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GHC Reflections: Augmented Reality and Streaming Media
The Augmented Reality segment focused on getting user attention when they view the world through the lens of a device, and then providing them with relevant information – for instance, in an unfamiliar place seeing info labels pop up about the location. A problem however with labels is the contextual linking to the described object – and ensuring that the size relative to the screen size is still large enough to be helpful, without clustering too greatly and causing clutter. Conversely, solving this problem will definitely help users navigate the scenes – which of course, would be real-world scenes, by having optimal placement for aid.
Eye tracking was a highlighted topic for the Augmented Reality – and when discussing label placement, this is definitely understandable. Knowing where a user is going to look can ensure labels contextual to that appear – and decreases the amount of labels one would need to populate at a time, causing the clutter problem to all but disappear. Eye tracking methods include infrared light detecting the pupil, and heat maps of vision. The latter is good for studying eye movements, but the former could be a technology integrated into devices that could actually be utilized in real software for users.
A follow up to the idea of contextually populating based on eye
tracking does however, raise a few issues of its own. For instance, how can one ensure that label transitions after the eye moves are not too distracting?
Sudden or jerking movements would bring the users gaze back to the label, which could definitely throw off eye tracking software. "Subtle Gaze
Modulation" is the concept of using the right movement to draw the eye,
but terminating the stimuli before the gaze reaches its destination. Think of a blinking or glowing-then-dim light, drawing you toward it but disappearing before your eye lands on the spot that was radiating. Photography "tricks" like dodge and burn or blur, can heighten contrast and create the same sort of gaze-catching effect. And for anyone interested: the mathematical formula used in the presentation for gaze modulation
theta = arc cas ([v * w] / [|vector v| * |vector w|]).
Where v is the line of vision from the
focus and w is the desired line of focus to find the angle between the two.
The Streaming Media presentation was fairly standard pertaining to
connection quality versus video quality. Adaptive Streaming, or the
"Auto" default on YouTube for example, is the concept of the request
for stream quality changing relative to signal strength. The ideal of Adaptive Streaming is to ensure the user's stream is not interrupted – quality may flux, but there should be no buffer waits and video/media should always be visible.
The encoding can also play a huge factor in video: compression reduces file
size, but at the obvious consequence of quality. The quality available for a
video to choose from when attempting adaptive streaming is dependent upon the file size – factors such as Resolution (HD/SD), bitrate, or frames per second (fps). Reducing frames per second can speed a file with potentially minimal consequences: video files contain a lot of redundancy (think of all the frames – many are repeated), and there is no way the human eye is able to see them all. Codex are compression and decompression algorithms that can minimize the impact of video file reduction to humans by taking into account these redundancies humans cannot notice anyway.
As a budding UX professional, the eye tracking points were of
intrigue to me. I would love to play with techniques similar to these in
digital designs in an attempt to help my users follow the path, without over-correcting or pushing them as they themselves adapt and explore. It would be interesting to see how this could be refined to be more subtle but assistive as needed.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" – Arthur C. Clark
All research copyright their respective owners
Author BriPosted on December 13, 2014 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags conferences, techLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: Augmented Reality and Streaming Media
Veronica Mars and the Crowdsourced "Long Tail"
Alright, I'll admit it: I'm a marshmallow and I believe in LoVe. Regardless of how much Kristen Bell can get me to fangirl about her misadventures into private eye work, the story of "The Veronica Mars Movie" is an interesting case study in marketing, specifically, marketing to the long tail.
As most familiar with marketing are already aware, the long tail is the section of the market that does not cater to the most common buyers. These are your specialty items, your underwater basket weavers or fans who need a figurine of that one character in that one episode of that one show that -one- time. The beauty of the long tail is that, while you won't hit many buyers, those you do hit will invest almost unrivaled amounts because they really, /really/ want that product and have few places to get it.
Veronica Mars, for those who (sadly, sadly, sadly) haven't heard of it, debuted in 2004 and featured a young Kristen Bell working on various whodunit cases using the skills she learned from her father's Private Eye business. Cases range from the mundane (who's rigging the school ballots?) to larger overarching cases (who killed Veronica's best friend?). The show ended in 2007, after seeing Veronica through one year of college. The show, while never a huge success in ratings, received critical acclaim for its well-written noir presence, epic female lead, and intriguing blend of humor, wit, and drama. Much like Firefly and many other shows with a highly engaged and supportive fanbase, when Veronica Mars was cancelled, there was a huge hole that left them wanting more.
Why hello long tail, there you are. (read in Veronica's internal monologue voice for added 'tude)
Seven years after the cancellation, Rob Thomas appeared on KickStarter encouraging fans of the series to fund a Veronica Mars movie. The response? Astounding. Even if you weren't a marshmallow, anyone following news of successful KickStarter's surely heard of Veronica Mars utterly smashing almost every KickStarter record ever: Two million dollars were raised in less than ten hours, breaking the fastest grossed one million and two million dollar records. It also broke highest minimal pledging goal achieved, largest successful film project, and on its final day most backers of any KickStarter project. (Note: this has only been beaten thus far by the Reading Rainbow project – which seems to have been an obvious take from the success of this project!)
For those who think the long tail isn't a worthwhile investment: let Mars Investigation show you it depends on the long tail you're trying to cater to.
The film itself, nine years after the final season in terms of timeline, received overall good reviews from critics, coming out at 77% and 6.4/10 on RottenTomatoes and 61/100 on Metacritic. Tabulating box office earnings was a bit difficult for the Mars movie, considering its fund source and due to the fact that prizes for some tiers of backing were copies of or tickets to the film – meaning quite a large portion of watchers would be absorbed in the funding. Despite this, Veronica Mars still grossed $1.988 million opening weekend, coming in at #11 on the box office charts, and had a worldwide total of $3.485 million – again, not including those backer-watchers, who already ensured the costs of film production were covered with their $5.702 million given to the KickStarter. This means most if not all of the total box office revenue should ideally have been profit for the film, and if one wants to argue semantics, the true total is more like $9.187 million, if the funds the KickStarter received are counted toward the film's grossing.
What do all of these numbers mean? Even if this film wasn't a box office smash, it created huge ripples, and at very low cost to Warner Bros, who facilitated the Digital Distribution and ensured screening of the movie in 291 theaters across the nation.
While the movie might not have hit record-breaking numbers at the box office, it did pave the way for a new generation of entertainment catered to a willing long tail, and it certainly shocked the system as a reminder that if you build it – no matter how niche, the diehards will most certainly come in their small, but desiring droves.
"Do you not instinctively fear me? Maybe you should make yourself a note." – Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars (c) Warner Bros. Entertainment
Author BriPosted on December 11, 2014 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags marketing, pop cultureLeave a comment on Veronica Mars and the Crowdsourced "Long Tail"
Google Pokemon MAPster: On Nintendo and Mobile
If you have any aspiring Pokemon masters as friends, or happened to open Google Maps up today, chances are you found out about Google's April Fools prank this year:
Granted, there actually ARE Pokemon in Google maps today: just in sprite form and no traveling required. (Unless you count hopping from Harajuku to Old Faithful via the Maps app travel)
While a collaboration between Google, the Pokemon Company, and Nintendo was a rather ingenious prank to tug on any kid-at-heart's nostalgia and gain some excellent publicity for all parties, what might not have been expected of the prank was the conversations it brought about to the future of Pokemon, and well – Nintendo games in general.
Nintendo franchises are some of the most beloved and memorable games: Mario, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and Link (Legend of Zelda) easily spring to mind among others when one is asked to think of a video game. One of Nintendo's best selling points for its games is the exclusivity of its characters: typically confined to Nintendo only titles with rare cameos to outside titles, and exclusively playable on Nintendo console systems.
Does that exclusivity exclude Nintendo from some successful business ventures? Any console junkie will tell you that when it comes to hardware, Nintendo may have innovative ideas (a controller with a screen? Some of the first motion detection titles?), but their processing power can lag years behind Sony PlayStation or Microsoft XBox. Some mobile devices may even have better processing capabilities and features than current generation Nintendo devices.
Would it be better business for Nintendo to farm out their franchise characters? Or start developing and selling for mobile? Maybe opening up a retro games section of the Play store filled with mobile formatted nostalgia-inducers?
Think of the possibilities mobile could offer: the augmented reality type game described in the Google Maps trailer isn't so far off – granted it might have to be scaled down a bit since it's unlikely one will hop a plane to Egypt to finish a game.
Mobile could hit a base of users Nintendo is missing too. Users who love Mario and Pikachu, but can't bring themselves to shell out the money for a console just to play one or two titles, but would gladly pay the money for those titles on their mobile device. Or even users who would play more classic mobile games a la CandySwipe, Cut the Rope, etc. that would buy extra levels or make a micropurchase for a small game with their favorite characters starring. There's a potential market left untapped.
Yet for all the possibilities, and all the frustrated Nintendo lovers but non-console buyers who would clamor for mobile Nintendo love, there's some sound strategy to what Nintendo has done so far. As stated at the beginning, Nintendo built its characters partially on their exclusivity. Only seeing Mario in his Nintendo environment gives an expectation and a context, and it gives a level of quality expectation for the product. Letting Mario run around just anywhere willing to shell out the cash for him could dampen the iconic-ness of him and other Nintendo franchise.
Plus, just like Sony and Microsoft, part of Nintendo's profits come from console sales. While PlayStation and Microsoft have plenty of great third party developers to contract out games to and are known for a vast array of different games being available to them, Nintendo again breeds its consoles in part for the exclusiveness of their franchise titles – third party developers are almost akin to just gravy. Take the franchise titles and put them anywhere, and when stacked against the competitors with better horsepower, who is going to buy the Nintendo console anymore? They may have novel hardware innovations, but given console sales for Nintendo already are less than their competitors, who can say how much more the scales would tip?
None of these conversations are to say Nintendo needs any advice. Their brands speak for themselves: the company has amassed quite spectacular revenue and while their current consoles may seem in trouble, the company itself is far from likely in the same waters. These are what ifs, and exploring the whys.
The bottom line seems to be that for all the excitement and potential new markets Nintendo could open up by expanding its horizons, it could also become a fatal blow to the company. Dwindled to a halt console sales could potentially rip open any gaming company,  and beyond that the iconic nature of Nintendo franchise characters could get lost in the mix as they jump from game to game, console to console. While it might seem backwards to those looking at the potential innovations ahead of us, Nintendo sticking to what they know may be exactly what they need to continue on their path of household gaming entity.
Plus, if the technology already exists, that means it can always become a part of the next big Nintendo thing. The 3DS already HAS augmented reality features, for example: they've just never been that strongly used in a franchise game to my knowledge. Maybe this Google Maps trailer is opening doors to something right in their backyard?
Regardless of what they choose to do in the future, Nintendo is a savvy company who chose to opt out of the console horsepower war and opt into developing further what was already working for them: their characters. I'm interested to see how their business plan continues to unfold, and I'm actually doing a marketing course research survey project on Nintendo and mobile devices, so you may see more blog posts about this from me.
But until then, I'm going to go back to searching for all these Pokemon in….where am I now, Kyoto? And hoping against hope if I find them all Google sends me a lovely little Pokemon master card to hang on my wall, right next to my pile of Pokemon plushies.
"Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock-n-roll" – Shigeru Miyamoto
Pokemon and respective characters (c) Nintendo, Game Freak, and the Pokemon Company International; Mario, Luigi, and other characters (c) Nintendo
Author BriPosted on March 31, 2014 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags marketing, tech, video gamesLeave a comment on Google Pokemon MAPster: On Nintendo and Mobile
GHC Reflections: "Why Are We Still Geeks?" Panel – Part 3
(Trying to work toward graduation AND remember to blog is hard – sorry for the delay!!)
My favorite segment of the "Why Are We Still Geeks?" panel at Grace Hopper, part three featured professor Kim Surkan of Humanities & Gender Studies. Her discussion revolved around the current issues surrounding women in technology today, and steps being made toward remedying them.
Very early in the speech she made a memorable statement: "You have to remember, I am humanities, trying to step into your world – and let me tell you, your world is troubled". With that statement alone, despite her not being a woman in the CS field today, you could tell how deeply she understood the problems plaguing women in technology today and hoped to remedy them.
She went on to discuss several distinct points hindering the cause of women in CS. For instance, both genders have a habit of correlating gender with ability in STEM fields, which regardless of actual skill causes a decrease in interest and hinders abilities, which continues to increase our gender gap. In simpler terms, both women and men perceive men as better at programming, thus women lose interest, stifle or hinder their own skills, and create an even wider divide to perpetuate this stigma.
She then cycled this concept into another called "symbolic annihilation". She argues that the struggle there is for young women to see other women in computer science makes it difficult to protest the fact that they are underrepresented. It's a difficult concept to wrap one's head around at first: the best phrase for it is "It's hard to protest an image that does not exist". If we've never seen it, we have trouble conceptualizing it as a real problem.How can we address the problem of women entering STEM fields, if we have barely any women at all to turn to in the field for a frame of reference? Out of sight, out of mind as they might say.
One fact Dr.Surkan shared that I found startling was that Computer Science is the only STEM field that has seen a decrease in women joining in recent years. As a woman in the Computer Science field, I know we are few and far between – but to hear that trend is only becoming worse is something that makes me very sad. Any woman can be good at whatever she so chooses, but there is nothing about Computer Science as a field that makes it strictly male. I can think of plenty of areas that women can actually have an easier time conceptualizing than men due to how we process information. For instance, concurrency and object-oriented relations/definitions are things that I've seen women grasp more quickly. And for those who enjoy a human element – data analysis, human/computer interaction, usability, and user experience are all realms where a craving for "social" work can manifest in Computer Science – and are areas that sorely need workers, yet few Computer Science majors are as interested in. Not to put the genders in stereotypical boxes of course – I mean Grace Hopper developed the compiler – that says just how much women can contribute to the field in any area they choose!
Surkan continues by discussing subtle differencing in the language of Computer Science that one could also say contributes in part to the lack of women. The term hardware did not originate until 1958 – prior to that, computers were operated almost entirely by women! The word hardware versus software brings about a play on masculine versus feminine roles (men are "hard" and women are "softer"), and defined women solely as switchboard operators rather than "able to build computers". This language change may have helped solidify the gender divide within Computer Science – where women are thought to be able to use the computers, but not build them or program on any level of real depth.
She follows this up with a case study of several events in the Computer Science world that have alienated women – and for me, these case studies were a turning point in how I viewed the CS world for women. I had known things can be bad, that we were few and far between – but some of these stories were beyond me. There was the 9-year-old girl at the TechCrunch Disrupt hackathon: who when other apps were inappropriate for someone of her age to have to see (and at least a touch objectifying to women) during demonstration, was blamed for being there – despite having built her app herself at the event. There was Anita Sarkeesian, receiving death threats for an attempt to kickstart a YouTube channel about female representation in video games. Adria Richards, who was harassed and then fired from her job for tweeting about some men making sexual jokes at a Python conference. And the more I Googled after the panel, the longer the list of stories became.
The above tied in with what she calls "brogrammer" culture – more and more startups and popular tech companies are modeling themselves in a fashion to attract young and thrill-seeking twenty-something males – to the point where the office culture resembles a fraternity house party more than corporate.<br />
Now, there's nothing wrong with a fraternity house party, and there's nothing wrong with a woman wanting to be a ninja or a wizard or a Jedi (as advertisements for these job may question if you are when it comes to coding), but there are elements of those environments and words that can cause women to automatically feel excluded. Perhaps when promoting jobs companies should use a second, more general, or even women-targeted ad set in addition (calling for code queens, Python princesses, and scripting sirens) if they wish to correct these images – and let their house party style be more like game&study night on the co-ed dorm floor.
When I discuss the issues of women in Computer Science today, I am constantly brought back to referencing something I learned or heard in Surkan's panel segment and branch out my discussion from there. No one has all the answers to these issues – but she definitely helped to raise some of the problems and questions, which is always a necessary first step. More than likely I will revisit some of these issues and pose some thoughts for the future in the future – but this blog has become long enough just revisiting Surkan's panel points.
Is there a current problem with getting women into Computer Science, and the environment for women in the field at certain locations? Certainly.
Can we fix it for the future? Definitely.
Will it happen overnight? Probably not – but if we persevere, we will overcome.
"Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes" – Edsger Dijkstra
Author BriPosted on March 30, 2014 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags computer science, conferences, tech, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: "Why Are We Still Geeks?" Panel – Part 3
In the second portion of the "Why are We Still Geeks?" panel at GHC, Brenda Laurel took center stage of the discussion, speaking out passionately about our portrayal of women as "professionals" – and what this decided imagery can do for our perceptions. She used the Grace Hopper poster as her example, commenting on details such as polished nails and suits – this serialized ideal of the business professional.
While at times her discussion seemed a bit out of left field or reaching, I felt she did have a very valid point in that we should be allowed to look "ourselves" and still be perceived as competent and professional. Of course we should dress workplace appropriate – but why must workplace appropriate for women include makeup? Why do so many images portraying business professionals show women in the 3-piece suit while men are able to wear khakis and polos in an ever-increasing amount of media? Why is pulled back hair considered professional – but pigtails (still pulled back) are not? When did these rather archaic lines become drawn between "appropriate" and "not" when some are rather silly when given a second glance?
Women should be allowed to dress in a way that is workplace appropriate but still expresses their sense of style and self – as for women, we often garner quite a bit of confidence from our dress. She stressed the importance of doing great work, being yourself, and allowing that to be noticed by those who will appreciate it – a valid point, even in a world with a need for a level of base professionalism. Who would want to work somewhere where their sense of individuality isn't – on some level – appreciated at all?
Of course, Laurel's discussion for those in the panel was a bit further seeming that we should be able to dress "any which way" that so suits us – to quote, we should  "deny power to the spectacle "status quo" image of success" and "put our own self representations out".
This is where I feel she loses me a bit. I agree, as I've stated above, that we should be allowed some semblance of freedom within the boundary of professionalism to express ourselves – and that often the media portrayal of that image is far too streamlined to a specific cut-and-dry image (the "power suit" woman – when so often many women where a nice dress or blouse to their jobs and are equally as successful). However, I do believe that there is a right for a company to have a dress code – again, some may be considered outdated or even bordering on archaic, but a business has a right to have an image they wish to convey. I don't believe, however, that image should be allowed to fully mask the individual inside (whom they hired!). Even students in schools with dress codes often have some way to express – be it buttons their backpack, funny socks, hairstyle/color, or fun jewelery. If the overall "look" is being adhered to, why can't someone be trusted with some freedom to express themselves?
While I wasn't entirely sure how this discussion itself circled back to being geeks, I can see some correlation with perhaps our dress constructing an archetype?
Regardless, and even accounting for my disagreeing on certain levels with Laurel's message, this section of the panel provided a good platform to consider the woman in the workforce dress code, and to hope we can continue to find and gain new ways of expressing ourselves in our dress while adhering to levels of professionalism.
"Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live" – Gianni Versace
Author BriPosted on December 29, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags computer science, conferences, industry, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: "Why Are We Still Geeks?" Panel – Part 2
What Girls' Toys are Really Lacking
I wanted to take a break from my Grace Hopper reflections for this blog, as I think during the holiday season it is especially pertinent. I was wrapping Christmas presents for my extended family when this thought dawned on me – and with all the articles and bemoaning of the "pink aisle", it seemed a worthy time to add my two cents.
The dreaded "pink aisle" – for those unaware, it is a nickname for the girls toy aisle, as rolling past it in any store you will most likely see a large wall of pure, unadulterated hot pink. Is the pink the problem though? Or is there something more at play?
While I wrapped up the latest mishap in the Barbie-to-Bratz-gone-wrong saga – Monsters High, my problems with the pink aisle hit me like a ton of bricks. I was reading the back of the doll's boxes – Abby Bominable and some Poltergeist one for those who've manhunted the dolls this holiday season – and on the back I noticed mugshots like yearbook pictures, where the doll in question mentioned who they hated, who was their friend, etc. Miss Poltergeist had Abby as her "BFF", but Abby did not reciprocate such feelings, instead some mermaid also blue-skinned buddy named Lagoona was hers. I commented on this to my dad as he walked past, who laughed and said "it sounds just like high school". Of course, the dolls were high school girls, but something about that statement fit the pieces together to me.
Girls toys promote conformity. Boys toys promote imagination.<br />
Cut and dry, it clicked. Before anyone thinks I'm jumping to conclusions (and of course, there's always going to be outliers in the equation), let me break it down.
Almost every popular girls toy most seasons is some variation of Barbie/Cabbage Patch/Friendship-Super-High-School-Buddies/Bratz … the picture of the generic doll souped up to whatever is relevant this year comes to mind. Yet most of these dolls, while at times promoting exploration, have gone the way of having one central theme: how important being liked is. No, maybe they mask it as the importance of friendship (always a good thing to learn), or making memories and finding yourself with friends, but at the heart of every one of these toys is a glaring message if you dig deep enough: you need people to like you in order to be worthwhile.
Even My Little Pony – one of the less blatantly gender specific toys of our era despite its pinkness (as evidenced by brony culture) – the tagline is "Friendship is Magic". Of course, the show teaches a deeper message – love and tolerance despite differences, honing ones talents and using them to help others. In all actuality it is probably one of the least representative franchises out there for this phenomena.
That is, until Equestria Girls is taken into account – blatantly following the trends of the other competitors just in time for the holidays. Of course, Equestria Girls the TV Show has yet to actually have any air time -so it's still undetermined if it will be a high school show actually maintaining the high school show archetype, or follow more closely the vein of MLP:FiM.
Moving back to the point though – these girl's toys as they stand don't really promote individualism, encourage creative scenarios/problem solving, or tell them much other than that they need to be popular. With girl's toys you're given a doll with an outfit and a purse/day-planner/laptop/desk – some sort of school/home and fashion accessory. What story is there to imagine up for that doll beyond, well, high school drama?
Boys get action figures with laser blasters – you can shoot the laser blaster at the crocodile you got three holidays ago, shoot it at your brother, shoot it at the dog, pair him up with the superhero from another franchise entirely….the stories are endless.
Put a high school doll with another high school doll and the only story is cross-high school drama.
Even adding in toys like ponies, unicorns, fairy princesses – there are little ways to explore them besides accessorizing them in the girl's aisle.
Even dress up toys and the ideas children have while wearing them reinforce this concept. When a boy dresses in a ninja turtle costume or a Batman mask, if asked why he is more than likely to say he wants to be Batman "so he can do anything" – or more kid-maginatively – so he can "fight off the evil zombie hoard outside the living room". If you ask a girl
why she wants to be in a princess costume, it's so "she can be pretty
and play dress-up with the sparkliest clothes" or "so everyone will love
her". Or craft toy kits, while fueling artistic creativity, typically
only teach girls the same message that "pretty-fying" is important and
are typically geared again, toward sharing or playing with their friends
– not exploring their own individual creativity, but creating together
and thus sometimes stifling their true exploration (not to say that
group play is a bad thing – but children also should grow their own
talents).
What girl's toys really lack is opening their minds to something more than the same old message. That how you look is the most important, that you need to fit in to be significant. Boy toys have samurais, pirate ships, ancient crypts, and plenty of gadgets and weapons to explore with – they encourage imaginatively dreaming up new scenarios, and believing in oneself. Boys also get more villain toys – lessons in overcoming adversity and never quitting come to mind (though granted, the villain archetype is a bit black and white compared to real life). Boys are taught that things are about what they want – what they can dream up, and that they are more than capable of achieving them. Girls toys teach the importance of sticking with your "pack" and reinforce staying in the same boxes of the high school, the home, the pretty pink vacation yacht.
In my eyes it's not the "pinkness" of the pink aisle that leads girls astray. It's the message that conformity is key. Imagination fuels exploration and learning – some of the best engineers in the world have huge, vividly creative imaginations. When we hand girls toys that tell them to pay attention to what others think and not stray "outside the box" – how can we question the lower numbers of women in STEM fields? We never used toys that taught them to dream outside the friendship circle, to be their own person, and to make their own stories and be problem-solving heroines, rather than gossiping schoolgirls. And of course when these messages of conformity are drilled in – if they never see women in STEM, they won't stray from the "normal path".
Don't hate the pink aisle for its pink, glitter, and unicorns – franchises like My Little Pony have proven that the pink is not the problem and that it can break gender walls.
Instead, wonder why the unicorns can't have laser blasters, and the dolls can't go anywhere beyond the mall, the classroom, or the sparkly mansion. Check back with me on the damage the pink aisle does when we see the diversity of possibilities those fuchsia boxes hold matches what we offer boys.
"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by its lapels" – Maya Angelou
Monsters High (c) Mattel, My Little Pony (c) Hasbro, Justice League (c) DC Comics
Author BriPosted on December 23, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags marketing, storytelling, womenLeave a comment on What Girls' Toys are Really Lacking
One exciting Friday panel was on the topic of "Why Are We Still Geeks?" (we being Computer Scientists – especially women), and more specifically, how we can remedy this perception. The three speakers present were Maria Klawe, Brenda Laurel, and Kim Surkan. Their diversity of backgrounds in computer science, gender studies, and media really brought a depth of discussion to the table.
First to speak was Maria Klawe, and she discussed her personal attempts to remedy this stigma. Much of the discussion came back to media – we don't see many computer scientists (let alone female ones) in media so we subconsciously disregard that they exist as more than the stereotypes that surround them (geeks, antisocial, etc). Her idea was that a television show following the life of a computer programmer (albeit dramatized in some fashion – not unlike criminal justice in NCIS, anthropology in Bones, behavioral psychology in Criminal Minds, or academia in Big Bang Theory, to list a few) would give public media a more 'stylish' concept of the computer programmer. This would allow for a broadening of the stereotype, and through character development in the show, do away with notions of what a computer scientist's character "must be". She has poured resources into a nice script, but has so far gotten nowhere – it seems even media is wary to take a chance on something "too fringe" or "too geeky".
Of course, by this token, there are shows that do showcase computer scientists. Though the lack of media attention may be due to the fact that they either fall into stereotype (Big Bang Theory, the IT Crowd) or the computer scientist is not the main focus. For example, Chuck Bartowski of the NBC series Chuck is the main protagonist and is actually a Computer/Software Engineer – however the caveat is that the show explores his "spy life", not his life as a computer programmer. Granted, episodes showcase his "hacking" talents, but his real world job beyond the spy life consists of IT service desk help at a Best Buy-like chain store – he is shown as nerdy and over-qualified but stuck until spy work finds him. The depth of character Chuck explores could certainly give a fresh media model for computer scientists – if only they had explored his programming talents more than a backstory and "feature" of his personality.
One of the few "saving graces" to women at least being represented as computer scientists comes from a surprisingly mainstream source: CBS hit series Criminal Minds. For nine seasons, Penelope Garcia has been the "tech goddess" of her BAU unit. Of course, she cracks up to the stereotype of being eccentric and 'nerdy' – but she's loveable and human. She's incredibly social, she cares deeply for her teammates, and in every regard except for her dress and collection of brightly colored toys she breaks the stereotypical image of a computer scientist on its head. One could even argue her dress, while "different" is still professional – not the 'typical' stereotype of hoodie/t-shirt and jeans. And she's a woman.
Garcia exemplifies why broadcast stations should NOT be afraid to air computer scientists and crack open those stereotypes with a heart melting character.  She makes an amazing role model – but of course the caveat is that on a show with as sensitive of material as Criminal Minds discusses, children can't be exposed to her and thus their notions remain unchanged. Also, she is part of a show with many characters from many backgrounds, and sometimes her story can be a bit "lost in the shuffle". However, in my eyes she gives hope that the computer science stereotype – even from the perspective of women in field, can be overcome gracefully.
Klawe makes a strong point that was echoed by the speakers after her – paying attention to media representations is critical to changing interest and stereotypes in our field. We may find media to be poor representations or at times superfluous – but they are what is in the public eye and their perception alters the societal perception as a whole. Hopefully change in TV media will come with efforts like Klawe's and existing strong character models that already work in hit network shows being able to give an extra push to the initiative.
In the meantime I'll cheer on Garcia every Wednesday night and relive my DVD series of Chuck – hoping for some new computer programmers to show their face and a depthy character archetype that will make me fall in love with not only their profession – but their personality.
"Well, I figured since I'm gonna have to interact with the mass populace, I should dress in the traditional costume of a mere mortal." – Penelope Garcia, Criminal Minds
Author BriPosted on November 12, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags computer science, conferences, pop culture, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: "Why Are We Still Geeks?" Panel – Part 1
GHC Reflections: Brenda Chapman Session
This reflection is one of the harder ones for me to write.
One of the highlights of the Grace Hopper Celebration was Friday's panel with Brenda Chapman. For those who are not familiar, Chapman has worked at Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks. She is most famous for concieving the idea and directing Brave (Pixar's first female director, it should be noted). She was also Head of Story on the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, and designed the iconic Little Mermaid scene of Ariel arching over the rocks with the waves crashing as she sings "Part of Your World". Of course, Chapman has a slew of other credits to her name on projects both big and small – but I thought I might share the ones that were the most iconic to me for a general overview.
Chapman's session was an overview of the projects she's worked on in her career, and the skills that helped her to get there. Passion and tenacity were chief in this list. Interspurced clips from her works kept the audience engaged with nostalgia and wonder while highlighting some of her proudest moments.
And yet. And here is where the blogging becomes hard to do.
If I may be so bold, Chapman seemed so sad through the entire session. She spoke of doing what she loves, of passion and dedication, and yet there was a weariness in her that, despite trying to show a smile, it appeared she could not shake.
And honestly, in hearing her panel I would not blame her in the slightest if my perceptions were accurate. She was initially denied entry to Cal-Tech, only to finally get in the next year. When she was hired at Disney, it was only to meet a necessary female quota, not because it was believed she had talent. She was fired from directing the dream movie of her own design.
She embodies so much of the undertone that became apparent at Grace Hopper.
Chapman is a successful woman and her talent is not to be trifled with. She had many great roles, great mentors, and great opportunities because of her skills and her hard work. Yet something always seemed to go awry for her. Despite her obvious qualification she continues to, like so many professional women, not be believed in and to have her amazing accomplishments all too often dismissed. At least, this is how it felt in hearing her.
I hope that in saying these things it does not dismiss the validity of her accolades, or seem to state that no one has ups and downs in their career – far from it. But it seemed as though Chapman was sober to the sad truth that settled over the conference: women still aren't trusted to do the job well, even when they have proven their worth. For a panel entitled "I Do What I Love to Do…and I'm a Girl" – it seemed as though the title was trying to affirm this as truth in a world that still sees otherwise. And I do hope that these reflections are of course, taken as what they are – reflections. Chapman's panel was still enjoyable, and she is a lovely woman worth looking up to – I guess I could not help but feel like there was something more she wanted to say, but could not.
I think the hardest pain – and again, hitting the point home, probably lay in Brave. Merida is modeled after Chapman's own daughter. This was, as she put it, her passion project. The story was her own, and it must have been amazing to have Pixar take interest. But then to be removed from the project and watch another finish your passion work – that must have been awful. I am surprised in all honesty that she has the strength and resolve she does to continue working, continue inspiring, continue telling stories and speaking up. If for some reason you find nothing else worthy of Chapman to look up to, look up to that. I know I do. She stared into the face of something that for a creator must have been heart wrenching and came out on the other side still in love with the creative process and her work. That is magnificent.
Along the same point of Brave, I had the opportunity to pose a question to Chapman regarding Merida's redesign by Disney. For those unaware, Merida was stylized in marketing to look "more princess-like" – taming her hair, giving her curves, putting her in the dress she so hated in the movie, and removing her signature bow. We could speak again to the assumptions of women in our culture – but that topic seems tangential and bludgeoned to death.
Chapman publicly spoke out against the redesign as Merida was, in essence, an embodiment of being truly yourself – which the redesign stripped her of. For a while it seemed as though the public outcry had been heard, and the issue waned. Of course though, Halloween costumes rolled out – and when Disney princesses hit the shelves, the Merida redraw was back – after the issue seemed to have boiled over. I posed the question to Chapman if she thought all the efforts to get Merida's design back had made a difference.
However, as I had seen the new product releases already I knew the answer was no before she replied. I was more interested in how she planned to move forward – would she continue to fight? Disney is of course, a force to be reckoned with – and at the end of the day, they are a company and need to be concerned with their marketing and advertisement. The fight may be a losing battle – but it is one Chapman intended to keep fighting. She stated she was planning to continue speaking with MightyGirl and other awareness campaigns for next steps. I applauded that despite being knocked down yet again, she was still hoping to continue on and keep trying.
One of the final somber points Chapman made was that she is going to move forward keeping her passion projects a little closer to herself. I think this point is the saddest part – the world needs people coming alive in their passions. Of course, Chapman can work on them herself, but sometimes the best way to bring passions to life is being able to work with others on them. Someone with such wonderful and inspiring ideas as her should be able to share them and help them grow through the assistance of others into whatever beautiful thing they can become. There is no limit to our capabilities – but sometimes we expand them through work with others. And it is sad that past offenses have caused her to lose some trust in that – like so many other genius, creative minds.
Despite all of the sobering undertones felt in this presentation, Chapman truly inspired me to continue to trudge forward despite falling. To continue to prove to the world what I am worth even when the world doesn't want to listen. To ignite my passions even if I must do so alone.
Not to be corny, but Chapman truly taught me how to be brave.
For more information on Brenda Chapman, visit http://brenda-chapman.com/
For more information on the original controversy over Merida's redesign, among other news websites you can visit http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/13/brave-director-criticises-sexualised-merida-redesign
"If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?" – Merida, Brave
Author BriPosted on November 8, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags conferences, pop culture, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: Brenda Chapman Session
GHC Reflections: Grace Hopper (Looking Back)
For this reflection I wanted to take a step back and look at the namesake of the Grace Hopper Celebration – Grace Hopper herself. Time and time again she was remembered and commemorated at the event, and rightly so.
Grace Hopper was a United States Navy Rear Admiral, and of course a computer scientist. In addition to her plethora of distinguishments from the United States for her service, she is most known for the creation of the first compiler. In this regard, Grace Hopper is one of the "mothers" of computing. Modern computing simply would not be possible without compilers. In addition to this, she advocated the idea of machine-independent programming, which led to the development of COBOL. She is also known for coining the term "bug" in computing.
It is easy to see why Grace Hopper would be a strong representation for a conference celebrating women in computing. A woman with such great success who helped found modern computing as we know it surely deserves such recognition. However, in my eyes she represents more than just success in the computing field. She was also a strong woman who refused to be shyed away from her aspirations in computing.
Thinking back to Sheryl Sandberg's keynote, and the strong undertones throughout the entire conference, one key message rang clear: women are underrepresented, undernoticed, and undertrusted in the computing science field. Grace Hopper is a symbol of both this perpetuation and rising above it. No one believed that she had created a running compiler. Her passion for compilers and machine-indepedent programming led her to be believed crazy by some. Those in her field (mostly men) told her the computer was only good for arthimetic, nothing more. That she was wasting her time on silly pipe dreams.
Yet look where we are because of her.
And still, for the amazing amount she has contributed to our technology today, how much is she recognized as an important figure? Not to fall tangent into a "her-story" monologue, but truly, how much do we learn of Grace Hopper in a technology classroom? Men like Hoare and Djikestra are remembered fondly for their algorithms – none of which would even apply to computing had Hopper not developed the compiler. Even in a computer languages and compilers classroom, her name is scarce. The shame of prominent and competent women still remaining unseen in the public eye when it comes to technology seems even to apply to someone as strong and amazing as Hopper.
Regardless of this dysfunction, nothing can dismiss from Hopper her colored career and amazing achievements. And for the fortunate who recognize her achievement and, if I may be bold, general awesomeness, a world of inspiration and stories of potential as well as a network of committed, diverse technologists await. Though Hopper may not be recognized as strongly as she always should be, she is still remembered, still recognized, and still carries a strong legacy that we can learn from and grow in.
One thing that impresses me about Grace Hopper beyond her accolades, is some of the quotes that are attributed to her. She is known for such oft quoted phrases as "A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things" and "It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission". Again, when these quotes are said they are not often attributed back to Hopper, but a quick search will yield that indeed, she is the one who said them. As a quotes and poetry lover, while looking into Grace Hopper's life I was amazed that such an accomplished computer scientists had such a way with words. Perhaps an inherent love of languages that helped her develop the compiler in the first place? Either way, I was impressed and excited.
Hopper's fierce, tell-it-like-it-is attitude, eccentric and quirky manner, and overall, for lack of a more efficient word – epicness – add up to one wonderous firecracker of a woman warranting all the praise and celebration she has recieved over the years. Hopefully in time her and more woman like her will be recognized more highly for their amazing achievements and inspiring success stories – but for now I'll hold her close to my heart as someone I feel that I can relate to, look up to, and allow to inspire me.
For more information about Grace Hopper, and about the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, please visit: http://gracehopper.org/2013/
"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, "We've always done it this way."" – Grace Hopper
Author BriPosted on October 28, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags computer science, conferences, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: Grace Hopper (Looking Back)
GHC Reflections: Megan Smith Keynote
The second day of the Grace Hopper Celebration was kicked off by Megan Smith, vice-president of Google[x] at Google. For those unaware, Google[x] is a branch of Google devoted to more physical applications – Google Maps, Google Earth, and engineering for space innovations and methods of providing internet worldwide.
I was fascinated to find out about Google[x] – as searches for information on it yield rather sparse results. Granted, Google[x] is not in my specific field of interest – but hearing about seemingly "left-field" initiatives a company like Google is taking to expand themselves and make a difference was intriguing.
What stuck with me the most of Megan Smith's keynote was her discussion on moonshots – which is what they see the Google[x] initiative as promoting. "Moonshots" are thinking beyond the purported limits of what can be done and aiming a little higher. One such statement was in the line of: "let's throw away the thinking of how this product can change a million people's lives – if we can make it change a billion people's lives, well, then we're talking".
In this vein, moonshot seems to be an adage to the old inspirational saying (commonly plastered on grade school walls) stating "shoot for the moon – even if you miss, you'll land among the stars". The idea is that if you raise your bar higher, you will likely exceed your original expectation, even if you miss the new mark. I for one, welcome someone taking that phrase and coining it into a relevant term for innovative fields.
I think the concept behind moonshots bears repeating, and while simple is often forgotten. If you're going to create a system or technology that works on such massive scales, you're going to have to start from the bottom up. Fixing a car so that it gets not 60mpg but 600, or even 6000 – that line of thinking requires we reconsider how the car itself works and recreate it. To some it seems like reinventing the wheel – why not just optimize what exists and save time? But "reinventing" the wheel in this complete strip-down style can yield a nonwheel – that is, something that can take the place of the wheel but isn't, and removes many of the prior issues the wheel had. We like to think by marginally increasing the bar we will save time and money – but why not set entirely new bars that, while intensive, could put us far and away from the competition?
Overall Megan's keynote reminded me to dig a little deeper, and not to settle for making something "better" but to shoot beyond for perfect and enjoy my landing (albeit a bit short) among the stars of outstanding when I succeed. I look forward to finding more opportunitites for moonshots in my life – and hope she inspired others to as well.
For information on the Google[x] open forum initiative, Solve for [x] which encourages moonshot thinking and collaboration, please visit https://www.solveforx.com
"Solving any problem is more important than being right" — Milton Glaser
Author BriPosted on October 23, 2013 July 5, 2019 Categories Blog, LegacyTags computer science, conferences, tech, womenLeave a comment on GHC Reflections: Megan Smith Keynote
Giygas vs Psychology of Design: Part 6 – UX Conclusions
Giygas vs Psychology of Design: Part 5 – Misdirection
Giygas vs Psychology of Design: Part 4 – Dialogue
Giygas vs Psychology of Design: Part 3 – Hope
Giygas vs Psychology of Design: Part 2 – Interpretation
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Also, Here's the Descriptions of Classes offered during tours!
Print/Download the MASTER TOUR FLYER!
What can i say about my back yard?
It looks like my front yard! Living here since '97 and been coming since '85, i continually am thankful for the Red Rocks, Beauty, Night Sky, Serene Simplicity, and the Authentic Energetic noticed. Mother Earth speaks here! Share yourself with co-facilitator Joy Kauf, Myself... and Sedona.
Come feel the Multi-Dimensional Vortices for yourself!
Here's the Tour's Deposit Link, and Registration Form.
Come explore Celtic Britain's henges, vortices, and the mythical, magical lore of the ancients. 4 days in Southern England and 6 days in Northern Scotland; It's on for this mystical adventure!
Like to have a Visionary Guidance Brochure?
! The 2019 TOUR Thank You's !
Without your interest in the information and tools offered to assist in multi-dimensional expansion, this shared Work and Service would not be as fulfilling. Thank You to all who show up making each of these tours worthwhile and memorable; extra Thanks to those below who Host, create the space, place, and focus! Blessings Be and Peace to all on your Path..
It was an honor and pleasure to share Channeling at Miracles of Joy and to Co-Host the Galactic-At-One-Ment with Joy Kauf. Thanks to All who participated and of course to their staff: Destiny & Daria; and to Larry at Chez Kauf for all the hospitality. Joy always makes it seem so simple with the wrangling and presenting; i am so grateful! Always a delight to share the work with her and co-create an exceptional space.
Whose thoughts are these, can i say they are mine?
I see a face that is willing to explore, do anything, even as an ego is being challenged; a face that will hide what could truly be said... tempted by a gregarious smile and a laugh, beyond which the ego hides.
excerpt from "Dancing from the Heart to the Mind - Destiny"


text:
Arm and Docker: Better Together
By: Mohamed Awad, vice president of marketing, Infrastructure Line of Business, Arm
Arm® Neoverse™ is about so much more than CPU cores. It's about building the infrastructure foundation for a world of 1 trillion intelligent devices. The days of relying only on legacy general-purpose compute servers in some far-off data center for all our compute needs are quickly coming to an end. Put simply: a trillion devices will create more data than can be reasonably transported and processed centrally by a single general-purpose architecture.
In order to keep up with the demands of all these intelligent endpoints, the infrastructure is becoming more heterogeneous and distributed. Compute is more fit for purpose, happening when and where it's needed for maximum performance and efficiency. This is why AWS launched Amazon EC2 A1 instances powered by AWS Graviton Processors that feature 64-bit Arm Neoverse cores and custom silicon designed by AWS. It is also why we launched the Neoverse N1 and Neoverse E1 platforms, which were designed specifically to meet the increasing needs of infrastructure. At Arm, we have a unique perspective on how this new scalable infrastructure will need to be architected, rooted in our presence from the farthest embedded endpoint, through the edge, and into the hyperscale data center server.
It is this perspective and presence that allows us to think holistically about the challenges ahead. All of the compute nodes in a system will have to work together to constantly filter, analyze and react to the magnitude of data generated by all those intelligent devices. Workloads will need to be deployed quickly and managed across different hardware platforms, but developers will demand that the hardware complexity is abstracted so that they can focus on what really matters — creating great experiences.
It's for this reason and more that we are thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Docker! Our partnership is about unifying a diverse set of devices, from IoT endpoints to the edge of the network, to the heart of the data center. We are combining the power of our shared perspective, vision, and technology so that our ecosystems can create a scalable, heterogeneous, and distributed infrastructure.
We will start by providing the first frictionless, cloud-native, unified software development and delivery model designed specifically for cloud, edge, and IoT devices that equally benefits individual developers and enterprises alike. For the Docker ecosystem, it's about giving choice to the nearly two-million cloud native developers actively using Docker Desktop. With today's announcement, we enable all of them to instantly become Arm developers, targeting everything from an embedded endpoint to an Arm Neoverse server in the cloud, using the same PC or Mac development environment they have always used.
For the Arm ecosystem, this product is about enabling the millions of developers already developing on Arm to easily adopt the benefits of cloud native development for a wide range of use cases. We have drastically simplified the development flow for those looking to realize the benefits of moving existing cloud native workloads to Neoverse servers. At the same time, we have also enabled IoT and embedded developers to leverage the portability and scalability that comes with using Docker.
By bringing together the Arm and Docker development communities, we have given millions of developers the ability to seamlessly build and deploy cloud native applications targeting billions of devices. All without having to buy any special hardware.
In some cases, the result will be that enterprise IT professionals can quickly and easily deploy new services, on things like security cameras, industrial automation equipment, and embedded gateways. In other cases, it will mean access to lower cost and more efficient infrastructure. Traditional cloud-based server workloads will have simplified access to things like EC2 A1 instances that feature Arm Neoverse cores, which AWS says saves its customers up to 45% over other architectures.
This announcement is the result of our multi-year investment in the development community, software ecosystem, and the over 400 open source projects we actively contribute to. That long-term dedication to infrastructure is why most of the official images on DockerHub already support Arm and why every week there are about 200 million container images pulled from DockerHub that can also be downloaded for Arm. It is also why we are so excited about our partnership with Docker which will continue to innovate around lifecycle management, distributed workload management, heterogeneous compute, and security.
Creating a completely seamless development environment for infrastructure has always been a priority, and as we move closer and closer to a world of 1 trillion devices it is more important than ever.
If you're headed to DockerCon, come hear more about our work with Docker during the opening keynote on Tuesday April 30th and don't forget to stop by the Arm booth (#P1) to see a demo. You will also be able to sign up for tech preview that will be made available during the week of DockerCon.
Congratulations to both the Docker and Arm teams!
Kristen Lisa
Director Public Relations, Arm
kristen.lisa@arm.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Video poker is a combination of slots and Poker. While the game relies on the assistance of computers, it keeps true to poker. The game is a man versus computer battle. Here, the poker player is competing against the computer in place of other players. However, the final goal remains the same.
A simple and amenable game, video poker is exceptionally beloved among players of every age. The selection of electronic poker games in casinos has gotten bigger at a fast rate. The number of game varieties also has increased remarkably. Multiple-game casinos even have different video poker games on an individual machine. These machines can host around 5 individuals at the same time. The terrific growth of online electronic poker games gives the player endless selections. In reality, several players prefer gambling against machines in place of a actual person. The incredible expansion of electronic poker varieties can be accounted to these factors.
When compared to slot games, electronic poker is a little different. The player needs to hit the high-paying hands to leave as a champ. 95 to 100% of the money wagered is given back to the enthusiast in majority of the electronic poker machines. Although, there is a five% likelihood of losing the money, which can be damaging in quite a few cases. This is because individuals are inclined not to wager on just a single hand.
A player can't expect all his winning opportunities to be changed into cash. aside from a real comprehension of the game, one needs to build his/her own way to come out ahead. Although it doesn't take very long to pickup the game, picking the proper machine is very important.


Rx Systems' aluminum Q-Series medication carts are all modular!
More standard features than similar carts in the market.
Adjustable dividers to custom fit other systems, such as Medicine On Time® and OPUS.
Hard-Baked (cream) powder coat for a maintenance free, enduring finish.
Best®Lock to ensure smooth and dependable operation.
All Q-Series carts are EMAR compatible.
Most orders will ship within one to two business days.
Accessories mount easily to carts with thumb screws.
Brush Nickel Pull Knobs can be ordered upon request.
All carts are available in three optional woodlike finishes. Oak (light), Walnut (dark) or Cherry (medium) wood.
The Q-Series medication carts are engineered to handle the demands of skilled nursing and correctional healthcare environments.
All Q-Series Medication and Unit Dose Carts are made of lightweight Aluminum and are available in three woodlike finishes.
The treatment carts are engineered to handle the demands of skilled nursing home, correctional and assisted living environments.
Rx Systems has a wide range of accessories for use with the Q&E Series carts.


The nine months of pregnancy come with a lot of change. A mother's body goes through an incredible transformation with organs moving and shifting to make room for a tiny human to grow!
Most women know they are pregnant almost immediately. Weird cravings, a missed period, or even slight cramps may signal it's time to take a pregnancy test.
One California woman showed no signs or symptoms, and her birth story is making major headlines!
Beth Clay — a 45-year-old woman from California — was nothing less than shocked to find out she was pregnant. The catch? She found out as she was giving birth.
Clay explains that she didn't gain any weight during her pregnancy. She was actually in amazing shape, and she even lost 15 pounds over the nine months she was with child.
"I was in tiptop shape, and then the next three days, here's this little rascal," Clay stated.
It wasn't until last week that the 45-year-old mother of three started to notice a change in her health.
She landed in the emergency room, assuming the pain she was experiencing was due to kidney stones.
Doctors shockingly informed Clay that she was actually pregnant, and she was going into labor.
You could only imagine the confusion Beth Clay and her husband Scott were experiencing upon learning the news. "I was like, that just can't be real. It's all contrived, never could happen. You would know if there was a baby in your belly, but we're living proof," Scott Clay stated.
Doctors believe that the baby was hiding behind Clay's organs the entire time. Although his arrival was unexpected, the Clay family welcomed newborn Liam Ryder Clay into the world.
Baby Liam had to stay in the NICU a couple of days after being born, but this bundle of joy has a clean bill of health.
The Clay family decided to contain their excitement, just so they could process the news.
"We waited a whole day before we told any of our family. Just so we could absorb what was actually happening, it's huge," Beth Clay admitted.
Congrats to the entire Clay family on their beautiful new addition!


How do I get a special name rank?
How do i become rich??
Sick of my questions yet?
How do i post pictures on the forum from my pictures?
Cash for posting in the Altar?
Where to post my SH sheet music/videos?
Umm, a vendor question I guess?
New Silent Hill V section?
is there a silent hill chatroom?
Can we post M-rated stuff here?
Proposal for SHH Trivia Quiz.
Proposal for new forum rule regarding thread titles.


text:
Q: How Activiti Workflow Retry mechanism work From Activiti user guide (https://www.activiti.org/userguide/#failRetry), we can configure number of retries and retry interval as below:
<serviceTask id="failingServiceTask" activiti:async="true" activiti:class="org.activiti.engine.test.jobexecutor.RetryFailingDelegate">
    <extensionElements>
        <activiti:failedJobRetryTimeCycle>R5/PT7M</activiti:failedJobRetryTimeCycle>
    </extensionElements>
</serviceTask>

However, a job may contain many tasks, so it will get the retry configurations from which tasks? The first task of the job or the failed task?
Moreover do I need to put the retry configuration into every tasks?
(Note: Question also posted here: https://hub.alfresco.com/t5/alfresco-process-services/how-activiti-workflow-retry-mechanism-work/td-p/292354 )

A: The complete entry of the job gets affected once an error is encountered. You can (and should) keep only one service task (generally a "JavaDelegate") per job.
Activiti works on managing wait-states. If an error is encountered, then the transaction back until the last wait-state is rolled back.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Olorunrinu tasks Asiwaju over mandate restoration in Amuwo Odofin LGA
2023: Why I Will Win Presidential Election — Bola Tinubu
BREAKING: Tinubu Visits Masari In Katsina
22-Year-Old Lady Asked To Choose Between Her Boyfriend And Scholarship Abroad
Over 72 Hours After Lifting Twitter Ban, No Tweets From Buhari, Osinbajo Yet
Two former Heads of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdulsami Abubakar have expressed confidence in the Nigerian Army's effort in tackling the insecurity confronting the nation.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement said the former leaders stated this when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya visited them separately on Monday in Minna.
Babangida said he was confident in Nigerian Army's ability to stem the current security challenges being confronted across the country.
He noted that the Nigerian army had put up tremendous efforts to tackle the security challenges.
On his part, Gen. Abubakar expressed satisfaction with the unrelenting drive of the COAS in confronting the threats at all fronts.
He added that Yahaya assumed command at a time the nation was being confronted with multifaceted security challenges.
Abubakar commended the COAS for engaging key stakeholders across the country in the search for public support and cooperation to effectively enhance ongoing military operations.
He further lauded the COAS for his pragmatic leadership and visiting military formations and theatres of operations to engage and motivate the troops.
He called on officers in junior leadership of the Nigerian army to emulate the exemplary leadership style and virtues of Yahaya.
Also, Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger called on people of the state and Nigerians in general to support the military and other security agencies in the ongoing anti-banditry and counter-insurgency operations across the country.
Bello said there would be a deficiency in the socio-economic development of the nation if the citizens are not secured.
He urged stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to support and cooperate with the military and other security agencies in the fight against banditry and other security challenges in the country.
The governor assured the COAS of his government's cooperation with the Nigerian army to mitigate the scourge of insecurity in the state.
In his responses, the COAS said he was on a working visit to the state and Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command, Nigerian Army, for the Doctrinal Development Conference, aimed at reviewing Army training and operational concepts.
He said the visit to the two former Heads of State and the Governor was to pay homage and interface with them in his effort to squarely address security challenges in Niger and the nation in general.
Yahaya expressed optimism that the armed forces and other security agencies would overcome the current security challenges, with the right support and cooperation from key stakeholders and the citizenry.
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Parent Open Night is TONIGHT, September 4. Come learn more about your child's school year, enrichment classes, and available extra-curricular activities. Childcare is available starting at 5:30pm and the event officially starts at 6pm.


After our brief introduction to the river on Day One, we were eager to see more of the Elk and keen on meeting even more of its hospitable inhabitants. I was particularly interested in hooking up with some of bull trout that the river is known for as well, although I fully acknowledged that our timing may have been a bit late for prime char time.
Not our guides, Bob and Doug.
Our guides, Kevin and Tyler.
We arrived at the Elk River Guiding Company and met our guides, Kevin Green and Tyler Carson. Jimmy and I were paired with Kevin while Marck and Morris joined forces with Tyler. We're not competitive or anything like that, but the night before we each tossed $10 (American) into a hat and it was declared that there would be a friendly inter-boat contest for the most fish, and the biggest fish. With less than $40 Canadian 40 Loonies at stake, it's not like we were vying for huge sums of money—mainly bragging rights (and the losers would buy beer that evening). The first thing we did was inform Kevin that we must win, and whatever it took to declare victory must be done. Kevin was undaunted by the additional pressure, though he likely assumed that his tip was dependent on our winning the contest. He informed us that he'd been on the Elk nearly every day this season. He was the man for the job. If we could just get past the language barrier we'd be all set. Speaking of that, as a public service to my 12 readers (13 Canadian) here is a cheat sheet that may enhance your next visit to Canada.
We set off upriver about aboot 18 miles 30 kilometers from Fernie toward our launch point at Sparwood, a town that boasts the biggest truck in the world. We didn't stop to see the truck up close, but to give you an idea as to how big this truck is, it is easily capable of hauling the largest ball of twine in the world. Sparwood's livelihood appears to rely solely on the coal industry and, as was mentioned in my previous post, the Elk River flows through coal mining country. While mining began in 1897 the river was there long before then. There are 5 such mines in the greater Elk River valley and as with any extraction process coal mining is not without it's detrimental impact on the surrounding natural resources. Elevated levels of phosphates, nitrates and Selenium, byproducts of coal mining, are found in the waters of the Elk River and some of its tributaries.
I'd heard of Selenium before, and in fact it's an ingredient in the multivitamins I take daily. However, the levels of Selenium in the Elk are far above what is needed for cellular regeneration/life sustenance. Too much is highly toxic, and levels in the Elk River are too much. Curious, and slightly concerned, I asked Kevin what some of the visible effects of the Selenium levels in fish are. He noted that shortened upper jaws and missing gill plates are seen from time to time, but the fish survive with these deformities. He also mentioned that they don't encounter fish bearing the signs of Selenium poisoning all the time, and while the morbid curiosity that lurks within would have liked to have seen and photographed such a deformed fish, I am pleased to report that no such specimens were seen or caught. That doesn't mean that this isn't a huge issue facing the Elk watershed—it is—but I'm not here to go into detail about it. My buddy Derek Young fished the Elk in 2012 and did see evidence of Selenium poisoning in at least one fish (photo below).
Mining is bad for rivers and ecosystems no matter what country you're in, period. And Canada has had its share of bad press with regard to mining pollution this year (read up on the Mount Polley disaster here). I hope the Canadian government gets on top of things and makes damn sure that the mining companies do their part to clean up their acts. Here's an article on CBC News British Columbia that talks in greater depth about the issues, and an even more recent article sheds more disturbing light on the matter here. The Elk River is a world class fly fishing destination and the cutthroat in the Elk River are known for their size. Could it be that the fish owe their girth to the mega doses of "supplements" they receive? The fish in the Elk seem to be doing fine for now but too much of anything is a bad thing. Let's hope that things improve before the entire fish populations are pushed over the brink there, and in the states. You see, the Elk flows into the Kootenai Kootenay River, which flows into Montana where it's known as the Kootenay Kootenai River. Therefore the coal mining pollution has become an international boundary water dispute.
First fish: gill plates in tact.
Enough aboot mining pollution; let's go fishing, shall we eh?
As we prepared to set off down the river we strung up our 6 weight rods with sink tips and our 4 weights with floating lines. We'd be throwing streamers early in the day and switching to dries as the day warmed up and the fish began (hopefully) feeding on top. We would also do a bit of nymphing but we don't want to talk about that openly—one does not go to the Elk River to nymph. However, if one does one will be fishing with just one fly—no dropper, per fishing regulations. I'm not sure if this one-fly limitation is in place to protect the resource or to discourage nymphing. Either way I had no problem with it because I nearly always catch fish on a dropper. Since we only used one nymph, that was the dropper in my estimation.
It didn't take us long before we enticed the first fish on a streamer, and while it wasn't a particularly large specimen it got the skunk off the boat early. We were officially on the board and as we proceeded in the direction of the river's current we would stay plenty busy fishing this method. The cutts slammed the streamers with enthusiasm—the beauty of streamer fishing—and we caught some decent sized fish up to about aboot 17 inches. Each time that we floated over a big, deep hole that looked like it might hold a bull trout or two, I got a wee bit excited. But no bulls were seen in the big pools. Many if not most were already up in the tribs getting their spawn on. No worries, we were catching fish—nice fish: beautiful orange and gold cutthroats that seemed more brightly colored than other westslopes I'd seen before in the states. In the back of my mind I was still hoping for a shot at a bull (fish, to be sure—not an elk, although it was elk hunting season in the Elk Valley). A side note aboot bull trout: those who've fished for them know their propensity for attacking a trout that has become hooked. I've seen it first hand, but nothing quite like what we would eventually experience on the Elk. Yes, we would see some bull trout, up close and personal. Keep reading.
At one point Jimmy was playing a smallish cutt when it was attacked by a very large predator that grabbed the trout in its mouth right at the boat. The trout escaped mostly unscathed and we did not see the big predatory char again. Downstream a short while later as Jimmy was playing a 12 inch whitefish in a fairly shallow, broad riffle, the whitey was bull-rushed by not one, but three big char. Holy cow Jesus Murphy! The whitey darted madly as one of the bulls snapped at its tail, again right at the boat in shallow water. Kevin was clearly as excited as were we—he'd never seen anything quite like this. Whether that was the truth or he was just building up the event to ensure a generous tip we will never know. It didn't matter. It was cool. I slapped the 3 inch streamer down into the foray hoping one of the bulls would lash out in anger and take the fly in a fit of confused rage. That didn't happen, and the whitefish was saved from the jaws of death and counted toward our fish total. The 3 bulls moved a short distance from the boat and continued to lay in the shallows for a period of time. They were each in the upper mid-twenties in length. I wanted one, badly, and put the streamer in front of their noses on several occasions. It was just like sight-casting delicate dries to rising trout, only the streamer was anything but delicate and the char weren't trout, and they weren't rising. In fact they weren't having anything to do with my streamer whatsoever. Eventually they moved off into the depths of the river. We'd had our load of bull for the day, and it was quite a memorable experience. I tossed another American quarter into the tip jar and we proceeded on.
We met up with Marck and Morris for a lunch that, despite having not included back bacon, cheese or poutine, was quite palatable. Tyler's boat had not been streamer fishing all morning so they'd fallen behind in the 'most fish' competition. They'd caught some decent fish, as had we, but with the competition only halfway over the biggest fish was yet to be caught. What Marck and Morris had that we did not was beer—an oversight on our part. That, perhaps, became our advantage. By lunch time the day was quite pleasant despite that the clouds were stubborn and refused to burn off. I was really hoping for some bright sun rays to show off the Elk River in all its Fall splendor, but that was not to be. Still, as the day warmed we hoped the fish would be looking up. They would be.
The other boat had beer.
We learned the this would be Kevin's last day guiding the Elk for the season. In two days he would be loading up his truck and camper and girlfriend and embarking on a 15 hour drive to chase steelhead for 2 weeks in the mecca of Canadian steelhead waters. Had we known all this prior to the float we may have requested another guide. After all the season was nearing its end. Kevin had fished long and hard, putting in over 60 days on the river with nary a day off. And now he was aboot to embark on vacation. Surely his head wouldn't be in the game. Very likely he would not be mentally capable of saving his best for last. That proved not to be the case as he worked hard for us all day long, putting us on many a good fish, all the while doing so with enthusiasm and a great sense of humor. The language barrier would ultimately prove minimal.
After breaking for lunch we broke out the 4 weights and began throwing dries. My brand new Sage ACCEL caught Kevin's attention so we talked a bit aboot that. When I mentioned that I got the rod because it reminded me of my beloved Z-Axis Zed-Axis, it turned into somewhat of a Sage lovefest. As it turned oot Kevin is also a fan of Sage rods and has a fondness for the Zed-Axis as well. But I digress. Our lunch was barely digested when Kevin slowed the boat and dropped anchor in a fairly nondescript little run. Sure, it looked fishy, but then again so had many other spots we'd floated past withoot spotting any fish rising. Kevin wanted to give this particular spot a closer look, and we were glad he did: fish were soon rising in great abundance. Anchored a mere 30 feet 9.144 meters from the bank, we observed fish feeding in current seams every few feet, sipping on mayflies. The bugs were small; the fish were not. We got a good look at each individual cutt as they rose and picked off bugs: some were larger than others, but it would be not untruthful to say that the smallest fish were 15 inches. Some rose delicately, sticking just their noses above the film while others porpoised completely out of the water. We targeted the fish nearest the boat first, working our way gradually toward the bank. We caught fish in every seam.
Kevin offers up the international sign for "accomplishment".
Jimmy hits paydirt with a nice fat cutt on a dry.
Jimmy's strikes gold with his big fish of the day, on a dry.
The trouts rising in this fairly nondescript run left their welcome mat out for well over an hour and a half as Jimmy and I took turns landing several and losing several more. There was one last fish; a big, darkly-colored coloured fish rising tight to the bank under the same overhanging branches that had put me into a timeout a few casts earlier. I wanted that fish as much as Kevin did not want me to lose another fly so I adjusted my angle and made one last hope shot toward the bank. Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as my fly cleared the shrubbery and drifted right over the nose of the fish. Because I was fairly certain I couldn't duplicate that cast, I breathed a sign of relief when the fish sipped my fly and the hook was set. I breathed another sigh of relief when that fish was brought to the net. It was the last fish we'd catch from that nondescript little run, and as it turned oot it would be the last fish caught that day. Time-wise we'd fallen way behind and had some water to cover to catch up with the other boat so that we could humbly announce to them that we had already won the "most fish" competition, and likely the "biggest fish" as well thanks to Jimmy's 18+ inch bruiser.
We pushed through a couple miles of river, fishing streamers occasionally when things looked right to do so, but mainly cutting the distance between our boat and the takeout. As we proceeded quickly downriver we had time to sit back and reflect on the beauty of the area. Aspen and cottonwoods were turning shades of yellow and gold, further enhancing the natural glory of the area. But a coal train served as a reminder that beauty is sometimes skin deep.
The day threatened rain but never made good on that threat, thankfully. The w#nd had begun to rear its ugly head and the temperature was dropping as we encountered the other boat above the takeoot at Olson. A brief exchange indicated that Marck and Morris had not encountered the same pod of rising fish in the nondescript run that we had. But again, they did have beer. It was clear that the 30-some odd fish we'd landed would best their total, and while it was likely an act of welfare Jimmy and I conceded the biggest fish to their boat. We split the pot with them and that night we would share in the cost of beer—probably a good thing since it cost $38 (Canadian) for 2 pitchers jugs of beer. And Canadian jugs are no bigger than American jugs.
The next day we would head into the bear-infested hills past Sparwood to chase fish a small trib of the Elk River, so tune in next week, unpleasant persons hosers.
Everybody was a winner on the Elk River.
We had our arses handed to us.
That doesn't happen very often to you, does it? Welcome to my world.
Dude, you really gotta do the streamer thing, so you can catch browns in the Yakima.
Have been waiting to see the sequel to Day 1. Great read. And the beer may be more expensive but tastier in my opinion!
Agreed, Joe—the beer did taste better and the pitchers jugs seemed bigger, too! Thanks for the comment.


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Home / BUSINESS / Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom / ghana / GN BANK / Groupe Nduom / ISF Bank / Nduom's ISF Bank to become GN Bank / News / USA / USA in July / THE YCEO: Nduom's ISF Bank to become GN Bank, USA in July
THE YCEO: Nduom's ISF Bank to become GN Bank, USA in July
THE YCEO May 21, 2018 0
Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has announced that the USA banking regulator, the Office of the Controller of the Currency (OCC), has approved the changing of the name of the ISF Bank which started in 1934 by 13 black men to become GN Bank, USA.
This was at the annual Customer Appreciation Gala of the Bank held in Chicago on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. There is no American bank focusing on the African-Caribbean market and it is the intention to turn the 84 year old Chicago bank into a local and international powerhouse.
"Our family has developed an internationally known banking brand called GN Bank, which started off as a savings and loans company and has grown to become an international bank with more than 300 branches. We believe the time has come to bring that brand here to give assurance that this bank is here to stay and will remain African-American owned. Accordingly, I am pleased to inform you that our regulator, the Office of the Controller of the Currency has given us the approval to change the name of this bank to GN BANK," he announced.
In 1934, thirteen black men started the Illinois Service Federal Savings & Loans Association. We know that it was black women who ran the bank and made it work. The ISF Bank as it has come to be known, has supported many to acquire their first homes and start their own businesses. On April 29, 2016, the Nduom family obtained Change of Control approval from the Office of the Controller of the Currency (OCC) on April 29, 2016 to acquire the bank.
"…since then, new capital, directors and management personnel have been added to diversify and strengthen corporate governance," said Dr. Nduom, Chairman of the Board of Directors of South Side Chicago-based ISF Bank.
He added: "I am pleased to note that ISF Bank has become more stable, safe and ready and able to serve this community for several more decades unlimited to come.
BUSINESS Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom ghana GN BANK Groupe Nduom ISF Bank Nduom's ISF Bank to become GN Bank News USA USA in July
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Get the fascinating tour of sequence visits of Angkorian Temples with the main stop at Angkor Wat. Recognized as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1992, Angkor Wat represents the national treasure of Cambodia. A 5-day tour to Siem Reap will definitely be a remembrance.
In the early morning, we enjoy the view of sunset at Ankor Wat. Then we start our tour to the most popular South Gate of Angkor Thom's before going to Angkor Thom(the temple) which was built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII. The major attraction of Angkor Thom is the Bayon, whose exact function and symbolism is still unknown until now. Then we go to Bapoun, which is one of the most spectacular of Ankor's temples in its heyday; to Terrace of Leper King, another mysterious site to find out; and to Terrace of Elephants that once served as the base for the king's grand audience hall for the public ceremonies. Now it is time to visit the World Seven Wonder, better known as Anokor Wat, which is considered the most important archaeological site in Southeast Asia. In the evening, comes the moment for the relaxing view from the Phnom Bakheng Hill.


Chance team here. Let's get to know each other. We'll kick it off.
To put it simply, Chance exists to help people feel good about themselves. Like a fresh pair of kicks in your favorite color-way or that one jersey that makes you feel like you own the game - our products are designed with the same purpose.
Everyone is unique, and their individuality should be catered to and celebrated. That's where we come in. Our products are designed in a variety of fun, stylish and bold colors so every player can express themselves on the court or field.
We're huge believers of self-love and the name Chance embodies that. When someone takes a chance, they're acknowledging their fear but push forward anyway because they know they're worth believing in. We hope everyone can feel this way and we strive to drive this message home in everything we say, do or create.
That same message is why we donate our products and help raise funds for the communities that need them. It's our never-ending responsibility to spread the love.
Oh, we also think everyone should play. So we created products for men, women and kids at affordable prices without ever compromising on quality.
Now bring it in, fam. We're rooting for you. Take chances out there. You're worth the risk. Annnd break.


Revolutionary war women were able to play a significant role, specifically because men looked down upon them.
Because women were considered too simple to understand complex military strategy during the American Revolution, men spoke freely around them. Thus, they made great spies, providing food and peddling wares to enemy camps while listening for important information.
Ann Bates is one such person. A Philadelphia schoolteacher, loyal to the crown, she assumed a false name and pretended to peddle while counting Continental Army troops and supplies for the British.
Unfortunately, this means that the most significant women in the Revolutionary War may be completely unknown to us. Many were probably never caught spying, and their secret role may never have been documented.
"Miss Jenny," for example, is known only from a letter written from Baron Ottendorf to the British general, Sir Henry Clinton. We don't even know her real name!
How many others played similar roles in the American Revolution may never be known.
It was not only spies, however, that affected the Revolution. Some women, like Abigail Adams, wife of future president John Adams, supported the cause in other ways, nursing injured soldiers, providing supplies, and even creating much needed ammunition!
Hannah Blair was a Quaker who, although sworn against violence by her religion, wanted to support the Patriot cause. She protected soldiers passing through, gave medical help and food, carried secret messages, and mended uniforms. When the Loyalists found out, they burned her farm down. After the war, Congress granted her a small pension for her services. Very little else is known about Hannah Blair. Whether she was married, had children, had religious scruples in volunteering for a war—these are all mysteries that vanished with time.
Margaret Corbin was the first American woman to receive a pension as a soldier. Her story is told as part of the Molly Pitcher legend.
Lydia Darragh, a pacifist Quaker like Betsy Ross, made her mark in history by acting when opportunity arose.
Mary Draper, who provided food, clothing, hospitality, and ammunition to the Patriot troops.
Deborah Read Franklin was Benjamin Franklin's wife and companion for 44 years.
Dicey Langston's exploits earned her the nickname "Daring Dicey."
Sybil Ludington is known as the "female Paul Revere", for riding in the night to warn the Colonial troops of the approaching British.
Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley's story is told as part of the Molly Pitcher legend. She (wo)manned an artillery cannon in her husband's place when he was injured in battle.
Deborah Samson actually fought for the colonial army.
Mercy Otis Warren advised presidents and generals while writing political plays, becoming perhaps the most influential woman in American history.
Martha Washington was the first first lady, and the support for commander-in-chief George Washington throughout the war.