text:
Home » Interviews » Mind Meld » MIND MELD: Storytelling in Video Games
MIND MELD: Storytelling in Video Games
Posted on December 26, 2012 by Nick Sharps in Mind Meld // 4 Comments
Video games are an evolution of the human tradition of storytelling. It began as tales told around a fire, progressed into images painted on walls, developed into text printed on paper, and advanced to moving pictures accompanied by sound. Video games take story telling a step farther. The audience is no longer a passive spectator, but is instead an active participant in the story being told. Often authors are tapped to write tie-in fiction for popular video game franchises, and sometimes they are even hired on to help craft compelling stories for the games themselves.
We asked this week's panelists…
Q: How do you feel about the state of storytelling in video games? What do developers do right? What could they be doing better? What games do you think tell excellent stories?
Here's what they said…
William C. Dietz
New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than forty novels some of which have been translated into German, French, Russian, Korean and Japanese.
If it was easy to write good games everyone would do it.
There was a time when killing aliens, monsters, and bad guys was enough. But not anymore. Now gamers want good writing too!
Yeah, yeah, I know. There are lots of games that don't involve shooting things. And that's good. But since I don't play those games my expertise (such as it is) relates to shooting aliens, monsters and bad guys. And I believe good writing and good game play can coexist.
But before I get into that I should divulge that my perspective has been shaped by writing tie-in novels for franchises like Star Wars, Halo, Starcraft, Hitman, Resistance, and Mass Effect.
I've written games too, including Sony's RESISTANCE: Burning Skies with Mike Bates, and the LEGION OF THE DAMNED® ios game with Conlan Rios. But I have never been a full-time employee of a gaming studio–so my knowledge is limited to what I have seen from the outside looking in.
First, before you write a game you have to have an outline or treatment. Unlike writing a novel, which some people (although I'm not one of them) can do without an outline, a game involves lots of people working in parallel. And they need a plan.
Generally speaking there are two kinds of outlines/treatments. Short outlines that are designed to get a game together by a hard deadline with little regard for possible sequels. And I can relate to that. Take the Legion of the Damned series for example. I planned to write a series so I created a universe large enough to accommodate a number of books. But did I write a nine book story arc? Heck, no. I had no way to know that the first volume would do well enough to pave the way for a second novel never mind all the rest.
And it's the same for a lot of the game shops. They hope there will be more iterations but have to put all the energy they have into the one they're working on at the moment. And given the strength of the competition it will have to be awesome in order to survive.
The result is that long term story and character development suffers and I see the results of that when I'm hired to write a tie-in novel. Time and time again I see really interesting characters who were killed off in the first or second game because no one knew what to do with them or to freak players out. (If we kill Carter they'll figure we might smoke anybody!) The result being that they aren't around for people like me to feature in books, comics, or secondary games.
And the reverse is true as well. Some characters need to be devoured by a ten story tall boss or fall into the bottomless abyss! But they live on and on. Usually because they are useful in some way or have a substantial fan base.
Long outlines by contrast assume success and incorporate something like a three game story arc. That's totally cool if three games get made. But what if the first game fails to gain sufficient traction? Then the team is left with a hanger… Meaning characters that aren't fully developed, a plot was never fully realized, and some disappointed customers.
The point is that to some extent the quality of the writing, or what the writing could be, is determined by the choice of whether to create a short or long outline.
Now this is where things get even more complicated. Some teams have a very vertical top-down management structure that dictates the plot to the person or team who are writing the script. Others are more collaborative and tend to get things done through brainstorming and consensus.
Each approach has definite advantages especially to an outsider such as myself. The top-down people know what they want, and that's a good thing, except that they are frequently resistant to outside ideas. And, if they are driven by a long form outline/treatment then they have a tendency to sacrifice things to it. As in, "Hell no, we can't do that… If we do we won't be able to blow up the moon in game three."
The result being that the characters, the plot, and even the dialog is dictated to the writers. Not directly–but through marginalia like, "Jessica would never say something like this." And no justification is required because hey, the team leaders have the ability to channel Jessica, and the writers don't. Another way in which the writing gets skewed.
Meanwhile the consensus driven teams are more open to suggestions, but it can be difficult to get closure, and when you think you have it chances are you don't. So you pitch your idea to the team, they nod, and you can feel the beginning of a glorious consensus. Then Larry says, "I think that works Bill… I'll write it up, share it with the level designers, and check with my wife. She has a lot of good ideas. Then, once we have everybody's feedback, we'll move ahead."
No, I'm not kidding. So the danger here is producing a script that lacks focus, a consistent voice, and a singular style.
I mentioned level designers who, as the title implies are responsible for developing individual levels in a game, often referred to as "missions" in shooters. First let me say that these poor souls are often as powerless as the writers are and frequently for the same reasons.
However where writing is concerned the designers can be part of the problem. That's because while they want the overall project to succeed–it's even more important to them that they create the coolest level that ever was. Because if they can do that they succeed even if the game fails. You can imagine their next job interview. "Sure Invasion of the Snails cratered, but look at Level Three… It rocks."
That means they might be vocal advocates for ideas, gimmicks, and dialog that is antithetical to the overall script. As in "Hey, dude, how 'bout we cap Baxter at the end of level three? The players will never see it coming." Which would be fine except that Baxter has to throw the lever on the light bridge in level five. Sigh.
Another barrier to good story telling is the almost universal tendency to sacrifice dialog to action. Time and time again I've seen management whack character interaction in order to shoehorn some additional action into the mix. The assumption being that players, especially young ones, are mostly interested in shooting things. And if you look at which games make the most money there's something to be said for that view.
That brings us to the audience and their role in this. Yes, they have a role. If people buy well written games that will encourage management to insist on better writing. And there's some evidence that we're headed in that direction. The fact that people regularly create and post lists of the best written games attests to that.
Finally there are process/production issues that limit what a script can or can't be. You can write it–but can the company afford it? Can the technology support it? And is there enough staff to get the job done? Typically the answer to at least some of those questions is going to be no. And that means compromise.
So given all of the moving parts, all of the ways that things can wrong, it's amazing that good game scripts ever get written! Fortunately they do. Which ones are they? The ones you enjoy most.
That brings us to the question of what could be done to improve the quality of game related scripts. I think the solution is for management to insist on good writing, interesting characters, and a story that matters. The sort of characteristics that define a good book or a good movie. I believe that will lead to an immersive experience and commercial success.
Oh, and they should be nice to writers! Never mind, I got carried away.
Kameron Hurley is the author of the award-winning novel God's War and the sequels Infidel and Rapture. Find out more at godswarbook.com
I think video game writers are suffering from some of the same things novel writers are in this biz. Big studios want break-out hits. They want to sell 100 million copies of stuff like Madden and Grand Turismo. To sell in those kinds of numbers, you have to write for a very broad audience. You have to dumb a lot of stuff down. I've been following the struggles of game developers like BioWare, who were acquired by EA a couple years ago, and how they're trying to make these mega-millions sellers games out of what are, to some extent, niche RPG games. It's a heart-bleeding thing to watch sometimes, but I see some light.
BioWare writes some of the best games around, and that's in no small part due to the fact that their goal is to create amazing games where storytelling is still held up as core to the game making process, as opposed to something that just strings together big fight scenes or makes sense of slick graphics.
I broke into BioWare games with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and was hooked. It not only has one of the most epic twists of all time, but the characters and worldbuilding are so diverse and complex that you get totally sucked in. I had the same experience playing their Dragon Age: Origins game, where at one point I had to make a decision between continuing a romance with one character and doing the best thing for the party. I still remember the shock I got when a character ended up walking away from the party because of a decision I made. Immersive storytelling means that over a series of games, or even a single game, you get really attached to the outcome of the story – more so than you would in a traditional point and shoot game. We see this all the time in regular fiction, too – the more you connect with and empathize with the characters, the more you feel like they're people you really know, the more involved you become in the story.
And then, of course, there's the successful Mass Effect games, also put out by BioWare, which give you the opportunity to play the most badass heroine in video game history maybe ever. If you so choose. BioWare does an astonishing job creating characters of all types, including powerful female characters, and that's still all too rare in the gaming business. I'm a huge fan of the God of War games, too, but I don't fall head-over-heels for those button mashers the way I do deep, interactive storytelling games.
I think the best games – like the best novels – can teach you empathy. And what really great RPG's like BioWare's excel at is also teaching you how to deal with the results of your actions. Being an asshole has consequences. So does being a goody-goody. Budget constraints and that whole "make something that pisses off no one" push for mass appeal have meant fewer real choices and consequences, it's true, but I have hope for a return to more choices in the future.
That's because I see some shifts back toward great storytelling. Games like World of Warcraft – which I don't exactly play for the deep storytelling – have placed more emphasis on story and inventive questing with recent expansions in order to appeal to and retain long-time subscribers.
Knowing there are still companies out there willing to take some risks and invest in great storytelling makes me optimistic, as does the rise of indie gaming companies, which may have smaller budgets, but also less pressure for selling mega-millions. Sometimes I think that gaming companies, like many novelists, get so focused on the selling mega-millions part that they forget about why they got into storytelling in the first place.
As players, as readers, we do occasionally need to remind them that we value great stories.
Guy Haley
British writer Guy Haley is the author of Reality 36, Omega Point, and Champion of Mars. He has three books coming out from the Black Library next year – first of which will be Baneblade and Skarsnik. The Crash, his latest novel for Solaris, is also out next summer. Guy has been a magazine editor and journalist for 15 years, working for SFX, Death Ray and White Dwarf. When he's not staring at words on a screen he spends his time trying to train his Malamute to do stuff, shouting at the cat, or drinking beer; sometimes all at once.
Computer games are a difficult medium to write effective stories for. Traditional storytelling is by no means passive – television, books, films, plays etc all require a significant imaginative effort on the part of those enjoying them, but video games are a different creature. They're halfway between actual experience and story, and that means a lot of tricks you can use in other formats just don't work very well.
There are games out there with fantastically detailed backstories that play little part in one's enjoyment of the game, being just a framework to set a bunch of missions against, and those where the narrative is so all-consuming the player feels like they're on rails, running through a fairground ride (check out my article here) on MMORGS for more on this). Some games, sandbox 4X games, the better RPGs like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, present you with a story that you can stick to or ignore, but these can be just as frustrating as games-on-rails, as your own meandering quests lose any meaningful framework.
And this is because games need stories, and they need stories mainly because they are limited and limiting. If you were really trying to survive a rad-blasted wasteland or conquer the galaxy, you'd feel invested, but even in an open-ended video game adventure, there are a great many restrictions to what you can do, and many distancing factors between you and the world you are exploring/invading.
Furthermore, there's none of the subtle shading of emotion and connection with other "people" that you get in real life, or, for that matter, in books, theatre or cinema. Even in old-fashioned wargames and RPGs, I have a greater sense of connection with the characters, probably because these games, unlike video games, are acts of collaborative storytelling. Perversely, this lack of emotional involvement is even more true of multiplayer online games, where most players' focus on the mechanics of the game (and sheer rudeness, unfortunately) distances you further from the tale.
Some games have brilliant worlds, great scripts, and awesome levels of detail. But I've yet to play a game (and I do play a lot of games) where I've gone, "Wow, what an excellent story." X-Com is probably the closest I've come to feeling that, and probably only because of the attachment to my men that I built up through nail-biting missions.
So it's a question of engagement, and video games are not engaging. I love computer games, I love gaming of all types in fact, and although I have been very impressed by the backgrounds of many, I'll turn to other forms of entertainment for a genuine story experience every time.
Abhinav Jain
Long-time science-fiction and fantasy geek, lover of all things Star Wars and Warhammer (mostly all things anyway). I currently have several works in progress for both science fiction and fantasy in different formats – short story, novella, novel. I am also a book reviewer for The Founding Fields and a movie reviewer for Just Beyond Infinity. You can follow me on twitter @abhinavjain87 and through my blog at http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/
Storytelling in video games. Now that's a real bag of tricks to consider. If I'm honest, storytelling has always been much more important to me than gameplay ever has. I believe it's harder to innovate in game-play than it is with storytelling because, after all, how long can you keep on doing the same thing you always do in a shooter like Doom or Space Marine, or in a strategy game like Homeworld or Age of Mythology? And yet, storytelling is often what I see developers not getting right. I used to play quite a few games in college, not the least of which was Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic and World of WarCraft and Zeus: Master of Olympus, but that interest has waned in recent years, especially since I had to stop playing World of WarCraft for financial and personal reasons. In the last two and a half years since then, I've only played Space Marine, Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, Sins of a Solar Empire and some free time on Star Wars: The Old Republic and World of WarCraft, alongwith some Mass Effect demos.
That's not to say that the storytelling or the gameplay is at fault here, just that I've changed priorities of sorts, being invested in becoming a published author and my various reviewing gigs and blogging. What hasn't changed though is that I still pick up games because of the storytelling, and not the gameplay. The only way a video game is going to turn me off with regards to the gameplay is when the gameplay is really, really bad. Storytelling remains the bar with which I judge all video games.
For me, one of the games with the best storytelling out there is the original Homeworld, a space-based Real Time Strategy game, by Barking Dog Studios and Relic Entertainment. In it, you have a society, the Kushan, stranded on a hell-hole of a planet, Kharak, with tons of infighting and everything else that entails. Then, they find a crashed spaceship in a desert and their entire world-view changes. They discover that the planet they have called home for all these uncounted years isn't actually their home world. And they set out on an epic journey across space to reclaim their true home world: Hiigara. On the way they encounter space pirates (the Turanics), traders (the Bentuusi), and the people who stranded them on that hell-hole in the first place, the Taiidani. The story is simply epic. Through in-game cut-scenes and cinematic videos, we get to explore all the different cultures and learn about the history of this setting. Often times the videos are simplistic, in that they are little more than a series of still images. But they still pack a hell of a punch because of the voice-overs and narration. You get treated to the story in bite-sized chunks and that's okay, because the writing, the dialogues, the narration and everything is just superb. I was so inspired by the story that for one of my high school English essay assignments I wrote a thousand word flash fiction about how the Kushan people felt when they learned that Kharak had been destroyed by their enemies, in retaliation for the Kushan developing spaceflight, which had been a condition of their exile to that world. In all the missions that the player must perform to help the Kushan reclaim Hiigara and their place in the wider galaxy, the story is extremely immersive. We get last stand type missions, missions where you have to break blockades, missions where you have to survive asteroid fields,destroy staging areas, pass through spaceship graveyards, and so much more. The variety is great. Homeworld: Cataclysm and Homeworld II continue all of this and more, as the stakes keep increasing and the setting is increasingly more detailed and more nuanced. Ancient horrors are brought back, there are prophecies of great apocalypses and resurgences, and more, much more. I would love to read a series of novels based on Homeworld.
Then you have the RPG Knights of the Old Republic, another of my all-time favourite games, this time by Bioware and LucasArts. As a big fan of the Star Wars franchise, this was another epic game that had so much focus on the storytelling aspects, with some really great game play that was so different than what I had seen in Diablo and Diablo 2 (my gaming experience at the time was very limited). The folks at Bioware got me to really invest into the story and the characters. I didn't like some of the narrative decisions that I was forced to make, but the setting they had created was really diverse. They got the space opera feeling of the setting down, since we had to travel to all these different planets, explore ancient and "modern" cultures that are all different from each other, like the Wookies and the Rakata for example. And since this was an RPG, the storytelling was even more important than it had been for Homeworld. What Bioware did right was what Barking Dogs did right: diversity in the missions and how they are carried out and actually exploring the backstory of both settings.
And we can't ignore World of WarCraft either here, which I think has one of the best storytelling experiences out there right now. I started playing towards the tail-end of The Burning Crusade, which was the first expansion, just before Wrath of the Lick King came out. I pretty much burned through the various quest lines until the new expansion came out so I could be ready to step into it as an at-level character, so I don't remember much of the classic and TBC quest-lines. But there are some that stuck with me. Both the Eastern and Western Plaguelands, the lands that once used to be the Kingdom of Lordaeron, have some of the most haunting questlines in terms of their emotional impact. We deal with big-bad undead enemies and the foot soldiers alike, but there were the little things that really made those zones awesome. I offer this fan-video by noted machinima artist Cranius as evidence: click here for the link. This is the quest line titled "The Redemption of Joseph Redpath" and begins with the ghost of his daughter. The video always makes me teary-eyed. When players have to get into Stratholme and fight against all the big bads, it's even worse. Fans of WarCraft III will remember that Prince Arthas slaughtered the citizens of the city when the city was struck by the plague. Just the emotional resonance of that moment, as you stride through the city is immense.
The entirety of Wrath of the Lich King also has some epic questlines, and my favourite zone is Storm Peaks, a land steeped in the mysticism of Azeroth's history. Discovering everything there, like the instance of Ulduar, allying with the various tribes of dwarves and giants that call it home, was a great experience. That zone underscores what for me is an undeniable fact: Blizzard knows how to do some great epic questlines. Despite what people may have you believe, it's not all just kill twenty goblins, collecting ten red wolf meat and so on. Wrath of the Lich King brought with it vehicle combat. That had an incredible effect on how the quests could be done. I could fly gnomish copters and bomb the hell out of enemies. I could ride young drakes and fight off a big bad dragon. I could ride in tanks and destroy other tanks. The possibilities really were endless. That's how Blizzard innovates. Wrath of the Lich King was an incredible experience for me as someone who is invested in storytelling. I even wrote up some pieces of fan fiction about my character, a human paladin who has sworn revenge on Arthas and all Orcs. I think I still have that somewhere on my hard drive.
In more recent memory, Space Marine by the folks at Relic and THQ has been another awesome experience. Based on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise of tabletop games by Games Workshop, the game is about a Captain of the Ultramarines chapter as he and his warriors defend an Imperial world from the ravages of the Orks, the galactic menace. The storyline in the game is great and has some truly epic moments (such as a female senior officer of the Imperial Guard, and fighting off enemies in gunships), the game combines elements of both the RPG and shooter genres for a really interesting hybrid. Again, there is a great diversity in mission types and locations, etc, but where the storytelling fails is in its denouement, in the epic battle that's been building up from the get go. It also underscores how painfully short the whole game is. The Warhammer 40,000 setting one of the grandest and most epic settings out there in science fiction, with an incredible amount of depth and nuance to it, no matter which faction it is. But it seemed that the developers went for the safe and short route. It's a very different sort of approach than what we got in the first three Dawn of War games, which are RTS games based on the same franchise. A lot of potential for character development was simply left unfulfilled. And that's my main criticism for the game. I do have to say though that the opening, when the fate of the world is being discussed by the bigwigs of the local Imperial authorities, that is exactly the kind of opening I wanted for this game. It highlights the merciless and "grimdark" feel of the setting.
As you can tell, I'm a big fan of the grand, epic storylines, where both the focus and scope of the game is huge. I think those are trickier stories for developers to get right. Whether its dialogue, or narration, or quest text there is something inherently compelling in such stories. I find them much more inspiring than the Halos and Call of Duty's out there.
Myke Cole
As a security contractor, government civilian and military officer, Myke Cole's career has run the gamut from Counterterrorism to Cyber Warfare to Federal Law Enforcement. He's done three tours in Iraq and was recalled to serve during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. All that conflict can wear a guy out. Thank goodness for fantasy novels, comic books, late night games of Dungeons and Dragons and lots of angst fueled writing.
I started in the video game stone age with the 8 bit graphics of Hunt the Wumpus and Ultima I and the text reels of Zork. They helped form the bedrock of love-of-fantasy that eventually grew into my desire to write for a living. Infocom, for reasons I don't fully understand, always treated the Zork storylines as a lark, as if the medium of gaming somehow precluded taking the story seriously (we like games? Nah. We're only KIDDING!). Anyone remember Leather Goddesses of Phobos?
But the graphic based games had only a veneer of a storyline. In Karateka, an 8 bit classic that sucked up WEEKS of my childhood, a bad guy kidnapped your girlfriend, and you had to fight your way through a castle to rescue her. Not much of a story.
But, here's the thing. I *miss* those days. This is because I filled in the blanks. I knew that Akuma had a backstory. Maybe he was part demon? I knew that his castle ruled over a fiefdom, full of peasants suffering under his rule. Maybe there were other resisters among them? Maybe some of them had stories? I knew that princess Mariko wasn't just a weak woman, waiting to be rescued. At the end of the game, if you stayed in your fighting stance and got to close to her, she'd kick you in the head and kill you. She must have some training of her own. Was she also a karateka? Had she kept this secret from you? Why?
These questions formed the bedrock of my nascent storytelling skills, as I drifted off to sleep at night wondering about Iolo and Shamino. Who were they? Where did they grow up? What was that like? The 8-bit rendering of the Wumpus didn't satisfy. I had to paint the picture in my head. The Grue comes to eat you in the pitch black, but you never *see* it. My mind worked to fill in the blanks.
And that, just as much as fantasy novels and comic books, made a writer out of me.
Don't get me wrong, today's video game storytelling is *outstanding* (the original Deus Ex and Thief series, anyone?) Modern game stories have absolutely inspired my writing. But there's something about the early days, a gap in the picture, that I will always miss.
I had to work to fill in those blanks. And I came to love that work.
I still do.
Jason M. Hough
Jason M. Hough (pronounced Huff) is a former 3D Artist and Game Designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction). His first novel, The Darwin Elevator, will be released in July 2013 by Del Rey, followed by books two and three of the trilogy in August and September.
Robert McKee, the great lecturer on plot structure, said "There's only one story: the hero's journey." And, other than a handful of possible exceptions, most video games are exactly that: A hero, usually you, on a journey of some sort.
Games are an interesting beast though because there's really two stories trying to be told: the one pre-programmed in (sometimes no such thing exists), and the one the player creates through their actions.
The massive challenge facing game designers is to make us feel that we're making the decisions, that this really is our story being told. This often must be an illusion, but the great games will make us forget that (Grand Theft Auto comes to mind). The worst of them, and I feel this is happening more and more as story complexity in games increases, will feel to us like nothing more than a string of pre-recorded scenes we've simply been given the tedious task of unlocking. In these cases, either the gameplay or the story must be uncommonly good for players to put up with it. Uncharted pulled this off. Mass Effect, too, though the feeling of not being in control is well masked here because much of the story unfolds in gameplay rather than cinematics. On the other hand, most movie-based games fail in this area for reasons I hope are self-evident.
Portal is a great example of a game that could have eschewed a pre-programmed story. At its core Portal is a linear collection of clever physics-based puzzles. If it went no further it would have been pretty good, too. But it would have been sterile. I think what made Portal so great, beyond the brilliant play mechanic, was the story layered on top of it. It tied the whole thing together and added a wonderful momentum, all without getting in the way. Players remember "thinking with portals" as much as they remember "the cake is a lie."
In fact this illustrates another challenge in conveying story in a game: the nature in which we play them. Short sessions over the course of a few weeks, occasionally with multiple-day gaps in between. The odds are stacked against complexity and characterization. How often have you picked up an RPG after a long break and racked your brain to try and remember what the hell was going on? I feel this way with books when there are years between releases in a series, but if I'm away from an RPG for even a few days I sometimes feel lost. Games also are likely to get repeat visits, often with players going through the same game but as a different character. All of this stacks up against the game designer who is striving to tell a complex story, and in the past has been the primary reason for light stories that put most of their focus on high-impact moments (first and last level, typically).
My favorite game this year was FTL. The wonderful thing about FTL is that it has no preconceived story line. Instead it has an elegant, simple plot motivator: unseen bad guys are coming for you. They get closer with each passing moment and your goal is to stay ahead of them so that when they do catch up, you're ready. The story, though, the journey that you go on to get from beginning to end, is yours. It comes through organically. And it is different every time and even though you basically never win, it's almost always an amazing, gut-wrenching, tension filled extravaganza. And the further you get, the higher the experience soars. It's brilliant, and the best part is that your decisions, every damn little one of them, ends up helping or haunting you right to the bitter end.
Another game I'll mention is Minecraft. A very different game from FTL, but similar in the sense that the story is what you make it. And though it can often have a story no more interesting than "I dug a ditch", I guarantee you when you have a truly epic hardcore survival-mode run that ends in a desperate clash with a slew of monsters pouring through the dungeon stronghold you accidentally breached, you will never forget that. And you know what, when you tell another player about it they will listen with rapt attention to your story. Story, see? I bet you didn't know Minecraft had one. Sure, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it is boring. But try telling another Uncharted player how you beat the final level. They'll probably cut you off halfway through and say, "yeah, I know, I played it" (or maybe "dude, no spoilers"). Nothing against Uncharted, by the way. I played it and enjoyed it, but since setting down the controller I hadn't spent a moment thinking about it until now. The focus is on a pre-programmed story (a great one too, with fine writing) but there's virtual zero opportunity for the player to make their own story.
My advice to game designers today: Design your game to let the player's actions tell a great story. Don't treat the player as a mule who is just carrying the camera gear from pre-rendered scene to pre-rendered scene. I say this, by the way, as a former game designer who is guilty of every sin mentioned above. I also realize this is a tall order in this age of movie-sized budgets and risk-averse executives. They want to see every dollar on the screen, as the saying goes, and so they want designers to force the player down one path, allowing all the focus to go there. Resist! Or do what I did, and write books instead.
Paul Kirsch
Paul Kirsch thinks way too hard about science fiction, steampunk, and video games, and treats every Twilight Zone marathon like a national holiday. He reviews books and writes about writing at paul-kirsch.com
I used to think that we could do no better than games like Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment, where reading a novel's worth of dialogue and description was as vital to the game play experience as combat. Those are like The Godfather of gaming — fantastic, but they would prove a hard sell today, when gamers could just as easily flick an angry bird across the screen. That said, I would argue that the potential for quality storytelling is every bit as genuine today as it was yesterday, and that gamers have some of the biggest hearts in the creative world.
Whether putting together a book, a film, or a piece of music, the artist has to think beyond their vision of the masterpiece and factor how the product will engage the audience. Game designers face this challenge every day. They need to craft a convincing environment with (often) a quality score, sound, graphics, narrative flow, and dare I even mention a fun and challenging game mechanic. I can only imagine that they're pulling their hair out over audience engagement during every stage of the project.
When the game is done, gamers are left with nothing but the rattling in our heads. The quest is over. No one left to guide them through the world. This is where the story of a game is tested: with the question of where it left its audience. Did it tie up every loose end, or leave us wondering what we did wrong? Was the ending consistent with the rest of the perceived narrative? How did the gameplay inform the story itself, if at all? The story becomes the emotional anchor that weighs the game in our minds long after we play it. Bastion is a fantastic example of a game with emotional girth. A combination of narrative, music and overall tone make the player feel nostalgia for a world that was already dead. That game is laden with resonance before even approaching the question of play. Portal and Half-Life are instances where the designers value the intelligence and insight of players, and craft resonant experiences where the limitations and puppet strings are nearly invisible. Alan Wake, Assassin's Creed, and the classical Omikron: The Nomad Soul utilize the meta tools of great literature and force the player to confront their own sense of reality, with the game's journey as symbolic of an interior quest for self-discovery.
Telling a story in a game is both simpler and more complicated. We have the tools to craft gorgeous worlds on a massive scale, but a greater responsibility to make the story as compelling.
I save the lion's share of optimism for the independent game world. Steam has leveled the playing field to give modest games the audience they once lacked, using the same model as iTunes or ebook self-publishing. Even if the big companies went morally bankrupt overnight and started to grind out Call of Duty clones, it would take a lot more to destroy the creative endurance of gamers. The games we want to play are being made because we're the ones making them.
Zachary Jernigan
Zachary Jernigan's debut novel, No Return, comes out on the 5th of March, 2013, from Night Shade Books. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Crossed Genres, and Escape Pod, among others. He promises/hopes that he is better at writing fiction than he is at playing video games.
When the kind and august — not to mention muscular — Nick Sharps asked me to be part of this discussion, my first thought was, He should get Paul Kirsch to contribute! (This was literally thirty seconds before Paul, knowing his own strength in this department, volunteered.) Though I was interested in the topic and agreed to contribute, my knowledge of the current state of storytelling in gaming is… sadly lacking.
But Paul — Paul's a gaming guru, a vocal supporter of the art form. His enthusiasm is often infectious. He has, for a couple years now, been encouraging me to play video games more. In particular, he has raved about the storytelling in Mass Effect. One evening, he told me with ever-growing enthusiasm how immersive and complex the game was, completely ignorant of how much the very idea of the game stressed me out. You see, I'm the kind of gamer (though that term is too select; occasional and completely bumbling controller-masher is more appropriate) that worries over every little detail, making sure that every corner of aroom is explored, until giving up in a huff five minutes after starting.
Dude, the games of today are hard. And the more complex they are, the closer I come to a heart attack. I mean, goodness, my favorite game series of all time is Mario Kart. That's my speed, man.
So why on Earth am I part of this discussion? Well, because, other than the fact that Nick was kind enough to ask me and I'm just enough of an attention-junkie to accept, I really love the concept of storytelling in video games. While I'm sitting, neurons barely firing as I watch some dumb TV show, there are millions of gamers immersing themselves in virtual worlds, solving puzzles and building skills — contributing, in a far from passive way, to sophisticated storylines. It's awesome. I, interested if uninvolved party that I am, lament how little respect is granted to an art form that contributes so much to our narrative culture.
All of this begs the question, though: If I can see the virtue in these games, why don't I make a more concerted effort to play them? And my answer is… Laziness? Stupidity? I don't really know the exact reasons. I do know, however, that I'd be thrilled to have my own novel turned into a game — of course I would; No Return: The Game would be so much cooler than No Return: The Movie! — but I also know that I'd stink at playing it. I'd go to L.A. to visit Paul, where I'd watch him play, reveling in how he contributes to the story I helped create. And then I'd visit my bosses, Jason and Jen (both huge gaming advocates), and watch them play.
I'd be a bystander, thrilled and jealous by turns.
It probably won't happen, of course, but it gives me shivers just thinking about how cool it'd be.
Now, I realize that I haven't contributed too much to the issue, here. I only touched on the first of Nick's questions. But… I do hope I've made it clear that, even to the non-player, the virtues of video games as a narrative medium are obvious. In other words, some of us may be intimidated by how mature the art form has become, but this doesn't mean we can't appreciate it in our own way.
Thanks for asking me to contribute, Nick. Thanks for reading, readers!
David J. Williams
David J. Williams is author of the 22nd century espionage/future war Autumn Rain trilogy as well as this year's steampunk novel The Pillars of Hercules; he is also credited with story concept for last century's Homeworld.
I think there's been some fantastic stuff in recent years—the Bioshock and Fallout franchises come to mind—but really, I think it's just getting started. What's possible now is so beyond what was do-able at the outset of the video game era that it's as fundamental as the shift from silent to sound in cinema. Yet all too many of the attempts to take advantage of that bring to mind the maladroit 1947 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic The Lady In the Lake (in which the entire movie was shot from Philip Marlowe's point of view, to disastrous results). Immersive storytelling demands a different set of rules, and I'd have to say that the twin gods of programming and art continue to draw the bulk of the attention of the folks running the industry. This is understandable, but also unfortunate. Because if the New Aesthetic applies to anything at all, it applies to video games; Borges' "The Garden of Forking Paths" might just be the ur-template here, with its (seemingly) endless chains of possibilities—though the challenge for video-game narrative is to control those in a way that Borges' narrator did not, integrating the virtual with implicit expectations from the ever-more-elusive real one.
Though in the spirit of full disclosure: this is in many ways still my favorite game evah.
MIND MELD: How Science Fiction Changed Our Lives
MIND MELD: Who Are Your Favorite Villains In Fantasy And Science Fiction?
MIND MELD: The Future of Humans and AI
MIND MELD: The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction
David J Williams
About Nick Sharps (85 Articles)
Nick is the Social Media Coordinator and Commissioning Editor for Ragnarok Publications and its imprint, Angelic Knight Press. He is a book critic and aspiring author. He is the co-editor of Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters from Ragnarok Publications. He studies Advertising and Public Relations at Point Park University.
Contact: WebsiteFacebookTwitter
MIND MELD: What We're Thankful for in the Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Genres
MIND MELD: Memorable Short Stories to Add to Your Reading List (Part 2 of 2)
MIND MELD: What Was the Last SF/F Book That Surprised You?
VIDEO QUIZ! Name These 20 Video Game Planets
MIND MELD: Why is the World of Faerie so Popular in Fantasy?
4 Comments on MIND MELD: Storytelling in Video Games
Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87) // December 26, 2012 at 4:27 am //
Now those are some truly excellent responses to the question. Great to be a part of this one! Thanks Nick!
Paul (@princejvstin) // December 26, 2012 at 8:08 am //
Nah. We're only KIDDING!). Anyone remember Leather Goddesses of Phobos?
:Raises hand: I do. You got to pick your gender by which bathroom your character went to at the beginning of the game…
Carl V. // December 27, 2012 at 12:36 pm //
Great conversation about one of my favorite activities, though one I don't get near enough time with.
Thanks Myke Cole for the mention of Thief, one of my favorite gaming experiences ever. Those three games were just amazing. I generally find myself comparing all my gaming experiences to the time I spent with those games as they came out. Although it has just the barest outlines of 'story' I found myself loving Dishonored this year because it allowed me to sneak around the entire game, Thief-style, knocking out and stashing away my victims rather than being forced to kill them to complete mission objectives. Great fun!
While I don't disagree that the open ended nature of games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim *can* lead to an unfocused experience simply because of how far off the main quests you can go, it is that aspect that to me makes them a nearly perfect gaming experience. There is a serviceable story in both games (and New Vegas) but at the same time I can use my own imagination and create my own immersive experience for my character by setting personal quests, building up whatever skills I am interested in my character having, etc. I love that.
But like Kameron Hurley and others I also like the level of storytelling that goes on in games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect where choices have consequences and even when the story is more linear there is a really strong emotional investment because of the quality of the story and the quality of voice actors, cut scenes, etc.
I think we are in a great age of gaming and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Robert // December 29, 2012 at 5:07 am //
I've read with pleasure Kameron's Hurley trilogy (God's War, Infidel and Rapture), and I think I'd like to play a game following Rapture story. I don't know if the game can reproduce details of the book with fidelity, and I'm afraid I'll be disappointed not to find in the game the world that I imagined.
In the 'Never Would be Too Soon' Department
Star Trek: Enterprise could be on the chopping block. IMHO I could happily live the rest of my life without anyone producing another Star Trek TV show, movie, book or Legend of Bilbo Baggins song.
MIND MELD: A Spacecraft of One's Own
[Do you have an idea for a future Mind Meld? Let us know!] We asked our respondents about taking a jaunt in a spacecraft. Q: Congratulations. You can take a trip on, or if you prefer, captaincy of, the spacecraft of your own choice from genre literature. The only catch is--it can't be the Millennium Falcon or the Firefly. Continue Reading →
Books Received: January 20, 2014
In the interest of full disclosure, here are the books we received this week.


The Frisian Stabyhoun was run by my grandfather out hunting.
Charcoal Graphite Chalk and Wash. Sketching the Stabyhoun.
On prepared (tinted) Yupo full size sheet (640 mm x 915 mm).
$440.00 AUD – unframed – free p/h in tube worldwide.


The ROS2500-01 is a hard case specially designed for the storage and transport of the Ronin-S by DJI. It has a perfectly cut foam inlay, which provides space for the individual components of the gimbal. The case offers space for the gimbal with focus wheel, extended grip, camera mounting plate, USB power adapter, two BG37 grips and an accessory box.
Related links to "HPRC ROS2500-01"


With some 30 parks and recreational facilities located in Hoover's city limits, there are recreational opportunities for everyone.
If hiking or rock climbing is your thing, the 349-acre Moss Rock Preserve is the place to visit. Veterans Park is a memorial park honoring our veterans, and is where 5K races are held almost weekly among the wide variety of other offerings. If sitting in nature and reading a book is an option, visit Aldridge Gardens.
The Hoover Met Complex, which is home to the SEC Baseball Championship, opened additional fields to host a variety of sporting events. The recently completed, universally designed, inclusive EXPLORE playground and splash pad is a destination in itself.
For indoor recreation like swimming, group fitness or gymnasium activities, consider the Hoover Recreation Center. The reasonable memberships are available to Hoover residents.
The City of Hoover acknowledges the importance of recreation on the quality of life for its residents and visitors, and places significant emphasis on providing opportunities to meet a variety of needs..
View a map of Hoover park facilities.


Personal driver profile resume examples. Learn how to draft the perfect professional profile here.
Five Different Career Levels. Welcome to the County of Santa Barbara Employment Page! Applying online is easy!
So example sentences. How to use so in a sentence. You can create a resume to showcase your talents and job skills by knowing how to write your resume experience at any point in your career. First, you need work- related skills.
Simply click on a job title below to open the job bulletin, then click on the " Apply" link. Real career skills. Not bow hunting skills or nunchuck skills.
What Skills to Put On a Resume - Hard and Soft Skills. Personal driver profile resume examples. Example sentences with the word so. A professional profile enhances the readability of your resume making it hiring manager- friendly.
When it comes to essay writing, an in- depth research is a big deal. Our experienced writers are professional in many fields of knowledge so that they can assist you with virtually any academic task. The resume that you use when you first start out in the job market will look markedly different as you gain experience and confidence.
Make your job application process a breeze using these 80+ FREE resume samples & writing tips from all industries. Download our resume examples free and customize to suit your needs.
May 05, · A resume objective ( also known as a career objective) is a short, targeted statement or introduction that reflects what you have already achieved, and how you are a perfect match for the position that is on offer. Have a look at some resume objective examples:.


text:
Teeples defends city council on economic development efforts
January 27, 2016 Greene County News Online
Jefferson city council member Larry Teeples took Greene County Development Corporation executive director Ken Paxton to task at the council meeting for comments Paxton made publicly last month about economic development activity in the county.
Teeples comments came after Paxton made his quarterly report to the council.
Teeples said that after hearing a couple of Paxton's recent talks, he came away "with kind of a bad feeling."
"I just want to say that the people here are elected by the people in Jefferson and we have to be fiscally responsible for what we do. If we see something that doesn't look good to us, we can't let it go," Teeples said. "You said at some of these meetings that we was setting back and kind of watching, not doing anything."
Paxton answered that his comments weren't aimed at the city council.
"It was the city of Jefferson you're talking about. We are the city of Jefferson," Teeples said. "I think we move forward on everything, and so I just wanted to clear that up with you. A lot of people went out of these meetings with a pretty bad taste in their mouth."
"I've spent five years trying to be 100 percent positive about all things at all times," Paxton answered. "I'm sorry, but I'm allowed to have an opinion, and I've thought since the casino that some people have thought, 'We're done. We've got the casino. We're finished. We don't have to do anything.' It wasn't directed at the city council. It wasn't directed at anybody specific, but my goal is to scare people to keep the momentum going. We need to continue to grow.
"We've got the visibility. We're seen across the state as a growing, progressive community. I didn't want to lose that. I didn't want that drive and initiative to go away," Paxton said.
Paxton apologized and said, "It wasn't meant to be anything critical. It was meant to keep people moving along."
In his report Paxton said he is working on three different housing projects. He's working with Region XII in forming a western Iowa contingent within the Highway 30 coalition, and that he's in discussion with the Greene County Early Learning Center about future planning. He is working with development of the west business park and working on maps of potential commercial sites on Highway 30 near Wild Rose Casino.
← 'Cruzin' to Caucus' in Jefferson Monday	Greene County Impact Award dates told →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Based on popular usage, it is 1.135 times more common for Noonan to be a boy's name.
Get the meaning of the name Noonan.
When naming your baby Noonan, it's important to consider the gender of the name itself. When people look at the name Noonan, they might ask the question, "is Noonan a man or a woman?", or "what is the gender of the name Noonan?" Some names are more gender neutral than others, and some names are more strongly associated with either males or females. Some spelling variations of the name Noonan might be more popular than others. The Baby Name Guesser can answer all these questions about the name Noonan. To find out more about Noonan, Baby Name Guesser uses up-to-date data from across the Internet on how the name Noonan is actually used.


Descriptions of the Merchant Offerings and Products advertised on the Site are provided by the Merchant or other referenced third parties. Subscribly does not investigate or vet Merchants. Subscribly is not responsible for any claims associated with the description of the Merchant Offerings or Products. Pricing relating to certain Merchant Offerings, Products, and other available programs on the Site may change at any time in Subscribly's sole discretion without notice.
A Merchant may advertise goods, services or experiences on the Site, or with respect to Products, supply products to Subscribly, that require Merchant to have an up-to-date regulatory authorization, license, or certification. Subscribly does not verify, validate, or collect evidence of any regulatory authorization, license or certification from any Merchant (including, without limitation, Health & Fitness and Beauty & Spa Merchants). You should make whatever investigation you deem necessary or appropriate before purchasing any Merchant Offering or Product to determine whether: (i) Merchant is qualified to provide the advertised good or perform the advertised service; or (ii) the Product is of the care and quality required. Merchant is solely responsible for the care and quality of the goods and services being provided or the care and quality of the Products.
Subscribly is not a health or wellness provider and does not, will not, and cannot refer, recommend, or endorse any specific professional services, products, or procedures that are advertised on the Site. The Site is not a substitute for professional advice, including, without limitation, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a health condition. Never neglect to seek out or delay or disregard professional advice relating to your health because of something you have read on the Site.
If an offer becomes unavailable between ordering and processing, Subscribly will either cancel or not process the order and will notify you by email.
Subscribly does not guarantee that it offers best available rates or prices and does not guarantee against pricing errors. Subscribly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to not process or to cancel any orders placed, including, without limitation, if the price was incorrectly posted on the Site. If this occurs, Subscribly will attempt to notify you by email. In addition, Subscribly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to correct any error in the stated retail price of the Merchant Offering or Product.
Your voucher may always be redeemed at the merchant who issued it for at least the amount you paid for it – even if the promotional value has expired. Additionally, any unredeemed voucher may be returned to us within the first three days of purchase for a refund of the amount paid. After that three day time period, Subscribly will not refund any voucher and all sales are final, unless otherwise stated in the Fine Print.
Vouchers are redeemable for certain goods, services or experiences offered by, or facilitated through, the Merchant identified on the Voucher. The Merchant is solely responsible for redeeming the Voucher. Furthermore, the Merchant is fully and solely responsible for the care and quality of all goods and services it provides to you and for any and all injuries, illnesses, damages, claims, liabilities and costs ("Liabilities") it may cause you to suffer, directly or indirectly, in full or in part, whether related to the use or redemption of a Voucher or not. You waive and release Subscribly and its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, employees and agents from any Liabilities arising from or related to any act or omission of a Merchant in connection with your use of a Voucher or the goods, services or experiences a Merchant provides in connection with the Voucher.
The Merchant is the sole issuer of the Voucher. Vouchers are not redeemable for cash, unless required by law. Unauthorized or unlawful reproduction, resale, modification, or trade of Vouchers is prohibited. Pricing relating to certain Merchant Offerings and Products on the Site may change at any time in Subscribly's discretion, without notice.
Additional terms applicable to traditional Vouchers. A traditional Voucher is any Voucher other than a Coupon, ticket, a Local Pick-Up Voucher (described below), or a Voucher redeemable for ticketed events. A traditional Voucher has two separate values: (i) the amount paid and (ii) the promotional value. The promotional value is the additional value beyond the amount paid. For example, if you pay $20 for a Voucher that entitles you to $50 of goods, services, or experiences from a Merchant, the amount paid is $20 (this amount does not expire until it is used or is refunded) and the promotional value is $30 (this amount expires on the date stated on the Voucher unless expiration of the promotional value is prohibited by law). The Merchant is responsible for permitting you to redeem the Voucher for at least the amount paid, even after the promotional value has expired. The amount paid WILL NEVER EXPIRE. The promotional value of a traditional Voucher may not be combined with other offers and no portion of its value is intended to cover tax or gratuity. Traditional Vouchers are not reloadable, meaning that the amount paid of the Voucher cannot be increased, but are always transferrable.
(Through the Site, certain Merchants allow you to purchase various products directly from the Merchant. Terms and conditions regarding shipping, delivery, and returns will vary by Merchant and will be stated in the Merchant's deal terms. Charges for delivery and applicable sales taxes will be added at checkout. Once you click the "Buy" button, Subscribly will notify the Merchant of your requested order. Your purchase is not complete until you receive an email from Subscribly confirming whether or not the Merchant has accepted your order. Merchant is solely responsible for all Merchant Products purchased through the Site.
Coupons are offered by Merchants to consumers throughout the Site, including, without limitation, a portion of the Site dedicated to Coupons. Coupons are subject to the terms and conditions as specified by the Merchant. By obtaining or purchasing a Coupon through the Site, you acquire the right to redeem the Coupon with the Merchant. Any service fee retained by Subscribly from the sale of a Coupon, if applicable, is compensation to Subscribly for marketing, promoting, advertising, and distributing the Coupons on behalf of the Merchant. As the issuer of the Coupon, the Merchant shall be fully responsible for any and all Liabilities, caused in whole or in part by the Merchant, as well as for any Liabilities arising from any regulatory action. Coupons have no cash or residual value. Subscribly does not make any warranty in relation to the Coupons, including, without limitation, their validity and/or value. Subscribly is not a party to any transaction that the Merchant and you may enter into as a result of you purchasing any Coupon.
Merchant Gift Cards are offered by Merchants to consumers subject to the terms and conditions specified by the Merchant on the face of the Merchant Gift Card. By obtaining or purchasing a Merchant Gift Card through the Site, you acquire the right to redeem the Merchant Gift Card with the Merchant. Any service fee retained by Subscribly from the sale of a Merchant Gift Card is compensation to Subscribly for marketing, promoting, advertising, and distributing the Merchant Gift Cards on behalf of the Merchant. As the issuer of the Merchant Gift Card, the Merchant shall be fully responsible for any and all Liabilities, caused in whole or in part by the Merchant, as well as for any Liabilities arising from any regulatory action. Subscribly does not make any warranty in relation to the Merchant Gift Cards, including, without limitation, their validity or value. Subscribly is not a party to any transaction that the Merchant and you may enter into as a result of you purchasing any Merchant Gift Card.
Through the Site, certain Merchants allow you to purchase delivery service and take out service for food, beverages, and any other products. Restrictions regarding availability of food, beverages, and takeout and delivery services will vary by restaurant and will be stated on the restaurant's landing page. Any charges for delivery and takeout services, processing fees or applicable sales taxes will be added at checkout. Once you click the "Checkout" button, Subscribly will notify the Merchant of your requested order. Your purchase is not complete until you receive an email from Subscribly confirming whether or not the Merchant has accepted your order. The Merchant is solely responsible for the care, preparation, safety, quality, and availability of the food and beverages being provided.
Descriptions of the food, beverages, and any other products advertised on the Site and their availability are provided by the Merchant or other referenced third parties. Subscribly does not investigate or vet Merchants, and Subscribly is not responsible for any performance or quality claims associated with the description or availability of, or the accuracy, safety, or quality of, the food, beverages and any other products. Pricing related to food, beverages and any other products, and takeout and delivery charges and other fees may change at any time in Subscribly's sole discretion without notice. Subscribly does not guarantee that it offers best available rates or prices and does not guarantee or warranty against pricing errors.
Drivers responsible for delivery services are either (1) independent contractors of Subscribly, or (2) employees or agents of Merchants. If Subscribly's independent contractors are providing the delivery services, you will be able to track the delivery of your order. Subscribly cannot and does not guarantee specific delivery times, nor does it guarantee the accuracy of its delivery tracker technology. SUBSCRIBLY WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS OR MERCHANTS' EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS, OR FOR ANY HARM CAUSED TO YOU OR YOUR PROPERTY BY THEIR ACTS OR OMISSIONS.
Through the Site, certain Merchants allow you to book appointments for salon and spa services on a specific date and time, and most allow you to also pay for those salon and spa services through the Site. Any restrictions regarding availability of appointments will vary by Merchant and will be stated on the Merchant's page. Unless disclosed on the Merchant's page, any charges for the salon and spa services booked through the Site, applicable sales taxes, and applicable gratuity will be charged after the appointment. The booking of your appointment is not complete until you receive confirmation from Subscribly that your appointment is confirmed. If you do not cancel a confirmed appointment before the Merchant's cancellation deadline, you will be charged the cancellation fee specified by the Merchant and disclosed on the Merchant's page. The Merchant is solely responsible for all availability and all salon and spa services provided on and/or through the Site.


Replace your running shoes every 300-500 miles, they say. 'They' have never experienced the highs and lows of running in a new pair of kicks.
You start to notice something smelling funky, so you take out the trash, disinfect your refrigerator, and light some candles. Then you get another whiff. You realize the odor is laced to your feet. Crap.
You go to the running store to replace your favorite running shoes, which you have now accepted are foul and coming apart at the seams. The betrayal is palpable. You and your shoes have had so many good runs together. You can't believe it's come to this.
OMG! The shoes are all so cute! So many pretty colors! You simply have to try on every last pair. Screw your stinky sneaks.
You hop on the treadmill with each pair, and the store clerk videotapes you running to check your form. You can't believe you wore a skirt for this and hope the clerk can't see up it.
The results are in! The playbacks reveal your new perfect shoe. But you really like the colors on that other pair. You're too embarrassed to have that conversation, though, so you agree to buy the "smart" choice.
Time for your first outing as runner and running shoe! You are so pumped and fully expect to shave at least a few seconds off of your mile time.
This is what running was meant to feel like. You know that book Born to Run? It was written about you.
…Until you land squarely in a puddle.
Adrenaline sets in, and you quickly approach what feels like Usain Bolt pace. Must get home to clean shoes!


Welcome! My name is Your Name and nutrition is my passion. For the last 15 years, I've been working with families, businesses, schools, and organizations in Denver, CO to promote wellness.
I became interested in health and nutrition 14 years ago when I was pregnant with my eldest child. My career as a Elementary School teacher fueled my passion for learning, and, as I began to research how to survive pregnancy and create the best life possible for my unborn child, I began to realize how important my Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition choices were, both while pregnant and throughout life.
Going L.E.A.N. was one of the easiest transitions my family has ever made, and I am passionate about sharing these life-changing tools and information with you and your family.
Emily received her Health Coach Certification from the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, founded by world-renowned physician and author, Dr. William Sears. The Institute is a leader in science-based health and wellness education that focuses on the four pillars of health; Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition (L.E.A.N.). A certification by the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute is obtained only after completing the extensive course work and meeting all requirements. Once certified, a Health Coach possess the knowledge, tools and resources to make a positive difference in the health of others.


text:
Q: Time complexity using Big-O notation I am having trouble understanding this time complexity O(sqrt(B)) given that B is an integer.
For example if I have a function...
int GetResult(int A, int B)
{
}

...and this function has a time complexity of O(sqrt(B)), what exactly is the time complexity?
Sorry if this is a little vague...I'm not really sure how else to explain.

A: The time complexity is an indicator of the runtime of a function relative to the amount of its input data.
given n data items for a function,

*

*O(n) means a function will simply pass over each data item "once". So doubling the input amout will double its duration.

*O(n2) would mean that a function for example has two nested loops over the data, so double the input amount and wait 4 times as long.

*O(log n) for example would only need logarithmic time, e.g. when you give 10 times more input, the function will only take one "step" longer.

*O(sqrt(n)) thus means when you give 4 times the input of a call, the function will only take twice the time.

The Big-O-Notation only states how a function scales, but not how long it actually takes. For instance, the Big-O-Notation ignores constant factors. e.g. A function that iterates 4 times over some data (4x loop in sequence) has O(4n), and that is equal to O(n).
This fact also shows why O(log10 n) is equal to O(log2 n):
log10 n = (log2 n) / (log2 10). As (log2 10) is a constant factor, it can be omited in Big-O-Notation. Thus you can choose whatever log you like, it will not mean any difference concerning Big-O-complexity.
When you have two inputs, say lists A and B, you use two variables for there size, say n resp. m.
A function that has complexity O(n^2 * log m) behaves as follows:

*

*doubling list A will result in much slower execution (i.e. 4x duration) but

*doubling list B will only result in only "one more iteration" over the A's processing duration of O(n2) (i.e. it will only take n^2 * (any unknown constant factor) longer.)

A: The answer to your question depends on B.
If B = O(n^4), then O(sqrt(B)) = O(n^2)
If B = O(n^2), then O(sqrt(B)) = O(n)
If B = O(n), then O(sqrt(B)) = O(n^(1/2))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It's no secret that 2018 has been a tough year for cryptocurrency traders. Exchange hacks, regulation, price uncertainty – the list goes on. Many of these are the signs and symptoms of a sector that's still in its infancy. It's a frustrating game seeing so much profit potential bogged down by so many roadblocks. Here are some notes from the crypto trading trenches of 2018 (and partly 2017).
Cryptocurrency is synonymous with profit potential. Buying a crypto asset in 2017 and seeing 100-300%+ profit in a matter of days was not uncommon.
The problem however, is the lack of a centralized exchange with all applicable assets. Many significant trading opportunities are coins or tokens that are only on minor exchanges with low volume. This requires the trader to send crypto funds to a small exchange, sometimes seeing difficulty getting larger orders filled due to lack of buyers and sellers.
Another exchange difficulty is that these exchanges can often be shady – potentially subject to exit scams. Some exchanges have simply vanished with all funds. Leaving crypto assets on lesser-known exchanges can significantly increase risk.
What about keeping those funds on a hardware wallet? Well, that can be safer for investing/hodling, but what if the coin or token starts to dump unexpectedly on a short-term trade? Good luck trying to send that asset to an exchange in time, and then get that sell order filled.
It's also annoying to record all trade info for tax purposes. You need to account for all those separate exchanges, initial USD/FIAT cost basis, and then whatever that Bitcoin or Ethereum price was at the time of trade, as well as the purchased asset price and amount.
Larger exchanges like Binance and Bittrex are great for keeping trading records, providing a centralized trading platform. But what about all the recent regulation and Tether fears? If a government decides to look into them or take them down, all funds on the exchange could possibly be suspended during the investigation. Or the mass amount of people exiting the exchange could lead to assets stuck on said exchange.
There is currently a serious absence of viable options for U.S. residents wanting to trade Bitcoin (and others) with leverage, as well as shorting Bitcoin. Bitfinex, BitMEX, and Deribit are three of the best options for precision trading with leverage. But all those exchanges ban U.S. residents. Sure, many people use a VPN. But for someone trying to be honest and play by the rules, there currently aren't any great options.
What about 1Fox? Their sister site 1Broker got seized by the FBI, causing a mass exodus from the platform. Additionally, they have discontinued trading for the foreseeable future.
How about Kraken? Their fees are significantly higher than sites like Bitmex. It can also be tough to get orders filled without liquidity. Over the last 24 hours (as per time of this writing), Kraken has seen just over $7.7 million traded in Bitcoin/USD, while BitMEX has seen over $600 million in Bitcoin/USD trading.
As mentioned above, it's no secret that crypto often sees dramatic price swings, giving potential for significant profit. But recent weeks have been the slowest in a long time. At times over the past two weeks, Bitcoin has actually seen less volatility than traditional financial markets.
Crypto has also lost significant liquidity over the past several months, sitting at just over $210 million via Blockmodo real-time data – down from over $800 million.
For an honest citizen seeking to pay crypto taxes, things are difficult. Cointracking is a service that can help track crypto assets. But once you factor in hardware wallets, dozens of wallet addresses, different exchanges, and cost basis, it becomes tough.
And as recently seen in the student who owes about $400,000 in taxes – you can get taxed on gains, even if you don't sell into FIAT.
Tax laws are not currently favorable toward cryptocurrency trading or use – and it's frustrating.
Hopefully, things will continue to move forward, while still providing a period for strong growth and potential for those currently involved in the crypto space. But early adopters have not been without their struggles.
*Crypto Insider is sponsored in part by Blockmodo. as part of our arrangement with them, Crypto Insider may occasionally link to, and quote, Blockmodo when appropriate. this is done at the discretion of our staff. Crypto Insider sponsors have no say in any of our editorial decisions.


Nokia's flagship handset, the much-hyped Nokia 9, is anticipated to race ahead of its chief competitors, namely Xiaomi Mi 6, iPhone 8, and the Samsung Galaxy S8. While Samsung has already disclosed its secret weapon this quarter, Apple and Xiaomi are yet to unveil their handsets. In the midst of this already brimming pandemonium, Nokia's announcement regarding the launch of its prime brand has exacerbated the market situation, prompting tech gurus to unearth the features of each of the products.
Nokia's resurgence in the mobile market has been making headlines for several weeks now. Its new-gen smartphone producer, renowned Finnish company, HMD Global, recently released 4 key handsets, namely, Nokia 6, Nokia 5, Nokia 3, and a renewed version of Nokia 3310 in selected countries. Keeping in line with Nokia's decision of sticking with stock Android, the Nokia 5, Nokia6, and Nokia 3 are completely Android powered, giving them an edge over other Android competitors. In addition, these handsets are budget friendly, which is expected to prep up their sales in the global market. These handsets are expected to be launched by the end of the second quarter of 2017 in the Indian sub-continent.
Rumors have it that Nokia has a plethora of more products – Nokia 7, Nokia 8, and Nokia 9 in the offing, out of which Nokia 9, the company's crown jewel, is believed to be embedded with the best technology and advanced features. Slated for a release in Q3 2017, the handset is projected to be priced at EUR 749 in Europe and USD 699 in the United States. In India, the product sale is expected to commence with a value of INR 44,999 in India, which goes to prove that the region is one of Nokia's most trustworthy and profit generating market.
Reliable sources state that Nokia 9 is anticipated to be equipped with Carl Zeiss cameras, an Iris scanner, endowed with Qualcomm's high-powered processor- the Snapdragon 835. With a deluge of such advanced features in tow, Nokia 9 is undoubtedly set to give a tough time to its rivals in the industry. The latest scoop also informs that HMD Global will liaison with more than 80,000 retailers and 400 distributors in addition to online retailing partners to make their product universally available.
Given the product specifications, it seems that Nokia has concocted a brilliant strategy to mark their triumphant comeback into the mobile industry. Nokia 9 will be by far, one of most superior products mobile users will have ever encountered. Nokia's rivals – the ubiquitous Samsung and Apple, in addition to Xiaomi, might have to ante up their marketing strategies to steer the audience away from Nokia, say experts. This is likely to be a tough challenge, owing to the fact that Nokia has been, after all, a much-loved and reliable brand in the mobile industry. Whether Nokia 9 will do justice to the hype it has created, remains to be seen.


text:
This Is What Is Happening in Washington Today
Thread starter daroth
daroth
This Is What Is Happening in Washington Today | ZeroHedge
With the market now responding almost exclusively to political developments (in a bizarro way of course: US-China trade war is bad for the USD, hence good for stocks), fundamentals long forgotten, and as a result HFT algos now moving primarily to FX trading (just read the following story about a Reuters data feed break causing a currency spike), focusing on politics, especially with both the US and China having fired the first trade war shots, will be unfortunately increasingly more important. Thus, here is what to expect out of our (and by our we naturally mean Wall Street's) "best and brightest" representatives today.
From Goldman Sachs
Free trade deals likely to pass the House and Senate, along with a number of hearings, and continued action on the Volcker Rule…
10:00 am -- Republican leadership press conference. Now that the Senate has rejected the President's jobs package, one of the main questions is whether the House will take up any of the measures on a piecemeal basis as the Senate appears likely to do. So far, House leaders have signaled they may move certain parts of the package on a standalone basis, but haven't indicated which parts those might be. Regardless, the most likely path to enactment still seems to be inclusion in the legislation produced by the super committee in November, assuming it is able to reach some type of agreement.
10:00 am -- SEC open meeting on Volcker Rule. The SEC will consider the draft rulemaking on prohibitions on certain investments and trading pursuant to the Volcker Rule enacted in the Dodd Frank Act, as well as registration of swap dealers and "major swap participants."
10:00 am -- Derivatives regulation. The House Agriculture Committee will review legislative proposals to modify Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act, which covers derivatives regulation.
10:00 am -- National Infrastructure Bank. The House Transportation Committee's title sums up the view of the committee's Republican leaders: "The National Infrastructure Bank: More Bureaucracy and More Red Tape."
10:00 am -- House Financial Services Committee votes on capital stock increases for IBRD, IADB, EBRD, and ADB. The legislation is called "Supporting Economic and National Security by Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Multilateral Development Banks Act." However, the more important step is for Congress to actually order the Treasury to write the check providing funding; that occurs as part of the appropriations process, where recapitalization will compete with other domestic priorities.
12:30 pm – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks on the future of the just-passed currency legislation. The Senate passed currency legislation aimed at China last night with 63 votes. In theory, the next event could be the release of the Treasury's semi-annual report on foreign exchange, which is technically due October 15, but like previous administrations, the Treasury hasn't been holding to the formal deadline recently. So far, indications from the House are that hearings will be held on the issue, but there is no plan to consider the Senate's bill at present.
1:00 pm -- Federal Home Loan Banks. The House Financial Services Committee will review the state of the FHLB system, which came under new regulation in 2008 but hasn't seen the same level of legislative focus as the GSEs or the FHA. The former director of the FHFB (the FHLB system's former regulator until FHFA took over after 2008) and representatives from the FHLB system and the banking industry will testify.
Afternoon -- House and Senate vote on trade agreements with Columbia, Panama, and South Korea. The House is likely to pass all three agreements, along with renewal of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which provides training, health benefits, and other assistance for workers displaced by trade competition. The Senate is expected to vote on the measures later today as well, which would put them on their way to the President's desk to be signed into law.
The Growth Of Cryptocurrencies In 2022!
kazitanzib
General Trading Chat
Marilami
What Is A Spread?
What is position trading in Forex?
nunrgguy
14th Oct 2022 – It is not OPEC you know; "It is OPEC+"
Walid Salah Eldin
Daily Analysis
Is this fair? I don't think so
in4abuck


Two hours spent behind-the-wheel of a car is a long time for anyone. When you consider the fact that our students are not just driving, but actively learning it becomes even longer. New drivers need to think through every step of even the most basic maneuver to build safe driving habits. This is a mentally intensive process, and our research has shown that forcing students to do this for longer than 90 minutes actually causes their driving skills to regress, rather than improve.
Sitting in a fixed position for longer than 90 minutes is unhealthy to the human body. Muscles in the arms, shoulders, and legs begin to cramp and lose circulation. The student's eyes, which are the single most important tool of any driver begin to fatigue and lose focus. Not only is this harmful to the student's training, it endangers the safety of student, instructor, and the general public.


text:
Le , un séisme situé à Hokkaidō fait  et .

Intensité sismique
Le séisme est le premier à avoir atteint le niveau maximum de 7 sur l'échelle de Shindo à Hokkaido, et le sixième au Japon depuis la mise en place du système en 1949.

Bilan
Le séisme a provoqué d'importants dégâts, principalement dans la sous-préfecture d'Iburi. Des glissements de terrain ont enseveli plusieurs maisons des municipalités d'Atsuma et d'Abira.

Près de trois millions de foyers se sont retrouvés sans électricité. Les réseaux de téléphonie ont été coupés et la circulation des trains a été interrompue. La distribution d'eau a été perturbée, notamment à Sapporo. Ayant subi des dégâts, l'aéroport de Shin-Chitose a été fermé. L'électricité a pu être rétablie le 7 au matin pour  de foyers. Il ne restait plus que  sans électricité le 7 au soir.

Le ,  étaient encore hébergées dans des refuges, et  étaient toujours sur place pour apporter de l'aide aux habitants.

Plusieurs incendies, notamment dans une usine de Mitsubishi Steel de la ville de Nemuro et dans une raffinerie de Muroran, ont été maîtrisés. Plusieurs usines, notamment de Toyota, ont cessé leurs activités. L'usine de Toyota reprend partiellement son activité le .

La centrale nucléaire de Tomari, installée sur la côte ouest de Hokkaido et appartenant à la Compagnie d'électricité de Hokkaido, a perdu son alimentation extérieure. Ses circuits de refroidissement fonctionnent sur des systèmes d'alimentation de secours. Aucune anomalie n'a été signalée selon l'agence de régulation du nucléaire.

Notes et références

Hokkaidō 2018
Hokkaidō 2018
Histoire de la préfecture de Hokkaidō
2018 au Japon
Septembre 2018
Seisme Hokkaido

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Short Ribs and Random Thoughts Oct 17 2017
It should be clear to any intelligent voter that our Fake President did not win the election because of Russia interference, but because he has been the only candidate in history to go into the election with 100% name recognition. If he continues his course, he will also be the first President in history to inflict a major loss of health benefits on the people in our society who are least able to sustain them. He should be ashamed, but he is incapable of shame. Three weeks after the hurricane, 30% of Puerto Rico has no clean water and 85% of the people have no electricity but he wants to be praised while he pitches paper towels to the peasants like a damn Marie Antoinette. Work hard, Bob Mueller, work hard.
THE FIRES- everyone has a fire story. Two of my cousins in Santa Rosa are back home but still may have to leave because of air quality. My other cousin sold his home in Fountaingrove last year. It has burned to the ground. There is nothing more upsetting than seeing a family home destroyed, except for the loss of life.
SOME FUN GUN STATS-from TIME. There are 265 million guns in the US. These are owned by 35% of the population. 94% of all voters support background checks for all gun buyers. 57% believe guns are too easy to buy and only 35% think more Americans owning guns will make Americans safer. Finally, 30% of gun OWNERS support stricter gun laws.
DID YOU HEAR about the fire in Redding that was caused by a spark from a golf cart??? Something ELSE to worry about! And what about the bozo who's been aiming lasers at aircraft from "somewhere east of McKinleyville"? Of COURSE it would be a bozo from MackTown! Of COURSE! Hope they catch him soon. It's obviously a "him." It always is.
THE BALLOT- I know that people have fought and bled and died to preserve our right to vote, but isn't this going a little too far? I live in Cutten. I got a ballot giving me a choice of two people for CR trustee, a sheet of instructions (!), and a "Mail Ballot Voter Receipt" that is mostly blank plus a return envelope to which YOU are supposed to attach a stamp. I would be that most of these get tossed in the trash and never returned. There has to be a better, less wasteful was to do this.
I WILL ASK the same question to ATT customers that I ask to Facebook users and people who still deal with Wells Fargo- WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT?
The long awaited and much anticipated Mity Nice Bakery – in the old HCAR building on 7th- has apparently changed their name to the Fat Cat Bakery, which is a improvement. Mity Nice sounded too much like MICE. Let's hope for their early opening. Let's hope also that someone does something about the building NEXT to it which has to be The Worst Building In Eureka. It it's not, tell me which is.
The Stuf'd Potato- I thought a October-fest visit would be appropriate but we got off to a false start because THEIR WEBSITE IS INCORRECT. They are only open from 4pm- NO lunch service at all anymore. They have a Early Bird menu (not on the website) which basically echoes the dinner menu without soup/salad. I had the Jaegerschnitzel ( pork cutlet with a mushroom sauce) and it was well-prepared. The only vegetables they had were that red cabbage I don't like and carrots, which I don't like either. The potatoes come in kind of a ball, a little gummy but tasty. The veal was fine but the standout was their mushroom and bacon soup. It was outstanding and I would go back just for that. HERE's a link to their website but I would call to confirm before making that long trek to Broadway. It's an attractive and comfortable restaurant in a strip mall. Your grandmother will love it.
Have you heard the Mexicans' nickname for Trump? TWITLER! I love it.
THIS JUST IN- Trump plays golf while our soldiers; bodies land at Langley, lies that Obama didn't meet the bodies of the troops. There is NO limit to his evil.
This entry was posted in News, Uncategorized and tagged At&T, CR ballots, Fat Cat Bakery, Stuf'd Potato, The Fires by redw6452. Bookmark the permalink.


January U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $181.9 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was down 1.7% from December's total and up 1.9% from January 2014.


text:
Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Connect on Linked in
Member Login | Not a member? Sign Up!
forgot user name or password?
There is a right and a wrong in the universe, and that distinction is not hard to make.	Superman
All Transactions
New Platform
May River Launches Specialty Coatings Strategy
July 10, 2019 No Comment
May River Capital has partnered with industry executive Jeff Oravitz to seek and acquire a specialty coatings and materials company. Steve Griesemer and Chip Grace, both partners at Chicago-based May River, are coordinating the search for the new platform.
For almost 11 years Mr. Oravitz was with MetoKote, most recently as president, which was acquired by PPG Industries in June 2016 from Platinum Equity. Lima, OH-based MetoKote applies coatings to customers' manufactured parts and assembled products. It operates on-site coatings services within several customer manufacturing locations, as well as at regional service centers, located throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic. MetoKote grew to nearly $200 million in global revenue and more than 1,500 employees across 29 facilities under Mr. Oravitz's leadership. In September 2017, Mr. Oravitz led PPG's acquisition of The Crown Group, a Warren, MI-based provider of coating services, from High Road Capital Partners. In total, Mr. Oravitz has nearly 30 years of specialty chemicals experience.
"I am very pleased to partner with May River Capital in the development of a new platform," said Mr. Oravitz. "The specialty coatings and materials space presents many opportunities for investment and development and is well aligned with my background and the resources of May River Capital."
The new platform sought by May River will be a North American-based manufacturer or value-added distributor of coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, surface treatments, or plastics and specialty materials. The company should have at least $10 million in revenue and $3 million of EBITDA; opportunities with less than $3 million in EBITDA will be evaluated as potential add-on investments.
"When there is a compelling opportunity to partner with an industry executive who is extensively credentialed in one of our target growth sectors, we will conduct a focused search alongside the executive," said Mr. Griesemer. "Jeff will also be joining May River's Executive Resource Group, a collection of experienced operators who hail from world-class organizations and institutions. He will work with our core team to evaluate new opportunities, assist in platform optimization, and, in the case of this executive-led strategy, take a leadership role in a new platform company."
Chicago-based May River invests from $15 million to $40 million of equity in companies with enterprise values of $15 million to $75 million. Sectors of interest include precision manufacturing, engineered products, specialized industrial services, and value-added industrial distribution.
May River has successfully executed other executive-led strategies, including partnerships with Brad Sterner, CEO of Hunt Valve, a Salem, OH-based maker of valves and components used in severe-duty applications in the fluid power industry (acquired in February 2016); Rick Weiler, CEO of The Dickson Company, an Addison, IL-based provider of test and measurement instrumentation and related software tools (acquired in April 2018); and Chris Stevens, CEO of Industrial Flow Solutions, a holding company for BJM Pumps (acquired in August 2017) and Stancor Pumps, both are Connecticut-based makers of submersible pumps and pumping controls systems.
May River was founded in February 2012 and closed its inaugural fund, May River Fund I LP, in March 2017 with total commitments of $170 million. The new fund was raised in just six months and closed above target (www.mayrivercapital.com).
© 2019 Private Equity Professional | July 10, 2019
May River Launches Specialty Coatings Strategy added by John McNulty on July 10, 2019
View all posts by John McNulty →
© 2019 Private Equity Professional
Private equity's leading news magazine since 2007


Registration is not performed , you are missing information. Complete all the fields.
Registration is not performed , Please try again.
We have received your information. We have sent a detailed email with information of our programs and hours available.
Content is property of BOUNDLESS Fitness Center. All rights reserved.


Barry "BGD" G. Diehl, 67, of Ancona, formerly of Streator passed away at 4:36 PM Monday (November 12, 2018) at his residence.
A visitation will be held from 3-7 PM Friday at the Hagi & Baker Funeral Home and also from 9-10 AM Saturday at the funeral home. A Elks Ritual will be held at 6:30 PM Friday at the funeral home.
Funeral services will be held at 10 AM Saturday at the funeral home. Rev. Rodney Kreier will officiate.
Interment will be in Wolf Creek Cemetery with full military rites by the Streator Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1492 and the Streator Leslie G. Woods American Legion Post 217.
Pallbearers will be his nephews.
He was born on August 26, 1951 in Aurora, IL to G. Alan & Betty (Tranter) Diehl. He married the former Cathy Schultz on January 1, 1972 in Naperville.
He is survived by his wife; a son, William "Bill" Gene Diehl of Ancona; siblings: Cindy (John) Olszewski of Oswego, Karen (Jerry) Dietzman of Sandwich, Keith (Char) Diehl of Prescott, AZ, Kathy (Greg) Krasuski of Crossville, TN and Deb (Jim) McCary of Crossville, TN and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Betty Diehl Robinson.
He graduated from Naperville High School and then served in the United States Army serving in Germany.
He was the Manager at Morton Buildings for 47 plus years retiring in 2016.
He was a member of the Streator Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and a life member of the N.R.A.
He and his wife traveled the country in their motorhome especially enjoying the Southwest.
He liked to shoot guns and spending time with family and friends.


text:
requirevars 'defaultDB' 'input_global_tbl';
attach database '%{defaultDB}' as defaultDB;

select  colname,
        FARITH('/',S1A,NA) as avgvalue
from ( select colname,
              FSUM(S1) as S1A,
              SUM(N) as NA
        from %{input_global_tbl}
        group by colname );

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub