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Anton Dubrau's blog about maps, transit ideas and implementations
What's a Gadgetbahn?
December 3rd, 2017 by ant6n
For some time, I've been meaning to write about German transportation systems like what's an S-Bahn or what's a Stadtbahn.
With the recent news out of Quebec, I figured I'd instead talk about a transportation concept that doesn't actually transport anybody at all: the Gadgetbahn.
The word is a portemanteau of the English "Gadget" and the German word "bahn", which means rail or train. A gadgetbahn is a speculative transportation concept that proposes to solve planning and financial issues via some sort of magical techno-fix, likely some technology that doesn't even exist yet.
Classic examples of gadgetbahns are: monorails, "personal rapid transit", maglevs, or the newest addition to the family, the "hyperloop".
Proponents of these technologies may be referred to as gadgetbahn enthusiasts, or more derogatorily, "pod-people". They often promise the sky in terms of reduced cost and increased speed and comfort, often with little consideration for capacity, risk, safety or realism.
Back to Quebec: the prime minister decided he wants a fast transit link between Montreal and Quebec City, but not a train, because "we can do much more modern things now".
Instead, he wants something "futuristic", something from the minds of Quebecers. (note from editor: Sorry to pop his bubble, but Quebec is not exactly known for having a long history on the bleeding edge of transit technology.)
The problem of the gadgetbahn isn't necessarily that it's a techno-fix. It's that it is a technology for the sake of technology, a shiny gizmo to brag about, with little regard to solving the actual transportation problem.
The transportation minister clarified his position himself: he wants anything you can conceive of, any project; innovate, come up with new ideas!
And somehow, some consortium sprung up ready with proposals, renderings, promises and deadlines to build a high speed monorail ("MGV"), and all they want is a quarter of a billion dollars to develop it.
Cost, Speed, Comfort
– The problem is geometry, physics and the Right of Way
The beauty of proposing a gadgetbahn is that since it doesn't exist, proponents can make up all sorts of quasi-magical properties for their technology, which supposedly make it superior. Since there aren't real-world examples, proponents can use the most optimistic theoretical scenarios they can come up with, and compare them with the actual performance of projects that have been built and which are bound to the constraints of the real world.
For example, the high speed monorail promoters claim their system is cheaper than conventional rail, because they could just use existing highway medians, with an elevated rail system where vehicles are suspended from above.
The "MGV" (monorail a grande vitesse), high-speed pods on elevated tracks, suspended from above
When you look at its basic structure, compared to conventional rail, this monorail essentially differs in the method of propulsion: instead of two wheels on two rails below the train, we have two wheels on one rail above the train.
The main conceptual difference between conventional rail and 'MGV':
the location of the wheels
Like for any gadgetbahn, the claim is that this new technology provides more speed, more comfort at lower cost.
But in the real world, these three aspects are always intricately connected and subject to tradeoffs – due to simple geometry and physics.
Want faster transportation? Then you need very straight tracks. Don't have straight tracks but still want high speed? Then your trip will become a barf-ride, so less comfort. Want to build cheaply in an already existing highway median? Well the highway curves are made for cars going at 100km/h, so your choices are:
slow down (less speed),
run inside the existing geometry at higher speed (less comfort),
straighten the curves (more expensive).
These problems will always come together. At the end of the day, you're still pushing a metal can full of people at high speeds you can't get out of issues of geometry and physics by changing where you put the wheels.
Going further, once it appears the basic problems have been overcome, the next issues become capacity, safety, energy and access (stations).
For example, Elon Musk is proposing to build tunnels with his "Boring Company", which will supposedly be cheap, because the tunnels will be relatively narrow. This reduces capacity, because only smaller vehicles will fit in the tunnel. To compensate, he may propose that vehicles will run super close together – which will represent a huge safety issue unless they run slowly. A small tunnel with a lot of vehicles that are barely smaller than the tunnel diameter, running at high speed may become a death trap in case of emergency, if there isn't enough space and facilities for egress. If somehow he manages to solve all these issues, there's still the problem of getting everybody into this tube of his.
All these considerations come down to the one fundamental constraint on which everything else depends: the right of way — how much space do you have available, how straight is your path, how and where is the downtown access, and how much space is available at stations.
The Maglev
An example of this issue is the maglev technology (essentially magnetically elevated monorails). The concept has been around for ages. The Germans and Japanese have been developing the technologies for a long time. In the early 2000s, the Germans were able to sell their Transrapid technology to China for the Shanghai Maglev airport connector, a 30-km line. It was a pilot project, with the hope to eventually cover the whole country with maglev network.
The Maglev was seen as the next generation of trains, mostly by being faster. But there was also the hope that it could even be cheaper, by putting the whole track on stilts, without having large elevated bridge-like structures. But in the end, conventional high speed rail and maglev require similar geometries, a similar kind of infrastructure, and it turns out that the speeds are not that different (Shanghai Maglev up to 430km/h, conventional rail up to 350km/h, both with a maximum experimental speed of around 600km/h).
At more than 300km/h, a lot of energy is spent to overcome the air drag of the trains themselves. Issues also become noise, and the required straightness of the infrastructure. And the issue that with stops, decreasing travel time by increasing maximum speeds becomes marginal. Overall, speeds above 300km/h tend to become uneconomical, no matter the propulsion system.
From a distance, elevated conventional high speed rail (left) and maglev (right) appear strangely similar – the requirements on the tracks are due to physics and geometry, so the propulsion method alone won't give one system a clear advantage over the other in terms of infrastructure cost
All of these issues come together to make the technological choice a bit of a wash.
In the end it makes more economic sense to build from conventional technology which has been developed for a longer time, has multiple vendors, has existing infrastructure that can be built on top of. This way, you can upgrade lines for high speed service, while being able to run the new high speed trains on existing tracks inside cities or to other cities. This provides a huge economic advantage.
So indeed, although the Shanghai Maglev works, in an economic sense it's a failure. It convinced the Chinese to focus on high speed rail: ten years after the opening of the Maglev, the country still had the same 30km of maglev, but built 20,000km of high speed rail.
(Oh and btw, I've taken the maglev, it's not a very smooth ride; it rumbles like a rollercoaster)
The Real Issue: Economics
The real issue of using a gadgetbahn to solve a transportation problem is not really technical. It's that it re-frames the problem to build an infrastructure as the problem to develop a new technology — now you've got two problems to solve!
The technical problem should really be solved through private investment, not public funding. Thus I view the 'offer' to develop the "high speed mono-rail" for "only" 250M$ with a great amount of distrust. If the idea is viable and the people behind it are competent, it should have attracted private investment, as there should be a potential to make profit selling the technology. After all, the proposal has been around for 23 years.
When proposing a completely new technology in order to solve a specific transportation problem, the major problem is Risk:
Technological risks: Will it even work? Will it deliver on claims? Will it have sufficient capacity?
Cost-related risks: How much will it cost to develop? How much will one kilometre cost once the technology developed?
Regulatory/safety risks: Will it be safe? What will safety requirements be? How fast will we be allowed to run?
Risks because timelines are not understood: How long will it take to develop? How long will it take to plan & construct?
Operating Risks: How much will it cost to operate? How much will it cost to maintain the infrastructure? Will automated/unattended operation actually be possible?
Risks because we need to build complete systems at once, rather than incrementally updating existing infrastructure.
Also, new technology means relying on a single vendor, which is again extremely risky, both in terms of cost and availability of the technology in the future: Will the vendor exist in the future? How much will they charge us once we depend on them, given the lack of competition?
For any technology that's already existed and been researched for decades, and that may have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of kilometers of infrastructure built today, all these question are much easier to answer. There will be much less risk, and thus less cost.
Be distrustful of Gadgetbahn Concepts
Any time somebody in power proposes to solve an infrastructure problem by first developing some new technology, or by using some proposed technology that hasn't been delployed yet, we should be distrustful.
Often, the proposal may simply be an excuse to not invest in infrastructure today, because tomorrow some techno-fix will come along and solve all our problems 'for free'. This tactic may work especially well if the proposal includes an appeal to some futuristic dream or a nationalistic project.
The gadgetbahn may really just be a big diversion. For example in Quebec, the most realistic scenario to get a fast link between Montreal and Quebec is the "high-frequency train" proposed by VIA rail, which would link the cities with conventional rail. After repeatedly proposing high speed rail for the last 40 years and getting no support from the governments, VIA decided to propose a system that's not true high speed rail – but it would use dedicated passenger rail tracks, allowing somewhat faster speed than today, and no interference with freight.
This would hit an economic sweet spot for VIA, allowing them to almost finance and build the system themselves, with only relatively little public support.
But the main problem is the access to Montreal – VIA hoped to use the Mont-Royal rail tunnel to access Gare Centrale. But with the REM light rail project pushed hard by the prime minister, the tunnel would be converted to light rail, an incompatible technology, which will cut VIA off. In some sense, the prime minister's announcement that he wants some gadgetbahn to Quebec City means VIAs rail project would become obsolete, and the conflict would become moot.
So is it really just a diversionary tactic to hide the regional rail planning problems in Montreal?
Interesting related reading (and with thanks for some inspirations) by Alon Levy:
"Loopy Ideas Are Fine, If You're an Entrepreneur"
Published on Sunday, December 3rd, 2017 at 20:30
Filed under Montréal, technology, trains.
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2017 in Review How VIA Rail Torpedoed its Own "High-Frequency Rail" Project and Montreal's chance for Regional Rail The REM Proposal is the Best Transit Project Montreal has seen in 30 Years
20 Responses to "What's a Gadgetbahn?"
Peter L Says:
December 4th, 2017 at 13:07
Nicely done. I usually end up not reading your blog, not because I don't like it or you, but because I get angry and can't think straight when reading about REM! 😀
Here, I think you've done a good job covering the gadgetbahn phenomenon something certainly not limited to Montreal or Quebec (see, for example, the gondola ride proposed for NYC).
I expect to be posting a link to this in many discussions going forward!
And remember: monorails, maglevs, and now hypeloops and robot cars are the transportation of the future! Always have been, always will be! 😀
Mr.Chinaski Says:
Not one mention of the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev instead of the Chinese one? Cmon
One note: Despite gadgetbahn may look german, it is not. Though 'Gadget' and 'Bahn' are known.
Isn't the new mayor of "ville de REM" against the mentioned mount royal solution?
ant6n Says:
@Mr Chinaski
I mentioned Japenese development in the area; and the maximum speed (~600km/h) comes from that project as well.
Tue Shanghai Maglev was mentioned to make a particular point. If you think this article is supposed to be a survey of speculative transportation technology, I think you may have missed the point.
Zweisystem Says:
Vancouver's SkyTrain is a good example of "gadgetbahnenn".
With much hype and hoopla, the driverless ALRT/ART was said to revolutionize public transport.
Well that was in 1984 and in 2017 Vancouver's SkyTrain has not lived up to its promises of revolutionizing transit.
Only 7 such system have been built in almost 40 years and its marketing name has been changed at least four times. ICTS > ALRT > ALM > ART.
Even though SkyTrain is driverless, it costs about 40% more to operate when compared to light rail systems. Very expensive to build, up to 10 times more than LRT (1982 IBI Study for the TTC's ART Study) to build.
Vancouver's SkyTrain system also has limited capacity and its Transport Canada Operating certificate limits capacity to 15,000 pphpd, unless about $3 billion is spent up grading the line and re building stations.
To date, the taxpayer has spent over $10 billion on SkyTrain or about $7 billion more than if light rail were built instead.
The big problem is that politicians , engineers, bureaucrats and academics have been bamboozled by the proprietary light metro and continue planning for more. The have deified the damn thing.
The real winners of "gadgetbahnenn" are the owners of the patents, as all gadgetbahnen are indeed proprietary railways.
And who own the patents for Vancouver's SkyTrain? Bombardier and SNC Lavalin.
Build with gadgetbahnen, better have a lot of cash, because they cost a lot, lot, more than advertised.
Gaël Says:
What about tilting trains?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_train
Aren't they a good way of getting more speed and comfort without straightening curves, at a reasonable cost?
And I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I feel like by putting the wheels above the vehicle rather than under it, you can achieve better passive tilting, since you could eventually let the vehicle rotate freely around the longitudinal axis of the track. I have no idea if this is actually considered for the MGV…
The UA TurboTrain had passive tilt. The Talgos all have passive tilt. The LRC had active tilt as does the Acela. All are bandaids for bad track. Put the money into the track.
@Gael
I didn't want to go into tilting. Yes tilting allow you smaller curve radius at similar comfort / speed levels. It's a way to 'trick' the issues of physics/geometry/cost that I mentioned. But these tricks are possible with conventional rail as well.
Firstly, it's possible to use a lot of super-elevation on your tracks (i.e. tilt them). Since VIA's TGF wouldn't host freight trains, I believe the tracks could be very super-elevated.
Secondly, tilting trains are possible as well (As Peter points out). We have to wonder whether having a frame within the train that the passively tilting carriage is hanging from is cheaper than having the whole track up on a frame.
Further, passive tilting is a bit limited, because it's reaction is delayed. Active tilting is preferable – again this is possible with either wheel configuration, but I think it narrows the difference in complexity of the two modes.
Furthermore, there's a limit to tilting at high speed, because of the rotational jerk. (Edit: there's also a maximum tilt that you can subject to people before they'll get sea sick).
So that brings us back to a similar issue as before: the tilting trick is possible with both wheel arrangements, so the question is whether the economics and the risk of developing a unique solution make sense.
Fraser Pollock Says:
December 14th, 2017 at 19:38
Many years ago when I was just out of university, I had job where I actually provided information for the public about other Gadgetbahn systems, when a certain railway vehicle provider (which will remain nameless) was doing possible LRT and Subway/Metro projects. One of my many duties was to show people how many of these so called future public transport systems were really just poorly tested concepts.
The reality of many of these pieces of technology were not that they didn't work but could not ever do many of the things that there proponents say they could do.
For example, "Low cost construction" of the infrastructure usually meant that the people who designed the concept had a simple pre-built mass produced vehicle tech or precast concrete construction system in mind for the vehicle, vehicle rights of way (tracks) and stations. The reality was usually that the right of way construction technology was designed for a test vehicle that was 1/4 – 1/6 the actual size and weight of the production model. This meant whisper thin support poles shown in flashy pictures actually needed to be replaced with massive concrete pylons and decking, which are not cheap and or easy to build. Often they are very expensive to maintain over time. Or the building technology wouldn't work or couldn't legally be used for safety reasons in the particular operating and legal climate being proposed.
My favorite was the constant claim of high speed (especially for Personal Rapid Transit Systems) when in the picture or diagram provided the station stops were in eye shot of each other. Forcing very high acceleration/deceleration if high speed was actually even possible. It goes back to the comfort level for the customer the article mentions.
Maintenance and spare parts as well as other on going operational costs are often overlooked when gadgetbahn systems try to show how cheap they are. As with many proprietary transport systems the cost of things like, staff operations and maintenance training, spare parts packages as well as support equipment cost and supply are never included in the glossy promotion packages that possible operators get. This is assuming the company pitching the gadgetbahn technology even has these costs on file yet!
Never mind climate can make or break new pieces of technology. For example, many of the new wireless power systems for LRT and other rail vehicles don't work well or at all in snowy or overly wet ground conditions, not to mention if its really cold. These are not even pieces of Gadgetbahn technology but technology provided by well known international rail vehicle providers. Bombardier's wireless ground based Pri-Move system for example, doesn't work at all in snow or function well in damp surface conditions and temperatures under 8 degrees C. The one place where has been sold and functions well is in Saudi Arabia, where it is normally bone dry and very hot.
Bjarne Says:
January 2nd, 2018 at 06:37
Grouping maglev, hyperloop and several other systems into one group and calling it gadgetbahn is a dishonest misrepresentation of these totally different systems.
The equivalent would be to call conventional rail industry a dinosaur technology. That would also be condescending and meaningless. It would also be at the same level as calling rail and HSR gadgetbahn before they were invented or implemented many years ago.
The list just goes on and on with more condescending expressions like
"gadgetbahn enthusiasts", "pod-people" and "speculative technology"
I guess he forgot to write maglev-fanboys or gadgetbahn-fanboys.
It is a good sign of desperation and lack of arguments to write this.
The rest of the article does not give much meaning because it mixes totally different systems.
"They often promise the sky in terms of reduced cost and increased speed and comfort, often with little consideration for capacity, risk, safety or realism."
This may be true for systems that does not exist yet, but not for Transrapid 09 (picture in lower right corner).
Here is a suggestion.
Call HSR "HSR". It exists.
Call maglev "maglev". It exists.
Call Hyperloop "Hyperloop". It does not exist.
"It's that it is a technology for the sake of technology, a shiny gizmo to brag about, with little regard to solving the actual transportation problem."
This is just a nonsense sentence because these are not real arguments.
It is irrelevant if the technology is shiny or worth bragging about.
How do you know if a system can solve the actual transportation problem?
That is the relevant question to ask. They are totally different systems!
Try to do some testing on the following statement.
"…a technology for the sake of the technology…"
Use the argument for HSR. Now you see it.
One should be positive about new ideas and technology and evaluate them objectively! Not on the basis of them being shiny or not! HSR can be shiny too, can it not?
Another round of misrepresentations in the article.
This time there are 3 errors in the same sentence.
"But in the end, conventional high speed rail and maglev require similar geometries, a similar kind of infrastructure, and it turns out that the speeds are not that different (Shanghai Maglev up to 430km/h,
conventional rail up to 350km/h,
both with a maximum experimental speed of around 600km/h)."
They do not require similar geometries! Maglev only need half the curve-radius (if not even less) compared to HSR. Maglevs can also climb at a degree several times higher than HSR.
They do not require a similar kind of infrastructure. Elevated HSR needs elements that are 5(!) times heavier than the ones for maglev. Think of all the concrete and CO2 we can save by building maglev.
The speed is also dishonestly misrepresented.
Shanghai maglev has a technical top speed of 500 km/h. The reason why it maxes out at 430 km/h is the length of the track (30 km).
HSR reduces its speed to 250 km/h in Europe because of the exponentially rising tear and wear which leads to astronomical maintenance costs. French TGV has to replace it's wheels several times a year. Not to mention the track and the overhead lines.
The experimental top speed of HSR is of little or no interest. The fast TGV train was a heavily modified train and can not be called a normal HSR. The experimental top speeds of maglevs have been from normal maglevs. Not experimental.
Another mistake from the article.
"At more than 300km/h, a lot of energy is spent to overcome the air drag of the trains themselves, which makes these speeds uneconomical either way. So the propulsion system is kind of moot."
The propulsion system is important. The main reason to elevate the train from the track is to reduce the wear and tear of the wheels and track. This is, economically speaking, much more important than the use of energy. Furthermore it should be mentioned that the German Transrapid 09 maglev uses 30% less energy than HSR.
Maglev has been developed over several decades.
These two statements seem to contradict each other.
"The concept (maglev) has been around for ages. The Germans and Japanese have been developing the technologies for a long time."
"In the end it makes more economic sense to build from conventional technology which has been developed for a longer time,"
German maglev has been developed over several decades and is an optimally developed and well tested system. It is ready to be implemented anywhere in the world where high speed ground transportation is wanted and needed.
The maglev line in Shanghai was built primarily to get to know the system.
How do you think an elevated HSR line in Shanghai would have performed?
There is a lot of corruption in China, including in rail. Google it. Check it out.
The Chinese are also building a maglev which will probably be based on the German one.
https://www.motor1.com/news/129207/china-maglev-train-due-2020/
HSR can not necessarily run on existing rail lines through cities and stations.
There may be capacity problems and differences in track types and width.
The Japanese run their Shinkansen system on a totally separated system.
"The technical problem should really be solved through private investment, not public funding." How much governmental support has the railway industry got?
Building a new infrastructure is a huge project with potential economical advantages for the society as a whole and huge challenges regarding the legal area that the private industry not necessarily will get involved in. An elevated maglev system may, to a large extent, use existing rights of way (motorways and rail), but it will be a huge challenge anyway. How will a new HSR infrastructure built on the ground perform in this area?
"Will it even work?" "Will it deliver on claims?" "Will it have sufficient capacity?"
Yes. Transrapid 08 has been working very well in Shanghai for over 12 years and has driven more than a million km with millions of passengers without major issues. Compare that to HSR which has an extensive maintenance program.
The capacity is at least half a million passenger-km per hour for German maglev.
"How much will it cost to develop?" "How much will one kilometre cost once the technology developed?"
German maglev is already developed. German taxpayers, along with Thyssen-Krupp and Siemens have taken the costs for you and your country. It costs 20-25 million dollars per km.
"Will it be safe?" "What will safety requirements be?" "How fast will we be allowed to run?"
German maglev is safe. There are several safety systems built into the system. One can also mention elevation as an important safety measure.
The train is certified to run 500 km/h in Europe. People can move freely around as in a conventional train.
German elevated maglev may be built 3-4 times faster than HSR on the ground.
The maglev will also not disturb other infrastructure, waterways, people and animals.
The maintenance and operational costs will be much lower than for HSR. No wear and tear on the track. No driver needed. Less trains needed because of superior acceleration and top speed.
Maglev can be build incrementally so one can familiarize with the system.
HSR has already shown that over 200 km/h the wear and tear skyrockets exponentially with increased speed.
The article is full of misrepresentations which "accidentally" favours HSR.
The Transrapid TR09 is a smooth ride.
Is there an agenda behind the article?
Who is the author? What are his roles?
Is the author representing any interests?
Dear Bjarne, I see you are very defensive about the whole issue, with all sorts of accusations of improper writing and even accusations of conspiracy. I think your anger is playing with your reading comprehension. I didn't mix up the different transportation concepts. You are. If you actually read my article carefully, you'll see I'm using conventional maglev merely as an example of a kind of technology that was hailed as the solution a long time ago but that didn't really pan out, to warn of supposed technology solutions being proposed today ("MGV").
I'm not really interested in going into your technicals (except for a big 'citation needed'). Suffice to say with all your numbers and claims in vigorous defense of maglev, you're not getting the point that after what, 30-40 years of development, we have 30km in production, maybe we'll be getting another two lines in another 10-20 years; whereas conventional technology exists in tens of thousands of km. In fact the Chinese build tens of thousands km basically from scratch, after testing maglev. Germany tried several times to build the Transrapid and it was always deemed uneconomical. Being able to incrementally build systems (something you claim is not a problem for maglev), is one of the main problems, as are the economics.
But really, if you'd spent five minutes of attention on actually reading the article, rather than huffing and puffing about it, you'd see that my main concern is how in Quebec ("my country") there are many who view the proposed suspended monorail concept as a realistic solution to link Quebec and Montreal. You seem to have completely missed that the article is mainly to warn about the dreamy solutions Gadtgetbahn enthusiasts dream up with the "MGV".
Oh an btw, I invite you to actually go take the Transrapid. I've taken it, and it is indeed quite a rumble-ride.
Malcolm Says:
It's interesting that two of the pictured "Gadgetbahns" you head your article with, Ultra and Maglev, are actually in commercial operation.
Perhaps, in view of your statement, "The beauty of proposing a gadgetbahn is that since it doesn't exist…", you may feell the need to either change the images or rephrase your statement?
When you propose a Gadgetbahn, it doesn't generally exist yet. That's why you can make claims you don't need to back up with facts.
You're missing my point and, probably, Bjarne's.
Ultra is operational.
Maglev is operational.
Apart from your claim they aren't, you are spreading other false information in your opinions.
Is it too much to ask for accuracy?
Or does Gadgetbahn mean you can make claims where you don't need to back up with facts, even though it does exist?
January 3rd, 2018 at 21:19
@Malcom
No, you're missing the point. It doesn't matter whether the Gadgetbahn enthusiasts got some small sample project running somewhere. The issue isn't whether these technologies are impossible (and I made no such claim).
The question is whether the supposed near magical properties pan out (especially compared to existing/conventional technology), how long it took to develop the new technology, and whether the technology makes economical sense in the real world.
January 4th, 2018 at 10:28
Here is that paragraph in full:
"The beauty of proposing a gadgetbahn is that since it doesn't exist, proponents can make up all sorts of quasi-magical properties for their technology, which supposedly make it superior. Since there aren't real-world examples, proponents can use the most optimistic theoretical scenarios they can come up with, and compare them with the actual performance of projects that have been built and which are bound to the constraints of the real world.!"
Re Ultra, Transrapid and, to some extent, JR SCM
1 They do exist
2 There are real word examples
3 They don't use quasi-magical properties for their technology
4 The technology is superior to rail transport in a lot of respects
5 There are well respected sources of information to confirm this but you're not interested in going into the technicals, are you?
However, I do take your point that your main concern is the proposal to build a suspended monorail in Quebec and Montreal. Here, you have more knowledge than most reading your post.
It's a shame you diluted this concern with an attack on new, developing and developed forms of transport which you lump together under the Gadgetbahn title, compounded with false information.
Yes, there are some proposals for transport which seem too good to be true, most of which don't have a prototype up and running, perhaps this is what you mean by Gadgetbahn?
PS Suspended monorail?
https://www.wuppertal.de/microsite/en/tourism/schwebebahn/102370100000140310.php
which has been running since 1901
Jarek Says:
(Of course, Wuppertalbahn is a local transit system, relatively low-speed and winding with lots of stops – not a high-speed intercity one being discussed in the post)
Johannes Urbanski Says:
The UIC (basically the IATA of the rail industry) lists 40,378 km of HSR networks as operational (as of November 2017) and another 14,615 km as under construction [1]. How many km of lines exist for SCM, Transrapid or "Ultra"?
The UIC lists more than 300 HSR lines, of which more than half are already under operation [1]. What are the real world examples for SCM, Transrapid or "Ultra" – and even more: how many of them are already in intercity revenue service?
None of the claimed properties is quasi-magical – it's the multitude of these properties which are claimed simultaneously (and the refusal to acknowledge the existence of any of the trade-offs which have been characterising every single transportation project ever constructed by humanity): lower construction costs, lower operating costs, lower noise, shorter construction period, less visual intrusion, higher operating speeds, lower energy consumption, higher capacity, lower construction-related emissions, higher public acceptance, lower ticket prices. Doesn't a transportation technology which has been tested and proven almost nowhere in the world (see 1 and 2), but comes with absolutely no trade-offs sound outlandish or quasi-magical to you?
Agreed, but do they outweigh the economic, political and environmental disadvantages, such as being incompatible with the legacy rail system and therefore either forcing passengers to do additional transfers or to build punitively expensive downtown tunnels and countless underutilised branch lines?
You mean like the obscure Motor1.com article presented by Bjarne (seriously, this is the quality of sources for which only Hyperloop fanboys are known)? I've already acknowledged in countless discussions with you and the other Maglev fans (Bjarne, for instance) on the "High Speed Rail America Club" Facebook page that if you were building and planning an entire country for a population of 100 million in a dessert or on a different planet, Maglevs would be the mode of choice. When will you finally acknowledge that real-world transport planning is different to SimCity, as you have to respect the constraints imposed by decades and centuries of often inconsistent civil engineering construction for transportation infrastructure and other structures built under constantly changing priorities and land use policies?
And speaking of the suspended monorail in Wuppertal: you know what I answered my boss when he asked me "what do you Germans think about suspended monorails?"?
I answered: "We invented them over 100 years ago. We never built a second line." Ironically, I could say almost the same about Maglevs: "We were one of the first when we started to develop Maglev trains 50 years ago and invested far more than a billion Dollars of our taxpayers' money into the technology. In the end, the technology was always deemed to be too expensive and not adaptable enough to our existing transport networks and we therefore invested into HSR networks instead and eventually sold the technology to China where they did test this technology on one short suburban route before they decided to stick to HSR when expanding their intercity networks for basically the same reasons."
[1] https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/20171101_high_speed_lines_in_the_world.pdf
January 18th, 2018 at 13:10
High Speed transport is a wonderful thing! However, if you have ever been on a high speed train you notice a few things. First the trains actually travel at normal speeds inside the built up areas of large cities. Why? They do this is because of safety regulations and people have to live there close to these lines, so the noise level must be kept down.
Have you ever stood anywhere near a high speed railway vehicle right of way? I have stood underneath or near both High Speed Passenger Rail (HSR) lines and or a Maglev line with a train or vehicle traveling at or near there optimal cruse speeds, it's very, very loud and uncomfortable due to the highly compressed air pressure wave caused by the passing vehicle! So much so, I can easily imagine most people really wouldn't want to live near it if they didn't had the choice to.
The Chinese High Speed Maglev line that runs to Shanghai's International Airport travels through mainly but not entirely suburban and rural areas. The Germans had required a 300 metre wide (150 metres each side of the line) safety/security barrier around their high speed Maglev test line which was in a suburban area. This was needed because of the air blasts, noise and safety issues. In China where the safety barrier is a mere 20-25 metres, local residents get the full effect of a passing maglev vehicle much closer to their homes. In more rural areas, debris the vehicles pick up and rain down on the crop fields of local collective farms are especially hated by the farmers and mangers a like, they really don't like that aspect of the Maglev lines.
The 200 km long planned extension to the Shanghai Maglev system was to have significant underground sections to limit noise, electromagnetic radiation pollution and exposure. Thus, greatly increasing the cost of the extension. When a nearby HSR line was built at much lower cost I might add, the Maglev extension was immediately sidelined.
My point is that even in China, where the environmental problems and the comfort level of local residents isn't always the prime consideration of Maglev officials. Even they have had to admit that, high speed transport has to have safety and noise considerations that greatly complicate and add costs to their projects. Imagine the long and drawn out Environmental Assessment Process required in a western country like ours for a very high speed Maglev system. I have seen and read through the older Environmental Assessment proposals for VIA's High Speed Rail lines here in Canada. These proposals have multiple volumes of hundreds of pages each. These are just the proposals not the full Environmental Assessments which would be longer and far more involved.
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Happy New Year From ZCC.
Following our last 'Christmas Outreach' mailing, we thought you might appreciate an update on how things went. So please find some headlines below.
On Saturday 2nd December, when the town hosted a number of Christmas themed events, we were able to give away over 100 copies of the book 'The Greatest Gift', along with hot chocolates, and invitations to our Christmas services. People were receptive to the offer of a free drink on a cold day and the outreach was well received.
On Sunday 17th December we had our annual Carols & Christingle Service, and were delighted with the turn out with about 50 people there, of which we estimate about twenty of those were local non-Christians, many of whom had never been to Zion before. The service seemed to be appreciated by all, and was covered in the local paper – see below. Some people expressed an interest in returning in the new year. (Photo credit: Tobi Carver, St. Ives Times & Echo).
Our Christmas Eve service was again well attended by a number of non-Christians, including both local people and an international student from China. The daughter of two of our members very kindly cooked lunch for everyone which was delicious and much appreciated by all. On Christmas day we had visitors with us as well.
Please join us in giving thanks to God for a busy but encouraging Christmas period. There were numerous answers to pray and God provided all that we needed.
I (Tim) was particularly encouraged by the hard work of the church family in doing the outreach, making invites, organising the services and welcoming guests. We were also supported by other Christians from the town, for which we are very grateful.
Please pray for us as we seek to have follow-up conversations with those who came and as we think about Easter and encouraging those who came at Christmas to come again.
– we are in the process of getting our mid-week groups up and running again; Anchored (10-15s), Tuesday Club (5-10s), our fortnightly prayer meeting and home group.
– the bookshop is closed for January, to give the volunteers a rest and to enable a stock-take to happen.
– plans are underway for work with the Sierra Leone Mission, there is a fairly continuous stream of goods that arrive, including about £15k worth of school uniforms which were recently donated.
– we hope to make some improvements to our buildings this year; to carry out some essential maintenance, to improve our appearance in the town, to make them more accessible and to improve fire safety.
As ever, please keep us in your prayers that God would be glorified through everything that is happening.
We hope to see many of you this coming year.
Tim & the members of Zion.


text:
other subredditsKrimsonTan
What's your go-to "I can barely be bothered to cook but I need to eat something" depression meal?
KrimsonTan |4 pointswritten 1 day ago ago
I do that, too
KrimsonTan |27 pointswritten 2 days ago ago
I mean, I definitely just make it for fun, too, but it's the easiest meal I've ever made 😄
KrimsonTan |1509 pointswritten 2 days ago ago
Lazy quesadilla. Two tortillas, shreddy cheese between them, microwave for a minute.
If I came into your house and stole what is on top of your refrigerator, what would I be getting?
KrimsonTan |1 pointwritten 2 days ago ago
We don't have enough storage in our kitchen for sure! The chips are my husband's, I have no idea what they taste like except for maybe they're spicy?
Pancake mix, six varieties of tea, my spice rack, gel food coloring, a three pack of Trident citrus gum, a three pack of Trident watermelon gum, paper plates, zapp's voodoo potato chips, a couple of dry erase markers, cat treats, a hershey's chocolate santa, some chocolate coins, a tin of flamingo shaped breath mints, and the lids from a package of styrofoam coffee cups.
Moms, what were some names you crossed off the list because you had an unfortunate interaction with someone with that name? What is the story?
KrimsonTan |4 pointswritten 4 days ago ago
Megan. She was a childhood bully to both myself and my brother.
How old were you and your partner when you had kids? Are you happy with the timing?
We were both 23 for our first, 31 for our second. I feel like we were really young with our first. She wasn't planned, but we were already planning our wedding and were moving in together anyway so we just figured we were starting our family a little early. With our second, I really didn't want such a large age gap, but financially we couldn't start trying until our first was 5, and TTC didn't go smoothly.
AITA For deleting my daughter's PowerPoint project when she lied to me?
Oh, for sure, just saying I can understand the concern for dosing issues or something like that. My daughter takes shots every evening and she can do most of what she needs to do and I've been managing my type one diabetes since I was diagnosed at 12. But not everyone is the same and I don't know what kind of meds the son is on or how it has to be taken or how dosages are measured or if there's math involved.
My 9 year old is capable of popping food in the microwave, using the toaster or even just grabbing an apple from the fridge. The medication is a reasonable concern, but a 9 year old should be able to feed themselves at least a snack or ask the adult in the house for lunch.
How important is it for you to clean / shave your private parts?
Clean, yes. Shave...eh. I do it every once in a while when I feel like it, but if I do it regularly I end up with ingrown hairs and infected pores.
How long do you spend editing a photo before uploading it?
I don't.
AITA for not being there for my daughter's birth for the sake of my mental health?
Usually, the mother is awake. There are some circumstances where someone might be completely put under for a c-section, but it's extremely unusual. Also, shocked there's no information about the baby included. Is baby okay? Are they in the NICU? Is this a 'baby friendly' hospital, where they don't have a nursery so unless baby IS in the NICU, mom is taking care of that baby mostly on her own, post-surgery? OP should have been there the second he was informed his wife was in early labor. That's probably why she felt unwell enough to not come to the cabin.
Ladies of Reddit, are you jealous of your mother in law? If yes, why and at what intensity?
KrimsonTan |6 pointswritten 13 days ago ago
No? Why would I be?
What are your tips for smelling good?
KrimsonTan |1 pointwritten 18 days ago ago
Also, once you've applied perfume, keep in mind you will stop smelling it due to exposure, you don't need to keep adding more.
What do Women like about Male genitals?
Genitals are weird in general. Like...both sets are fun to play with, but I don't find either male or female genetalia particularly attractive. I will say a penis looks slightly more strange than a vagina to me, though.
What would you think of a someone that drives a Mercury Grand Marquis/Crown Victoria?
That they have a car that works.
Women who negotiated your starting salary, how did it go? Would you recommend doing it?
When I was hired to full time from temp at my current job, they offered me something like 11/ hr when I had been making 15 because "the benefits even it out". Told the hiring manager (who was also my team lead) that I couldn't take that sharp of a pay cut even with benefits. Ended up starting full time at ~13/hr. Not the greatest, but at least more than 11. I would do it again, given the chance.
To which brand(s) are you the most loyal, and why?
Diet Pepsi and Kotex Overnight Maxi pads. Diet Pepsi because I'm probably addicted, but I love how it tastes and it has just the right amount of bite. Kotex Overnights because I have a really heavy flow, and have never had a leak that wasn't because of shifting oddly in my sleep with them. They also don't have the weird plastic lining that gets tangled up and pulls on hair.
What was the nicest thing a friend's ever done for you?
KrimsonTan |2 pointswritten 1 month ago ago
It really was. I don't think I really properly appreciated it at the time, but in hindsight it made everything so much...not better, but less horrible? Honestly, we didn't even really talk that much, just sat together while she let me cry and occasionally showed me a meme or something dumb to make me laugh. I didn't feel like I could cry to my mom because mine was actually in the first trimester, so not exactly that unusual, but she had a whole stillbirth before I was born and I felt...I don't know, like my pain was so miniscule in comparison? And with my husband, I knew he was hurting, too, but I don't think men really know how hard it is on women to lose a very wanted pregnancy. But, anyway, she made the time and spent the money to make an emergency trip that she probably didn't have to go be with me in a painful, vulnerable time and it's just...the best thing a friend has ever or could ever do for me.
Flew up from Georgia to Iowa last minute to be with me when I had a miscarriage.
How did you heal yourself from childhood trauma?
Therapy.
What's your opinion and policy of wearing outside shoes inside your home?
Ugh, right? And then when I do find slippers that I like with hard bottoms, sides, not lined in shearling (because I hate how it feels on my feet), and not horribly ugly, they're like $60.
I wish I could find a pair of hard bottomed slippers that didn't fall apart on me on 3 months.
I have a single pair of comfortable shoes because I can't afford to drop $100 on shoes every year. Also, I pretty much only go to work, the grocery store, and home. It's not like I'm trail running or jogging or trekking through mud.
When did you realise you didn't have pretty privilege?
KrimsonTan |21 pointswritten 1 month ago ago
Middle school. If I had been pretty, I would have been considered "quirky", instead I was "weird".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Como capturar a Exception gerada por um método cujo o acesso não é autorizado por um determinado perfil de usuário Como posso enviar ao usuário uma mensagem que a operação que ele deseja fazer não é autorizada?
Tenho na minha View um botão que chama uma função Javascript
 <button id="btninicio" onclick="salvaApontamento();">Inicio</button>

Essa função salvaApontamento() chama um método no meu Controller:
function salvaApontamento()
{
    startSpin();
    $.ajax({
        type: "POST",
        url: getBaseUrl() + "/Apontamentos/AlteraApontamento";,
        dataType: "json",
        data: JSON.stringify({ apontamentos: jsonDataApontamentos }),
        contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
        cache: false,
        success: function (data) {
            stopSpin();
            alert("Sucesso);

        },
        error: function (data) {
            stopSpin();
            alert("Erro: salvaApontamento() :(  " + data.message)
        }
    });
}

Tenho um método no meu controller que faz alterações apenas se for o "Administrador" logado:
 [HttpPost]
 [Authorize(Roles = "Administrador")]
 public JsonResult AlteraApontamento(ApontamentosOperacao apontamentos)
 {
    //faz o que eu preciso e retorna um Json...
 }

Debugando o código, percebi que se eu me logar como "Operador". Ao disparar a requisição, o retorno cai direto no error do Ajax e a minha requisição nem chega no método lá no Controller.
O "Administrador" e o "Operador" enxergam a mesma View. Eu gostaria de enviar uma mensagem para a View que informasse o usuário que o seu perfil não é válido. Que parâmetro eu preciso capturar na minha variável data, lá no javascript para saber que o método não pode ser acessado pelo usuário logado?
Seguindo a sugestão do amigo Eduardo, quando eu pego o statusCode no javascript do ajax, eu obtenho o código 200.

Quando o usuário está autorizado, o meu objeto data retorna os dados que eu construí lá no método do Controller.

A: Coloque a tag de statusCode no seu javascript, como mostrado abaixo:
$.ajax({
  ....
  statusCode: {
    405: function() {
      alert( "Você não temn permisão para...." );
    }
  }
  ....
});

O Controlller retorna um erro de "Method Not Allowed", representado pelo código HTTP 405. Trate o mesmo com o código acima.

A: No seu lugar, eu faria meu próprio atributo de autorização com capacidade de devolver um erro 403 ou 405, dependendo do seu objetivo:
public class MeuAuthorizeAttribute : AuthorizeAttribute
{
    protected override void HandleUnauthorizedRequest(AuthorizationContext filterContext)
    {
        if (filterContext.HttpContext.User.Identity.IsAuthenticated)
            filterContext.Result = new HttpStatusCodeResult(403);
        else
            filterContext.Result = new HttpUnauthorizedResult();
    }
}

O uso é idêntico:
[HttpPost]
[MeuAuthorize(Roles = "Administrador")]
public JsonResult AlteraApontamento(ApontamentosOperacao apontamentos)
{
   //faz o que eu preciso e retorna um Json...
}

E para a chamada do Ajax, a resposta do @EduardoFernandes atende bem.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
"The Beaver Believers" Film Screening and Q&A
When: Thu., Jan. 10, 6-8:45 p.m. 2019
"The Beaver Believers" is a feature documentary that tells the urgent yet whimsical story of an unlikely cadre of activists — a biologist, a hydrologist, a botanist, an ecologist, a psychologist, and a hairdresser — who share a common vision: restoring the North American beaver to the watersheds of the American West. No-host bar. Doors, 6pm. Film, 7pm.
Price: $10, Members receive 20 % discount
High Desert Museum
59800 S. Highway 97 (SW Bend)


Infomation : Fireboy & Watergirl ep. 2 is a 2 players Fire Water Puzzle free Flash game.
How to play : Help FireBoy and WaterGirl work together to move through mazes.
Fireboy and Watergirl 2
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,19,0" width=" 800" height=" 600"><param name="movie" value="


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clean label - Exeller N.V.
Acerola extract is produced from the fruits of the acerola. It is a wild plant grown in tropical and subtropical regions like Mexico, Central America, and South America. Acerola extract boasts remarkable levels of vitamin C. It also contains vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavine, niacin, carotenoids and bioflavonoids.
Antioxidant activity for acerola juice is very high. Higher than reported for other fruit juices particularly rich in polyphenols such as strawberry, grape and apple juices, among others.
Food additive, energy drinks, sport drinks, soft drinks, juices, cereal bars, dairy, etc.
Cellula™ 90/160 is pea fibre made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Natural cellulose insoluble fibres are cleaned of bacteria, micronized and sieved to obtain a product that has a neutral taste and regular functionality. It provides functionalities such as: water and fat retention, swelling effect or nutritional fibre supply.
Sausages, meatballs, hamburgers, nuggets, breads, buns, biscuits, aromas, low-calorie diet products, etc.
Cicerpro™ 70G is made from chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.). It an excellent replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan diets as well as source of vitamins and minerals for everybody. Cicerpro™ 70G has very good gelling strength and can be used in variety of products where this functionality is required.
Grape seeds extract is a natural extract from the seeds of Vitis Vinifera. It is intended for use as a natural, strong antioxidant and/or bacteriostat in many kinds of conventional foods.
Beverages, wine, breakfast cereals, fats and oils, meat products, frozen dairy desserts and mixes, grain products, milk products, processed fruits and fruit juices, etc.
Green tea extract is a natural extract rich in Polyphenols (95%) and EGCG (45%). It is produced from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis.
Green tea extract is benefitial for almost every system in human body. It is anti-carcinogenic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-artherogenic, anti-obesity, liver protective and beneficial for blood vessel health. It can be used as a safe natural food antioxidant. It can improve color, flavour and taste of the product as well.
Food additive, dietary supplements, cosmetics.
Green tea extract is a natural extract rich in Polyphenols (95%) and EGCG (50%). It is produced from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis.
Green tea extract is a natural extract rich in Polyphenols (95%) and EGCG (55%). It is produced from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis.
Pea protein concentrate Peapro™ 80G is produced from non-GMO Canadian peas. It has very good gelling strength and can be used in variety of products where this functionality is required.
Meat products, non-dairy ice cream, vegetable meat replacement, eggs replacement, vegetable protein milk.
Pea protein concentrate Peapro™ 80S is produced from non-GMO Canadian peas. It has very good solubility and can be used in variety of products where this functionality is required.
Meat products, bakery, protein powder blends, baverages, protein crisp and snacks.
Pea protein concentrate Peapro™ 85G is produced from non-GMO Canadian peas. It has very good gelling strength and can be used in variety of products where this functionality is required.
Pea protein concentrate Peapro™ 85S is produced from non-GMO Canadian peas. It has very good solubility and can be used in variety of products where this functionality is required.
Pea fibre of cotyledon Peapro™ Fibre is produced from Non-GMO Canadian peas. Especially suitable for cereal snack foods, baked foods, meat products, health drinks and healthcare products.
Cereal snack foods, baked foods, meat products, health drinks and healthcare products.
Peapro™ Starch is non-GMO pea starch from Canadian peas. It is natural and gluten-free food ingredient. Peapro™ starch is highly valuable starch with clean label benefits. Can be used in wide range of food applications.
Meat, poultry, fish, vegetarian, bakery, pastry, ready meals, canned food, soups, sauces, etc.
Rice protein concentrate Ripro™ 80 is an excellent source of protein for vegans and people with hypo-allergy. It is exceptionally high in vital natural nutrients. With higher NPU (net protein utilization), BV (biological value) and balance amino acid profile. It makes it perfect ingredient for creating innovative and delicate food products.
Baby food, Confectionary, Bakery, Beverage, Health food, etc.
Sativa™ 32/100 is pea pre-cooked flour made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Flour is pre-cooked by hydro-thermal extrusion and are micronized removing bacteria and pre-gelatinizing starch. It provides functionalities such as: gelification (1:4 (water) after cooking at 75°C), emulsification (1:5:5 (water/fat)), taste and viscosity.
Fine-textured sausages, mortadella, meatloaf, kebab, hummus, falafel, extruded snacks, soups, frying batter, etc.
Texta Pois™ 24/10 is made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Proteins are texturized by extrusion to give them flakes structure leading to a "fibrous and elastic" texture after rehydration. It is used as meat replacements / analogue (beef, poultry, fish…). It provides functionalities such as: chewing texture, water and fat retention, colour, taste or protein supply.
Gluten free coating which can be used fresh or frozen on numerous substrates.
Texta Pois™ 24/15 is made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Proteins are texturized by extrusion to give them flakes structure leading to a "fibrous and elastic" texture after rehydration. It is used as meat replacements / analogue (beef, poultry, fish…). It provides functionalities such as: chewing texture, water and fat retention, colour, taste or protein supply.
As gluten free bread crumbs for meat-based products: salami, sausage, tacos, meat balls, meatloaf.
Texta Pois™ 24/30 is made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Proteins are texturized by extrusion to give them flakes structure leading to a "fibrous and elastic" texture after rehydration. It is used as meat replacements / analogue (beef, poultry, fish…). It provides functionalities such as: chewing texture, water and fat retention, colour, taste or protein supply.
Texta Pois™ 24/50 is made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Proteins are texturized by extrusion to give them flakes structure leading to a "fibrous and elastic" texture after rehydration. It is used as meat replacements / analogue (beef, poultry, fish…). It provides functionalities such as: chewing texture, water and fat retention, colour, taste or protein supply.
Texta Pois™ 65/50 is made of selected, non-GMO peas (Pisum Sativum). Proteins are texturized by extrusion to give them flakes structure leading to a "fibrous and elastic" texture after rehydration. It is used as meat replacements / analogue (beef, poultry, fish…). It provides functionalities such as: chewing texture, water and fat retention, colour, taste or protein supply.
VPowder™ Balsamic is balsamic vinegar powder produced by spray-drying of balsamic vinegar on maltodextrin carrier. It provides maximum balsamic vinegar taste and flavour. Fine texture offers convenient way to use in dry mixes when liquid component is not desired. It can be used to enhance the flavour of food formulations and increase the sourness associated with balsamic vinegar in variety of applications.
Meat, fish and poultry products, snacks, dry mixes, soups, sauces, salad dressings, seasoning blends, etc.
VPowder™ Cider is apple cider vinegar powder produced by spray-drying of apple cider vinegar on maltodextrin carrier. It provides maximum apple cider vinegar taste and flavour. Fine texture offers convenient way to use in dry mixes when liquid component is not desired. It can be used to enhance the flavour of food formulations and increase the sourness associated with apple cider vinegar in variety of applications.
VPowder™ White is spirit vinegar powder produced by spray-drying of spirit vinegar on maltodextrin carrier. It provides maximum spirit vinegar taste and flavour. Fine texture offers convenient way to use in dry mixes when liquid component is not desired. It can be used to enhance the flavour of food formulations and increase the sourness associated with spirit vinegar in variety of applications.


Cedaredge sits beneath the sunny southern slopes of the Grand Mesa above the town of Orchard City in Surface Creek Valley. The community has farms, ranches, orchards and vineyards that grow apples, peaches, cherries, pears, wine grapes and much more.
Walk down Main Street and experience real mountain town culture with fresh air and friendly people.
Enjoy yourself with a massage, Chiropractic adjustment, yoga class, wine and cider tasting, distillery tour, liquor store with drive-thru, or brewery visit — all within town limits.
Down a side road from Main Street is the tasting room for Colorado's 2015 Winery of the Year.
To shop, there's an antiques store, florist & boutique, consignment store, pizza restaurant, cafe & bakery and guitar store owned by a famous musician.
A couple minutes up the road towards the Grand Mesa is wine tasting on an orchard and a great slow food cafe. On the south side of town is a Chinese food restaurant, slow food steakhouse and saloon, and the town's award-winning public golf course.
Cedaredge is home to Pioneer Town, a historic Western village with a frontier museum and over 20 original or reconstructed buildings including a western saloon, marshall's office, barber shop, bank, clothing store, jail, creamery, and working blacksmith shop.
Open year-round, the Cedaredge Golf Club features an 18-hole course with well-groomed greens, natural cedars, winding creek beds and over 300 days of sunshine per year on average. Nestled in a protected valley at over 6,000 feet in elevation, each hole provides views of the San Juan Mountains, West Elk Mountains, Grand Mesa forest, and the Uncompahgre wilderness.
Applefest is a community event celebrating the apple harvest with art, food, and music, which is hosted each October in the Town Park of Cedaredge. Formerly known as the "Cedaredge Harvest Festival" the event was renamed to "AppleFest" in 1978 and is attended by around 15,000 visitors and typically over 200 food, arts and crafts vendors.


text:
Q: How to handle errors but skip further processing within a stream? In this scenario
this.http.call().pipe(
    catchError((error) => {
        doSomething();
    }),
    switchMap((data) => {
        doMoreThings();
    }),
);

It's possible to not execute the switchMap when the catchError block is executed?

A: It depends on what Observable you return from catchError's callback.
If you return empty(). Then it won't trigger switchMap because empty() just completes and doesn't emit any next notifications.
You can also return throwError(...) that emits just an error notifications and no next's.


text:
The Lafayette • February 24, 2017 • https://lafayettestudentnews.com/18423/news/new-easton-nyc-bus-line-brings-low-ticket-prices/
New Easton-NYC bus line offers low fares
The Ourbus line in New York City. (Courtesy Axel Hellman)
Ian Morse
A start-up charter bus company is finding a place for unused buses and giving riders a cheaper ticket to New York City at the same time.
Ourbus, a start-up based in New Jersey, opened their second route to New York City at the beginning of the month. For $16, travelers can go between Easton and midtown Manhattan, putting Ourbus in direct competition with Trans-Bridge lines, who currently dominate the terminal downtown.
Trans-Bridge has increased their ticket fare between Easton and New York Port Authority $4.10 since to 2012, to $25.75 currently. Their round-trip ticket has gone from $38.65, according to their records, to as much as $48.95, according to several riders.
Ourbus, however, only runs once a day to and from the city, and the times don't allow for a day trip to the city. The bus to New York City leaves from Allentown at 12:30 p.m., but the bus from the city leaves at 9:15 a.m. Axel Hellman, the company's transportation manager, said that the way they get the busses means there are none provided for weekend travel.
"We use unused charter busses, most of which are not doing anything during the weekdays," he said, "and we use them to provide transportation during the week."
"As we see, it's one of the biggest metropolitan areas that doesn't have an affordable bus service connecting it to New York City," Hellman added. Hellman said that just fewer than a dozen passengers per day have been on the busses in the first few weeks.
Ourbus busses offer wifi, bathrooms and personal charging stations onboard, as well as luggage space.
"OurBus will be the fastest, most affordable way to get to New York City from Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton," OurBus founder Narinder Signh said in a statement. "This is an express, non-stop service. There will be no intermediate stops in New Jersey between Easton and New York, saving over half an hour."
While Ourbus offers substantially lower prices, Bach Nguyen '17, who often takes the bus into the city, noted that it may not change anything.
"First off, you can't leave and get back the same day," Nguyen said. "Also, it's a lot less flexible. Trans-Bridge does have a commuter ticket. If you go a lot, it's possible to buy a commuter ticket and sell most of them to other people."
Still though, he noted that a Trans-Bridge ticket "from Easton to N.Y.C. costs as much as roundtrip from N.Y.C. to Boston."
Hellman said that the current system is only a pilot, and it will be revisited in April if changes are necessary due to customer demand.
The Ourbus buses pick-up and drop-off just south of the Easton bus terminal and a block east of Madison Square Garden on Park Avenue South.
Ourbus opened their first route in New Jersey from Kendall Park to New York City last year.


The Daily Beast, like most online publishers, makes much of its revenue through ads, an increasing volume of which are sponsored content.
To report the quality and performance of their campaigns, salespeople at the Daily Beast gathered data from a handful of analytics platforms, manually compose charts in Excel, and sent PowerPoint decks to their clients.
Existing tools–like Parsely, Google Analytics and Chartbeat–weren't doing the job. The Daily Beast required a tool that would allow the sales team to easily monitor sponsored content components and also allow the advertisers to quickly see a campaign's status in real time.
Create a single tool to provide analytics to external advertisers as well as internal sales and marketing teams.
We worked with a team of product managers at The Daily Beast to build a tool with the express purpose of measuring sponsored content. Naturally, this tool also drove sales, marketing, and editorial contributions. We named it Argos, after a hundred-eyed giant of Greek mythology.
Early iterations of Argos used the company's existing third-party analytics tools to collect user data. Testing and iteration revealed that these APIs were too unreliable for our needs, requiring us to build workarounds in order to acquire the data we needed.
Ultimately, we built an Argos-specific data-gathering beacon. The extensibility, immediacy, and reliability of the API we developed far outweighed the complex code it required.
Argos users are marketing managers and advertisers who need to glean relevant information quickly and often. Early on, we hoped to reduce complexity by color-coding the data: engagement, acquisition, outbound, and overall metrics were each given different hues. However, after repeated testing, we found that these colors were more confusing than clarifying. Now, we challenge ourselves to include universal symbols and explanatory text with every use of color.
By playing to the strength of the scoring formulas devised by The Daily Beast, we were able to display historical trends, global averages, local insights, and up-to-the-minute totals together in a very small space.
Our testing showed that short-term changes and the most recent data were sufficient to provide the users with everything they needed. In radically simplifying our diagrams, we made it easier to understand those details.
By partnering with our client's product team, talking to users, and making incremental improvements every step of the way, we create a custom tool that served both advertisers and publishers better than any other tool.


text:
Q: Define defaultSnippets for JSONSchema additionalProperties As the title suggests, I would like to define a vscode defaultSnippet for the additionalProperites of a JSONObject. The JSONSchema looks like the following
"$schema ": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"type":"object",
"additionalProperties":{
   "type": "object",
   "properties":{
      "name":{"type":"string"}
   }
}

So just adding defaultSnippet property does not seem to work:
"$schema ": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"type":"object",
"additionalProperties":{
   "defaultSnippets": [{
         "label": "test",
         "description": "Additional property template",
         "body": {
         "$1": {
             "name": "$2"
             }
         }
   }],
   "type": "object",
   "properties":{
      "name":{"type":"string"}
   }
}

Is there a workaround to obtain the same behavior?

A: Your code is correct, but vscode at this moment is only checking properties for snippets. I had the same problem, so I've created Pull Request with fix for this issue.
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-json-languageservice/pull/62
You can replace default extension if you in rush or just wait for merge and update.


text:
DISCOGRAPHY | ALBUMS
Musical Accompaniment for the End of the World
The Pekinpah Association, 2012
Musical Accompaniment for the End of the World is the musical equivalent of enjoying a glass of Laphroaig whiskey while observing a rapidly approaching storm through the window. It is soothing ... despite the unshakeable sensation of impending doom.
Silence's first regular album since Vain – A Tribute to a Ghost (2004) was released on April 14 2012. The release date was selected on account of its exquisite catastrophic pedigree; preceded by Friday the 13th, it marks the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic.
Due to its minimalistic concept (summarized in the album's subtitle, Songs for two pianos, tactful synths, and voice), Musical Accompaniment appears to pick up where Vain's closing track, Runalong – Acoustic Version, left off. The album features ten songs performed by two remarkable pianists, Igor Vićentić (with whom Silence first collaborated on The Passion of the Cold) and Sašo Vollmaier. The pianos were recorded at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. The vocals and synthesizers were recorded in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl studio.
Silence's engagement in theatre – especially the prolific collaboration with director Tomaž Pandur – has had a prominent role in shaping the album's sound. It has prompted the duet's decision to discard drums and bass in favor of an intimate, predominantly acoustic sound. It has also nudged the piano arrangements toward a more classical feel.
The album's title and cinematic atmosphere, however, stem from Silence's infatuation with movies. Musical Accompaniment pays tribute to the work of Hladnik's late father, renowned director Boštjan Hladnik. Sequences from Hladnik's films Fable of Love (1954), Masquerade (1971), and Dancing in the Rain (1961) were reissued as videos for three songs from the album; Death is New York, Heart of Darkness and Electricity. Even though they're divided by decades, the footage and the music fuse seamlessly, yielding an extraordinary father/son collaboration.
The album is available on Bandcamp
Vain – A Tribute to a Ghost
Matrix Music and Chrom Records, 2004
With their fourth studio album, Silence became part of the legend surrounding Matej Smolnik a.k.a. Vain, a promising young artist whose sudden death in 1998 – a death that remains shrouded in mystery – unveiled a unique musical legacy, as well as an assorted collection of prose and drawings.
The connection between Vain and Silence is apparent and yet difficult to pinpoint. They share many things: bits and pieces of their past, certain aspects of their personalities and, most importantly, their work. It is impossible to draw a clear line between Vain and Silence, as it is impossible to distinguish between myth and reality.
The music, a combination of electronic beats and acoustic elements – ranging from classical string arrangements to exotic instruments (santur, koto, valiha ...) – is where Vain and Silence are one: uncompromising and undeterred by the stifling demands of the music business. As Vain wrote in his diary: The trouble with music is that it often deals with listeners.
Unlike a Virgin
Chrom Records, 1999
The duet's second album was a radical departure from the amiable electro-pop of Ma non troppo. This intense, unruly, tumultuous record – laden with distorted synthesizers, digital noise, and electric guitars – is Silence's grittiest, angriest work to date.
The making of the album introduced considerable changes to Silence's usual methodology. Normally, the duet avoids venturing into the studio before wrapping up the songwriting process. In this case, however, Silence entered the studio with nothing more than sketches. The latter were then gradually moulded into fully-fledged songs. The duet was thus able to merge the songwriting and production processes and achieve a greater amount of spontaneity.
Unlike a Virgin revealed Silence's proclivity for experimentation. It also introduced one of Silence's key traits: the duet's knack for eluding straightforward categorisations.
The title of the album, an allusion to Madonna's 1984 album and single, was concocted by Benko's father, Bogdan. The latter is also responsible for the title of the duet's debut. After listening to Ma non troppo for the first time, he remarked: Silence ... ma non troppo (Silence ... but not too much).
Ma non troppo
With their debut album, Silence paid homage to the music of their youth. This was not a conscious decision, though. As such, it resulted in a remarkably candid, guileless album. Ma non troppo is a love letter to one's idols, written with a lover's fervor ... and blindness.
The album blends the synthesizer galore and unbridled melodiousness of the 80's with beats typical of the 90's. It includes a surprising cover of Elvis Presley's slightly overlooked classic, The Girl of My Best Friend. Silence's version first appeared in Elvis de Luxe (1997), an outlandish play produced by the Grapefruit Theatre. Another prominent track is Kraljestvo mačjih oči, the only song on the album in the duet's mother tongue. The record also features a hidden track, #1 Hit Single. This innocuous, jocose song was actually a source of considerable distress for Chrom Records. The label was convinced the song's euphoric lambasting of the media would alienate the press. Drastic preemptive measures were implemented; the song was placed five minutes after the album's penultimate track, I'm a Memory, and removed from the booklet.
Ma non troppo marks the beginning of Silence's long-lasting and remarkably prolific collaboration with producer Peter Penko.
ANTHOLOGIES | COLLECTIONS
Key Silence
Accession Records, 2006
On April 14 2006, Accession Records released Key Silence, a 2CD box containing a selection of pivotal Silence tracks (all digitally re-mastered), as well as 10 previously unreleased tracks.
The first CD, entitled Anthology, features Benko's and Hladnik's selection of 13 quintessential Silence songs. Tracing the duet's evolution from its 1997 debut album, Ma non troppo, to the critically acclaimed Veronika soundtrack, the record focuses on what Benko lovingly describes as the band's less faulty tracks and most interesting failures. CD1 also features Ernst Horn's remarkable remix of Scream, Greeneyes and a previously unreleased live version of The 5th Elephant, recorded during one of the band's most memorable performances – the 2004 Vain Tribute Concert at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana.
The second CD, entitled Rarities, is a regular collector's item. Aside from 9 previously unreleased tracks – archival recordings, experiments, theatre pieces – the disc also contains one brand new track, comprised exclusively of vocals: Talkshow. CD2 also contains a new, instrumental version of God Forsaken Country, performed by the Rožmarinke string quartet. The new version was originally released on Rožmarinke's eponymous 2004 debut album and was, until now, available only in Slovenia.
Ranging from the immaculate electro-pop of Kraljestvo mačjih oči to the ethnic sounds of Lagrimae, from the playful, cabaret-like The Last Dance to the orchestral grandeur of Der Untergang, Key Silence represents the ultimate testament to the band's stylistic eclecticism and artistic potential. Whether you are trying to complete your Silence collection or looking for a comprehensive introduction to the band's extensive body of work, Key Silence is the perfect choice.
The Passion of the Cold
On Sep 1 2008, the Pekinpah Association released The Passion of the Cold, a double album with music from (or inspired by) Tomaž Pandur's plays Barroco and Kaligula.
The album, printed as a lush, hard-cover book, contains 32 pages of play-related texts (including forewords written by Benko), lyrics and photographs, as well as two CD's with 30 previously unreleased tracks. The book is in English.
The album, Silence's first venture into the realm of classical music, can be perceived – in the light of the 2006 anthology Key Silence – as a symbolic break with the duet's previous works. Nevertheless, at closer inspection, the record reveals all the characteristics – the idiosyncratic melodies and distinguishing vocals – that listeners have come to expect from Silence.
The album, a limited edition consisting of 500 nubered and hand-signed copies, is available exclusively at www.pekinpah.com
Ljubezen na smrt
Music from Matjaž Pograjc's same-titled play / banquet / musical
Mladinsko Theatre, 2007
Ljubezen na smrt – Koncert za kuharja, 6 vajencev in 3 pomivalce (Love Unto Death – Concert for a Cook, 6 Apprentices and 3 Dish-washers) – the 9th collaboration between director Matjaž Pograjc and Silence – is a peculiar concoction of theatre, cuisine, poetry, and music. The play's versatile cast acts, prepares a selection of delicious specialities under the supervision of chef Danilo Ivanuša and performs live – in pure musical style – fifteen songs written by Silence and eleven renowned poets. All of which simultaneously.
The performance takes place in what can only be described as a twisted Sushi-bar. A new dish is prepared during each song and placed on a conveyor belt circling among the viewers. Due to the limited amount of food produced by the cast, only 78 viewers are admitted per play.
The play's unorthodox concept proved a success. Ljubezen na smrt opened on April 12th 2007 and is still going strong. According to Delo (Slovenia), Ljubezen na smrt is ... an unusual, original and mature theatre play ... like every true work of art, it gives rise to numerous unpleasant questions.
In March 2007, Silence set to music fifteen poems written by predominantly expressionist and symbolist poets (Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Georges Bataille, Charles Baudelaire, Else Lasker-Schüler, Oscar Wilde, Gottfried Benn, Georg Trakl, Edgar Allan Poe, Federico García Lorca, and Georg Heym). All poems share the subjects of love and death or, better yet, the undeniable relation between the two. The poems also share an unsettling, yet delightfully irresistible directness. They are humorous, cynical, morbid, perverse, shrewd, uncanny – not to mention completely nuts – and will undoubtedly shatter any preconceptions you may have about poetry. Here's a sample – Gottfried Benn's A Fine Childhood:
The mouth of a girl who had long lain in the reeds
looked so chewed up.
When we broke open the torso, the esophagus was so full of holes.
Finally in a bower under the diaphragm
we found a nest of young rats.
One little sister rat lay dead.
The others were living off liver and kidney,
drinking the cold blood and enjoying
a fine childhood.
And fine and fast was their death too:
we threw the whole bunch into water.
Oh, how those little snouts squeaked!
The album, produced and mixed by Blaž Celarec and Silence, was recorded in April 2007 at studio Jork. The songs are sung by the play's cast (Neda R. Bric, Maruša Oblak, Branko Jordan, Janja Majzelj, Ivan Peternelj, and Ivan Rupnik) and performed by three remarkable musicians: Blaž Celarec (drums, percussion, clarinet), Žiga Golob (double bass, steel guitar, ukulele, singing saw), and Jože Šalej (upright piano). As each song is realized in a different style, the soundtrack's most distinguishing feature is – beyond doubt – its surprising diversity. Even a shred of Russian Orthodox church music can be found amidst the soundtrack's extensive list of seemingly incompatible genres: country, samba, blues, cabaret ... Another peculiarity: Ljubezen na smrt is Silence's first album in Slovene, the duet's mother-tongue.
Music from the contemporary dance performance Veronika Decides ...
Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, 2005
If Veronika would've heard this soundtrack, she might have decided to ... dance.
Maja Pertič, Primorske novice
Top class and virtuosic.
Rok Vevar, Delo
In July 2004, Silence were asked to write a score for a contemporary ballet based on Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel Veronika Decides to Die.
The protagonist of Coelho's novel is a young woman from Ljubljana (the capital of Silence's homeland, Slovenia) who, after a failed suicide attempt, discovers beauty and love in the strangest of places; the local sanatorium. In the words of Gagik Ismailian, the director of the piece: Coelho's novel is about those who do not fit into patterns considered normal by the society. It is about madness and the need to find an alternative way of living for people who frequently have to face other people's prejudices just because they think in a different way.
The ballet, produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, required 80 minutes of original music ranging from intimate miniatures to complex orchestral compositions.
Despite the introspective nature of Coelho's book, Veronika Decides ... was first of all a dance piece. As such, it required intensely rhythmic music. The score was therefore based on rough electronic beats and distorted synthesizer sounds. The latter were in turn contrasted by lyrical strings and pianos. In order to emphasize the universality of Veronika's predicament, Silence decided to record the vocals in an imaginary language composed of words taken from various (living and dead) languages. The soundtrack was written, produced, recorded and mixed between July 2004 and March 2005 in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl studio.
Maison des rendez-vous
Music from Betontanc's same-titled play
Nika Records, 2003
Betontanc's ninth play, inspired by the work of Harold Pinter, took place in a macabre room that appeared to have a life of its own. Constantly swinging like a giant seesaw, the hostile room deprived the actors/performers of what we all take for granted: the firm ground beneath our feet. The remarkable stage provided the perfect setting for the exceptional mastery of the Betontanc dance company; a setting in which one is forced to bend and occasionally break the law of gravity in order to survive.
The music is predominantly electronic. In order to capture the play's claustrophobic, unhinged feel, the duet used a wide array of radically down-pitched synthesizer bells. Maison is Silence's first self-produced album. The record was written and programmed in the duet's private studio, The Daily Girl. All acoustic elements (vocals and strings) were recorded by Peter Penko at Raingarden 9. While undoubtedly intense and dark, the score is primarily defined by its unbridled experimentalism and kooky humour.
Strange in a Strange Way (Disco Politico)
Digital release, 2016
They're here! The barbarians are among us! They're invading our homes, disrupting our lives, wrecking the economy, breaking laws, causing conflicts and misery ... and dancing in a silly fashion. We are, of course, talking about politicians.
We must build a great wall of irony around us, lest they drive us mad. Allow us to provide some building material: we present Strange in a Strange Way, or, as we lovingly refer to it, the Disco Politico.
The single is available on Bandcamp
Skin: The Remixes
Matrix Music, 2005
On October 5 2005, Matrix Music released three remixes of Skin, the opening track to Silence's 3rd studio album, Vain – A Tribute to a Ghost. The remixes were realised by Umek, Valentino Kanzyani, and Random Logic.
Random Logic's remix is based on the very first recording of the track, left unfinished during the production of Silence's 2nd studio album, Unlike a Virgin.
Son of Sin Maxi Single
Son of Sin was released as the lead single of Silence's 2nd studio album, Unlike a Virgin. The Son of Sin Maxi Single contains remixes by Link 999. It also features Ernst Horn's (Deine Lakaien, Helium Vola) stirring remix of Scream, Greeneyes, another track from Unlike a Virgin.
PROJECTS | PRODUCTION
Laibach – The Sound of Music
Mute Records, 2018
Arranged and co-produced by Silence
Glorious silly covers are bright as a copper kettle
Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian
Utter masterpiece.
Attila the Stockbroker, Morning Star
Perhaps the group's most remarkable release of recent times.
Luke Turner, The Quietus
This is an extraordinary record, a project of remarkable scope, ambition and deep humanity that makes everything else seem a bit small and inward looking.
Jared Dix, Echoes and Dust
The album was conceived in 2015, when Laibach were invited to perform in Pyongyang. It seemed only natural to address the people of North Korea with something as universal as The Sound of Music. Robert Wise's 1965 musical film is, after all, the best known piece of Western culture in North Korea. For years now, the film has been part of the national curriculum—as an English-learning tool.
Silence were tasked with reinterpreting nine songs from the musical. Sound of Music, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, and Favorite Things were written for the Pyongyang performance. The remaining tracks—Maria/Korea, The Lonely Goatherd, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, and So Long, Farewell—were written specifically for the album. The duet also adapted Arirang, the unofficial anthem of North and South Korea.
The album's closing tracks, The Sound of Gayageum and Welcome Speech, are mementos from Laibach's and Silence's stay in North Korea. The Sound of Gayageum is an instrumental piece performed by students from the Kum Song Music School in Pyongyang. Welcome Speech, on the other hand, features Mr. Ryu, a representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Committee for Cultural Relations.
Benko appears as guest vocalist on ten tracks. The album also features vocalist Marina Mårtensson, the Edelweiss children's choir, pianist Igor Vićentić, and drummer Janez Gabrič. The album was co-produced and mixed by Iztok Turk.
The Sound of Music marks the third collaboration—the first two being Volk (2006) and 1 VIII 1944 Warszawa (2014)—between Laibach and Silence.
Laibach's and Silence's expedition to North Korea is chronicled in Morten Traavik's and Uģis Olte's 2017 documentary film Liberation Day.
Laibach – 1 VIII 1944 Warszawa
Narodowe Centrum Kultury, 2014
Features material composed and produced by Silence
1 VIII 1944 Warszawa marks the second collaboration between Laibach and Silence since Volk. Eight years after giving national anthems a thorough makeover, Laibach and Silence returned to reinterpreting anthemic songs.
The EP features adaptations of three famous songs from World War 2: Warszawskie Dzieci (Warsaw Children), Zog Nit Keyn Mol (Never Say), and Mach Dir Nichts Daraus (Do Not Worry). Commissioned by the Polish National Centre for Culture and funded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the project commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.
Warszawskie Dzieci and Zog Nit Keyn Mol were adapted and produced by Silence. The songs were recorded in February and March 2014 at Daily Girl, Silence's home studio. The bass was performed by Jani Hace. Benko appears as guest vocalist on both tracks, performing – for the first time – in Polish and Yiddish.
Warszawskie Dzieci includes verses from Serce w Plecaku (Heart in a Knapsack) by Michał Zieliński, as well as an adaptation of Frédéric Chopin's Raindrop prelude (Chopin's music was the last thing to be broadcast on Polskie Radio before Warsaw fell to the Nazis).
The third track, Mach Dir Nichts Daraus, was adapted, recorded and produced by Luka Jamnik. The EP was mastered by Tom Meyer at Master and Servant, Hamburg.
Warszawskie Dzieci, the most famous song to be written during the Warsaw Uprising, was penned by Andrzej Panufnik and Stanisław Ryszard Dobrowolski.
Zog Nit Keyn Mol, also known as Partizaner Lied (Partisan Song), is the most famous uprising song in Yiddish. The lyrics were written by Hirsch Glick, a Jewish poet and partisan who was imprisoned in the Weiße Wache concentration camp and later transferred to the Vilnius Ghetto. The song was written to the melody of То не тучи – грозовые облака (Those Aren't Clouds but Thunderclouds), a pre-war Soviet song written by Dmitri and Daniel Pokrass.
Mach Dir Nichts Daraus was written by Franz Grothe and Willy Tehmel in 1944. The song was first performed by Marika Rökk, an Austrian-German singer who became famous in German films, notably in the Nazi era.
Laibach – Volk: Dead in Trbovlje
Mute Records / EMI, 2008
Features material composed, produced, and performed by Silence
This is an absolute must as companion to the 'Volk' album, thanks to the stage presence of the band, the power of the live delivery, and the enhancement of the content and message via video screening. Laibach's gesamtkunstwerk still proves totally unique and constantly evolving ... Japan's anthem, sung by Boris Benko, is still the highlight – absolutely breathtaking and Laibach's most musical moment ever.
In June 2008, Laibach released the recording of their March 24 2007 concert in Trbovlje (SLO) – the band's birthplace – on DVD. The release features the entire Volk repertoire, written and produced by Silence, performed live by Laibach and Silence. Hladnik – who was part of the entire Volk tour – plays the keyboards, whilst Benko performs Nippon and Slovania as special guest. As a bonus, the DVD offers a collection of some of the most relevant screens that were projected during the show, animated stories of some of the most important songs. The Laibach music videos associated with Volk are part of the content too. The project ends with a tour medley, a short video commentary as a souvenir from some of the places where Laibach have toured with Volk.
Laibach – Volk
Composed and produced by Silence
A beautiful and deeply charged reworking of fourteen national anthems, with Laibach's stentorian vocals augmented by gorgeous sounds from the Slovenian duo Silence, whose Boris Benko sings like a Mitteleuropean Billy Mackenzie.
... A beautiful, profound, engaging album ... encourages repeated listening in a way previous Laibach records do not.
... It is that subtlety, humility almost, that marks Volk as a masterful stroke, the likes of which Laibach may never again achieve.
... Serious contender for this year's best album.
Virus!
... Superbly realised.
Volk is a true masterpiece and this is mostly thanks to the impressive productional work of Silence.
Gothtronic
Laibach devised the concept for their 7th studio album, Volk, during their extensive 2004 – 2005 WAT world tour. The band, renowned for its harsh, industrial sound and relentless, straight-kick beats, was ready to enter uncharted territory. Aside from re-interpreting national anthems, the band's idea was to reveal the mainstream potential of an otherwise profoundly subversive, underground act and focus on what was usually hidden: the subtle side of Laibach. Needless to say, finding songwriters / producers capable of bringing this bold idea to life without damaging Laibach's integrity and alienating the band's vast fan base was a delicate task.
Meritorious for the release of the Maison des rendez-vous soundtrack on TehNika in 2003, Laibach's Ivan Novak brought Silence's subsequent work on Vain – A Tribute to a Ghost and Veronika to the attention of other Laibach members. Soon afterwards, Silence were given the unique opportunity to write and produce for one of the most remarkable bands in the world.
During the following eight months, Silence composed and produced thirteen tracks under Laibach's supervision: Germania, America, Anglia, Rossiya, Francia, Italia, Espańa, Yisra'el, Türkiye, Zhonghuá, Nippon, Slovania, and Vaticanae. The lyrics were written at a later stage by Laibach. All of these tracks – except Nippon and Vaticanae – were recorded and produced (with the exception of Milan Fras' vocals, recorded at the NSK Studio) in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl Studio. Silence recorded most of the vocalists (the children choir in Rossiya, Mina Špiler, Brina Vogelnik-Saje, Elvira Hasanagić, and Nagisa Moritoki) and instrumentalists (Miha Dovžan, Luka Jamnik, and Peter Dekleva) that appear on the album. The grand piano, strings, and five other vocalists (Seaming To, Zed Mehmet, Maria Awa, Yolanda Grant-Thompson, and Artie Fischel) were recorded during the final stages of production at various facilities: Studio Metro (Ljubljana), Metropolis (London), and The Instrument (London).
Hladnik's engagement – he was responsible for the album's piano and string arrangements – resulted in what is arguably his best work so far. This becomes apparent while listening to Nippon, a complex acoustic track performed by a 40-piece string orchestra and piano soloist. Some might recall it from the Key Silence promotional concert in Cankarjev dom, where Nippon was first performed. Hladnik also wrote the arrangement for Vaticanae, a track that marks Silence's first encounter with a remarkable instrument: the church organ.
Benko, responsible for programming and vocal arrangements, appears as guest vocalist on seven tracks (Germania, America, Anglia, Francia, Nippon, Espańa, and Slovania). He also appears as backing vocalist on three of the remaining tracks (Francia, Rossiya, and Vaticanae). On Volk, Benko mainly experimented with extensive vocal layering (numerous overlapping vocal lines sung by an individual vocalist), thus achieving elaborate and distinguishable vocals.
Post-production and mix were done by Paul Walton a.k.a. P-dub (Goldfrapp, Björk, Massive Attack) and Laibach at The Instrument. The album was mastered by Tom Meyer at Master & Servant (Hamburg).
OTHER RELEASES
The Passion of the Cold Full Score
In 2011, the Pekinpah Association released the full score of Silence's 2008 album, The Passion of the Cold. The book contains 24 compositions written for (or inspired by) Tomaž Pandur's plays Baroque and Caligula. Silence's very first published score, edited by Hladnik, features 124 pages of meticulous notations.
The compositions range from piano pieces to choral and orchestral works. The edition also contains 6 songs: The True Nature of Happiness, Halfway There, Mostly Nowhere, Guillotine – The Dance of the Dead, La luna, Ai successori d'odio, and Una strana schiavitù. All copies are hand signed by Silence.
The Passion of the Cold Full Score is available exclusively at www.pekinpah.com
Sountracks