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Software as a Medical Device (SaMD): What It Is & Why It Matters
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are around 1.5 million medical devices globally, across more than 10,000 types. They range from simple medical equipment like stethoscopes to highly complex, expensive devices like MRI machines.
Over the last 40 years, the amount of software used both in and around medical devices has dramatically increased. The last 20 years in particular have seen an acceleration in this trend, thanks to the emergence of the "internet of things" (IoT) and its corresponding parts — smartphones, wireless connectivity, cheaper and better sensors, cloud computing, big data and AI — which are transforming how work gets done across almost every industry.
As these leading-edge technologies continue to cause a seismic shift in how healthcare is administered and delivered, software has become an increasingly prevalent and crucial component of highly sophisticated medical devices.
Medical device software comes in 4 primary subclasses:
Software as a medical device (SaMD), which is standalone software that serves as a medical product in and of itself;
Software in a medical device (SiMD). This is software that's part of a medical product, such as implanted software in medical equipment;
Software as an accessory to a medical device;
General purpose software that is not a medical product by itself.
No matter its type, software is a game-changer in healthcare and is causing disruption to almost every aspect of the sector, including therapeutics, genomics, drug discovery & development, bioinformatics, robotics, point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, and even 3D printing.
SaMD has seen particularly fast growth in recent years. Because there is no hardware involved (or commercial hardware that is constantly evolving), there are fewer constraints to using fast feedback loops for improvement.
SaMD brings new opportunities and new challenges for both device companies and for regulators, and is an area where new regulatory paradigms are being piloted to better enable innovation while ensuring patient safety and clinical effectiveness.
In this introductory article, we explore Software as a Medical Device. We cover its meaning, its benefits, who stands to benefit the most from using it (and why), and more.
What is Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)?
According to the FDA, SaMD is a class of software that is designed to carry out one or more medical functions. This includes software or mobile apps intended to treat, diagnose, cure, mitigate, or prevent disease or other conditions.
SaMD's defining feature is that it performs these medical functions, without a need for actual hardware. It is typically used alongside non-medical computing platforms, which may be connected to virtual networks, traditional medical devices or other general-use hardware.
It's important to remember that SaMD is not software that supports the functioning of medical device hardware (that's SiMD). To determine if your software qualifies as SaMD, ask yourself these two questions:
Question 1: Is my software a medical device? In other words, is there a medical benefit to its use, and is there patient risk if it malfunctions or is used incorrectly?
Question 2: Can my software work independently from another device? While SaMD software can take data from another device, if your software supports the of a medical device, and that medical device does not work without your software, then your software is considered SiMD, not SaMD.
Let's take, for example, a mobile app that acts as a remote control for a device. This is not SaMD. Because it serves as an accessory to the medical device, and is considered part of the medical device, it qualifies as SiMD instead.
Other examples to differentiate between SaMD and SiMD are:
Software that helps radiologists and clinicians find and diagnose a cardiovascular condition by analyzing MRI scans is SaMD. However, the piece of software that turns the MRI magnets is SiMD. Similarly, the software that animates an X-ray control panel is SiMD.
A mobile application that takes input from a blood glucose meter and patient food log to provide insulin dosage recommendations for diabetes is SaMD.
A dedicated piece of software that monitors a mole for a given period of time to assess the risk of melanoma is SaMD.
Software that analyzes a patient's medical history and diagnostics data to determine the correct drug is SaMD.
However, the software which gathers, retrieves or organizes the actual medical data is not SaMD or SiMD. For example, an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is neither SaMD and nor SiMD. (The FDA's approach to the classification and regulation of EHR software – is a topic for a different white paper or blog post.)
Key Characteristics
While it won't be replacing doctors anytime soon, SaMD nevertheless represents an increasingly critical tool to better treat patients. By helping with aspects of care that can be automated using the latest technology, SaMD can help accelerate the discovery, management, and treatment of a variety of medical conditions.
SaMD's defining characteristics include:
Improved health outcomes powered by data: As we'll see shortly, SaMD can amplify the effectiveness of medical devices and existing treatment plans, as it enables easy and fast collection of high-quality data — which leads to better health outcomes.
Faster production and feedback to drive faster innovation: SaMD enhances and builds on existing medical device functionality through software solutions that are faster, and often cheaper, to update than hardware. It also utilizes the latest technologies to integrate and share health data across various platforms, including the cloud, connected medical devices, smartphones, and more.
Because SaMD can collect large amounts of data quickly, it can also easily solicit user feedback through its availability on, for example, mobile devices. For companies using or developing SaMD, this fast feedback loop can enable quicker product iterations, shorten time to market, and drive faster innovation.
SaMD in Action
But what can Software as a Medical Device actually do?
Before we dive deeper, it's important to remember that SaMD is a category of software, not an actual "thing." When we speak of SaMD, we're referring to the group of medical device software products that meet SaMD functionality requirements.
SaMD products "piggyback" on top of other connected technologies, while leveraging their benefits.
These technologies can include smaller, cheaper, more sophisticated sensors; connectivity such as LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth that make it easier, faster, and more reliable to access the internet or call someone; increasingly powerful mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets which act as a supercomputer in the palm of one's hand; and cloud services that enable distributed processing and data storage without the need for physical storage space at one's home or business.
The more data you can collect — from devices, from sensors, from smartphones, from user feedback or activity, from external conditions (including weather, pollution data, and information on events from other people based on their location, such as asthma attacks) — the more this data can be applied towards sophisticated algorithms that help deliver better care.
What's more, SaMD not only collects critical data, it can get that data anywhere, combine it with other data, analyze it, and then use that data, either automatically, or by presenting it to users to take action.
This data mobility enables SaMD to deliver more precise treatment options, especially when combined with cutting-edge technologies like AI and powerful big data tools, to glean unique clinical insights.
State-of-the-art SaMD platforms can enhance the delivery and administration of care, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes.
This includes applications across:
1) Screening and diagnosis: By leveraging complex algorithms, software programs can accurately predict the risk of chronic disease and aid in treatment decisions.
Patient benefit:
SaMD can help deliver personalized treatment plans, as well as reduce the time from diagnosis to treatment for patients with more complex diseases.
Lung cancer, for example, is extremely hard to detect, and most lung cancers are at an advanced stage when they are discovered. SaMD devices can use smart algorithms capable of detecting anomalies that would otherwise go unnoticed such as blood vessel problems or pleural disorders, thus increasing the survival rates among these patients.
Provider/ clinician benefit:
By tapping into insights from SaMD, clinicians can gain a more holistic picture of a patient's medical condition, history and real-time status, allowing them to make better, more precise diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Similar to an MRI scanner, Genetesis' biomagnetic imaging device, can evaluate the electromagnetic activity in the body at a deeper level. Its SaMD leverages the power of machine learning to extract a plethora of features from collected data. This allows radiologists to discover anomalies missed by other diagnostics tools like an electrocardiogram.
2) Monitoring and alerting: SaMD systems can be designed to use wearable sensors to collect multiple vital signs which can then be tracked using software. The software monitors and uses this data to enable targeted recommendations & alerts for both patients and clinicians.
SaMD can help patients better monitor their condition by identifying triggers and providing real-time recommendations on everything from drug dosages to physical activity to environmental conditions. It can also help improve overall patient adherence to treatment, and as a result, clinical outcomes.
SaMD systems allow for ambulatory patient monitoring. They can collect and process data from wearable sensors
and detect subtle deviations that might flag important health issues. Using this information, physicians can refine their treatment decisions.
Propeller Health, a digital therapeutics company, works to treat respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD) using hardware and software-enabled by Bluetooth technology.
The company's small sensors easily attach to a patient's inhaler to track triggers and symptoms. The inhaler, which is wired with a Bluetooth transmitter, "talks" to the patient's smartphone and can send personalized feedback, updates and data to both patients and physicians. Doctors can view this data and see, not only how frequently the patient suffers attacks, but also tease apart the environmental factors that caused the distress.
3) Chronic condition and disease management: SaMD allows both patients and clinicians to track and interpret health data, and adjust treatment plans to be more effective.
Connected care systems promote greater patient ownership of treatment decisions. Thanks to SaMD, patients can monitor their health activity or status in real time and seek medical help if needed.
SaMD tools assist physicians in designing personalized treatment plans for patients with chronic diseases based on data collected by the software, such as blood glucose or cardiac enzyme levels.
Eli Lilly's Go Dose is a diabetes management mobile app for users of Humalog, an insulin developed by the company. It can be used in the home and in a clinical environment to "aid in the review, analysis, and evaluation of historical blood glucose test values to support type 2 diabetes mellitus management." Among its features, it provides dosage recommendations for meals based on a patient's blood glucose levels, to help patients and physicians better manage their disease.
4) Digital therapeutics
SaMD also plays a vital role in the treatment or mitigation of critical illnesses thanks to its ability to generate — and feed — highly-relevant clinical data into "other medical devices, medicinal products, general purpose actuators or other means of providing therapy to a human body."
SaMD is often used as an aid in the treatment of chronic conditions or diseases. Take sleep apnea, for instance. According to the IMDRF, SaMD can "use the microphone of a smart device to detect interrupted breathing during sleep and sounds a tone to rouse the sleeper" to prevent potentially serious effects.
SaMD can also enable clinicians to provide cutting-edge treatment to patients with complex diseases such as cancer. For example, SaMD can act as an aid in a radiation treatment planning system by gathering data from a patient and "providing specific parameters that are tailored for a particular tumor and patient" to clinicians using a radiation medical device as part of treatment.
Pear Therapeutics develops software-based therapies for patients suffering from severe psychiatric and neurologic conditions.
Rather than swallowing a pill or taking an injection, patients with substance disorders are treated with software. The company's lead product, reSET, delivers cognitive behavioral therapy to help patients abstain from using alcohol or drugs during treatment.
What's more, reSET comes with a dashboard, where clinicians can look at their patients' substance use, cravings, triggers, or drug screen results to provide more effective treatment options.
SaMD: An Evolution in Regulatory Oversight
The increasing importance of software, the increasing complexity of systems, and the increasing speed of innovation are not unique to SaMD — it is part of a larger trend: more software, more connectivity, more interdependence, and more data are shaping many medical device areas.
Nearly a decade ago, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recognized that their old paradigm of evaluating medical products wouldn't suffice in a market of increasingly fast-paced innovation. Since then, they've been working to create a regulatory framework for medical devices and medical device software that prioritizes both patient safety and healthcare innovation.
We'll explore the FDA's initiatives in greater detail in an upcoming article. For now, important steps taken by the FDA include:
2011's Case for Quality program, where the FDA began working with healthcare stakeholders to "identify device manufacturers that consistently produced high-quality devices " in order to promote device manufacturing best practices.
2017's Software Precertification Program, which expands on the Case for Quality program and applies it to medical device software, including SaMD, while emphasizing patient safety and innovation.
The Digital Health Innovation Action Plan(2017), which aims to improve the federal agency's digital health review process to provide timely access to safe and effective medical technologies.
The alignment of U.S. medical device regulations from FDA 21 CFR Part 820 to ISO 13485:2016, a standard recognized by much of the rest of the world in the medical device market, and which emphasizes the FDA's focus on risk management (2018).
2018's reorganization of the FDA's pre-market and post-market review process to address total product life cycle (TPLC) and "help facilitate information sharing to allow for more informed decisions, ensure process and policy consistency, and provide more straightforward and streamlined interactions."
The FDA Software Precertification Program: A closer look
Due to the tremendous potential of software (and in particular, SaMD) to increase both the quality and effectiveness of care, as well as the growth of general computing platforms and connectivity, the FDA developed its Software Precertification Program.
The program helps address the following:
How to apply the faster, more iterative design method used in software development towards SaMD;
How to capture health data both inside and outside a hospital setting to enable problems to be addressed quicker;
How to improve product performance on a much faster timescale;
The creation of an agile regulatory model that supports the faster innovation rate of software-based products, while still ensuring high standards of safety and efficacy.
The Precertification Program, which is meant to serve as a test for eventual large scale adoption, has several important benefits, including:
The expansion of the FDA's Digital Health Unit;
Greater clarity on the scope of oversight and approach to digital technology;
The development of a more efficient, risk-based regulatory framework for overseeing digital health technologies;
More post-market collection of real-world data;
Enables faster patient access to technologies.
The Precertification (Pre-Cert) Pilot Program
In 2017, the FDA selected nine companies to participate in its Pre-Cert Pilot Program.
The chosen companies include some of the biggest players in tech (Apple, Google, Samsung and FitBit); traditional large, multiline medical device firms (Johnson & Johnson); digital therapeutic companies (Pear Therapeutics), and not-for-profit startups such as Tidepool, which develops free software for the diabetes community, among others.
The FDA bases the criteria for their pre-cert approval on five excellence principles, which are essential for success not only in the medical space, but beyond. Because the same dynamics apply for Software in a Medical Device (SiMD) as they do for SaMD, companies in healthcare and related industries should generally be familiar with the pre-cert standards, as this working model provides a good roadmap for competing in the market.
What the Industry is Saying
The FDA's move to regulate medical software has been enthusiastically received by digital health software developers and providers, and the pre-cert working model was a hot topic at the recent Digital Health & Medtech showcase in San Francisco.
Dave Amor, Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Pear Therapeutics voiced support for the collaborative nature of the agency's pre-cert pilot program.
While the panelists commended the FDA for its collaborative regulatory approach, they also pointed out stumbling blocks that the regulatory framework might face.
Perhaps the most apparent challenge, according to the panelists, is the potential gap between the FDA employees actually doing the reviews of SaMD requests and the long-term strategy of the agency. It was suggested that employees undergo rigorous training and education to ensure smooth implementation of the regulations.
Bottom line: The FDA recognizes the need to adapt to a changing technological landscape. Through its Software Precertification Program, the shift towards a TPLC focus and more, the FDA has begun laying the groundwork to promote faster innovation, without losing its stringent focus on patient safety.
The Fundamental Challenges of SaMD
As described earlier, two of SaMD's defining characters are 1) its ability to improve health outcomes using data; and 2) using fast feedback loops to drive faster product iteration and ultimately, faster innovation.
While this will undoubtedly move the industry forward, it underlies the fundamental challenge many builders of SaMD face: How do you integrate modern product development methodology that is designed for a fast-changing, ever-evolving "internet of everything" world with patient safety, clinical efficacy and regulatory compliance?
Companies that can do this successfully will reap the rewards; those that cannot will be left behind.
Developers of SaMD should be asking themselves how they can get faster, cheaper feedback loops while also ensuring patient safety and product innovation.
This is challenging but doable.
We'll explore best practices that can be applied to SaMD in greater detail in upcoming articles and eBook.
Rigorous agile development methodologies with integrated verification, test automation, better real-world data collection, lean UX and human factors, agile risk management, and documentation automation are all techniques that can be integrated as part of a total product lifecycle (TPLC) approach.
There are other areas in the early stages of being addressed that will enable faster feedback, including:
Risk-based software segregation to determine where you can iterate freely and where you need Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight;
Continuous IRBs for faster feedback on higher risk areas;
Faster, more frequent formative human factors, both during development and in-market, coupled with real-world performance analytics;
Faster, cheaper, and more effective clinical validation.
The good news, as we have seen, is that the FDA is open to these things, and even encouraging them. The Pre-cert Program, the Case for Quality and an increased focus on total product lifecycle all demonstrate this.
Remember, for the FDA, the fundamental challenge they face is how to ensure patient safety and clinical effectiveness WHILE enabling faster innovation.
The Proposed Organizational Elements to Demonstrate Excellence Principles and the Real-World Performance Analytics for Product Monitoring in the Working Model for Software Precertification are an excellent guide for developers to work against; ask yourself how you might address them.
It's also important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" approach. Some approaches may be better suited to nimble startups, while others are better suited to global MedTech giants.
For larger companies, starting with pilot programs to implement best practices, as well as fast feedback loops throughout the product life cycle, may be the best approach. In some cases, this may involve changes to your quality management system (QMS). If you already have a loose coupling within your QMS (leaving methodology decisions at the product level), you are likely in a better shape to get started.
If you're a company operating in a medical space that may cross over into areas regulated by the FDA, but are intentionally staying outside of regulated medical devices, you should pay careful attention.
While there are pros and cons to such a strategy, some of your competitors will pursue getting FDA clearance for their medical device.
They will be able to make medical claims that you cannot and use this to their advantage to market to the healthcare ecosystem in a way that you won't be able to. They will also get reimbursement much more easily, and be highly valued by the market (including any potential acquirers).
As a result, many companies are taking a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach: trying to get over the FDA clearance threshold but with as minimal effort as possible.
Medical Device Companies with no SaMD
If you develop SiMD (software in a medical device), but not SaMD, all of the same pressures and dynamics of the internet of everything apply: more connectivity, more software, more change, more complex systems. Not just for you, but for the FDA as well.
The reason the Precertification Pilot Program is for SaMD only is to simply get it off the ground — not to limit its learnings and approach.
As you can see from the other related activities ( the transition to ISO 13485:2016, OPEQ, Case for Quality), the expectation is that these learnings and improvements, along with a different regulatory paradigm, will move through the system.
If you're not building skills and processes around this, you will have a hard time adapting. Moreover, you may well end up with SaMD companion software to your devices, either developed by you or by someone else.
And companies that traditionally operate without software (say pharmaceutical companies, or "dumb" device makers of hip or shoulder implants), are not immune to the increase in value that software creates, either.
Why? Because as soon as you put a sensor on these devices, they become a "smart" device (for an example of this, see the FDA's workshop on Orthopaedic Sensing, Measuring, and Advanced Reporting Technology (SMART) Devices .
If you're a pharmaceutical company, the same pressures to demonstrate real-world performance, to improve adherence, and to have precision therapies will eventually affect you, just as they are currently affecting medical device companies.
That will eventually mean being judged and compensated based on real-world performance of your therapies, rather than on purely clinical trial outcomes. At the same time, there is the growing area of SaMD called digital therapeutics — digitally administered therapies that are FDA cleared — with outcomes in clinical trials that are as good as or better than drugs treating the same conditions.
Some of these digital therapeutics can also work in combination with drugs to provide even better outcomes than the individual drug or digital therapeutic; and because they are also designed to collect data while interacting with the patient, they will make it much easier and cost-effective to monitor performance and influence adherence.
The "internet of everything" will continue to expand and have a greater effect on all areas of society, including the medical device industry. While Software as a Medical Device is the niche where this is evolving fastest, the effect is accelerating across connected devices and starting to impact areas like pharma as well.
The FDA recognizes the great innovation potential of software, as well as the regulatory challenges, and through its various initiatives, is beginning to address this.
The future of software-based medical devices is exciting for not only patients and clinicians, but society at large. As we look ahead, some of the technology that brings the most value (in healthcare and other industries) will not necessarily be new devices, but the companion software that assembles critical data, analyzes it, and then shares it with relevant parties.
Both Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) and Software in a Medical Device (SiMD), are exactly this type of value-driving innovation.
And while not all companies will decide to develop SaMD, it's in everyone's best interest to understand its best practices in order to create better and safer products.
Ultimately, companies face a choice. They can ignore the effects of the "internet of everything" and get disrupted, acquire companies with who already have this expertise, or engage with and build this capacity internally by working with experts in the area.
Whatever your choice, the time to act is now.
Orthogonal integrates modern agile product development best practices with patient safety and regulatory compliance to build SaMD and connected medical device systems. If you need help building your next SaMD, or to learn more, contact us or call us at (312) 372-1058.
White Paper: COVID-19 and The Great Acceleration of Digital Health
White Paper: Smartphone Market Analysis for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) Developers
EBook: Agile in an FDA Regulated Environment
White Paper: FDA Software Precertification (Pre-cert): A Working Guide for Medical Device Companies
White Paper: Software as a Medical Device (SaMD): What It Is & Why It Matters
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COVID-19 and "The Great Acceleration of Digital Health"
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FDA Software Precertification: A Working Guide for Medical Device Companies
Orthogonal is the leading developer of mobile and cloud applications for medical device and diagnostic companies, with expertise in firmware, mobile apps, AI algorithms and cloud services.
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Walking the Line V
One Journey Ends
Roads to the future: Iraqis gain freedom to choose their course
Six months of patience paid off, when I finally had the opportunity to ride along with Command Sergeant Major Mellinger as he traveled across Iraq on his continuous mission to assess conditions of the troops. For three weeks, as we traveled in Iraq, Kuwait and on the North Arabian Gulf, he diligently captured the most comprehensive firsthand picture of what is happening here.
Reading like a travelogue from "30 Days Around the World" tours, our itinerary began as we drove from Mosul in northern Iraq down through Baghdad, down further to Kuwait and from there we flew out to a Navy ship in the North Arabian Gulf, returning to Kuwait and finally driving back to Baghdad. Once there, we visited places in the region and then headed back down to Kalsu and surrounds.
At every stop, CSM Mellinger met with a diverse range of people, from top generals and political leaders to fresh troops standing long, hot, dusty days and nights on guard towers at seemingly forgotten outposts. He never failed to warn, over and over, about various dangers, such as the increasing sniper threat that is killing more and more of our troops. In fact, we had just been in the hospital when an American soldier named Arnold Duplantier was brought in, fatally wounded by a sniper's bullet that struck his heart.
Following a visit with Marines at Fallujah, we drove out to spend time with some Special Forces in Diyala Province near Iran. On the way to Balad, we came to an area where American forces had just cleared an IED, but left a traffic jam. CSM Mellinger and some of the soldiers dismounted and began to pick their way through. Ordinarily, I'd step out, but this time, the threat seemed very high, so I stayed in the Humvee. In the event of follow on attacks or blasts, it would be useless to have everyone flopping around on the road. Here in this desert combat zone, wisdom rations both water and sense.
Traffic jam caused by IED
American soldiers telling us about IED ahead
At Balad, meeting with the top Command Sergeant Major for Special Operations forces in Iraq, I glanced up and saw a photo of Richard Ferguson on the conference room wall. Fergy, an old friend, had died in Samara, and now his photo is on the wall next to photos of eight other Special Forces soldiers who died in Iraq. I had attended Fergy's final roll call in Colorado. Long before the war had started, many of the Special Forces soldiers stationed there told me of their certainty that Iraq would devolve into civil war after the invasion. Searching my memory now, I can't recall a single Special Forces soldier who predicted otherwise; history has proven they were correct.
The Special Forces soldiers at Balad talked frankly about the pace of progress and challenges they face with training the new Iraqi forces. They recounted that many Iraqi soldiers and police officers are apparently losing much of their salaries to corrupt superiors who skim the payroll, leaving the soldiers and police to steal from civilians. This can be attributed to culture and custom and it's bound to disturb many people in the west. But the Special Forces soldiers take it in stride. I've learned to gauge the relative corruption of places by the cleanliness of their drinking and bathing water. The water is not clean here. The water is scarce yet free, and since it's free, people waste it. In the human world, there are but small islands of relative-justice. There's no place like home, no place like home, no place like home.
Iraq's future will soon be in their own hands. Iraqis can then display for the world if Iraqis are truly smart, and truly civilized, or just thugs with oil, and money to buy giant weapons. Meanwhile, rivers of oil and water are wasted by Iraqi hands.
Before parting company with CSM Mellinger, we attended a memorial on LSA Anaconda for Specialist Ryan Montgomery from Kentucky. Ryan and his twin brother Bryan had both joined the Kentucky National Guard and were twenty-two years old. They were serving in Iraq when Ryan was killed by a bomb. During the ceremony, soldiers referenced the attacks in London as an important reason to stay here in Iraq, and to see the job finished. I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears when soldiers from Kentucky said they needed to be here to prevent attacks in places such as London, or at the Kentucky Derby, or in Germany.
My most informative period in Iraq ended when I finally said goodbye to CSM Mellinger. He departed for Baghdad, and I stayed in Balad. I got a seat on an Air Force C-130 that was headed for Mosul. The airplane was filled with sixty tires, the kind that are constantly being blown off the Stryker vehicles. When we landed in Mosul, the war was still here, waiting.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Group        | Version     | Kind
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Core | unversioned | ServerAddressByClientCIDR

> Example yaml coming soon...

ServerAddressByClientCIDR helps the client to determine the server address that they should use, depending on the clientCIDR that they match.

Appears In  APIGroup  APIVersions

Field        | Description
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clientCIDR
 *string* | The CIDR with which clients can match their IP to figure out the server address that they should use.
serverAddress
 *string* | Address of this server, suitable for a client that matches the above CIDR. This can be a hostname, hostname:port, IP or IP:port.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Ross DeVol
Heartland Forward
Ross DeVol is President and CEO, Heartland Forward. Heartland Forward's goal is to promote regional innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems that foster job creation, wage gains and economic growth for the American Heartland. Heartland Forward pursues its mission through independent, data-driven research, action-oriented convenings, such as the Heartland Summit, and impactful policy recommendations. Heartland Forward works with universities, colleges, the business community, private equity, public policy leaders and philanthropy to analyze resources supporting the startup community and identify workforce and talent gaps. DeVol is former chief research officer for the Milken Institute where he spent nearly 20 years, an economic think tank headquartered in California. He oversaw research on international, national and comparative regional growth performance; access to capital and its role in economic growth and job creation; and health-related topics. He has been ranked among the "Superstars of Think Tank Scholars" by International Economy magazine.


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Samba 3: Linux File Serving for the Active Directory Generation
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Open source file/print services suite Samba 3 beta 3 is generating interest as the clock ticks away for NT 4 and as IT departments continue to scrutinize every line in their budgets. Discover what the network manager needs to know before making the jump to Samba.
Do you want cheap Windows file/print services for your network? If your answer is a resounding "Yes!" your best way to this goal is to use the Samba file/print server on Linux.
Samba 2.x is faster than Windows NT or W2K Server, a lot cheaper, and, in its most recent versions, can be used in a NT Domain style network not only as a simple domain server or a Backup Domain Server (BDC) but also as a Primary Domain controller (PDC). The key word here, though, is "Domain," and with Microsoft planning to retire out Windows NT 4 server and its Domain-based networking on December 31, 2004, it's high time for NT and Samba Domain administrators to think about switching over to Active Directory (AD).
For NT mangers, Microsoft finally has a decent upgrade path built from Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory Migration Tool 2.0. And now, thanks to the arrival in beta release of the feature-complete Samba 3, Samba administrators do as well.
Don't get me wrong — it's not ready for prime time yet, but with this beta, Samba shows that if the day ever comes that NT domains are antiquated, Samba will be ready to contribute, fast, inexpensive AD-compatible servers.
But Why Bother with AD?
Or you could just choose to do what John Terpstra of the Samba Team suggested at the SambaXP Conference in Germany last April — migrate to a Samba 3-only solution for your Windows style file/print requirements and abandon both the NT Domain and W2K/Server 2003 AD paths.
Why would you want to do make such a radical move? The biggest reason is — to be frank — cost. By going it alone with Samba 3 for your file/print needs, you avoid the initial costs of buying Microsoft server operating systems and the continuing costs of Microsoft's Licensing 6.
It also frees you from being stuck with Microsoft's upgrade plans even when you don't want to upgrade. Since Samba is open source, you can never be cut completely off from support, as will be the case with NT users come 2005.
If you were to make this move, you could choose just how far to remove your network from Domains or AD. For example, under Samba 3, you can still use Winbind to connect with NT or 200x servers for authentication, or you could run authentication using a combination of smbpasswd, the Samba password program, and a MySQL-based DBMS.
Tempting as this path may be for administrators who love open source, using an exclusively Samba 3 approach really requires administrators and programmers who also understand open source extremely well. Although Samba as a file/print server is very mature, Samba as a drop-in file/print/user/group/administration package is relatively new.
Page 2: Continued...
Still, with this beta, Samba does have migration support for moving from NT 4 domains to a pure Samba 3 network. It's not as smooth as Active Directory Migration Tool 2, but on the other hand, it's a lot easier than moving from NT 4 to AD under Windows 2000 ever was. Of course, considering how difficult that was, this isn't saying much!
If you and your IT cohort already know Samba well, understand network management theory as well as its practice, and like to write Perl scripts in your spare time, go for it. If, however, this doesn't sound like you, the high cost of picking up that expertise will probably overshadow Samba's low cost in the short run. In the future, Samba 3-exclusive networks might work for any company, but for now, I think your best deal will be to use Samba 3 in conjunction with either your existing Domain network or an AD network.
Samba 3 and AD
Fortunately, with this beta, Samba 3 has AD support. To be more precise, you can now join your Samba 3 server to an ADS tree as a member server without requiring that AD be running in mixed mode. Instead, AD can be running in native mode. You cannot, however, run it in Server 2003 mode, a superset of native mode which requires that all servers are running the Server 2003 operating system.
For authentication purposes, you'll also need to set your AD server to support LDAP and Kerberos, which is a common enough setting. With W2K Server, LDAP interoperability with Linux LDAP Servers, typically OpenLDAP, can sometimes be troublesome. With Server 2003, however, you should have far less trouble.
On the Samba side, you'll need to pay close attention to the HOWTO file to make sure that your Kerberos processes know how to talk to AD's Kerberos server. Once they're talking, you'll need to manually enter the Samba 3 Server into AD. With that done, you'll want to add file shares and printers using Samba's — typically with the SWAT Web interface, but you can do it via the Unix command line as well. These resources should then appear in AD management consoles and to Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 clients.
What about 95, 98, or ME? Unfortunately, these operating system require the NT/LAN Manager (NTLM) challenge/response authentication protocol and AD's native mode doesn't support that. Instead, it relies entirely on Kerberos for user authentication. So to make a long story short, if you still have those operating systems on your clients, you don't want to upgrade to AD or Samba 3 using AD native mode. For better or worse, you still must use either a mixed mode or a pure domain system.
If you're determined to combine W2K Server AD with Samba 3, you might be better off exploring the use of MKS AD4Unix. AD4Unix is a plug-in for AD Server that enables Unix-related authentication and user information to be stored in AD and managed via the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
This approach, however, is recommended only for those who know both AD and Unix administration extremely well. If you need to manage both Unix and Windows clients all the time and want one interface, this is an approach you should explore. In a typical office, though, where the goal is to simply provide cheap file and printing services via Samba to Windows users, it would be overkill.
Once you have Samba 3 and AD in place, what can you expect? Well, while your overall network resources won't be as easy to manage as they would be under Server 2003 mode, you'll still have the advantage of lower prices for your available system resources.
Samba 3, in my informal testing, dishes out files faster than W2K Server in this environment, But it's slower than Server 2003 in delivering files. Still, for software that's still in beta, running in a new mode, its performance is quite impressive, and I look forward to seeing how the official release fares on the file playing field.
Is it ready for production use? No, it's not. Is it ready for you to start testing for production? Yes, it is. And if your company needs to add file server capacity, while keeping a close eye on the budget, it's well past the time for you to start testing Samba 3. It's that good now and its promise for tomorrow is looking even better.
This feature originally appeared on Enterprise IT Planet.
Back to Enterprise Storage Forum
This article was originally published on Thursday Aug 28th 2003


Are testimonials a great way to help you get people to believe in your business or program or, are they just so much fluff? Are they worth the bother?
I get asked that question all the time. And every time I am asked, I say the same thing: maybe.
If you have low-quality products, terrible customer service, irregular hours and fly-by-night dependability, testimonials are probably not a good choice. If you are anyone else, however, you should be collecting testimonials and making them work for you.
John Patterson, known to many as the father of professional selling, once said that advertising brings awareness but testimonial advertising brings customers. In his Little Red Book of Selling, Jeffrey Gitomer called testimonials "the single most powerful method of making a sale." Nothing has more credibility than a third-party endorsement.
So, how do you get them? First, you have to earn them. Work hard to provide the value your customers, members or stakeholders are expecting. Then, simply ask for them to write something nice, something from the heart. If people are happy, they will be pleased to do it.
Next question: As long as they are saying something nice, is there such a thing as a bad testimonial? Well, maybe not bad, but they can be underwhelming, even boring. "I've bought this company's products several times. They provide good service and are very dependable.".
Even better, ask them what they liked about your services and then offer to write it for them. They get to sign off on it, of course. This way, there is almost no work for them to do—it's almost impossible to say no to the request.
Then, once you have them, use them. Everywhere. They should be in your proposals, on your website, in your marketing collateral—anywhere other potential clients might see them. After all, they may be among your best salespeople. Allow them to get to work.


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Bages is een comarca van de Spaanse autonome regio Catalonië. Het is onderdeel van de provincie Barcelona. In 2005 telde Bages 169.114 inwoners op een oppervlakte van 1295,08 km². De hoofdstad van de comarca is Manresa.

Gemeenten

Comarca van Catalonië
Barcelona (provincie)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


U.S. Senate leadership delays vote on GOP healthcare plan; Garden State advocates vow to use time to keep battling proposed legislation.
The U.S. Senate now appears unlikely to vote on the Republican healthcare reform plan this week, but opponents pledged not to slack their fight against a bill they said would cost New Jersey nearly $22 billion in federal funding over a decade — and some $60 billion during the next 20 years.
A new analysis of the proposal, introduced late last week, suggested that loss would force the Garden State to spend more than $6.2 billion by 2026 just to maintain some of the insurance gains seen in Medicaid in recent years. A more likely scenario is that 520,000 state residents will lose insurance, most of whom were enrolled recently, according to the report released Tuesday by New Jersey Policy Perspective.
"On balance, the Senate bill is definitely worse than the House bill" that passed along party lines in May, said Ray Castro, the healthcare expert with NJPP, a progressive policy analyst. "Not only for the magnitude of the cuts, but for how quickly they occur," he said.
NJPP was joined by U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ) who have strongly opposed the measure, and who vowed to use the extra time to continue their battle against the Republican proposal. Their press conference came just hours after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced that he would not schedule a vote on the bill before Thursday, as originally planned; numerous media outlets reported that several GOP members had declined to support the bill, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017.
Republicans in Congress, cheered on by President Donald Trump, have sought to drastically reduce public spending and overhaul how the federal government pays for healthcare, while encouraging greater market competition in an effort to curb escalating costs. Their proposals would also eliminate controversial elements of the 2010 Affordable Care Act like the financial penalty for Americans who don't purchase health insurance and the taxes imposed on high earners, insurance companies, and medical device sales.
But a growing number of opponents, including most healthcare providers and advocates, have said these changes come at too high a cost under the GOP proposals. In early May, six weeks after a failed attempt to pass its own version, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the American Health Care Act. At the time, NJPPP warned that the AHCA would cut the Garden State's Medicaid funding by 20 percent — the largest percentage reduction in the nation — and lead to nearly half a million residents losing coverage.
NJPP's Castro predicted that the Senate proposal would be even more destructive to New Jersey's healthcare system; unlike the House plan, which protected federal spending for those now covered under Obamacare's Medicaid expansion — including more than 500,000 Garden State residents — the Senate version would start to reduce the ratio of federal dollars for this group within four years. By 2026, covering the difference would cost the state $4 billion annually, he warned.
As a result, Castro predicted nearly seven in 10 Medicaid expansion members in New Jersey would lose coverage. Federal subsidies provided under Obamacare to help people cover premium costs would also be eliminated, ending insurance for some 133,000 state residents who now purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace, he suggested. Another 28,000 people would likely lose coverage when their employers decide not to pay for it anymore, he said, since the GOP plan would no longer require companies to do so.
"If you are middle age and middleclass, you should expect virtually no help with insurance under their plan," warned Menendez, noting that the GOP proposal would permit states to let insurance companies charge more to cover older, sicker patients. "This legislation goes far beyond taking away Medicaid," he added.
Any spike in the number of people without insurance will also cost Garden State hospitals, which are required to provide care regardless of a patient's ability to pay — and this also impacts taxpayers. As insurance coverage expanded under Obamacare, New Jersey saved $400 million since 2015 in charity care costs, which are offset by state dollars.
In addition, while both the House and Senate versions would shift from a system that pays a fixed amount of all Medicaid costs to one in which states are allotted an annual amount, based on the number of people covered, the Senate version doesn't provide for enough annual growth in coming years, Castro predicted. The new calculations, which take effect in 2025, would impact all Medicaid members and would therefore have an outsized impact on care for seniors in nursing homes and disabled residents, he warned, since those services account for nearly two-thirds of the state's spending.


Click on play button to listen high quality(320 Kbps) mp3 of "Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert - Bad and Boujee (Lyrics)". This audio song duration is 5:34 minutes. This song is sing by Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert. You can download Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert - Bad and Boujee (Lyrics) high quality audio by clicking on "Download Mp3" button.


Shenyang Sharjh Bearing Co., Ltd. is a professional bearing manufacturer. We are engaged in producing high quality bearings. We can supply various kinds of bearings according to customers' requirements. Our products enjoy great popularity in the worldwide markets Asia, Europe and USA and so on.
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Sand bunker shots seem impossible for those who are beginners in the game of golf. Unfortunately, you can't really avoid them because all the golf courses have at least one sand trap. Therefore, you will have to master the sand bunker shot if you plan on improving your game. If you want to learn how to hit a sand bunker shot, read the following lines.
First off, you must make sure that you're using the right golf club when trying to hit a sand bunker shot. If there isn't a lot of green to work with, you should go with a high-lofted wedge because it will stop the ball from rolling out too much. A great golf club to use in this case would be a 60-degree lob wedge. If there is some green to work with, go with a lower lofted wedge to promote a slightly longer ball flight. For example, you could use a 56-degree sand wedge or a 52-degree gap wedge.
The key to a perfect sand bunker shot is the right set up. First, you must twist your feet into the sand. This will give you a good base for the shot, and you will have a better perspective on how deep the sand is around your shot as well. Also, play the ball off your front foot. Next, open your stance and the clubface to promote a higher and softer ball flight. This allows a better angle for the clubface to slide under the ball as well. Last but not least, put your weight on your front foot to create a splash of sand and backspin characteristic for a good sand bunker shot.
After taking the right set up, it's time to get to the swing. When you swing, you have to create an outside-in swing path with a small wrist hinge at the top. Decide how far back the swing path must be depending on how far you want the ball to fly. You must practice your swing until it feels natural in order to be able to judge the yardages correctly.
To hit the sand bunker shot perfectly, you must follow through and stay down longer. In a greenside sand bunker, you need a steep swing and a high follow through to splash the ball out. Also, don't avoid taking a slightly bigger swing.


Locally owned home care agency. 2 hour minimum up to 24 hours. We have caregivers trained to care for those with Dementia. Daily rate $360.00 for live in and overnight care.
Great group of caregivers and nurses are what makes us successful! We take pride in communicating all of the details to the client and their children.


On loan to EYMS as a demo between 22 June and the 3 July 2009.
Picture (front end outside Ladbrookes)) courtesy of Luke McAllistair. Picture (rear end) courtesy of Dan Dearing. Picture (at Priory Park) courtesy of William Massey.


Application launchers play an integral part in making the Linux desktop a more productive environment to work and play. They represent small utilities which offers the desktop user a convenient access point for application software and can make a real boost to users??? efficiency.


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2019 Emmy Awards Odds Competition/Variety Series
by James Murphy in Entertainment on Jul 20, 2019 10:13pm
The 71st Emmy Awards ceremony will be held on September 22, 2019 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Hosts for the 2019 Emmy Awards have not been announced.
The 2019 Emmy Awards will air live on Fox TV.
With the possible exception of the 'TV Movie' category there's nowhere on the Emmy Awards ballot that has been impacted more than the digital revolution than the Variety Show. At one point it dominated the television landscape. You can make a compelling case that the first 'big' TV show was the Texaco Star Theatre which began on television in 1948 and made Milton Berle one of the first true superstars in the new media. Speaking of 'making superstars', The Ed Sullivan Show made so many of them it's easy to lose count but none as iconic as The Beatles and a Mississippi born truck driver named Elvis Presley.
The Variety Show would continue to flourish in the 60's and 70's. One of the biggest was The Dean Martin Show featuring the considerable talents and charisma of it's namesake. Martin would sing, cavort with his troop of comely women called 'The Golddiggers' and cut up with guests like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. He would also show off his legendary comedic timing that was able to make even the biggest stiff look (almost) as funny as former partner Jerry Lewis. As the story goes, Dino didn't really want to do a variety show when first approached concerned that it would cut into his lucrative movie and nightclub work. Rather than simply turn down the offer from NBC he made what he considered an absurd list of demands. He asked for a salary that he considered outlandish and terms that he thought would be obvious dealbreakers–such as not having to rehearse and only having to show up for the actual taping on the show. As Martin told his family at the time: "They went for it. So now I have to do it." It worked out very well for Dino–at the time of his death he was the largest individual holder of stock in General Electric, NBC's parent company at the time.
By the 1980's, the traditional variety show was on it's last legs. As a result, the Emmy Awards have been constantly re-engineering the variety related categories which now offers the 'Variety Talk' and 'Variety Sketch' nominees. Although these are the only remaining relevant subsets of the variety category they'd arguably be a better fit in the Comedy section. Or maybe come up with a new heading for this type of programming–after all, they gave Reality TV it's own set of awards. Given the minimal relevance of categories such as 'Outstanding Variety Special (Live)' we'll limit the odds markets here to only a few categories. Here are the official SPORTSINSIDER.COM Emmy Awards odds for the Variety/Competition categories:
71ST PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS 2019 BETTING ODDS
OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM
RuPaul's Drag Race                                    +200
The Amazing Race                                      +300
Top Chef                                              +300
The Voice                                             +500
American Ninja Warrior                                +700
Nailed It                                             +700
OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR COMPETITION PROGRAM
RuPaul/RuPaul's Drag Race                             -175
Ellen DeGereres/Ellen's Game of Games                 +300
Amy Poehler & Nick Offerman/Making It                 +700
Marie Kondo/Tidying Up With Marie Kondo               +700
James Corden/The World's Best                         +700
OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES
Late Show with Stephen Colbert                        +225
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee                        +350
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver                    +350
Daily Show with Trevor Noah                           +500
Late Late Show with James Corden                      +500
Jimmy Kimmel Live                                     +500
OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Saturday Night Live                                   +135
At Home With Amy Sedaris                              +250
Drunk History                                         +500
Who Is America                                        +700
Documentary Now                                       +700
I Love You America                                    +700
2019 Emmy Awards Odds Limited Series/TV Movie
Entertainment Jul 18, 2019 by James Murphy
45th Saturn Awards 2019 Film Category Betting Odds
N/A N/A o228 -110
N/A N/A u228 -110


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Events - Conventions >
Bullet To The Heart
New Age Americans
Rock Hard w/ Evan J. Thomas
E2B2 Podcast
The Bad Ass Podcast: w/ Evan J. Thomas
STFU and Listen Podcast
Idiots Of Genius
The Underground Sessions
From The Mind of Evan J. Thomas
Bad Ass Art and Music Show
BAAAMS Home >
INTERVIEW: Stephanie Stevens talks with THEM guitarist Markus Johannson about where the band started from, touring with Helloween and his favorite tracks off the new album - READ IT HERE
BY STEPHANIE STEVENS
THEM a German/American theatrical heavy metal band comprised of Klaus Konig—vocals, Markus Ullrich-guitar, Markus Johansson-guitar, Mike Lepond—bass, Angel Cotte-drums and Richard Seibel-keys are making waves with the bands metal roots and horror/fantasy epic conceptual tale that began with the band's debut disc, SWEET HOLLOW and follow up MANOR OF THE SE7EN GABLES.
A lyrical story of a man caught between unfortunate circumstances and unspeakable evil. On Oct. 30th, 2020 the story continues with the third installment entitled RETURN TO HEMMERSMOOR on SPV/Steamhammer. The band hits you hard with layers of pure power metal, guitar aggressive ambiance, thrash elements and progressive metal attributes. With BATTLE BLOOD, the first single/video out for your listening ears you can hear the maturity and growth the band has produced with writing this new album. I think it's just the ice breaker of some intense, impeccable and diverse playing from this globally enriched band.
I had a chance to speak with guitar player Phenom, Markus Johansson about where the band started from, touring with Helloween, and his favorite tracks off the new album.
Q: For music fans who might be new to the band THEM can you tell me what inspired you guys to start a project like this and personally what did this band help enhance in your guitar playing?
A: The band was originally a King Diamond tribute act, THEM being the name of one of King's all time legendary albums. Our singer Troy (KK) wanted to take things to the next level with originals, and he then started to build what would become the current formation of the band. As far as guitar skill enhancement, ULLE and I are both cut from the same mold, so we love the same things, and want to play the same things more or less, haha. That said, you cannot be in this band if you don't stay on top of your shit.
Q: your debut album SWEET HOLLOW was a concept album, who came up with the story idea and how is writing an album conceptually different than just writing a record with songs on it?
A: Our singer Troy (KK) writes all of the lyrics which have now become one gigantic story spanning all three of our albums. The new record RETURN TO HEMMERSMOOR, is the third installment of the story that begins with SWEET HOLLOW. Not having written it personally, but having written lyrics for a multitude of songs I've released over the years, writing a concept album, let alone one continuous trilogy is no easy task.
Q: BATTLE BLOOD gives you a small taste of the new disc, what made you guys choose this one as the first "single"?
A: The band and the record label felt that "FREE" was a song that could stand on its own and help to showcase the identity that the band has carved out for itself. Also, we are fairly versatile in our songwriting across the albums, so there are always going to be ballad type songs and then straight rippers. "BATTLE BLOOD" being a straight ripper, it was a great juxtaposition to leading with "FREE."
Q: Would you define this song the meat and potatoes of the album or is it just one layer of what the rest of the album has in store?
A: The singles are really the tip of the iceberg, they are not paving the way for replicates. There are plenty of differing songs on the album, and I can't wait for people to hear the ENTIRE thing.
Q: Do you have a favorite off track off the album and if so what makes it a stand out for you?
A: "BATTLE BLOOD" is absolutely one of my favorites, as it's loaded with riff and riffs that is a blast to play, and there are some fun leads as well. That said, I think "WAKEN" might be my favorite-favorite, but I won't give away why. No spoilers!
Q: As a band how can you say you guys have grown in songwriting since the bands inception?
A: The first album was deliberately what some may call King Diamond worship, so the material was really one gigantic tribute. Very similar to how Gruesome pays homage to Death. Each album has morphed and grown as we have played together over the years, and we are pretty far from King Diamond these days, but the visuals and overall aesthetic seem to distort that a little.
Q: You also are band members that are globally located how does that make for interaction for promotions like videos etc. and also when it comes to writing it must be done all via internet. Do you find a heavy difference from doing it this way vs. having jam sessions to hash out ideas?
A: We are gigantic fans of how we write and file share the songs as we build each album. The process is super refined, and we have no issues with recording individually and remote, as needed. Everyone knows the very deliberate needs of the albums, so we lay everything out first, and then attack it. Everyone does their homework, so we have zero issues. It's such a solid crew.
Q: The band had the pleasure to tour with Helloween. On that tour did you guys learn anything from them or given any advice? If so, do you still use that to this day?
A: The tour with Helloween was a phenomenal way to start the band off and running. If I learned anything from Helloween on that tour, it is to FLY from show to show when the dates jump from Chicago, to Seattle, to Los Angeles! Haha, it was a lot of driving. But no, they were great, and it was great to watch them every night.
Q: If you could take yourself away from being a musician and just look at music as a fan what personally makes a well thought out and solid album to you? And what is your number one record that you're a fan of that comes to mind when answering this?
A: As a fan, the best kind of album is one you can repeatedly revisit and continually hear new things that you missed before. Layered, epic, thought out. Sometimes less is more, but when the entire album has a continuous vibe, regardless of conceptual things, it is more enjoyable for me. It is way too difficult to narrow down a definitely number one favorite, but one that fits this mold perfectly is Opeth's Blackwater Park. Phenomenal songs, phenomenal production. Holds up every listen.
Q: It always intrigues me when a guitar player like yourself can play so fast and intricate. Do you have certain warmup techniques you do before shows/writing? And best advice to give any new musician starting out on guitar?
A: Before shows it can obviously be beneficial to warm up and run some scales, stretch out, etc. Sometimes though, with the way the scheduling goes, you don't always have the time right beforehand. Playing every day on the road helps, whenever you can find the time.
Q: Growing up did you listen to a lot of European music?
A: Without really having a specific desire to seek out European music, but it certainly found me, and one band lead to five lead to fifty. There are so many great bands from multiple genres, from multiple countries, but people seem to say I maintain a strong European influence when I write songs, or leads, or solos.
Q: How do you view the European music scene vs. American music scene and vice versa from what you have seen touring there?
A: Europe is a whole different world when it comes to the music industry, but they both have their merits. With THEM we have played in Europe almost entirely, only having our short run in the states with Helloween. One thing I will say is that Europe seems to juggle multiple genres in the mainstream, whereas the US charts are majorly pop, etc.
Q: Any other new stuff going on with THEM other than the release on Oct. 30th of RETURN TO HEMMERSMOOR? Also drop how fans get pre order this album and buy all over merchandise and music by you guys?
A: We are always hard at work cultivating the live show, set lists, new songs, etc. We can't wait for people to hear the new record, and then the next most exciting thing is seeing where we end up taking the next one. Fans can pre-order across all platforms, Amazon, directly from Steamhammer, iTunes, etc. At the end of the day, we update our social media with links that will take you where you need to go. That or our website will get you set up!
CONNECT WITH THE BAND:
FACEBOOK: @THEM
WWW.THEM666.COM
www.johanssonshreds.com
SwingLifeStyle.com
Look here for the newest releases and news in the Rock, Metal and Alternative genres!


My interest in geosciences began as a student at Central Kings. In my senior year at Central Kings I was fortunate enough to join a class trip to Iceland, the highlight of which was a hike to the top of the Eldfell volcano on Heimaey Island, located just south of the Icelandic mainland. I also was wise enough to drop Biology and take Geology instead during my senior year. These experiences and a desire to work in and explore the natural world kindled an interest in Earth sciences that led me to take geology at Acadia.
Studying geology at Acadia was fantastic and led me to study some 400-million-year-old volcanic and sedimentary rocks in New Brunswick. What fascinated me the most about this research, and continues to fascinate me, is the way that studying rocks can vividly reveal events in Earth's past.
This fascination led me to a master's project at Memorial University, where I studied the Mesozoic sedimentation history of basins in the deep offshore Newfoundland. However, at the same time I took the opportunity to routinely step away from my studies, undertaking bedrock mapping in remote parts of Ontario and Labrador, and working summers as a geology intern in the oil and gas sector in St. John's and Calgary.
As I was wrapping up my MSc, I was working as a laboratory technician at Memorial University where I became involved in many analytical mineralogy and geochemistry projects. At the same time, a confluence of factors shaped my decision to pursue a PhD. The first was my innate curiosity and desire to contribute to geoscience in general. The second was the financial crisis of 2008 – 2009, which effectively removed the option of a prospective post-MSc posting as an industry geologist.
Starting in 2010, I decided to pursue a PhD with Bill Arnott at the University of Ottawa, one of the foremost sedimentologists in Canada, and chose a project that involved bedrock mapping and outcrop studies across a large area of eastern Ontario, western Quebec. This project included many months of field work and exposed me to new ideas and new places that I'll never forget. I also came to call myself a "sedimentologists" – meaning that I specialize in sedimentary processes and the study of sedimentary rocks, and now have numerous scientific papers under my belt. Late in my PhD I worked a summer with Shell in Calgary and was offered a full-time position starting in 2016. However, once again factors in the global economy would shape my fate, and after the 2014-2016 oil glut and drastically falling crude oil prices my position with Shell was reorganized out of existence before I could even start.
Nevertheless, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation late in 2016, and after some time on the job hunt, finally landed on my feet early in 2017. It was then that I began my current position as Project Geologist with the exploration department at Atlantic Gold, based here in Nova Scotia. I currently explore for gold in the province and generate geological models and cross-sections that highlight the subsurface architecture and composition of our gold discoveries.
My long-term goals are to move into a role that involves more research and regional bedrock mapping, and to apply my industry experience to undertaking research that helps us understand and reduce uncertainty surrounding our search for natural resources.


text:
NewsWorld
Marie Colvin mourned by family, colleagues
A file photo of journalist Marie Colvin in London. (March 11, 2008) Photo Credit: AP
By BART JONES AND TANIA LOPEZ. bart.jones@newsday.com,, tania.lopez@newsday.com Updated February 23, 2012 1:01 AM
Marie Colvin's editor urged her to leave Syria immediately because it had become too dangerous, but the veteran foreign correspondent from Long Island insisted on staying one more day -- to file yet another battlefield dispatch.
That story would not be told. Colvin, who courageously covered war zones for a quarter century, was killed Wednesday in a rocket attack in the embattled city of Homs.
"She was totally, totally committed to what she did," her mother, Rosemarie Colvin, said at her home in East Norwich. In the living room, a photography book -- "Modern Muses" by Bryan Adams -- was opened to a portrait of her daughter.
Recounting the story of her daughter's refusal to leave Syria, she added: "She died doing what was really important to her."
Marie Colvin, 56, a 1974 graduate of Oyster Bay High School, earned international acclaim as a fearless reporter for The Sunday Times of London. From the West Bank, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, Zimbabwe and East Timor, to the recent Arab uprisings in the Middle East, Colvin made it her mission to expose injustice and human suffering, colleagues said.
In 2001, when she was in Sri Lanka, an exploding hand grenade destroyed her left eye. Ruling out a prosthetic, she chose to wear a black eye patch -- making her a striking figure in the field.
"I never met a person with more courage," journalist T.D. Allman of The Daily Beast wrote. "She was always on the side of truth. She was always on the side of the oppressed. She never once tired. She never once faltered."
John Witherow, editor of The Sunday Times, said Colvin was "driven by a passion to cover wars in the belief that what she did mattered. She believed profoundly that reporting could curtail the excesses of brutal regimes and make the international community take notice."
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Her numerous awards include the 2000 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation. In 2010, the Foreign Press Association named her Woman Journalist of the Year.
Colvin, a Yale University graduate who lived in London for years, idolized Martha Gelhorn, the famous war correspondent who once partnered with Ernest Hemingway, her family said.
"She grew up in a time when a lot of things were happening with women, with Vietnam and the civil rights movement," her mother said, noting that Colvin marched in Washington, D.C., to protest the Vietnam War when she was in high school. "Everything she did, she did with determination and passion."
"She was always after the truth," said Jerelyn Hanrahan, 55, of Oyster Bay, who counted Colvin as her best friend in high school. "In a way, it kept her grounded because she really believed in everything she was doing."
Colvin went to Yale planning to be an anthropologist, then took a seminar with "Hiroshima" author John Hersey and "just got hooked on writing," her mother said.
Joe McDermott, who now leads the Consortium for Worker Education, said he hired Colvin in 1978 to write for Teamsters Local 237's News and Views newspaper. She worked there until 1980, when she became a reporter for United Press International.
"It was glorious," he said. "She was full of life."
He said she had an amazing presence. "She caught on fast and she wrote fast," he said.
Colvin, who joined The Sunday Times about 25 years ago, was the oldest of five children. She had been previously married twice.
Survivors include her brothers, William of East Meadow and Michael of South Norwalk, Conn.; and her sisters, Cathleen Colvin of Oyster Bay and Aileen Horton of Alpharetta, Ga.
Funeral arrangements are pending the family's efforts to get Colvin's body out of Syria.
By BART JONES AND TANIA LOPEZ. bart.jones@newsday.com,, tania.lopez@newsday.com
Editorial: Killed trying to find the truthSyria's regime wants desperately to keep the world from knowing of the terrible violence it ... Mom recalls slain reporter's devotion to journalismWar correspondent Marie Colvin, killed Wednesday in Syria, had been slated to leave the country on Tuesday but elected to stay another day to finish reporting an important story, her mother said. Newsday archives: Marie Colvin hit by grenade in 2001This story was first published on April 16, 2001. When Rosemarie Colvin took a telephone ... Syria shelling of Homs kills 2 Western journalistsA French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper were ...
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text:
Q: Encapsulation and Getters I was reading this article on why getter and setters are evil. The article doesn't say not to use them ever, but, it's telling you to think in a way that limits the use of those methods, or to quote the article:

Don't ask for the information you need to do the work; ask the object
  that has the information to do the work for you.

what happens when you need to display data in a GUI, but don't have getter methods? The article covers this briefly, but not fully. It mentions passing a JComponent to the class, but if you're GUI changes, it could lead to a lot of work to fix.
Take for example, you have a Book class (making this example limited to keep it readable).
public final class Book {

    private String title;
    //Authors is class with the attributes authorFirstname, authorLastname
    private List<Author> listofAuthors;

    public Book(String title, List<Author> listofAuthors)
    {
        //initialization
    }

    //other methods that do work
}

If I have a GUI that has a JTextField to display the book title and a JTable to display the list of authors, how would I write my method to "do the work" for me and display the result? Is this one of those times where a getter is necessary?

A: Think of it this way: Getters (public functions) are a bridge for private attributes.
I'll write you a simple example to modify your TextField using OOP.
Book class:
public final class Book {
private String title;
//Authors is class with the attributes authorFirstname, authorLastname
private List<Author> listofAuthors;

public Book(String title, List<Author> listofAuthors)
{
    //initialization
}
public String getTitle() {
return this.title; }
}

GUI:
author1 = new Author("jhon");
author 2 = new Author("alsojhon");
list = new ArrayList();
list.add(author1);
list.add(author2)
b = new Book("stack",list);
JTextField field;
field.setText(b.getTitle());

A: You can create three kind of classes:

*

*Entity, classes that represents a business concept and have only one unique id, like Client class with Id the username. It is usually a mutable class. You should have all the business logic here. You should not open his data with getters and setters.

*Value object, classes that represents a business concept but not have an unique id, like Email class. It is usually an imm.utable class. You should have all the business logic here.

*Data structure (kind of DTO), classes to save data only, without behavior, maybe you have setters and getters to access those datas.
What can I do if I need to access all Client data if I do not have accesors? Well, you should transform Client to a DTO. You can use a framework like Orika. Or you can create a method into Client class to ask for information (mediator pattern).
I like second option but it implies more work:
class Client{
    private String name;
    ...
   public void publishInfo(ClientInfo c){
      c.setName(name);
      ...
    }
}

class ClientInfo{
    private String name;
    //GETTERS
    //SETTERS
}

A: Allen Holub's article (the one you mentioned) is completely right, you shouldn't ask for data, at least when you're doing Object-Orientation. And no, displaying things is not a valid excuse to open up an object.
If you have a Book, just ask for the Book to display itself! It shouldn't matter whether that uses a JTextField or JTable or whatever. Depending on your requirements of course, you could do:
public final class Book {
    ...
    JComponent display() {
        ...
    }
}

The point of Object-Orientation is of course, that you are trying to localize changes (restrict to one class as much as possible). The only way to do that is to localize the functionality that depends on the same things into (preferably) the same class. Also called increasing "cohesion".
So now, if the Book internals change, all of the things, including how the Book is displayed is in the Book itself, so there is no need to "hunt" for code that uses the Book.
Now, for the answer that this is not "clean", because you are mixing presentation code with "business logic". It may be interesting to note, that the whole idea of not mixing presentation with "business logic" comes from earlier times, when we still thought that presentation might be "remote" to the "business objects", where "business objects" might be used by multiple applications for different things. Ie. multi-tier designs. YAGNI. Most of the time there is no real reason to have artificial technical boundaries inside a single application. There is no harm done if the Book knows it's part of a GUI application, and there are real benefits (maintainability) to have.
Edit: this is how the `display() method could look like in detail, with displaying the title and authors (pseudocode for Swing):
public final class Book {
    private final String title;
    private final List<Author> authors;
    ...
    public JComponent display() {
        JPanel bookPanel = new JPanel();
        bookPanel.add(new JLabel(title));
        JList authorsList = new JList(); // Or similar
        for (Author author: authors) {
            authorsList.add(author.display());
        }
        bookPanel.add(authorsList);
        return bookPanel;
    }
}

And then you can simply add() that component to whatever swing container you want to display the book in.

A: Are you asking about a method to display all the information for you? I'm not following.
If that is what you're asking, here's my recommendation: Don't write it in the class with the window code in it. It won't be very clean. Make a new class with that method in it (Yes, getters are necessary, they make OOP easier, but that's biased).
What I do if I want to iterate through a list is make a StringBuilder, along with a for loop, that adds the name of the author. Then, have the method return the list of authors.
List<Authors> a;
StringBuilder d = new StringBuilder();
for (int i = 0; i < a.size(); i++) {
    d.append(a.get(i).getName() + ", ");
}
return d.toString();
//It's just sudo code, but still.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This book is a fun-reading story to practice the pronunciation of the consonant F. At an early age, Marisol's daughter had difficulty pronouncing the letter F. As a result, she wrote this story for her daughter to practice. Her child spent years in speech therapy, and eventually, her speech improved considerably. In this story, Figaro—a flamboyant frog—is set out to uncover hidden talents. This book also offers colouring pages. Ages 5 and up.
Toddlers often have a reputation for rebelliousness and defiance. Parents might experience frustration during this transitory period as emotions are at stake. This book, from the voice of a two-year-old, reminds parents that tantrums are a normal part of a child development. The "Terrible Twos" is not that terrible when positive reinforcement is practiced at home. A toddler is always looking for guidance and support, and most importantly, for love. This book also offers activity pages for colouring with your child, and it also provides some tips for parents.
Learning to share can be a challenge for children, but sharing is a vital skill they need for their childhood and development. This book speaks about sharing between siblings, but most importantly, it speaks about sharing while having fun! As part of the learning process, this book offers practice of the SH sound, and also pages for colouring together. Ages 3 and up.
This book explains that to be a princess is more than just a pretty dress, nice shoes and a crown. A lot of young girls will look up to princesses, but this book will make it for all the right reasons! It tells that anyone can be a princess at heart; it is all about good deeds! Ages 4 and up.


text:
'James II by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland etc.', 1685 (c)
Mezzotint by J Verkolji after P Kneller, published 1685 (c).
James II's brief reign from 1685 to 1688 witnessed a considerable growth in the English Standing Army. As a Roman Catholic, James preferred his regiments to be officered wherever possible by fellow Catholics, whom he regarded as the most loyal. He also relied on a number of Protestant career-soldiers whom he believed would be loyal to the crown. However a key group of these men became disaffected, objecting to the King's attempts to Catholicise the Army in defiance of the Test Act and his religious policy in general. Unfortunately for the King, they concluded that their interests would be better served by William Prince of Orange, the husband of James's Protestant daughter Princess Mary.
In 1688, William invaded England at the invitation of these officers, to prevent an alliance with his enemy, King Louis XIV of France, and to secure his wife's inheritance. William secured an almost bloodless victory in England through the defection of troops to his cause, though there was subsequently bitter fighting in Ireland and Scotland. Disgusted by this act of betrayal, James fled to France, where he lived in exile at St Germain.
National Army Museum, Army gallery


ARSENE WENGER last night amazingly spoke of his respect for disgraced Arsenal star William Gallas.
The Gunners boss broke his silence for the first time since the French defender was stripped of the captaincy after refusing to travel for the game at Manchester City and threatening to walk away from football for good.
Incredibly, Gallas will play against Dynamo Kiev tonight.
Wenger has put last week's criticism of his team-mates and behind-the-scenes revelations down to the pressure he was under. Wenger said: "This season the results are not as good as expected and the pressure on him (Gallas) was always bigger.
"William is a player I rate, and a man I rate as well. I have a big respect for him. He was working as a captain. He was in a very difficult environment, under big pressure from outside the club, and at some stage, you do not want this high pressure to affect him or the team.
"But, for the man and for the player, I have big respect. I cannot stop speculation about him in January.
"He is a player who is committed to the club. He can be stronger as a player. He took to heart all the problems of the team.
Wenger yesterday unveiled Cesc Fabregas as the club's new skipper to replace Gallas.
And he was immediately hailed as the new Tony Adams. Gael Clichy was in the frame for the job, but Wenger feels 21-year-old Fabregas is the perfect choice.
The French defender said: "I think it's a new start. I hope Cesc will do well. I'm sure he will. His performance over the last couple of years has been fantastic. It's a good choice from the boss and the players will give him all the support he needs. I think Tony Adams was given the armband at 19. Now he's one of the greatest for all the fans. I hope Cesc will do the same.
"When he starts playing, people said Cesc was too young to have the responsibility in the team.
"But he's shown he is a key player in the squad and fully deserves this honour from the boss.
"The only thing Cesc has to do is play his best football. Being the captain is a great honour and I'm really happy for him.
"It's a new start, a fresh start and we really want to work together and, while we can't hide what's happened, we want to do well.
Fabregas said: "It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Wenger faces further problems after Samir Nasri and Abou Diaby were ruled out of tonight's game because of injury, but Nasri will be fit to face Chelsea on Sunday.


text:
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SunFest: a Unique Music & Art Festival Experience in South Florida
By Lonnie O'Neill
SunFest brings people from all over the state and the country to West Palm Beach to enjoy a music lineup that undoubtedly speaks volume about the festival. When you visit, expect to encounter the best food experience, art, cool people, and a whole lot more.
There are a myriad good things about SunFest that locals in West Palm Beach should be proud of. This festival has been running for 36 years now and has become the largest music and art festival by the Waterfront in Florida. If you are one of those who think that it feels great to be around so many people who come for the same purpose, then SunFest will cater the ultimate experience for you.
The most important reason of a music festival is of course, the music. Certainly the organizers won't please everybody, but you can always expect variety at SunFest. In 2016 for example, opening day we enjoyed: Lukas Graham, Meghan Trainor and Duran Dura headlined the stages of the festival. Lukas was in the midst of a global breakthrough with their latest single "7 Years;" Meghan is a musical success who has a continuous rise to the top of the pop charts with every new album and Duran Duran, well, 14 studio albums throughout three decades say so much about a band. There's no doubt the music lineup always says so much about our festival, presenting artists soon to be discovered, local talents for opening acts and daily headliners who are among the biggest names in the music industry. SunFest's line up has featured Jason Deluro, Train, G-Eazy, Bastille, Death Cab For Cutie, The Roots, Walk The Moon, Alabama Shakes, Andy Grammer, and Rick Springfield among many more.
The festival brings people from all over the state and the country to West Palm Beach. But this is a festival locals await dearly because parallel to the exciting music experience, one thing is for sure: you will find the coolest people ever wearing Florida's quintessential summer attire, walking around breathtaking waterfront views. That's priceless!
People Enjoying SunFest Music
With so many festivals going on around the country, you'll notice how a mixture of boho chic and hipster attire is also popping up among revelers. You will probably witness some of the coolest spring and summer styles around when you come to SunFest. Attendees like to sport printed shorts, vintage looks, floppy hats, and there'll be lots of ultra-coordinated friends wearing headbands, tees, sunnies, and high-waisted shorts that make them look stunning. If there is a connection made from everyone's mutual love for music, that's a cool fact about SunFest too.
When you visit, expect to encounter the best food experience at a festival ever. 2016 ushered a revamped in the festival's traditional food court which is now dubbed "The Eatery". Kudos to the organizers. It has become an upscale row of vendor booths providing a heavenly experience when you want to grab something to eat.
A squad that grubs together, stays together and nothing adds more to it than when you stop by The Eatery which features a large exclusive variety of food like Nashville hot chicken, waffle fried chicken, Gyros with Greek Chicken, flatbreads, curry chicken shish kebabs, vegan-friendly bowls, Hash Brown Waffles, and a more eclectic menu than the traditional offer at festivals. "The Eatery" has freshen up the eating experience at the event that even includes a Chick-Fil-A stand, but don't forget the fest's popular Island Noodles kiosk and the festival's fanciest dish, the Tropical Pineapple Chicken.
Here are some of SunFest's Signature food…
Click on the image to enlarge it
Tropical Pineapple Chicken
There's so much more about SunFest that makes it a unique music & art festival experience. The art is another aspect that entices people to attend SunFest to enjoy stunning art creations by professional artists and craft vendors. The festival's Juried Fine Art & Craft show features the work of more than 150 national artists including jewelry, photography, sculpture, ceramics and more. SunFest's focus on art creates a beautiful and entertaining environment of a music festival that continually amazes its crowd.
The audience coming to SunFest is friendly and West Palm Beach is worth traveling to spend up to five days at with the vibe at Captain Morgan's floating barges on the city's Waterfront, an utmost sensation year after year. The barges are a party sanctuary at SunFest, an oasis featuring Captain Morgan cocktails, entertaining games, and dance music to unlock some of the most enjoyable and exciting mix of entertainment at a festival.
Captain Morgan Floating Barges on the Waterfront
For a better snapshot about SunFest and what happens when hundreds of thousands of people descend on the 4-day festival, you have to be here. Hopefully if you have made it through this last paragraph, you can continue on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to follow what's going on this year at #SunFestFL!
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1909: Community Builders Shaping Palm Beach County
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text:
Q: Adding dynamic checkbox preferences in Android, and display them in preference screen? I want to implement functionality where user will be able to select which group of items to be displayed using checkbox shared preferences. To be precise I will read checked items from the preferences and display.
Here is my preferences class
 public class Preferences extends PreferenceActivity {

   @Override
   protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

             //One way to add default preferences
    //addPreferencesFromResource(R.xml.prefs);

             //For now I prefer this
    setPreferenceScreen(defaultPref());

}

    // The first time application is launched this should be read
private PreferenceScreen defaultPref() {
    PreferenceScreen root = getPreferenceManager().createPreferenceScreen(this);

    CheckBoxPreference checkboxPref = new CheckBoxPreference(this);
    checkboxPref.setKey("1");
    checkboxPref.setTitle("SomeRandomStuff");
    root.addPreference(checkboxPref);

    return root;
 }
     public showAllPreferences () {
          // TO SHOW ALL THE PREFERENCES BUT NOT SURE HOW TO DISPLAY THEM
     }
}

Now I cannot understand how do I add more preferences dynamically and display them in preference screen.
Here is the main activity class
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    try {
        setContentView(R.layout.main);
    }catch (Exception e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }

    exView = (ExpandableListView) findViewById(R.id.expandableListView1);

    // STUFF TO ADD IN PREFERENCES
    editText = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.editText1);
    //BUTTON TO ADD PREFERENCES.(SEARCH TERM IS IDENTIFIED AND ADDED TO PREF)
    addButton = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.imageButton1);
    // BUTTON TO DISPLAY PREFERENCES
    prefButton = (ImageButton) findViewById(R.id.imageButtonPref);

    SharedPreferences settings = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(this);
    final SharedPreferences.Editor editor = settings.edit();

    addButton.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

        @Override
        public void onClick(View arg0) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub

            PrefObject obj = new PrefObject();
            String key = Integer.toString(i);
            String title = editText.getText().toString();
            //prefArray.add(obj);
            editor.putString(key, title);
            editor.commit();
                            i++

        }
    });
    prefButton.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
        // This method should show the preferences activity with new data
        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            Intent intent = new Intent(Main.this, Preferences.class);
                    startActivity(intent);
                            // I know how to call the intent but I am not sure if
                            // how to read the saved contents and display it
                            Preferences pref = new Preferences();
                            pref.showAllPreferences();

        }
    });

A: AFAIK, there is no "visibility" option for preferences, which kinda makes sense when you think it's all just a ListView.
See [1]. For what I see, you could do something like this:
PreferenceScreen screen = this.getPreferenceScreen();
// Use "1" since you're using "1" to create it.
CheckBoxPreference ckbox = (CheckBoxPreference) this.findPreference("1");
screen.removePreference(ckbox);

To recreate, you could do this [2]:
screen.addPreference(ckbox);

Additionally, remember to create your preference using the setOrder(int order) so that when you recreate, it will be recreated in the proper position.
As you can see, it could be worth to keep a global reference to the preference to make it easier and faster.
Of course, I don't need to tell that you should integrate that logic into your CheckboxPreference listener. See this answer by nobody else than Reto Meier himself to see a good way of doing it (it's a checkbox, too). There he registers a listener to the whole screen and checks which preference triggered the listener, but you can do it simpler (but more verbose later on) by just setting its setOnPreferenceChangeListener.
*edit: I see that you're also using a button to add the preference. You can also implement the same logic above into the button itself. It all depends if you want to do this using a checkbox or a button.
Finally, it could be worth to just set the enabled state, unless you are doing something like "see advanced preferences" or something worth to keep novice users away from doing dangerous stuff to your app. But generally the enable states work better for user experience, IMHO.
I hope this answers your question.