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Episode from the podcastPhantom Power
Ep. 12: A Book Unbound (Jacob Smith)
Released Thursday, 28th March 2019
SoundMusicArtsCulture
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What would it be like if scholars presented their research in sound rather than in print? Better yet, what if we could hear them in the act of their research and analysis, pulling different historical sounds from the archives and rubbing them against one another in an audio editor?
In today's episode, we get to find out what such an innovative scholarly audiobook would sound like–because our guest has created the first one! Jacob Smith's ESC (University of Michigan Press) is a fascinating sonic exploration of postwar radio drama and contemporary sound art, as well as a meditation on how humans have reshaped the ecological fate of the planet. Before we listen to an excerpt of ESC, Mack interviews Jake about how his skills as a former musician came in handy for his work as an audio academic.
You can listen to ESC: Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene in its entirety for free courtesy of the University of Michigan Press.
You can also watch Jake's 90s band The Mysteries of Life perform in the "bad music video" Jake mentions or on Conan O'Brien.
Jacob Smith is founder and director of the Master of Arts in Sound Arts and Industries, and professor in the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University. He is the author of three print-based books on sound: Vocal Tracks: Performance and Sound Media (University of California Press 2008); Spoken Word: Postwar American Phonograph Cultures(University of California Press 2011); and Eco-Sonic Media (University of California Press, 2015). He writes and teaches about the cultural history of media, with a focus on sound and performance.
Today's show was edited by Craig Eley and featured music by Blue Dot Sessions. Our intern is Gina Moravec.
[ethereal music plays]
[CRIS CHEEK]
This…is…Phantom Power.
[MACK HAGOOD]
[CRIS]
A book unbound.
[MAN ANNOUNCER]
Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you escape. Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today. For a half hour of high adventure.
[old, dramatic music plays. In between are people listing off natural disasters.]
[MACK]
Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode. This is Mack Hagood. My partner chris cheek is out, so you just got me today. What you just heard is an excerpt from ESC. A fascinating project that's one part podcast, one part audiobook. And it's produced by my guest today, Jacob Smith. Jake is the founder and director of the Master of Arts in Sound Arts and Industries program at Northwestern University, where he's also a professor in the Department of Radio, Television, and Film. So, for those of you who are regular listeners to the show, you know that I work in this disciplinary space that gets called sound studies. So we have all these folks working in this space of sound studies. And yet, how do we publish all of this research that we generate? We publish it in print, or in pixels on the screen, right? We do it via the written word. And that's why I was so excited about having Jake Smith on today because he is challenging that paradigm, working in sound, and doing something that really could only be done in sound. His new project ESC is an audio native audiobook.
[guitar music plays]
So what do I mean by that? So basically, this is a book length critical reading of a CBS radio drama from the 1940s and 50s called Escape. But instead of just reading about the radio drama, we actually hear the radio drama itself. And through Jake's excellent production techniques, we also hear his criticism, and we hear these sounds sort of matched up against the work of contemporary sound artists. The through line argument of the the piece is that this moment in the 40s and 50s, after World War Two, when this radio drama was being produced, is also the moment that was sort of a tipping point in the Earth's geological history. It's the moment when human beings start having a larger impact on the Earth's ecology than any other natural force does.
[guitar music fades out]
So it's an adventurous project. It required an adventurous editor, which Jake was able to find in Mary Francis at the University of Michigan press. So we're going to listen to this interview with Jake about the production. We're also going to listen to excerpts of the production and then at the end of this podcast we'll listen to a nice long chunk of the first episode of ESC. But first, we started off by talking about the iconic theme song for the show.
[theme song plays, which is Night on Bald Mountain]
[JACOB SMITH]
So first of all, I can't take credit for writing the theme song. That's Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.
Oh, right. Okay.
[JACOB]
It's the theme song to the show escape. When I was doing the proof of concept. I'd had these conversations with Mary like, maybe it could just be audio. Maybe I could just make this argument in sound. Instead of just having a few clips, maybe I could really weave my discussion
into actually listening to the episode and to the story. It would be kind of like a DVD commentary, but with my commentary just kind of woven into the audio itself and bring in work by these other amazing sound artists, etc. So Mary was like, well, let's just just try it, do a proof of concept, do one episode, and see if it works. And at that point, I totally panicked. This could not work at all, you know, conceptually, this might work. And so one of the first things I decided to do was make a theme song. And so maybe I could make my own version of the escape theme. But again, this is the very early stages, and I'm thinking, this might not work at all that maybe this is a terrible idea. I sat down with my guitar Okay, I'll learn the song, let's see if this will work. I have no idea if this will translate into something that I could make. But I had this great Omen, which is I sat down and played the opening theme from escape. And it was in A minor. If you're a guitar player, you know this was not E flat minor or you know, C sharp It was a flat so I could just pick up my guitar and just strum this big open cord and I was like, this is gonna work because I can play this. It's an A minor. So that was the first moment where I felt like oh, maybe my embodied skills as a musician intersect here with my scholarly work because I can play in A minor and I can play version of this theme song. So that was kind of the beginning of the proof of concept working for me. I was a musician and recorded music for many years playing in bands and touring around in a van and making records, making some really bad music videos.
[Jacob's music plays, which is mainly vocals and guitar. Song fades out.]
That it ended up being something that was kind of disconnected from my academic work. I still wrote about music and sound and voice. But any recording or musical performance that I did was something kind of separate and different. It had its own little separate section on my CV at the end of my CV there's something like additional professional work and would list all the musical things I did, but it didn't really live with the other stuff it wasn't, didn't count as a publication. It ended up being really exciting for me to try to recombine those. To think about how working with sound sound editing, my own vocal performance might be woven back into the spectrum of my academic work.
[low, ethereal music plays]
The radio drama series escape, ran on the CBS Radio Network between 1947 and 1954. Escape was an anthology drama, which meant there was a new original story for each episode. It's earned a place among the pantheon of shows that are considered to be classics of the Golden Age of American Radio. When it came time to do a new project, what I decided I really want
wanted to do was to bring ego criticism into sound studies or to explore how might those things live together? What might sound studies bring to ego criticism, what my ego criticism bring to sound studies? And one way that I found that those two things met was around the concept of the Anthropocene. Scientists and environmental critics differ about when the Anthropocene begins, but many see a decisive shift occurring immediately following World War Two.
[explosion sound effect plays]
At that time, fallout from nuclear explosions left a mark in the planet's geological strata, and a great acceleration in resource extraction, population growth and energy consumption, meant that the world's ecosystems began to change more rapidly and extensively than in any other comparable period in human history. I was really compelled by the fact that that's also the end of the Golden Age of American Radio Drama, when radio was such a vibrant way of telling stories and a powerful narrative media form in American cultural life. I started to get really interested in how might I hear the birth of the Anthropocene in this era of Golden Age Radio.
[older radio show plays]
[MALE ANNOUNCER]
The Columbia Network takes pleasure in bringing you "Suspence."
[omminous music plays]
"Suspense." Colombia's parade about standing thrillers. Produced and directed by
William Sphere and scored by Bernard Herrmann. The notable melodramas from stage and screen, fiction and radio presented each week to bring you to the edge of your chair to keep you in suspence.
So I'm listening to lots and lots of Golden Age radio partly inspired by my colleague Neil Varmus work, partly inspired by this sense that it's a time that's coinciding with the birth of the Anthropocene. At the same time, I'm listening to all this wonderful work by contemporary sound artists working in the area of field recording, using digital tools to go out into the world, allowing us to listen to the natural world in a really dramatic new way.
[nature sounds play]
I found myself wanting to create a mashup of those two things. It felt like two very different Golden Ages of sound work. On the one hand this. studio based radio drama of the late 40s and early 50s.
We offer you "Escape."
And then this beautiful new flowering of field Recording by people at Chris Watson, Yana winter, Sally Mcintyre, Christina Cooper, Peter Cosack, really inspiring work that was opening my ears to the non human world. I wanted to bring these two things together. I find myself listening to these incredible cinematic field recordings, but then wanting it to turn into a narrative. Like the Golden Age radio shows I was listening to.
[MALE VOICE]
I awoke late in the afternoon, a sharp hunger picking at me.
Then while I was listening to these Golden Age radio shows, I kept on wanting it to stop for a minute and just immerse me in a space, the way the field recordings would.
[animal and nature sound play]
So in each episode, I tried to leave a lot of space for sound to let the work of sound artists speak for itself, or to let that kind of interesting mashup of post war, adventure storytelling collide with field recordings. To create a very different kind of emotional experience. So I found myself
reimagining the argument in all kinds of ways in the process of doing it in sound. I also found that the emotional element of the argument would come out in all kinds of different ways. It starts to become much more of a musical experience. And for me, at least, that meant a more emotional kind of experience. It just really changed the process of writing for me.
[Sad, slow music plays]
Yes, the use of sound to actually open up an idea. And I think it's particularly important, as you said, because it provides that emotional level but also because it provides time for people to process what they've just heard. Because when you're reading a book, you can look up and God knows I do this all the time. I swear, when I read, I think I spend more time looking at the ceiling then at the book, which is why I'm such a slow reader. I just get interested in an idea that I just want to sit there and think about it. The podcast, if you're just talking the whole time, you're not providing anyone time to do that. To make their own contribution to the conversation in their head.
Yeah, I think that was one of the biggest things I learned in the process of working on ESC was that kind of temporality. Very different from writing, where it's just kind of one idea after the other. I really started to feel the places where I needed to slow down and leave some space, or bring in sound to give the listener room to digest or think about an idea. And that was one thing that, for me was really beautiful about engaging so closely with these Golden Age radio narratives. Because those guys really knew what they were doing. You know, they're really tight 30 minute narratives. And at just the moment where you need to catch a breath, they'll be this little beautiful little three second musical riff.
[More of the audio drama plays. A man speaks, followed by a music interlude.]
I ended up using those all the time throughout ESC, because it would be at that point in my analysis where it was like we need to break, we need to catch our breath. So just the rhythm and the temporality of making an argument in sound, felt different and could move more into music or into umbeyonce. And I really loved those transitions.
Yeah, and that's something I really like about your podcast is that those little musical breaks or Sonic breaks, sometimes you made them. Sometimes a sound artists made them in the past decade. Sometimes they come from decades in the past. And so they're all these different textures of those pauses, which I find is super rich in sonically just stimulating.
That's one thing I've really learned from Neil Verma. He's really showed me how one of the exciting things about sound studies now is starting to think across sounds, and get a broader sense of the history of audio work. It's kind of only now in some ways that we're able to line up these different traditions of sound art and sound work in a way that say filmmakers have been doing for a long time. I think about New Hollywood directors who are constantly making references to classical Hollywood in the 30s, 50s culture in 70s films. We're kind of used to that interesting polyphonic dialogue in film culture. And that's one of the things that I wanted to bring to ESC. That it's not just about this podcasting moment, but how can we line up this podcasting moment with exciting things going on and field recording and sound art but also with this earlier era of sound work that has its own kind of wonderful nuance all these things might live together in new kinds of ways. And I think that's one of the things that the emergence of sound studies is helping us to hear.
And now, here's more from Jacob Smith's ESC Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene.
Let's get started with one of the most popular stories told on escape, which begins like this.
[Epic music plays]
[MALE NARRATOR]
Tonight, we escaped to a lonely Lighthouse of the steaming jungle coast of French Guiana and the nightmare world of terror and violence as we bring you again in response to hundreds of requests, Three skeleton Key starring Vincent Price.
[theme song plays]
This is the opening of the Escape adaptation of George Gustaf's short story, Three Skeleton Key. As you can hear from that reference to hundreds of requests. This was a popular story and Escape broadcasted on three different occasions in 1949, 1950, and 1953. Not only was Three Skeleton Key one of the most popular episodes of escape, but it features some prominent themes that cut across the entire run of the show. In particular, it's one of 70 episodes of Escape that take place along the network of global shipping. This means that more than one third of Escape stories took place in the mid century network of ocean going ships, ports, and in this case, lighthouses. So, Three Skeleton Key is a representative episode of escape, because the theme of ties is a global news network of travel and trade, but it also depicts the infrastructure of that network in a state of disruption and collapse. In this and the next two episodes of my podcast, we'll be listening to some of Escapes infrastructural adventures. This means I'll be paying attention to the infrastructure in the narrative, and to the narrative of the infrastructure, to how sites like lighthouses can be the fictional settings for adventure, as well as features of the environment with their own history. We'll see that this kind of infrastructural disposition is a useful way to help us bring an environmental awareness to these shows. Infrastructure sites can be contact zones between human networks and non human creatures, and they require that we think about multiple levels of scale from the personal to the global. We're listening to a recording that was made by the sound artist Alan lamb. These are sounds made by an abandoned telegraph wire in the Australian outback. By bringing those wires to life, lambs work is a great example of how sound art can have an infrastructural disposition.
[the sound plays]
At the start of Three Skeleton Key, we meet Jean played by Vincent Price. Jean's a member of a three person crew that maintains the lonely lighthouse described in the opening announcement. Jean sets the scene.
[JEAN]
Picture this place, a gray tapering cylinder welded by iron rods and concrete to the key itself. A bear Black Rock 150 feet long, maybe 40 wide. That's at low tide. At high tide, just the lighthouse rising 110 feet straight up out of the ocean. Set in the base of the light was a watertight bronze door, and in you went, and up. Yes, up and up and round and round past the tanks of oil in the coils of rope casks of wicks, racks of lantern, sax of spots, and cartons and cans and up and up and up around and around. Over the light store room was the food store room and over the food store room was the bunk room where the three of us slept. And over the bunk room…
This opening sequence establishes the broadcast as what Nicole Starosielski calls a nodal narrative. That's a story that takes place within the node of an infrastructural network like this lighthouse. The lighthouse was an essential node in the network of international shipping and Jean explains that his lighthouse exists to warn ships away from dangerous submerged reefs.
Lighthouses like Jean's proliferated in the second half of the 19th century, with the rise of steam powered shipping and increased calls for coastal aids to navigation. We're listening to the sound of foghorns, a sonic component in this ship to shore technological infrastructure. The construction of lighthouses on the bare rock of an exposed coast required sophisticated tools and new engineering techniques, and they were recognized as a stunning technological achievement comparable to the great suspension bridges, railways and early skyscrapers of the era. Francis coastal light technology was considered to be the gold standard at this time, which makes it fitting that Three Skeleton Key is set in a French lighthouse. Moreover, French Diana had a reputation as an outpost at the edge of the civilized world, and was widely considered to be uncolonisable by Europeans due in part to it's dangerous harbors and malarial swamps. That reputation was reinforced when it became a French penal colony in the 1850s. That history is referenced in the story. When we learned that the name Three Skeleton Key refers to three convicts who escaped from the penal colony, only to die of hunger on the rocks. When they were discovered, all that remained of them was their bones picked clean by the birds. It's here that we should note that escape had preferred sites of adventure, and it's episodes tended to cluster in particular geographical areas, like the South Sea Islands, South America, Africa, India and the Caribbean. This is a reminder that the years when escape was on the air coincide not only with the golden age of radio and the dawn of the Anthropocene, but with the period of decolonization and whatever else it might be. The show is an archive of sensibilities shaped by Western imperialism, colonial and corporate exploitation, racism, and white male heterosexual fantasy.
So listening adventurously to Escape will require a post colonial as well as an eco critical ear.
The French Diana setting also amplifies the sense that the lighthouse is a network node that situated precariously within its surrounding environment.
And all about it the churning water, great greens scum dappled warm like soup and sweet
warming with gigantic back like devil fish, great violet schools of Portuguese men of war and yes, sharks, the big ones, the 15 footers. If this weren't enough, there was a hot, dank rotten smelling wind that came at us day and night off the jungle swamps at the mainland, a wind that smelled like death.
So from the perspective of an infrastructural disposition, the opening minutes of Three Skeleton Key signal that this will be a nodal narrative in which strategies of installation will play a central role. In other words, this is going to be a drama about a struggle to keep the lighthouse separate from its surrounding environment. To stabilize the steady flow of traffic through the global shipping network.
[sound of water]
That dramatic tension is enacted on the level of the show's sound design. Jean ends his tour of the lighthouse in the gallery, where his description of the light is accompanied by shimmering orchestra stabs.
She was a beauty. big steel and bronze baby with a son gleaming through the glass wall. All about bouncing blinding little beams of the big shining reflectors, delivering and refracting through her lenses. The whole gigantic bulk of our balance like a ballerina on the glistening steel axle have a rotary mechanism. She was a sweetheart of a light.
[sound of a clicking light]
I want to think more about this sound, the clicking of the lights mechanism. So I've looped this section of the broadcast. This is another strategy that I'll be using throughout the podcast to reboot Escape for an era of digital audio. Now that Escape's episodes exist as digital files available online. Not only can I match them up with contemporary sound art, but I can manipulate them. Zooming into details that were left in the background of the original broadcast.
The sound of the steady regular clicking of the light in operation is what Roland Barton might call a Russell, the sound of the good functioning of a machine. It's happy machines that Russell Bart writes. Like the PR have a well tuned engine. The clicking of the light provides a reassuring sign of multiple parts in coordinated motion, the smooth working of a complex integrated mechanical system. The sonic contrast to the light's reassuring Russell arrives in spectacular form. When Jean and his co workers notice a derelict ship heading directly towards the reef.
[dramatic music plays]
A green master a big one about a half mile off and coming down out of the north northwest coming straight for us. You must understand our light was what it was for a very good reason. Dangerous submerged reef surrounded us and ships kept clear, but this one, this sailing vessel was coming straight on.
Once the ship gets close enough to observe with binoculars, the men are horrified at what they discover.
I had to focus and then my breath froze in my throat. The decks were swarming with a dark brown carpet that looked like a gigantic fungus but undulating and on the mass and yards the guys and all were hundreds no thousands no mil- I don't know. An endless number of enormous rats.
The ship crashes against the reef and the mass of hungry rats and circle and ingolf the lighthouse.
[MAN]
Look, see them?
No. Oh yes, I do. up at the other end of the rock. Millions.
They smell us. Here they come. Close the door.
[sound of rats scurrying and a door struggling to get closed]
This non human multitude is a showcase for stunning sound effects. The squealing rats were created in the studio by rubbing wet corks on a sheet of glass. The sound effects of the show were admired by radio professionals as well as audiences as indicated by this announcement at the end of the episode.
sound effects on Three Skeleton Key created by Cliff Thorsness and executed today by Mr. Thorsness, Gus Bays, and Jack Smith had been awarded the best of the Year by Radio and Television Life magazine.
Later in the show, the chaotic sound of the rats is contrasted with the soothing Russell of the machine. During a scene in which the animals cover the gallery windows and admit pained screeches when the beam from the rotating light touches them.
The light drove them mad as it swung slowly and smoothly she blinded them with a fierce, stabbing bar of light moving continually about. Moving around and around and they twitching and shuttering eyes flaming when they were struck by the light. The bright light moving and behind on the dark side of the room so close so close. I did not turn my back but you cannot help turning your back when you're in a room made of glass and the dark side of the room you could not see them only their eyes, thousands of black, lights blinking and twinkling lights like the czars of hell.
The dissonant harmony of Russell and squeak is the sonic representation of the tension between infrastructure and environment that structures the story. Remember that one of my goals is to concretize the abstract spaces of escapes adventures. I've already added some concrete details about the lighthouse to ground it in a history of French colonialism and modern engineering. What might happen if we learn some more concrete details about the rats? Ships rats, like the ones in this story are often the example of a worst case scenario of an invasive species.
[mellow music plays]
One famous account of the devastating impact that ships rats can have on a fragile Island ecosystem concerns a small volcanic island northeast of Australia. In June of 1918, a ship called the SS Mocambo struck a reef off of Lord Howe Island and rats from the ship scurry to shore, causing an immediate and drastic reduction in birdlife on the island. Within three years of the rat's arrival, five species of endemic forest birds had become extinct. In 1921, a resident of the island wrote that just two years earlier, the forests of Lord Howe Island where joyous with the notes of myriad birds, large and small, and of many kinds. Two years later, the ravages of the rats had made the call of a bird a rarity, such that the quietness of death reigns were all was melody.
Sally-anne McIntyre is a sound artist whose work addresses the issue of extinction.
[SALLY-ANNE MCINTYRE]
ThIS IS THE hollow type of the Lord Howl Swamp Hen. Extinct. There are two skins of this bird in existence. One here at the Natural History Museum. And one in Liverpool at the World Museum. There are also several paintings and some fossil bones.
McIntyre goes to museums and makes recordings of specimens of extinct birds, like this Lord Howe Island swamp Hen. The eerie silence of these stuffed birds, is a powerful way to draw our attention to the irrevocable loss of extinction.
[silence]
McIntyre is the kind of ecologically minded sound artist whose field recordings I want to put in conversation with Escape's studio based adventures. In another work, McIntyre transcribed written accounts of the call of the extinct Hooya bird to be played on music boxes.
[the bird call is played]
She then playback he's ghostly sounds in the birds original habitat. We call Baquteen's example of the abstract spaces of adventure. For a shipwreck one must have a sea, but which particular sea, makes no difference at all. When we listen to Adventure this might be true. It doesn't make much difference at the lighthouse is off the coast of French Diana, or Africa or India or New Zealand. But if we listen adventurously from the perspective of island ecosystems like Lord Howe Island, then concrete geographical and ecological details about the history of ships rats, for example, start to make a great deal of difference. And Three Skeleton Key begins to sound in a different way. By telling the story of an isolated island community under siege by a horde of ships rats, Three Skeleton Key facilitates a mode of adventurous listening from a non human perspective, placing us in the position of lard, how islands extinct fan tales, fly eaters and starlings.
And that's it for this episode of Phantom Power. To hear ESC in its entirety, head over to the University of Michigan website. The link is in the show notes for this podcast and on our website where as always, you can learn more about Phantom Power and find transcripts and links to the things we talked about. And also find previous episodes of our show. It's at Phantompod.org. You can also subscribe to our show there or wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love it if you'd rate and review us in Apple Podcasts. And you can also find out about us on Facebook and Twitter. Today's show was edited by Craig Eley with music by Jake Smith Span, the Mysteries of Life and Blue Dot Sessions. Thanks to our intern Gina Moravec. Phantom Power is produced with support from the Robert H and Nancy J. Blaney Endowment, the Miami University Humanities Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities
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On Phantom Power, Mack Hagood explores the world of sound in the arts, music, and culture. Deep but accessible, each episode features the sounds and ideas of a contemporary artist, musician, or sound scholar. Detailed production makes these more than just interviews--they're movies for your mind.
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29. Edgewell
25. Merck
7. Shiseido
30. Yanbal
Accupac
10. Diversey
Sturtevant, WI
www.diversey.com
$3.1 billion. Net income: $64 million.
Key Personnel:
Helen Johnson-Leipold, chairman; Edward F. Lonergan, president and chief executive officer; John Alexander, regional president, Americas; Moreno Dezio, regional president, Europe; Nobuyoshi Yamanaka, regional president, Japan; Yagmur Sagnak, regional president, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Turkey; Pedro Chidichimo, president, global customer solutions and innovation.
Major Products:
Cleaning and hygiene solutions and services that are used in commercial, institutional and industrial facilities. The company operates in six categories: food service, food processing, floor care, restroom/other housekeeping, laundry and industrial. Brands include: Complete, ShowPlace, SnapBack, Virex, Alpha HP, G-Force, Crew, Soft Care, Good Sense, Endbac, Signature, J-Fill, Taski, Jonmaster, Suma, DuBois, Dify and Divermite. In addition, the company owns other well-known brands such as Butcher's, Johnson Wax Professional, U.S. Chemical, Drackett Professional and PurEco Certified Green Products (Europe), as well as the Greenguard-Certified Healthy High Performance Cleaning program (includes products, tools and procedures).
New Products:
Proteus Activator Washing System, Signet Cleaning Chemical Service, One Step Fryer Boil-Out, Taski by Diversey floor care machine.
The deal is sealed. On June 1, Sealed Air Corporation agreed to acquire Diversey Holdings Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at $4.3 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed this year.
The purchase is a net gain to Diversey shareholders of $2.9 billion after accounting for $1.4 billion in debt. Much of that debt was due to Johnson Wax Professional's 2002 acquisition of Diversey Lever to become JohnsonDiversey.
Sealed Air, the Bubble Wrap maker, calls itself a leading provider of food and industrial system solutions that help ensure that food retains its freshness, products arrive undamaged, and transit efficiencies are maximized to reduce energy and waste. Sealed Air is focused on pioneering a differentiated, proprietary range of offerings in material science, automation technology and service-based solutions in order to provide comprehensive solutions to its customers. Sealed Air operates in 52 countries, employs more than 16,000 people and generated net sales of $4.5 billion in 2010.
"This transaction represents a strategic growth opportunity that leverages Sealed Air's core competencies and positions our company to further capitalize on the megatrends that drive both businesses," said William V. Hickey, president and chief executive officer, Sealed Air. "With Diversey, we will expand our footprint beyond specialty packaging solutions by gaining entry into a $40+ billion chemical cleaning and hygiene industry that has attractive fundamentals and is already in our value chain. This combination is also financially compelling, and we expect it to deliver enhanced earnings per share and free cash flow generation, creating meaningful value for our shareholders."
After the transaction closes, Edward F. Lonergan, president and chief executive officer of Diversey, and his team will join Sealed Air and Lonergan will continue to lead the Diversey business.
According to the companies, the move creates a global leader in sustainable solutions that provide hygiene, protection, food safety and security; extends the geographic footprint and enhances growth opportunities in developing regions, expands revenue opportunity with overlapping customer base, broadens solutions offering and combines complementary business models.
Obviously, the sale will end the Johnson family's control of Diversey. Until the acquisition by Sealed Air, the Johnson family owned 51% of Diversey. After the closing, Diversey shareholders will own about 15% of Sealed Air common stock.
In an interview with The Journal Times of Racine, Helen Johnson-Leipold, Diversey's chairman,called the sale, "difficult because we have pride in ownership in building a company into what it is."
The only other company sale experience the Johnson family has is the 2006 sale of Diversey subsidiary Johnson Polymer to BASF. In smaller deals, SC Johnson sold Edge, Johnson Outdoors sold its rod-and-reel business and Johnson Financial Group sold its Swiss subsidiary.
At press time, Sealed Air plans to maintain Diversey's business unit for the Americas, and research and development functions. Diversey employs more than 600 at the site.
For its part, Sealed Air spokesman Ken Aurichio said no workforce-related decisions have been made. "In this case, while the businesses are complementary, they're still fairly stand-alone." Aurichio added, "I wouldn't see any sort of dramatic reductions" in workforce.
Johnson-Leipold also told The Journal Times that no decisions have been made. "But I think it's obvious we provide a different skill set than Sealed Air."
Air Care/Environmental Fragrance | AP/Deo | Color Cosmetics | Disinfectants | Fine Fragrance | Hair Care | Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace | Insect Control | Laundry Care | Oral Care | OTC/Medicated | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care | Sun Care
There aren't any major surprises in The International Top 30, our 28th annual ranking of the biggest companies in the household and personal products industry with headquarters outside the US. Unilever remains No. 1 and L'Oréal No.…
Air Care/Environmental Fragrance | AP/Deo | Color Cosmetics | Disinfectants | Fine Fragrance | Hair Care | Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace | Laundry Care | Oral Care | OTC/Medicated | Packaging | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care | Sun Care
Direct Sellers Are Headed In Opposite Directions
47. Spartan Chemical
Maumee, OH www.spartanchemical.com Sales: $190 million. Key Personnel: Stephen H. Swigart, chairman; John Swigart, president; Jim Lenardson, executive vice president; Scott Libbe, chief financial officer; Justin Black, treasurer; Greg Ford, vi…
21. Zep
Atlanta, GA www.zepinc.com Sales: $680 million (estimated). Key Personnel: Steven B. Klinsky, chief executive officer, New Mountain Capital; Edward F. Lonergan, senior advisor, New Mountain Capital; Lou Purvis, chief executive officer, Zep Inc…
12. New Diversey
Charlotte, NC www.diverseycare.com Sales: $2.6 billion. Key Personnel: Dr. Ilham Kadri, president, New Diversey. Major Products: Cleaning and hygiene solutions and services, sold under the Diversey and Taski names, that are used in commerci…
Color Cosmetics | Disinfectants | Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace | Laundry Care | Skin Care
12. Clorox
Oakland, CA www.clorox.com Sales: $2.6 billion for household and institutional cleaners and personal care products. Corporate sales: $5.8 billion. Key Personnel: Benno Dorer, chairman and chief executive officer; James Foster, executive vic…
7. Ecolab
St. Paul, MN www.ecolab.com Sales: $4.5 billion for institutional cleaning products. Corporate sales: $13.1 billion. Key Personnel: Douglas M. Baker Jr., chairman and chief executive officer; Larry L. Berger, executive vice president and ch…
Air Care/Environmental Fragrance | AP/Deo | Color Cosmetics | Disinfectants | Fine Fragrance | Hair Care | Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace | Laundry Care | Oral Care | OTC/Medicated | Packaging | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
Cincinnati, OH 513.983.1100 www.pg.com Sales: $48 billion (estimated) for personal care, household care and oral care products. Corporate sales: $76.2 billion for the year ended June 30, 2015. Key Personnel: David S. Taylor, president, chief…
A look at the biggest US companies in the global household and personal products industry.
Disinfectants | I&I Marketplace
47. State Industrial
Cleveland, OH 866.747.2229 www.stateindustrial.com Sales: $115 million Key Personnel: Hal Uhrman, chief executive officer; Brian Limbert, chief operating officer; Jim Beard, senior vice president, marketing; Eric Kowalewski, vice president, operatio…
I&I Marketplace | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
44. Gojo Industries
Akron, OH 330.255.6000 www.gojo.com Sales: $133 million (estimated). Key Personnel: Joe Kanfer, chairman and chief executive officer; Scott Levin, chief financial officer and chief administrative vice president; Harold Tyreman, vice president of sal…
Household Cleaning | I&I Marketplace
40. Turtle Wax
Willowbrook, IL 630.455.3700 www.turtlewax.com Sales: $158 million (estimated). Key Personnel: Denis John Healy, chairman and chief executive officer; Sondra A. Healy, co-chairman; Tom Healy, vice president of global sales and marketing; and Mike Sc…
39. Spartan Chemical Company
Maumee, OH 419.531.5551 www.spartanchemical.com Sales: $164 million. Key Personnel: Stephen H. Swigart, chairman; John Swigart, president; Greg Ford, vice president, sales; Dave Reed, vice president, national accounts. Major Products: Chemical spec…
Atlanta, GA 877.428.9937 www.zepinc.com Sales: $646 million. Net income: $17.4 million for the year ended Aug. 31, 2011. Key Personnel: John K. Morgan, chairman, president and chief executive officer; Mark R. Bachmann, executive vice president and c…
Now part of Sealed Air Sturtevant, WI 262.631.4001 www.diversey.com Sales: $2.5 billion (estimated) for I&I products. Corporate sales: $8.1 billion. Key Personnel: William V. Hickey, president and chief executive officer; Pedro Chidichimo, presi…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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SRA postpones COLP & COFA registrations
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After Josh had a trip to Dinosaur World canceled (too high a risk of velociraptor attack), Josh was left with the desire for a roadtrip but had no apparent destination in mind. The idea of geohashing popped up into his head, so he managed to convince Wade to accompany him on what would be both of their first geohashing expeditions in their home graticule containing Nashville, TN.
After leaving Josh's apartment at about 3:45 p.m., we followed Wade's GPS as it guided us to the hash. It was a rather dull trip until we passed through Cedars of Lebanon State Park. We passed some horse crossings, an apparent wedding, and the usual foliage one would expect in a state park. We even stopped to say hello to a friendly, scruffy-looking dog. After passing a couple abandoned barns, we turned onto the street off which the hash was located. All was fine until we came up to a No Trespassing sign on the dead-end road. As we approached the sign, we noticed a dog jump off the porch of a house up ahead which started trotted towards the gate, so we took a couple pictures with the hash in the background but did not stay long. After beginning to back out towards the main road, we realized that our pictures did not actually contain us in them. Thus, we returned to the No Trespassing sign to remedy this minor error. The same dog trotted farther down the road towards us this time, accompanied by a second dog. Both began to bark at us. We then noticed a third dog on the porch, as well as the house's owner. Wade said he noticed something in the owner's hand, which he presumed to be a gun, so having completed picture-taking, we quickly reversed our way back towards the main road to return home. The trip back was marked by large ominous clouds and a chance encounter with Josh's aunt and uncle from Memphis.
by almost reaching the (36, -86) geohash on 2010-07-31.
This page was last modified on 14 November 2014, at 20:00.


Legal Rx: Suicide and hastening death are different--death with dignity should be seen as just that.
Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said there was no excuse for hastening patients' deaths.
By not hastening the process, we will gain a little time in which we can prepare for the natural consequences of global warming, such as desertification, rising sea levels and great movements of displaced people.
I think the Internet is hastening China along the same path that South Korea, Chile, and Taiwan pioneered: In each place, a booming economy nurtured a middle class, leading to better schools, more international contact, and a growing squeamishness about torturing dissidents.
I commend the Vatican for hastening the resignation of Fr.
But there are resources for people who seek help in hastening their own death in a gentle, quick, and certain way--despite the fanatics and the obstacles.
Doctors appear willing to use intensive measures to lessen otherwise untreatable pain and severe symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment, at least in theory, risks hastening the dying process, according to a pair of studies on end-of-life care from Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Since the outset of the PCI Express initiative, our aim was to deliver a top-to-bottom family of PCI Express graphics cards to our OEM customers, hastening the PCI Express transition," said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President Marketing and General Manager, Desktop, ATI Technologies.
Despite perceptions that consideration of hastening death is uncommon among people at the end of life, this may not be the case.
The March 15th New York Times reported that O'Neill criticized President Bush's decision to impose tariffs on imported steel in "off-the-record comments after a dinner speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York Among the more than 200 people attending were "members of the staff of The New York Times who are also members of the Council on Foreign Relations," noted the report, hastening to add: "But this article is based on information obtained independently.
A federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children of the slain bank robber alleging Matasareanu was denied medical treatment, hastening his death.
In this respect, patient empowerment encompasses both pain control and the hastening of inevitable death.


Rare estate property within the gates of Ravenna. Offering the finest of Colorado living with 12,880 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space, this custom home is immaculate with 4 bedroom and 6 bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, elevator, detached casita, and much more! Stunning outdoor living spaces with spectacular views from every direction. The home sits on a hillside between the fourth and fifth fairways. Situated on a 1.09 acre lot is at the highest point in the community. It borders Pike National Forest and has spectacular views of the South Platte River Valley, Chatfield State Park, and downtown Denver. This property evokes all of the timeless images of the grand villa estates found throughout the small towns of northern Italy, sitting at the top of a hill looking down on a river valley, surrounded by lush landscaping, and yet is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to insure the ultimate in comfort, convenience, luxury, and security. Property is a must see!


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250 word album review: Allison Weiss – Remember When EP
Posted on July 15, 2014 by VocalsOnTop
It's pretty damn hard to not like the Remember When EP by Allison Weiss. The pop hooks are undeniable and it has just enough grit from the garage to have an underground feel while still being a strong pop collection. The songs are refined and the strong female vocals are appealing because they are delivered with confidence.
The vocals on "Remember When" sound like the stern delivery of An Horse the echoey singing on "Take You Back" could be a Those Darlins outtake. On "The Fall" and "Remember When" Weiss looks back, as is a theme on the EP, and tries to hang up the phone on the past. Just when you feel the keyboards are too dominant, a strong guitar lick comes rushing in the back door to save the songs from becoming too dancey, this is especially true on the title track. On the Robyn cover "Call Your Girlfriend" Weiss slows things down and it is easy to tell the vibe of the cover doesn't quite match the rest of songs here. The lo-fi sound of "Take You Back" contradicts the clean pop of most of the EP and brings it to a strong conclusion. Remember When is a solid collection of songs that is fun to listen to and easy to like immediately. With touches of dance music and Foo Fighters style clean guitar licks, you don't have to try too hard to like this one.
Key Tracks: "Take You Back" "Remember When"
This entry was posted in 250 word album reviews and tagged 250 word album review, 4 Stars, Allison Weiss, An Horse, Remember When, Take You Back, The Fall, underground pop. Bookmark the permalink.


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Remembering Peg Myrick: Celebration of life honors 'beloved' teacher
Posted 10:18 pm, September 29, 2019, by Jake Burns and Web Staff
RICHMOND, Va. -- Peg Myrick's smile, laughter, and relentlessly happy attitude toward life brought joy to almost everyone she met. Sunday afternoon, hundreds of friends and family of the beloved educator and cancer research advocate gathered at Hardywood Craft Park in Richmond to celebrate Myrick's life.
Myrick, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016, passed away in late August. Purple and blue flowers decorated the event space and hundreds of photos of a smiling Myrick, taken at destinations around the world, greeted people as they entered.
"She feared nothing, and because of that, she empowered herself to bring so much joy to so many people," said Casey Dokoupil, a longtime friend.
"Peggy Elizabeth lived a life of love. She was one of the most selfless human beings I ever met," said Ryan Jones, Myrick's cousin. "When we were watching the sunrise at the Grand Canyon one morning on her bucket list trip, I asked her how she managed to keep her positive attitude with everything. She told me to focus on one positive thing each and every day, and that sets the lens for how you see the rest of your day."
Remembering Peg Myrick
Following her diagnosis Myrick became an outspoken advocate for research of colorectal cancer, and the Chester native even appeared on a billboard in Times Square advocating for better screening policies.
Colorectal cancer occurs when abnormal cells form tumors in normal tissues of the intestines and digestive system, the group Fight Colorectal Caner reports. Fight CrC said it is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women combined and the third most commonly diagnosed cancer.
Multiple survivors of CrC spoke at Myrick's service.
"She made her mark on so many of us," one woman said. "Instead of saying you only live once, no you live ever day, you only die once."
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-7th) said she met Myrick during the 2018 campaign, and in that short time, the Congresswoman said Myrick became a friend.
"I am changed because of my friendship with Peg, and for the rest of my life, I will carry with me the strength that she gave me and the love that she showed me," an emotional Spanberger said.
Myrick was known as a planner, her loved ones said, and she delivered a taped message from shortly before her death to the crowd, urging everyone to live life through loving others.
"All of us are going to die, cancer or not," Myrick said. "Love each other. Life is short, and we're only here for a short time, so enjoy it, take care of each other, and be kind. I I love you."
Myrick requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Colorectal Cancer Alliance or Fight Colorectal Cancer in her name.
Peggy Elizabeth Myrick.
School districts remember 'dedicated educator'
Myrick was a teacher in Hanover County as well as an assistant principal at Northumberland High School and principal at Northumberland Middle School for the 2016-2017 school year before she as diagnosed with colorectal cancer in October of 2016.
"Our community in Northumberland loves Peggy," Northumberland County Public Schools Director of Instruction Amy S. Lamb wrote.
Myrick also taught Spanish at Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Hanover County for 12 years.
"We were deeply saddened to learn of Ms. Myrick's passing. During her tenure at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, she taught Spanish and served as Department Chair," Hanover County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Gill said. "She was a dedicated educator and was much loved by her students, their families, and her colleagues. Peg was strong, fearless, and passionate during all phases of her life. She serves as a role model for us all."
Remembering Peg (SOURCE: Northumberland County Public Schools)
Myrick's final post on her "Peg's Cancer Journey" blog in August revealed she was in hospice care.
"I know I have been on social media less frequently, but honestly most days I just don't have the energy for it. But I am feeling pretty good today, so I wanted to update you on how I've been," Myrick wrote on Aug. 9.
Myrick expressed her gratitude to the hard-working team keeping her as "comfortable as possible."
"The good news is that if I have to be in a bed the rest of my life and be in one room, this one is about as cozy as it gets," Myrick wrote. "It is a little surreal to be living in my parents' dining room – something I never pictured when we had thanksgiving meals in here as a kid! – but Pops has helped me transform the room into my own comfy oasis. There are curtains on the doorways for privacy, blackout curtains on the window whenever I need to nap during the day, and I've decorated with pictures and items that mean a lot to me. I am very comfortable and find a lot of peace here."
"That is where I am at with my journey right now. I am at peace with that."
Teacher: 'It's not how long you live, it's how you live each day'
The Chester native, who was featured in a Heroes Among Us report in February of 2019, reflected on the devastating diagnosis.
"In my heart and my gut I knew something was wrong," Myrick said. "I was misdiagnosed for ten months because I was told I was too young for colorectal cancer."
Then a colonoscopy revealed the truth on Halloween in 2016.
"So to wake up and find out I did have cancer, and that it had spread to my liver, was a shock," Myrick said.
After Myrick learned the clinical trial she was taking part in, which initially showed promise, but was unsuccessful, she said she was at peace.
"The only thing you're guaranteed when we're born is that we will die. It's not how long you live, it's how you live each day," Myrick said.
Myrick was also an ambassador for the Fight Colorectal Cancer group and was selected be one of the faces of the organization on a billboard in Times Square in March.
"We're encouraging others to stay up to date on their screenings and really listen to their body," Myrick said.
Peg Myrick
Myrick: 'No one is guaranteed another day'
The 39-year-old talked about tacking her bucket list while raising awareness about colorectal cancer.
"I think it's a lesson for me even before cancer -- I should have and encourage others to live life like it's your last," Myrick said. "No one is guaranteed another day -- cancer or not."
Myrick chose not to focus on the diagnosis, but making new memories.
"From here on out I want to spend time with my loved ones and my family and close friends. Check things off the bucket list and try to enjoy every day," Myrick said.
View Gallery (16 images) Inline
'Beloved' teacher who vowed to 'live each day to the fullest' after cancer diagnosis dies
💙The inspiring way former teacher is raising awareness about terminal illness: 'Live each day to the fullest'
Topics: Chesterfield County, Northumberland County, Richmond
This cancer warrior has one final message: 'Love each other, life is short'
Get help paying for life-saving medical care for your pet
Vigil held for murdered Richmond firefighter: 'She had the love of an angel, but the strength of a lion'
CBS 6 Gives Community Local
🎁Julie surprises girl behind Emily's Bracelets: 'I just fell in love'
Emily Koski, Chesterfield mother with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, dies surrounded by family
Run honors Emily Koski, beloved Chesterfield mother who died of pancreatic cancer
Shelby Brown honors Richmond firefighters who recently lost one of their own
Homegoing Celebration honors slain Richmond firefighter Lt. Ashley Berry
Children with cancer are asking P. Diddy to dance with them
Paige Healy brings vacation vibes to Virginia
Little Sisters Of The Poor seeking new buyer for Richmond home
What happened to Richmond's thriving black community of Navy Hill
Chester family reunited with missing dog after New Year's Eve fireworks scare


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Border wall standoff could lead to another government shutdown this fall
FOX NEWS - It's unclear what legislative issues may consume Congress between now and the end of September but one thing's for sure: President Trump's veto of a measure to terminate his national emergency for the border has the potential to spark another government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Yes, the president and Congress just sparred over the border wall during the 35-day shutdown which ended this past January. They could be back at it again soon because Trump elected to go around Congress, testing the limits of the Constitution and separation of powers, and mining appropriations bills for wall money.
It was thought that the bipartisan attitude on Capitol Hill which forged a funding agreement could generate cooperation and goodwill heading into Fiscal Year 2020. But, President Trump's national emergency declaration may have doomed any charity left in Congress.
The House and Senate lack the votes to override Trump's veto. The House is about 40 votes shy. The Senate is eight votes off the mark. The House is still set to try the override on March 26, but it's almost certain the override endeavor will perish there -- and President Trump will use his declaration to use various military funds to cover the cost of the wall unless blocked by a federal court.
Read more from FOX NEWS on their website.


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95% Afghan journos cannot cover events independently
Home National Suspension row: asks govt Oppn to resolve stalemate
Suspension row: asks govt Oppn to resolve stalemate
New Delhi, Dec 2 | Suspension row: asks govt Oppn to resolve stalemate. Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday asked the government and the opposition to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 MPs.
Pained at the continuing stalemate, he said it was not the first time when the members were suspended. Such suspensions have taken place 11 times between 1962 and 2010.
"Were all of them undemocratic? If so, why it was resorted to so many times"? he asked.
Slamming the opposition for terming it "undemocratic," he said: "Some respected leaders and members of this August House, in their wisdom, chose to describe the suspension of 12 members as undemocratic."
"The disdainful conduct of some members during last session, which I have categorically called as acts of sacrilege."
He said that a message is sought to be sent out that 'sacrilege' of the House is "democratic" but action against such sacrilege is undemocratic which is unfortunate and people of the country will not accept it, he said, adding that members have not regretted their "unruly act" but want the suspension to be revoked.
On Monday, the Upper House had suspended 12 MPs for the entire winter session for creating ruckus in the House during the monsoon session on August 11.
B'luru pothole death case: Corporation officer, truck driver arrested
The suspended MPs are from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI, CPI-M and Shiv Sena.
The members are — Syed Naseer Hussain, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora and Rajmani Patel of the Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of the Shiv Sena, Elamaram Kareem of the CPI-M, Binoy Viswam of the CPI, Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri of the Trinamool.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu
suspension of 12 MPs
Suspension row
suspensions have taken place 11 times


NEW YORK, July 26 (Reuters) - John Schnatter, the founder and ousted former chairman of Papa John's International Inc , on Thursday sued the pizzeria chain, complaining that the company had not provided adequate response to an earlier request for internal documents.
The complaint, Schnatter v. Papa Johns International Inc filed in Delaware Chancery Court, comes after a request by Schnatter and his attorneys access to company documents to inspect accusations of inappropriate behavior.
"Mr. Schnatter's attorneys are seeking to inspect Company documents because of the unexplained and heavy-handed way in which the Company has treated him since the publication of a story that falsely accused him of using a racial slur," Schnatter's attorneys said in a statement.
The lawsuit is the latest installation in a weeks-long drama surrounding the pizza chain following a report by Forbes this month that Schnatter had used the "n-word" during a media training call.
"Colonel Sanders called blacks n——-s," Schnatter reportedly said during an exchange on how he could separate himself from online hate groups.


"I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die. And everyone who has life, and has committed himself to me in faith, shall not die for ever.
As part of the pastoral ministry of The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, we offer burial services to parishioners and to family members of active parishioners. The clergy and lay leadership of the church are accustomed to working with local funeral directors to arrange for such needs. Since there is usually a limited amount of time available for planning, one should contact the clergy as soon as possible to make such arrangements. We encourage you to read our Funeral Policy.
Pre-planning is always advised. Use the form below to make advanced arrangements for you or your loved one's funeral. We encourage you to keep a copy in your personal records, with a loved one, and with the clergy.
If you have recently lost a loved one, and would like to have an Episcopal funeral or memorial service, please contact the clergy. They will guide you through planning the service using the service planning checklist below.
Since their founding, Saint James in 1812 and Saint Andrew's in 1872, both parishes have been the grateful beneficiaries of significant bequests. These legacy gifts funded the improvement of church buildings and grounds, and have helped to sustain the mission and ministries of our parishes. In the third century of our congregational life, and now as a merged parish, we stand on the shoulders of all those who supported Saint James and Saint Andrew's before us. The Third Century Society has been formed to recognize those who have made known their planned gift by bequest or other means to Saints James & Andrew.


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September 6, 2017 Next
NAD Announces Key Performance Upgrades to Highly-Acclaimed T 777 Surround Sound Receiver
Remarkable Performance and Flexibility in a Compact, Simple to Operate Package Now Adds Dolby Atmos, BluOS® and 4K UHD.
CEDIA Expo, San Diego, CA, September 6, 2017 – NAD Electronics, a leading manufacturer of premium home audio and video products, is updating and upgrading the performance of its T 777 with a new model dubbed T 777 V3. The high-performance surround sound receiver will now come packed with the latest audio and video technologies, including Dolby Atmos surround decoding and 4K UltraHD (60p/4:4:4) video pass-through letting you enjoy every moment and detail of your favourite movies, music, and entertainment. Maintaining similar pricing as its predecessor ($2499 U.S. MSRP) the T 777 V3 will start shipping in October.
Designed with NAD's legendary full disclosure approach to power ratings, the T 777 V3 features 80 watts of true power per seven channels and fills the room with rich cinematic sound. With built-in BluOS® technology, the T 777 V3 is part of the BluOS wireless multi-room ecosystem that allows you to stream hi-res audio, Internet radio, and popular music streaming services to your receiver with the control of a smartphone, tablet or desktop.
As with all NAD components, the company's latest offering continues their 'simple is better' design philosophy. This sensible approach contributes to ease of use and maximizes performance where it counts. The T777 V3 features NAD's legendary sound quality along with complete compatibility with all the latest features and formats to ensure lifelike music and movie enjoyment.
Most A/V receivers available on the market today focus predominantly on the Video and Surround Sound aspects, leaving audio circuitry almost as an afterthought. NAD firmly believes that there are many people for whom music will always come first. With NAD's reputation for high value/high performance, it was obvious that the T 777 V3 would have to please the most demanding Audiophiles and Videophiles.
"NAD carefully evaluates how customers use our products and only includes the features that are essential for great audio and video performance," commented Greg Stidsen Director of Technology and Product Planning for NAD. "In addition, our Modular Design Construction feature offers the real benefit of being able to add new technologies as they become available, greatly enhancing the value proposition. With the T777 V3, we are excited to add key features such as Dolby Atmos, 4K UHD Video and BluOS music streaming while providing the best possible sound quality."
MDC—The MOST DISTINCTIVE
Feature Performance-minded enthusiasts want to embrace the ever-changing world of AV technology without destroying their original investment. So, NAD devised the most important innovation in a decade: Modular Design Construction, an uncommon answer to technology obsolescence. Digital audio and video circuits are on replaceable modules. With MDC, the ability to easily upgrade the T 777 V3 to include future digital formats is totally unique and unprecedented.
'Music First' Audio
Popular surround sound formats, including HD formats Dolby Atmos and DTS Master Audio, are decoded using the latest generation of high-speed multi-core DSP. Stereo source material can be converted to surround sound using our exclusive EARS surround mode, praised by reviewers for its natural sound quality. With both music and movies, the T 777 V3's award-winning heritage reveals its power with immense depth, clarity, and incredible detail. Ordinary AV receivers simply sound flat in comparison.
Pure and Simple Video
The T 777 V3 offers exceptional performance with the latest digital video technology, including UltraHD video at resolutions up to 3840×2160 pixels at 60 frames per second with 4:4:4 colour gamut and High Dynamic Range support. Analogue video sources are also supported on HDMI for simple 'one wire' connection to a flat screen or projector. NAD leaves the video processing where it belongs, in the display, avoiding multiple format conversions that plague lesser AVRs. It also includes popular HDMI features, Audio Return Channel (ARC) and Consumer Electronic Control (CEC).
Easy Flexibility
We have created a very simple user interface that is both flexible and very easy to use. Each source component retains the same custom settings every time it is selected for viewing, and there are no 'empty inputs' to clutter or confuse. In addition, powerful AV Presets allow custom setups for different types of program material (drama, action, musical, etc.) tailoring the performance to the listener's taste. Inputs can even be renamed to match specific components.
World's Most Sophisticated Digital Room Correction System
The T 777 V3 employs Dirac Live® Room Correction software that delivers optimized sound quality for your home theatre system. The built-in Lite version of the software, with the option to upgrade to a full-featured version for $99 USD, measures the acoustic performance of the system within the listening room and optimizes playback performance to provide the most transparent music reproduction possible. Setup process is automated and very simple, giving users the control they need to precisely tune for the best results. With Dirac Live you can build the perfect listening environment that corrects for both the timing and colourations in sound using the supplied microphone and its powerful software.
"Dirac Live is arguably the most sophisticated digital room correction system available today and is usually reserved for use in ultra-high end components costing several times as much as the NAD AVRs," commented Niklas Thorin, Dirac's GM of High Performance. "We are pleased that Dirac Live is made available to more audio enthusiasts with the introduction of the high-performance NAD T 777 V3 representing exceptional value. The T 777 V3 is the first of two NAD products to adopt Dirac Live, and we are looking forward to delivering perfected sound to consumers through more NAD products in the future."
NAD Speaker iQ, the automated setup of surround speakers, is accurate and easy with the supplied microphone and NAD remote control. A second independent zone is included, and can be powered by the internal back channel amplifiers. Advanced multi-room systems are easily accommodated thanks to its full suite of connections for home automation systems.
BluOS Streaming High Res Audio Included
The T 777 V3 features built-in BluOS wireless streaming technology, enabling users to stream lossless music to their home theatre system from local libraries, tune in to Internet radio stations, and access popular music streaming services. You can control the music from anywhere in the house using the BluOS Controller app for smartphone, tablet and desktop, including the ability to group other BluOS compatible wireless speakers and music players with the T 777 V3 to fill every room with music.
Stay Updated Automatically
In order to ensure that the T 777 V3 is current and performs at its best, Auto Software Update will automatically update the latest firmware and software versions.
NAD will be exhibiting at CEDIA Expo in Booth # 4630 at the San Diego Convention Center September 7-9, 2017.
Key Features of the NAD T 777 V3:
Dolby Atmos built in
4K UHD Video built in
BluOS high-res multi-room audio built in
Modular Design Construction (MDC) offers ability to upgrade to future digital formats when available
Legendary NAD sound combined with latest audio formats
Simple user interface, AV presets and inputs can be renamed
NAD Speaker iQ for easy accurate speaker setup and auto software updates
Complete with Dirac Live Room Correction software delivers optimized sound quality
Marketing and Media Contacts:
Marketing, NAD Electronics
mstone@lenbrook.com
BluOS® is a premium multi-room audio ecosystem that manages stored and cloud music sources and playback, with support for high resolution audio streams up to 24/192. Adopted by some of the most renowned hi-fi audio brands and integrated with numerous smarthome control systems, BluOS allows for interoperability among enabled devices across brands for maximum versatility and use cases. Integrations with popular streaming music services like Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, and Deezer, as well as featuring support for FLAC, WAV, MQA, and other high resolution formats and codecs, BluOS offers virtually unlimited access to music of all genres for any occasion. Made up of an operating system and a control application for smartphones, tablets, and PC desktops, BluOS is the ultimate choice for the modern audiophile.
For more information visit www.bluos.net
Founded in 1972 and now sold in over 80 countries, NAD Electronics is renowned for its award-winning line of high quality components for audio, home theatre and custom installation applications. Since the beginning, NAD's commitment to four core values – innovation, innovation, simplicity, performance, and value – have earned it a cult-like following that catapulted it to becoming a household name amongst audiophiles and music lovers alike. To this day, the brand continues to design and manufacture some of the most acclaimed and affordable hi-fi components that include modern features and technologies meant to appeal to a new generation of audiophiles.
For more information visit nadelectronics.com
NAD M10 Wins AVForums Hi-Fi Product of the Year Award December 3, 2019 A Single Solution. A Simple OS. Part Two: Expandability February 2, 2016 NAD Receives Prestigious Hi-Res Audio Designation from Japan Audio Society May 4, 2016 NAD Enters Custom Installation Market With Powerful New Solutions 2 September 13, 2016


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Former DNC Data Chief Slams Hillary Clinton: You're Not Throwing Me Under the Bus
By Jay Caruso | Jun 01, 2017 5:00 AM ET
You may not know the name, Andrew Therriault, but you will. He's the former Director of Data Science at the Democratic National Committee, having worked there from 2014-2016. Naturally, he was involved with putting together models aimed at helping Hillary Clinton win.
Naturally, she didn't, and in yet another case of Clinton blaming others for her loss, she targeted the DNC specifically:
Perhaps Clinton's most fresh and savage criticism on Wednesday was directed at the Democratic National Committee. She went as far as to say that when she became her party's presidential nominee, she inherited "nothing" from the committee.
"I'm now the nominee of the Democratic Party. I inherit nothing from the Democratic Party," Clinton said. "It was bankrupt, it was on the verge of insolvency, its data was mediocre to poor, non-existent, wrong. I had to inject money into it — the DNC — to keep it going."
Note what she says about the data. I don't think Hillary can distinguish between a data model and a model airplane, but her goal is to make sure she has more than one scapegoat outside of Russia and James Comey.
Hillary's words didn't sit well with Mr. Therriault who heard the news and tweeted:
https://twitter.com/therriaultphd/status/870126693222100992
What is more interesting are the two tweets that he deleted. The one I suspect he removed because he didn't want to give too much away and the other, misconstrued based on a word he used.
He just deleted these tweets from earlier today. pic.twitter.com/9cpjDCFkCN
— Jimmy (@JimmyPrinceton) June 1, 2017
Note the tweet about MI/WI/PA – the three states Hillary lost that cost her the election. He's saying their data had her behind and her campaign team didn't bother.
As for the "laundering," he's not talking about it the way you think. I'll let Liam Donovan explain:
(To be clear, nobody "laundered" anything. National party committees have statutorily higher contribution thresholds tapped via joint funds)
— Liam Donovan (@LPDonovan) June 1, 2017
Unfortunately, like Donovan also says, the fever swamps will pick up on the "laundering" comment and use it to advance a crazy agenda while ignoring the importance of Therriault's comments about Hillary. Somebody yelled at him that Bernie Sanders would have won and he "knows it." His response:
I don't know what she was thinking. Sooner or later somebody was going to say, "Enough is enough," and push back. Having worked with data guys for years putting together data models and using it for analytics (critical in a supply chain environment), I can tell you, one thing they do not take kindly to is accusations their data is no good.
I suspect we have not heard the last from Mr. Therriault about the DNC's data.
Tags: 2016 ELECTION BERNIE SANDERS DNC DONALD TRUMP HILLARY CLINTON JAMES COMEY
Paul Begala Is Part of The Foundering Fathers as Democrats Continue Sinking Their Own Prospects
Brad Slager
FALLEN ANGEL - Call Sign: Extortion 17


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Pulsar vs Kafka - Part 2 - Adoption, Use Cases, Differentiators, and Community
This is Part 2 of a two-part series in which we share our perspectives on Pulsar vs. Kafka. In Part 1, we compared Pulsar and Kafka from an engineering perspective and discussed performance, architecture, and features. In Part 2, we aim to provide a broader business perspective by sharing insights into Pulsar's rapidly growing popularity.
Data is transforming the business landscape with major industry leaders like Amazon, Uber, and Netflix demonstrating how access to real-time data, data messaging, and processing capabilities can translate to better products and customer experiences, disrupt entire industries, and generate billions in revenue. This need for real-time insights across industries is driving adoption and innovation in the messaging space.
As companies look to adopt real-time streaming solutions for new, innovative applications and to improve their existing systems, business leaders are seeking to better understand the respective advantages and disadvantages associated with the top technologies in the space, namely Pulsar, Kafka, and RabbitMQ.
Today, companies' messaging needs are increasingly complex and many organizations require a more comprehensive solution than RabbitMQ or Kafka can provide on their own. While RabbitMQ is best suited for message queueing and Kafka can manage data pipelines, Pulsar can accomplish both.
Companies that have a need for both types of messaging are increasingly choosing Pulsar for its flexibility, scalability, and ability to simplify operations by delivering multiple messaging functions on the same platform. Pulsar provides unique, sought-after capabilities, such as unified messaging and the ability to build streaming-first applications, which are powering some of today's most advanced companies.
However, because Pulsar is a younger technology, some are less familiar with its capabilities. In this post, we will address some common misconceptions about Pulsar and show Pulsar's growing popularity as evidenced by its rapid growth in adoption, an increase in the number and variety of use cases, and its ever-expanding community. We will also address the risks associated with adopting a new technology and explain why maintaining the status quo presents the risk of being left behind in a quickly changing landscape.
We have chosen to frame our discussion around commonly asked questions.
#1: How mature is Pulsar's technology and has it been tested in real-world applications?
To provide some insight into Pulsar's maturity and real-world use cases, we'll start with a brief background on its origin and development.
Pulsar's development began within Yahoo in 2012. It was committed to open source in 2016 and became a top-level Apache project in 2018. It has enterprise support from StreamNative. Pulsar enjoys several advantages as a newer entrant into the messaging space. Specifically, its developers at Yahoo had worked on Kafka and other traditional messaging technologies previously and knew the shortcomings associated with these platforms first-hand. As a result, they designed Pulsar with some distinct advantages that make it easier to operate as well as to provide features - such as unified messaging and tiered storage - which introduce new capabilities that are well-suited for emerging use cases.
By comparison, Kafka originated within LinkedIn. It was committed to open source in 2011 and became a top-level Apache project in 2012. As the first major event-streaming platform on the market, it is widely recognized and widely adopted. Kafka receives enterprise support from a number of companies, including Confluent. Compared to Pulsar, Kafka is a more mature technology that is popular, has a bigger community, and a more advanced ecosystem.
Pulsar has seen tremendous growth, particularly over the past 18 months. It has been adopted by a growing list of global media companies, technology companies, and financial institutions. Below are examples of significant enterprise-level use cases that illustrate Pulsar's ability to handle mission-critical applications.
Tencent Builds Their Payment Platform on Pulsar
Tencent's adoption of Pulsar for their transactional billing system, Midas, demonstrates Pulsar's ability to handle mission-critical applications and provides compelling evidence that the technology has been rigorously tested and performs well in demanding environments. Midas operates at a massive scale, processing more than 10 billion transactions and 10+ TBs of data daily. The billing system is a critical piece of infrastructure for a company with over $50 billion in annual revenue.
Five Years of Success at Verizon Media
Verizon Media provides another compelling use case, having successfully operated Pulsar in production for over five years. Verizon Media, via its acquisition of Yahoo, is the original developer of Pulsar. In their recent Pulsar Summit talk, Joe Francis and Ludwig Pummer of Verizon Media described Pulsar as a "battle-tested" system that is being used throughout the Verizon Media landscape. They shared that Pulsar routinely handles up to 3 million write requests/second on more than 2.8 million distinct topics. Pulsar has satisfied Verizon Media's need for a low-latency, highly available system that can be scaled easily and has the ability to support a business that operates across six global data centers.
Splunk Adopts Pulsar for Their Data Stream Processor
Another key adoption story comes from Splunk, a company that has used Kafka in production environments for years. During a recent Pulsar Summit talk, "Why Splunk Chose Pulsar", Karthik Ramasamy shared Splunk's reasons for choosing Pulsar to power its next-generation analytics product, Splunk DSP, which handles billions of events per day. Ramasamy explained that Pulsar was able to meet 18 key requirements and cited its ease of scalability, lower operating costs, better performance, and strong open-source community as major factors in their decision to adopt Pulsar.
The above use cases clearly demonstrate that Pulsar is a powerful solution that many industry leaders are choosing to power critical business infrastructure. Although Kafka is more mature and more widely used, Pulsar's rapid rate of adoption is evidence of its strong capabilities and readiness for mission-critical use cases.
#2: What are the key differences between the competing technologies, and what business advantages are associated with each?
While major technology and media companies, such as Uber and Netflix, have been able to successfully build unified batch and stream processing and streaming-first applications to power their real-time data needs, most companies lack the vast engineering and financial resources these applications typically require. However, Pulsar offers advanced messaging capabilities that enable companies to overcome many of these challenges.
Below, we highlight three unique capabilities - some current and others still in development - that distinctly set Pulsar apart from its competitors.
Unified Messaging Model
Two of the most common types of messaging used today are application messaging (traditional queuing systems) and data pipelines. Application messaging is used to enable asynchronous communications (often developed on platforms such as RabbitMQ, AMQP, JMS, among others), while data pipelines are used to move high volumes of data between different systems (such as Apache Kafka or AWS Kinesis). Because these two types of messaging are performed on different systems and serve different functions, companies often need to operate both. Developing and managing separate systems is not only expensive and complex, but can also make it difficult to integrate systems and centralize data.
Pulsar's core technology gives users the ability both to deploy it as a traditional queuing system and use it in data pipelines, uniquely positioning Pulsar as the ideal platform to provide unified messaging capabilities. Unified messaging makes it easier for organizations to capture and distribute their data, which facilitates the use of real-time data to drive business innovation.
Pulsar also recently added tools - Kafka-on-Pulsar (KoP) and AMQP-on-Pulsar (AoP) - that make it even easier for companies to leverage these unified messaging capabilities. (We discuss KoP and AoP in more detail below.)
Batch and Event-Stream Storage
Because companies today need to be able to make timely decisions and react to change quickly, the need for real-time, meaningful data has never been more critical. At the same time, it is crucial to be able to integrate and understand large amounts of historical data in order to gain a complete picture of a business.
Traditional Big Data systems (such as Hadoop) facilitate decision-making by allowing organizations to analyze massive historical data sets. However, as these systems can take minutes, hours, or even days to process data, they struggle to integrate real-time data and the results they produce are often of limited value.
Stream processors, such as Kafka Streams, are adept at processing streaming data and computing answers closer to real-time, but are not a good fit for processing large historical datasets. Many organizations need to run both batch and streaming data processors in order to gain the insights they need for their business. However, maintaining multiple systems is expensive and each system has its own respective challenges.
More recently, systems have been developed which can do both batch and stream processing. Apache Flink is one example. Currently, Flink is used for stream processing with both Kafka and Pulsar. However, Flink's batch capabilities are not particularly compatible with Kafka as Kafka is only able to deliver data in streams, making it too slow for most batch workloads.
By contrast, Pulsar's tiered storage model provides the batch storage capabilities needed to support batch processing in Flink. In the near future, Flink's batch processing capabilities will be integrated with Pulsar, enabling companies to query both historical and real-time data quickly and more easily, unlocking a unique competitive advantage.
"Streaming-First" Applications
Web application development is in the midst of a major transformation as companies look to develop more sophisticated software. The traditional application model that pairs a single monolithic application with a large SQL database is giving way to applications composed of many, smaller components, or "microservices."
Many organizations are now adopting microservices because they offer greater flexibility to meet changing business needs and help facilitate development across growing engineering teams. However, microservices introduce new challenges, such as the need to enable communication among various components and keep them synchronized.
With a newer microservices technique called "event sourcing," applications produce and broadcast streams of events into a shared messaging system which captures the event history in a centralized log. This improves the flow of data and helps keep applications in sync.
But event sourcing can be difficult to implement as it requires both traditional messaging capabilities and the ability to store event history for long periods of time. While Kafka is capable of storing streams of events for days or weeks, event sourcing typically requires longer retention times. This added challenge often requires users to build multiple tiers of Kafka clusters to manage the growth of event data, plus additional systems to manage and track data collectively.
By contrast, Pulsar's unified messaging model is a natural fit, as it can easily distribute events to other components and effectively store event streams for indefinite periods of time. This unique design feature makes Pulsar especially attractive to companies looking to acquire dynamic, streaming-first capabilities.
While unified messaging, combined batch and event-streaming storage, and a "streaming-first" approach might be feasible to achieve with other systems, these features would be complex to implement and would require a great deal of effort and investment. In contrast, Pulsar's design includes all of these features, enabling users to adapt to the changing technology landscape easily and with far less complexity.
#3: Does Pulsar have the community and enterprise support it needs to continue to develop and garner further adoption?
A snapshot comparison of the Pulsar and Kakfa communities today reflects that Kafka's is larger overall, with more Slack users and more stack overflow questions. While Pulsar's community is currently smaller, it is highly engaged and rapidly growing. Below are some highlights of its recent momentum.
Pulsar's First Global Summit
In June, Pulsar held its first global event - the Pulsar Summit Virtual Conference 2020. The event featured more than 30 speaker sessions from Pulsar's top contributors, thought leaders, and developers. We heard real-world Pulsar adoption stories and received insights from companies such as Verizon Media, Splunk, Iterable, and OVHcloud.
With more than 600 sign-ups - including attendees from top internet, technology, and financial institutions such as Google, Microsoft, AMEX, Salesforce, Disney, and Paypal - the event revealed a highly engaged and global Pulsar community and demonstrated that interest in Pulsar is burgeoning.
In fact, the global Pulsar community subsequently asked us to host dedicated regional events in Asia and Europe soon. To meet this growing demand, we have scheduled Pulsar Summit Asia 2020 in October and are currently planning Pulsar Summit Europe.
Community Support - Training and Events
In addition to facilitating large, widely attended summits, the Pulsar community is focusing on interactive training and online events. For example, earlier this year, the community, led by StreamNative, launched a weekly live-streaming, interactive tutorial called TGIP (Thank Goodness It's Pulsar) that provides technology updates and hands-on tutorials highlighting various operational aspects. TGIP sessions are available on YouTube and StreamNative.io and are helping to augment Pulsar's growing knowledge base.
In 2020, the Pulsar community also launched monthly webinars to share best practices, new use cases, and technology updates. Recent webinars have been hosted by strategic commercial and open-source partners such as OVHCloud, Overstock, and Nutanix. On July 28th, StreamNative will be hosting Operating Pulsar in Production as a panel discussion with additional participants from Verizon Media and Splunk.
Pulsar's ecosystem has further evolved with the expansion of professional training, which is available through StreamNative and other partners. In fact, Pulsar and Kafka expert Jesse Anderson recently led an in-depth training session on Developing Pulsar Applications. Professional training sessions help to enlarge the pool of Pulsar-trained engineers and allow Pulsar users to accelerate their messaging and streaming platform development initiatives.
In addition, an increase in the publication of whitepapers is helping to expand Pulsar's knowledge base.
Committed community partners have also contributed to key project advancements. Below, we look at two recent product launches.
OVHCloud Helps Companies Move from Kafka to Pulsar
In March 2020, OVHCloud and StreamNative launched Kafka-on-Pulsar (KoP), the result of the two companies working closely in partnership. KoP enables Kafka users to migrate their existing Kafka applications and services to Pulsar without modifying the code. Although only recently released, KoP has already been adopted by several organizations and is being used in production environments. Moreover, KoP's availability is helping to expand Pulsar's adoption.
China Mobile Helps Companies Move from RabbitMQ to Pulsar
In June 2020, China Mobile and StreamNative announced the launch of another major platform upgrade, AMQP on Pulsar (AoP). Similar to KoP, AoP allows organizations currently using RabbitMQ (or other AMQP message brokers) to migrate existing applications and services to Pulsar without code modification. Again, this is a key initiative that will help drive the adoption and usage of Pulsar.
The events and initiatives described above illustrate the Pulsar community's firm commitment to education and ecosystem development. More importantly, they demonstrate the momentum and growth we can expect in the future.
In today's ever-changing business landscape, access to data can unlock innovative business opportunities, define new categories, and propel companies ahead of the competition. As a result, organizations are increasingly seeking to leverage their data and the insights that can be gained from it to develop competitive advantages, and they are seeking new technologies to help them achieve these goals.
In this post, we set out to address some common business concerns organizations face when evaluating a new technology. These include the technology's proven capabilities, its ability to enable in-demand business use cases, and, in the case of open-source technologies, the size and level of engagement within the project's community.
The Tencent, Verizon Media, and Splunk use cases described earlier demonstrate Pulsar's ability to deliver mission-critical applications in the real world. Beyond its proven capabilities, Pulsar's ability to deliver unified messaging and streaming-first applications provides a marked advantage by enabling organizations to build disruptive, competitive technologies without requiring extensive resources. Pulsar's integration with Flink, which is currently in development, will provide yet another competitive advantage: the ability to perform both batch and stream processing on the same platform.
While the Pulsar community and a few other key areas, such as documentation, are still small, their growth has increased considerably in the past 18 months. Pulsar's highly engaged and quickly growing community and ecosystem are committed to contributing to the ongoing expansion of Pulsar's knowledge base and training materials, while also accelerating the development of key capabilities.
Disruption can happen quickly and organizations evaluating any technology need to consider not only the strengths and weaknesses it has today, but also how the technology will continue to grow and evolve to meet business needs in the future. The combination of Pulsar's enhanced messaging offering and unique capabilities make it a strong alternative that should be considered by any company looking to develop real-time data streaming capabilities.
For a deeper dive into Pulsar vs. Kafka — A More Accurate Perspective on Performance, Architecture, and Features, please read Part 1 of this series here.
Learn More About Pulsar
We encourage you to sign up for the Pulsar Newsletter to stay up-to-date on upcoming events and technology updates. If you would like to chat with current Pulsar users, you can join the Pulsar Slack Channel.
And don't forget to join our webinar, Operating Pulsar in Production, on Tuesday, July 28th at 10 am. This will be a highly interactive roundtable discussion with additional participants from Verizon Media, Splunk, and StreamNative.
We would like to thank the many members of the Pulsar community who contributed to this article - especially, Jerry Peng, Jesse Anderson, Joe Francis, Matteo Merli, Sanjeev Kulkarni, and Addison Higham.
For more on Pulsar documentation and training, visit StreamNative's Resources page.
You can also access recent whitepapers from Tuya, OVHCloud, Tencent, Yahoo!Japan, and more.
Carolyn King
Carolyn has dedicated the past 15 years to helping companies develop growth strategies to drive customer acquisition and revenue. At StreamNative, she leads all things growth, including global Marketing and Community, global Training and Documentation, Developer Relations and Sales for the US and EMEA. She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BA in Business-Economics from UCLA. Carolyn lives in Santa Monica, California.
Addison Higham
Addison Higham has deep experience with streaming technologies such as Flink and Spark. Seeking a new stream storage technology for his previous company, Instructure, Addison discovered Pulsar and quickly became a Pulsar champion and drove the company's adoption of the technology. Addison then joined StreamNative, where he leads development of StreamNative Cloud and helps customers to successfully adopt Pulsar. Addison lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sijie Guo
Sijie's journey with Apache Pulsar began at Yahoo! where he was part of the team working to develop a global messaging platform for the company. He then went to Twitter, where he led the messaging infrastructure group and co-created DistributedLog and Twitter EventBus. In 2017, he co-founded Streamlio, which was acquired by Splunk, and in 2019 he founded StreamNative. He is one of the original creators of Apache Pulsar and Apache BookKeeper, and remains VP of Apache BookKeeper and PMC Member of Apache Pulsar. Sijie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.