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Home » CINEMA 4D R14 from MAXON Announced on Eve of SIGGRAPH
CINEMA 4D R14 from MAXON Announced on Eve of SIGGRAPH
Maxon's CINEMA 4D, one of the most popular 3D graphics and animation programs on the market today, debuts in version R14 at Siggraph 2012, which starts on August 5th. I'll take a look at the highlights of the new release. (If you're new to the app, check out my review of the previous release R13, here.)
Integrated Sculpting
When I reviewed the prior version of CINEMA 4D Studio, I called it one of the most full-featured 3D applications around. Well, it gets even better in R14, which impresses me most with its new built in sculpting abilities.
Sculpting has become a very important part of the process of making complex models over the past few years. The technique allows you to create incredible amounts of fine detail on a model simply by painting on it in a process that can feel like you're sculpting a piece of clay.
There are sculpting solutions 3D pros are familiar with such as Autodesk's Mudbox and Pixelogic's Z-Brush. However, it's tricky getting a model from CINEMA 4D into and out of those separate programs.
What's great about the new sculpting tools? They are integrated right into CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D. No need to go into a separate program. What's even better is that the sculpting tools include all the advanced features you would expect in a fully featured sculpting app.
The tools employ 12 levels of subdivisions that allow for millions of polygons. Sculpting tools include pull, wax, smooth, flatten, inflate, knife and pinch. When sculpting your model you can of course turn on symmetry to speed the work. A steady stroke object, meanwhile, helps you create smooth strokes.
Just as you'd expect in an advanced sculpting app, the system also includes stencils, stamps, masks and layers. A variety of preset stencils and stamps are also available as needed.
After a sculpt is done, you can bake the displacement, normals and ambient occlusion into maps. When these maps are applied to a low poly object, displacement will appear just like in the sculpted object.
The result? CINEMA 4D's new sculpting options make it even more useful, especially when you're working on complex high-end 3D character animation and designs.
Camera Enhancements
If you're trying to match a scene in a 3D program with a backplate shot with a real camera, you know how tedious it can be to constantly move between setting the position and then checking it by eye. Now you can use CINEMA 4D's new camera calibration system which, with the help of some lines and grids drawn by the user, will solve for the position, orientation, and focal length of the camera for any image.
Animating between the positions of multiple cameras is alsopossible. New camera morphing abilities in R14 give you different ways to control the interpolation between the cameras. You can also morph between animated cameras.
Also new to R14 is a motion camera. You can use it to apply a natural motion algorithm that simulates the movement of a human operated camera. You can add a little shake to the movements if you want to evoke a hand-held move, or create a slick Steadicam move.
Enhancements to the apps dynamic system include a new aerodynamics mode that can be invoked when creating wind, gravity or other forces. This mode calculates forces at every vertex, giving your simulations more natural aerodynamic feel.
Tweaks to the dynamics now allow objects in soft-body simulations to retain their distorted shapes. Previously, if you deformed a soft body in a simulation, it would eventually spring back to its original shape. Change that with the new plastic-like options, which allows deformations to the soft body to persist, even after the deformation occurs.
How could you use this? You might set an elasticity limit so that the object will be permanently deformed only after a certain limit is reached. In this case, only forceful collisions—a really big crash–will have an effect on the object.
Springs and other objects can now controlled for a more real world result. You can now set a breaking limit, for example. That is a spring will break only when it reaches a certain load. You might then add elasticity to those springs. This will cause them to rebound to their default position until a certain load is reached, at which point they will be unable to spring back.
Interface and Workflow
Ever wish you could click on the work plane, move it around and rotate it? Now you can in R14. CINEMA 4D also allows you to make guides and guide objects. You'll find new options for snapping too. For example, you can snap things to the workplane, guides or the vertices of another object. This makes it easier to align objects to other objects.
New ways to deal with X-Refs are alsoavailable. You can offset the animation contained in it, its scale and other options.
Here's another nice little feature I've noticed: You can now display a sound wave in the f-curve window. This would be handy when syncing animation to music or other audio cues.
The picture viewer, CINEMA 4D's rendering environment, also sports improvements such as the ability to do color correction using RGB curves on your rendering. Another good feature allows you to output the position of each pixel in your render in 3D space as a 32-bit RGB value. This comes into play later on during the compositing process when, for example, you need to re-light a scene, or even reconstruct the object.
CINEMA 4D has long been compatible with Adobe After Effects. That means you can export 3D data and even entire AE compositing project files, complete with lights and solids, out of the app and into Adobe's ubiquitous compositing program. Now, Nuke, The Foundry's powerful professional compositing app, can also take 3D data from R14.
Xpresso
CINEMA 4D already contains Xpresso, a powerful node based expression editor. With it, you can do all sorts of powerful things that would be extremely tedious to do manually. Now you can drag parameters right out of the Attribute Manager right onto an existing node to create a new input or output port.
The Attribute Manager also adds feedback that lets you know if a parameter is driving another parameter or is being driven by one. Now you can tell which parameters Xpresso is controlling.
The new procedural wood shader in R14 of CINEMA 4D allows you to create great looking wood textures, with parameter setting that allow you to control things like grain and waviness. You'll also find a weathering shader that can make your objects look like they have been exposed to the elements.
The new version also contains a Normalizer shader, which makes it easy to create normal maps. Normal maps are a great way to add detail to a model. They look better than bump maps, yet are quicker to render than displacement maps. Enhancements have been made to the way sub surface scattering works too.
Global Illumination (GI) has been enhanced with more control over the amount of sampling for different illumination sources. You'll also find the ability to use radiosity maps in R14.
Photoshop Integration
Previous versions of Adobe Photoshop added the ability to work with 3D objects. Well, now you can import entire CINEMA 4D models into this standard issue application. No, I am not talking renders of 3D models, but the actual geometry itself. Once inside of Photoshop, you can adjust the model, reposition the camera, change lighting and even paint on its surface. This means you can now create complex models within CINEMA 4D and share them with Photoshop users and designers to use in their work.
With version R14, MAXON has once again delivered a substantial upgrade to their capable 3D animation system. With the new sculpting tools as well as a multitude of other innovative new features, CINEMA 4D is continuing to cement its position as one of the leading and most useful apps in professional 3D production for film and broadcast. If you're going to SIGGRAPH, stop by Maxon in booth #723 and have a look at R14. I think you'll be impressed. I am.
Want to see R14 in action?
See live demos of CINEMA 4D R14 from August 7-9 direct from Maxon's booth at Siggraph. Maxon is spicing it up by giving away $8000 of "amazing prizes" to registered viewers. Click here for more info.
About Joe Herman
Joe Herman is a filmmaker, artist and post production specialist and writes often about the industry. You can reach him at joe[at]legendmultimedia[dot]com. Or reach and follow him on Twitter @JoeHermanTweets.
Community & Partner Links
How Sony's New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films
Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma's Boy to Venom.
Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it's never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.
Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School's site.
U.K. Extends COVID Insurance Scheme; Distributes $21 Million in Cinema Grants
The U.K.'s insurance scheme for film and television has been extended until April.
Known as the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, the groundbreaking £500 million ($676 million) fund assures productions that they'll receive financial support in case of COVID-related losses. The program has so far accepted 100 qualifying productions.
To read the full article in Variety, click on this link.
Film Commish announces date for production restart
In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.
She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish's bloggy sort of news column, click here.
For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.
To read the full article on The New York Times' site, click here.
If you want to start production, here's the latest news from the Mayor's Office
Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.
For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health's Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.
The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.
Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan
Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there's a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.
To read the full article on Petapixel's site, click here.
NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls
NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality
What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.
To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.
Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers' Suit Over Virus Relief
Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan's board can't be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn't qualify for benefits.
In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors' motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols' Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.
Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others "out in the cold" in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.
But Judge Klausner agreed with the board's contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don't act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.
Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.
Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank
Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.
The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film "Avengers: Endgame," quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.
In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers' Los Angeles-based shop.
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Steenkamp, a four-year letterwinner of the men's soccer squad, graduated from Lynn in 1993. He was a four-time NAIA All-America selection and was honored as the NAIA and LU Most Valuable Player in 1991 when the Fighting Knights won their second National Championship. Steenkamp still holds the program record for goals in a game (4) and is in the top-five for goals (25) and points (63) in a season and matches played (89), goals (60), assists (29) and points (149) for a career. Since leaving Lynn, the South African native has had a healthy professional soccer career that has lasted over 12 seasons. Playing primarily for the Rochester Rhinos, Steenkamp is a three-time recipient of the Leadership Award and was named MVP once.


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June 29, 2014 No comments Views: 0
A Nudge To Save A Bit More
RON LIEBER, Twitter: @ronlieber
If you're an active participant in social media, it's nearly impossible to avoid a running tally of everyone else's spending. New cars and home renovations are all over Facebook. Vacation photos, exotic meals and charity benefits are a fixture on Instagram.
It's tempting to think that your own life doesn't measure up. So what the world needs is more socially driven saving — a counterbalance consisting of reminders and affirmation that people who choose to put money away over spending it are investing in a happy future, even if they are not presently driving a convertible to their beach house.
This year, Putnam Investments, which will soon become the second-biggest administrator of 401(k) plans, took a step toward giving customers some of this kind of comfort — or a kick in the pants. A central feature of its online retirement account statements is a new tool that allows users to see exactly how their savings rank against other Putnam account holders who are similar in age, income and gender. Then, using projections, it models how their numbers would change if they set more money aside from their paycheck — and allows them to make the change in a few clicks. Putnam refers to it as its ''Joneses Tool,'' as in ''Keeping up with.''
Voya Financial, the ING spinoff whose online questionnaires will retain the ING branding for a few more months, has persuaded two million people to try its ING Compare Me site since its introduction five years ago. There, people can see how their vacation spending, credit card debt and savings habits measure up to others like them.
The biggest goal that these companies share is to get people to set more money aside. Financial services firms win big when people do this, but so do those whose savings have fallen short so far. Putnam does not make its tool available to the general public, but it ran some numbers at my request to see where a variety of its customers stand.
The results begin among its customers who are in the median for savings across a range of four sample ages and two potential incomes for each age. Among the various cases, the best result among the median savers was a group that is on track to reach just 72 percent of having a comfortable retirement income goal. The worst group seemed destined to reach only 25 percent. (Putnam defines comfort as having enough money saved to replace 75 percent of whatever your annual income is projected to be when you retire.) People who are in the 90th percentile of savers, however, appear set to hit somewhere between 86 and 103 percent of the goal.
The company includes Social Security in this estimate, and the tool allows people to add money they have saved in retirement accounts elsewhere so that the retirement income estimate takes all of their assets into account. Nationally, Putnam believes that Americans are on track to replace just 61 percent of their income during retirement.
To avoid a shrunken retirement budget, many people will need to save more money. For now, however, people are saving roughly the same percentage as they were a decade ago. The economy hasn't helped, but inertia may be at work too. Putnam had a hunch that by rubbing people's noses in the high savings of their peers, it could get the laggards to make some changes.
The results so far have been impressive. In a sample of 10,000 users, 32 percent used the social comparison tool and adjusted the salary deferral level to see how the results may change. Of those who did play with the lever, there was a 28 percent average increase in the set-aside, to 9.6 percent of the paycheck, from 7.5 percent. To make it easy for people to say yes, the Putnam tool tells people what the pretax effect would be on their paycheck and allows them to make the switch in two clicks.
A couple of other twists may be helping Putnam achieve that kind of lift. On its site, it avoids what it describes as the ''accounting view'' of information, where the balance would be the only thing a customer would see. A few hundred thousand dollars might seem like a decent amount of money, but it may not last more than a few years.
Instead, it shows a customer's progress toward that ideal monthly retirement income goal and displays it front and center. ''We use a monthly amount in order to put things in the context of how people actually live their financial lives today,'' said Steve Jenks, head of product and marketing for Putnam's defined-contribution plans. A shortage may scare people in a way that a lump-sum balance would not. The monthly income view may also keep people calmer during market declines, since the drop in the projected income figure won't look quite as bad as the raw drop in the overall balance.
Putnam also breaks down estimates for people's health care costs in retirement, including Medicare premiums, co-pays and costs for supplemental insurance, though it doesn't address potential nursing home costs. Even without the long-term care costs, however, this can easily add up to hundreds of dollars each month. ''If one-third of discretionary income is going to health care, that's a real aha! moment for some people,'' said Ed Murphy, who runs the defined contribution operation for Putnam. Even before the company introduced the social comparison tool, it saw customers saving more when confronted with the breakdown of those health care costs.
Putnam's results aren't much of a surprise to Voya Financial. In a survey last year, it found that 52 percent of people said they would feel nudged into putting more money away for retirement if their savings didn't match up well with their peers. The fact that not that many Putnam customers made the move when confronted with the evidence suggests that people might need more of a shove than a nudge.
Some employers take the less gentle approach already with a feature known as auto-escalation. Unless employees opt out, the percentage deferral from their paycheck automatically goes up, usually by a percentage point each year, until they reach the legal limit. Many employers choose not to offer the feature because more savings means more employer costs.
Putnam's social comparison tool is not available to noncustomers. Here's hoping it will pull back the curtain as a form of public service.. But Voya's ING-branded tools are worth a look. In addition to the ''Compare Me'' tool, it also has a separate site that computes a ''savings score'' based on your age, location, salary, savings and gender.
All of this takes place out of public view, even if the social comparisons do rely on volunteers to share personal data. That means something is missing here — the ability to broadcast your own good behavior.
While I don't think many people will be sharing their Putnam percentile rank on Facebook anytime soon, it's possible to share incremental savings progress in a way that doesn't seem smug. Financial services companies could provide a button to allow people to share the fact that they increased the money they're setting aside from their paychecks by at least a percentage point.
Until they build this feature, let's have a go at it ourselves. If you've started to save more or spend more carefully or improved some other part of your financial life recently, please tweet about it in the coming days with the hashtag #bettermoney so that we can all pat one another on the back in public.
DRAWING (DRAWING BY ROBERT NEUBECKER) (B1); CHARTS: Comparing Retirement Savers: Putnam Investments shows customers how their savings stack up to the savings of others like themselves and whether they're on track to have enough money for a comfortable retirement. The company defines that goal as being able to replace 75 percent of pre-retirement salary. Only the highest savers — those in the 90th percentile — appear to stand a good chance of amassing that much money.; The median savers; The highest savers (Source: Putnam Investments) (B7)
June 28, 2014, Saturday Late Edition – Final
Section: B Page: 1 Column: 0 Desk: Business/Financial Desk Length: 1267 words
Copyright: (c) 2014 The New York Times Company
Source: New York Times Digital
Wordcount: 1364
Retirement Plans Thrown Into Disarray By A Divorce

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


FACT: Recent research studies in Pennsylvania have found that drilling and fracking activities have been associated with a 27% increase in cardiology hospitalisations for people living near fracking wells.
A Yale University study also found that people living near fracking wells had increased numbers of skin conditions and upper respiratory conditions. The study included 180 randomly selected households and 492 people in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and is "the largest study to date of general health status of people living near gas wells," said Rabinowitz, first author of the study and an associate professor in the University of Washington's School of Public Health. "The major symptoms seem to be upper-respiratory symptoms," including "coughing … itchy eyes, nosebleeds" as well as skin problems such as rashes, itching and burning, Rabinowitz said.
Further studies have linked fracking to high-risk pregnancy, pre-term birth, and low birth weight in infants. A report highlighting the increase in still-born babies in Vernal, Utah, has also received a lot of publicity, and this report from the Los Angeles Times also highlighted how much the industry is trying to shut down the debate about health and fracking.
The standard industry response to any stories about health and fracking is that there is no 100% proof of cause and affect, ie that the pathways for the myriad of health complaints that appear to be occurring to people living near well-sites is not proven. However, New York State banned fracking on grounds of serious risk to public health following a rigorous six-year study, as reported in the New York Times and Huffington Post. You can read the full NY study here, which we highly recommend.
Another source of information about the health risks of fracking is PSE (Physicians, Scientists and Engineers) Healthy Energy, which says "The scientific community is only beginning to understand the impacts of shale gas development on human health and the environment. Many data gaps remain, but numerous gaps and risks have been identified." They also point out that there are now over 550 peer-reviewed papers on the health effects of fracking, and that over 80% of these have been published since 2012 (the year in which the UK government commissioned their own health report, which we'll come to in a minute).
84% of studies on health indicated potential public health risk or actual adverse health outcomes'.
For more information and a very useful and informative downloadable graphic, go to the PSE Science of Shale Gas Health Development page. and for those with a desire to read the source material, here is their full report.
Here in the UK, a report by Medact concluded that hydraulic fracturing for shale gas poses significant risks to public health and called for an immediate moratorium to allow time for a full and comprehensive health and environmental impact assessment to be completed. Please read their letter to the BMJ (British Medical Journal), or read their report – entitled Health and Fracking – The Impacts the Opportunity Costs.
Another report that again concludes there are significant health risks in fracking is by the CHEM Trust, whose Executive Director Dr Michael Warhurst said: "Widespread fracking will threaten many of our valuable wildlife sites, as this technology has a high potential to pollute sensitive aquatic ecosystems; it can also harm human health." You can read their full report here. Again, this was criticised by UKOOG, which the CHEM Trust responded to here.
There are numerous other health reports that are worth reading, including this one from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
On a more personal level, people in Pennsylvania have compiled a chilling List of the Harmed, written by people whose health and livelihoods have been adversely affected by fracking.
Many other parts of the world, including France, Holland, Bulgaria, Tasmania and Victoria (in Australia) have all banned fracking due to public health and environmental concerns. The debate about whether fracking is banned in Germany, or just severely restricted, is ongoing. Currently Scotland and Wales also have moratoria (temporary bans) on fracking while health assessments are carried out (although in both cases some observers feel that these are under pressure and have been criticised for allowing exploration drilling and potentially coal bed methane production). Northern Ireland have issued planning guidelines to say no to fracking until "there is sufficient and robust evidence of its safety on all environmental impacts".
So where does this leave us here in England, the only part of the UK where the government's 'dash for gas' is continuing, apparently unhindered by the weight of public and scientific concern about the effects of fracking? We believe that, at the very least, the increasing weight of evidence that fracking has a detrimental affect on human health should lead to a moratorium so that this can all be examined thoroughly. Many people across the world feel that with hundreds peer-reviewed reports already saying that fracking can cause serious health problems, there is already more than enough evidence to ban the practice forever.
What does the British government say?
However, this report only drew on selected research that had been published by December 2012 – and as the PSE Energy have stated, over 80% of the peer reviewed papers on the health and environmental impacts of fracking have been published since that date.
However, as the graphic from PSE Energy shows, there have been over 300 new peer-reviewed health studies since January 2014, and the overwhelming number of these show a range of health problems related to fracking. Indeed, new research appears so regularly that it is hard to keep up. However, the government have not updated their report.
For more on the issues of health and fracking, please visit www.isfrackingsafe.com for the views of a concerned Yorkshire GP on this issue, and also see this article in the Ecologist for a view about the original report.


Here at Go Plant Fleet Services we specialise in providing a wide selection of municipal vehicles available for hire across the country. Our fleet includes a wide range of road sweeper, street cleansing and refuse collection vehicles which are an integral part of keeping roads clean and tidy. We provide a self drive service, but one of our most popular municipal vehicle hire options uses our trained drivers for operated hire.
Our operated municipal vehicle hire is available on a range of vehicles including large sweepers, pedestrian sweepers, gully emptying & drain jetting and back to black street cleansing vehicles. Our team are trained to the highest level and are equipped with the skills necessary to deliver total customer satisfaction. We have teams who operate from our numerous regional service centres and all hold CSCS cards and Epic Plant Operator Certificates. We understand the importance of delivering a safe service which meets all regulations and requirements and so we place a firm focus on this with our staff.
Using operated municipal vehicle hire can be a great way to get high quality sweeper solutions without the time, effort or money to train and recruit staff for your business or organisation. You're always assured of the highest quality operators from Go Plant Fleet Services! All of our municipal vehicle hire options are maintained to the highest levels, but should a problem occur we also have 24/7 fleet support to help us remedy the problem quickly – minimises the disruption to your business. We offer both short and long term municipal vehicle hire and work with both small businesses and large multi national companies, the length and the breadth of the UK.
If you would like to find out more about our municipal vehicle hire options then please get in touch with a member of our team who can give you a quote and answer any questions you may have.


Team Retaks took part in the filming of a new TV pilot called "Sons of the Fallen," with Bill Goldberg and actor Ryan Merriman. The show takes kids of soldiers that passed away and takes them on a once in a lifetime adventure. Team Retaks was able to give the kids a ride in a drift car with Formula DRIFT driver, Bill Sherman.
Sons of the Fallen, this two hour television special produced by Emmy Award winning Producer Conrad Ricketts (Currently the Executive Producer of "Extreme Makeover Home Edition") and Co-Executive Producer/Director Jack Cannon (Former Director of "Extreme Makeover Home Edition", Gone Country) will reveal the stories of 26 boys who all have something in common, their Fathers paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.


text:
cask 'visual-studio-code' do
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  # az764295.vo.msecnd.net/stable was verified as official when first introduced to the cask
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  appcast 'https://vscode-update.azurewebsites.net/api/update/darwin/stable/VERSION'
  name 'Microsoft Visual Studio Code'
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University aims to promote scientific research and education on wild animals, and to contribute to the peaceful coexistence of living organisms on planet earth. The mission can be summarized in the following three points. First, the center should carry out basic research on endangered and threatened species of wild animals to promote their conservation in their natural habitat, to improve their health and welfare in captivity, and to encourage the fusion of scientific approaches to advance our understanding of human nature. Second, the center should integrate different areas of science to create new disciplines applicable to field settings and to encourage international collaboration for the symbiosis of humans and other living organisms. Third, in collaboration with zoos, sanctuaries, aquariums, and museums, etc, the center should promote environmental education of youths by offering them unique experiences with nonhuman animals, and provide young people with a deep insight into nature including ourselves.
The research conducted at the WRC focuses on endangered large animals from the viewpoints of Mind, Body, Life, Genome, and Health-Longevity. For this purpose, the WRC consists of the following 5 research departments, 1 donated department, 3 research stations in Japan, and 7 field stations in Borneo and Africa.


(JTA) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo postponed a recently planned trip to Israel, citing the violence on both Israel's northern and southern borders.
Cuomo announced the postponement on Tuesday, the day he had been scheduled to leave for Israel.
The "solidarity" trip had been announced on Thursday at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Dinner.
Cuomo, a Democrat, is seeking a third term in a race that includes actress Cynthia Nixon.
Cuomo has taken several official trips to Israel, including one in 2014 while he was campaigning for his second term, according to Politico.
This story "Andrew Cuomo Postpones Solidarity Trip To Israel" was written by JTA.


People can be content in just existing, to a point, as long as the body is not in pain, as long as there is food to eat, a comfortable place to live, and no pressures.
But invariably, when they reach the state of having everything, a restlessness sets in; like youngsters, once they get their homework done, once they have done whatever chores they might have to do, they say, "What do I do now?" "Can I go out?" They want to do this, go there, play ball, run down to see friends, or whatever, because life is pulsating, striving to grow.
We see that so readily on the living plane, but what we have to understand is that on the mental plane that same opportunity is there. But the mind must be awakened to think. The mind must be given the encouragement to look upwards. That is why ideals are so important and so necessary. We have constantly to recognize the next upward step. What can make us better? Physically, what can we do to be better? Mentally, what can we do to be happier? Spiritually, what can we really do to bring our purpose into a more complete and full expression? These questions, if retained in our minds on an on-going basis, give a sense of direction to every breath, to every thought, to every action, because it is each thought, breath, and action that determines whether we are going ahead or not.
Kabalarians have been given a certain concept of life, a picture to understand as to the relationships of the greater laws of being, the involution of Reason into reality, the evolution of reality back to Reason, the involution through the breath, the evolution through language and mind back to Reason. We have an understanding of the relationship of the physical, mental, and spiritual; the role of the physical body; the importance of the name, the balanced mind; the ideals and the attainment of that universal state of Reason.
The struggle is always to rise consistently above the gravitational pull of self because self is as strong as our feelings and our focus upon self. The more we change our mental direction from self, to expressing our purpose, the more we change that focus on self. Then the bigger our world becomes, the happier our lives become, the more complete our lives become.


Amber Valletta made her way to the red carpet today(May 18th) for the 'Wonderstruck' premiere during the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
For the occasion, she wore head to toe MULBERRY FALL 2017 which featured a ruffled floral one long sleeve dress with an asymmetrical hem, a silver statement necklace, croc embossed clutch and embellished sandals.
Amber's dress is a modified version of the runway piece and given her style, the modified dress worked better with it's modern top. Ensuring that nothing competes with her printed look, she went with minimal make-up and a slick, side parted bun which finished up her look.


Mycoplasmal Contamination: Risk Reduction Strategies and Diagnostic Methods | Bionique® Testing Laboratories, Inc.
Mycoplasmal Contamination: Risk Reduction Strategies and Diagnostic Methods. J.A. Mariano. Bionique Testing Laboratories, 156 Fay Brook Drive, Saranac Lake, NY 12983.
Mycoplasma is considered to be one of the most prevalent and serious microbial cell culture contaminants in both research and industrial cell culture facilities. Reported rates of contamination have been in the range of 11-35% within established cell lines. Chronically infected cultures often occur with mycoplasmal contamination, since it often evades macroscopic and microscopic detection despite reaching concentrations of 107-108 cfu/mL in cell lines. Today, we have gained enormous recognition of the impact of contamination on the host cell. The potential sequelae of infection include chromosomal alterations and aberrations in every aspect of cellular metabolism. Consequently, the verification of mycoplasma-free cell lines is essential in the forward process decision-making steps within research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Current FDA approved testing methods require a minimum of 28 days to complete. However, significant progress has been made in the development and validation of rapid microbiological methods for the detection of mycoplasma. The potential impact of these new analytical methods in the testing of cell lines and cell-derived products will be reviewed in this presentation. Additionally, strategies to reduce the risk of contamination and transmission of infection to uninfected cell lines by applying stringent quality control measures will be discussed. In summary, the consequences of failing to establish a robust mycoplasmal testing program in any cell culture laboratory can result in the compromise of research endeavors, financial losses and more importantly, pose potential biosafety concerns in those facilities involved with preclinical safety testing or biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
Presented at the Annual Society for In Vitro Biology Meeting, June 6-10, 2009 in Charleston, SC.


Comment : CLG-5 1962-1963/ 2 DIVISION UNDER JOHN GOBO 1ST CLASS DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER ANY OF THIS??
Comment : I served from 1944 to 1946 and saw the tresty signed from my radio tower.
Comment : Retired after 30 years with the Portland Fire Dept. Married to my wife Nancy. Have two married sons. Enjoying life with music and woodworking and traveling.
Comment : Looking for Hal Lutz. Served on the ship from 72-75. I am now driving truck. Live in Fort Plain, New York 13339. Please contact me at this e-mail address.
Comment : My brother Charles B. Hughes jr. passed away 9/14/06. He surved aboard the OK City 1943-1945 in the South Pacific. He lived in Marysville, Washington.
Comment : I was a FTM from 1974 to 1976 Good Times!
Comment : Im looking for anyone aboard the USS Oklahoma city CLG-5 from 1960 and on. I was in the 2nd div. from the time she was recomissond untill my discharge in 1962.
Comment : I was in the 2nd div. in 1961 to 1963. Im looking for any one aboard in that time piriod.
Comment : I surved on the OK City from 1971 to 1973. I worked in the Aft. Engine room. I got to see her just before she was turned into a reef.
Comment : I was one of three Marines that did our full 2 year tour of duty on the Okie Boat. My wife found this site and it stirs many memories. Thanks and I will visit often.
Comment : I was stationed on the OKC in 1975-77. It was the best duty station of my 20 year carrer, (more ports per year then any other ship 2 year period.
Comment : I was on the ok in 1943 in philadelphia, we put it in comishion at the navy yard. I WAS on board for 2 years. We were in the third fleet.
Comment : Served in Seventh Fleet Flag Allowance from 1965 to 66 then transferred with the Flag to USS Providence (CLG-6) in 1967 when Building 5 went home.
Comment : Saigon recuse, Cambodia 75-77 What the F**k over.
Comment : JO3 from 71 to 73. Looking for input from shipmates in that timeframe. Writing a book about our experiences. Any input very welcome. If anyone knows who to contact Warrant Officer Black, I would like to know.
Comment : I served on the Okie Boat from 1975 to 1978 as a GMGSN. I retired from the Navy in 1994 and now sell insurance for Farm Bureau Insurance companies.
Comment : Served onboard from January 1970 through September 1973. Left as an SH2. I am now living in Everett, WA. I receive the OKC Corral and am sure to pass it on to other former CLG-5 shipmates.
Comment : OE division 1967-72. Live in Jacksonville, Florida and work as a Navy contractor.
Comment : I was on the oky city 68-70 in the ol division.
Comment : Served on OK City (2nd div) 75-77. Would love to here from anyone that might remember me.
Comment : I was stationed on okc from Oct 1973 to Oct 1977 and it was the best time of my life. I am sendind in my membership application today and hope to see old shipmates in San Antonio in Sept.
Comment : Served aboard the USS Nitro (AE23). Unreped the Oki City in the Tonkin Gulf (how many times ??) . Helped feed her a lota bullets, then back to the PI for more ! I Remember the Marines on the forward Turret loading ammo by hand !!
Comment : Great job. A lot of success in the future to your resource!!
Comment : Hi Good site. It would be desirable to return again and again!
Comment : CYN/RM3 CR Division 69-71.
Comment : MISS ALL MY SHIPMATES BUT VERY DISAPPOINTED IN PC2 BILL KRAWCHUK AND SN ROBERT VAN ORDEN. YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON US WHO VALUED THE OKCITY CLG-5 SO MUCH AND GAVE EVEN MORE.


On Thursday, Hill-HarrisX released a survey about health care. The survey, which was conducted between February 1-2, presented five statements regarding potential changes to the health care system in the United States, and asked respondents to indicate which statement they aligned with most.
15% of respondents agreed that "the government should remove itself from paying for all health care."
14% said "the current health care system should be kept as is."
26% said "any citizen should be able to sign up for Medicare/Medicaid regardless of age or income while those with private plans could keep their existing insurance."
32% said "Medicare/Medicaid should be expanded to cover all citizens regardless of age or income but people should be able to purchase private supplemental plans."
13% said "Medicare/Medicaid should be expanded to cover all citizens regardless of age or income and private health plans should be abolished."
Despite only 13% of respondents indicating they wanted to eliminate private insurance in favor of a government-run health care system, support for such a plan has become standard among declared 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
During a CNN town hall on January 28, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), who declared her intention to run for president a week earlier, suggested eliminating private health insurance.
I believe the solution — and I actually feel very strongly about this — is that we need to have Medicare for all. That's just the bottom line.
And I'll say this. And this is, I think, why you're also asking this question. What we know is that, to live in a civil society, to be true to the ideals and the spirit of who we say we are as a country, we have to appreciate and understand that access to health care is a— should not be thought of as a privilege. It should be understood to be a right.
... It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some insurance company has decided it doesn't meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation. That is inhumane.
Jake Tapper then asked Harris: "So, just to follow up on that, and correct me if I'm wrong, to reiterate, you support the Medicare for all bill ... initially co-sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders. You're also a co-sponsor onto it. I believe it will totally eliminate private insurance. So for people out there who like their insurance, they don't get to keep it?
Well, listen, the idea is that everyone gets access to medical care, and you don't have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork, all of the delay that may require. Who of us has not had that situation, where you've got to wait for approval, and the doctor says, well, I don't know if your insurance company is going to cover this? Let's eliminate all of that. Let's move on.
This position isn't just held by a single presidential candidate. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), all of whom have announced their respective presidential candidacies, are co-sponsors of Senator Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) "Medicare for All" bill.
Obama-era Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro, who officially announced his presidential plans on January 12, also supports a "Medicare for All" style system.
Sanders' bill would eliminate, or at the very least severely restrict, private health insurance providers by enacting a single-payer government health care system. The text of the bill can be read in its entirety here.
Additionally, there are rumblings that Sanders himself is planning a presidential run.
This would mean that at least six Democratic candidates jousting to unseat President Trump in 2020 would be on record supporting a universal, government-run health care system, which only 13% of Americans seem to want, according to the Hill-HarrisX survey.


text:
MALEBOLGIA - USA
Requiem For The Inexorable - 2009 - Comatose
S= Quell, Morose Vitality>>JOSH ALBRIGHT>>Morose Vitality
G= JOSEPH BYRON - MATT LOVETT
B= KEVIN HEDGECOCK
D= TIM KNOUFF
North Carolina and death metal have had a love/death relationship since the late '80s, but Malebolgia leaves little to ambiguity. The band plays pure death metal and was formed in the year 2000 in Winston-Salem corridor. The group was a side-project of Kevin and guitarist Joseph to begin. The band's name was inspired by a Marvel comic's character and is a circle of nine from Dante's Inferno. The 2003 demo, Synchronized stabbings, featured original singer Daniel Marshall. The band next issued a two-song promo of Requiem For The Inexorable, but it wasn't another five years before the album of the same name was issued. 2006 brought the release of Supreme Brutal Legions Vol. 2, a three-way split featuring Infected Malignity and Tragical Memories. It was released on tape in Indonesia by Disembowel Records and subsequently on CD by Vrykoblast Productions.
MALEBOLGIA - REQUIEM FOR THE INEXORABLE 2004 PROMO
Well, well, well, what do you know? This disc is a two-song preview for the American band's full-length of the same name, but it is already clear that Malebolgia is a death metal force bent on spreading malice and hatred. The dual-vocal system is loud and present, the music moves fast as a shark, the drummer is a human whirlwind and the pressure incessant. Fans of older Carcass, Diabolic, Hate Eternal and Cryptopsy will love this. My only concern is how this CD features only five minutes of music, but if the full-length has anywhere near as much of an edge as this then Malebolgia will have as much staying power as any of the scene's bigger acts. Write the band at info@malebolgia.com or visit the site for more information. - Ali "The Metallian"
MALEBOLGIA - REQUIEM FOR THE INEXORABLE - COMATOSE MUSIC
Apparently Malebolgia started as a gore band but decided that there needs to be something more on top of the intensity of the lyrics and the music itself. And the result?
These North Carolinians present unrelenting, fast and insane metal approaching grind. The drums most of all and indeed most other things don't let up, the guitars follow along speedily and the vocals deliver with all kinds of noise, from growls to screeches. The only real break is courtesy of Requiem, an instrumental. Twelve songs barely passing the 36-minute mark is a good indication of the style of Malebolgia as are titles like Born Of The Nephelim, Discordant Splendor and Dominion Of Alchemy. One loose comparison for Malebolgia is perhaps Cryptopsy. Requiem For The Inexorable closes with not one but two 'bonus' tracks in Pissing Pus and Cock Rocking' Fever. A throwback to the early day of the quintet? - Anna Tergel
Corrections, Additions, or Suggestions
©2002-2020 metallian, All Rights reserved. Limitation of use: excerpts may be used only if source is noted.


The conference program of Measuring Behavior focuses on methods and techniques, and so the exhibition is an important component of the meeting.
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Noldus was one of the founders of the Measuring Behavior conferences and is still the primary sponsor and helps organise the conference.
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PhenoSys was founded in 2006 and is an R&D company based in the centre of Berlin in Germany. We engineer and market innovative technology for animal behaviour research. Our team draws on extensive expertise of electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science, and behavioural biology. We offer unique instrumentation in the field of behaviour biology. This includes specialised applications of virtual reality systems and RFID-based automated solutions for animals in home cage environments. Our experimental systems are used for behavioural phenotyping, brain research, experimental psychology, and the diagnostic characterisation of animal models for translational medicine.
Stoelting has over 130 years experience in meeting all your physiological, psychological, and psychophysiological measurement needs. At Stoelting, we are proud of our Tradition of Innovation, and we shall always have a strong commitment to support scientific research. We seek to offer only high quality, reliable instruments, and support them with prompt, educated customer service from our staff of science professionals.
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Complex behavioral paradigms can be achieved with our IntelliCage system. It allows the evaluation of behavior and cognitive performance of individual mice or rats while they are living in a social group of up to 16 cage mates. This unique principle fosters normal social behavior in an enriched, highly standardized home cage environment, thereby ensuring a high level of animal welfare and minimizing the need for human intervention or single test apparatuses. The IntelliCage decreases the variability of stress reactions in mice and therefore provides consistent data across laboratories. It has been used to transfer standard mouse tests to assess e.g. exploratory behavior, activity, spatial learning, operant/associative learning, memory and animal tests of anxiety. The preprogrammed tasks are evaluated seamlessly by specialized integrated fully automated operant conditioning corners. Each animal is equipped with a RFID transponder/unique tag number and recognized as it enters the conditioning corner. Also the transponders allow the selection of specific animals out of the group, via an animal gate the IntelliCage expands to a multi-area system, where fully customizable arenas and mazes can be added to create the PhenoWorld, the behavioral testing standard of the future. If space limitation is a topic in your lab, have a look at the Multi Conditioning system which is designed for multi-purpose behavioral testing, e.g. the evaluation of learning, memory, emotion and stress-related behaviors in mice and rats. One system supports nine paradigms. Our PhenoMaster allows the assessment of metabolic, behavioral, cognitive and physiological parameters in the home cage.
Unique to our system is the ability to combine standard metabolic measurements with microbiome activity monitoring, meal analysis, movement behavior, quantifiable exercise data and detailed physiological monitoring. Our collaborative philosophy drive such applications as implementation of optogenetics. Please visit us, we are happy to discuss your specific needs!


The Long Road to China: Merry Christmas....From Our Family to Yours!
Some of my family will start to arrive tomorrow around lunchtime so I will be stepping away from the computer for the next couple of days and probably will not get a chance to post again until after Christmas.
This was the front of the card....thanks to a little editing from the Pixel Fairy Princess.
Wishing each one of you a very Merry Christmas.
May your holiday be filled with Peace, Love, and Joy!!
Your card turned out soooo cute! I enjoyed getting it in the mail.
I hope you have a fun and relaxing Christmas!
Lisa, your card turned out beautiful. I'm sure your so happy with the end results too.
Enjoy your family and the Holidays.
A beautiful card from a beautiful family! Enjoy your company and have a very Merry Christmas!
What a beautiful card of your sweet family!!
Best wishes for the merriest of Christmases! Can't wait to see the photos -- will there be dancing?? Have a good one!
Just beautiful! I'm so happy we've 'met' this way Lisa.
The card is perfect!!! Merry Chrstmas!
Hugs to you and your family..
One of the prettiest cards I have seen! It is on our card door and Paige LOVES the Nutcracker!
I hope you and your precious family have a wonderful holiday! I look forward to seeing many great pictures!
Oh how sweet. I just love your card...it turned out great! Christmas Blessings to you and your family.
Oh, your card is gorgeous!! Your photos are great and your kids ADORABLE!!
Hi Lisa! I keep seeing you posting comments on other blogs that I follow so I decided to check in here today! I would love to follow your blog if that's ok? We are also in the process of adopting, but from Russia! I absolutely adore your Christmas card! What a neat idea...I love the front! I posted ours today too! Great minds think alike! :) I hope you and your family has an amazing Christmas, and I hope that both of our families will be blessed with an addition in 2009!
Lisa, it turned out beautiful!
Have a most incredible Holiday, funfilled season!
Have a blessed Christmas Lisa. I love the card and am so glad to "know" you too!
Hope you all enjoy your time together! Have a Very Merry Christmas!!
I you just sending themm out now???
I love the final product! It turned out perfectly! I am so glad you showed it to us. Have a WONDERFUL Christmas! It has been so fun to get to "know" you this year!
The card turned out soooo nice, Lisa!!! Chelsea just loves the inside picture! Thanks so much!
Merry Christmas, Lisa. Thank you for the friendship of Blogville this past year :)!
Merry Christmas...from our family to yours too!
Merry Christmas to all of you!! I am so glad we found each other's blogs. We have so much in comman and we have been so blessed! Have a very wonderful Christmas!!!
Your card is absolutely beautiful! You did an awesome job!!! Wishing you and your family a special holiday!
Merry Christmas to you and your whole family! XOXO from Georgia!
Enjoy this holiday...you've worked so hard....relax now!!
Gorgeous card!! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!!
I love how the card turned out. I'm so glad you chose that picture of the two of them nose to nose.
Merry Christmas Lisa! Your card is BEAUTIFUL!! Hope your holidays are filled with love and laughter.
Someone told me to check out your site and I have to say I love it. Your children are beautiful and your phography is just amazing.
Very nice final product! Hope you have a great holiday!
Have a very Merry Christmas Lisa!!!
Your card looks amazing! Happy Holidays from my family to yours.
Perfect selection! I love the finished product!
Thank you for all of your comments and visits to my blog. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family!
So beautiful! Merry Christmas Lisa and family.
It is lovely!!! Just like your precious family!!! I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas...I'm looking forward to catching up on all of your wonderful posts over the lat 2 weeks....I Have been a bad blogger..we've had lots going on.
Hugs to you sweet friend!!!
Beautiful card!! Such loving children!!
Much happiness to your family!
Merry Christmas Lisa....to you and your family!
I'm really happy we met through this wonderful world of blogs.
PS The card is gorgeous!
Your card is really pretty and your kids...so precious.
Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hoping 2009 is our year!!!!!
That turned out beautifully!!!!!!! Great job!
The card came out beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Love your card chickadee! Jason still thinks that it is the best photo card we've ever received! We both swear it looks like one you'd buy in a shoppe. Holy moly it turned out GREAT!
Merry Christms to you hun.
Enjoy your family time this week!
Wishing you and your lovely family a very Merry Christmas. Relax and enjoy your beautiful family.
Simply beautiful. The first one is amazing.
Blessings to you and your sweet family this Christmas season.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and send you warm wishes for a Happy New Year! Enjoy your break!
love love love your choice!!!!!!
Love the first picture. What a neat idea!


text:
Is it okay to take power/actions away from PCs to add drama?
In the game I have running right now, one of the PCs have had a run in with a local "gang" of sorts. An encounter between the two is approaching, but I'm struggling to think of the best way to set up the encounter.
I'm not sure how aggressively I can/should frame the scene that starts the encounter. My question is, how far can a DM go with playing out a cut scene/situation without giving the PCs a feeling of no control? A very simple example:
As you walk down the darkened streets, 5 large men appear from the shadows. Before you can assess the situation, your knees buckle beneath you as something hard strikes a blow to your head from behind. As you twist and fall, you catch a glimpse of one of the attackers' sneering face before blacking out.
In the above example…
Would a PC feel robbed to not have the chance to dodge, perceive the danger, have a chance that their AC would block the blow?
Or are cut scenes like this perfectly acceptable in the interest of developing story?
If not, how is it possible to pull the PCs into such a threat without dice rolling and mechanics getting derailing the encounter's setup?
We're playing D&D 4th edition, but I don't think this is really specific to any game or edition.
gm-techniques encounters
Josh BruceJosh Bruce
\$\begingroup\$ Reopened. This question can be interpreted in the scope of "trad games" - while some storytelling games vary, the majority of RPGs and gaming groups historically share a common tradition that this question makes sense within. \$\endgroup\$ – mxyzplk - SE stop being evil Jun 25 '13 at 19:37
\$\begingroup\$ Those are all great points to make in an answer. The comments are for clarifying the question and not for arguing with it. \$\endgroup\$ – SevenSidedDie Jun 26 '13 at 15:17
If you want to ask your players beforehand if this is okay with them, then do it, but in general, this is a Bad Idea. As a rule, never remove the opportunity for a player to control their character, beyond what the rules already say. I'd go no further than "You see 5 large men appear from the shadows" without giving the players a chance to turn around, roll perception checks, or otherwise prepare for or avoid being ambushed.
The deeper question is, though, why do you feel the need for a cut scene to involve the players? If one of them has already encountered the gang, then perhaps all you need to do is provide clues as to their whereabouts or headquarters. Instead of being ambushed by the NPCs, they can (if they choose) observe and follow them to their lair. And if they're not interested, perhaps that's a clue that the whole stroryline is something they're not interested in pursuing. And I'd seriously re-think the whole set-up if you feel you need the players to be kidnapped or incapacitated. It's dramatic in books and movies, but doesn't usually have the same impact in games, because the players aren't just watching what happens, they're making it happen along with you.
If you have the players approval, you can skip over the slow bits, so if it's a mechanical problem about getting them to the NPC hideout, you can just say "you follow them to their HQ in an old abandoned villa just outside town (or wherever)." This cuts down on the die rolling and mechanics, but doesn't restrict player choice, which is a cardinal sin in RPGs.
amp108amp108
\$\begingroup\$ Excellent, that makes perfect sense and helps a lot. The movie analogy is spot on, I need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture here - not be such a forceful hand. Appreciate it! \$\endgroup\$ – Josh Bruce Jun 25 '13 at 3:33
While scenes like this can be very cinematic, that can be a detriment after a while. Cinematic is perfect for movies, but in games becomes very old very fast. I'm sure you can think of more than one time you've skipped (or at least wanted to) an especially long cutscene in a video game.
This is a game all about player decisions and their effects on the outcomes of an event. I think most people would agree that as a DM, your job in almost any instance is to set up the scenario for the players to act out.
That was just my general idea on what a DM should do in most cases. However, I'm also a huge fan of story development. If this PC being captured is essential to the story, then I say by all means, make it happen.
If you're going to take power away from a PC, then make sure it's for a good reason. Also, make sure you know what's going to happen afterwards, and make sure it's fun or interesting enough to that character to make up for any feelings they have that you pulled a cheap move.
MitharlicMitharlic
As soon as you think "cut scene" in the context of a game, stop and ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish and whether there's a better way to do it. Your players are there to actively participate in the game, not to be passive observers.
Dave SherohmanDave Sherohman
My feelings toward video game cutscenes are pretty applicable here too: cutscenes shouldn't show heroes wielding or lacking powers contrary to what they normally (under the player's control) possess. If your character can double-jump, but he falls stupidly when the rock he's standing on crumbles out from under him, that's not going to make sense. If he has trouble beating a giant boss, but then jumps super-high to finish him off, that's not going to make sense. In the case of your game, if normally a character could dodge, block, absorb, or heal such a blow, it's not going to make sense that during your 'cutscene' they somehow lose this ability.
The way to get around this is to let them 'play' the cutscene, but that brings up another interesting situation: it's a fight they're supposed to (or at least allowed to) lose, in order to advance the plot. Players will feel frustrated if they think they have a chance, but are mis-playing and failing - so I always appreciate it if "you aren't supposed to win, you're just acting out losing" is telegraphed somehow.
For instance - have the opponents first ambush and knock out a random neutral NPC, to show the players that they, like the NPC, have been taken by surprise, by opponents who are intent on using non-lethal methods to subdue them. They can fight back, but they know it isn't 'the end' if they don't win, and that helps to alleviate the desperation of fighting a battle they can't seem to win.
matt lohkampmatt lohkamp
\$\begingroup\$ +1 Very good point, and I think you suggest a fairly good way to deal with this. \$\endgroup\$ – doppelgreener♦ Jun 28 '13 at 9:56
I consider the GM to be trying to build good drama alongside the players. Thus, it is all about managing expectations. Because part of role playing is about exploring the choices of characters, if you take that away what is the point? Of course, the point is good story telling later. But for that, you need buy-in from the player. Therefore get player buy-in. Asked the mugged player is they would like to play the part of the damsel in distress/escapee and if they agree, role with it.
However, doing it without the player knowing up front what the situation will be is likely to get them to resent you.
Sardathrion - against SE abuseSardathrion - against SE abuse
\$\begingroup\$ True; If your group's social contract includes players being in on plot secrets for the sake of cooperative drama, this could well apply to you. \$\endgroup\$ – GMJoe Jun 26 '13 at 7:50
\$\begingroup\$ @GMJoe: Not necessarily. The GM could phrase things in such a way as to leave the specifics out and do it only once within the current game. It does not necessarily have to be all or nothing. But I do get your point of the social scontract and indeed agree with having one for each game. \$\endgroup\$ – Sardathrion - against SE abuse Jun 26 '13 at 8:02
\$\begingroup\$ Indeed! It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing thing. Back when I was running paranoia, in fact, I kept a lot of things secret from the players - but not when they'd botched their knowledge rolls, as it was way more fun for them to act on incorrect information when they were in on the joke. \$\endgroup\$ – GMJoe Jun 26 '13 at 8:06
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Can PCs gain XP from "defeating" an enemy who actually just used Feign Death?
How to ease my players away from consensus-based decision making?
How can I take a powerful plot item away from players without frustrating them?
Keeping the world alive whilst PCs take a rest mid-adventure?
How to deal with players who take up most of the time by doing solo actions?
How can I add encounters in the Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign without giving PCs too much XP?


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Q: Regex for individual characters between () but excluding what's ouside I need a regex that works as follows, I've been trying for a day and can't figure it out.
(IIILjava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;II)V = ['I', 'I', 'I', 'I',
     'Ljava/lang/String;', 'Ljava/lang/String;', 'I', 'I'] Ignoring whats after )

(IIJ)J = ['I', 'I', 'J']

(IBZS)Z = ['I', 'B', 'Z', 'S']

I've gotten (I|D|F|Z|B|S|L.+?;) so far but I can't get it to ignore that character that's after ')'.

A: (?<=\([^()]{0,10000})[A-Z][^A-Z()]*(?=[^()]*\))

*

*(?<=\([^()]{0,10000}) Positive lookbehind ensuring what precedes is (, followed by any character except ( or ) between 0 and 10000 times. The upper limit may be adjusted as needed, but must not be infinite.

*[A-Z] Match any uppercase ASCII letter

*[^A-Z()]* Match any character except an uppercase ASCII letter, ( or ) any number of times

*(?=[^()]*\)) Positive lookahead ensuring what follows is any character except ( or ) any number of times, followed by )
Results:
['I', 'I', 'I', 'I', 'Ljava/lang/String;', 'Ljava/lang/String;', 'I', 'I']
['I', 'I', 'J']
['I', 'B', 'Z', 'S']

Sample code: See in use here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel (born as Bruce McMeans, on November 28, 1940, in Jacksonville, Texas) was a musician best known as a 'one-hit-wonder' known for his 1962 number one song "Hey! Baby" (also known as "Hey Baby") while also being a songwriter for other artists. Channel originally performed on the Louisiana Hayride radio show, and then joined up with harmonica-player Delbert McClinton singing country music. Bruce wrote "Hey! Baby" in 1959, together with Margaret Cobb Read more on Last.fm
Bruce Channel has 3 songs that have been featured in movies like America the Beautiful, Dirty Dancing, Eskimo Limon and Slumber Party '57. What is your favorite song by Bruce Channel?
Songs from Bruce Channel
Hey! Baby!
Bruce Channel Questions and Comments


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Kayaking burglar tries to make getaway by jumping into chilly Duwamish, police say
Originally published March 22, 2017 at 10:51 am Updated March 22, 2017 at 11:29 am
The man spent about an hour in the water before Seattle firefighters cut a hole in the floor of a boathouse and pulled him out. The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A kayaking burglar was pulled from the Duwamish River on Wednesday morning after he was interrupted breaking into a boathouse, Seattle police said.
The 45-year-old man spent nearly an hour in the chilly water hiding from police before he was caught. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment, police said.
The victim saw the man around 9:45 a.m. inside a boathouse in the 1000 block of Southwest Klickitat Way, according to police.
The victim confronted the burglar, who asked him for a cigarette. When the victim turned away for a moment, police said, the burglar pepper-sprayed him and jumped into water.
Police and firefighters responded to the scene to look for the man. After about an hour, firefighters cut a hole in the boathouse floor and pulled the man from the water, police said.
The Seattle Fire Department said the man suffered from minor injuries and exposure.
Police also recovered the suspect's kayak.
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Every step, every turn, every shift of the eye in this world heritage listed location had more beauty than I've ever seen in my entire life. It was a natural wonderland, filled with the colour and beauty that dreams and movie sets are made off. The scenery was so inspiring that I felt like everyone should be naked and singing and would have happily rolled around in the mud just be a part of something so Godly.
'Anyone taking a picture with scenery this beautiful is going to look hideous' I explained to Tom after he showed me the less than favourable picture that he had just taken of me with the amazing colours of Juizhaigou's lakes and mountains as the background, and I whole heartedly believed this theory, until I took a photo of Tom and Liron with the same background but unlike me they looked perfectly suited to their surroundings.
The day of exploring this amazing region of Jiuzhaigou was going beautifully until we ran into a chinese man who had been on the same bus as me from Chengdu.
Chinese guy – Hyeeeeeeeeee!!Do you remember me??
T & Liron – 'sure, no worries' smiling and friendly.
Within the first hour this guy had innocently asked questions around the details of my trip, which are the usual questions asked when meeting a traveller.
By the second hour he was wanting to know specifics around dates, locations and accommodation, which I thought was a bit intrusive, but thinking he was a curious traveler himself wanting to get ideas on what to do, I reluctantly gave him this information.
By the third hour I had come to the conclusion that I was being badgered, harassed and had somehow become an unwilling participant in this guys travelling itinerary.
Tired, irritated and exhausted after 7 hours of walking and being followed by the unwanted stranger, there was a quick vote and we decided that we were done for the day.
Liron – 'By we do you mean you?
After hearing the news that we were leaving.
TIP – A woman traveling alone should never disclose accurate information about her journey to a man she's just met. And should think about wearing a wedding band.


text:
High school story levels of dating
Radio's Guide to the Universe
webMethods ApplinX
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People in relationships are signing up for dating apps during coronavirus isolation
Dating Safety Tips
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Reaching the Stars is a scheme by the Ministry for Gozo, intended for young Gozitans, who Online applications are available on the Ministry for Gozo website.
Now that NASA's Voyager 1 probe has left the solar system, its next big spaceflight milestone comes with the flyby of another star — in 40, years. Voyager 1's declining power supply will force the mission team to turn off its first instrument in , and all of the science gear will stop working by , Dodd said. For example, the spacecraft's data should shed light on how interstellar plasma flows around the heliosphere — the huge bubble of charged particles and magnetic fields that the sun puffs out around itself — said Voyager chief scientist Ed Stone, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
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Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, launched a few weeks apart in to study Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 2 took a different route through the solar system and is now 9. Voyager 2 may join its twin in interstellar space three or four years from now, Stone said, stressing that it's tough to predict a departure date in advance.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. This still from a NASA video shows the Voyager 1 probe nearly 12 billion miles from the sun as it goes boldly into the final frontier of interstellar space as the farthest man-made object in human history. A star field image shows Voyager 1 spacecraft's next destination in the universe circled.
Jump to navigation. What makes a university stand apart from the rest? Is it the quality of students enrolled and faculty engaged in teaching, or the infrastructure? A close scrutiny of the table toppers in the india today-MDRA survey of India's best universities reveals that they all have one thing in common-the constant endeavour to innovate and adapt to the growing needs of the local, national and global environment.
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Reaching for the stars: how Galileo's satellites could help automotive logistics. Date of publication: Monday, March 16, Where published: Automotive.
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It also keeps listeners up to date on the latest. which also produces the Spanish-language Universo Online web site and the bi-monthly StarDate magazine. With a grant from the National Science Foundation the program became "Star Date," and It quickly reached more than 1, radio stations across the country.
Raju Ansari, a shopkeeper in Delhi, was on Facebook to beat nighttime loneliness when that promise popped up on his timeline. Ansari was hooked. The promise kept building. When he opened the app, he was greeted by photographs of women so attractive, he would have been thrilled to hear from any one of them. To his wild surprise, he heard from several. Their messages began pouring in the moment he signed up, each one more flirtatious than the last.
He tried to respond, but the app informed him that he first needed to buy a subscription for Rs—which he did right away. He was, however, now flooded with audio and video calls from women. Please remove from play store. It was launched in June, and through December, around 14 million users had installed it. Tinder was downloaded by 6. The majority of its users are men, and interviews suggest many of them have had a similar experience.
When Carolyn Bushman first learned about the NASA Explorer School Project in , she immediately thought about what it could mean for her low-income, predominantly Hispanic students in their small, rural town of Wendover, Utah. Bushman, a math teacher at Wendover High School. We had to find a way to show them there were other opportunities out there.
That was my first time on a dating site and you are the first woman I choose to Each time I think about you, a star falls from the sky; so if you look outside No matter how much you try, if you don't reach her heart, it won't ever be worth-while.
When being The Bachelorette fails, why not try a dating app or two? Well, turns out it might not be so easy! Hannah Brown lamented on her Instagram Story in February that she had not yet been approved to join the celebrity dating app, Raya. I tried to match with John Mayer — it didn't work," the "Juice" singer said during her visit to Busy Tonight. According to her, the celeb-based app is "boring," and romance hopefuls are more likely to find success on less restrictive platforms.
It's only for the times in between when you're very much single. And just looking for who's out there. But I think it's a really good tool and a lot of the Pitch Perfect girls are on it, and a lot of my girlfriends in the industry are on it. When you're striking out on Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and every other app made for dating, try taking a page from the year-old beauty YouTuber's book. Charles turned to TikTok in an effort to put himself out there and get "wifed up" in The actress was in for a surprise when she attempted to join Bumble, and ended up being blocked from the dating app.
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New Castle Police Arrest Man Accused Of Raping 11-Year-Old GirlNew Castle Police have arrested a man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl.
A-10 Player Of The Week, Duquesne's B.J. Monteiro Sidelined With Injury
By: Aly Cohen January 2, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Filed Under:A-10 Player of the Week, B.J. Monteiro, Duquesne Dukes Basketball, Ron Everhart, The Aly Way
(Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics)
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — After becoming the 35th player to reach 1,000 career points in Duquesne's New Year's Eve crushing of Houston Baptist, senior swingman B.J. Monteiro (Waterbury,Conn./Crosby) was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for his dominating play last week. In the Dukes' two wins last week against HBU and Bowling Green, Monteiro shot nearly 67 percent from the field and averaged 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, including the 24 point, 14 rebound double-double he put up last game.
On the season, B.J. is second in scoring with 15.2 point per game ,behind Sean Johnson's 16.1, and leads the team, grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game. Duquesne will certainly miss his production, as he will be out the next 2-4 games after receiving stitches in his left hand and chin from an off-the-court injury over the weekend. Monteiro was in the South Side on New Year's Eve and was hit by a bottle as a result of an argument going on close by.
"We constantly emphasize using discretion in the decisions you make off the court," said head coach Ron Everhart. "As a senior co-captain, B.J. has an obligation to set an example for his teammates. Even though he was not directly involved, the decision he made led to him being in the wrong place at the wrong time and he's now paying the price. I'm disappointed that he had to learn this lesson the hard way."
The Dukes will take on Saint Joseph's (10-3) on Wednesday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center at 7PM. St. Joe's lost to 22nd ranked Harvard on New Year's Eve, 74-69 after having a 10-point lead at the half.
Aly Cohen
The Aly Way
Twitter.com/alyco32


I recently had to troubleshoot an interesting problem which required me to reboot a server into safe mode a number of times. While I was hammering away on the F8 key during the boot phase I wondered if there was a different way to change the boot menu to avoid the key spamming. That's what brought my attention to the bcdedit command and I decided it would be useful to write a post on this as I haven't ever used it before. The server was in a state where the desktop would not load, nor anything but task manager and a command prompt. Attempting to open other tools resulted in 'problems'. As I only had a command line to work with I figured why not find out a new way to set entering safe mode.
The boot configuration data store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is booted. These parameters were previously in the Boot.ini file (in BIOS-based operating systems) or in the nonvolatile RAM entries (in Extensible Firmware Interface-based operating systems). You can use Bcdedit.exe to add, delete, edit, and append entries in the boot configuration data store.
Basically we can edit the boot options to, for example, set the system to boot into safe mode without having to hammer the F8 key and select it. This can be rather handy, especially with physical servers that take a long time to boot and leave you sat on an IMPI console waiting for just the right moment to spam the key. In older versions of Windows (prior to Vista) we would modify the boot.ini file as indicated above. This command line tool was exactly what I needed to modify the boot order to save me having to pres F8 repeatedly during the boot phase.
C:\>bcdedit /? BCDEDIT - Boot Configuration Data Store Editor The v command-line tool modifies the boot configuration data store. The boot configuration data store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is booted. These parameters were previously in the Boot.ini file (in BIOS-based operating systems) or in the nonvolatile RAM entries (in Extensible Firmware Interface-based operating systems). You can use Bcdedit.exe to add, delete, edit, and append entries in the boot configuration data store. For detailed command and option information, type bcdedit.exe /? <command>. For example, to display detailed information about the /createstore command, type: bcdedit.exe /? /createstore For an alphabetical list of topics in this help file, run "bcdedit /? TOPICS". Commands that operate on a store ================================ /createstore Creates a new and empty boot configuration data store. /export Exports the contents of the system store to a file. This file can be used later to restore the state of the system store. /import Restores the state of the system store using a backup file created with the /export command. /sysstore Sets the system store device (only affects EFI systems, does not persist across reboots, and is only used in cases where the system store device is ambiguous). Commands that operate on entries in a store =========================================== /copy Makes copies of entries in the store. /create Creates new entries in the store. /delete Deletes entries from the store. /mirror Creates mirror of entries in the store. Run bcdedit /? ID for information about identifiers used by these commands. Commands that operate on entry options ====================================== /deletevalue Deletes entry options from the store. /set Sets entry option values in the store. Run bcdedit /? TYPES for a list of datatypes used by these commands. Run bcdedit /? FORMATS for a list of valid data formats. Commands that control output ============================ /enum Lists entries in the store. /v Command-line option that displays entry identifiers in full, rather than using names for well-known identifiers. Use /v by itself as a command to display entry identifiers in full for the ACTIVE type. Running "bcdedit" by itself is equivalent to running "bcdedit /enum ACTIVE". Commands that control the boot manager ====================================== /bootsequence Sets the one-time boot sequence for the boot manager. /default Sets the default entry that the boot manager will use. /displayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the multiboot menu. /timeout Sets the boot manager time-out value. /toolsdisplayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the tools menu. Commands that control Emergency Management Services for a boot application ========================================================================== /bootems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services for a boot application. /ems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services for an operating system entry. /emssettings Sets the global Emergency Management Services parameters. Command that control debugging ============================== /bootdebug Enables or disables boot debugging for a boot application. /dbgsettings Sets the global debugger parameters. /debug Enables or disables kernel debugging for an operating system entry. /hypervisorsettings Sets the hypervisor parameters.
The v command-line tool modifies the boot configuration data store.
/mirror Creates mirror of entries in the store.
/hypervisorsettings Sets the hypervisor parameters.
What other tool might I use?