Belfast was both our first, and final stop of our Northern Ireland road trip. We flew from Edinburgh to Belfast, in what can only be described as the quickest flight of my life. Before I knew it we were already descending, after only being at peak height in the air for just over 15 minutes. I barely even had time to finish my cup of tea!
Once we landed in Belfast, we knew this wouldn't the the last we would see of it. For it was part of a bigger tour yet to commence. We began with our drive down to the Republic of Ireland, for a friends wedding at the beautiful Castle Leslie. Working our way along the Causeway Coast, through Londonderry, Bushmills, and along the spectacular coastline of Northern Ireland, back to where it all began.
Being brought up in the 1990s in the UK, I always knew there had been a time of unrest in Belfast and Londonderry alike. The Troubles were a period of time in which Belfast, and other parts of Northern Ireland, were conflicted over wanting to remain part of the UK, or join the Republic of Ireland. There is still a clear divide today, in both Belfast and Londonderry, between split groups of Catholics and Protestants over their beliefs as to whether to call themselves British or Irish.
You'll find murals telling the stories of both sides from The Troubles all over Belfast. These can be found mainly in west Belfast, a short journey from the city centre. Several taxi companies offer their own Troubles taxi tours, which are absolutely worth every penny. Not only will you have the insight of a born and bred Belfast local, but they can give an insight behind the murals better than anyone. They've lived through The Troubles and are here today to tell you their story. An utterly fascinating way to spend an hour or two and really immerse yourself in the history.
Head to the Discover Belfast information centre in the city centre, across from City Hall, to determine which tour is right for you. Some tours are much longer than an hour, but for us - it was long enough to see the main bits, and allow for time exploring the rest of Belfast.
The world's greatest love story, the Titanic Museum is renowned for both it's history, and fantastic interactions and exhibits. It's expensive to access, but definitely worth a visit if you have the time. If you don't have at least half a day to dedicate to the museum, you're still free to enter the gift shop and cafe, and can also walk down towards the dockyards where the Titanic was built. With a paying entry you are also entitled to access the SS Nomadic ship, docked just in front of the museum.
The museum itself is a beautiful building, and all the angles reflect that of the ship. I could have stayed for hours photographing every angle of the building alone! Be sure to join in with everyone else getting their photograph taken inside the word 'Titanic' along the front for a photo opportunity!
Our time spent learning about The Troubles on the taxi tour led us to Crumlin Road Goal. Or as it's known to the locals, the Crum. Entry isn't too expensive, and you'll be taken on an exclusive tour around the prison, really experiencing what it was like - from Victorian era, right through to when it closed in the mid 1990s. Be sure to leave at least two hours for visiting the prison, as you may have to wait for a tour to become free, and each tour lasts just under one hour.
Reminding me of times gone by visiting Glasgow university, Queens university in Belfast is just as beautiful architecturally. You are able to access the university itself, though be sure to be respectful if classes are in attendance at the time of your visit.
A short walk from the university, you'll find the Botanical Gardens. Taking a pleasant stroll through on the way back to our Airbnb for the night, it's a lovely oasis in the city away from the hustle and bustle. Be sure to go during peak day time visiting hours to gain access to the glasshouses. Although the gardens are open until relatively late, these do close early.
One of the main things you'll come across in Belfast city centre is the City Hall. In the middle of the square, and just opposite the information centre, it really does mark the heart of the city. Don't just marvel at the outside, be sure to take a look inside to admire the grand marble arches and fountains. There's also a museum inside all about the history of Belfast, which is free to access. The City Hall offers free tours to anyone who would like to be taken around the building, as well as official access areas. If you'd like to join a tour, check in at the reception to the left as you enter the main building.
In the centre of the Cathedral Quarter you'll find Belfast Cathedral. Although it's much smaller than other cathedrals I've come across in the UK, it's worth popping your head inside to take a look. There's also some great markets and independent cafes in this area, ideal for a lunch break. If you'd like to access the cathedral there is a fee to pay.
Aside from the murals dedicated to The Troubles, Belfast is full of street art. From giant wall murals dedicated to world peace, to secret characters peering around street corners. There are no particular hot spots to find these, as they're all over the city. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled, as you don't know what might be around the corner!
The biggest shopping area in the city is Victoria Square Shopping Centre. Here you'll find a huge range of stores, with everything you could need. It's also got a food court and cafes if you're looking for somewhere quick to eat. A little known local secret is that it also offers the best views over Belfast. Make your way to the centre of the shopping area to the observation deck. Here you can either take the windy stairs up, or there is also a lift access. Make your way to the top for a rather dizzying view of the shopping centre below, but more importantly, out across surrounding Belfast.
We were based in the Queens Quarter by the university, which was a great central location in the heart of everything. Including places for food, and bars and nightlife. Arriving in Belfast on a Sunday night we found ourself in the local bar, The Woodworkers, home to great food and reasonably priced drinks, with a secret pool hall upstairs. A great chilled vibe, and definitely somewhere all the locals seemed to be. We asked some locals on the table next to us where the best nightlife was in Belfast, and they directed us towards what's lovingly called - Filthies.
On the Filty Corner, in the Filthy Quarter, you'll find Filthy McNasties pub. Above here is the club, Filthies. Are you seeing a theme here? In what can only be described as something that felt like an old house above a pub, was a jam packed club, serving cheap drinks and electric bongo on the DJ decks. Yes, you heard me.
The next day and in dire need of some food, we headed out to Boojum, a burrito place which will satisfy any sore head or hungry belly. If burritos aren't you thing, just around the corner from City Hall you'll find the Cuban Sandwich Factory, for quite honestly the best sandwich of my life. Sitting outside in the sunshine watching the world go by with a fresh homemade lemonade, what could be better?


South Africa's best kept secret!
JobLaw (Pty) Ltd is a Labour Law Company that renders services to Employers, serving and supporting our clients throughout South Africa. JobLaw (Pty) Ltd started in East London during 2003, where a need for professional yet independent labour law services was identified.
Since our inception we have gone from strength to strength and city to city. Our clients have demanded national growth and we are proud to say to the extent that we now have existing international clients. JobLaw (Pty) Ltd was created upon the concept that Labour Law and the management thereof for all businesses is like accounting, graphic arts, medical, mechanics and other bodies of knowledge, in that it is not an inherently do-it-yourself prospect.
Promoting labour harmony and increased productivity through legal certainty for our clients - allowing you to do what you do best, focus on your business!
Joblaw gives our organization great support, their team is knowledgeable and dedicated to what is in their client's best interest. We are grateful for the hard work and exemplary service provided by Carlo, Luan and the rest of the team.
Working with Joblaw has been an absolute pleasure. Not only is the team very professional, but they are always available with advice to manage any labour related concern. We would recommend them to anyone in need of sound labour law Advice.
I have had the pleasure of dealing with several lawyers at Joblaw over the last few years. I have found their knowledge and advice sound, their attention prompt and them to be truly professional. Joblaw helped our business through a few testing labour situations which could have ended badly for us without their help.
JobLaw (Pty) Ltd is an accredited member of the AHI Employers Organisation.
Copyright © 2019 JOBLAW. All rights reserved.


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Give to Women's Track
Related Bios Marty Owens Richard Vinson Marty Owens Richard Vinson
Marla Lindsay
Title: Assistant Track & Field Coach - Sprints, Jumps, Hurdles
Email: lindsaymc@guilford.edu
Year: 2nd Season
Previous College: Western Carolina '00
Marla Lindsay joined Guilford's athletics staff as interim head women's track and field/cross country coach in August 2017 and became an assistant track and field coach for men's and women's teams the following year. She came to Guilford from neighboring Northwest Guilford High School where she coached track and field for four years, including the last three as head coach. The Vikings sent multiple contestants to North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) championships and New Balance national meets on Lindsay's watch. She also coached locally at Southern Guilford High School and Kernodle Middle School.
A prominent figure in the local track and field community, Lindsay chairs the Women's Track and Field Committee of the North Carolina office of USA Track & Field (USATF). In 2012 she founded the Greensboro Gladiators Elite track and field club, which has produced top finishers at AAU Junior Olympics as well as USATF state and national meets. Lindsay is a USATF meet official and certified by the organization as a Level I and II coach with specialties in youth and jumps. She was chosen to attend the 2015 USATF Emerging Elite Coaches Camp. In 2018, Lindsay received one of four master coach full mentorships from USATF. Lindsay, in her second full season with the Quakers, started a four-day session Monday at USATF's Olympic Training Center-Chula Vista (Calif.) working with USATF High-Performance Head Coach Jeremy Fischer along with coaches Al Joyner and Kris Mack.
The Beaufort, North Carolina, native starred at East Carteret High School and Western Carolina University as a sprinter and jumper. She earned East Carteret's 1995 Athlete of the Year Award and represented the school at four NCHSAA championships. The 1993 team captured the 2-A state title. Her efforts earned an athletic scholarship to NCAA Division I Western Carolina where the Catamounts won three Southern Conference titles in Lindsay's tenure. She graduated from Western in 2000 with a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and has completed coursework towards a master's in computer science from UNC Greensboro.
Lindsay and her husband, Lonnie, live in Greensboro with their three children.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Earlier this month, Facebook announced the new and returning feature for its resident advertisers and social media marketers.
The additional and returning updates on detailed targeting options help marketers segment their audience reach accordingly. It helps them filter only those relevant to their businesses.
Segments such as the Page Admins, School Targeting, and Field of Study Targeting are new updates facebook marketers are excited to experiment on.
The Employer Targeting and Job Title Targeting, however, were previously tested by Facebook in late 2016. It wasn't long until they were removed but are now making a comeback with new possible features.
Although some are only reinstalled, it is difficult to notice that the set of targeting updates were primarily focused in finding people based on their professional and educational background.
While LinkedIn is the top known business and employment program, its features is seamlessly built specifically for white-collared workers. Facebook may as well be looking into the opportunity to connect jobs with blue-collared workers; something LinkedIn failed to support.
In fact, one in four people in the US have used Facebook to search and even find a job.
"40% of US small businesses report that filling jobs was more difficult than they expected. We think Facebook can play a part in closing this gap," says Facebook's Local VP Alex Himel.
This market opportunity is a $1.1 billion worth in revenue that Facebook could snag from LinkedIn/Microsoft, based on their 2017's final quarter revenue report.
According to Facebook, the update roll-out will be gradual. Expect the new and returning features to be available on your ads manager soon, without any specific date of release.
Detailed targeting helps marketers define their market audiences by customising their segments by demographics, interests, and behaviours.
The preview of your possible audience selection by using the custom segments are also shown on the right side of the ad manager.
The potential reach of your ad is affected by two factors: 1.) the audience preferences – which can be further optimised by location, age, gender, languages, detailed targeting, connections, and 2.) your ad budget.
Facebook's new update on Detailed Targeting further supports advertisers in finding their right audience. But filling the blank spaces provided by Facebook alone doesn't guarantee quick conversion – especially if your competitors are fishing on the same pond.
There are two ways in using the Detailed Targeting feature: broad and narrow targeting.
Detailed Targeting does not limit your segment with just one match. In fact, it even lets you work with multiple matches to narrow down on your potential reach. This can help you find the specific people who will see your ads by containing your campaign in a very specific set of restrictions.
These will serve you a smaller portion of potential reach – but this smaller reach may have a higher potential in conversion than of a larger audience.
For an example, a hotel management may want to publish a hiring post for an in-house digital marketing specialist – preferably someone with hotel management background.
The first segment would be to include the job position: Digital Marketing Specialists. Narrow down with another set interest: hospitality management studies and hotels.
Originally, the segment of Hospitality Management and Hotels delivered 2,300 – 10,000 reach. But by filtering down the industry with the profession you're looking for, Facebook will create a smaller niche of your audience consisting of 210 – 680 Facebook users who are proficient in both Digital Marketing and the hotel industry.
Narrow targeting also considers the exclusion of people from your ad reach; which, as the name already suggests, restricting a specific demographic from seeing your ads.
Contrary to narrowing your niche, broad targeting is a great option for large-scale brand awareness campaigns. This procedure is typically used in fishing for potential customers at the top of the sales funnel or the awareness stage of your marketing strategy.
If you're a local fitness gym wanting to spread brand awareness and brand recall, publishing a large-scale ad may be the best option to get your brand out. This is especially effective if you're running a new promotional campaign such as membership discounts.
Broad targeting also helps you create an effective starting block in identifying which users should you specifically target next. It offers great statistics on the type of user demographics most likely to respond to your advertisement, which will help your campaigns in the future.
Learning when to customise your ads for a broad or narrow target audience is critical for the success of your campaign as it sets the traffic quality you are getting.
It is crucial to understand that one method of targeting is no better than the other. The process will always depend on the goal you ultimately want to achieve. Customising your ad strategy and split testing is most likely the best option in achieving your campaign's goals.
What's your opinion on Facebook strengthening their professional targeting? Comment them down below, or contact us for your ideas now.


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Exciting future for Shropshire Museums as new strategy approved
Related topics: Leisure and culture / My area
The new Shropshire Museums Service Strategy was approved by Cabinet on Wednesday 26 September 2018.
The strategy sets out the strategic objectives over the next five years from 2018-2023, stating:
"We will work as a team to ensure that all of our customers have an enjoyable experience of our museums and collections. We will focus on attracting families, embracing their diverse make-up and needs. Our services will benefit the health and well-being of our local communities and we will strengthen our resilience by planning for the future."
Shropshire Museums Service manages sites across the Shropshire Council area, including:
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery
Shrewsbury Castle
Acton Scott Historic Working Farm
Much Wenlock Museum
Ludlow Museum Resource Centre
Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member for culture and leisure, said:
"I'm delighted Cabinet approved the new Shropshire Museums Service strategy.
"This strategy provides a clear direction for the next five years placing us in a stronger position to ensure that the sites we manage flourish, and continue play a key role in Shropshire's tourism offer.
"I'd like to congratulate our museums staff for producing such an exciting strategy."
The strategy has been developed following extensive consultation with museums staff, volunteers, Friends groups, and stakeholders.
Shropshire Museums Service Strategy
Cabinet report


Colin B. MacBeth - Zausmer, August & Caldwell, P.C.
Skilled in both written and oral advocacy, Colin Macbeth defends carriers and insureds in auto negligence claims as well as first- and third-party actions.
Colin decided on a legal career while earning his undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University. He then attended Ave Maria School of Law, supplementing his on-campus education as a law clerk to two separate firms and as an intern with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Toledo, Ohio before receiving his Juris Doctor in 2008.
After law school, Colin joined the Manistee County Prosecutor's Office. As an assistant prosecutor, he regularly appeared in court across a wide range of felony and misdemeanor criminal matters, handling pre-trial proceedings, bench and jury trials, and appeals before the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court. Looking to grow his civil litigation experience, he joined a boutique litigation firm, learning the nuances of no-fault law and managing a busy docket of cases across Southeastern Michigan. Colin is adept at handling discovery, motion practice, and trial preparation, and has second-chaired a number of trials with impressive outcomes.
Colin prides himself on his thoughtful analysis of legal issues and his meticulous investigation of the facts, skills that help him pursue the most favorable results possible for our clients.


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Recently enacted policy by the United States to separate immigrant parents from their children at the country's southern border has been a black eye for the region.
One Peruvian immigrant in the North American country is trying to show the horrors of the policy through the lens of virtual reality.
Morales has helped create a new VR documentary called 'Home with América' that depicts an undocumented Peruvian woman living in the U.S. who meets her mother again despite a debilitating condition.
According to Forbes, the project has received funding from both Immigrants Rising's Fund for Undocumented Entrepreneurs and the Tribeca Film Institute to push the program forward.


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Norwegian Joy Completes First Preview Cruise
After calls to Singapore, Qingdao, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, Norwegian Cruise Line welcomed their newest ship Norwegian Joy to her new home in Shanghai, China. The arrival marks a significant milestone for the line as it enters the Chinese cruising market.
On the preview cruise that departed Shanghai on June 10, Norwegian Cruise Line welcomed over 1,700 VIP members and guests of Alibaba Group, the world's largest online and mobile commerce company, for a four-day preview voyage. It called on the Japanese port of Kochi before returning to Shanghai yesterday. The vessel's christening ceremony will take place on June 27, featuring its godfather "King of Chinese Pop" Wang Leehom. Year-round voyages from Shanghai will begin on June 28 with a season of sailings from Tianjin from August 26 to September 15.
Norwegian Joy has plenty for guests who love fun and excitement. It features the first race track at sea, virtual reality experiences, staterooms specially designed for multi-generational families, and luxury shopping choices. There are a whopping 28 local and international dining options, so even guests who may be from the western hemisphere will find plenty to choose from. As the cruise line puts it, "Norwegian's signature onboard experience has been expanded and customized, adding exciting features, services, and amenities that combine both the East and the West to deliver a 'First Class at Sea' experience."
Cruise Lines Will Keep Sailing to Cuba
Canada New England Cruises Keep On Growing


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#TheOpen: I was really solid out there, says Zander Lombard
Open Championship / 21 July 2018, 09:33am / Michael Sherman
Zander Lombard earlier this week. Photo: Michael Sherman/African News Agency/ANA
CARNOUSTIE – Zander Lombard said he hoped to continue a summer to remember for South Africa, as he remained in contention on four-under in sixth position at the halfway stage of The Open at Carnoustie on Friday.
Though he was tied for the lead with three holes to play, Lombard dropped shots on 16 and 17 to fall back to level par for the day. Compatriot Erik van Rooyen was tied on the same score.
His battling finish, however, did not dampen his spirits.
"It's been a South African summer in Scotland, and it's even been warm and sunny. We're a great group of guys and we motivate each other," said Lombard in reference to the top SA performances in Scotland over the last month.
Martin Vorster won the Junior Open at St Andrews earlier this week, and Brandon Stone won the Scottish Open with an incredible final round 10-under 60 last week.
Not forgetting Jovan Rebula, 20, who booked his ticket to The Open by winning the British Amateur at Royal Aberdeen last month.
The 444th-ranked player in the world Lombard has made just four cuts this season on the European Tour, but it was at the Irish Open two weeks ago which helped earn his ticket to The Open.
There he finished tied sixth on a hard and fast links layout just like the one that was expected at Carnoustie this week.
Seeing his name up at the summit of the leaderboard did not intimidate the 23-year-old.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool. I sort of glanced at the leaderboard every now and then. Didn't think much of it. It's an amazing experience being up in the fight, in the thick of things. Anything can happen on the weekend."
Teeing off in one of the final groups of the day at 3.54pm meant it was a tiring day, Lombard said. "It's been such a long day. Sleeping in until 9am. Waiting for seven to 10 hours to tee off.
"It's a long and draining day. Just finished at 8.45pm. I got really tired out there the last couple holes, but I think I managed my emotions well.
"It's still a solid round. I think level was the worst score I was going to shoot. I was really solid out there."
African News Agency (ANA)


On average, professionals spend twenty-five percent of their time in meetings. They consider fifty percent of the meeting time to be ineffective. There are several models and processes available for allowing a group to achieve the meeting objectives within a given time frame and with full participation. Effective Meeting Skills provides participants with an opportunity to learn the models and to enhance their meeting skills based upon use of the appropriate model and processes. Most of these models are quite new to American businesses and are not offered by other training programs.
Effective Meeting Skills is designed to provide participants with knowledge, skills and tools that they can use to assure their future leadership and participation in effective meetings. The definition of effectiveness includes: task accomplishment, clear objectives accepted by members, trust and openness, maximum use of member resources, adequate decision making processes and mechanisms for feedback.
Understand the dimensions of effective meetings. Most business people clearly understand what hinders a meeting's effectiveness but they are not aware of specific competencies required to avoid or deal with these hindrances. Using a series of situations and a carefully designed checklist, participants identify specific productivity factors required for effectiveness.
Utilize course tools to plan and facilitate effective meetings. Many meeting problems are due to a lack of planning on the part of the meeting facilitator and meeting attendees. Participants receive specific tools to ensure that their meetings are planned and structured to achieve the acknowledged objectives.
Anticipate and handle meeting challenges effectively. Participants practice utilizing skills and control processes which allow them to achieve and maintain a meeting atmosphere which permits creative idea generation and objective accomplishment.
Ensure proper meeting closure and follow-up. A common complaint in many companies is that individuals fail to "do what they agreed to" after a meeting, resulting in more meetings and loss of productive time. Participants receive specific strategies designed to ensure commitment and follow-up.
Effective Meeting Skills is designed to provide awareness and skill enhancement. It consists of interactive lecture, large and small group exercises, a case study and individual pre- and post- evaluation.


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Vice Rectors from Moscow City University - Samara Branch Visit Taiwan to Further Educational Cooperation
L-R: Dr. Li Hsi-Mei, Director of Department of Russian Language & Literature, Chinese Culture University; Dr. Elchin Gashimov, Vice Rector in charge of International Affairs of Moscow City University - Samara Branch; Sergey Semenov, First Vice Rector of Moscow City University - Samara Branch; Dr. Sergei Tribunskii, Director of Association of Higher Education Institutions of Samara region, Russia Federation; Dr. Tseng Shu-hsien, Director General of the National Central Library; and Mr. Peters Chen, Protocol Section Chief, Ministry of Education Department of International & Cross-strait Education, at the National Central Library on May 31.
Dr. Sergei Tribunskii, Director of the Association of Higher Education Institutions of Samara region, Russia Federation; Dr. Sergey Semenov, First Vice Rector of Moscow City University (MCU) - Samara Branch; and Dr. Elchin Gashimov, Vice Rector in charge of international affairs of MCU - Samara Branch visited Taiwan from May 26 to June 1.
The officials from Samara came to Taiwan at the invitation of the Chinese Culture University to attend a three-day international seminar on teaching Russian, from May 27 to May 29. The Education Division at the Representative Office in Moscow for the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission (TMECCC) helped arrange a number of other useful interactions for the group during their visit. They participated in interviews at the National Education Radio (NER) talking about the current status of student exchanges and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
During their stay, the officials also visited Kainan University and National Taipei University of Business to sign MOUs further strengthening educational links. On May 31, they attended a ceremony at the National Central Library where they were delighted to accept a donation of 48 books with 12 titles, and then had a tour of some of its many service facilities. They all experienced the warm hospitality and friendship of Taiwan and learned more about the depth and breadth of Taiwan's educational and other strengths.
Moscow City University, which is also known as Moscow City Teacher Training University, is one of three main normal universities in Russia. It prepares teachers for schools and universities, as well as all kinds of other professionals. Two Mandarin Chinese teachers from Taiwan have been sent to work at the university and its Samara Branch since 2015, and another will be going to Samara to begin working in the new semester of the 2016 – 2017 academic year.


Last December I was granted a sack full of money by the Senatskanzlei Berlin for the 2015 digiS programme. I'll soon post more about that; what matters for this post is that I promised to mass digitize the rather unwieldy sauropod longbones and girdle bones that reside in the Naturkundemuseum's Bone Cellar.
Overall, there's ca. 360 such bones, ranging in size from half a meter to nearly 2.5 meters. As a collection they are, therefore, too heavy to transport around. You can lug one or two or even five up the stairs and into a spacious lab, but not hundreds. Therefore, digitizing has to happen in place, in the confines of the stuffed-full Bone Cellar. And that pretty much excludes the vast majority of scanning methods.
Room to set up a large and sturdy turntable with a background that doesn't offer any features? Forget it!
Room for a laser scanner? Forget it!
Control over lights? Forget it!
Time to set up each bone in the middle of a lot of free space? Forget it!
Space to wave a held-held scanner around? Maybe, but those that offer a high resolution are quite expensive. Forget it!
Time, space and personnel to take the bones elsewhere? Don't get me started…….
What was needed was a protocol that allowed quick, high-resolution digitizing in place. And with "quick" I mean quick. My aim is to spend not more than 6 minutes per bone for the entire process, including set-up and all.
The Berlin Bone Cellar has long rows of wooden shelves, and aisles between them that I consider just wide enough to digitize a large bone in them. Therefore, I get help from a preparator to pull out one bone per shelf segment each and put it on a large piece of Styrofoam in the centre of the aisle. Around each bone I place three scale bars. My colleague Matteo Belvedere has created sets of scale bars of various lengths (10 cm to 50 cm) using coded targets, printed on lightweight but stable foam board.
Coded target: a picture that Photoscan recognizes and can automatically place a marker in the middle of. Basically, an automatically recognizable bull's eye. If you have two of them on a piece of material that doesn't bend, and if you know the exact distance between them, you can use that as a scale bar that the software automatically recognizes the ends of. Saves quite some time when you scale your model.
I also prepare a large number of trash bags by cutting their bottoms so they are flat when folded open. I could additionally slit them open lengthwise, but I am too lazy to do that. The last item on the list of auxiliary implements are lots of big, stiff cardboards.
Also, I obviously need a camera. With a fairly wide-angle lens – in my case it's a Canon 70D with a 10-18 mm lens. And, because the lighting is rather suboptimal in the Bone Cellar, a LED ring light. I bought mine cheap: with a set of high-capacity rechargeable batteries it cost me ~70 € only. I could use a proper Canon ring flash, too (Matteo has one, we ran a test and that worked just fine), but the LED ring light works quite well.
Now is the time to start photographing each bone. Then, they must be flipped over and photographed again – with a twist: I change the background completely for the second set, so that the photogrammetry software cannot find features on the background that link the two sets. This way, I avoid a lot of cumbersome masking even though the background of each photoset is not featureless.
To shoot a photo set, I start by snapping a picture of the specimen tag. Then, I walk around the the first bone, snapping pictures with the camera held low, trying to aim it squarely at the bone at a nearly horizontal angle. Then I do another round, slightly higher up, and finally some overview pics. Or I start with the overview shots and do the near-horizontal round later – doesn't matter. What counts is making sure I take them all.
I end the round with a shot of the ceiling or the tag again, or whatever – simply something that looks very much different from the bone. That makes sorting photos easier, as the different image will stand out the among the Windows explorer previews.
Once all bones have been photographed this way, I put the camera aside (making sure to turn off the LED light, to conserve battery), and start flipping over the bones. Now, it is really important to have help with this process, as I also need to alter the background by placing the trash bags all around and under the bone. The stiff cardboards go against the shelves, so that this part of the background is also altered.
The scale bars must be removed at this step, otherwise features on them will lead to wrong alignment of photos! It doesn't matter that the next set of photos will be without scales, because it is enough to have scales on a handful of images.
I now take the next set of photos as described above, and for most bones that's enough. Some, like sauropod tibiae and ulna, tend not to rest stably in two positions roughly 180° apart, but rather in three positions roughly 120° apart. These I need to shoot a third set of. And sometimes I shoot even more sets…..
And then it is time to clear away all the bones and paraphernalia. DONE!
May I introduce MB.R.2636, a left Giraffatitan brancai femur?
Well, have you understood what I do? Can you do it yourself?
Thought so….. it is not easy to image how I do this based on the above description alone. Thus, you can find a video on youtube showing me doing this process for one bone (and Matteo helping). Run time is slightly over 5 minutes, so overall I achieved my 6-minute-aim. I didn't have the stiff cardboards when I did this, so they are missing. As a consequence, I had to mask the second set of photographs. But other than that the video shows exactly how I do things.
This entry was posted in 3D modeling, Digitizing, Dinosauria, Giraffatitan, How to, MfN Berlin, photogrammetry, Sauropoda, Sauropodomorpha. Bookmark the permalink.
I'm going to be recording an archaeological archive over autumn/winter so this fast workflow is extremely intriguing. One question on the method – when you say 'Now I just toss all photos of one bone into one chunk each in Photoscan, and align' can you clarify?
I'm assuming no masking & no markers so you're aligning the chunks by points – if so then that all makes sense but what happens to the two backgrounds? Are you trimming these in the dense cloud stage as you mentioned elsewhere or does this technique automatically exclude them from the model?
as you correctly conclude, this method means that there will be two backgrounds. These I cut out of the dense cloud.
Usually, if I did my photo taking right, there will be a narrow gap between the object and the background, making the cutting out easy work. To achieve this, I make sure that the object overhangs the support material a bit, and that I do not take close-up shots of the contact area.
Thanks very much for the clarification – looking forward to giving this a try.
I am curious what quality the resulting 3D models would have. Do you plan to share part of it, e.g. on sketchfab so that other researchers could have a look?
the we are talking accuracies of 0.1 mm error for 25 cm scale bars, and model sized in the 1 to 20 million poly range for "medium" quality.
Well, typically I get close enough with my LED ringlight that lighting is not an issue. At worst, you can try to use the in-built flash of your camera. Also, it depends a lot on the ISO value you can maximally use without your camera producing too much noise.


Dallas police officer Kimberly Howard wears a cross given to her earlier in the day by a random well-wisher outside department headquarters in Dallas on Saturday.
Since the July 7 rampage, heartwarming scenes of support for the Dallas police have unfolded in front of the fortresslike Dallas police headquarters. In one on Sunday, an African-American woman threw her arms around a white police officer. She buried her face in his beefy shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"So sorry that this happened," she said. "In Jesus' name bless him right now. Amen. I love you."
The officer she was hugging is a communications sergeant, Stephen Toth, who wiped away his own tears. This is, after all, a force that has not gotten a lot of love in recent years. A survey last year by the Dallas Police Association showed that nearly 3 in 4 officers responded that morale is "low" or "lowest ever."
"Pay is one issue, but it's even larger than even pay," Toth says. "I mean, who wants to come out and do this job, especially in light of seeing something like this?"
By "this," he means the coldblooded murders of five officers.
Dallas police are so underpaid that they routinely flee the force for smaller, neighboring departments or to cities such as Austin and Fort Worth, where starting pay at a lower rank is $10,000 to $15,000 better and health benefits are more generous.
The Dallas department — with about 3,500 sworn personnel — is currently short at least 200 officers.
"We're the lowest-paid department in the Metroplex. We're losing officers to suburbs at a tremendous rate," says Det. Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association.
Dallas' elected leaders say they can't pay the cops more because of a looming police payroll lawsuit, a nearly broke pension fund and competing needs such as crumbling streets.
Fred Frazier, chairman of the Assist the Officer Foundation, says by his count, 94 officers have left DPD since October.
"I hate to see our profession in decline. We can't even get guys to come for recruiting. We've had to cancel the last two [police cadet academy] classes cause there's not enough guys who want to be police officers," Frazier says.
To be fair, this is not just a Dallas problem. Departments all over the country are losing young officers because of pay, workload and the recent challenges of policing in the glare of social media.
But even before last Thursday's attack, Dallas had an unusually turbulent department, in part because of its chief, David Brown, 55. Only three months ago, all four police associations in the city were bitterly complaining about Brown's dictatorial, mercurial management style; the Black Police Association went so far as to call for his resignation. Yet today, Brown is earning universal accolades.
"This is one of David Brown's finest hours," says James Ragland, a longtime Dallas Morning News metro columnist. "For him to step up in a moment of crisis and take full control and calm the city down, it's remarkable."
It remains to be seen whether Brown will be able to use his restored reputation to stabilize the ranks and calm his detractors — and whether the Dallas police, overall, will be able to leverage their newfound appreciation to get city government to give them a decent pay raise.
The calculated killing of five uniformed officers would be traumatic for any police department. It's especially difficult in Dallas, where the police force already suffered from low pay and low morale. Now, citizens are rallying around their officers in blue, but that raises a question of whether much will change. NPR's John Burnett reports.
JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE: All day long in front of the fortress-like Dallas police headquarters, there are heartwarming scenes like this.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I'm so sorry that this happened.
BURNETT: An African-American woman throws her arms around a crew-cutted white police officer sweating in his body armor. She buries her face in his beefy shoulder, and tears stream down her cheeks.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: In Jesus' name, bless him right now. Amen. I love you.
STEPHEN TOTH: I love you, too.
BURNETT: The cops she's hugging is a communication sergeant, Stephen Toth, who wipes away his own tears. This is, after all, a force that has not gotten a lot of love in recent years. A survey last year by the Dallas Police Association showed that 3 out of 4 officers responded that morale is low or lowest ever. Sergeant Stephen Toth.
TOTH: Pay is one issue, but it's - it's even larger than even pay. I mean, who wants to come out and do this job, especially in light of seeing something like this?
BURNETT: This meaning the cold-blooded murders of five officers. Dallas police are so underpaid that they routinely flee the force for smaller, neighboring departments, or to cities like Austin and Fort Worth, where starting pay at a lower rank is $10,000 to $15,000 better and health benefits are more generous. The Dallas department is currently short at least 200 officers. Detective Ron Pinkston is president of the Dallas Police Association.
RON PINKSTON: We're the lowest-paid department in the metroplex. We're - we're losing officers to the suburbs at a tremendous rate.
BURNETT: Dallas elected leaders say they can't pay the cops more because of a looming police payroll lawsuit, a nearly broke pension fund and competing needs, like crumbling streets. Fred Frazier is chair of the Assist the Officer Foundation. He says, by his count, 94 police have left DPD since last October.
FRED FRAZIER: We can't even get guys to come for recruiting. We've had to cancel the last two classes because there's not enough people that want to - want to be police officers.
BURNETT: To be fair, this is not just a Dallas problem. Departments all over the country are losing young officers because of pay, workload and the recent challenges of policing in the glare of social media. But even before last Thursday's sniper attack, Dallas had an unusually turbulent department, in part because of its chief, 55-year-old David Brown. The African-American police boss is unmistakable with his bald head and big, black glasses. And he's been on camera a lot lately.
DAVID BROWN: This is my hometown. I'm a third-generation Dallasite. Big D, I want to say thank you to all of you for your show of support today.
BURNETT: Only three months ago, all four police associations in the city were bitterly complaining about Brown's dictatorial, mercurial management style. The Black Police Association went so far as to call for his resignation. Yet today, David Brown is earning universal accolades. James Ragland is a longtime Dallas Morning News metro columnist.
JAMES RAGLAND: This was one of David Brown's finest hours. For him to step up in a moment of crisis and take full control and calm the city down, it's remarkable.
BURNETT: Will Chief Brown be able to use his restored reputation to stabilize the ranks and calm his detractors? And will the Dallas police overall be able to leverage its newfound appreciation to get city government to give it a decent pay raise? Some officers wonder whether this tragedy could be a turning point for their embattled department. John Burnett, NPR News, Dallas. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
The parents of Dallas shooter Micah Johnson say they are surprised by his violent rampage and note he returned from an Army deployment to Afghanistan a changed man.


Jupiter Pointe Paddle Boarding- MUST DO!
Try the newest trend Jupiter has to offer, SUP! SUP stands for stand up paddle boarding and it has been long adored by Floridians. In the past few years, paddle boarding has gained great interest from Jupiter locals and tourists. If you enjoy the water, sun and adventure you have to try standup paddle boarding at Jupiter Pointe Paddling at the Jupiter Pointe Club and Marina.
Island Tours– held every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 am. The island tours are 90 minutes and guided.
Full Moon Tours– 90-minute, guided tours cruising the water on clear nights underneath the stars. A drum circle, bon fire and a cash bar follow the moon tours.
Doggie Paddle– open to dogs who enjoy the water! They take place every Saturday at 4 pm.
SUP Classes– 1 hour classes that incorporate yoga, cardio and core on the standup boards. Caution, this class is a challenge!
SUP & SIP– Adults only! They are fun focused, as they offer a 2-hour paddleboard or kayak rental as well as 2 complementary drinks at Wylder's.
Blowing Rocks Eco Tour– every first Wednesday of the month from 9:30am- 11:30am. It is a 2-hour paddling tour of the nature preserve at blowing rocks, where you will search for turtles, porpoises, manatees and tropical fish.
Paddle Parties– Paddle Parties are perfect for kids' birthday parties. Up to 10 kids can paddle, swim and eat at Wylder's. The tours are guided and truly offer a unique way to celebrate!
If you haven't tried paddling, you have to add it to your list! Paddle boarding is a great way to exercise with low impact, its fun and even educational. Stand up paddling has been a way of life for islanders like Hawaiians and those who love the tropical life, like Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart locals. Learn more about SUP and setting up your tour at Jupiter Pointe Paddling!


text:
Melanie Bonajo
Night Soil – Nocturnal Gardening, in: Let's Talk About Nature, overview of the exhibition, 2018
Progress vs. Sunsets - Re-formulating the Nature Documentary, 2017, full HD one-channel colour video with sound, 48:20 min. (film still)
'Progress vs Sunsets - Re-formulating the Nature Documentary', installation design in collaboration with Théo Demans, exhibition view 'The Death of Melanie Bonajo', Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht, 2018, (photo: GJ. Van Rooij)
Pilgrimage with the Animals, performance at Tate Modern Museum London, 2017
Progress vs. Regress, 2016, Full HD film, 53.57 minutes (film still)
Völkerschau (Panda), 2010, roman print, framed, 93 x 73 cm
'Night Soil - Economy of Love', installation design in collaboration with Théo Demans, exhibition view 'The Death of Melanie Bonajo', Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht, 2018, (photo: GJ. Van Rooij)
Furniture Bondage, Hannah, 2007, ultrachrome, canson luster, dibond, museumglass, framed, 149 x 119 cm
'Progress vs Regress', installation design in collaboration with Théo Demans, exhibition view 'The Death of Melanie Bonajo', Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht, 2018, (photo: GJ. Van Rooij)
Melanie Bonajo and Kinga Kielczynska, Vision of Quest, 2007, c-print framed, 91x66 cm
Progress vs. Regress II, 2013, c-print framed, 75x50 cm
In her work, Melanie Bonajo examines the paradoxes inherent to ideas of comfort with a strong sense for community, equality, and body-politics. Through her videos, performances, photographs and installations, she studies subjects related to how technological advances and commoditybased pleasures increase feelings of alienation, removing a sense of belonging in an individual. Captivated by concepts of the divine, Bonajo explores the spiritual emptiness of her generation, examines peoples' shifting relationship with nature and tries to understand existential questions by reflecting on our domestic situation, ideas around classification, concepts of home, gender and attitudes towards value.
Melanie Bonajo studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and completed residencies at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunst in Amsterdam (2009-10) and at ISCP in New York (2014).
Melanie Bonajo's work has been shown in international exhibitions throughout Europe; recently in a.o. Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2019, Performance at Do Disturb Festival), Guangzhou Triennial (2018-2019, Progress vs Sunsets), CN, a solo exhibition (2019, Progress vs. Sunsets) in Kunsthalle Lingen, 'Creatures Made to Measure. Animals and Contemporary Design' in Design Museum, Ghent (2019), BE and Museum Marta Herford, DE (2018), 'Vrijheid – vijftig Nederlandse kernkunstwerken sinds 1968' – curated by Hans den Hartog Jager in Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, NL (2019), 'Blind Faith', curated by Julienne Lorz in Haus der Kunst, München 2018), the Night Soil Trilogy was on view in Manifesta 12, Palermo (2018), Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, curated by Katerina Gregos (2018, Progress vs Regress), Kunstsaele Berlin, curated by Ellen Blumenstein (2018) and 'Anima Mundi' in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, curated by Hans van der Ham (2018, film Matrix Botanica). Her film Night Soil – Economy of Love will be shown in the show 'Be Fragile! Be Brave!', curated by Rebeka Põlsdam, Pori Museum, FI (2019).
Melanie Bonajo was nominated for the Amsterdamprijs voor de Kunst 2018 and the prestigious Nam June Paik Award 2018. Her work has recently been acquired by Frac, Ile-de-France.
Melanie Bonajo had her first international solo exhibition in FOAM, The Netherlands, in 2016. The Frankfurter Kunstverein followed with a major solo exhibition in 2017: 'Single Mother Songs from the End of Nature' . In 2018, Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht presented her solo exhibition 'The death of Melanie Bonajo: how to unmodernize yourself and become an elf in 12 steps'. Melanie Bonajo's film 'Progress vs. Regress', commissioned by Hacking Habitat Utrecht, forms the first part of her recent trilogy. For the second part of this trilogy, 'Progress vs. Sunsets', Melanie Bonajo was shortlisted for the Prix de Rome 2017.
In 2016, Melanie Bonajo was shortlisted for the 57th Venice Biennale. Her film Night Soil—Economy of Love, awarded for the IFFR Tiger Awards (2016), was produced and screened by Schunck, Heerlen (2015), and shown at a.o. Museum Arnhem, AKINCI, Amsterdam (2015) and EYE Film Museum, Amsterdam (2016). Melanie Bonajo presented the Night Soil trilogy in her first solo exhibition in the Netherlands at FOAM, Amsterdam. The Night Soil Trilogy together with the installations has been acquired by Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht.
Bonajo's work has been exhibited and performed in international art institutions, such as Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2019), Guangzhou Triennial (2018-2019), Kunsthalle Lingen (2019), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2018); Martha Herford Museum, Herford (2018); Tate Modern, London (performance, 2017); EYE Film Museum, Amsterdam (2016); STUK, Leuven; Rogaland Kunstsenter, Stavanger, Norway; De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam; Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; the Moscow Biennale; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul; Fondazione Prada, Milan; PPOW Gallery and PS1/MoMA, New York. In the USA, her work has been acquired by the 21C Museum Hotels, Kentucky. Her films have been screened at Kunsthalle Basel (2016), and numerous festivals such as Lowlands (Summer 2018), Pinkpop, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the Berlinale. In 2012, Bonajo initiated the collective Genital International, which tackles subjects around feminism, participation, equality, our Earth: 'Politics beyond Polarity' and 'Revolution through Relaxation'. Melanie Bonajo has contributed to several art magazines, was creative editor of Capricious Magazine, and curated various shows, such as the QQC Performance Festival about pop music in visual arts at the Paradiso, Amsterdam. She published several books, the most recent being: Matrix Botanica, numero 1 – Non-Human Persons, designed by Experimental Jetset and published by Capricious Publishing (New York). In 2013, she released an album with her band ZaZaZoZo (in collaboration with Joseph Marzolla) called Inua.
Rencontres Arles – On Earth
in collaboration with FOAM Photography Museum
1 July – 30 August, 2019
Arles, FR
CosmoFeminism – Neue Feministische Ästhetiken ( screening: Night Soil – Economy of Love)
14 June – 7 July, 2019
Zönotéka Project Space, Berlin, DE
Johann Friedrich August Tischbein
en de ontdekking van het gevoel
– an installation in response to the exhibition
7 September, 2019 – 19 January 2020
Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, NL
Be Fragile! Be Brave! (Night Soil – Economy of Love)
– curated by Rebeka Põldsam
20 September, 2019 – 23 February, 2020
Pori Museum, Pori, FI
Creatures Made to Measure. Animals and Contemporary Design.
(An exhibition of the museum Marta Herford in collaboration with and after an idea by Tanja Seiner.)
16 May – 29 September, 2019
Design Museum, Ghent, BE
20 – 22 September, 2019
Mag je een tentoonstelling met een orgasme vergelijken? Nou ja, als het mag, dan hier, bij Melanie Bonajo (*****)
De manipulatie van de mens tot object - 'Blind Faith', in het Haus der Kunst in München, is een van de beste tentoonstellingen die dit jaar gemaakt zullen worden.
Object Love zet objecten op een voetstuk
Geëngageerde veelvraat
Art 511 Mag