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Home Blog What to expect from OpenAI's Codex API
What to expect from OpenAI's Codex API
Ben Dickson
This article is part of our series that explores the business of artificial intelligence
OpenAI will make Codex, its AI programmer technology, available through an application programming interface, the company announced on its blog on Tuesday. In tandem with the announcement, OpenAI CTO Greg Brockman, Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, and co-founder Wojciech Zaremba gave an online presentation of the capabilities of the deep learning model.
The Codex demo puts the advantages of large language models to full display, showing an impressive capacity to resolve references and write code for a variety of APIs and micro-tasks that can be frustratingly time-consuming.
OpenAI is still testing the waters with Codex. How far you can push it in programming tasks and how it will affect the software job market remain open questions. But this unexpected turn to OpenAI's exploration of large language models seems to be the first promising application of neural networks that were meant for conversations with humans.
Language models for coding
Codex is a descendent of GPT-3, a very large language model OpenAI released in 2020 and made available through a commercial private beta API. OpenAI's researchers wanted to see how developers would use GPT-3 for natural language processing applications.
But the outcome surprised them. "The thing that was funny for us was to see that the applications that most captured people's imaginations, the ones that most inspired people, were the programming applications," Brockman said in the video demo of Codex. "Because we didn't make the model to be good at coding at all. And we knew that if we put in some effort, we could make something happen."
Codex is a version of GPT-3 that has been finetuned for programming tasks. The machine learning model is already used in Copilot, another beta-test code generation product hosted by GitHub. According to OpenAI, the current version of Codex has a 37-percent accuracy on coding tasks as opposed to GPT-3's zero percent.
Codex takes a natural language prompt as input (e.g., "Say hello world") and generates code for the task it is given. It is supposed to make it much easier for programmers to take care of the mundane parts of writing software.
"You just ask the computer to do something, and it just does it," Brockman said.
In the demo, Brockman and Sutskever take Codex through a series of tasks that range from displaying a simple "Hello World" message in Python to gradually writing a web game in JavaScript.
The demo had some impressive highlights, even if it seemed to be rehearsed. For example, Codex seems to be pretty good at coreference resolution. It also links nouns in the prompt to their proper variables and functions in the code (though in the demo, it seemed that Brockman also knew how to phrase his commands to avoid confusing the deep learning model).
Codex can perform some tedious tasks, such as rendering web pages, launching web servers, and sending emails. The model also shows some of the zero-shot learning capabilities of GPT-3. For instance, in the demo, Brockman showed how you can add Mailchimp interfacing capabilities to Codex with three lines of instructions. Further down the video, the presenters use Codex to create a user interface in JavaScript, place objects on the screen, and make the objects controllable with the keyboard arrow keys. Another video shows OpenAI generating data science code and generating charts in Python's matplotlib library.
These are not complicated tasks, but they're tedious and error-prone processes, and they usually require looking up reference manuals, browsing programming forums, and poring over code samples. So, having an AI assistant writing this kind of code for you can save some valuable time.
"This kind of stuff is not the fun part of programming," Brockman said.
Maybe I can finally use matplotlib now without spending half a day googling the exact syntax and options! https://t.co/Vak1nzu0Jk
— Soumith Chintala (@soumithchintala) August 11, 2021
Per OpenAI's blog: "Once a programmer knows what to build, the act of writing code can be thought of as (1) breaking a problem down into simpler problems, and (2) mapping those simple problems to existing code (libraries, APIs, or functions) that already exist. The latter activity is probably the least fun part of programming (and the highest barrier to entry), and it's where OpenAI Codex excels most."
The limits of Codex
While the Codex demos are impressive, they do not present a full picture of the deep learning system's capabilities and limits.
Codex is currently available through a closed beta program, which I don't have access to yet (hopefully that will change). OpenAI also ran a Codex coding challenge on Thursday, which was available to everyone. Unfortunately, their servers were overloaded when I tuned in, so I wasn't able to play around with it.
The Codex Challenge servers are currently overloaded due to demand (Codex itself is fine though!). Team is fixing… please stand by.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) August 12, 2021
But the demo video shows some of the flaws to look out for when using Codex. For example, if you tell human programmers to print "Hello world" five times, they will usually use a loop and print each message on a single line. But when Brockman told the deep learning model to do the same thing, it used an unusual method that pasted all the messages next to each other. As a result, Brockman was forced to reword his instruction more specifically.
Codex's output is not necessarily the optimal way to solve problems. For example, to enlarge an image on the webpage, the model used an awkward CSS instruction instead of just using larger numbers for width and height.
And sometimes, the model generates code that is very far off from what the developer intends. In the final ten minutes of the demo, Brockman and Sutskever used Codex to create a JavaScript game. When they instructed Codex to define a condition for game loss, the deep learning model generated an event listener for the spacebar keypress. Brockman fixed it by explicitly telling Codex to write a function for game loss.
The video demo also didn't show any of the limits detailed in full in the Codex paper, including the model's limits in dealing with multi-step tasks. This omission raised some concern in the AI community.
. @OpenAI's #Codex is to programming as Tesla's FSD 2021 is to driving.
Read the paper (esp Appendix B) carefully and you will realize there is a gap between the slick videos & reality: it is often correct on simple tasks, but frequently lost on more complex challenges.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/9VNRIj1wYw
— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) August 11, 2021
But despite the limits, Codex can be very useful. Already, those lucky few who have been given access to the API have used it to automate some of the tedious and boring parts of their jobs. And many others who have been working with GitHub's Copilot have also expressed satisfaction with the productivity benefits of AI-powered code generation.
The new @OpenAI Codex model is a pretty exciting piece of technology.
Here I made a @Blender add-on and taught it how to use the built in Python API.
Taking creative coding to the next level!! pic.twitter.com/0UksTsq1Ep
— Andrew Carr (@andrew_n_carr) August 11, 2021
Who should use Codex?
In an interview with The Verge, Zaremba compared programming with Codex to the transition from punch cards to programming languages. At the time, the advent of programming languages such as C and Fortran reduced the barrier of entry to software development and made the market accessible to a much larger audience. The same thing happened as higher-level languages appeared and took care of the complex technical challenges of writing code. Today, many programmers write code without worrying about allocating and freeing memory chunks, managing threads, or releasing system resources and handles.
But I don't think Codex is a transition from learning programming languages to giving computers conversational instructions and letting them write the code for themselves. Codex can be a very useful tool for experienced programmers who want an AI assistant to churn out code that they can review. But in the hands of a novice programmer, Codex can be a dangerous tool with unpredictable results.
I'm especially concerned about the potential security flaws that such statistical models can have. Since the model creates its output based on the statistical regularities of its training corpus, it can be vulnerable to data poisoning attacks. For example, if an adversary uploads malicious code in GitHub in enough abundance and targeted for a specific type of prompt, Codex might pick up those patterns during training and then output them in response to user instructions. In fact, the page for GitHub Copilot, which uses the same technology, warns that the code generation model might suggest "old or deprecated uses of libraries and languages."
This means that blindly accepting Codex's output can be a recipe for disaster, even if it works fine. You should only use it to generate code that you fully understand.
The business model of Codex
I believe the Codex API will find plenty of internal uses for software companies. According to the details in the Codex paper, it is much more resource-efficient than GPT-3, and therefore, it should be more affordable. If software development companies manage to adapt the tool to their internal processes (as with the Blender example above) and save a few hours' time for their developers every month, it will be worth the price.
But the real developments around Codex will come from Microsoft, the unofficial owner of OpenAI and the exclusive license-holder of its technology.
After OpenAI commercialized GPT-3, I argued that creating a product and business models on the language model would be very difficult if not impossible. Whatever you do with the language model, Microsoft will be able to do it better, faster, and at a lower cost. And with the huge userbase of Office, Teams, and other productivity tools, Microsoft is in a suitable position to dominate most markets for GPT-3-powered products.
Microsoft also has a dominating position with Codex, especially since it owns GitHub and Azure, two powerhouses for software development, DevOps, and application hosting. So if you're planning to create a commercial product with the Codex API, you'll probably lose the competition to Microsoft unless you're targeting a very narrow market that the software giant will not be interested in. As with GPT-3, OpenAI and Microsoft released the Codex API to explore new product development opportunities as developers experiment with it, and they will use the feedback to roll out profitable products.
"[We] know we've only scratched the surface of what can be done," the OpenAI blog reads.
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Ben is a software engineer and the founder of TechTalks. He writes about technology, business and politics.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Categories -> Road Trip #4 The Treasures of North Hastings
JOHN WESLEY DAFOE 1866-1944
PLAQUE PHOTOS: ontarioplaques.com
Born in Bangor Township, Dafoe began his career with the "Montreal Daily Star" in 1883. Two years later he became editor of the "Ottawa Evening Journal" following which he served on the "Manitoba (later Winnipeg) Free Press", 1886-92. Returning to Montreal he worked on the "Daily Herald" and "Star". In 1901 he rejoined the Winnipeg paper remaining its editor until 1944. A crusading journalist, he championed Dominion status, the League of Nations and the welfare of the Canadian West and was a founder of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. He took part in the Paris Peace Conference, 1919; the Imperial Conference, 1923; and served on the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations 1937-40.
GPS co-ordinates: 45º 21' 726" N 77º 41' 663" W (45.3700000 77.7016666)
Street address: Highway 62, south side, 6.2 kilometres west of Combermere, Lookout Park
MUCH MORE INFORMATION about John Wesley Dafoe HERE
PHOTO: Manitoba Historical Society


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J.L. Lora ~ The Summer I Loved You ~ Blog Tour / Teasers / Excerpt / Giveaway
THE SUMMER I LOVED YOU
by J.L. Lora
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Second Chance, Standalone
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LVQA5P
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Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2LazqVg
Amazon MX: https://amzn.to/2Nx20gw
B&N: https://bit.ly/2J9bhxq
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2J9op5R
iTunes: https://apple.co/2kO76IU
He swore to never come back. She promised to hold him to his word.
After years of living the life his oppressive parents wanted for him, Cameron Blake is ready to pursue his dreams of being a reclusive artist. Pleasing the faithful baseball fans of the New York Emperors has been rewarding, but now all he wants is peace and quiet. That and an irreversible vasectomy. Because there's no way he's passing on the heavy burden of the Blake genes to an innocent child. But Cameron never gets what he wants. Ever.
The last thing Adrianna Arenas needs is for her ex to slide back into her life. Not when she can throw a nine-year-old curve ball that will change his game. Not when his father could tear her world apart with a simple phone call. Especially not when, despite everything that stands between them, her insides go wild when Cameron walks into a room. But Adri never gets to keep things the way she needs them. Ever.
After ten years, fate brings Cameron face-to-face with Adrianna, the woman he never forgot, and the little girl that ties them forever.
It all goes back to the secrets, jealousy, and heartache that destroyed the magical summer when they loved each other madly, broke each other's hearts, and changed each other's lives.
Read this second chance romance and find out if Adri and Cam's story goes on the win column for love.
Adrianna added another pink tulip to the bouquet for better balance, placed the candle holders on each side of it, and stepped back. She smiled. Every table was set with just a small variation on the centerpieces, to make them look unique but cohesive. Everything was as it should be, the walls and tablecloths pristine white, and the accent brick wall gave it a pop of color that made it chic, lived-in, and very Baltimore.
After five years, she still set the tables every day for opening. It was a pleasure, an indulgence, and it saved her money. She didn't need the staff as early. The only time she loved doing this more was during the weekends, when Bron was around to help her. Her daughter's artistic eye showed in her suggestions, and the customers got a kick out of their arrangements. She made a mental note of picking orange and purple flowers for the weekend. In the summer, there would be ranunculus and hydrangeas. Let's see what Bron does with those.
Adrianna went around the room, checking for garbage or dust hiding in the corners. Mi Tesoro, named after her greatest treasure—her daughter —was ready for the lunch crowd.
She peeked out through the glass panel. Canton Square was still pretty much empty, except for the late morning dwellers and the familiar figure sashaying down the block. She unlocked the door and her best friend, Lauren, walked right in. Ripped skinny jeans, sky-high stilettos and a white tank top with the words Adios to the B. S. clung to her skin. The shades, the shirt, the hand she held up, Lauren was in a mood.
"Don't say anything, I'm not human yet." Her friend strolled past her and made her way to the kitchen.
"Fine by me. I'll be in the office," she called out.
She'd barely made it through the office door when her phone rang. She placed it in her ear and began to riffle through her to-do tray.
"Miss Arenas?"
"This is Loraine Walker, from La Salle Academy."
Her hands stilled. Why was her daughter's school director calling? "Did something happen to Bron?"
"Ma'am, please stay calm. I want you to know that we have dispatched a car there and called the police—"
"The police. What the hell are you talking about? Where is my daughter?"
"She left the premises. One of her friends says she went to a gallery in D.C. for some exhibit. This has never happened before. We don't know how she was able to sneak out."
"Are you telling me that my daughter bailed on school to go to some art exhibit? And you didn't know she left? Where were her teachers? Where was your security? And who did she supposedly go see…" It was on her desk, front page of the Baltimore Galaxy. Maryland Son Returns Triumphantly.
The blood drained from her head and the phone slipped from her hand, landing on the glass-topped desk. She had to find Bron. "Oh God."
She grabbed her purse and ran out of the office, heading toward the door, but it swung open and her daughter walked in.
Adrianna dropped her purse and ran to hug her. "You are so grounded, for like ever. I can't believe you left school like that. What were you thinking, Bronwyn Alyxandra? You're not ever going anywhere, not school dances, not even to the bathroom by yourself. You'll stay in your room forever with your books, where I know where you are at all times."
"Mom, you're suffocating me." Bronwyn tried to pull away from her.
"I'm so angry with you right now. Your friend told the teacher you left to go to an art exhibit. Where was Miss Winter? How did you get here?"
She couldn't make her hands stop roaming over Bron's face and body.
"Miss Winter got sick earlier and she had to go home. I would have asked her to take me, but this was my only chance to meet him." Her eyes drifted up and her head tilted back toward someone behind her.
It was then that Adrianna became aware that there was someone standing by the door. The looming shadow, the prickling on the back of her neck, the way her breath lodged in her throat. Oh God. Her head came up and face to face with the past. Summer days at the state park, kisses under the falls, posing for him by the lake, his body over hers, screaming fights…and heartbreak. Month after month of teary heartbreak.
Her lips parted but not even air came out. His green gaze cut through her and it was like time never moved. Except, his shoulders had almost doubled in size, filling his six-foot-three frame. His face no longer softened by boyish features. He was older, manlier.
"Cam." His name whooshed out of her lips.
"He gave me a ride here, Mom. He has a limo with a driver! It's nicer than Uncle Nathan's panty dropper."
Heat exploded all over her face. She looked down at the floor, urging the earth to swallow her. He was going to think she was a bad mother. "Language! What have I told you?"
Bron lowered her head. "I'm not supposed to repeat the things I hear Aunt Lo say because she's an adult and I'm not."
Adrianna ran her hand through her hair and looked at him again. Thanks to the scare, she probably looked a hot mess. "Thank you for bringing her. Would you like to sit down?"
He nodded, his gaze shifting between her and Bron. Adrianna's mouth grew more and more dry by the second.
She knew one day he'd find out and he'd come. She'd waited for this moment and tried to prepare for it. No, she wasn't ready.
"I'll get you some cake!" Bronwyn offered cheerfully. "Would you like coffee? I'll bring it!"
If she weren't dying inside, Adrianna would have smiled. Bronwyn didn't even give Cam a chance to answer and left him staring after her. Her daughter was like a tornado at times. "Sit down, please."
He turned to her and she almost staggered back at the intensity of his gaze. Adrianna's knees turned into jelly. She hurried to take the chair across from the one she was offering him.
His head tilted toward Bron. "She's amazing, smart, and so much like you. I can't believe how much she knows about art, brush strokes, and baseball. She told me she plays with her school."
Those were his first words and spoken with so much emotion the pressure in her chest built. She swallowed. "I wrote you. I wanted to tell…"
"My father told me." Cameron's voice turned into ice. "I guess Tommy is a great husband and father. You look more beautiful than ever and she's…everything."
"Tommy?" she asked. What about her old high school boyfriend?
"Yes, Walter said you called to tell him that you and Tommy were getting married and having a baby and that you expected me to keep my promise to stay away from you…"
Her stomach rolled, much like the last time they'd been together. She smoothed a hand over it and shook her head. "Oh God, no. I've only seen Tommy once since the day after I last saw you." She stood up. "Cam, listen, there's something you need to know."
"I have cake for you," Bronwyn announced, placing a thick, glazed slice in front of each of them and then addressing Cam. "What kind of coffee would you like? We have a lot of different kinds. Colombian, French Roast, Hazelnut, Ugandan—which everyone swears by and we highly recommend."
"Ugandan. Do you have milk and sugar?" Cam asked her.
She formed her lips into a pout and pressed her index finger to her mouth as if thinking hard and then pointed at him. "Yes!" She walked away giggling.
His mouth drifted open a little and he grabbed the corner of the table with one hand. He turned widened eyes on Adrianna. It was all written there.
Cam knew.
ABOUT J.L. LORA
J. L. Lora is a Dominican-American author. Her stories explore the dark side of good characters, people living in the gray areas of life while playing the cards life has dealt them. She loves strong heroines and their equally powerful Men. She currently lives in Maryland, pursuing her dream of writing compelling, sexy, can't-put-down stories about empowered, badass alpha heroines and take-your-breath-away alpha heroes
If you wish to know more information about J. L. Lora, you can visit her website: http://www.JLLora.com.
You can also sign up for J. L. Lora's newsletter for news, releases, events, more information, and extras related to Boss, Made, and The Trinity Series. Visit http://www.JLLora.com/newsletter to sign up and never miss a thing!
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Posted in Adult, Authors, Contemporary, Genre, JL Lora, Romance, Second ChanceTagged Blog Tour, Excerpt, Giveaway, IndieSagePR, Love For All Seasons Series, The Summer I Loved You
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Although comfortable the apartment could really do with some modernisation as it appeared a bit 'tired' and 70's feel. The showers werent brilliant and the TV had dodgy reception.
"Overall it was warm and comfortable but is in desperate need of a makeover. Perhaps that was why there were not a lot of internal photos available when we booked. Some new furniture, carpets and showers and a fresh coat of paint would do the trick."


Port Elizabeth - The United Democratic Movement (UDM) will lay a complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after three of its members were allegedly attacked this week while on the campaign trail in the Eastern Cape.
"We don't have a culture of intimidation especially in the former Transkei area we have always been able to campaign freely," said Holomisa.
The suspects are expected back in the Mbizana Magistrate's Court on March 28.


The recent Watershed Management Authority (WMA) work is a prime illustration of our region's outstanding collaboration. The Iowa legislature authorized the creation of WMAs in 2010 as a mechanism for cities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and stakeholders to cooperatively engage in watershed planning and management. Central Iowa now has three active WMAs in place. The Fourmile Creek WMA launched several years ago, while the Walnut Creek and Mud, Camp, and Spring Creek WMAs formed more recently. These three WMAs are working to address issues of both water quality and quantity.
The Fourmile Creek WMA has completed its study, and the board is set to consider the approval of the report at their regular meeting on April 23rd. As part of this effort, infrastructure and policy working groups of technical experts and local stakeholders were formed to provide input and technical direction for the planning process. The WMA used their feedback to set recommendations for implementation. The plan includes an implementation focus on monitoring for success, engagement with rural and urban partners, adoption of a greenway system to the 500-year flood, and several infrastructure improvements to reduce flooding and improve water quality.
The Walnut Creek WMA involves 11 entities. This WMA secured an Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant to create a comprehensive watershed management plan and is now working with a consultant team to do just that. They currently are in the background and research phase and are preparing for an April 29th open house.
The Mud, Camp, and Spring Creek WMA also secured an Iowa DNR grant to develop a comprehensive watershed management plan and is moving forward with its work. They have selected a consultant team and have finalized the scope of the project. Work on the stakeholder process and Land and Water Resource Inventory will be the initial work efforts of the plan. The anticipated completion date of the plan is April 2016.


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Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022): April /
Congenital Phimosis in Scottish Fold Kitten
Baharak Akhtardanesh 1. Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Sina Delshad
Ali Shafipour
Shahriar Ghoreishi
Mehdi Farajli Abbasi
Mohammad Farajli Abbasi Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Penile Diseases, Scottish Fold, Kitten
Phimosis is usually result from congenital anomaly, trauma, and prepuce or penis tumor. The present case explained the occurrence of congenital phimosis in a 3 month male Scottish Fold Kitten. The kitten was presented with the history of oliguria and urinary incontinence. In physical examination, preputial swellings without urine discharge were observed. Other Clinical parameters, biochemical and complete blood count results were normal. The surgical treatment as the solve method for correction the phimosis, was done under general anesthesia and the little full thickness skin fold was removed from apex of prepuce. The skin and mucosa were opposed together with a simple interrupted suture pattern. The patient was followed for 1 mouth, after surgery, and there was no recurrence or post operation complication. Phimosis is reported in many animal species, but the most affected animal are dogs. There are few reports about feline phimosis, but no congenital cases were reported in Scottish Fold breed.
Akhtardanesh, B., Delshad, S. ., Shafipour, A. ., Ghoreishi, S. ., Farajli Abbasi, M., & Farajli Abbasi, M. (2022). Congenital Phimosis in Scottish Fold Kitten. Journal of Advanced Veterinary Research, 12(2), 174-176. Retrieved from https://advetresearch.com/index.php/AVR/article/view/914
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022): April
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of Advanced Veterinary Research
Mohamed Abdelhakam, Abdelbaset Abdelbaset, Ahmed Ibrahim, Parrot Mouth and Oronasal Fistula with a Presumed Teratoma Hanging from the Soft Palate in a Cattle Calf , Journal of Advanced Veterinary Research: Vol. 12 No. 3 (2022): July


Sometimes on our journey of learning we can be enlightened by events that are humorous, surprising or touching. Clarity is invariably sharpened by looking through the retrospectoscope. We would love to hear about your own experiences and lessons learned and will send a bottle of fine wine of the colour of your choice to those who submit contributions that we publish (under a nom de plume if you wish). Anecdotes should be between 500 and 1000 words in length. To submit a contribution to our Innocence revisited series, please complete the form below or post your contribution to: Medicine Today, PO Box 1473, Neutral Bay NSW 2089, Australia. Please note that by submitting a contribution to our Innocence revisited series you are granting Medicine Today permission to publish it both in print and online; however, submission does not guarantee publication. Innocence revisited articles are edited to meet both our house style and page space requirements. Contributors are sent edited page proofs for review before publication.


Lose the weeds. And the whispers.
Contrary to industry wisdom, our research revealed most homeowners don't obsess over their grass. They do, however, care what their neighbors think. So we tapped into consumers' fear of lawn shame—and set up Scotts as the easy solution.
It was a new approach in the category. And it worked. Scotts saw 10,000 new sign-ups with a 20% decrease in cost per acquisition. Which means, in the end, we rescued 10,000 homeowners from neighborly judgment.


Two headers from veteran striker Luca Toni gave the hosts an unexpected win over the Milan giants, in their first Serie A game in 11 years.
In the opening game of the season champions Juve sported a surprising yellow-blue outfit apparently borrowed from the Ukraine national team. New signing Carlos Tevez gave Juve the victory with a firm strike near the hour mark. Sampdoria's Castellini got a straight red card for a dirty tackle on Lichtsteiner in the last minute of the game.
This entry was posted in calcio, football, Italian, Serie A, soccer and tagged Hamsik, Napoli, Toni. Bookmark the permalink.


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How Does The AT&T/Time Warner Merger Impact You?
Last week, after a lengthy regulatory battle including a 6-week trial, a federal judge approved the mammoth $85 billion merger between AT&T and Time Warner, a deal that will likely have significant impact on the media industry. But, is the mega merger a good thing or a bad thing for consumers?
WHY DID AT&T WANT TO MERGE WITH TIME WARNER IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Well, simply put, today content is truly king. As the wireless market matures, and nearly everyone has a cell phone, AT&T felt like it needed to diversity its business in order to continue to compete and grow in this business climate.
They stood by and watched similar mergers go through, such as Comcast/NBC Universal, and Verizon/AOL/Yahoo, and decided that they needed to be have a business that was not just in distribution, bit content ownership as well.
OK, I SEE WHY AT&T/TIME WARNER AND THEIR SHAREHOLDERS ARE IN FAVOR OF THIS DEAL, BUT WHAT ABOUT CONSUMERS? IS THIS A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING FOR CONSUMERS?
Well, I think with most deals that are this huge, there are both pros and cons.
WHAT'S THE GOOD NEWS?
Ok, there are some things that are definitely benefits for consumers.
First of all, consumers might see expanded options to consume content, particularly if you're an AT&T subscriber.
On Friday morning, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson announced that the company will soon launch a new TV service that excludes sports channels and would be free for AT&T unlimited customers and only $15 for customers on other platforms.
Also, AT&T customers may get access to additional premium content without affecting their data plan. For example, AT&T has already started to offer free HBO subscriptions to it subscribers.
Lastly, the merger may accelerate development of the new 5G network by both AT&T and its competitors which will bring increased speed and new products and services with this enhanced technology.
OK, THAT SOUNDS GREAT MOSTLY FOR AT&T SUBSCRIBERS. WHAT SHOULD OTHER CONSUMERS BE CONCERNED ABOUT?
Well, although the federal judge who presided over the case didn't buy the argument, there is a chance that the merger could increase cable TV costs over time.
AT&T could decide to charge other providers more to access Time Warner content, and those costs would inevitably be passed on to consumers.
Think about it like this, if one of the largest airlines, bought the largest fuel producer, you could imagine that the merged company would charge the other airlines more to access its fuel. That's the fear with this merger.
Also, consumers may have fewer options to lower their cable bills.
Consumers have tried to lower their cable bills by increasingly signing up for cheaper streaming services such as PlayStation Vue, Sling, YouTube TV, Hulu etc.
AT&T could restrict those services from accessing the Time Warner content it will now own, or offer it exclusively on the streaming service that it owns (DirecTV Now), which would make the other services less attractive and give consumers fewer choices to lower their cable bills.
Lastly, this may open the floodgates for other deals like this.
This decision immediately led to Comcast making a $65 billion bid for most of the content assets of 20th Century Fox, creating a bidding war with Disney, which had already bid $50 billion for those assets.
This means that we will likely see a ton of consolidation in the media landscape which will seemingly increase costs for consumers over time because there will be less competition.
SO WHAT, IF ANYTHING SHOULD CONSUMERS DO NOW?
Consumers shouldn't freak out, because any effect of the merger won't be immediate.
However, I think they should continue to vote with their wallets by cutting the cord and letting these big companies know that they won't stand for being overcharged for mediocre service or content.
At the end of the day, the customer is always right!
Rob Wilson is a financial advisor, television contributor and new media personality who concentrates his practice on providing advice to, and managing financial affairs for, successful professional athletes, entertainers and other young professionals.
His work providing advice and guidance to prominent young stars has earned him the moniker "Hip Hop's Financial Advisor." In addition to working with multiple platinum selling music artists, Rob has worked with world-class athletes that have collectively signed more than a half of a billion dollars of NFL contracts.
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AT&T merger	, Money Mondays	, Rob Wilson
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Little Mizz "Hook" This female Native Vancouver Island Red Squirrel looks to be in "a family way" and fairly soon I believe she will be giving birth to another brood of super cute youngsters! This is the 3rd year I have observed Mizz Hook in my yard... She has the distinctive upturned claw or hook on her front left paw.
Seen in the image above doing a post dinner clean-up!
As the title suggests, it was late this afternoon , today, when I took these photos, but I was thrilled to have a feeding pair of Greenwings in front of me, despite the light.
G W Teal are common visitors to Sidney and N Saanich, but are often shy... Not the case with this happy couple!


A Bible Trivia quiz :- The gateway for devotional study of Jesus Christ, Moses and many holy bible characters and places for free.
Christmas Match 3 : - A Fun matching game for Merry xmas season !
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Gummy Candy Match : - Crazy matching game for Christmas season!
Jelly Candy Blitz : - Free matching 3 for Christmas season !


text:
@echo off
:: -----------------------------------------------
:: Language:    German
:: Author:      Natalya Lyovkina (https://fl.ru/users/SKY777/)
:: -----------------------------------------------
:: Code Page:   850
:: Encoding:    OEM 850

set PHRASE_1_0=  Visual Studio ist nicht installiert
set PHRASE_1_1=W"hlen Sie eine Visual C++-Version fr die PvPGN-Compilierung:
set PHRASE_1_2=%2 wurde als Compiler gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_3=M"chten Sie die letzten PvPGN-Programmcoden aus Git (im %2-Ordner) herunterladen / ersetzen?
set PHRASE_1_4=   PvPGN wird aus Git aktualisiert werden branch %2
set PHRASE_1_5=   PvPGN wird nicht aktualisieret werden
set PHRASE_1_6=W"hlen Sie eine Schnittstelle fr PvPGN:
set PHRASE_1_7=   1) Konsolenschnittstelle (Standardeinstellung)
set PHRASE_1_8=   2) Fensterschnittstelle
set PHRASE_1_7_1=   3) Konsolenschnittstelle [x64] (experimental)
set PHRASE_1_8_1=   4) Fensterschnittstelle [x64] (experimental)
set PHRASE_1_9=Geben Sie eine Nummer ein
set PHRASE_1_10=   Fr PvPGN wurde die Konsolenschnittstelle gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_11=   Fr PvPGN wurde die Fensterschnittstelle gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_10_1=   Fr PvPGN wurde die Konsolenschnittstelle [x64] gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_11_1=   Fr PvPGN wurde die Fensterschnittstelle [x64] gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_12=W"hlen Sie den Datenbanktyp:
set PHRASE_1_13=   1) Textdateien (Standardeinstellung)
set PHRASE_1_14=
set PHRASE_1_15=   PvPGN wird ohne Datenbankuntersttzung gew"hlt
set PHRASE_1_16=Bei der CMake-Konfiguration entstanden die Fehler

set PHRASE_2_1=Zug"ngliche %2 -Versionen (man kann seine Version in den %3 hinzufgen):
set PHRASE_2_2=   Geben Sie eine Nummer ein
set PHRASE_2_3=   Falsche Nummer... versuchen Sie noch einmal
set PHRASE_2_4=   PvPGN wird mit der %2 v%3-Untersttzung kompiliert
set PHRASE_2_5=M"chten Sie jetzt die %2-Einstellungen "ndern (bnetd.conf ^> storage_path)?
set PHRASE_2_6=    Serveradresse (Host)
set PHRASE_2_7=    Benutzer
set PHRASE_2_8=    Passwort
set PHRASE_2_9=    Datenbankname
set PHRASE_2_10=    Vorsatzkode fur Tabellen (Standardeinstellung %2)
set PHRASE_2_11=Die %2 -Konfiguration wurde gespeichert in %2.conf.bat

set PHRASE_3_1=Update-Prfung ...
set PHRASE_3_2=Ihre "v%2"-Version
set PHRASE_3_3=Letzte "v%2"-Version
set PHRASE_3_4=Sie haben ein letzes PvPGN Magic Builder
set PHRASE_3_5=Die PvPGN Magic Builder-Version im Server stimmt mit Ihrer Version nicht berein. M"chten Sie automatisch bis zur letzten Version aktualisieren?
set PHRASE_3_6=Das Update wurde vom Benutzer zurckgesetzt
set PHRASE_3_6_1= Keine Verbindung mit dem Update-Server
set PHRASE_3_7=Das Update start ...
set PHRASE_3_8= Herunterladen der %2-Datei ...
set PHRASE_3_9=Das Update wurde beendet
set PHRASE_3_10=Die Information ber die Žnderungen kann man im %2-Datei sehen

set PHRASE_9_1=Wahlen Sie Ihre D2GS Version:
set PHRASE_9_2=Einfuhren Sie das Admin-Passwort fur Telnet-Verbindungen (auf Port 8888), will be saved in d2gs.reg
set PHRASE_9_3=Passwort-Hash wird in der Datei %2 gespeichert
set PHRASE_9_4=Wollen Sie wesentliche ursprungliche MPQ-Dateien herunterladen? (1GB)
set PHRASE_9_9=^^!^^!^^! Andern Sie d2gs.reg und schliesswn Sie install.bat ab ^^!^^!^^!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Gene Prescott, president of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, said the meeting was kosher since it was "cosmetic," or served to give exposure to the state, not to conduct state business.
"In a few days, it opened doors for Florida business to pursue opportunities with Israeli counterparts," he said.
Bob McClure, president of Tallahassee-based James Madison Institute, agreed and suggested the definition of "open" be redefined. He mentioned that since technology like Skype and FaceTime exist, people can listen in other ways.
"The same people who complain about Jerusalem rarely attend a Cabinet meeting in person," McClure said. "They watch or listen on their phone, tablet or computer. Same for Jerusalem.''
state-politics
DeSantis forges partnerships, weighs in on international politics and the 'denialism' of an Israeli state
U.S. State Department rules prevented the media from live streaming the Cabinet meeting at the U.S. Embassy. The Florida Channel, which is funded by the Florida Legislature and produced and operated by WFSU-TV, was originally the only outlet permitted to have a live stream. Miami station WPLG was also able to live-stream the Cabinet meeting their website, Local10.com.
The First Amendment Foundation, joined by several news organizations including the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, did not find the meeting so open. The groups sued to stop the Cabinet from holding its scheduled meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, alleging that the body was in violation of the open government law.
The emergency complaint was rejected, and the meeting went on with a live stream.
Carmen Castillo, president and CEO of SDI International Corp., said she didn't approve of the meeting regardless of the legality.
"While I'm not certain that any laws were broken, depending on the reading of the legislation, holding a meeting concerning state matters in Jerusalem caused sufficient hardship on Floridians who might have otherwise attended such a meeting," she said.
Terry DeCarlo, an LGBTQ activist and former director of the LGBT+ Center Orlando, disagreed with the trip on principle.
"I am now and have always been vehemently against what I feel are these unnecessary, public paid for trips to 'sister cities,' " he said.
Other Influencers were less certain whether the trip was acceptable, weighing the positive effects of a successful trade mission with the pushback surrounding possible open government violations.
DeSantis, state Cabinet sued over planned Israel meeting as violation of state law
"Whether the decision to hold a Cabinet meeting during the trip was an efficient use of time given the participants on the trade mission or a violation of Sunshine laws, as alleged, I do not know," said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. "Overall, I think international engagement is important and beneficial to Florida's economy."
Bob Ward, president and CEO of the Florida Council of 100, a bipartisan, nonprofit group that advises the governor, state agencies and the Legislature, supported the meeting — as long as no decisions were made there
"It's a unique issue," he said. "On the one hand, if decisions were being made, then the public and the press should be able to attend. My understanding is that the agenda did not include action items and the event was televised live."
This story was updated to include all outlets that streamed the Cabinet meeting.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press briefing on the last day of the Florida trade trip to Israel. Jeffrey Schweers Pool
Samantha J. Gross
Samantha J. Gross is a politics and policy reporter for the Miami Herald. Before she moved to the Sunshine State, she covered breaking news at the Boston Globe and the Dallas Morning News.
Smart cities: Innovative travel, 5G, and the political drive
Guns: Keeping Florida safe from gun violence
The Florida Influencer Series
Road project complete and paid off? Keep paying the tolls, Influencers say
By Samantha J. Gross
Once Florida's transportation projects are paid off, should tolls continue to be collected for other transportation projects? Influencers say yes.
MORE THE FLORIDA INFLUENCER SERIES
Should public money go to private schools? Only with proper oversight, Influencers say
Workforce education, tourism and hemp will boost economy in 2019, Influencers say
Did 2019 Legislature solve Florida's pressing problems? Yes and no, Influencers say
Ex-felons in Florida should be able to vote without limitations, Influencers say
What is the most important issue facing Florida in 2019? We want to hear from you
50 Florida leaders will help discuss the important issues facing the state in 2019


text:
Q: Access index of $parent in knockout.js In knockout.js 2.1.0, in a template using the foreach binding, you can access the current item's index though the $index() function. In a nested foreach binding, is there any way to access the index of the $parent from a template?
Say I have a data structure like this:
var application = {
  topModel: [
    {
      {subModel: [{'foo':'foo'}, { 'bar':'bar'}]}, // this has top:0 and sub:0
      {subModel: [{'foo2':'foo2'}, { 'bar2':'bar2'}]} // this has top:0 and sub:1
    },
    {
      {subModel: [{'foo':'foo'}, { 'bar':'bar'}]} // this is top:1 sub:0
    },
    {
      {subModel: [{'foo':'foo'}, { 'bar':'bar'}]} // this is top:2 sub:0
      {subModel: [{'foo':'foo'}, { 'bar':'bar'}]} // this is top:2 sub:1
    },
    ...
    ]};

With this, I want to print the path to each model, using indices:
[topModel-index subModel-index], so that the output will be something like:
[0 0]
[0 1]
[1 0]
[2 0]
[2 1]
...

I have bound the models using foreach, but I can't figure out how to access the topModel's index in the context of the subModel. The following example shows an approach I have tried, but it doesn't work, as I can't figure out how to access the index of the $parent referrer.

  [
  ]

Should print out: 0 1, 0 2, 1 0, 1 1, 1 2, 2 0, 2 1, ...

A: The easiest way you can find out is download "knockout context" for chrome. This shows you what data is bound to what element and also lets you see the available functions/variables to that particular bound element. It's an amazing tool for situations like these.

A: to access the index of the parent object use
$parentContext.$index()

rather than
$parent.index()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mick Mooney's Marathon Challenge
Running the Bath 10k in February
Local man, Mick Mooney, is undertaking a tremendous challenge in 2014 to raise money for local people with brain injuries.
Between February and November, Mick, who is a teacher and Head of Physical Education at Westlands School, will be running and rowing a distance of 1,000 miles. This averages out at 25 miles per week, every week, for ten months. On top of this Mick will be entering ten further running events, one for each of the ten months of his challenge. These events will add a further 125 miles to the challenge and span a range of distances and terrains. As well as some 10k runs and half-marathons, these events will see Mick taking part in the Delicious Dart Trail in fancy dress as a monster, before building up to a full marathon – the Dartmoor Vale Marathon – in October, which covers a full 26.2 miles.
Mick's challenge was inspired by his own family's experience of brain injury when two years ago his eldest son, Jack, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Jack is now taking medication to control his condition while he works towards undergoing surgery. Following the support that his family received from Headway, the brain injury charity, and other organisations Mick felt compelled to do something to raise money for the cause.
Talking about his challenge, Mick commented: "I am the sort of person who when they are presented with a problem they try and solve it. I feel very helpless and at times frustrated. I know that I can't fix Jack; but I have reached the point where I feel I must do something. At this moment in time that something is to try and raise as much money as I can for Headway."
With fellow staff members from Westlands School to run the Dart Trail 15k in March
Despite his active line of work, Mick tells us that these events will be a real challenge for him, "I am not a runner and don't particularly like running. In fact I am not sure why I picked a running challenge. So I would welcome all the support I can get."
Mick will be using this challenge to raise money for Headway Devon – the local brain injury charity – to make sure that all of the money that this challenge raises will stay right here in Devon to support local people and their families. To sponsor Mick you can visit his Virgin Money Giving page at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelMooneyrunning4jack.
Anne Mattock, Chief Executive of Headway Devon, says "We are very grateful to Mick for taking on such a huge challenge. Brain injury affects over 1 million people each year in the UK and is the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults, but despite this there is very little public awareness surrounding brain injury and the disabilities it can cause. We are very thankful to Mick for helping to raise awareness of the difficulties that many local families experience because of brain injury, and for embarking on such an impressive endeavour. We wish him the very best with his races and fundraising. Every penny that is raised will be very gratefully received."


RAI - Men's Dome Carved Gold Edges Black Ceramic Wedding Band From the Inside Out Collection comes this Dome Carved Gold Edges Black Ceramic Wedding Band for Men. A dazzling display of gold and black ceramic, it features a carved band, a brushed black ceramic inlay, and the inside of the ring can be personalized with our complimentary engraving service. To make it yours, choose from yellow, white or rose gold, and 10kt, 14kt, or 18kt options. A modern piece of jewelry for modern grooms, it exudes style, sophistication and class.
From the Inside Out Collection comes this Dome Carved Gold Edges Black Ceramic Wedding Band for Men. A dazzling display of gold and black ceramic, it features a carved band, a brushed black ceramic inlay, and the inside of the ring can be personalized with our complimentary engraving service. To make it yours, choose from yellow, white or rose gold, and 10kt, 14kt, or 18kt options. A modern piece of jewelry for modern grooms, it exudes style, sophistication and class.


text:
import isEqual from 'is-equal'
import isRegExp from 'is-regex'

/**
 * Returns true if the given function throws the given value
 * when invoked. The value may be:
 *
 * - undefined, to merely assert there was a throw
 * - a constructor function, for comparing using instanceof
 * - a regular expression, to compare with the error message
 * - a string, to find in the error message
 */
export function functionThrows(fn, context, args, value) {
  try {
    fn.apply(context, args)
  } catch (error) {
    if (value == null)
      return true

    if (isFunction(value) && error instanceof value)
      return true

    const message = error.message || error

    if (typeof message === 'string') {
      if (isRegExp(value) && value.test(error.message))
        return true

      if (typeof value === 'string' && message.indexOf(value) !== -1)
        return true
    }
  }

  return false
}

/**
 * Returns true if the given array contains the value, false
 * otherwise. The comparator function must return false to
 * indicate a non-match.
 */
export function arrayContains(array, value, comparator) {
  if (comparator == null)
    comparator = isEqual

  return array.some(function (item) {
    return comparator(item, value) !== false
  })
}

/**
 * Returns true if the given string contains the value, false otherwise.
 */
export function stringContains(string, value) {
  return string.indexOf(value) !== -1
}

/**
 * Returns true if the given object is an array.
 */
export function isArray(object) {
  return Array.isArray(object)
}

/**
 * Returns true if the given object is a function.
 */
export function isFunction(object) {
  return typeof object === 'function'
}

/**
 * Returns true if the given object is an instanceof value
 * or its typeof is the given value.
 */
export function isA(object, value) {
  if (isFunction(value))
    return object instanceof value

  if (value === 'array')
    return Array.isArray(object)

  return typeof object === value
}


I'm not sure it was what I was expecting exactly but it is breathtaking.
I must say it was the longest/bumpiest flight I have ever been on but I made it out to Denver.
My best friend Mary picked me up with a warm car and so the adventure began.
Let's just say a 45 min drive took almost 2 hours as the snow covered the roads and the made the drive a bit more difficult than usual.
My first day here was spent in downtown Denver.
First stop was Mary's favorite coffee place . Fika.
I don't blame her for the countless hours and dollars spent here.
Snooze was the place to be yesterday morning.
Chocolate chip pancakes hit the spot for sure.
We finished the night with tv, pizza, youtube videos, tons of laughs and just hanging out.
Great end to my first day catching up with my best friend and experiencing Colorado.
Today we got up and made our way to Breckenridge.
No wonder people come out here to go on vacation.
Maybe I just thought places like this existed in the movies, how beautiful.
It was about 20 degrees most of the day, pretty cold for a Florida girl no doubt but I must say, it was so refreshing.
and truly a breath of fresh air.
I so enjoyed time to just spend with Mary.
To enjoy taking pictures and appreciating how difficult it can be at times (its nice to have someone who doesn't care when it takes 20 minutes to get the lighting right ha).
Here's just a few pictures from our adventure today.
I have more pictures and thoughts to come.
We are ending our night back at Fika on this chilly evening.
I'm thankful today for new experiences, for God's incredible creation, for a break and a chance to just breathe, for meaningful relationships, for purpose, for hope, and for a God who meets me in ways and places I never expected.
It may be cold, but Colorado is gaining a warm place in my heart rather quickly.
looks amazing and so do both of you relaxed pretty girls! Any Christmas Cups???


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2018 Best Indie Book Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction and a terrifying vision of a possible future.
The face of the country changed forever when the rain stopped falling and the green withered. Now water is the global currency and one power controls it all.
Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath. Her life is dominated by regulations and duty to family and society. After transitioning from student to working member of the community, she becomes part of an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But experience is a great teacher, and it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. As Enora delves deeper into the outside world, she will be faced with startling truths and frightening realities. In the end, she must decide how far she will go to retain her humanity.


text:
With All Speed
The earliest photograph of a human figure on paper is "The Footman" by William Henry Fox Talbot, from 1840. Footmen came in several varieties; an early breed that quickly went extinct was the running footman, who would advance as a herald before his master's carriage and also deliver urgent dispatches. In What the Butler Saw, E.S. Turner gives some amazing examples:
As the table was being laid for dinner in his castle at Thirlstane, the Duke of Lauderdale was informed that there was a shortage of plate, so he sent a running footman over the Lammermuir Hills to his other castle at Lethington, near Haddington, 15 miles away. The man returned with the additional plate in time for dinner.
In his Recollections of 1826, the writer John O'Keeffe remembers a running footman he saw in his youth in Ireland: "He looked so agile, and seemed all air like a Mercury; he never minded roads but took the short cut and, by the help of his pole, absolutely seemed to fly over hedge, ditch and small river. His use was to carry a message, letter or dispatch; or on a journey to run before and prepare the inn, or baiting-place, for his family or master who came the regular road in coach-and-two, or coach-and-four or coach-and-six; his qualifications were fidelity, strength and agility."
One evening the Earl of Home sent a running footman from his Berwickshire castle to Edinburgh on important business. On going downstairs the following morning he found the man asleep in the hall. He was about to chastise him when the man told him he'd already been there and back, a distance of 35 miles each way. (If we allow 12 hours for this that's 6 mph, allowing for a few breaks to eat and rest. That seems accurate — Turner says that a footman running before his master's coach "was prepared to cover sixty miles and more in a day, at an average of six to seven miles an hour.")
"In London the fourth Duke of Queensberry ('Old Q') continued to employ running footmen until his death in 1810. He would try out applicants in Piccadilly, lending them his livery for the occasion, and then stand watch in hand on his balcony to time their performance. There is a story that he said to one candidate: 'You will do very well for me.' The reply was, 'And your livery will do very well for me,' with which the runner bolted."
December 1, 2021 November 30, 2021 | History · Society · Technology
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