanding company has never really considered accessibility, but they decide, for whatever reason, now they want to; where do they start? What advice would you give for a company to take those first steps?
Yeah, so two things I would say…
So the first thing is you need to check out your product. So you need to get some sort of test to see how good or bad it is.
Second thing, you need to test out your company to see why it's that way.
At Hassell Inclusion, we actually do what we call "live audits". It's not a big document that no one wants to read. It's actually experiencing why this matters. As I say the "why" has to be always in there. Our live audits are designed to be quite an affordable service because they're designed to try and help people on their way.
Our scorecard, which can actually uncover why a product isn't so good, is completely free. So people can go onto our website, find that there, and they can get a score of how good, they are on accessibility.
And those who aren't scoring? Well, the questions almost give you the answers. It's kind of like, "Okay, we haven't trained our staff, we probably should train our staff."
It seems that a lot of companies don't understand how good accessibility is for business, why do you think that is?
I guess maybe two reasons. Number one, we all get busy… that's just the real world.
Number two is that I think, and we try and buck the trend on this one, but I think the accessibility community hasn't played hard enough in terms of enabling people to understand why people should do things.
Most companies these days of any size, know that diversity, equity, and inclusion has to be a fundamental part of their company. They may not understand that actually, accessibility is a key part of their delivering that. Accessibility is an essential part.
Similarly, sustainability. Most companies may be looking at the UN goals for sustainability. One of those, the equality goal, is fundamentally about accessibility.
And it's part of what being a good company is. Like privacy, security, you know, all the rest of it. If you don't do accessibility, you are missing something.
You had alluded to us being in a sweet spot with accessibility earlier, would you say that you're optimistic about the direction accessibility is going in?
Yeah, 100%.
We're rushed off our feet from organizations that want to get good at this. Gone are the days, when the length of time we work for an organization is looking at a website, finding the problems, maybe we fix them, and that's it.
We're helping organizations fundamentally transform themselves so that they are consistently good at this. And we're doing that all over the planet.
You know, people I think, are starting to understand that accessibility is important. And even more important, those people who are starting to understand are not just individuals in one company. They are people like the chief technical officer, the Chief Operating Officer, and the people who have the ability to say, "This is important. Let's do this, as a company."
And that, for somebody who's been working in this for 23 years, is very different from where I started out. These days, people are realizing that this is for the long term.
Before we leave, is there anything you'd like to promote or plug?
We've got a free webinar next week on trends in accessibility, which is really important for people to kind of keep on top of, especially those who are already good at accessibility.
Accessibility keeps on changing.
How do you do accessibility in 2023 different from how you did it in 2022? How did the technologies change? How did the laws change? How does the culture change? How have the benefits changed? You know, how are organizations changing in the way they do accessibility? That's something that we've been tracking for, you know, at least 10 years.
If people are interested in what accessibility looks like, now, you know, what is and isn't working.
They need to know, what's coming along. For instance, there are two new versions of WCAG in the pipeline. What does that going to mean for organizations?
I'm deep in all of my research for our webinar and putting it all together.
I'd also like to promote our scorecard. It is very, very quick, completely free. The webinar is also free.
Hassell Inclusion's Trends in Digital Accessibility Webinar will be on Thursday, January 26th
Visit Hassell Inclusion's website to try out their free accessibility scorecard.
Why positive representation should be a part of accessibility


The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday defended Super Eagles' coach, Gernot Rohr's preference to work from Europe, saying the arrangement is to help the coach discover and select credible foreign-based players for the senior national team.
Some football followers have criticized the Franco-German manager for his preference for foreign-based players and his continued stay in Europe when Super Eagles matches are played in Nigeria. Rohr is also accused of not helping to develop the domestic league with his vast experience in African football unlike his counterpart in Cameroon, who monitors happenings in the country's local scene. Some of the criticism is that Rohr's stay in Europe scouting for players of Nigerian descent has yielded little result. It has also been argued that funds used in camping the team in France before the disastrous AFCON qualifier against South Africa would have served the country better if the team trained in Nigeria before the game.
Reacting to these allegations, Super Eagles' Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, said Rohr had never shied away from contributing to the development of Nigerian football. He explained that the Eagles' boss has been spending more time in Europe to enable him discover and select players that would be used to qualify the team for the major championships. Ibitoye reasoned that it would be difficult for Rohr to get the right players for the Eagles if the right steps were not taken, adding that it was not fair for some people to accuse Rohr of not focusing on the Nigerian league.
Ibitoye posited that Rohr's assistants were always on ground to work for him, adding that the coach would be in Nigeria when CHAN qualifiers begin.


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The Secrets of The World's Greatest Traders
1st June 2012 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association
Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/05/31/the-secrets-of-the-worlds-greatest-traders/
Traders and investors have made (and lost) some of the world's most significant pools of wealth. It's no coincidence that many of the wealthiest individuals in the world today (and through history) have been successful investors. Names like Warren Buffet, George Soros, John Paulson, David Einhorn, Bill Gross and John Templeton have become synonymous with strategies that have created astonishing success, in many case creating a groundswell of books and analysts who study their lives with a toothcomb to understand "what" the magic formula was…
Even outside these heavyweights of the trading world, hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world attest to have 'the best' strategy to generate consistent positive returns (in fact, Google alone reveals over 10.4 million results when searching for best trading strategies). At a macro-level, the long-standing efficient market hypothesis would make it notionally impossible for any trading strategy to be effective (as it asserts a level of information efficiency in the market). The past quarter century however, has seen a gradual move away from the efficient hypothesis to greater considerations of information asymmetry and behavioural biases driving inefficiencies (opportunities) in the market. So faced with this complexity, how do some traders generate such astonishing success?
To learn more, I spoke with Jack Schwager who is perhaps best known for his "Market Wizards" book series in which he has interviewed a cross section of the most successful traders and investors in the world. In May 2012 Jack released the latest book in this best-selling series, "Hedge Fund Market Wizards" (a behind-the-scenes look at the world of hedge funds, from fifteen traders who've consistently beaten the markets).
Jack Schwager is a recognized industry expert in futures and hedge funds and the author of a number of widely acclaimed financial books. He is currently the co-portfolio manager for the ADM Investor Services Diversified Strategies Fund, a portfolio of futures and FX managed accounts. He is also an advisor to Marketopper, an India-based quantitative trading firm, supervising a major project that will adapt their trading technology to trade a global futures portfolio. Previously, Mr. Schwager was a partner in the Fortune Group, a London-based hedge fund advisory firm, which specialized in creating customized hedge fund portfolios for institutional clients. His previous experience includes 22 years as Director of Futures research for some of Wall Street's leading firms and ten years as the co-principal of a CTA.
Mr. Schwager has written extensively on the futures industry and great traders in all financial markets. He is perhaps best known for his best-selling series of interviews with the greatest hedge fund managers of the last two decades: Market Wizards (1989), The New Market Wizards, (1992), Stock Market Wizards (2001), and Hedge Fund Market Wizards (2012). Mr Schwager's first book, A Complete Guide to the Futures Markets (1984) is considered to be one of the classic reference works in the field. He later revised and expanded this original work into the three-volume series, Schwager on Futures, consisting of "Fundamental Analysis" (1995), "Technical Analysis" (1996), and "Managed Trading" (1996). He is also the author of Getting Started in Technical Analysis (1999), part of John Wiley's popular "Getting Started" series.
Q: Is there a strategy or style which is most effective at generating return?
[Jack Schwager] The diversity of strategies people use is truly remarkable, I saw people using completely different strategies to the degree that if I had set out to invent 15 different strategies for a fictional work…. I couldn't have made the strategies more different to the ones I saw in real life! This illustrates a point I have made in all my works insofar as there really is no 'holy grail' or single style that is most effective. Those people looking for a single unified strategy are not asking the right question.
It's a matter of finding an approach that works for the individual. A person has to know whether they are comfortable with fundamental or technical, long term or short term, certain types of markets, wider risk or less risk… You can go through a whole checklist of things and find it's different for each individual.
Even when looking at differences between asset classes we see that every market can be traded using different strategies be they fundamental, technical, or a mixture. If we take equity markets we see that traders can use strategies including fundamental, value, extreme long term, and day. If you want a microcosm that proves diversity, there it is! You could see some examples of assets you might want to do more research into at websites similar to Learn to Trade to keep your portfolio diverse or at least discover a market you feel you want to grow knowledgable in to make good trades in.
It's important to also look at the importance of doing nothing. The inspiration for this comes from a quote made by Debussy who said, "…music is the space between the notes".
This is a great analogy as the key to successful trading really is the space between trades! It's not just a matter of making the right trades… but also not doing anything when things aren't right. I use one specific example in my book which I think highlights this really well, and that is a fellow called Kevin Daley (manager of the Five Corners Fund). Kevin has a hedge fund, but not in the conventional sense… It's an account he runs from his home. If anyone wants to invest that's fine, but fundamentally it's a one man operation that he has never really looked to expand. He's essentially different from many other traders by being someone who is very close to only trading long equity positions. He does go short on occasion, but these positions are contained to well under 10%. What I found particularly interesting about his track record is that over 12 years, he has a cumulative return in excess of 800%. The really interesting point is that over the same period the S&P had a return of 0%! How did he make over 800% as a near long-only when the index is flat? There are two elements… Firstly, he is a very good stock picker. The more important reason is that during the big bear markets like 2000-2 and 2008… while he may be down, he's only down single digits. When opportunities are not good, he simply does not invest! or does so very lightly. Instead of losing money, he treads-water.
Q: What are the distinctions between trades that are "Winning or Losing" vs. "Good or Bad"?
[Jack Schwager] If you asked most people to categorise good trades and bad trades, you would find the answers to be quite simple… If it makes money it's a good trade, and if it loses money, it's a bad trade. That's not true at all…
Any approach will give you instances of winning or losing. If you have an effective approach, you will hopefully make more money than you lose. If you take a trade that follows your process exactly (whatever that process may be… fundamental, technical or otherwise), and if that trade loses money, that was not a bad trade. It's only a bad trade if you deviate from your process and lose money. I would go further and say that if you deviate from your process and make money, it's still a bad trade. People have to differentiate between trades that are consistent with a winning strategy, and trades that are inconsistent. That's the mark of good and bad trades. There's a very simple test to see whether something was a good or bad trade. You have to ask the question: "If I was faced with the exact same information and circumstances again, would I still make the same trade?". If the answer is yes, then it was not a bad trade. If the answer is no, that means you did something that was wrong- and it's a bad trade.
Q: What is the role of making mistakes in developing success as a trader?
[Jack Schwager] Ray Dalio worships at the altar of mistakes. The way he's built his firm… everything they do… everything he's ever done.. is based on the premise that everyone makes mistakes and you have to learn from them and improve the process. That's how you get better!
It's also important to make the distinction between performance and skill. There's an old adage which states, "don't confuse a bull market with brilliance.". Too often, people fail to differentiate wins that come from the market and wins that come from skill. That's why so many beginners get beguiled into thinking they know what they're doing because they may start life in a bull market, and no matter what they're doing they make money. They may think they're smart, but it's really just the market. The crazy thing is anyone can start trading now from the comfort of their sofa (or toilet!). It's fair to say trading dividend stocks is one of the most lucrative ways you can make passive income online.
Q: What is the relationship between risk and volatility?
[Jack Schwager] This is one of the big misconceptions that permeates academia and the professional world. Somewhere along the line, risk and volatility have become synonymous. I suspect this is because the measure of volatility- the standard deviation- has nice mathematical properties that allow portfolio managers and financial academics to neatly define precise ways of allocating that seem comfortable. It is these neat properties that have made volatility the 'plug in' for risk.
More money has been lost on the mismeasurement of risk than not having risk management at all. The battle is not won through being attuned to risk control. If your measurement of risk is completely wrong, it could be worse than having nothing in place. Imagine you have an odometer in a car that you thought was working correctly but was, in fact, giving you speed readings 30mph too low… that would be a lot worse than if it was stuck and you knew it was broken. If you knew it was broken, you'd be careful… otherwise you're speeding along thinking you're travelling a safe speed.
People find track-records of managers that have low volatility and make the conclusion that low volatility means low risk. Low volatility may indicate low risk, but it does not make that a certainty. There are many instances where low volatility was evidence of high risk. There are many strategies that make moderate money most of the time, giving low volatility track records. Once in a while, these strategies are prone to huge losses- they are highly left-skewed. A lot of the hedge fund world is engaged in strategies that have this property. They make money most of the time, but once in a while can lose a lot. These are strategies which are explicitly or implicitly short volatility and are long illiquidity and short credit.
Imagine you have to walk through a field that has a few land mines scattered through it. If you walk through it and nothing happens, it seems there is no danger. If you walk across it enough times, you'll step on a landmine. Traditional risk management simply fails to account for the fact that the most dangerous risks are those which occur infrequently and don't show up in track-records.
Q: Do successful traders share any behavioural or personality characteristics?
[Jack Schwager] I can assure you that the personalities of traders are extraordinarily diverse. You meet people who are painfully shy, overly extroverted, egocentric, academic, athletic and more. If you put the most successful traders up together, you wouldn't find any common personality denominators.
There are however, some successful traits. People who are successful traders will have the ability to quickly admit that they're wrong. Regardless of their personality, they will have flexibility. The worst traders in the world are those who are politically committed one way or another and don't listen to anything else. This is really critical to trading success and a trait which has been shared by virtually every trader I've met.
Discipline is also important. People who are successful will do things because they have to be done. If they go on vacation, they will probably check-in… getting up in the middle of the night often. They will do things which may be uncomfortable and contrary to living a 'happy' or 'good' life.
Q: Have success methodologies changed much in the last 25 years?
[Jack Schwager] I once asked a Ed Seykota if markets were different 'back then' looking at the world 20 years ago. He told me markets are the same now as they were, they're always changing. Markets are always different and part of the process is adapting and maintaining traits that allow you to win in any environment.
The past 25 years has seen an increase in the diversity of strategies. Going back to the beginning of this period, a lot of complex strategies we use now simply didn't exist. There wasn't credit arbitrage, structured products and more. Alongside this, computers have become more important meaning that simple algorithmic strategies such as trend-following don't work as well now. As the market moved from having very few managers of scale to having a lot of single managers running $10-20 billion, you saw an environment that changed from having a few big fish and a lot of small ones to having a huge amount of big fish in the pond.
Q: How has the financial crisis impacted trading strategies?
[Jack Schwager] I don't think it has changed things much at all.
It's a bit like a drunk who gets into an accident and says, "I'm never going to drink and drive anymore!" He may stick to it for a while but a few years later thinks, "Gee, It's been a while since I've had an accident, things must be OK… maybe I can start drinking again!"
People are going back to the same old strategies again….
What does this mean for Investors?
Jack has shown us that markets are complex and constantly evolving entities. The true measure of skill is developing a strategy that works around your own skill and information, considers the real (left-tail) risks in the marketplace, and is run with a spirit of responsiveness.
We are faced with the reality that many of our attitudes towards trading are built on antiquated precepts. Half a century ago, when markets were simpler (and slower) there is no doubt that a few successful strategies could be applied repeatedly to generate success. Now however, things are very different. Some exchanges (such as CME group) are handling over a quadrillion dollars of trade every year. The value of turnover of the Forex market alone exceeds global GDP every 15-20 days. Markets this large will require new attitudes to risk, and new methods of generating value. This is a similar situation for many of the developing trading methods that are still in their infancy, such as the increasingly popular practice of cryptocurrency trading. Many traders have recently found that trading with cryptocurrency has led them to unprecedented levels of profit, which may encourage even more people to start trading them. Anyone that is looking to get into this form of trading may be interested in an immediate edge review which highlights one of the most trusted cryptocurrency platforms that traders are making serious profits from.
As former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers once said, "…global capital markets pose the same kinds of problems that jet planes do. They are faster, more comfortable, and they get you where you are going better. But the crashes are much more spectacular…."
Vikas Shah MBE DL is an entrepreneur, investor & philanthropist. He is CEO of Swiscot Group alongside being a venture-investor in a number of businesses internationally. He is a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and a Non-Executive Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in Her Majesty the Queen's 2018 New Year's Honours List and in 2021 became a Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy. He is an Honorary Professor of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester and Visiting Professors at the MIT Sloan Lisbon MBA.
Up Next: Taking Funds to Market


I run a website for theatre recommendations - the recommendations are much better if I can get people to tell me what they've liked in the past, and then of course I'd like to keep in touch with them afterwards. It's at stagescan.com. I'd like to talk to someone about how my current process could be improved.
I've taken a quick look at your site and am happy to talk to you. Take a look at my reviews here on Clarity. Product advice is an area I provide a lot of help to Clarity members about.
Good start, but I can think of about a million things to make the website better, with user acquisition being the primary goal (I do this for a living, and needless to say, am super passionate about it, as I am about helping other entrepreneurs).
On the product side, your login flow and onboarding are just 2 of the touch points that can be improved. Also, there is an opportunity to vastly improve the user experience, in some cases with some small tweaks. I may also be able to help streamline your software development process and reduce your time to market. Just let me know or set up a call if this sounds interesting.


Laser Resources' partner Rofin Laser Micro has launched StarWeld Select laser welding system.
The StarWeld Select is not merely a manual welding laser nor is it purely a CNC-controlled system, but it is both of these things and even more.
The StarWeld Select is the result of decades of Rofin's experience, an innovator in manual welding lasers, as a result of numerous innovations defines a new laser concept.
Are you planning to introduce laser welding? Then the StarWeld Select is an ideal choice. With one universal operating concept, the StarWeld Select can be operated as an ergonomically optimised manual welding laser, as a deposit welding laser with joystick or as a high-precision CNC system.
All process steps are controlled through the multi-functional joystick and a large multi-colour touch screen display enabling semi-automatic laser welding, CNC teach-in or jogging of heavy workpieces.
The display shows system functions including CNC control and programming clearly laid out in well structured graphics and menus.
Especially with manual welding lasers and fully integrated system solutions, the laser enclosure design is critical. The compact housing of the StarWeld Select with its appealing de-sign combines a large number of practical functions.
The doors vanish completely in-side when opened, so they are out of the way, a large working chamber, which can be accessed easily, manual ports with leather collars, ample trays and even a specially adapted ergonomic chair.
The entire system has a low-noise and low vibration design, which is highly important for intensive working sessions and fine detail welding.
The ideally dimensioned axes make the StarWeld Select a robust and, at the same time, high-precision machine. Workpieces weighing up to 50kg and also fine precision workpieces are precisely positioned with an accuracy of 10µm.
Joystick technology allows full use of the motorised axis system without CNC programming. The Track-Mode allows direct storage of manually controlled paths and can be used for deposit welding along curved contours or even for semi-automatic operations, e. g. for small batch production.
The AreaFill option is an ideal feature, which allows several parallel offset welding seams to be generated for 3D surface deposit welding. SynchroWeld automatically adjusts the weld spot sequence to the axes' travel speed and al-lows consistent seam welds independent of the trajectory.
Finally, the professional high-end CNC motion system, which would normally only be available on a much higher priced system, provides the option of welding in linear interpolation mode through 4 axes (xyz plus rotary axis).
TrueView provides for a 100 % hit rate, even if operation is carried out outside the focal plane, because laser beam and microscope viewing beam path are collinear. EasyTouch converts physical parameters, which are essential for laser control (volt-age, pulse power etc.) into easily understandable graphics with the user-related parameters.
Weld spot diameter, strength and hardness - every user can handle the setting of the corresponding welding parameters without prior laser knowledge.
With the new Intelligent Pulse Management (IPM), Rofin has satisfied customers' wishes to adjust the pulse power precisely for both fine micro welds and also strong and fast welds.
The patented Sweet Spot Resonator provides a consistently good beam quality from the first laser pulse and is the basis for the MicroWeld-Option. This option allows spot diameters smaller than 0.1mm, rather than the commonly achieved minimum spot size of 0.3mm.
The speed-controlled exhaust system of the StarWeld Select operates with HEPA filters to remove welding fume in a safe manner. A closed-loop cooling circuit with large filters and cooling surfaces provides for a long lifetime and long maintenance intervals even under full load and continuous operation.
The user is able to change consumable parts himself. Each system undergoes a wide endurance and vibration test before shipping, so it is ready for immediate operation without any readjustment on delivery.
The StarWeld Select from Rofin closes the gap between classical manual welding and cost-intensive CNC laser welding systems. The innovative concept, packaged in a new and ergonomic enclosure - makes CNC technology profitable even for small batch production: a laser system combining ideal design with high performance.


The above position is posted as a vacancy with the Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Center.
Applications are available in the business office Mon. thru Fri., 8am-4pm or online at www.rvjdc.org Resumes will be accepted only when accompanied by a completed application. Job description available in the business office or from the below link.
Must be available to work different shifts, holidays and weekends.
Please download Acrobat Reader if you need.


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Q: Redirecting my Heroku app to a custom domain on BigRock I have added my domain to heroku using heroku domains:add.
Now when I run heroku domains in my terminal, I get
=== sampleapp Domain Names
sampleapp.herokuapp.com
sampleapp.me
www.sampleapp.me

I'm unable to configure BigRock's DNS to point to the Heroku-supplied DNS Target (which is sampleapp.herokuapp.com).
There's a domain forwarding option in BigRock, but when I use it, it shows my Heroku app in an iframe.
In the DNS management panel, I see A records, CNAME records etc., but I have no understanding of what they mean. I have, however, added a www cname with the value shown in the image below.

Can someone please tell me how I should go about doing this? Thank you.

A: I had to remove my A records for WWW to get it working.
For naked domain, CNAME is not recommended.


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AroostookAgencyOnAging
Agency on Aging joins Home for the Holidays
Contributed • December 24, 2019
The Aroostook Agency on Aging is excited to participate in the 2019 Home for the Holidays campaign, led by the Eldercare Locator, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and the U.S. Administration for Community Living in partnership with the University of Southern California's Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook Agency on Aging is excited to participate in the 2019 Home for the Holidays campaign, led by the Eldercare Locator, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and the U.S. Administration for Community Living in partnership with the University of Southern California's Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
The goal of the campaign is to ensure that older adults and their caregivers are aware of the many local resources available in communities around the country to support older adults who may need to make home modifications to ensure their homes meet their evolving mobility needs.
"The home modification process can seem daunting and many older adults don't know where to start. That's where we can step in to help," says Joy Barresi Saucier, Executive Director. Our agency is participating in this national campaign because we know how important it is for older adults to have the necessary tools and resources to help them continue living in their homes, which is where they want to live."
Launched every year during the holiday season, Home for the Holidays encourages discussion of important issues affecting older Americans at a time of the year when family and friends often gather. The new consumer brochure that is the centerpiece of this year's campaign, Modifying Your Home for Healthy Aging, aims to ensure that older adults and their caregivers are aware of the services and programs available in communities around the country to support them as they modify their homes for successful aging. Brochures are available at the main office of the Aroostook Agency on Aging at 260 Main Street in Presque Isle.
As part of the national network of 622 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and the more than 250 Title VI Native American aging programs providing crucial home and community-based services and supports for older adults in virtually every community in the country, the Aroostook Agency on Aging is uniquely positioned to support older adults and caregivers at all stages of exploring their options when modifying their homes to meet their changing mobility needs.
A non-profit serving Aroostook County since 1972, the Aroostook Agency on Aging's mission is to improve the quality of life, maximize the independence and promote the well-being of older people in northern Maine. It does this through programs and services for older adults and individuals with disabilities focused on food assistance, transportation, elder care, caregiver support and health insurance counseling.
Contact the Agency at 207-764-3396, 1-800-439-1789 or www.aroostookaging.org for information or assistance.
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Fate posted on January 3, 2020
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AARP has named Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, state Senate president, a 2019 Rx Price Fighter for his work to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Maine consumers.
Where Maine's congressional delegation stands on impeaching Donald Trump
Only one member of Maine's congressional delegation had come out in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Tuesday announcement that the Democratic-led House of Representatives would begin an impeachment inquiry.
Medicaid expansion trends are emerging in Maine. Here's how they're bucking expectations.
Maine is more than eight months into Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act and trends around who is enrolling and where they live are starting to emerge, bucking some expectations and pointing out access challenges.
How Maine could raise $100 million more for roads and bridges — and why it needs to
As the Maine Turnpike expects 1 million travelers alone over the Labor Day weekend, policymakers are gearing up for a sprint to solve one of the state's most intractable problems: a long-standing — and growing — transportation funding gap.
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Q: How to create Screw shape using Eyeshot's functions I need to create screw shape using Eyeshot's libraries in .NET application.
In SolidWorks this is easily accomplished with creating the shape/profile that needs to be swept/stretched, and helix curve which is used as a rail or direction.
In SolidWorks positioning helix start point to some point in profile's diameter and using "Sweep" command results that point to be driven/rotated around the helix and the wanted shape is created.

SolidWorks example

In Eyeshot I create my profile as a LinearPath entity and use
SweepAsSolid(ICurve rail, double tol, sweepMethodType sweepMethod = sweepMethodType.RotationMinimizingFrames)

function but the result is different. It seems that SweepAsSolid function position helix start point in the center of the profile and different shape is created.

*

*Using helix as a rail:
Eyeshot example with helix as a rail

*Using straight line as a rail:
Eyeshot example with straight line as a rail
Is there a way to get wanted shape with Eyeshot's libraries using the same procedure as in SolidWorks?

A: I think the method ExtrudeWithTwist() is what you are looking for:
            Point3D moveText = new Point3D(0,3,0);

            // new example
            Line l1 = new Line(-3, 0, 3, 0);
            Line l2 = new Line(3, 0, 3, 2);
            Line l3 = new Line(3, 2, -3, 2);
            Line l4 = new Line(-3, 2, -3, 0);

            CompositeCurve cc1 = new CompositeCurve(l1, l2, l3, l4);

            Surface[] loft1 = Surface.ExtrudeWithTwist(cc1, new Vector3D(0, 0, -10), new Point3D(0, 1, 0), Math.PI, 0.1);
            foreach (Surface s in loft1)
            {
                s.Translate(10, 0, 0);
            }
            model.Entities.AddRange(loft1, 0, Color.Orange);


The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course is the foundational 72+hour practicum for students new to permaculture. We offer several variations of this course as shown below.
If you are interested in attending one of these courses, find current offerings on the class calendar.
This course is presented in keeping with the original format designed by Bill Mollison for the 72-hour course.
This course is a condensed version of the 12-day course described above. Due to time constraints, many folks are unable to commit to taking a course that stretches out over two weeks. This training covers the same information, just packed into fewer days. It typically runs Saturday through Sunday (just one work week and the including weekends) and includes required pre-course study materials and exercises that must be completed prior to attending classes at the the educational site.
This PDC course is for students interested in a deeper experience that takes them through the history of humanity and how humans have related to their environment over time. The Three Epochs of Humanity contains the creative and experiential application of living skills passed down by our ancestors into the present time and beyond. The three areas of concentration are: 1) The Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle; 2) Agricultural Settlement and pastoralism; 3) Appropriate Technology and the Ecological Epoch (URBAN/SUBURBAN). The Three Epochs course is designed to teach students to utilize what is available in the immediate landscape in a conscious and ecologically astute manner. By learning from the ground up they become immersed in living history where knowledge and hand skills come together in an integrated, healthy fashion. The student should be sufficiently fit to participate in all scheduled activities.
The hunter-gatherer relies on his ability to read the lay of the land and to gather what is needed. Food, fibers, building materials, water, etc., are gathered and utilized for sustenance, warmth, and pleasure. This segment of the course takes place completely outdoors.
Appropriate technology for urban-suburban sites: energy, tools, etc.
The student will receive a complete 180-page outline, detailed bibliography, Earth Users Guide to Permaculture – by Rosemary Morrow, six recorded Introduction to Permaculture webinars, and 150 self-study questions.
Broad Scale Site Design: sector analysis, needs/products/intrinsic characteristics/behaviors, etc.
Ideas and Applications: functional relationship, stacking functions, etc.


It used to be that many people viewed a degree in communications with a healthy dose of skepticism. In fact, some people weren't even certain what a communications degree entailed. Times have changed, however, and more people are realizing the advantages to working toward this degree, and employers are eager to hire those holding a communications diploma for a variety of positions.
Those students who elect to focus on communications during their college careers are able to select a specialized focus for their studies. Many students choose to focus on media communications and learn about the ways that various forms of media communicate information to their audience. Students can also decide to study interpersonal communications, which illustrates the different dynamics involved in human interaction and communication. Students can also elect to study public relations and communication, which highlights the ways that companies and organizations foster communication with employees and other businesses.
Any of these degree specialties are highly desirable in today's job market, and communications graduates find themselves with a wide variety of careers to choose from. If you've recently graduated with your communications degree, or you're thinking of furthering your education in a Master of Arts in Communications program, consider some of these exciting employment opportunities.
One of the most rewarding jobs in the communications field is a position in conflict resolution. Companies value those employees who have chosen to focus their education on the many ways to handle conflicts and other issues that arise in the workplace.
Whether an issue between employees is the problem or a company is suffering from bad publicity, a specialist in conflict resolution is there to aid all concerned parties with effective communication and problem solving skills. These people are well-versed in the nuances of conflict, and are uniquely capable of finding solutions to the problems that arise in the workplace. Many conflict resolution specialists find that continuing their education with a master of arts degree in communications offers them a wider range of employment opportunities, and an increased focus on the skills they need to complete their jobs well.
Advertising is one of the most desirable fields for communications specialists, and it can be a highly competitive field, as well. For those who choose a career in advertising, a communications degree offers the necessary skills to succeed in this type of work environment.
Advertising copywriters work closely with the art departments of advertising agencies to create and design marketing materials, product packaging and other printed materials. Account managers must rely on effective communications skills to work closely with clients and ensure that their vision for the advertising of their product is accurately conveyed and implemented. Communications specialists with strong writing skills and a creative mindset are in high demand throughout the field of advertising.
For those who like a fast paced lifestyle filled with red carpets and spotlights, a career in publicity is the perfect choice. Communications majors excel at this type of work, as it is very focused on working closely with the press and other media executives.
Publicity specialists work with actors, recording artists, authors, sports stars and others to effectively convey the client's brand or message to the public. These professionals pay attention to the various ways to advance their client's work while maintaining a positive focus on their client at all times. Publicity experts also need to utilize their stellar communications skills in the event of a scandal or negative publicity affecting their clients.
Those with degrees in communications have learned the very important skills necessary to accurately convey messages and ideas, and these skills are highly sought after in the field of broadcast journalism. While studying some form of journalism along with your communications classes is necessary, the result is a valuable skill set that many employers find to be exactly what they're looking for.
A broadcast journalist is responsible for learning about newsworthy items and writing accurate and detailed briefs that illustrate the situation thoroughly; they cover breaking news and emergencies with accuracy. Of course, they do all of this with poise in front of the camera. Broadcast journalism is a highly competitive field, however, and those people who hold a master's degree in communications will find themselves in a much better position to be hired by a news agency.
The field of communications might still be a mystery to some, but for many employers that field is a treasure trove of highly qualified job seekers. If you're interested in a career that utilizes your people skills and attention to detail, consider a bachelor's or master's degree in communication.


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Terrazoanthus onoi is a species of uncertain validity (taxon inquirendum) of macrocnemic zoanthid first found in the Galapagos. It is potentially a junior synonym of Terrazoanthus patagonichus. It can be distinguished by its bright red oral disk colour, having about 32–40 tentacles, and having only basitrichs and mastigophores present in its pharynx.

References

Further reading
Swain, Timothy D., and Laura M. Swain. "Molecular parataxonomy as taxon description: examples from recently named Zoanthidea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) with revision based on serial histology of microanatomy." Zootaxa 3796.1 (2014): 81-107.
Bo, Marzia, et al. "Black coral assemblages from Machalilla National Park (Ecuador)." Pacific Science 66.1 (2012): 63–81.

Animals described in 2010
Hydrozoanthidae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Around Christmas, there was a fairly quiet announcement about the Project DIVA Arcade game getting two location tests. We didn't write about it at the time, as there was fairly little to cover (and maybe we were just a little preoccupied with getting and giving gifts). That said, however, the first of the two loketests is now underway, and some videos are beginning to show up on the net.
Forum user IAF spotted the loketest videos being uploaded to YouTube by user wx8084. The first of his videos is embedded below, and there are more available on his profile.
If we could only be there to try the game ourselves! And we will keep you informed when there's more information regarding this.
I screamed, "Neruu~" At the screen when I saw she is "playable". Neat little touch screen i see..
Yess, Disruptive Diva.. I love that song. Looks great! I wanna play it though D; SOMEONE BOOTLEG IT.
Only thing is that VocaloidPoint card :/ That may be a problem!
I thought it might be optional actually, you know, like Tekken! I hope it is anyway, haha. If we're lucky they might sell online.
Is there going to be ayone else in the game?
cool 3D graphics are cool.
I'm kinda disapointed with the gameplay… They have the nice touch screen that they could use, but instead it's controlled by 4 giant buttons… I wonder if the machines have any sort of internet connection so that new edit data can be uploaded automatically. If they play it smart they could probably get new songs up fairly soon after they're released/become popular.


Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Stir together cream cheese, two-thirds of minced garlic, and dried tomatoes. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over one side of each chicken breast, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 cup basil and Parmesan cheese evenly over breasts; roll up, jellyroll fashion, and secure with wooden picks, if necessary. Arrange in an 8-inch-square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes.
Stir together plum tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, remaining one-third minced garlic, and remaining 1/4 cup basil.
Cut chicken into slices. Serve with tomato mixture.
Per Serving: 284 Calories; 11g Fat (33.9% calories from fat); 5g Saturated Fat; 33g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 85mg Cholesterol; 667mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


#28, IDEC SPORT, FRA, Oreca 07 - Gibson, Paul Lafargue (FRA), Paul Loup Chatin (FRA), Memo Rojas (MEX) 2019 European Le Mans Series Tests Le Castellet 2019, Le Castellet, France. Photo © John D Stevens.
IDEC Sport, Cool Racing and High Class racing were the fastest cars on track yesterday during the ELMS first day of testing at Paul Ricard. In the LMP3 class, the Norma's outpaced the Ligiers, while Ferrari was quickest in the LMGTE class in all three sessions.
Oreca dominated the morning session, with 5 cars fastest after 4 hours running. Paul Loup Chatin set the fastest time in the #28 IDEC Sport with a 1.40.747, beating his qualifying time from last year for the 4 Hours of Le Castellet (1.41.194). Nicolas Jamin was second fastest in the #30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca, just over a second slower than Chatin. Bruno Senna in the #43 RLR Msport rounded out the top 3. The first non Oreca car was the #22 United Autosports Ligier of Filipe Albuquerque in sixth place.
Where Oreca dominated the LMP2 class in the morning session, Norma did so in LMP3 all day long. The #17 Ultimate Norma was as quick as they have been all season last year, Mathieu Lahaye on top of the morning session in 1:51.062, an improvement of almost a second of last year's pole time.
#17, ULTIMATE, FRA, Norma M 30 – Nissan, Mathieu Lahaye (FRA), Jean-Baptiste Lahaye (FRA), Francois Heriau (FRA) 2019 European Le Mans Series Tests Le Castellet 2019, Le Castellet, France. Photo © John D Stevens.
Colin Noble in the #7 Nielsen Racing Norma M30 was right on Lahaye's heels, 9 thousands of a second slower than the Frenchman. David Droux in the #9 Realteam Racing was third fastest.
The Ferrari's were fastest in both 4 hours sessions yesterday, and it's the new teams in the championship who were in command.
#60, KESSEL RACING, CHE, Ferrari F488 GTE, Claudio Schiavoni (ITA), Sergio Pianezzola (ITA), Andrea Piccini (ITA) 2019 European Le Mans Series Tests Le Castellet 2019, Le Castellet, France. Photo © John D Stevens.
Andrea Piccini put the #60 Kessel Racing 488 GTE on top in the first session with a 1:53.288. He was followed by Nicklas Nielsen in the #51 Luzich Racing and Matteo Cressoni in the #66 JMW Ferrari. Just one Porsche made it to the track in the morning session, the #88 "Felbermayr" which ended up in P4.
#20 High Class Racing Oreca 07. 2019 European Le Mans Series Tests Le Castellet 2019, Le Castellet, France. Photo © John D Stevens.
The 2 hour "night session" ended yesterday's action on track at 21h. Just 17 out of the 41 cars got out on track for the session into sunset. Anders Fjordbach in the #20 High Class Racing was quickest of the 12 LMP2's who made it out on track Monday evening. His laptime of 1.40.404 was just over a second faster than Arjun Marni in the #43 RLR Msport Oreca. Tristan Gommendy in the #39 Graff made it another top 3 for Oreca.
Only five LMP3 cars came out of their pitbox last night. None of the LMGTE contenders set a laptime in the night session. Damiani Fioravanti set the best time in his #10 Oregon Team Norma (1.49.5000), beating 4 Ligiers. None of the contenders in LMGTE made it out of the pitlane in the evening.
Two cars haven't been out on track in any of the three sessions yesterday: the BHK Motorsport Oreca 07 and the Ebimotors Porsche 911 RSR.
Track action resumes today with a four hour session in the morning and a three hour session in the afternoon. Weather forecasts are changing daily around here, but with the track bathing in sunshine at this time, it seems like we'll have another dry day of testing ahead of us.


text:
Q: What are the mandatory Linux kernel modules to run inside of ESXi I'm used to rolling my own kernels for servers, as it nicely minimizes the number of exploits (and the resulting patches) to take care of.
In a traditional (bare metal) world, the whole process is about knowing what you have (hardware), and what you need (Ethernet, IPv4, iptables, etc.)  In a virtualized environment, some things stay the same (still need Ethernet and IPv4), some things go away (power management), and then there are some new needs (vxnet3, or vmware-tools, even though that's compiled outside of the kernel).
So my question mostly concerns itself with the last two categories:  what can I remove completely, and what new stuff do I want?
For example, what IO scheduler do I want, if all my disk operations are going through another filesystem/scheduler/cache to get to the virtual disk?   Do I need hyper-threading enabled, or is the VM going to show them to me anyway as a CPU anyway?  Do I need Large Receive Offload turned on, or is that something that the hypervisor's network drivers are going to do for me?

A: I subscribe to all the previous comments with the following additions.
Most of the performance tunning is done on the ESXi Guest is done on the .vmx file.
Also any tweaks that you can add to the networks interfaces (ex: buffer size, LRO, etc) will increase performance of the Guest VM.
You can also check out the Paravirtualization features of ESXi.
VMWare has a very good document that provides best practices for performance tunning. You can find it here "Performance Tunning Best Practices"
This paper will also help you understand how low level virtualization works in ESXi and maybe give you an idea of what can you disable/enable on the Guest OS (Kernel included)
HTH,

A: Generally I don't customize the kernels in my VMWare VMs -- they're similar enough to physical systems tat the extra customization isn't really worth it IMHO, I just treat them like physical machines.
That said, while I'm not sure about schedulers, but you can definitely strip out all the unnecessary hardware support in order to free up some extra RAM and such, and as @Chopper3 suggested using the VMTools drivers for the virtual hardware.
All that said I'm not sure what kind of optimizations others can com up with but I'm definitely interested as well -- while a lot of "hardware" stuff is handled by the hypervisor (e.g. LRO) I've never read any statistics that detail the effect of LRO in the guest, which could have an effect on performance.


If you were to think about this, the dating scene changed dramatically, and things are not being carried out like they utilized to straight back within the time.
While formerly, face-to-face connection had been an essential catalyst within the chemistry between dating couples, so now you need to worry about your texting abilities, giving nudes, sexting, and the rest revolving around online dating sites. In addition, you are not even certain what sort of a partner you are looking for.


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Incomplete Neutralization in American English Flapping: A Production Study
Aaron Braver, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyFollow
This paper presents a production study of incomplete neutralization in American English flapping. In flapping, /d/ and /t/ both become a voiced flap in certain prosodic contexts (see, e.g., Kahn 1980). A number of studies show that this neutralization is incomplete: /d/-flaps can be distinguished from /t/-flaps on the surface (Fox and Terbeek 1977). Other studies, however, have found conflicting results (Port 1976). This study finds that flapping is an incompletely neutralizing process—/d/-flaps and /t/-flaps can be distinguished on the surface by the duration of the preceding vowel, at least for some speakers. Additionally, some studies find evidence that hyperarticulation and orthography have an effect on whether neutralization is complete or incomplete (Fourakis and Iverson 1984, Warner et al. 2006). The present study employed two tasks: a minimal pair reading task, designed to increase these potential effects, and a morphological paradigm completion/"wug" task, designed to reduce these effects. No significant differences between the two tasks were found, thus failing to support the claim that incomplete neutralization is due to these extragrammatical factors.
Braver, Aaron (2011) "Incomplete Neutralization in American English Flapping: A Production Study," University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: Vol. 17 : Iss. 1 , Article 5.