Farmers State Bank wants to ensure the online protection of your personal and account information.
Farmers State Bank will not ask you to submit personal or account information via email.
For your protection, any email sent from Farmers State Bank including customer service emails or email alerts will require that you successfully login to our secure website at www.farmersstatebanktexas.com before entering any personal information.
If you ever receive an email appearing to be from Farmers State Bank that asks for personal information such as your account number or social security number, do not respond to the email. Please notify us immediately at the Farmers State Bank branch that is conveniently located to you.
Responding to E-Mail and Internet-Related Fraudulent Schemes: The number one rule...don't respond! Call or contact Farmers State Bank and let us know of the unusual email.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. For more information please visit https://www.FDIC.gov.
The Internal Revenue Service has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers' financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. When identity theft takes place over the Internet, it is called phishing.. For more information please visit www.IRS.gov.
The FBI has issued several recent consumer warnings on the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters trying to gain access to consumers' financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. When identity theft takes place over the Internet, it is called phishing.. For more information please visit www.FBI.gov.
More people than ever are going online to shop and manage their day-to-day finances. In fact, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, more than half of all Internet users in the country - now bank online.
Check for Web page security before making a transaction. Check for a key or padlock icon at the bottom right of your browser window before transmitting sensitive information over the Internet. Make sure that the Web address or URL next to the icon that appears when you double-click on the icon matches the URL of the page you are viewing.
Keep your operating system and browser up-to-date. Make sure your computer is running the manufacturer's current recommendations. You can usually download upgrades over the web.
Be password savvy. Choose passwords that are easy for you remember but difficult for other people to guess - ideally a combination of letters and numbers. Change passwords regularly. Memorize passwords rather than writing them down and leaving them near your computer or in your wallet. And avoid using auto-logon programs or selecting "Remember my password."
Use anti-virus and firewall protection. Anti-virus and personal firewall software not only protects the data on your computer, but also prevents it from being used as a platform to attack other computers. Update it regularly: The latest versions will alert you when the manufacturer has updates available.
Back up your data. Back up your important computer files to a zip disk, CD, or USB drive at least once a month.
Something phishy going on. Phishing...pharming...spyware...worms...zombies...evil twins: They're sophisticated online scams designed to steal your personal information. What makes these hoaxes especially spooky is that they can be difficult to detect. Check out our list of some of the widely used online scams to protect yourself.
Check your credit report. Some studies suggest that as many as 80% of credit reports contain errors, so it's smart to check your report for accuracy. While many credit report problems result from simple mistakes, others could be a sign of identity theft.
Pay your bills on time. Staying current with your payments will go a long way toward getting your credit in shape - and keeping it that way.
Keep balances low. Even if you pay off your balance every month, try to use less than 50% of your available credit on any one card.
Pay off credit cards. Paying down your revolving credit - rather than just moving it around from card to card - is one of the best ways to improve your credit.
Use credit responsibly. People who manage their credit responsibly tend to have better credit profiles than people who avoid credit altogether.
Step 1: Contact the credit reporting agency (CRA) about the problem. The credit bureau must investigate the problem and respond to your complaint within 30 days.
Step 2: If you're applying for a loan, notify the prospective lender immediately. Tell the lender that you found an error and you are working to resolve it.
Step 3: Ask the CRA to send out a corrected report to potential creditors. Once the problem has been resolved, you can ask the credit bureau to send out your corrected report to anyone who has requested it in the previous 6 months.
Step 4: Write a statement if you can't resolve the dispute. If you disagree with the credit bureau's findings, you can write a 100-word explanation that must be included with your report free of charge.
It's your identity. Keep it that way. You make transactions almost everyday that reveal bits of your personal information - when you apply for a credit card, for example, or buy something online. These transactions usually require you to share sensitive information like your bank account and your Social Security Number. And unfortunately, this information is the stock-in-trade of a growing crime: identity theft or ID Theft.
Identity thieves try to use your personal information to commit fraud, make purchases, and take out loans. While victims usually aren't held liable for crimes committed in their names, they can spend months - even years - repairing their finances and credit history.
Tips to protect yourself. While identity thieves may try to access your personal information in a variety of ways - from rummaging through your trash to using sophisticated technology - there are some basic precautions you can take to help protect yourself from becoming a victim.
Thoroughly shred mail - especially credit card bills, statements, offers for pre-approved credit, and other sensitive information - before you throw it away.
Remove mail from your mailbox every day.
Know your billing cycles. Follow up with lenders immediately if you suspect a problem.
Keep your Social Security Number, bank passwords, or other sensitive information locked away.
Memorize all Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Do not write them down or keep them in your wallet or purse.
Cancel all unused bank and credit accounts.
Never give out sensitive information over the telephone, by email, on a website, or in person unless you initiate the contact.
Check your Social Security Earnings and Benefit statement once a year to make sure that no one else is using your Social Security number for employment.
Check your credit report regularly. You can order free annual reports from www.annualcreditreport.com.
Consider freezing your credit to prevent being a victim of ID Theft. Learn more about the latest Security Freeze Protection Law.
Remove your name from direct mail lists. Write to the companies you do business with and ask them not to sell or rent your name. To learn more about getting your name off telemarketing, direct mail, and email lists, visit www.dmaconsumers.org.
Limit the telemarketing calls you receive by adding yourself to the Do-Not-Call registry www.donotcall.gov.
Opt-out of receiving preapproved credit offers by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.
Opt-in, opt-out, what does it mean? By law, all financial companies must offer their Customers the opportunity to opt-out - or tell the company that they don't want their personal and financial information sold to other companies and outside marketers. The catch: Unless you make a specific request, the organization is able to say that you have given implicit consent to them to share your personal information.
If you think your personal information has been stolen, it's important to act fast. The sooner you alert your bank, your lenders, and the credit bureaus, the less damage identity thieves will be able to do. Here are some steps to take as well as a list of helpful resources.
File a police report. Make sure to obtain a copy of the report, so you can distribute it to lenders and credit bureaus.
Contact your bank and credit issuers. Once they're put on the alert, they can protect access to your accounts, stop payments on missing checks, change your Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and online banking passwords, and open a new account for you, if appropriate.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. By law, they must remove any fraudulent activity from your file once they have received the police report. Request a fraud alert on your file, asking creditors to contact you before opening new accounts or changing existing ones.
Send a registered letter to all creditors where fraudulent accounts have been opened. Include a copy of the police report and ID Theft Affidavit. Request that the lender send you a letter of release to acknowledge the account is fraudulent.
Am I liable for fraudulent charges? By law, you are only liable for $50 of fraudulent charges on your credit card. If your ATM or debit card shows unauthorized use, your liability is also limited to $50 provided you report the fraud within two business days of discovering it. If you take longer, you may be liable for up to $500 or more in unauthorized transactions. However, many banks and lenders offer more lenient policies, so ask for details.
What if my checkbook has been stolen? Contact the major check verification companies and request that they notify retailers using their databases not to accept your stolen checks. Also, the Shared Check Authorization Network (1-800-262-7771) can tell you if a thief has been passing bad checks in your name. Report check fraud to ChexSystems, a consumer reporting agency (1-800-428-9623).
What if my mail is tampered with? Check with your local post office to make sure that no one has filed an unauthorized address change. For more information about mail fraud and theft, contact the US Postal Inspection Service or call 1-800-275-8777.
Informational community links and financial links.
We partner with Digital Defense, Inc. to provide you with the best information against cyber threats. Click the TEAM logo to learn more.
Farmers State Bank does not knowingly solicit individually identifiable personal information from or about children online, and does not knowingly market our products to children online. We fully support protecting children's identities and privacy online, and recognize the responsibility to do so rests with both the online industry and with the parents.


Bill Gates has done a lot of thinking about the online payments market.
At Microsoft's "Think Week," a development plan was set for an online payment system "that will be cheaper than credit card transactions, making it possible for companies to charge small fees for Web-based content and services they now offer for free," according to Dow Jones reports.
If you want to charge somebody $0.10 or $1 a month, that will just be a click...you won't have to manage some funny thing or pay some big credit charge, where half of it goes to the clearing.
By undercutting credit card fees, the Microsoft offering would enable an online newspaper to profitably charge small fees for individual articles, Gates put forth as an example.
A new universal Microsoft online micro payments system could attract the legions of independent Web publishers, blogs and small ecommerce plays, with the potential to be a significant rival to eBay's PayPal.
Google Checkout is not a competitor to PayPal; Google invests in the Google-centric formula as part of a strategy to continually increase monetization of AdWords. Google positions Google Checkout as undercutting credit card transaction fees but in reality it pays for them on behalf of merchants. It also subsidizes the consumer transaction.
As Google is losing money on its Checkout offering, it is not sustainable as a stand alone micro payments service, or for mass distribution on the Google publisher network. Google Checkout currently has no raison d'etre without its AdWords tie-in.
Google's AdSense business could potentially be disrupted by a well thought out Microsoft micro payments offering. In lieu of monetization by content "enhanced" by Google's "Sponsored Links," Websites could monetize their own content directly.
Direct monetization would enable Web publishers to keep users at their sites, without revenue sharing with Google and without need for the ubiqutous "Ads by Goooooogle."
Microsoft vs. Google in Website monetization options could test Google's assertion that Google ads enhance third-party Website content, rather than detract from it.


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GOSSIPONTHIS.COM Music Nicki Minaj Joins Lauryn Hill As the ONLY Female Rappers to Debut...
Nicki Minaj Joins Lauryn Hill As the ONLY Female Rappers to Debut at #1 on Billboard Hot 100
GOT Hip-Hop
Published June 22nd, 2020 at 2:04 pm
Nicki Minaj has made history as the first female rapper this century to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Minaj was able to grab the honor thanks to her "TROLLZ" collaboration with Tekashi 6ix9ine, which is the #1 song in the country this week.
"TROLLZ" also had the biggest U.S. sales week of 2020 with 116,000 copies sold … and the biggest since Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie's "Me" released in May 2019.
.@6ix9ine & @NickiMinaj's "TROLLZ" scores the biggest US sales week of the year and the biggest since @TaylorSwift13 & @BrendonUrie's "ME!" in May 2019.
It debuts with 116,000 copies sold. pic.twitter.com/ZHW12MFimo
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 22, 2020
This comes just a little over one month after Nicki scored her first #1 single EVER with the "Say So" remix featuring Doja Cat.
"TROLLZ" serves as Minaj's second Hot 100 #1 and Tekashi's first.
"TROLLZ" becomes 6ix9ine's first and Nicki Minaj's second #1 single on the Hot 100.
Congratulations, @6ix9ine & @NickiMinaj! ? pic.twitter.com/kQ8hrXJJlt
Lauryn Hill was the first female rapper EVER to debut at #1 on the Hot 100 with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" back in November 1998 … which makes Nicki the first female rapper to do so in the 21st century.
To date, Nicki and Lauryn are the ONLY female rappers to have a single debut atop the Hot 100.
.@NickiMinaj joins @MsLaurynHill as the only female rappers to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. pic.twitter.com/XtVfNYbqYo
Tekashi 6ix9ine Rushed to the Hospital After Overdosing on Caffeine & Diet Pills
Congrats! Nicki Minaj Gives Birth to First Child
Tekashi 6ix9ine Says He Thought About Killing Himself While He Was in Prison

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Harley is a hip, young scientist who happens to have an IQ the size of Mt. Rushmore. While experimenting with a shrinking machine, something goes terribly wrong--the machine explodes and Harley is now the size of a bug! Harley has to find the missing pieces of his machine and reassemble it in order to return to his regular size. You'll guide him through all kinds of crazy capers, commandeering a tank, parachuting, using a jet pack, and fighting a giant rat, that will lead him to the parts he needs. When you're the size of an insect everything looks humongous.
Buy Harley's Humongous Adventure - SNES now from Fully Retro. Shipping to Australia and New Zealand.


Enter YOUR Age of Elegance Contest sponsored by National Association of Baby Boomer Women to Win $100 Cash and FREE Membership or Renewal into NABBW. According to author Chloe Jon Paul who wrote, Entering the Age of Elegance - A Rite of Passage & Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman, this second adulthood reaches us around age forty and if this rite of passage isn't done with style and grace, we can become disoriented and lose our way. We want to know what the Age of Elegance means to you. Fulfillment? Exploration? Discovery? To enter, submit your 500 word entry in a Word document as an attachment. Include your name, e-mail address, and bio (no more than 75 words) inside the Word document. Submit to - contest@nabbw.com with Age of Elegance in the subject line.


Eric Siegel, Ph.D., founder of Predictive Analytics World and Text Analytics World, and Executive Editor of the Predictive Analytics Times, makes the how and why of predictive analytics understandable and captivating. In addition to being the author of Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die, Eric is a former Columbia University professor who sang to his students, and a renowned speaker, educator, and leader in the field. He has appeared on Bloomberg TV and Radio, Fox News, BNN (Canada), Israel National Radio, Radio National (Australia), The Street, Newsmax TV, and NPR affiliates. Eric and his book have been featured in Businessweek, CBS MoneyWatch, The Financial Times, Forbes, Forrester, Fortune, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and WSJ MarketWatch.


"Ronie Saleh – his workshops are very worthwhile": was the cumulative response of several dancers at the Afromoves festival. Ronie Saleh, with help from his brother Armanch, taught his moves at the 6th Annual Afromoves Kizomba Festival in Ludwigsburg, Germany. After so many good reviews, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to join a workshop with these sympathetic Stockholm guys, so we signed ourselves up. We found out at the end that the work shop wasn't just a normal Kizomba work shop, but rather an inspiration for life.
was the name of Salehs' two hour workshop. His workshop concentrated on the connection between two dancers, and the defining role of a leading man. The Saleh brothers said the most important part of the dance is to reach a good flow. We were really impressed with how they were able to easily change who takes lead and who follows. In one moment Ronie was leading and then a half of a turn later his brother would take the lead. To top it off, they did this all with a good portion of humor.
Ronie Saleh is very connected with his body and soul, thus his workshop didn't only offer good dancing skills it also concentrated on answering the following questions: how do I live my life? Do I do everything right?
This insight awakened us all to the fact that the desire to live and passion for life itself should be the highest priority in everyone's life. We only have one life to live, and no matter what you choose to do in it, do it right and with your heart. If you dance Kizomba, dance it right – with fool and heart.
His words silenced all of the workshop participants. The room became really quiet as everyone took a moment to reflect. No one had expected a workshop with so much depth.
Conclusion: The workshop was very worthwhile, an experience that will remain with us for a long time. This is not only meant with regards to the dancing, but rather also in terms of the self-reflection we take away with us as humans. Thus, to conclude, we highly recommend, with all our heart, Saleh's workshops, if you ever have the possibility to join one.
KizzMag becomes bilingual KizInvasion Munich – a hot night!


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Q: Clearing sector zero of a removable media device I need to clear sector 0 for removable media devices (custom USB memory devices) which I have been trying to clear within a WPF/C# application.  My first attempt was to use DD, but I ran into problems.  During the manufacturing of the devices a MBR is created at sector 0 and the volume (logical?) starts at sector 40.  When I issue the following command it clears sector 40 and not sector 0:

dd bs=512 count=1 if=/dev/zero of=\.\E:

I found another version of DD here which includes a wipe utility.  I tried this version and I am seeing the same behavior.  I am using both HxD and Runtime's DiskExplorer that sector 40 is being cleared and not sector 0.  I could use HxD or Runtime's DiskExplorer, but this needs to be scriptable.

Does anyone know of any other methods of clearing (filling) sector 0 within Windows XP SP2??  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mark

Solution: My solution used WMI to find the physical drive based upon the logical drive letter.  First, query the Win32_LogicalDiskToPartition class to find the logical drive I am looking for. This provides the Antecedent field which constains something like '...DeviceID="Disk #X, Partition #Y"'.  Next, I query Win32_DiskDriveToDiskPartition class while searching against the Dependent field to find the match for the Antecedent field within the Win32_LogicalDiskToPartition class.  Once found, the Antecedent field from Win32_LogicalDiskToPartition will yield the physical drive. I selected atzz since it is the closes to my solution.  I wanted to use Eugene's suggestion, but I only had a few hours to implement this so I selected the easier of the two.  I will need to revisit this at a later time though.

A: There are two ways to format a USB drive, from Windows standpoint:

*

*As a floppy disk. In this case entire USB drive contains a single file system, and its boot record is located in sector 0.

*As a hard drive. In this case, sector 0 contains MBR with partition table. Actual file system(s) with their individual boot records are located further on the drive.
I think you are observing the second case. Using \.\E: to identify the device, you end up accessing file system's boot record instead of MBR.
Here is how you can access sector 0 of the USB drive.

*

*Load WinObj from here.

*In WinObj, under GLOBAL??, find E:. It will be a SymbolicLink pointing to something like \Device\Harddisk2\DP(1)0-0+30.

*Under GLOBAL??, find a PhysicalDrive# symlink referring to the same Harddisk# that you found on step 2. Most probably it will have the same numeric suffix as Harddisk#. E.g.: SymbolicLink PhysicalDrive2 refers to \Device\Harddisk2\DR47.

*Use the PhysicalDrive# you've found in DD command:
dd bs=512 count=1 if=\\.\PhysicalDrive2 of=mbr.dat

A: You are trying to clear logical device E: and not physical device. Try doing the following:
call CreateFile() WinAPI function to open "\\.\PhysicalDriveX" where X is the number of the device (see Remarks in description of CreateFile function for information about how to open the physical device properly). Then use WriteFile API function to write 512 bytes at offset 0 of the opened device.
If you get permission denied error when opening the device for writing, you can take our RawDisk product (trial version will work fine for you) which lets one bypass this security measure of Windows.
upd: As for calling CreateFile from C#, see PInvoke.net.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Look Back in Anger
Filed under: Talking Theatre (Reviews) — Fergal Casey @ 11:52 am
Tags: A Taste of Honey, Annabelle Comyn, Bertolt Brecht, Blasted, Brexit, Chahine Yavroyan, Clare Dunne, Edward Albee, Enron, Gate Theatre, Gertrude, Hamlet, Harold Pinter, Hedda Gabler, Ian Toner, Jimmy Porter, John Osborne, Kenneth Branagh, Lloyd Cooney, Look Back in Anger, Michael Caine, Oh! What a Lovely War, Ophelia, Our Country's Good, Paul O'Mahony, Posh, Selina Cartmell, Taylor Swift, The Children's Hour, The Entertainer, The Flick, The Homecoming, The Suez Crisis, Tom Lane, Vanessa Emme, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, William Shakespeare
The Gate advertise the hell out of their doing John Osborne's seminal 1956 play, and then refuse on point of principle to actually do it.
Jimmy Porter (Ian Toner) is an angry young man, indeed he is the angry young man. He watched his father die from wounds sustained in the Spanish Civil War, and now despite his college education he finds himself manning a sweet stall down the market, unable to escape his working class roots in this post-war Midlands city despite his formidable, vituperative mental and linguistic agility. His rage against the establishment lashes against his upper-middle-class wife Alison (Clare Dunne), and to a lesser degree their Welsh Irish lodger Cliff (Lloyd Cooney). But when Jimmy eventually pushes Alison too far, a visit from her snobbish friend Helena (Vanessa Emme) sees Alison finally desert her stormy marriage. Only for the damndest thing to happen in the continuing war of contempt, class consciousness, and the desire for a worthy opponent between Jimmy and Helena…
While the audience is coming in the actors amble onto Paul O'Mahony's curious canted stage of a realistic attic apartment, as a box within the exposed walls of the Gate's backstage area. Emme reads the stage directions while the others take their places, and Dunne is reluctant to don the particular shirt specified. So far so Brecht, kind of. But then it continues, on and on and on, adding God knows how long to the endless 2 hour 45 minute running time, and for one purpose, so that Alison and Helena can eschew the stated directions, even when they're emphatically repeated. The female characters, like Taylor Swift, would like to be excluded from this narrative. Which doesn't do much for the narrative. Jimmy ends on his knees cooing a redemptive moment to nobody, as Alison refuses to follow Osborne's directions.
I saw Kenneth Branagh star in Osborne's 1957 play The Entertainer on the West End in 2016. Some sequences were melodramatic, but mostly it was very effective; startlingly so indeed because, despite being about the post-imperial crisis of confidence the Suez crisis amplified, one line drew gasps from the crowd because it seemed about Brexit. I expected director Annabelle Comyn would do something of the same here; pare down Osborne's text like her lean 2015 Hedda Gabler, and bring out the impotent rage against an aloof establishment that would seem apposite to the Brexit moment. Instead I got leaden pacing, and a bad academic workshop exercise gone rogue. Give me a few days and I can furnish you with a version of Hamlet focused on his abusiveness towards Gertrude and Ophelia. But then we wouldn't have Hamlet anymore would we?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Homecoming would not exist without this play. When Toner leans into Michael Caine in his characterisation of Porter he unconsciously directs attention to how this play aided the explosion of the working class into British culture in the 1950s and 1960s. In short Osborne's work deserves a modicum of respect. Instead gags and clues to Porter's left-wing politics are clipped, so Toner is left in the bizarre, thankless and pointless position of playing a charismatic character who is purposefully being denied laughs or attraction by the disapproving staging, while Tom Lane's sound design and Chahine Yavroyan's harsh lighting is used to accentuate the most malicious of his rants, and Alison's father is no-platformed (with his part being read from a script) because he sympathises with Jimmy's frustration. Dunne kisses Cooney on the lips far too passionately to deny Osborne's script its intent, while you suspect Cooney and Emme are being deliberately theatrical in their delivery as a further distancing measure. But why bother?
If you are so contemptuous of this play, and contempt comes washing off the stage in great waves, then for heaven's sake why are you doing it? Who exactly is forcing Selina Cartmell and Annabelle Comyn to do this (sigh) problematic play? Why not do The Children's Hour or A Taste of Honey or Oh! What a Lovely War or Our Country's Good or Blasted or Enron or Posh or The Flick instead? It is odd to prioritise doing a 'bad' play by a male playwright over doing a good play by a female playwright. It is odder to ask people to pay 35e to see a play deliberately done poorly because the company wishes to complain about its place in the canon. The Gate is not doing itself any favours with this tedious approach to its commercial stock-in-trade, revivals.
This is easily the worst production I have ever seen at the Gate, and sadly it is also the worst show I have ever seen directed by Comyn.
Look Back in Anger continues its run at the Gate until the 24th of March.
Tags: Alexander Wright, Aoibheann McCann, Baz Luhrmann, Charlene McKenna, Ciaran Bagnall, Crestfall, Daisy Buchanan, Edward Albee, Elevator Repair Service, F Scott Fitzgerald, Faith Healer, Film Fatale, Gate Theatre, George Wilson, Ger Kelly, IMMA, Irish Times, Jay Gatsby, Jordan Baker, Kate Gilmore, Maneater, Mark Huberman, Marty Rea, Meyer Wolfsheim, Michael Gambon, Moulin Rouge!, Myrtle Wilson, Nelly Furtado, Nick Carraway, No Man's Land, NYC, Owen Roe, Peter O'Brien, Prohibition, Rachel O'Byrne, Ralph Fiennes, Raymond Scannell, Stephen Errity, The Charleston, The Gigli Concert, The Great Gatsby, The Guild of Misrule, The Select (The Sun Also Rises), Tom Buchanan, Tom Murphy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
When I came back from the Gate I wanted the whole theatrical world at a sort of attention to, providing seats. I wanted no more riotous excursions into costume parties.
Nick Carraway (Marty Rea) has just arrived in West Egg, and is invited by Jay Gatsby (Paul Mescal) to attend one of his Prohibition-be-damned ragers. There he meets his cousin Daisy (Charlene McKenna), her husband Tom Buchanan (Mark Huberman); an old Yale classmate; and their golfer friend Jordan (Rachel O'Byrne). Also floating around the Charleston'd chaos is the shady Meyer Wolfsheim (Owen Roe), Tom's mistress Myrtle (Aoibheann McCann), her sister Kitty (Kate Gilmore), Myrtle's defeated husband George (Ger Kelly), and the protean one-man Repertory (Raymond Scannell). Over the course of an extremely long night (which makes pigswill of the chronology, content, and nuance of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel) Jay meets Daisy, Jay re-woos Daisy, but his insistence on breaking Tom's romantic hold on her backfires completely, and Jay loses Daisy all over again. And then his business and life too.
Designer Ciaran Bagnall has raised the floor, brought forward the Gate stage; creating a double staircase and a dummy roof; and floored over the back area to create two lobbies; one for piano, one for a bar. Into this space fit maybe 170 people, instead of the usual 371, but that's probably recouped by selling themed cocktails to the audience; roughly 70% women, who were nearly 100% decked out in full flapper garb. And therein is one problem with this production – as my regular theatre cohort Stephen Errity put it: trying to make a fun night out from one of art's great downers. Another is the 'choose your own adventure' book come to life aspect: we were led into Tom's NYC apartment, Gatsby's bedroom, and, after the interval, Wolfsheim's gambling den. Only the first, mostly using Fitzgerald's actual words, worked…
Fitzgerald… If you think his point was decadent parties then you probably didn't finish the novel, and should be at Film Fatale's annual Gatsby party at IMMA. Rea and O'Byrne excel at athletically dancing the Charleston, but does it gain enough from the audience playing dress-up next to it to justify staging it this way and not on the stage as Elevator Repair Service did for their choreographed bacchanalia in The Select: The Sun Also Rises? Does it make sense to segue from Carraway's opening speech to the closing peroration, and repeatedly mash together lines from anywhere, an egregious offender being George's decontextualised references to God seeing everything? Does it make sense to have George Wilson be a barman, yet still have Tom's yellow Rolls-Royce that he knows as a mechanic kill Myrtle? Does it make sense to pretend this is one night when Tom, Nick, and Daisy are observed (by some people) travelling to NYC, and Jay and Daisy's agonised tea thus apparently happens in the wee small hours? We're into Baz Luhrmann flashy incoherence here before we reach the musical numbers that pad the 2nd act as if a half-abandoned Moulin Rouge! musical of Gatsby is poking through.
The interval, 80 minutes in, found me sick of standing. 70 minutes later I was aghast that the handful of remaining scenes had been fleshed out by unnecessary musical numbers, the party had definitively gone on too long. Audience interaction had started highly amusingly when actors had to go with Nick being rumoured out of the Midwest by 'a whole 4 people', gone downhill with the utterly pointless preparation of the tea service, and degenerated to literal pantomime boos for Tom's denunciation of the audience as uninvited and uninteresting. Actors bellowing at each other across a milling audience doesn't synch with large parties being intimate nor make sense for Wolfsheim offering Gatsby a gonnegtion; indeed poor Roe's main function appeared to be glad-handing groups of theatregoers. Scannell excelled at the piano providing mood music for Daisy and Jay's fretful tea.
The costumes, designed by Peter O'Brien, are terrific; especially Gatsby's spiffy pink suit. Yet the point of this show, imported from the Guild of Misrule's original production with Alexander Wright still directing, seems to be that you, the audience member, dressed in your best flapper gear, are the show as much as the actors. Which rather deflates the great performances: Rea finds all new notes of nervousness as Carraway, who's not as sardonic as he presents himself in narration, while O'Byrne is incredibly effective as Jordan, registering a disdain for the world which shines through her musical performances, and a fearless McCann renders her sultry Myrtle as the physical embodiment of Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater'. Huberman doesn't have the hulking physique but is a startlingly good Tom replete with habitual dominance (and his moustache and projection reminded me of KH T'*!).
Nobody amidst the rave reviews for this bold and brave use of the Gate space seems willing to acknowledge the atavistic cruelty at work. The Gate audience, as has been widely remarked, is older, there are usually a notable number of walking sticks; and the new regime welcomes them by shouting – there are no seats, dance! What exactly did they do to deserve this opprobrium? They didn't like Crestfall, which the Irish Times just savaged for depravity. They did like Ralph Fiennes in Faith Healer and Michael Gambon in No Man's Land. They appreciate opulent costumes, clever set design, and, recently, acclaimed productions of titanic Albee and Murphy classics. Yet for these hanging offences they must be run off the premises, the Gate is trying to run a the-a-tre here! It is strange to burn your audience while feigning bonhomie…
Rea, O'Byrne, McCann, and Huberman were all splendidly cast, but I'd liked to have seen them in a coherent adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby continues its run at the Gate until the 16th of September.
Filed under: Talking Theatre — Fergal Casey @ 9:51 am
Tags: Denis Conway, Emma Laxton, Fiona Bell, Florian Zeller, Juno and the Paycock, Lynne Parker, Marie Mullen, Marty Rea, Northern Stars, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, Paul Keogan, Paul O'Mahony, Pippa Nixon, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Father, The Plough and the Stars, The Tempest, The Wake, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
It seems odd that Irish theatre should be so ruled by just one set of awards, especially when they have such transparent biases. Someday perhaps someone with the necessary money, reach, and prestige will set up an alternative to the Irish Times Theatre Awards. In the meantime here's my 2nd annual Theatre Awards, pitched as a corrective; like the Film Top 10 is pitched somewhere between the mid-1990s Oscars and MTV Movie Awards; operating under the fervent aspiration that what is good ought be popular and what is popular ought be good.
The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Northern Star (Project Arts Centre)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Gate)
The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gaiety)
Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (The Abbey)
Othello (The Abbey)
Lynne Parker – Northern Star (Project Arts Centre)
Sean Holmes – The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Garry Hynes – The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gaiety)
Jeremy Herrin – Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (The Abbey)
Joe Dowling – Othello (The Abbey)
Annabelle Comyn – The Wake (The Abbey)
Ethan McSweeny – The Father (The Gate)
Denis Conway – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Gate)
Marty Rea – Othello (The Abbey)
Owen Roe – The Father (The Gate)
Peter Macon – Othello (The Abbey)
Phelim Drew – Kings of the Kilburn High Road (The Gaiety)
Gary Lydon – The Weir (The Pavilion)
Fiona Bell – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Gate)
Aisling O'Sullivan – The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gaiety)
Cathy Belton – Helen & I (Civic Theatre)
Derbhle Crotty – Juno and the Paycock (The Gate)
Lisa Dwyer Hogg – After Miss Julie (Project Arts Centre)
Marty Rea – Juno and the Paycock/The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gate/The Gaiety)
Rory Nolan – Northern Star (Project Arts Centre)
Darragh Kelly – Northern Star (Project Arts Centre)
David Ganly – The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Paul Kennedy – Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (The Abbey)
Aaron Monaghan – The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gaiety)
Neill Fleming – Hamlet (The Mill Theatre)
Brian Doherty – The Wake (The Abbey)
Marie Mullen – The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gaiety)
Janet Moran – The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Eileen Walsh – The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Ali White – Northern Star (Project Arts Centre)
Sophie Robinson – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Gate)
Caoimhe O'Malley – Juno and the Paycock/The Constant Wife (The Gate/The Gate)
Darcy Donnellan – Nowhere Now (Players Theatre)
The Father by Florian Zeller (The Gate)
The Meeting by Grainne Curistan (Players Theatre)
Nowhere Now by Daniel O'Brien (Players Theatre)
Helen and I by Meadhbh McHugh (Civic Theatre)
Paul O'Mahony – The Wake (The Abbey)
Jonathan Fensom – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Gate)
Francis O'Connor – The Father/The Beauty Queen of Leenane (The Gate/The Gaiety)
Ciaran Bagnall – Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (The Abbey)
Riccardo Hernandez – Othello (The Abbey)
Gerard Bourke – Hamlet (The Mill Theatre)
Paul Keogan – Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme/The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey/The Abbey)
Sinead McKenna – Othello/Juno and the Paycock (The Abbey/The Gate)
Rick Fisher – The Father (The Gate)
Kris Mooney – Hamlet (The Mill Theatre)
Emma Laxton – Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (The Abbey)
Philip Stewart – The Plough and the Stars (The Abbey)
Denis Clohessy – The Father (The Gate)
Ferdy Roberts & Filter Theatre – A Midsummer Night's Dream (Grand Canal Theatre)
Pippa Nixon – The Tempest (The Globe)
I'm loath to include anything I saw in London in these awards, but an exception must be made here.
Nixon's commanding turn as Ariel was one of those performances that upend your perception of a play.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Tags: Abbey Theatre, August Strindberg, David Grindley, Denis Conway, Edward Albee, Fiona Bell, Gate Theatre, Jonathan Fensom, Mark Huberman, Sophie Robinson, The Gigli Concert, Twelfth Night, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Director David Grindley and actor Denis Conway follow their celebrated collaboration on The Gigli Concert last year with another revival of an intense chamber piece.
George (Denis Conway) is a disappointed history professor whose career has been hindered more than helped by his wife Martha (Fiona Bell) being the daughter of the college president. When they arrive back, slightly drunk, from a mixer for new faculty members he is horrified to learn she has invited back a younger couple to their house for yet more drinking. When the couple arrive, biology professor Nick (Mark Huberman) and his slim-hipped wife Honey (Sophie Robinson), George and Martha soon get roaring drunk and verbally flay each other, to the bemusement of Nick and Honey, before Martha crosses a line and George reacts with violence that escalates from flamboyantly physical to cruelly psychological. And once the mind-games begin in earnest Nick and Honey are dragged down too as the secrets and lies of their marriage are brought to light.
Grindley and designer Jonathan Fensom wall in a substantial part of the Gate's playing space to shrink down proceedings into one claustrophobic living room. An arena cluttered with the detritus of academic life, which nobody can escape until the mind games have reached a conclusion, it is decorated in an unlikely pervasive red as if to hint at Albee's inheritance from Strindberg's pioneering psychodramas. Conway bounces about this tight space in a masterly agile performance. George effortlessly swings from slothful self-pity to sprightly spitefulness via notes of camp and anger, and almost seems to be the conductor of this concerto of callousness. Bell, however, gives the standout performance. Her slovenly Martha is a masterpiece in drunken physicality, with her thwarted ambition producing caustic kvetching in a slumming accent, before Bell delivers a tearful and wonderfully affecting monologue in the finale.
Sophie Robinson as the none too bright Honey is a revelation. She failed to project the necessary comic vivacity as Viola in the Abbey's 2014 Twelfth Night, but under Grindley's direction she is this production's comedic ace in the hole. Honey's ability to turn on her husband with sharp rejoinders alternates ecstatically with total obliviousness (such as not realising that George is narrating her own life story to her) and non sequiturs (such as egging on a potential fight between George and Nick with "Violence! Violence!"). Mark Huberman has the least rewarding role as Nick, but he hits the right note as the stolid scientist with just a touch of the jock in his make-up: pompously standing on his dignity when he's not trying to hump the hostess. The performances are further testament to Grindley's skill as an actor's director.
This is a wonderful production, yet Grindley's consistent skill in investing static psychodramas with terrific performances can make it hard to discern his overall artistic intent in these plays.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? continues its run at the Gate Theatre until the 11th of June.


SETUP A RECURRING PAYMENT FOR YOUR TITHE, missions, Building fund, and other gifts.
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This project is to turn a drab old piano into a piece of art that reflects both a happier environment and its surroundings...a school. I painted this piano to sit in the lobby of a local middle school so that both kids and adults would be greeted by something the other school didn't have and so that kids could play on it as they wish. The project took about 5 days working 6-7 hours each of the days. (Like watching paint dry....literally) the majority of the time was just that. Watching paint dry. No skill in piano mechanics are required just patience and caution so you don't break the valuable and delicate action inside. Enough with the intro lets get to the FUN!!
Foremost you are going to need a piano.
Tarp or Canvas. Unless you want a green and pink floor.
The piano comes apart fairly easily.
Open lid #1 and pull out on panel #2, some lift off while others may have levers to hold them in place.
Inside where the ends of the keys are unscrew the assembly that consists of #14, #13, and #4. This should come off in one piece though all pianos have slight differences.
Now that these parts are off the piano should look like the first photo.
Remove the keys by lifting up on the plastic part and pulling out. Don't worry about wiggling the keys just don't yank them out.
Using a vacuum or brush remove the years of dust and likely coinage that is under the keys. ( Be careful not to vacuum up the green and red felts. These are set to exact heights and can only be done by a piano tuner.
Unscrew the four thumb bolts that hold the action in and pull it out and up holding firmly onto the cast iron sides. DO NOT GRAB BY THE FELT HAMMERS THEY WILL SHATTER. I recommend finding a helper for this part and watching the video i have attached. Of you break the action the piano will never function and the cost to have it repaired will exceed the value of the instrument.
Sand all external surfaces of the piano. DO NOT sand under the keys or the wood on the back of the piano. These parts are crucial to the instruments sound.
Sand using either hand block or electric sander first with 100 or 110 then with a 200-220.
Now for the part when you get mad and question why you did this. Priming. Its annoying painting something white-ish just to paint it again later but it is a necessary evil if you want a flawless finish.
Cover the pianos internal parts (Strings and Harp) with plastic sheets and tape these on for protection from drips.
Shake and Mix the Zissner BIN primer and begin painting as normally with a 2 or 3 inch foam brush. Do 2-3 light thin coats making sure not to let the primer drip and glob. It dries fairly fast so this part wont take long. Just be careful not to let it dry while you are working it. Keep the stuff moving and you will be fine.
If the primer does dry i one spot because lets say you got a phone call or dropped the beer you will need to get through this step, then wait for it to dry sand the area fine a fine paper brush the dust and try again. Don't worry LIFE isn't perfect. Neither is primer.
Optional. Lightly sand between primer coats if using a high gloss paint is only using semi gloss this step is not necessary.
Now that the primer has dried you can open up the green paint and begin painting using either a 2 or 3 in foam brush. Apply 2-3 coats or until even without being able to see primer.
Pianos are build with lots of different parts and the grain of the wood is not always in the same direction. Make sure to observe and paint with the direction of the woods grain.
Paint all visible surfaces of the piano. There is no need to paint the underside of the lid unless you choose to.
Do Not Paint The Back Of The Piano Or The Inside.
After many years the keys will yellow. Take this time to mix up a mild soap and water solution and scrub the key tops. Don't soak them as the wood is not waterproof just a light rub with a washcloth to remove dirt.
Here is the part when your creativity can come to life. There is no exact science to this part and you may wish to sketch out your design on paper to make sure it is appealing to the eyes. I chose to paint the legs and key side scrolls pink. On the bottom panel I painted a pink rectangle 3 inches in from the edge and then roughly outlined it in black with an artists paintbrush. On the sides I painted adjacent black drips and outlined the front edge of the sides in black. The edges of the top lid got the same treatment. The front beneath where the keys go was outlined in black and any areas where there is nothing going on. Feel free to change the design to suit you. There are no exacts here because i painted it looking at pictures and just thinking... Where do we need more design. Taping off areas you don't want paint is necessary and will make the whole project look sharper and cleaner.
Step 7: More Design and the Pianos First Big Fix.
Now that the majority of the painting is done i reinstalled the keys by dropping the m onto their designated pins. This is made easy since the keys come pre numbered 1-88 from the factory. Afterward i dropped the action back in. reconnected the poles that work the dampers and pedals and made sure all the keys worked. These POLES you will notice have pins which fit into lever arms on the action they are not had to reinstall, just push them down and make the pin go into the actions holes. I replaced the bottom and top panels and added a pink oval and 4 pink boxes by taping off the edges and using an xacto knife to alter the shape. it doesnt have to be exact because the cartoony black lines will cover it. Some swoops accented the sides and the piano was almost done.
Reinstall all lids, and part in the reverse order you removed them.
The embedded video shows how to remove the parts (You get the idea) but extra tips area always helpful when dealing with the foreign worlds of piano parts.
The piano is finished and now it can be enjoyed. If it feels that this was over complicated just know that i am a perfectionist and therefore I removed ever single part of the piano one by one painted them all separate and then reinstalled them on by one. This will take a few day, but it is entirely possible to paint the piano without removing everything as long as you cover and tape and watch where your paint drips.
Thank You! This means a lot i had to show my whole family the URL. Very excited.
Dr. Seuss wold be proud.
Fabulous! Too bad you can't purchase the patience at the store, though.
Thank You. And yes, haha if they old it i would need about 5 gallons.
Nicely done. Your perfectionism shows, as does your artistic eye. I'll bet the kids and teachers love this.
Very cool! My dad was a piano craftsman. He rebuilt several player pianos for a pizza parlor chain with very flashy paint, glitter, acryllic (to allow seeing the player in action) and a coin slot for customers to pay for music. It was a huge hit, especially with children. Thank you for reviving those memories.
You did a great job! Taking it apart before painting is essential -- otherwise the parts become painted (read glued ) together and the piano can't be tuned or serviced.
It looks great, just like something out of a Dr. Seuss book!
I really like your choice of colors, it definitely pops.


The Ohio State University's Pesticide Safety Education Program will be offering four Commercial Pesticide Applicator Recertification Conferences across Ohio during the winter of 2017.
Is your business compliant with revised worker protection standards? The Federal Worker Protection Standards (WPS) protects agricultural workers and pesticide handlers by reducing their risk from pesticide exposure. WPS was revised in 2015, and phased-in compliance begins January 2, 2017.
Ohio is certainly the place for trees (more later), and you will certainly learn a great deal more about trees at OSU's 2nd Annual Trees on Tap program on December 5 at the Ohio Convention Center, immediately preceding the 89th Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course and 50th Ohio Turfgrass Conference from December 6-8.
A news release has been issued regarding a new Asian longhorned beetle infestation found in Clermont Count, OH.
Tis' the season to register for the upcoming Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Tradeshow! While we haven't seen any snow yet, predictions are in the weekend forecast for at least the northeastern region of Ohio.
You won't want to miss this year's Trees on Tap preconference workshop as part of this year's OSU Green Industry Short Course (GISC), formally the OSU Nursery Short Course.
The preconference workshop will be held on Monday, December 5, 2016 at the Columbus Convention Center. Registration will be begin at 9:00 am, with the program starting at 9:30 am. The workshop ends at 4:45 pm, with a workshop reception to follow.
The must-read manual for growers on the 2015 revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is now available. Horticultural growers such as greenhouses and nurseries will be most affected by these changes because of the numbers of workers they employ. Retailers are also affected if pesticides are applied to holding areas.
If you find yourself in Toledo, Ohio before November 6, 2016, I recommend a visit to the Toledo Museum of Art to enjoy the Jaume Plensa: Human Landscape Exhibit. Seven large outdoor sculptures, plus an indoor installation that includes a stainless steel curtain through which visitors can walk, will be on view through early November.


text:
Q: If $L$ is a linear operator, then $\text{rank}(L^k) = \text{rank}(L^{k+1})$ for some $k$ and $V = \text{ker}(L^k) \oplus \text{ran}(L^k)$. I am trying to prove the following theorem:
If $L:V \to V$ is a linear operator and $V$ is a finite dimensional vector space, then $\text{rank}(L^k) = \text{rank}(L^{k+1})$ for some $k$ and $V = \text{ker}(L^k) \oplus \text{ran}(L^k)$.
Can anyone help me get started? I am not sure where to begin.

A: To get you started, show that
$$\operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{k+1}) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{k + 2}) = \ldots$$
In particular, try using the fact that $\operatorname{ran} (L^k) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{2k})$. This means that, given any $v \in V$, there exists a $w \in V$ such that $L^kv = L^{2k}w$. Try using $w$ to find a decomposition of $v$ into a sum from the kernel and range of $L^k$.
Then, try showing that the intersection of the kernel and range is trivial. For this, you'll want to use the fact that $\operatorname{ker} (L^k) = \operatorname{ker} (L^{2k})$.
EDIT:
Because $\operatorname{rank}(L^k) = \operatorname{rank} (L^{k+1})$ and $\operatorname{ran}(L^k) \supseteq \operatorname{ran} (L^{k+1})$, we must have $\operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{k+1})$. By the rank-nullity theorem, we also have $\operatorname{null}(L^k) = \operatorname{null} (L^{k+1})$. Since we have $\operatorname{ker}(L^k) \subseteq \operatorname{ker} (L^{k+1})$, we similarly get $\operatorname{ker}(L^k) = \operatorname{ker} (L^{k+1})$.
Moreover, this equality continues to hold as we increase $k$. This is a standard result in linear algebra. Again, we have that $\operatorname{ran}(L^{k+1}) \supseteq \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+2})$, so we just need to show that, given a vector $v \in \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+1})$, then $v \in \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+2})$.
If $v \in \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+1})$, then there exists some $w \in V$ such that $v = L^{k+1}w$. Note that
$$L^k w \in \operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+1}),$$
so there must exist some $u \in V$ such that $L^k w = L^{k+1} u$. Therefore,
$$v = L^{k + 1} w = L(L^k w) = L(L^{k + 1} u) = L^{k + 2} u \in \operatorname{ran}(L^{k+2}),$$
as required. Therefore, $\operatorname{rank}(L^{k+1}) = \operatorname{rank} (L^{k+2})$, and so, by the previous logic, we also get $\operatorname{ker}(L^{k+1}) = \operatorname{ker} (L^{k+2})$.
You can continue this by induction to show that
\begin{align*}
\operatorname{ran}(L^k) &= \operatorname{ran} (L^{k+1}) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{k+2}) = \ldots \\
\operatorname{ker}(L^k) &= \operatorname{ker} (L^{k+1}) = \operatorname{ker} (L^{k+2}) = \ldots
\end{align*}
In particular, as I said, we need the fact that $\operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \operatorname{ran} (L^{2k})$ and $\operatorname{ker}(L^{2k}) = \operatorname{ker} (L^{2k})$.
Now we show $V = \operatorname{ker}(L^k) \oplus \operatorname{ran}(L^k)$. Let $v \in V$. Note that
$$L^k v \in \operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \operatorname{ran}(L^{2k})$$
so there must exist some $w \in V$ such that $L^{2k}w = L^k v$. Then, we have
$$v = (v - L^k w) + L^k w,$$
where $L^k w \in \operatorname{ran}(L^k)$ and $v - L^k w \in \operatorname{ker}(L^k)$, as
$$L^k(v - L^k w) = L^k v - L^{2k} w = 0.$$
Therefore, $V = \operatorname{ker}(L^k) + \operatorname{ran}(L^k).$
To show the sum is direct, it suffices to show $\operatorname{ker}(L^k) \cap \operatorname{ran}(L^k) = \{ 0 \}$. Suppose $v \in \operatorname{ker}(L^k) \cap \operatorname{ran}(L^k)$. Then $v = L^k w$ for some $k$ and $0 = L^k v = L^{2k} w$. Therefore $w \in \operatorname{ker}(L^{2k}) = \operatorname{ker}(L^k)$, so $0 = L^k w = v$,
as required.

A: Here's the basic (nonrigorous) idea. For the first part about the rank stabilizing, first note that either $L$ has a kernel or it doesn't.  If it doesn't have a kernel then the rank is the dimesion of $V$ and any power of $L$ will still have that rank.  If $L$ does have a kernel, then the rank will be strictly less than dimension of $V$.  Now apply $L$ again and again there are the two cases again.  Since $V$ is finite dimensional then the rank can only decrease a finite number of times.  So $\text{rank}(L)\geq \text{rank}(L^2)\geq \ldots$ Thus, it has to stabilize.


Honey Dippers are the perfect Rosh Hashanah gift Laura Cowan's unusual Apple and Honey Plates or Steel Ribbon Honey Dipper, are both 100% handmade in Laura's Tel Aviv workshop. Inspired by a satin ribbon, Laura recreated the same flowing and twisting shape in steel for the design of her honey dipper. Available year-round, order yours for the start of a sweet new year.


Poor sales of Windows Vista-related products have hit the profits of PC World, according to its parent company DSG International.
In an interim trading statement issued on Thursday, DSG International said that a 0.6 percent drop in its group profit margin over the 24 weeks to 13 October was "largely driven by slower Vista-related hardware sales and a changing sales mix in computing".
"PC World delivered good sales performance against a tough prior-year comparative in the back-to-school period," said the group's chairman, Sir John Collins. "The reduction in laptop stocks that arose out of disappointing sales of Vista-related products and a changing sales mix have reduced gross margins by around two percent in the computing division, impacting group profits by around £20m in the first half. Stocks are now at normal levels and we expect to recover some of the lost margin through the second half."
Windows Vista was released to business customers in November 2006 and consumers in January this year.
A recent US report comparing early sales figures of Vista and its predecessor, XP, has suggested that Vista is selling poorly there.
Research released earlier this month also claimed that business sales of PCs with pre-installed Vista were slowing.
However, Dell has come out in support of the operating system with a prediction that most of its business customers will have migrated to Vista by 2009.


Coming to university is an exciting time but we also understand that sometimes you need a little help and support along the way. The Global Student Support team are able to offer information and advice to ensure you receive all the support you need to get the best from your time at UWE Bristol.
There are lots of things to do before coming to UWE Bristol from making your travel arrangements to sorting your accommodation in the UK and applying for your visa.
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Designed to coincide with your course induction and registration activities, International Student Orientation will give you important information about UWE Bristol and the Bristol community. It is also a great way to meet other new students.
Learn more about International Student Orientation.
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More information about day trips and events.
The Global Student Support team are here to help you to settle in when you first arrive at UWE Bristol. They organise social events to help you to adapt to your new environment. There is also a wide range of support services available for all students including our Disability Service, Wellbeing Service, Money Advice and Funds Service and Careers Service. We also have our Student Support Advisers who can advise on a wide range of academic matters.
You can also get information on our services by visiting any of our Information Points.
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text:
Q: Scope of a variable declared in a method Is a variable inside the main, a public variable?
    public static void main(String[] args) {
  .........

    for(int i=0;i<threads.length;i++)
        try {
            threads[i].join();
        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

    long time=0;
    ....
    }

i and time are they both public variables?
Of course if my reasoning is correct, also any variable belonging to a public method should be considered public. Am I right?

A: Variables i and time are local only to the function. They are not visible outside. Only class member variables are accessible outside (subject to their access modifier).
The distinction has been covered in considerably greater detail already in SO here.

A: No. The variables 'i' and 'time' are declared inside the main method, so their scopes are local and limited to the main method only. You cannot use them outside the method.

A: They are not considered public. They are local variables. They do not have any visibility outside of that method (let alone that class).

A: No. If the variable is inside of a method -- even the main method -- it is a local variable and its scope is only within that method.
public class MyClass {
    public int x; // this is a public variable

    public void doSomething() { // this is a public method
        int y = 9; // this is a local variable
    }

    public int getX() {
        return x; // we can do this
    }

    public int getY() {
        return y; // we CANNOT do this because y is not public and is only
                  // defined within the doSomething() method
    }
}

A: As others have said, the two variables can be used only in main. But i's scope is even more limited -- because it is declared in the for loop, it can be used only in the for loop.

A: Local variables are never public, irrespective of what method (or constructor) they may reside in. The scope of a local var is at most the whole method body.
The notions "public", "private" and similar do not apply to local variables, but to instance or class variables. The key difference is that local variables reside on the stack and thus their scope is automatically limited to the lifetime of a stack frame. They don't need any access rules. The access types "private", "default", etc. denote restrictions that need to be specifically imposed as they are not "natural". They can also be broken by reflection, unlike the scope of local vars.


Welcome to 2015 KING of the NET Self Digital Advertising Edition. The concept is to give everyone a chance to advertise at KING.NET web site. The highest ad campaign will keep the No.1 KING of the NET ad spot. If the bid amount is the same, the first submitted entry will be higher. This is Ad Campaign for Year 2015, and QUE.COM Interactive is helping us spread the message.
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The Iberian Solutions ethos is committed to providing the all-encompassing experience to non-EU nationals seeking to obtain residence and/or citizenship in Portugal for themselves and their immediate families.
The Portugal Golden Visa is a residence visa program that allows free movement in the Schengen zone and a path to Portuguese citizenship for non-EU citizens.
The Business Development Accord allows foreign nationals to be granted Portugal residency status based on the formation of a Portuguese company which creates jobs.
The European Accord is a residency option that applies to families where one member holds a European passport but their spouse or life partner does not.
Portugal boasts a very low crime rate, having been voted the third safest country in Europe.
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I absolutely know what feeds mine.
It's having the opportunity to leave the office every Wednesday afternoon to go to Crossroads Academy Quality Hill and read with my little first grader as part of Kansas City's Lead to Read initiative.
Lead to Read connects trusted, caring adult volunteers (Readers) with kids in grades 1 through 4 from every walk of life.
Once a week, for 30 minutes, readers and kids explore the world by reading books provided by the children's' teachers.
It's all done in the safety and security of an elementary school classroom.
I can't tell you how gratifying this has been for me both personally and mentally.
It's hard to describe the feeling of knowing that you are helping inspire a child to love to read.
I truly look forward to my Wednesday afternoons. To be honest, I wish it was longer than 30 minutes!
Either way, hopefully, my little first grader is getting inspired to read and knows how much I care about her future.
If you'd like to volunteer and become a Reader, click here for more information.
Have You Heard of The Grooming Project?
One of the things I like best about working at MEDiAHEAD is that we give, donate and support so many local charities. Kat is so generous to the Kansas City area and all the charities that surround it.
The Grooming Project is just one of many that we support. If you don't know what the Grooming Project is, let me get you up to speed.
It's the pilot program of Empowering the Parent to Empower the Child (EPEC), a nonprofit in Kansas City, MO devoted to helping impoverished families become self-reliant through job training.
This is job training that allows parents to do their most important job: raise their children out of poverty.
They train their students in the art of dog grooming, which is an in-demand career in the Kansas City area. Groomers make an annual salary ranging from 35K-70K.
Grooming is a profession in which individuals with many of the barriers to stable employment – including past addiction, criminal records and incomplete education – can find employment.
Their Annual RISE Gala is on Saturday, September 15. 39% of annual income comes from this event.
All proceeds benefit their life-changing vocation education program.
Donating to local charities is extremely gratifying and it's built into the fabric of the MEDiAHEAD culture.
In the end, helping local charities makes you feel good, and helping others is hugely empowering and fulfilling.
The saying "It's better to give than to receive" is truly a reality and I'm proud to work for a company who understands that.
Thank you MEDiAHEAD for supporting our local charities!
https://mymediahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/The-Grooming-Project.jpg 844 1458 MEDiAHEAD http://mymediahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MEDiAHEAD-logo-green.png MEDiAHEAD2018-08-31 12:40:342018-08-31 13:02:46Have You Heard of The Grooming Project?
"What a great idea," we all told Danny!
You see, it was Danny who came up with the idea that all of us at MEDiAHEAD eat lunch together as a team every Friday.
The rules are that we rotate who picks the place, picks up the food and then we eat together as a team in the conference room.
This is a bonding session.
We talk about our weekend plans, what we've been up to and all the great things going on in our lives (absolutely no politics, but occasionally shoptalk does sneak into our conversations).
Several great things have come out of this awesome idea. The biggest one is this….WOW does Kansas City have some great restaurants! It's so incredibly hard to pick just one every Friday morning.
Have you ever eaten at Browne's Irish Marketplace, 3300 Pennsylvania Ave? They, by far, have the best Rueben in town! The history, the building, and all the baked goods are phenomenal.
Did you know that they've been there since 1901? If you haven't had a chance to eat their food or visit them, you have to check it out. Our team absolutely loved it!
Another favorite is Howard's KC at 1708 Oak Street. They use locally sourced organic ingredients, cater and the food is out of this world.
One of our team favorites is the fried chicken sandwich, which has sweet onions, pea shoots and BBQ mayo on a potato bun.
Am I making you hungry? Like I said…it's out of this world!
Another one of our favorites is Broadway Deli, a little gem located on 2101 Broadway Blvd.
I can honestly say I think everything on their menu is wonderful.
Everyone on our team had something completely different and we loved everything! Danny got the Helzberg and he said it was fantastic; the bread was actually two potato pancakes. Yummy.
There are so many local favorites we've enjoyed since we started doing this as a team. We're so lucky in Kansas City to have such great local restaurant choices.
Join us in supporting all of these wonderful people who work so hard to give us such great food.
What about you? What are your favorite lunch spots in Kansas City? Let us know!
I Collect Doll Heads. Yeah, You Read That Right.
At MEDiAHEAD there's practically a museum, or I guess I like to think of it as a gallery, of lovely, old doll heads that I've collected over the years.
Doll heads with sleepy eyes, staring glass eyes, porcelain faces, mops of hair and with no hair at all.
I think of them as art with the beautiful patina of age.
If they're too nice, I don't buy them. I like the ones that are cracked, paint chipped and tattered. Some child loved these dolls into the piece of art that they've become in their old age.
But one of the more relatively recent ways we relate to dolls is as strange objects of – and this is a totally scientific term – creepiness.
A fear of dolls does have a proper name, pediophobia, classified under the broader fear of humanoid figures and related to pupaphobia, a fear of puppets. I personally do not like ventriloquist dummies with their creepy fixed grins.
Dolls inhabit this area of uncertainty because they look human, but we know they're not.
Our brains are designed to read faces for intentions, emotions and potential threats.
Even though we know that a doll isn't likely a threat, seeing a face that looks human, but isn't, unsettles our most basic instincts.
When designers come to MEDiAHEAD they love to look at the doll heads and outsider art that I also collect.
They appreciate the quirkiness and whimsical nature of them.
My children and employees…not so much. One employee told me that, although my doll heads look dead with empty eyes, they give the eery impression that they're going to move.
https://mymediahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Doll-Heads.jpg 2413 3000 MEDiAHEAD http://mymediahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MEDiAHEAD-logo-green.png MEDiAHEAD2018-05-16 06:00:062018-05-02 10:43:02I Collect Doll Heads. Yeah, You Read That Right.


text:
Inoltre è uno dei membri fondatori del gruppo Symphonic black metal Dragonlord, e ha collaborato con diversi altri artisti.

Biografia
Fin da giovane coinvolto nella scena thrash metal è membro fisso della band Sadus fondata assieme a Darren Travis e Jon Allen.

La poca fortuna della band lo ha spinto ad entrare come turnista in vari gruppi metal, in particolare i Death, con cui inciderà Human e Individual Thought Patterns, nel quale si riesce a notare di più la sua qualità di creare linee e giri complessi fuori dallo schema delle partiture di chitarra, in particolare nella canzone The Philosopher in cui l'assolo di basso si incontra con l'assolo di chitarra di Chuck Schuldiner, con cui collaborerà anche alla pubblicazione di The Fragile Art of Existence.

Queste sue qualità innovative gli hanno permesso di usare il basso come strumento solistico oltre che ritmico.

Oltre ai Death, vanta presenze all'interno di varie band, dalle più note a quelle più underground: Testament, Skid Row, Megadeth, Iced Earth, Dragonlord e Autopsy, ma anche Angel Down e Obscura nelle esibizioni dal vivo. Ha lavorato anche con i chitarristi James Murphy e Takayoshi Ohmura.

Nel 2007 ritorna con i Sadus con l'album Out for Blood.

Nel 2010 diviene membro dei Charred Walls of the Damned, band power metal di Richard Christy e Ripper Owens con cui pubblicherà tre album, mentre nel 2012 partecipa al progetto dell'ex batterista degli Opeth Martin Lopez, con cui ha pubblicato l'album Cognitive.

DiGiorgio suona anche nei Dark Hall, un quartetto jazz/fusion fondato nel 1993 in compagnia del sassofonista Flamp Sorvari, del batterista Chris Dugan e del chitarrista Eric Cutler che ha però ufficialmente prodotto solo tre demo.

È stato anche endorser per l'azienda di chitarre e bassi ESP, di cui ha avuto anche un modello di basso a suo nome.

Il 31 ottobre 2019 ha fondato la band Quadvium assieme all'ex bassista di Pestilence e Obscura Jeroen Paul Thesseling. Assieme ai due bassisti completano la formazione il chitarrista Raphael De Stefano e il batterista Yuma van Eekelen.

Influenze
Le sue influenze sono molto varie; per quanto riguarda il rock, spaziano dall hard rock e rock progressivo passando per il folk rock, con bassisti come Geddy Lee dei Rush e Chris Squire degli Yes e di Dave Pegg.

Invece nel jazz e i suoi punti di riferimento sono Jaco Pastorius e Stanley Clarke mentre per quanto riguarda il metal vi è l'indiscusso leader e bassista degli Iron Maiden Steve Harris.

Oltre a questi punti di riferimento il bassista menziona sempre bassisti contemporanei di cui apprezza il loro lavoro con lo strumento, dal progressive metal, citando bassisti del calibro di John Myung, del metal estremo, citando Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Pestilence, Obscura) e Alex Webster dei Cannibal Corpse e Blotted Science e del metal sperimentale Justin Chancellor dei Tool.

Discografia

Con i Sadus
 1988 - Illusions
 1990 - Swallowed in Black
 1992 - A Vision of Misery
 1997 - Elements of Anger
 2006 - Out for Blood
 2015 - Live in Chile

Con i Death
 1991 - Human
 1993 - Individual Thought Patterns
 2008 - Symbolic (basso nei demo presenti come bonus track nella versione rimasterizzata)
 2011 - The Sound of Perseverance (basso nei demo presenti come bonus track nella versione rimasterizzata)

Con i Control Denied
 1999 - The Fragile Art of Existence

Con gli Autopsy
 1989 - Severed Survival
 1991 - Fiend for Blood
 1995 - Shitfun

Con i Testament
 1999 - The Gathering
 2001 - First Strike Still Deadly
 2016 - Brotherhood of the Snake
 2020 - Titans of Creation

Con i Vintersorg
 2002 - Visions from the Spiral Generator
 2004 - The Focusing Blur

Con i Soen
 2012 -  Cognitive
 2014 - Tellurian

Con i Charred Walls of the Damned
 2010 - Charred Walls of the Damned
 2011 - Cold Winds on Timeless Days
 2016 - Creatures Watching Over the Dead

Con i Megadeth
 2022 - The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!

Altri
 1996 - Dark Hall - Solace Demo '94
 1996 - Funeral - Funeral (autoproduzione)
 1998 - Dark Hall - Dark Hall (EP)
 1999 - James Murphy - Feeding the Machine
 2001 - Iced Earth - Horror Show
 2001 - Dragonlord - Rapture
 2004 - Artension - Future World
 2004 - Takayoshi Ohmura - Nowhere to Go
 2004 - Quo Vadis - Defiant Imagination
 2004 - Metal Mike's PainMuseum - Metal for Life
 2005 - Artension - Future World
 2004 - Metal Mike's PainMuseum - You Have The Right To Remain Violent (EP)
 2007 - Scariot - Momentum Shift
 2007 - Sebastian Bach - Angel Down
 2008 - Roger Staffelbach's Angel Of Eden - The End Of Never
 2008 - Faust - From Glory to Infinity
 2009 - Futures End - Memoirs Of A Broken Man
 2011 - Anatomy of I - Substratum
 2011 - Synesis Absorption - Disgrace Of Redemption (singolo)
 2012 - Ephel Duath - On Death And Cosmos
 2012 - Mythodea - Mythodea
 2013 - Artlantica - Across The Seven Seas
 2019 - Spirits of Fire - Spirits Of Fire
 2019 - Gone In April - Shards Of Light

Collaborazioni
 2004 - Lunaris - Cyclic (basso nel brano I.A.D.)
 2005 - Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions (basso nei brani Annihilation By The Hands Of God e Costitution Down)
 2005 - Freak Neil Inc. - Characters (basso nei brani Cafe Supreme e Jaba)
 2006 - Artisti Vari - Drum Nation (Volume 3) (basso nel brano Fluoxetine di Jeremy Colson)
 2011 - Christian Muenzner - Timewarp  (basso in tutti i brani ad eccezione di Confusion, The Tell-Tale Heart, Timewarp, Rocket Shop e Wastelands)
 2012 - Memorain - Evolution  (basso in tutti i brani ad eccezione di Rules Of Engagement e A New Era)
 2016 - Vivaldi Metal Project – The Four Seasons (basso nel brano Escape From Hell)
 2017 - Mistheria - Gemini  (basso nei brani Hands Of Fire, Angels In The shadow, Moonlight Sonata, Air The Day after e Adagio In G Minor)
 2019 - Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal  (basso nei brani Vermilion Moons, Wrath Of The Universe e Straight And Narrow)
 2019 - Jeff Hughell – Chaos Labyrinth  (basso nel brano Chaos Labyrinth)

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Bassisti progressive metal
Turnisti
Bassisti thrash metal
Bassisti death metal
Musicisti italoamericani

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


August is Cotton-Top Tamarin Month at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the cute wisp of a monkey weighing in at around one pound. And we may just gain a pound (or two) enjoying these adorable cupcakes created by Pastry Chef Andreas Born.
Chef Andreas crafted a chocolate mold to cast both white and dark chocolate to create the cotton-top tamarin face. Dark chocolate shavings replicate the miniature monkey's mane atop a generous dollop of butter cream. The cupcake is rich, dark chocolate.
The delicious sweets are $3.99 at the Coffee Kiosk at the entrance to Discovery Island, just across from the Cotton-top display. They're also at Kusafiri Bakery and during August, at Rafiki's Planet Watch, where all the cotton-top tamarin activities are centered.
In case you're wondering just why there's a cotton-top tamarin month at Disney's Animal Kindgom, Aug. 15 is a national holiday in Colombia, South America – the "Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin" – and Disney is doing its part to help save the endangered species.
Any possibility of the recipe being published 🙂 PLEASE!!!!!
Looks so yummy!! Will these be a permanent treat or only temporary?
Edible art for just $4 and I am sure it tastes great as well! Nice job.


text:
Home Africa #ThisFlag : Citizen Participation Key For Transformation
#ThisFlag : Citizen Participation Key For Transformation
The ideology that informs #ThisFlag might be suspect, but we must understand that social transformation can only be achieved by action. For this reason, we must support #ThisFlag
By Pride Mukono
A lot of hype has been generated by #Thisflag campaign which was started by one Pastor Evans Mawarire soon after Independence Day (18 April 2016) commemorations.
In a series of videos uploaded on youtube and shared via social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, whatsapp among others, the Pastor has become an instant hit among the millions of Zimbabweans connected to these sites.
Even the mainstream media could not miss out the impact generated by the clergyman as ZiFM Stereo's Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa was quick to invite the hard hitting Pastor to her programme, The Platform.
In short, the #Thisflag campaign calls on all Zimbabweans to put on the national flag and press their demands of good governance, equal access to economic opportunities, an end to massive corruption and many more on the government of the day.
With the numbers that the campaign has attracted on social media, traditional ZANU PF propagandists could not afford to be left out. It was, as has become norm Prof. Jonathan Moyo who led the attacking chariots, bashing the campaign as misplaced and instead starting out his own going by #Ourflag.
In activists circles it has split opinions, many have embraced the Campaign (including this blogger) while others have seriously questioned its ideological grounding and impact in providing transformation to Zimbabwe.
For this blogger, the real question which has arisen is that of ideological consciousness vs citizen participation.
Ideological consciousness in this case refers to the theory of change which is used as a tool to mobilize masses for social transformation. In the case of those who belong to the left like myself, this ideology is socialism.
Citizen participation on the other hand refers to the actions of ordinary citizens in their interactions with the state which are aimed at demanding broad based access to political, economic and social freedoms. It is in simple terms, the exercise of collective power for collective good.
I will now go on and respectively differ with my colleagues in activists circles and some from the left who a questioning the ideological basis of #Thisflag campaign.
My point of departure is based on what colleagues opposed to the campaign are putting across, that because there seems to be no ideological orientation which is driving the campaign it is useless to participate in it.
In rebutting this I will directly quote Karl Marx (the father of socialism) when he argues that "philosophers have interpreted the world the aim, however, is to change it." I underline the phrase 'the aim is to change it', which shows that the real use of ideology as a theoretical framework is to change the world.
Changing the world will invariably involve action by citizens. In other words in order for ideology to be actualized citizens must engage in struggle (action).
Frantz Fanon builds on Marx's arguments when he declares that "each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill or betray it." Once again I will underline the phrase 'relative obscurity', its major import is that it is not an easy process to conceptualise the mission (struggle) which must be engaged in in order to transform society.
It is therefore apparent that #Thisflag campaign is indeed one of the many 'relatively obscure' efforts which all seek to 'discover' the struggle we must engage in as a generation in order to 'change the world.'
In fact Amilcar Cabral is more instructive when he says " always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children."
This is exactly what Evans Mawarire is fighting for, this exactly what Tatenda Mombeyarara, Tinashe Chisaira, Jimmy Wilford, Gladys Hlatywayo, Blessing Ivan Vava, Masaraure Obert, Makomborero Haruzivishe, Clever Bere, Takura Z, Zechariah Mushawatu and many other comrades I can never be able to mention all here are fighting for.
In simple terms we are fighting for the common good.
Thus the #Thisflag campaign does not have to necessarily have a direct ideological inclination at this moment but it suffices that it is speaking to what we have all been fighting for 'to live better and in peace.'
In any case it is the responsibility of the vanguard comrades on the left to ground the strategies of the #Thisflag campaign on a clear ideological framing and this can only be achieved when we participate in it.
We must participate to articulate the vision of a better world, participate to agitate for access to quality health, participate to fight privatisation, participate to expose the neo-liberal slant of the government.
Participate indeed to be with the masses so that we can, as Canaan Banana says in The Gospel According to the Ghetto, 'liberate the consciousness of the masses.' This is our duty as the more refined activists in this struggle to share the ideology we consider to be able to transform our nation with the broad masses. And #Thisflag campaign is providing a platform to do this.
Indeed for citizens it is a civic duty to participate in advancing society for better. In this respect by #Thisflag campaign what citizens are now doing is to give new symbolism to the national flag which hitherto was interpreted as a symbol of dominance by the political elite.
Indeed by donning the national flag, itself a product of Zimbabwe's historic struggles, citizens are beginning to question the legitimacy of those in power.
They are asking the serious questions of who gets what, when and how? They are interrogating the sanity and sincerity of the political establishment. I can find no other worthwhile struggle and it falls perfectly into the ideological framing I stand for.
In the final analysis it is apparent that citizen participation though not grounded on any immediate ideology is a critical component of social transformation.
Indeed by participating, citizens have an opportunity to come face to face with the system and thus learn from it. Che Guevara would then conclude and remark that " we learnt and gained experience in the course of the struggle, we became revolutionaries in the course of the revolution."
This I hope will make my more skeptical friends be more enthusiastic to participate.
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Hello I am trying to setup my Linksys WPS54G wireless print server with my HP Deskjet F2430 printer copier and fax printer. Here are the steps I took. I first setup the printer on my Windows 7 machine and I was able to print a test page. I then used the Linksys CD to setup with wireless print server. Now I am trying to setup the printer server software on my Windows 7 machine but the CD is not compatible with Windows 7. I did some searches online and I have used the Linksys live chat but to be honest the live chat was not very helpful.
Following are the many steps that I took to install my WPS54G to work with Windows 7; lengthy but worth it.
Connect your printer to the PC using a USB cable and USB port. Allow the printer to install. Print a test page. Even though you just installed the printer check for an updated printer driver at the manufacturer's website. I did this late in the process before I could get the printer to work. It installed an HP universal driver. Set the printer as the default.
If you do not know the IP address of your print server access the router using your browser. See your manual for instructions. For a Linksys type the default IP router address 192.168.1.1 into the browser address bar. If you have done this in the past set up your router security. The default user name is left blank and the default password is admin.
Connect your print server to the PC using a USB cable and USB port. On the router locate the DHCP Client Table and determine the IP address of the print server. You might have to refresh the table. The default is probably 192.168.1.78.
Access the print server using your browser and the IP address of the print server. The default user name is left blank and the default password is admin. Set up security to match the router SSID password type of encryption etc.
Go to "Devices and Printers" (from the start menu) on the default printer icon that you just installed right click and open "Printer Properties". Click on the "Ports" tab.
Click on "Add Port". Select "Standard TCP/IP Port" and click on "New Port". Click "Next". Add the IP address of the print server (probably 192 168.1.78) and call the port whatever you want. Click "Next".
After the port configures and you get the "Port Settings" tab (you can also get there by clicking on "Configure Port) change the protocol to "LPR" and click "LPS byte counting enabled." Use "p1" or P2" etc. for the "queue name".
Disconnect the print server from the USB port and let it sit for 30 seconds. Disconnect the printer from the USB port. Connect the print server to the printer using a USB cable let it reboot then test print. It should work. Good luck.
I had posted a solicitation for help to configure two Print Servers WPS54GU2 and a WPSM54G switching to FIOS with a plethora of computers - mostly running XP one Vista and one Windows 7. Everything had worked under the Linksys router WRT54G before I switched to the FIOS router. After several days of struggle I have everything working. I am posting what I did in case other folks struggle with the same problem. This was an extremely frustrating exercise and I hope others benefit from my struggles.
Do not call Verizon for help. They will simply ask for money to answer even the basic questions. It was impossible to get the DHCP client table from the user interface of the FIOS router.
I chose to have the LinkSys Router as a sub under the FIOS router. I connected the two routers together with an Ethernet Cable. The FIOS was the master and the LinkSys one was the slave. I configured the LinkSys Router with the IP address of 192.168.2.1. I separated the two routers physically by about 15 feet using a long Ethernet cable to lessen the chances of interference from one router to another.
I now had two WIFI networks with two different SSIDs running in my house. I made sure they operated on two different channels from the configuration screens. I found the free tool InSSIDer pretty useful to see the channels signal strengths etc. I wanted to keep them separate from our neighbors WIFI as well as my WIFI remote speaker for surround sound as well.
I let the non-computer network gadgets run on the FIOS -WIFI channel TV-Netflix iPhones iPads etc.
All the computers in the house Print Servers Wireless Printers were configured to the LinkSys Router SSID.
WPS54G "" I had upgraded to Version 1019. This was a bad idea. I had to regress back to Version 1017. WPD54GU2 I am running version 6032 even though Cisco has a much newer version.


Great customer experience is invariably about substance over style, and unfortunately, this is where a lot of brands go wrong.
We've all experienced this frustration; when out shopping or even just browsing, something on display catches our eye, but the store does not have it in stock.
For example, you're shopping for a specific item and the well-turned-out shop assistant offers their expertise advice, but when it comes to bagging up the sale, you're politely informed that the product you desire is currently out of stock. At this point, a customer is not very interested in going back to the drawing board to select the next best thing, as it isn't as satisfying to buy.
The reason some store managers put their entire range on display, even if not all products are in stock, is because in many cases they are instructed to do so. They don't want to risk a sales point station looking untidy or slightly empty, so instead they fill the station with stock that a customer can't even buy.
For so many businesses, it's too much about form and not enough about content. In these instances, it's more important to the business that their sales environment looks inviting, than how functional and easy it is for clients to make a purchase.
If symmetry really is the most important aspect of a shops display, there are alternative ways to ensure the customer has the correct information at all times. For example, using out-of-stock signs or black stickers to cover the products that are not currently available. This way, shop assistants can recognise immediately that there is no point in wasting a customer's time with certain options.
This is a prime example of a small detail that matters to the customer being totally overlooked because the company is looking at customer experience from the wrong angle. They are thinking 'how do we look' not 'how does it feel to buy from us.' A transaction should be designed with ease and fluidity in mind, and aesthetics as a secondary aspect.
All customers need to feel valued, and when a company can't deliver, it's like breaking a promise. It becomes personal to the customer. Placing too much focus on the 'glitz and glam' of the shopfront, without being able to deliver on the most basic things is a mistake. Companies must make realistic promises and follow through on them, even with something as simple as product displays. That is a fundamental aspect of a business as a whole; it is the essence of customer experience.
Those in top management need to engage frequently with the frontline staff who are interacting with customers daily, to find out what needs to improve. To really excel at CX, one needs to actually go looking for trouble and find out what customers are complaining about. This way, a business can get a real understanding of what it feels like to buy from them, instead of relying on how stylish they come across to the customer.


Nikon Collpix s9600 Review - The Ultimate Selfie camera?
Nikon has announced a new compact camera with a penchant for selfies, the Nikon Coolpix S6900.
Selfies have been hitting the headlines since the famous Oscar selfie and Nikon isn't going to let the smartphones take all the face-on glory.
The new Coolpix S6900 has a range of features that will support selfies, both from the camera's design to the software features within.
There's a built-in stand for starters, so you'll be able to support the camera on a table or bar and then the display will fold out so you can make sure you're in shot.
Then, to take a shot, the S6900 supports gestures. That also means that things like family photos will be much easier to capture, as you won't have to press the button and run into place - you'll just get everyone arranged and then use a gesture to take the shot.
There's a range of beauty options to smooth your skin or whiten your teeth, but you'll also find NFC in place so you can tap the camera to your smartphone and share those high-quality snaps in a flash using Wi-Fi.
It's not all selfie madness though. The Nikon Coolpix S6900 has a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with Expeed C2 processor, and a 25-300mm (equiv) lens on the front - that's 12x optical zoom.
There's a 3-inch 460k-dot display on the rear, and as we said, this is articulated to move through a full range of positions.
Vibration reduction, lots of scene modes, as well as a 8fps continuous shooting option make for a compact camera that has plenty to offer, whether you're shooting groufies or not.
Nikon is yet to put a price on the Coolpix S6900 and its availability is still to be confirmed.


If you have younger children, you could serve these in bowl-shaped tortillas that are easier to hold.
To make the fajita mix, take two or three strips from each colour of pepper and finely chop them. Set aside. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining pepper strips and the onion until soft and starting to brown at the edges. Cool slightly and mix in the chopped raw peppers. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min, then add the spices and stir. Cook for a couple of mins more until the spices become aromatic, then add half the lime juice and season. Transfer to a dish, leaving any juices behind, and keep warm.
Tip the black beans into the same pan, then add the remaining lime juice and plenty of seasoning. Stir the beans around the pan to warm them through and help them absorb any flavours of the fajita mix, then stir through the coriander.
Warm the tortillas in a microwave or in a low oven, then wrap them so they don't dry out. Serve the tortillas with the fajita mix, beans, avocado and soured cream for everyone to help themselves.