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Foil surfing guide
MR BRIGHTSIDE – An Adam Bennetts interview
As one of the most stylish prone foilers in the world, Adam Bennetts is another name that will forever be etched into the granite wall of foiling luminaries who are blazing a well-documented and well-respected trail of progression and discovery through these halcyon days of the sport, with his infectious stoke and hard angle turns pulling in plenty of fans across the disciplines. Foiling Magazine contributor Paul Burnett caught up with Adam at home to find out more about his journey into foiling, and his recent work with the UniFoil team…
Words: Adam Bennetts
Photos: Ryan Kenny (unless specified)
Hey Adam. Let's start at the beginning… How did Adam Bennetts get from being a young lad who surfed to being a young man who is one of the best foilers in the world?
My brother had been foiling for a year or two before I started. At the time I was living in Bali, and I never got a chance to really try it because he was living on the Gold Coast. He posted a few videos and I saw it, but it was still at those very primitive stages with pretty much people just going straight, and it looked kind of fun but also looked kind of boring. I was living in Bali, getting barrelled, surfing pumping waves most days.
So I first tried it when I'd moved back to Australia. I was at Wategos one day with Matt Wilkinson, and he had a foil and was kind of into it. I tried to catch two waves and just ate it and that was my first go. I did get like a little bit of a glide which kind of got me intrigued but I also ended up on the foil and cut my back.
Then I was living down the south coast of New South Wales, and my brother came down to visit us for a week and brought his foil. That was when I had a whole session. I spent a whole hour out there and got a few glides, and I was hooked from there. Literally the next day I went and bought a foil. I bought one online on the Friday and it got delivered to me on the Monday. I don't know if I surfed over the weekend but from that Monday when I got it, which was late February or early March 2019, I haven't set foot on a surfboard since then. Two-and-a-half years ago.
Photo: Ash Whooley
You were a professional surfer before being a foiler. How did you grow up into that? And then what was happening with your surfing career when you got the foil bug?
I was living in Bali. I wasn't living there full-time, but I'd always spend at least eight months there, since I was about 18. I used to surf professionally and then I just started going to Bali and basing myself there. I never really did any contest winning, I was just over there chasing waves and doing little video clips and all that kind of stuff. I wasn't getting paid that much money, enough to live over there. I was DJing on the side as well. It's not like I was on some lucrative contract, it was enough to live a lifestyle over there. I pretty much did that for nearly 10 years, I think, and then I met my wife over there and we started our swimsuit business, Fae, making bikinis, and then I kind of transitioned out of surfing. I just kind of lost interest and I was really focused on the business. We were just frothing on it, you know, and we were making heaps of money from it. I never thought I'd be the director of a swimwear company!
So going back to that first foil that you bought, what was that?
That was the 2019 Naish Thrust medium wing which is the orange and black version they did.
What made you choose that one? Is that what your brother had?
Yes. That's what he had. At the time it was one of the best surf foils out there, so he just said get that. I was literally getting out there for an hour or so a day. Sometimes two sessions for like about three weeks or a month and then I just outgrew the foil. Kai Lenny was riding the MFC, and a couple of other guys were riding them, and they seemed to be able to do more than what I could do, so I bought the MFC and I was on that for about 6 months. I started talking to Pio (Marasco) from MFC, and he was giving me some discounts and stuff, and I was coming back to where I first started when I was surfing, getting these semi sponsorships. It's kind of a good sport to be sponsored in I guess, because it's friggin' expensive!
Friggin' expensive, yes.
Yeah, Pio was hooking me up. I started trawling Instagram for videos and trying to get better, and you're just watching all these guys and you start looking at all these hashtags and I then I found Miso Fernando on Instagram. And I also found Kane, and they were both riding the same foil. Miso was riding UniFoil and Kane was riding Signature… So I just thought I'd go straight to the actual designer. I messaged the UniFoil Instagram account, and I was like, "I've seen your stuff and it looks unreal. Is there anywhere I can demo one in Australia?" Clifford (Coetzer, UniFoil founder) was running the Instagram account. He wrote back, and he was super cool. He put me in touch with Matt (O'Rourke), who is now one of the owners of UniFoil, and I messaged him, and he was like, "Yeah, I've got one got one in my garage just 40 minutes up the road from where you live. If you want to grab it, go for it." So, I just went and got it from his garage. He wasn't even there. He said just go round the back…
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Round the back, break the window… ha!
I went, "Yeah, sick!" It was a Vortex 175. It was so good. I was frothing on it to Clifford and Clifford says, "I've just made this new prototype, can I send one to you?"
And you went, "Oh gee! Can you?"
It was a Vortex 150 prototype which is now one of their best-selling foils. He sent it to me and I got on it, and I was like, "Holy shit!". The 175 was awesome, but yeah getting on the 150… it was smaller, faster, turned better but still pumped pretty much the same, so I was in heaven riding this wing. From then on, I was hooked. I switched to Uni as they offered me a deal, and they had a broad range of foils and a lot of the high aspect movement was inspired by Clifford's Hyper design. I got onto the Hypers and it opened up a whole new can of worms. You could surf these wings, but you can also just pump around for 10 minutes. Basically, that's where I got to where I am now at UniFoil. I've just been working really closely alongside Clifford, Matt and Toby at UniFoil, developing new prototypes.
So, tell us about how the Vyper came about.
We did probably three versions of each size and the goal was to make something in between the whole pump and turn. We were looking for that and Clifford did a few drawings, and he was telling me what each would do. Clifford is the expert, but I've learnt a lot about foil sections through my journey… I know what feels good and how to push stuff, and I can push it to its limits. After a few protypes, going through different sizes of the different models we were able to finalize the designs.
I think you're downplaying it a bit. You were saying you're not the guru of foil design, but obviously what you brought to the table is that you've got a good ability to communicate. You can have a pro surfer that says "it doesn't go" but that doesn't cut it. You're able to say, "this is where it's going well, this is where it isn't. What can we do to change that?" And together you guys have come up with something that you feel is brilliant right?
Yeah. Because I've learnt so much about what foils actually do, like what they do underwater while we're riding them. It's been really cool to talk about it, knowing what certain things do and what they feel like and then what you need to change to get to where you want to be.
Even in the very late stages of the prototypes, I had Cliff put an extra degree of angle of attack in the front wings, just to give more pressure on your front foot, without having to use a base plate shim, because I was fine-tuning everything so much, shimming base plates, shimming tails, just doing all kinds of shimming to fine tune it so precisely. It was cool to put that extra angle of attack in the front wing and then getting the next prototype and going, "wow!". I fine tune my stuff so much, and I spend so much time tweaking stuff to get it exactly how I want it, but you know your average person probably doesn't do that.
So, you've told us about the wings which are obviously important, but I saw recently that you're on some boards that definitely have a different plan shape to them. Tell us a bit about those.
I bought a second-hand JS off Paul Stacey who's designing all the foil boards and it was an old 25 litre 4'6", pretty primitive. I bought that because I didn't know how I was going to like it. Then since I started progressing through the sport, JS started giving me a board here and there and said they'd make me protos. They were working with my brother and with Parko, developing new foil boards, prototypes, just before they release them. They started sending me one of each proto. From six months in, I've been really involved in developing these boards and I'm giving heaps of feedback, like I was doing with the Vyper.
What I've found through my progression in the sport is that I really like a thin board. For a while everything went real boat hull shaped and I never liked that because I found it was very unresponsive, having a lot of foam between your foot and the mast. I found that having a thin board that has as much of a surfboard bottom as possible was really helpful in the wash. For me, all I wanted to do was surf a foil like a surfboard. Once you get good enough and you start turning, all you want to do is draw simple lines… the same sort of lines as if I was surfing and doing roundhouse cutbacks, hitting the foam, trying to do carves in the pocket, and stuff like that. Then when you touch down and you're going back to shore, the foil should lift you out of the water again and you're away. I learnt a lot through the videos I made with Aaron Smith from Earth Kitesurfing.
He is a great driver and videographer by the way.
He's the best driver and filmer in the business. In my videos I would notice that when I'm really leaning into a really deep carve, it was always the back third of my board that would be touching the water. I worked out through making a couple of prototypes that you don't need all the area at the tail of the board.
Just take it off.
Haha, yeah. You might think you need it for volume or whatever, but what we did was basically turn the board into something almost like a teardrop…
Put the foam up front…
Yeah. So, you have your foam under your chest for paddling and also for stability when you do your foam rebounds or whatever, because you need to get stability under your front foot. Any time you come in contact with any foam or anything, you're pretty much on your front foot because you tend to accelerate once you get in that foam and it pushes you out, so you're kinda leaning forward anyway, just keeping the foil in the water. Then you know if you're doing your snaps or carves and you're coming back down the face, you're definitely leaning forward. So having a wider area under your chest and then pulling the tail area in so much has helped a lot. I've been talking to Kane de Wilde and when I posted that we started talking about the narrowness of the tail and he said "yeah, I just made a board, and I measured my foot and just made the tail as wide as my foot." Just got a ruler out and measured how long his foot is and made where he stands the width of his foot. His foot just fits on his board. So yeah, he has the same sort of ideas as me.
Let's look at what you're doing with your foiling. And there's two things that I'd like to talk about in that respect. The first time your foiling came to my attention was when you were on that MFC, and unlike everybody else, including myself, who were running for the hills when it came to anything in regards to the foam, you were hitting it like a banshee. What enabled you to do that? And given it is still a goal of a lot of foilers but it's beyond their abilities, tell us how you do it.
The MFC was a real game changer for me. It was really good between turns. It was fast. It felt real surfy. I also moved down to the shorter fuselage as well. A 58cm fuselage. That definitely helped because when you shorten your turning radius you've got more time to look at the wash. When you turn sharper, you've got more time to assess the situation, where if you have a longer fuse or on a bigger wing that doesn't turn as good, you generally go into a turn and you don't really know where the whitewash is because you're going through this big long arc. It's pretty daunting. But if you can do a really sharp turn, you've got a lot more time and you can really gauge what the whitewash is doing. It gave me a lot more confidence to know whether or not I'm going to hit that section. Having more time to look at the wash is, I think, what gives me more confidence. A short fuse can do that for you.
Funnily enough, I don't like riding a short fuse anymore. Over my time progressing, I've experimented with a few crazy short fuses. Clifford's made me ones that are stupidly short. They're fun and novelty, really rippy, but at any kind of speed they get squirrelly. They're probably fine on entry-level "generation 1" foils that are generally pretty slow, but anything in this current development of pro foils are so fast that at speed they'll become pitchy with a short fuse, and it ruins the whole experience of the ride, because she's going up and down like a pogo stick. What I've found now is that the best way to achieve a tight turning radius and have a smooth ride is to ride a longer fuse with a with a smaller tail and a shim, a big shim. So I'm riding an 11 1/2 inch tail with a 1.5 degrees shim in it, but it's still on a 63cm fuse, which is the UniFoil long fuse…
Let's talk about THE TURN.
The Turn? Oh. The Turn. Haha!
It's like when you talk about pipeline and you're talking about The Turn at Pipeline, everybody knows what you're talking about.
The Tommy Carroll turn?
Yes. The Tom Carroll snap. You have reached Tom Carroll snap status with that turn. Tell us about how that felt. Tell us what enabled you to do it. Just talk us through it.
Yeah, that was unreal that day. That was the day when I got the last proto version of the 130 Vyper that is going into production. I hadn't actually ridden it yet, and that was the very first ride on it. I had to go somewhere and I only caught two or three waves on it, and that was one of them. It's just one of those things. The Vyper is really stable at high speeds but turns so good. I had the perfect section, and everything came together, and the wing held so well through that turn. A lot of times, foils at a certain speed want to nosedive, but the Vyper allowed me to turn really sharply.
The amount of torque in that turn must have felt awesome.
Yeah, it felt unreal. Arron was in the perfect spot to capture it. He whipped me out onto it. It was this peak that I was like able to come in behind with heaps of speed. The wing allowed me to turn really sharply. It felt like one of those really nice carves off the top that you can you do shortboarding.
Thanks for your time bud, any parting wisdom for the Foiling Mag readers?
The biggest thing I can say in regards to progression in this sport is to try heaps of things and move stuff around. Shimming has definitely been a game changer for me, so get yourself some shims from whatever company you're riding. If they don't have one, make some out of credit cards. For shimming the base plate, I was using window packers like builders use. It's crazy how shimming something half a degree can change the whole feel of the whole ride, and make it feel so much better.
A lot of these companies, they've all got different backgrounds. Some are kite guys some are SUP guys… So if you're a surfer and you want to get a surf feeling, try changing their angles, because different angles can change the whole ride. They might have designed it to be a winging wing and just go fast and straight, and if you change the angle of the tail or the base or even the front wing by tuning the base plate, it can change the whole feel of it and make your experience more enjoyable for you. You know, for me, my goal is to surf foil and try and surf the wings like I would a shortboard. So that's my biggest takeaway. Muck around with your shims.
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Time & Tide
A change of scene took Dylan Wichmann out of his usual close-to-home haunts to some of Cape Town's other unique wave spots.
Florida Glass
Some Florida foil funtime - waves, sun and BBQ in abundance.
RED FLAG DAY
Back home in Mauritius, Willow-River Tonkin was thirsty to get out into some decent swells with his new CORE gear
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"Founded in January of 2005, the Younger Women's Task Force, a project of the National Council of Women's Organizations, is a nationwide, diverse, and inclusive grassroots movement dedicated to organizing younger women and their allies to take action on issues that matter most to them. By and for younger women, YWTF works both within and beyond the women's movement, engaging all who are invested in advancing the rights of younger women."
I walked into the lavatory (I haven't used that word since elementary school!) and witnessed four girls applying make-up on another girl: different color eye shadows, blush, and lipstick…the makings of a hideous clown. The girls kept eyeing one another, giggling, and saying, "You look really beautiful. The boys will love you." The clown-faced girl was beaming from ear to ear. I didn't understand how she didn't know that these girls were ridiculing her. I also didn't understand why the so-called aggressors would want to do such a thing.
So, whatever happens to the mean school girls? Well…they typically grow up to be mean women.
Women are territorial with teeth, passionately protective, fiercely jealous and deeply mistrustful due to strong instinctual drives.
Women like wolves, attack in packs, rarely ever confronting without some back up from their peers. Knowing the full value in the power of numbers they encircle their victim and take little chunks from all sides, whittling away at the self-esteem of the victim, and their desire to be included, a drive most women so feverishly have.
Some women are extremely adept at "silent aggression" and derive the most perverse pleasure watching their object of ridicule squirm, cry, and otherwise become unhinged. The more signs of weakness from the victim, the more vicious the attack, making the alternatives for the "odd girl out" less and less apparent.
What I have found is that these individuals…bullies…are easier to deal with when you understand them.
According to Professional Life Coach Heidi Costas, despite the façade that such people put up, bullies have low self-confidence and low self-esteem, and thus feel insecure. Low self-esteem is a factor highlighted by all studies of bullying. Bullies are seething with resentment, bitterness, hatred and anger, and often have wide-ranging prejudices as a vehicle for dumping their anger onto others. Bullies are driven by jealousy and envy.
1. Maintain my confidence. I refuse to let anyone intimidate me.
3. Do not pledge allegiance to backstabbing cliques or groups.
4. Aim to embrace a spirit of cooperation in my interactions with others.
And I must say, in most instances, I have been successful…yet the fight to end relational aggression continues!
Interested in hearing other strategies for dealing with relational aggression (female bullying)? Check out Cheryl Dellasega's book, Mean Girls Growing Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees. She explores why women are often their own worst enemies, offering practical advice for a variety of situations. Drawing upon extensive research and interviews, she shares real-life stories from women as well as the knowledge of experts who have helped women overcome the negative effects of aggression. Readers will hear how adult women can be just as vicious as their younger counterparts, learn strategies for dealing with adult bullies, how to avoid being involved in relational aggression, and more.
And since research has shown that girls between the ages of 8 and 17 need a little extra protection against the emotional and social hazards of growing up…Rachel Simmons, in her books, Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Girls and Odd Girl Speaks Out: Girls Write about Bullies, Cliques, Popularity, and Jealousy, prescribes clear-cut strategies for parents, teachers, and girls to resist bullies and their acts of aggression. She also has great resources on her website.
I am so happy you're going to be a regular poster. You go, Erika!
Glad to have found this information. I've heard of the Queen Bee book, but not the Odd Girl Out, and I can't wait to read Rachel Simmons' books. My wish is that women wouldn't have to fall into these traps of being bullies, victims or bystanders. Women need women as friends, not enemies. Maybe this will change someday.
I couldn't agree with you more! And you are not alone.
I think with each woman doing her part, things will change...slowly. In the meantime, I truly cherish and nurture the positive relationships that I have with females.
Great post! I googled this topic and found your article. I'm in nursing school and dread going back to school due to vicious women there. It's truly sad that those who are supposedly "helping us" are actually looking for opportunities to make themselves feel better by actively making others feel terrible. These are pointers I will use for the coming year. Hopefully, one day, these women will be put in their place. Seeing how some of them are, I would NEVER want them to look at my medical record! But perhaps over time, they will stop their actions.
Thanks for the read and the comment!
And definitely, I've learned to pick my battles but sometimes you just have to confront the bullies and their antics before they cease and desist their behaviors!
Good luck in nursing school!
This is good that this subject is being dealt with publicly and openly. For many years due to femininism this subject was made taboo.
Definitely! It's all about raising awareness and engaging in positive dialogue about the subject. Thanks for the read and comment, Janice.
Thanks for the read and comment. I was able to relate to your story and I'm sorry to hear that you had to leave your workplace because it was so bad. When it got that bad for me at the workplace, I was most thankful for the positive female relationships that I had and leaned on them for support/advice.
This was a really useful article. At the moment I am experiencing bullying in a group of friends. The bully took great delight in undermining me, sarcatic comments,and full blown offensive comments, towards my husband,my children and myself. At the time it was carried out with a smile and my other friends all thought it was pretty harmless. This bully approached me on one occasin,and attempted to threaten me into excluding one of the other friends in our group from all further get togethers etc. I refused to do this and almost immediately things got a lot worse. She indicated that she no longer liked me and we didn't get on, so I couldn't hangout with my friends anymore. To my suprise my friends went along with this as shehad told themI was being difficult and had "fallen " out with her.Thishasbeen goingon for 2 years now and the other friends in the group have gradually been manipulated and rarely see me anymore. It is extremely stressful to be subjected to all this and it has taken a toll on my health. I am amazed that grown women can be manipulated so easily and believe lies. I have a therapy background andhave worked in famiy psychiatry for the last 10 years. My qualifications were like a red rag to a bull with this girl- she despised my expereince and belittled me at every opportunity !! I think my experiemce demonstrates that although youmightthink you have life expereince to deal with this kind of abuse, when it happens, sometimes you are completely unprepared to take it on alone.
Wow, I am sorry to say that your story is all too familiar to me. Sometimes, when people, not just women, get jealous or are insecure, they will act out like that woman you described in your post. It somehow makes them feel better about themselves.
This is probably easier said than done (and it took me probably a good year or two to do this), but you will save yourself a lot of headaches and stress if you leave her and the entire group alone. What a shame that she was able to manipulate your friends. But, if they're on her side now, just leave them all alone and work on fostering positive relationships with other females. There are some out there.
It may be lonely at first, but remember, you have your husband and children. It can be difficult at work, but if you keep yourself busy (even during breaks and at lunch time - leave the building during those times, if possible, consider sitting in your car and reading if you have to) the day will go by faster. Eventually, they will leave you alone and sadly, will find another person to harass.
I sincerely hopes your situation gets better sooner than later.
Great article and very on point. I was ousted out of a 'group' several years ago by none other than my best friend at the time and this wasn't in Middle School but rather after college when I was 25 and I thought women had gotten pass the whole 'mean girl' games, but I was wrong. I had started dating a very handsome and well-off gentleman (who is now my husband) and my BFF demanded I break it off with him and when I didn't I was unceremoniously dumped by my BFF who led the lame group that in turn turned on me like retarded followers with no brains will. Even her parents joined in on the bullying! Very sad to think that a couple of 50+ year olds can act just as bad as a 14 year old girl! The meanest, most jealous women I've ever met are normally older women (40's & 50's). I wonder why that is?


If you want to see what one of the most famous passenger trains in America was like, here it is!
The year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the 20th Century Limited, one of the most famous passenger trains in America. This New York-Chicago train was the way to travel between the America's two largest and most important cities in the first half of the 20th Century. The train is well known in many cultural aspects including being the route for celebrities, and it was one of the originators of walking the red carpet.
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Do you have a bulletproof customer insight strategy? Here's how to develop an effective strategy for growing your business.
In this era where the buyer has plenty to choose from, it is you –exam the business – that has to try the hardest to gain and retain the attention of your customers. So how do you do that? How do you ensure that the customer skips all your competition and chooses you? Enter customer insight. Essentially, this is when you get into the minds of your target market. You find out what they want from you and how they want it. Customer insight provides you with an edge. You can easily get your foot into the door with such insight and then push on to gain more of the market share from your competition.
Instead of guessing which direction you are going with a certain product, why not just have your customers point it out for you? In other words, customer insight enables your business to hit the mark, and remove the guesswork, when it comes to satisfying your consumers. After all, you are giving them what they want, when they want it and how they want it – it's a triple win! In the end, you save a whole bunch of time, money and effort and your customers feel like they're being valued, and consequently, keep coming back for more. They even introduce their friends to your business – how good is that? All this sounds dandy and all, but you might be wondering…. how exactly do you translate it into real-world practice?
You need to step away from marketing to the general public and hoping someone among them will listen. This is akin to throwing a rock in a river and hoping that you will hit a fish – it rarely works. With customer insights, however, you reach out directly to the people who are interested in what you are offering. You show them all the bells and whistles of your product, letting them know why they should buy it. For instance, in the US alone, around 50 to 60 percent of the population already knows the category and brand of apparel that they want to buy. Why not market to the folks who are already willing to spend?
Customer insights are particularly useful when you are developing a new product. Many companies usually feel that they know enough about their industry and product. They will go ahead and roll it said product based on only their knowledge. This is so dangerous. Without finding out what your intended customer wants, you might deliver a product that is way off the mark. In other words, "what got you here, won't get you there". This infographic shows you just how businesses are integrating customer input into their product development.
You can find 5 case studies of how companies have used customer insights superbly here. Customer insights are the best source to learn customer expectations, what they're thinking, their likes and dislikes, behaviors, and all this help in customer acquisition or retention. Thus, to improve your marketing and product development and ultimately your business you need a customer insight strategy.
What Is A Customer Insight Strategy?
Obviously, you cannot just tumble headlong into the realm of customer insight because you want to turn your business around quickly. You need to take a pause and figure out carefully how you are going to get a look into your customer's mind. In other words, you need to strategize. A customer insight strategy is the game plan that you (and your team) develop for gathering and analyzing customer data, and then turning that data into valuable insights and key actions that your company will implement.
This includes the analysis of various qualitative and quantitative data in order to gain some understanding of your customers. In this article, customer insights consultant Paul Laughlin simply defines it as a series of decisions regarding the actions you are going to take. In so doing, you cut out the theory involved in many strategies while focusing on actionable decisions. Still not entirely sold on the idea of customer insights? See what President of 24K Marketing Bob Clark has to say about it in this short video.
And like with every strategy, there a few features and components that are key to its success.
WHY – What's Your Business Objective?
Ask your team: What is your company's main priorities over the next 90 days, 6 months, or 12 months?
WHEN – What's Your Project Timeline?
How long will you be gathering data?
When will you be analyzing it?
When and how will the findings be communicated to key stakeholders?
When will the customer insights be used for mapping out key actions?
CONSTRAINTS – What Limits Do You Need To Work Within?
Most projects are bound by three key constraints – time, budget, and scope. So project teams need to creatively find ways to achieve their project goals within these constraints.
What constraints does your customer insights project have? Write them down and verify them with your team.
WHO'S THE TARGET – Which Segment Is Relevant For Your Customer Research?
Which segment of your customer base are you wanting to learn more about? This entails exhaustively doing your homework on your clients and consumers. You need to find out their purchasing patterns and online habits. Then go further than that. You also need to find out why they fall into such patterns and habits. For example, consider someone buying sneakers.
They might do so because their old pair is worn out and they need a new one. Alternatively, this customer might be a sneakerhead – an individual who buys sneakers as a hobby. If you are a sneaker company, you should be able to differentiate between these types of your customers when they visit your online store.
Each type will also want a different kind of sneaker. The sneakerhead is more inclined towards the stylish footwear whereas the other kind is seeking a functional sneaker that will last longer. Consumer research is able to let you know which one you are dealing with and how to market to them.
What type of data would be most useful for you to achieve your goals defined earlier? As you are doing your consumer research, you are collecting large amounts of data on your customers' online habits. Considering the amount of online activity, you can be overwhelmed by what's coming in.
Who is my target population – that is, who should take my survey? What demographic groups do I want to look for within my pool of survey respondents?
Who amongst your team will be responsible and accountable for the success of your data gathering activities, and who are the stakeholders who are responsible for utilizing the customer insights gathered? Although most of the data collation is done by your customer insights software, you will still rely on humans to make sense of the summarized data put before you. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have the right personnel with the relevant technical know-how to handle your customer insight.
First and foremost, you need folks who have the IT skills to run the software, manage the databases and make sure everything is running smoothly. Your marketing and product development departments also need individuals who are adept at applying the results of the insight into real-life action.
How To Create Your Customer Insights Strategy?
We suggest you schedule some time to work and make decisions on each based on your timing, budget, scope, and available resources.
There's no getting around this. You need a competent team in place if you intend to get any useful customer insight. As a strategy, you need to pick out the right individuals for your team. Although getting customer insight requires a fair bit of analytics, you shouldn't just focus on members who have a good head for numbers and technical acumen. You also need individuals who are highly creative.
What is a customer journey map? This is the route your customers take along your sales funnel, stretching all the way from initial contact, through consideration and purchase to retention and advocacy. Along the buyer journey, your customer will experience different things with your organization. These experiences will determine if they proceed to the next part of the funnel or not.
You should, therefore, keep a close eye on their experiences. By consulting your sales and support departments – the people who have the more direct contact with your customers – you are able to get some insight into your customer touchpoints. For example, the support team will let you know that many customers are having a difficult time using your software or app. You can then relay this to your developers, making them come up with a more intuitive interface that satisfies the customer. Need helping mapping out your customer journey? You can use this template.
Once you've got your customer journey mapped out, you can then get plenty of customer insight through commissioning surveys that focus on specific parts of that journey. These feedback surveys let the customer tell you what they think of your product or service, at the stage that is most relevant to them. Armed with this information, you can adjust where necessary, making your business more streamlined to offer the customer exactly what they want.
You should also know that once customers feel that their feedback is taken seriously, they are more likely to progress further on your sales funnel. And that is something you really want to happen. Asking effective survey questions is critical when deploying customer surveys. Here's a guide for writing good survey questions.
A customer insights platform is a great way to deploy your survey and further foster your relationship with your customers. On such a platform, you build trust with your customers through extended discussions. They offer plenty of suggestions on where you can make your offerings better. One standout advantage of this platform is that the members become invested in the product or brand and become advocates for it. They spread the word and invite more people to try out the products. And this is really good for your business.
How? One study by McKinsey showed that word of mouth between customers is twice as likely to succeed when compared to paid advertising. Also, another study found that 37 percent of customers acquired through word of mouth are more likely to stick around.
Gaining customer insight does not come easy. You will find that there are some hurdles you need to jump in order to successfully complete the race. Banking on machines to do everything You now know that gathering insights requires some software to track customers' online behavior. You might be tempted to leave it all up to the ones and zeros to come up with the final answer. You couldn't be any more wrong. Much as the system can be automated, you still need humans to make sense of all the data. Once they have, they will then decide to take action.
When you set up your customer insights platform, do not expect everyone to participate. As a matter of fact, as much as 90 percent of the community will just come along for the ride, never actively putting forward anything. You, therefore, need to temper your expectations and work with the 10 percent who are willing to contribute regularly.
Do not get too excited and go out to gather customer insight when you don't have the experience to properly execute. For example, you might decide to use a community platform. You will throw plenty of cash towards building it from the bottom up and still find that you have numerous errors within it. It is better, therefore, to contact someone who already has a proven platform that will host your community.
Gathering valuable customer insights is a fantastic way for you to know which areas need attention. Follow the above steps to develop a strategy for collecting these insights, enabling you to fine tune your business to your customer's needs. In so doing, you'll cultivate trust and loyalty with your customers, making them become advocates for your brand.


text:
Cis-Element-Tools
=================
These scripts were developed in the Dehesh lab at UC Davis for the purpose of extracting various types of information
about cis-regulatory elements from Arabidopsis sequence files.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Mitrastemon is a genus of two widely disjunct species of parasitic plants. It is the only genus within the family Mitrastemonaceae. Mitrastemon species are root endoparasites, which grow on Fagaceae. It is also a non-photosynthetic plant that parasitizes other plants such as Castanopsis sieboldii. The parasitic plant was first discovered by botanist Eizi Matuda during an expedition to Mt. Ovand in the state of Chiapas, Mexico (Matuda, 1947). The different species were originally named by a friend of Matuda, Yamamoto in 1925–1926. Mitrastemon yamamotoi is a protandrous plant. Its flowers go through a male phase before transforming into their final female form. The flowers of M. yamamotoi attract a variety of insects ranging from wasps to flies and beetles. Among these, beetles are the best pollinators for this plant since their visit to the flower would pick up a large amount of pollen and they would pollinate from each of the flowers that they had already visited. The plant is endemic to tropical and subtropical forest regions such as Southeast Asia and Japan.

Taxonomy
Originally Mitrastemon was placed within the order Rafflesiales, together with other parasitic plants, but this order was long suspected to be actually polyphyletic. In 2004, the genus was found to be related to Ericales by comparing their mitochondrial DNA.

Several orthographic variants of the name Mitrastemon exist, including Mitrastema and Mitrastemma. The correct taxonomic name is Mitrastemon, the use of which was proposed and justified in an article by Reveal and approved by the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy in a subsequent article.

The species has a cylindrical body ranging from 3 cm to 7 cm in height with a tuberous base. During an early developmental stage it appears an off-white color; however, once it is dried it becomes a dark brown color (Mir et al., 2016).

Life cycle
The plant is observed only during the winter season and it completes its visible life cycle from November to April (Mir et al., 2016).
Mitrastemon is completely embedded within the tissues of its host, except during the reproduction stage when above-ground parts emerge from host tissues.

Ecology
Unlike other plants, the flowers of this organism change sex from male to female. Various insects are involved in pollination. Mitrastemon yamamotol is mainly pollinated by social wasps, but previously unnoticed pollination are also important, based on visitation frequency and pollen loads. There have been studies of the pollination that suggest that nocturnal visitors, such as crickets and cockroaches, contribute to geitonogamous pollination. Diurnal visitors like social wasps facilitate outcrossing.

Distribution
Mitrastemon yamamotoi is distributed in tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia and Japan. Mitrastemon matudae is distributed from Southern Mexico to Colombia.

Species
There are two known species. M. matudae is found in Central America, while M. yamamotoi is found in Southeast Asia and Japan.

References

Further reading
India Biodiversity Portal. (2019). Mitrastemon yamamotoi Makino. [online] Available at: https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/279958 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2019].
Parasiticplants.siu.edu. (2019). Parasitic Plant Connection – Mitrastemonaceae. [online] Available at: https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Mitrastemonaceae/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2019].

 Matuda, Eizi. "On the genus Mitrastemon." Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (1947): 133-141.
 Rao, A. S., & Balakrishnan, N. P. (1972). Mitrastemon yalanotoi (Makino) Makino (Rafelesiaceaf)-a Unique Root Parasite New to the Indian Flora. Indian Forester, 98(4), 234-235.

 Leung, Tommy (9 March 2019). "Mitrastemon Yamamotoi". Parasite of the Day blog. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
 Matuda, Eizi. "On the genus Mitrastemon." Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (1947): 133-141.

Ericales
Ericales genera
Parasitic plants
Endoparasites

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Getting around in Chennai has become convenient with the introduction of online taxi service. The masses have taken to it, yet another service that has become popular ever since its launch is, the option to hire self driving taxi of Zoomcar. Radio taxi in Chennai are no more the different to what you find in other cities; they have similar challenges and benefits. This begs the question- what makes self driving cars a better option.
The Safety factor– No matter how long a taxi driver is instructed on passenger safety, it's just the best option to drive your loved ones yourself, rather than trust a stranger.Then there is the need to be vigilant, that your going for online booking has not taken you on an unsolicited city tour. With the self drive, you turn on your GPS (if it's a city you've not know well enough) and drive straight to the location on the map.
The Convenience – Taxi services in Chennai also became popular for comfort, but the fact that these services are bound to a location and do not ply to areas outside city limits causes challenges. Zoomcars are parked in strategically marked out parking zones. You are not tied down to a boundary to drive within, use the car for all practical purposes and drop them back to the parking zones.
A blend of tradition and modernity, Chennai is an enticing city. Sample all the experiences it offers from the comfort of a self-drive taxi.
Self-Drive taxis give you the freedom to be your own boss.
Self-Drive taxis are cheaper than a car with driver.
There are some good options to travel to when you are in Chennai city. Beach holidays or an adventure in the hills are just a scenic drive away. Hire a self drive Chennai to Pondicherry taxi and enjoy a great seaside escapade in this unique coastal town. The promenade is one of the main attractions in Pondicherry and the charming French quarters with their mustard tones and leafy neighbourhoods are a delight to explore. You can enjoy a drive down the East Coast Road and visit Auroville. There are also many popular beaches in the area – some of the popular ones are Serenity Beach and Auroville Beach. Chennai to Bangalore is another popular route, for both business and leisure. Some of the interesting stops on the way include Ambur, famous for its biryani, and Krishnagiri, site of an old fort. Hire a self drive taxi and enjoy a journey where you control the pace. When you hire a self drive taxi in Chennai you will enjoy an extra seat and complete privacy and freedom to take detours or make stops.
Booking self drive taxis is conveniently facilitated over an app or by logging into the internet. All you need to do is fill in the basic details, choose your vehicle and timings, and then pick up the keys in a nearby location. With rentals like Zoomcar, you get more choice of cars compared to traditional taxi services. Choose all the top car models from manufacturers like Hyundai, Maruti, Mahindra, Tata and more. If you are travelling with your family for a pilgrimage to the Tirumala temple, a spacious SUV would be the ideal Chennai to Tirupati taxi. For solo business trips, hatchbacks are a smart choice. Another advantage of booking a self drive car is that you have transport sorted for the entire duration of your trip, a perfect end-to-end mobility solution. Driving a rental comes with assurances like 24/7 on-road support, which is something you will not get with regular chauffeured taxi services.
Zoomcar's car rental platform is available in more than 28 cities across India. Thousands of informed customers are discovering a transport option which gives them freedom and privacy at very affordable rates. Impromptu road trips can be arranged in minutes while office commute plans are helping people enjoy less stressful weekdays.


If you say, "Pont-l'Évêque" to cheese lovers, many will immediately think of the strong-scented (pungent), soft cheese that is often considered to be one of the 5 stinkiest kinds of cheese in France. It's my all-time least favourite cheese. It smells really bad and fortunately, doesn't taste that way. But good news! Pont-l'Évêque may no longer have a negative association to the stinky cheese. There's a new tourist attraction in the village—a multi-sensory experience devoted to Calvados apple brandy, which has a much nicer smell.
Pont-l'Évêque is in the heart of the Calvados department of Normandy and when I recently visited the area, I definitely got my apple fix at this new site called the "Calvados Experience".
France has a growing list of museums and attractions which focus on wine and spirits. Bordeaux has La Cité du Vin. Paris has Les Caves du Louvre. Each has interactive displays and a tasting at the end.
The Calvados Experience tour takes you on a multi-sensory journey, exposing you to the regions, history, and production of Calvados starting with the simple apple. Your journey is like a walk through movie sets where you learn about the times of the Vikings to the present day distillation. Four types of apples are used in the distillation: acidic, bitter, bittersweet and sweet.
At the end of the tour, there is a tasting bar. Your ticket includes a tasting of 2 glasses of Calvados brandy: one young (aged 2 years) and one old (aged 6 years). It's an acquired taste and very powerful. There are hints of apple and not as pronounced as in the related apéritif called Pommeau.
The boutique carries a wide selection of Calvados French apple brandy and a small selection of Pommeau from a variety of local producers.
Photography and videotaping are not allowed. Thank you to Calvados Experience for providing photos of the exhibits. (I paid my own admission fee).
Children are welcome to take the tour. At the end, they are provided with apple juice.
It is very difficult trying to find Pommeau outside of Normandy but easier to find Calvados. So, when in Normandy, stock up!
I once bought Calvados in Normandy for a friend. The shopkeeper let me taste four different kinds so I could decide what was best, ranging from 2 years old to 12. It was interesting to taste the differences but boy, is Calvados strong! I was a little wobbly when I walked out of the shop.
Yes, it's STRONG stuff. Maybe that's why I prefer Pommeau—more apple and not as strong.


VPNs are one of the tools for connecting between two points, which are not as safe as firewalls. The firewalls are accepted technology, which can be found on almost any network. Therefore, when choosing a VPN solution, it must be ensured that there is enough compatibility between the selected VPN packet and the existing firewall.
Packet filters are the simplest form of firewalls. A Packet Filter-based firewall compares all IP packets passing through the firewall with the ACL list, or its own Access Control List, and if the packet is allowed to cross the firewall, it will be allowed to pass through the package, and if Unauthorized packets are either deleted easily from the network environment or an ICMP error message is issued, meaning Reject.
Packet filters only look at five items, the source and destination IP addresses in transit packets, source and destination ports, and finally protocols (such as UDP, TCP, etc.).
The filter can accommodate such tools within the routers, and thus the need to install an independent firewall is inevitable.
For example, a user may execute SSH on a system port 25, knowing that the packet filter is capable of passing through port 25, and thus pass through the firewall.
Another problem with packet filters is that these tools do not have the ability to effectively manage multiple dynamic communication protocols. For example, the FTP protocol can open a channel through which commands such as user, RECV, and LIST can be sent.
When two information hosts, such as the file or the output of the LIST command, pass through, another channel is established between the two systems and, in order for such data to pass, it is necessary to provide an ACL for the FTP function. The weakness of the packet filters is apparent here. The fact is that packet filters do not have the mechanism for reading the FTP command channel, which can be informed of the existence of an ACL.
Application gateways take a step beyond packet filters. AGs look at the Application layer instead of just looking at the data in the overhead (header) of the data packets. Typically, each AG is called a proxy.
An SMTP proxy that supports the SMTP protocol, for example. Such proxies are responsible for reviewing transit data to determine the correctness of the application of the protocols used.
Suppose we are launching an SMPT application gateway. We will need to carefully review the state of communications. For example, has your client submitted a HELO / ELHO request? Has this client sent MAIL FROM before sending a DATA request? As long as the protocols are followed, it will not interfere with sending commands between the client and the server.
An AG must have a complete understanding of the protocol and process the events of both sides of a connection. As seen, such a mechanism will require the CPU to function and will be more complicated than the performance of tools like the Packet Filter.
But against such complexities, more security will be provided and it will not be possible to penetrate in a manner like the SSH implementation on port 25, since an AG will realize that SMTP is not used.
But there are times when it's necessary to allow the passage to the protocol that AG does not fully support. SSH or HTTPS are prototypes of such protocols. Since the data in these protocols are encrypted, there is no way to check the information sent and received for AGs. In these cases, it is possible that the firewall is configured to allow the corresponding packets to pass. In this case, the term plug is called.
This term is named part of the FWTK firewall suite, which uses the command called plug-gw.
Due to the processing capabilities of AGs, the possibility of integrating such tools into standard routing equipment is not readily available. But some of the new routers have the same functionality as AG. But as mentioned, strong processors should be used to use such routers.
Note that even AG can be fooled. For example, you can tunnel an arbitrary protocol on SMTP. Such a client can transfer data in the DATA portion of an exchange, and the server can also respond within an error message.
The nature of HTTP makes it even simpler. SOAP and NET. Only two prototype tunneling protocols are considered HTTP. The Http tunnel is a free tool that you can use to process HTTP protocols. You can get this tool from httptunnel.com.
Today, you can not use another one to use a firewall next to the VPN. But the point is that the use of a firewall alongside a VPN needs to be accurately designed and many issues in designing such systems should be taken into consideration.
Firewall provides access to the Internet.
● The firewall restricts access to the network to the outside.
● VPN encrypts outbound traffic to remote clients and other networks.
● Managing and controlling security parameters is performed only from one point and requires fewer machines to be managed.
● You can use VPN traffic with the same firewall and tools available to enforce security policies.
● Because all security parameters are manageable from one point, such a system should be very secure and secure.
● A mistake in the firewall settings will lead to Internet traffic to the VPN.
● Internet and VPN traffic competing with each other will require more resources from the system, and as a result, the machine should be rich in resources.
(Firewall Toolkit (FWTK) is the first publicly available application gateway for Linux, and is also the backbone of Gauntlet's commercial product. Although this tool has not been officially supported in recent years, it still remains in many applications. You can download it at www.fwtk.org.
IPF: A linux packet filter for older kernels version 2.
Packet filiter: IPChains is a newer version for cornals version 2/2. Although the program is simple, it can also support other protocols through the kernel modules. For example, Ipmasqftp modules can also be added to support the FTP protocol. The main problem with IPChains is that the kernel packages filters are done before the modules can see the packages. The meaning of this is that you must provide inbound access to ports likely to be used by the kernel.
IPTables: Firewall software for Linux kernel 4/2, also known as Netfilter. This tool supports Packet-filtering and applicaton gateway capabilities simultaneously.
Packet filter: IPFilter is the forerunner for NetBSD and FreeBSD. Of course, this can be done on older Linux kernels with version 2 kernels.
Packet filter is in the circuit layer and hidden from the user's perspective.
T.REX: This tool is a very sophisticated software suite that features firewall and application gateway capabilities with advanced intrusion detection, authentication and logging capabilities. You can download this tool free of charge from www.opensourcefirewall.com.
This entry was posted in VPN Information. Bookmark the permalink.


I love food. My kid loves eating. I love cooking. My kid loves science.
And it all comes together for Science Fair Projects, where you can play around with fungus and eat the results!
Science Fair participation is not obligatory in the first grade in our school district, and in fact as far as we can tell, only a handful of first-graders participate, but for us, it is a wonderful opportunity to take our mucking about in the kitchen to a molecular level. We're talking fungus, we're talking yeast, and not only are we going to blow up balloons without expending any breath of our own, we are also going to massage the judges with some still-warm bread.
Our new favorite book is Kitchen Science Experiments by Sandipta Bardhan-Quallen. Full of quick and easy food experiments and explanations in a kid-attractive format, we borrowed it from the library and ended up buying it because they wouldn't let us renew it anymore. And it gave us this year's science fair experiment for which my little guy won a special K-4 prize for creativity.
For our experiment we used the power of yeast to blow up balloons. We learned about yeast and the conditions it prefers (won't tell you the results because you need to try it yourself) and to take it a step further, we made no-knead refrigerator bread (which eliminates variables if you are doing science and dodges serious kneading and proofing if you are an overwhelmed mom) that we took, still warm, as part of our presentation.
I will give you the no-knead recipe tomorrow (because you need it!), but for now…it's just the book recommendation and a couple of pictures. Enjoy!
Yay for our junior mad scientist! 😀 xo!
I was just reading about Noma…that is some crazy deep stuff….


Elaine's Sweet Life: Bad Arm!
I thought it was time I wrote a post about the issues I am having with my right (dominant) arm. A year ago my shoulder started hurting a lot, and I assumed it was as a result of a whip lash injury I had sustained in a minor car accident a few months earlier. But then, around Christmas, my forearm started hurting until it got to the point that I could not use it any more, as it got worse my shoulder started hurting more and more too, and I was getting pins and needles in my hand. After months of multiple trips to the GP with 'rest advice' given for what was diagnosed as severe tennis elbow (they had no interest in my shoulder by this point), my arm had got so bad that I could no longer write, lift a small glass of water or even dress myself. Fine motor control was practically non-existent and I couldn't grasp things properly. I insisted that I be referred to a specialist.
I finally got an MRI 2 months ago, which revealed multiple problems in both my shoulder and neck (a very long list, some of which are growth 'defects'). I have since had a cortisone injection in my shoulder, which hurt a lot but didn't bring much relief. Today I underwent sedation and had two injections in my neck (sorry about the terribly unflattering photo LOL - thanks to a wonderful friend who lugged me around and sat with me for hours today. Thank you so much!) I really hope that it relieves me of at least some of the pain, but, depending on how I do in the next month or so, I may end up having surgery on either my shoulder or neck. I really hope it doesn't come to that!
I the mean time, I am still trying to bake as much as I can. I struggle with the detailed work, but my hand coordination does seem to have improved, so I am managing to do a bit, albeit very slowly! My BFF and my son have both been very helpful in lifting heavy bowls and putting cakes in and out the oven for me, whisking, stirring, rolling out fondant, etc. I also have gained a prodigy in my BFF! She works so well with me and picks up what I teach her so quickly, and she really listens and isn't afraid to make mistakes and try again. She practically made her baby's Blessing Cake on her own, as I had just had the injection in my shoulder and couldn't move my arm for pain at all. She was also invaluable in getting the Diamond Anniversary cake done, delivered and assembled last weekend.
My arm has become much worse and I am awaiting imminent surgery. I can no longer bake or cook, except for very simple recipes, I can't drive, or even dress myself properly. I am feeling very frustrated and pretty much sit around reading or watching TV all day. The pain is so bad, I can't sleep for more than a few hours at a time, so I am also constantly exhausted. The good news is that my surgeon says that once I've had the surgery, I should be good as new again within 6 weeks!
Thank you so much Maria! Unfortunately my arm has actually got worse since that post and it seems surgery is imminent.


Search Results - " Time travel"
Home > Search: " Time Travel"
Time Travel : How to be the best time traveller ever.
The psychology of time travel.
Time travelling with a hamster.
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder ; 03.
Australia : the time traveller's guide.
The time traveller's guide to Elizabethan England.
The time-travelling cat and the egyptian goddess.
The time-travelling cat and the roman eagle.
The Time-Travelling Cat and the Tudor Treasure.


text:
Q: using a union-like class in an std::initializer_list In the code below I show union-like class S which contains two non-related structs B and C. I show how to instantiate the non-POD std::string and delete it again and then switch S to S::CC and set the num int.
#include <vector>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include <memory>

struct B
{
  B() {}
  ~B() {}
  std::string str;
  void Func1() {}
};

struct C
{
  C() {}
  ~C() {}
  int num;
  void Func2() {}
};

struct S
{
  S() { tag = CC; }
  S( const S& s )
  {
    switch( s.tag )
    {
      case BB:
        new ( &b.str ) std::string;
        b.str = s.b.str;
        break;

      case CC:
        c.num = s.c.num;

      default:
        break;
    }
  }

  ~S()
  {
    switch( tag )
    {
      case BB:
        b.str.~basic_string< char >();
        break;

      case CC:
        c.num = 0;
        break;

      default:
        break;
    }
  }

  enum { BB, CC } tag;
  union
  {
    B b;
    C c;
  };
};

struct H
{
  H( std::initializer_list< S > initializerList ) : initListVect( initializerList ) {}
  std::vector< S > initListVect;
};

int main()
{
  S s;
  s.tag = S::BB;
  new ( &s.b.str ) std::string; // docs say use new placement to create memory
  s.b.str = "bbb";
  s.b.str.~basic_string< char >(); // string usage in B ok

  s.tag = S::CC;
  s.c.num = 333; // int usage in C ok

  H h {  }; // what should the init list be if I wanted 3 list elements S::BB, S::CC, S::BB?

  return 0;
}

My goal, however, is to use S in an std::initializer_list. I don't know what the format should be for initializeing h. What should the arguments be if I wanted to initialize h with these S::BB, S::CC, S::BB?
My compiler is VS2015.
Edit:
This post's history: my posting comes from a need for a definitive answer to the question of storing compile-time-deduceable heterogeneous objects in an std::initializer_list. This question has been asked many times before and there have been many attempts at answers (see Heterogeneous containers in C++). The most simplistic answer is to use polymorphism, but this ignores the power of being able to define a type at compile time (templates). Besides, heterogeneous, non-related objects grouped together polymorphically means a lot of derived data members are useless, which sows usage and maintenance confusion downstream. Other advice given was to use boost::any or boost::variant, but this has the same weakness as polymorphism and reduces message declaration clarity. Another attempt at container object heterogeneity was the use of std::tuple, but although an initializer_list can certainly contain tuples, this approach too ignores compile-time type resolution. I even found a paper written in 1999 called Heterogeneous, Nested STL Containers in C++ which uses template template arguments to solve the heterogeneity problem. After all this, I settled on class-like unions which led to my posting here. Class-like unions for non-related/heterogeneous container objects has perfect message declaration clarity, no object size ambiguity, and is compile time template-able, and it leads to excellent downstream maintenance scenarios.
Edit2: (5 weeks later) Here is what has happened. 1) I implemented a full class-like union solution given the advice in this posting. The result was tedious and unwieldy with 'tag' being used to identify which sub-method to call for each new functionality. Low grade regarding code maintenance. 2) c++17 has accepted std::variant. Since that is currently not yet implemented in VS2015 Update 2, I set about using boost::variant. See What is the right c++ variant syntax for calling a member function set to a particular variant? which uses the Visitor pattern to allow access to initialized variant members and member functions. This eliminates the 'tag' switches and variant 'get' calls. Bottom line: I dropped my class-like union and adopted variant for creating maintainable code that uses initializer_list to store variant member functionality all being initializable at compile time (read: highly maintainable).

A: Alright, I'm feeling generous and I've made custom unions myself so he're some stuff that'll get you set up. I've rewritten your S structure to be more compliant and usable. (I've made changes marked by comments)
struct S
{
  S() : tag(CC) // initializer
  {
    new (&c) C; // make C object
  }
  S(int num) : tag(CC) // added integer constructor
  {
    new (&c) C;
    c.num = num;
  }
  S(const std::string& str) : tag(BB) // added string constructor
  {
    new (&b) B;
    b.str = str;
  }
  S( const S& s ) : tag(s.tag)
  {
    if (tag == CC)
    {
      new (&c) C; // construct c
      c.num = s.c.num;
    }
    else if (tag == BB)
    {
      new (&b) B; // construct b, not b.str
      b.str = s.b.str;
    }
  }
  S& operator= (const S& s) // added assignment operator
  {
    if (tag == s.tag) // just copy b or c
    {
      if (tag == CC)
        c = s.c;
      else
        b = s.b;
    }
    else // reconstruct b or c
    {
      if (tag == CC)
      {
        c.~C(); // destroy c
        new (&b) B; // construct b
        b.str = s.b.str;
      }
      else
      {
        b.~B(); // destroy b
        new (&c) C; // construct c
        c.num = s.c.num;
      }
      tag = s.tag;
    }

    return *this;
  }

  ~S()
  {
    if (tag == CC)
    {
      c.~C(); // destroy c
    }
    else if (tag == BB)
    {
      b.~B(); // destroy b, not b.str
    }
  }

  enum { BB, CC } tag;
  union
  {
    B b;
    C c;
  };
};

One of the things that you were doing improperly was skipping the construction and destruction of B and C and going straight for the internal variables. You should always create and destroy types properly even when they may be trivial. While this may work out, not initializing these objects properly is only asking for trouble (It also makes it easier should you change B or C in the future).
To make using the class easier, I added in the proper constructors for std::string and int as well as an assignment operator. Because now that we can construct the objects how we want, your main() could look like this:
int main()
{
  S s;                    // default S
  s = std::string("bbb"); // set to string
  s = 333;                // set to number

  // use initialization list
  H h { std::string("bb"), 33, std::string("bb") };

  return 0;
}

I encourage you to modify B and C to use constructors to build their internals rather than relying on S.

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In today's harsh climate of impossible beauty standards, it's refreshing to see the body-positive community get more space and more of a voice in the media – from plus-size models to conventionally beautiful actresses such as Jameela Jamil, women everywhere are speaking out against harmful diet culture. And it's truly empowering to see magazines making space for a more diverse range of models and fashion brands catering to a more vast variety of sizes.
But one thing that occasionally makes me distance myself from this movement is that sometimes it tends to throw veganism in with dieting – lumping an ethical philosophy in with the myriads of restricting, limiting and potentially dangerous diets that populate our culture, such as Atkins or 5:2 – diets that have nothing to do with an ethical life choice whatsoever. Bloggers, journalists and YouTubers speak out about how going plant-based made them sick – when in reality, what was making them sick was their own disordered approach to food, without a doubt marred by the contagious and toxic ideals constanly perpetuated by society. I am far from a health expert, but when I read the words "that raw, gluten-free, vegan cake will never taste as good" in a body-positive blog, I knew I had to share a perspective that I know I am not the only one having – that nothing tastes as good as cruelty-free feels.
I have always been conscious of what I eat. Growing up, women around me were always dieting (while the men were mostly pouring themselves a third beer). My best friend was a naturally super-slim ballet dancer and I remember wanting to look exactly like her. At eight years old, I looked at my Barbie doll and thought, "I want to be this thin". That night I did so many push-ups that I threw up. All I wanted was to be perfect. Nothing less than perfect would do.
In my teens, I wanted to be an actress, and every time I watched an audition tape of myself I agonised for days over everything I found wrong with myself: my face, my hair, my body, my posture, my clothes. Perfection was still my goal, and what I saw in those tapes felt like the opposite of that. Around this time, I began having anxiety attacks – an even more terrifying experience if you don't know what anxiety attacks are and are thus completely clueless as to what the hell is happening to you. In an attempt to control my emotions the only way I knew how, I alternated periods of not eating with periods of extreme bingeing – slowly venturing into the territory of making myself throw up, and by age 18 blossoming into a fully fledged bulimic.
At 19, I moved to Los Angeles to study theatre and go on auditions. When I confided in a classmate that I sometimes threw up after meals, her reaction was, "so? Who doesn't?". I came to have a normalised view of my own disorder with the explanation that everyone else was doing it too. Another girl from my acting class taught me vomiting "techniques" and how to make sure I managed to throw up as much of my meal as possible.
When I returned to Stockholm, I finally got treatment. With the help of doctors and an amazing therapist, I finally started to learn how to think differently about food, my life and my body. I found the underlying reason for my illness: my perfectionism had driven me to depression. I had to re-teach myself how to perceive my own emotions in order to feel better.
I had been a pescatarian since the age of 11, but I never connected my refusal of meat to anything other than ethics. I didn't view meat as unhealthy or fattening and never connected my decision to remove it from my diet to my body image or anything in that realm. I didn't want to eat animals and that was that – but once I learned more about fish and their ability to feel pain, as well as what truly goes on in the dairy and egg industries, I felt inspired to make the (slow, very slow) transition to veganism.
As I educated myself more and more on veganism, my whole view of food changed. Every meal I made felt meaningful and inspired, like I was taking a stand against cruelty every time I ate something (which is what actually happens when you choose vegan meals). I experimented with new ingredients – to think that I had never even considered beans or lentils while pescatarian! Fun fact: for some reason, I believed that vegan desserts only were a thing in the US – before moving to London, I was under the impression that if you wanted a vegan cake, you would have to bake it yourself. When I bumped into a Ruby's Of London vegan cupcake stall on my third day in the UK, I was overcome with joy!
I understand that these things differ for different people, but for me, the health benefits of veganism have been vast and long-lasting: that sluggish tiredness that I have carried with me for so long has lifted and my skin finally has some colour, as opposed to dull grey. And my stomach is another success story. From 2009 on, I have suffered from bloating, horrible stomach burns and aches. I could wake up in the middle of the night feeling like someone had stabbed me in the stomach. Doctors told me to take pills and supplements, to eat more this and less that. No one told me to simply cut out milk and eggs. As soon as I did that, my tummy found its natural health and the pain lifted.
I've had questions about how this kind of "controlled" eating can actually do me good as an eating disorders survivor, as being too controlling with my diet is what made me ill in the first place. I explain that now I eat to live, to nurture myself and to enjoy my food – and I have the feeling of being good to my body every time I feed it. No food I eat is "bad" or "naughty" – all foods I eat are good for the animals I am saving – and I'm doing my best to disconnect my food from my emotions. Once in a former job, a colleague asked if I wouldn't like to have one day a year when I "ate whatever I wanted." I explained that I already eat whatever I want – every day.
And speaking of what I want, going vegan has also helped me learn to listen more to my body, and helped me realise that often I don't really want the junk food I end up eating because of societal pressure. Before my vegan transition, I would keep drinking on a night out despite the creeping onset of heartburn (which always comes knocking on my door after two glasses) because IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT! and unless you get absolutely wasted you will get questioned about why you are being so "boring" (pro tip: sip sloooowly. That way you will always "still" have a drink in your hand without having to actually drink more alcohol), or have brownies for breakfast just so I could Instagram about how indulgent and luxurious I was being – when in reality those brownies were making me bloated and causing my dentist bills to soar from all the sugar-induced cavities. There is a strong standard in our society that ties food to social life and even identity. If you don't eat or drink this or that, you are viewed as boring, sanctimonious and prissy, even if the truth is that your body simply doesn't take well to it. Mindful eating to me means listening to yourself and learning more about what works.
It's for these reasons that many survivors of eating disorders are finding that veganism makes your meals go from "diet" to "ethical choice", which takes away a large part of the power that the dieting industry holds over us. Case in point: Jordan Younger, known as The Balanced Blonde, who went vegan, then famously went non-vegan in connection to her orthorexia…before realising that her disorder had very little to do with eschewing eggs and butter, and returning to the vegan path as a healthy, happy human.
I'm not claiming that my lifestyle change is the solution to eating disorders, and I do need to stress that I had already received treatment before going vegan. But it's important to remember that when we are speaking about a lifestyle choice such as veganism, it's reductive and incorrect to lump it in with diets that mostly aim to alter women's bodies and make money off it. Staying committed to the ethical philosophy of veganism is what will help pull some eating disorders sufferers out of the harmful thinking that surrounds everything related to food and eating for them, and help them to see their food differently. Like it did for me.
This month I am watching…You on Netflix, as is everyone else.


text:
Q: How to get multiple product as recommendation after training a NN model to predict rating of a product for a user I have trained a model which predicts the rating of a product for a given user:
rating =model(user,item)
I want to know how to get multiple recommendations for all the users. Do we run two loops, one for users and another for items, to get the rating of all users for all the items, and then for each user, we sort the rating and get the top 10/20 highest rated products??
interaction=np.zeros((len(users),len(items)))
for i in range(len(users)):
 for j in range(len(items)):
  interaction[i][j]=model(users[i],items[j])

is there any more efficient way to do that as my data have a large number of users and a large number of products??


Chris Stefanick - world-renowned Catholic author and speaker - will be presenting a life-changing event called REBOOT! Live! A number of parishes and in our area are helping Our Lady of Loreto in sponsoring this event. His events usually sell-out, so I wanted to make sure you are aware of it before it does, precisely so you can get your tickets while they last.


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The book thief movie download
25.09.2021	By Kazuki Wheeler
Better World Books. Uploaded by station Internet Archive's 25th Anniversary Logo. Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass. User icon An illustration of a person's head and chest. Sign up Log in. Web icon An illustration downloar a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book.
[Download] The Book of Thief [PDF][Epub][Mobi] - By Markus Zusak
Trailer of The Book Thief ( movie) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
The Book Thief | 20th Century Studios
The Book Thief PDF, Epub: Plot And Review:
The Book Thief () - Stream and Watch Online | Moviefone
The Book Thief movies Download :: ToxicWap
The Book Thief () - IMDb
Watch The Book Thief | Prime Video
Yes, a lot of Nazis chose to support Hitler wholeheartedly, but not everyone had a choice. Of course, writers and journalists who disagreed with Hitler's ways did express their opinions.
Most were put to death. Were the other Germans guilty, because they were afraid for themselves and their families and dared not speak against Hitler? One must also take into consideration thhe Hitler was an excellent orator who convinced Germans of the rightness of his views.
A perfect world - one whose creation would involve genocide, but a perfect world, nonetheless - put yourself in the Germans' places and ask yourself what you would have done if you hadn't had the knowledge you have today. Also consider that there was an age-old bias against Jews Again, I am not justifying the Nazis' actions.
Let's move on to the book itself. I loved the fact that Death narrated the story. Death wasn't portrayed as the stereotypical reaper of souls, cloaked in shadow, clutching a scythe.
Instead, Death was depicted as a wise, gentle, even humane entity who cared about the souls he carried away and paid heed to the world around him. He movie us about things we are too caught up with our daily lives to notice. He tells us of the the colour of the skies, the devastation caused by the war, and curiously enough, he reveals a lot about the human condition.
Overall, it was great to see the story through the eyes of Death. I loved the way Markus Zusak fleshed out his characters. Well thought - out character arcs, realistic characters, amazing world building! Although I still have a lot download learn.
I also like the fact that Markus Zusak did not talk too much about death except at the end. Of course there was a fair bit of death Seeing that the book was narrated by Death himself but Death mostly spoke of souls, not of corpses. I have innumerable pet peeves including essays that must confirm to the word limit when I need a word - limit, and books that are written in the form thief diaries, with each chapter book only one or two pages but what I find most annoying is the fact that authors don't understand that we have enough metaphors for innocence.
Murder time! Stop making faces.
So, for an enjoyable reading of "The Book Thief" hhe need: -The Book obviously -A bar of dark chocolate -Sad accordion music playing in the background -Two to four boxes of tissues I hope this review helped. It is a book about curiosity and creativity and how words can transform a prison and capture the emotions and colors of life.
It about the spark of goodness that can be found in unexpected places. I recommend this highly, despite the fact that I do not like tragedies. For those concerned about such things, there is no gore or sex. There is minimal swearing, which might not even be mocie to be by some.
There is death, war, and implied inhumanity to man, which are so much more offensive to me. The fact that some group of humans can classify another group of humans as a lesser group and massacre them is inconceivable.
But it has happened many times in the past and even in modern times. Just because they were another race. This movie does an astounding job at depicting life during that time and the difficulties thr groups faced as a result of Hitler's regime. The characters in the movie are alive and compassionate.
The innocent girl Liesel powerfully demonstrates the raw emotions and thoughts throughout her experience.
Also unclear was the concept of how words have the power of life, and the title "Book Thief" only played a minor role in the film. From what I have learned subsequently, the book that the plot is based on emphasizes this much more strongly, and many people who have come from the book and watched the film found it a very unsatisfying adaptation. The Book Thief | ToxicWap. Story: In , the young girl Liesel Meminger is traveling by train with her mother and her younger brother when he dies. Her mother buries the boy in a cemetery by the tracks and Liesel picks up a book, "The Gravediggers Handbook", which was left on the grave of her brother and brings it with her. Oct 03, · Released October 3rd, , 'The Book Thief' stars Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nélisse, Emily Watson, Nico Liersch The PG movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 11 min, and received a user score of
Hans Hubermann is a loving and humane individual that is also a great parent. Max fights for his life and is strong willed. The quote referenced above spoken by Max is my personal favorite in the movie. It is a short statement, but holds so much meaning and emotion. Humanity is something that everyone should treasure in their hearts, but can be pushed aside by other emotions like hatred, anger, and resentment.
This movie reminds the viewers about the atrocious events that happened in the past, and warns the viewers of its consequences. Lastly, it reminds everyone of their humanity.
This film was based on the novel of the same name by Markus Zusak. Liesel is a young girl who is taken in by a foster family in Germany. There are some particularly fine performances from the actors who play Liesel Sophie Nelisse and her adoptive father Geoffrey Rushand their characterization is very good.
I also appreciated how the film shows the effect of the movue on ordinary German civilians, some of whom were caught up in the patriotism, but others who selflessly rownload against the regime to protect life. This offers a fresh perspective on a subject World War 2 which often sees the same ground covered in films, but fortunately that is not the case here.
The film is rated PG, but mostly due to the violence that forms the background to the story and bkok more implied than shown; there's no real blood or gore. Without needing to resorting to graphic violence, the film shows the very real effect of war on lives like Liesel's.
It also has a very positive message about self-sacrifice and love for the neighbour. While there are many good aspects to the film, it still felt mediocre and disappointing. The personification of Death as narrator was jarring and confusing, and his message about the perplexity of human life was unclear; it's an empty message that offers no real hope, despite attempting to tug at heart-strings.
Also unclear was the concept of how words have the power biok life, and the title "Book Thief" only played a minor role in the film. From what I have learned subsequently, the book that the plot is based on emphasizes this much downolad strongly, and many people who have come from the book and watched the film found it a very unsatisfying adaptation.
Downlload also several instances of blasphemy that are more typical of a modern audience rather than pre-war Germany.
Overall, perhaps this is a case of: Read the book, don't watch the movie. Roger Reviewed in the United States on April 5, We thought this was a great movie overall.
Love historical drama and this echoed Anne Frank. Can only imagine what it would have been like to have lived in Germany during WWII enduring an evil government and living in a doomed country. The role of Death is a great twist and his dialog is intriguing. There was no need odwnload show the dead near the end--it was not gratuitous or anything far from it as it seemed fakeit just took away from the powerful dialog Death had.
It was almost like the producer didn't think the audience would understand what happened unless he showed some bodies. There were so many good scenes though! Christmas bkok the basement and Night in the bomb shelter being ones that stood out for me. I donload this movie and began watching it the same evening.
I switched to a Netflix video which worked ok. Tried to watch the rest of the movie the next evening, and again it stopped before the end and would not restart. Again, Netflix video worked ok. Exclusive Featurette. Photos Top cast Edit. Roger Allam Narrator as Narrator voice …. Rainer Reiners Priest as Priest. Brian Percival.
More like this. Storyline Edit.
Inthe young girl Liesel Meminger is traveling by train with her mother and her younger brother when he dies. The mother buries the boy in a cemetery by the tracks and Liesel picks up a book, "The Gravediggers Handbook", which was left on the grave of her brother and brings it with her. Liesel is delivered to a foster family in a small town and later she learns that her mother left thief because she is a communist.
Her stepmother, Rosa Hubermann, is a rude but caring movie and her stepfather, Hans Hubermann, is a simple kind-hearted man. Liesel befriends her next door neighbor, the boy Rudy Steiner, and they go together to the school. When Hans discovers mpvie Liesel cannot download, he teaches her using her book and Liesel becomes an obsessed reader.
During a Nazi speech where the locals are forced to burn books in a bonfire, Liesel recovers one book for her and the Mayor's wife Ilsa Hermann witnesses her action. Meanwhile Hans hides the Jewish Max Vandenburg, who is the son of a deceased friend that saved his life in the war, in the basement of his house and Liesel becomes his friend.
One day, Rosa asks Liesel to deliver mivie to the Mayor and Ilsa invites Liesel to go to her library and tells that she can visit book to read whenever she wants. But in times of war there are thiff threats and the lives of Liesel, her family and friends will never be the same. Courage beyond words. Rated PG for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material.
Did you know Edit.
The book thief : Zusak, Markus : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Trivia One of the books that Liesel read to Max when he was sick is actually the book The Book Thief itself, containing the sentence: "what came to her then was the dustiness of the floor, the feeling that her clothes were more mivie to her than on her, and the sudden realisation that this would all be for nothing".
Goofs While in the basement, Hans comments that the snowman will not melt because "it's freezing down here," yet no character's breath can be seen in the air, despite the fact that all are breathing heavily.
Nov 08, · The Book Thief. PG 2h 9min. November 8, Drama. Based on the beloved best-selling book comes this profoundly moving story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II, Germany. Although Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is illiterate when she is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush and Emily Actors: Nico Liersch. Oct 03, · Released October 3rd, , 'The Book Thief' stars Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nélisse, Emily Watson, Nico Liersch The PG movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 11 min, and received a user score of Oct 17, · The Book Thief () Movie Download Free; The Book Thief Movie Review; Geoffrey Rush at an event for The Book Thief () Ben Schnetzer and Sophie. One important point of this movie is that it is not about the Holocaust like most. The Book Thief: In , the young girl Liesel Meminger is traveling by train with her mother and her younger.
The visibility of breath in the cold is determined by not only the temperature, but also the relative humidity, so it is possible for it to be cold without the characters' breath showing. Quotes [from trailer] Max Vandenburg : If your eyes could speak, what would they say?
Connections Featured in 71st Golden Globe Awards User reviews Review. Top review. The story loses some of its steam in migrating from page to screen, but it's still a powerful tale, relatively well-told. Many books have been deemed 'unfilmable' - but anyone who's read Markus Zusak's heartbreaking, thought-provoking The Book Thief would think it especially so.
An often grim, unrelentingly dark and yet sadly uplifting novel about Nazi Germany in the throes of World War II - narrated by Death itself? Reviews for director Brian Percival's lush, snow-swept movie adaptation have not been kind, suggesting that the book would have been better left alone.
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President Thein Sein had a rare meeting on Monday with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss constitutional changes and the first election under the country's new democratic system.
YANGON — President Thein Sein had a rare meeting on Monday with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss constitutional changes and the first election under the country's new democratic system, a minister said.
It was the fifth round of talks between the two since the Nobel laureate's release from house arrest in 2010 and coincided with a sharpening debate over a constitution that grants a powerful political role to the military but bars Suu Kyi from becoming president.
"It was a one-on-one meeting and they discussed matters concerning constitutional amendments and holding a free and fair general election," presidential spokesman and information minister Ye Htut said on his Facebook page late on Monday. He did not elaborate.
Thein Sein approved a constitutional referendum law last month following domestic and international pressure to reform a political system long stacked in favour of the military. The army oversaw 49 years of brutal rule and left the Southeast Asian country impoverished and chronically underdeveloped.
Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party want to change the constitution, which the military drafted with a clause preventing anyone with a spouse or children of foreign citizenship from becoming president.
Suu Kyi, the daughter of late independence hero Aung San, has British sons and remains hugely popular in Burma. The NLD doubts any referendum this year would address the exclusion clause.
Thein Sein's success in convincing Suu Kyi to enter a political arena controlled by the same generals who for years had persecuted her was among several surprise moves since 2011 that saw him praised as a reformer.
However, she may need to be convinced to run again. Suu Kyi said in December it was "too early" for the NLD to commit to the election, slated for the end of this year. That followed the government's lukewarm response to an NLD petition backed by five million people in favour of charter change.
Political analyst Yan Myo Thein said he hoped Thein Sein had good intentions and that his holding of the meeting was not a ploy to reduce political pressure.
"The most important thing I hope is that the government doesn't use this opportunity just for creating breathing space," he said.


text:
Q: Can you use SOQL Date Literals in Apex? Date Literals are really helpful in SOQL queries. There are times in Apex where it would be really helpful to be able to use the literals or some sort of easy equivalent (not in a SOQL query). Is there any easy way to do this or is the best solution to try and hack to together using Date functions?
An example - let's say I want to know if a particular date was in the last quarter - in SOQL I could do something like:
SELECT Id FROM Opportunity WHERE closedate = LAST_QUARTER

I'd like to be able to do something similar in Apex:
if(o.closedate == LAST_QUARTER){
  //do something
}

It can be tough to figure this out, especially with people using different quarters, locales, etc. The SOQL date literals do a great job and I'd like to be able to reuse that logic in Apex. Yes, I could rewrite it using date functions but it's not a trivial task, especially when you take in to account the idea of it being part of a package and it having to adjust for different customers.
It's mostly useful when trying to find time frames that are harder to define, like weeks and quarters.
I realize something like my example doesn't exist, but I didn't know if there was something similar out there that SFDC has to make these things easier.

A: There is no way to do this by standard. If you do write the code to do this though I'd encourage you to share it as a utility class on GitHub. If you do so and it proves useful it may well end up being incorporated in platform like ApexLang was.
All the new String methods in the previous release came from open sourced code like this, and once it's part of the platform it no longer contributes excessively to governor limits (i.e. you'd get one statement count increment for calling the method, not one for each line of the method.).