We pride ourselves in sourcing Scotland's finest jams, honeys and chutneys from small producers, who share our passion for good food. And you must try one of our top class Scottish and continental cheeses. Why not take home a pack of oatcakes and top with a tasty Scottish cheddar and a slice of fruity quince jelly?
Among our quality products we stock the award winning steak pies from Rendalls Butchers, who exclusively use Orkney Island Gold award winning beef, which is renowned for its great taste and quality. We also stock Findlater Fine Foods award winning Pies and Pates.
Another favourite from the deli is the famous Stornoway black pudding. And have you tried Stornoway white pudding – equally delicious! A great selection of cold meats is also available, including turkey, pork, hams and salami, all freshly sliced to your request.
Taste also has a great choice of wines from around the world. Whether you are looking for a fine bottle of wine for a special gift or a nice rosé to enjoy in the garden, Taste has something for every palate. Our hand-picked range of old and new world wines can be sampled at our wine tasting evenings.
And please remember that if we do not stock the product you are looking for, we are more than happy to source it for you if we can.


In 1951 a promising rookie, Mickey Mantle, made his major league debut. The highly acclaimed 19 year old played in only 96 games, hit 13 home runs with 65 RBI's. Mantle started the season in April and was sent down to the minors during the season.
When Yankee scout Tom Greenwade signed Mantle he said, 'I now know how scout Krichell must of felt the first time he saw Lou Gehrig'. 'Mickey possessed tremendous power from both sides of the plate, had blinding speed and a great arm'.


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Sucker Punch – How Daredevil Became The Best Marvel Project Yet
When the dust settles, there's little doubt the box-office champ of 2015 will be Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron, a guaranteed blockbuster smash that pits the worlds greatest heroes together against a formidable adversary. In line with Marvel's cinematic universe, the company's television tentacles keep coming out and snatching surprise from me, something I wasn't prepared for when I gave up on Agents Of SHIELD at about episode four. I still haven't gone back to it, even though I'm told "it's improved". Agent Carter, on the other hand, I adored.
2015 also saw the 13-episode series Daredevil, financed by Marvel and online film and television distributor Netflix, released to the public en masse – similarly to House Of Cards, the binge-watch crowd lapped up Daredevil's assault on bandwidth during mid April, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.
This article contains mild spoilers for the Daredevil television series.
If Age of Ultron is the box-office success in Marvel's hat for this year, then Daredevil should be firmly the frontrunner to Emmy and Golden Globe poster-child for critical success. Similarly to Iron Man's rise to the top of the super-hero heap, thanks in no small part to Robert Downey Jr's charismatic portrayal of Tony Stark, Daredevil takes a little known (to the vast majority of audiences) Marvel hero – previously essayed by current Batman, Ben Affleck, in a dire 2003 cinematic outing – and thrusts him into the MCU universe via the small screen.
Daredevil takes place some time after the events of the The Avengers, when New York City is in its rebuilding phase. Young lawyers Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox – Stardust) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Hensen) have been best friends since college, and have started their own law firm with the hope of helping the helpless. They soon become mixed up in the machinations of a powerful group of criminals, led by a mysterious man named Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), who for the majority of the series is the "power behind the scenes", the…. kingpin, if you will. Murdock also moonlights as a masked vigilante, colloquially called "the black mas" and "the devil of Hell's Kitchen", and since being blinded in a freak accident at aged 9, has developed superhuman hearing to the point where he almost doesn't need eyes to "see" what's happening around him. His enhanced hearing, together with a mastery of martial arts, enable him to take the fight for justice to the streets, where he defends the helpless and fights crime. Kinda like a blind Batman.
I admit, I still didn't really know much about the character of Daredevil, with the very minimal amount I'd gleaned from my comics days, and what little subtext I could pickup from my recent re-watching of the Affleck disaster. The character felt altogether too similar to DC's caped crusader, in as much as Marvel's Quicksilver appeared to be a direct rip-off of The Flash in everything but name and skillset. They even have similarly tragic upbringings – Murdock's father, a career prize fighter, is killed after switching the intended result of a fixed fight, leading Matt to want to use his abilities to prevent that kind of thing happening to anyone else. Bruce Wayne's obsessive personality in Batman, and his tragic origin, is reflected enormously by Matt's desire to do much the same thing, only without a vast bank balance or a fancy butler to aide him.
Conceived and written (at least the first few episodes) by Cabin In The Woods helmer Drew Goddard, Daredevil is entirely an origin story. It takes until the final episode, and even then, the last few minutes, before we see Daredevil in his full costume. The preceding episodes have Matt fighting in a black outfit that's as perfunctory and un-emblematic as they come. The 13 episode nature of the series allows for greater depth to the characters, much moreso than a film would provide. Goddard's opening salvo, followed by 10 more excellent-to-stunning and 2 more above average episodes, are superbly rendered, with only a few minor caveats preventing what some critics would argue warrants a perfect score.
The narrative works on the modern prerequisite of spending at least one or two episodes focused on the origin or narrative of a single character – Murdock's collegiate relationship with Foggy is played out in Episode 10 "Murdock Vs Nelson", while Wilson Fisk's tragic upbringing is retold in Episode 8 "Shadows In The Glass", and Matt's martial arts training is given light in the Scott Glenn guesting episode, "Stick". While the overarching narrative weaves and permeates throughout the 13 episode run, the subplots, subtext and sudden twists to the story allow for many a nice cliffhanger – although none more startling than Episode 11 and Episode 12. Occasionally, the series does seem to take the slow road to get anywhere, and some will find the running subplot featuring Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page (another comic book character) and Ben Urich (here played by Vondie CurtisHall, replacing the portrayal of the same character by Joe Pantoliano in the 2003 film) a tad overblown in their importance to the story; but you cannot fault the series' blazing style, nor its kickass realism.
The story threads through Wilson Fisk's "dream" of rebuilding a shattered Hell's Kitchen to be a modern marvel of New York City architecture. He wants to tear down old tenement buildings, and in order to do so, uses some underhanded methods via the Chinese mafia, two Russian mobsters, and a Wall Street businessman (played by Bob Gunton – The Shawshank Redemption). This intricacy builds the tension, as betrayal, subterfuge and even plain murder and depravity, come to play within Daredevil's melting-pot of darkness and melancholy. The series is incredibly dark, especially in light of the relatively straightforward Agents Of SHIELD, and the glossy throwback of Agent Carter. Bodies are beaten, heads pulverized, bones snapped, heads removed and all kinds of physical hardships are thrown on Matt as he leaps and bounds through the night trying to stop Fisk's plans.
Where the series succeeds most, and for me remains the most memorable element of Marvel's universe building, is the casting. Not a single person puts a foot wrong in this show, and one in particular elevates Daredevil to absolute greatness. As Matt Murdock, Charlie Cox is terrific, and several orders of magnitude better than Ben Affleck in the role. Makes me nervous about Affleck's Batman, to be honest. Deborah Woll and Elden Hensen make great foils for Murdock's vigilantism, and as characters they have their own solid arcs as well (instead of being supporting players, they actually contribute meaningfully to the show). Rosario Dawson has a recurring role as a nurse who tends to Matt's wounds after she finds him in a dumpster one night, and her character seems to be almost apologetic that Murdock feels he must do what he does in order to get things done. Vondie Curtis-Hall is wonderful as the old-timer newspaperman, reconciled to his dementia-afflicted wife and a newspaper going nowhere; Urich's arc is the most tragic, and as a metaphor for the 24-hour news cycle of media saturation we have today, it's agony to see him swing for the fences and miss.
But the real star of Daredevil isn't Matt Murdock, or the rest of the cast: in my opinion, the revelation of Daredevil is Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. The character of Wilson Fisk was last seen on screen in the visage of the late Michael Clarke Duncan, opposite Ben Affleck's Murdock. The Kingpin (although never referred to as such within this series) starts off as a nameless, faceless power figure behind the scenes, before Murdock's prodding and digging and tugging at the frayed edges brings him into the light. D'Onofrio is truly frightening as Fisk, while bringing a humanity to the character that just took my breath away. If I put it simply, D'Onofrio as Fisk is Heath-Ledger-as-the-Joker good. Episode 8, "Shadows In The Glass", is for me the true zenith of this character, appropriating both audience empathy and sympathy – and he's a goddam psychopath, which makes it all the more incredible! – and making us at least feel for Fisk's pathway of death and misery. D'Onofrio has always been a class actor, from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, to Men In Black's central villain, to television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but Daredevil is his masterwork. Just mesmerizing, Vincent. Breathtaking.
The only caveats with Daredevil that I could possibly extoll is the aforementioned subplot with Karen Page and Ben Urich, which goes on a little longer than necessary (IMO), and the final reveal of Daredevil's full costume at the end of Episode 13. While I admired the series' dedication to making the costume as "realistic" as possible (it's body armor and such), the mask Matt wears is pretty horrendous. It looks like a ski mask mixed with Nolan-Batman's angular aesthetic, and compared to the rest of the suit, clumsy as hell. But if you see that all I'm picking on is a piece of costuming and a relatively minor character subplot, you'll see that Daredevil doesn't have enough problems to make itself a misstep.
This review-that-isn't on Daredevil should only really tell you one thing. Marvel's vision for their characters is as assured now, in 2015, as it was back when Iron Man first came out. The Netflix platform allows for greater violence and thematics than network television might allow, so understandably some will connect more with this series than Agents Of SHIELD (although both can be appreciated equally for their strong/weak aspects) but it's pure and simply a damn good show. I think we're living in a wonderful age of blockbuster television – Daredevil's Netflix arrival almost simultaneously with the fifth season of Game Of Thrones (on HBO) is testament to the quality of shows released by people who care about the product they give us.
Previous Who's The Face Of Superhero Cinema?
Next Is Over-Promotion Killing Movies?
11 thoughts on "Sucker Punch – How Daredevil Became The Best Marvel Project Yet"
le0pard13 says:
Four episodes in and I'm lovin' it!
Rodney says:
Ha ha, you think it's good now, wait til you get to about episode 8 and onwards. That's god level stuff right there.
Wow.…must get cracking 🙂
Would be keen to read your thoughts on it all when you're done!
You'll get some tomorrow, I promise. 😀
Nostra says:
Have not started watching this, but that's because I'm usually not that big on superhero stuff (although I will see them eventually). Might have to check this one out soon though
My recent post The Boxtrolls (2014)
You should do yourself a favor and check it out. It's not your "typical" superhero stuff. Plus, D'Onofrio rocks it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How can i set a background image with CSS? I just started to learn HTML and CSS and i'd like to know how to set a background image covering the whole body element using CSS?
I've tried this way,
searched an image on Google, copied and pasted its external link into CSS code and refreshed the page, but it doesn't seem working:
body {
 padding: 10px;
 background-image: src="https://backgroundcheckall.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/technology-background-image-11.jpg"; }

Do you know any better methods?
Thank you!

A: You are following the wrong format, if you want to add the background-image, the correct format is
background-image: url('link to image');

In your code
body {
 padding: 10px;
 background-image: url("https://backgroundcheckall.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/technology-background-image-11.jpg");
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


NOTE: This information is largely concerned with transplanting a large-bore engine into a small-bore engined Mini. For further information on clutch and flywheel assemblies in particular, refer to relevant separate article.
To go in to all the possible permutations would take a few chapters on it's own. Suffice to say that the Metro had a few weirdo fitments such as cable operation, an in-line 'damper' (some got fitted to Minis too - eek), and 'top-hat' plunger and rod bearing operation. The Mini only has two - pre-Verto multi-piece and Verto (Valeo in some instances but exactly the same otherwise). The easiest solution is to use the whole system as fitted to your Mini. On no account try to adapt Metro stuff to fit the Min unless it's to use the Metro Verto flywheel set-up, in which case all Mini Verto operating linkage is needed. Don't try to cross-pollinate the two Mini systems either. It can be made to work sometimes, but is too hit and miss and a whole bunch of aggravation. Up-grade from SBU parts to BBU ones to cope with the extra power (as detailed in the relevant article).
By 'linkage' I'm referring to all components carried/housed in the clutch cover - also referred to as 'wok' and 'end cover' - and slave cylinder/mountings. The Mini clutch MASTER cylinder is the same throughout. So where a Mini or Metro Verto-type flywheel assembly is being used in a pre-A+ engined Mini, get the cover assembly and slave cylinder off an A+-engined model. Likewise, if using the earlier multi-piece flywheel assembly in an A+-engined Mini, you need the pre-A+ clutch cover assembly and slave cylinder. The actual covers are the same and swappable, it's all the gubbins that's different. Strip it all down before fitting and check the pins/arm/plunger for wear.
The clevis pins are cheap to replace, so new ones are a good idea. The push-rod clevis pin hole can elongate, again cheap so replace it. The plunger wears on the inside where the lever-arm pushes against it. A severe concave recess here means a new one is needed. There are three types of plunger/bearing assembly. Earlier ones have a press-fit release bearing, intermediate ones were 'floating' held on by a spring clip, the latest a multi-piece release bearing held on by an 'O' ring. The first two are interchangeable the last not. Wear on the lever-arm is usually on the ball at its base. This pushes the plunger in. If there's a flat worn on it, replace it otherwise it won't disengage the clutch properly. Now, the long pre-Verto arm is quite cheap - not so the short Verto one. Try to obtain a good second-hand one, or take a good stiff swig of Brandy before asking the price of a new one! This arm can be sourced from Metros as well as Minis - so take heart!
Wear on this ball causes clutch malfunction because of the leverage ratios involved. When very worn it causes the slave cylinder piston to reach the stop-ring before the clutch properly disengages. A quick-fix if a new arm is unaffordable/not forthcoming is to extend the push rod where it goes into the slave cylinder by welding a short piece to it (cut off bolt, small nut, almost anything that'll fit in the slave cylinder orifice). It's also possible to bend the long arm by heating it up above the stop knuckle and bending it towards the slave cylinder face slightly. Don't over do either of these as the ball will bend backwards (and possibly break off) rendering the clutch completely inoperable. REMEMBER - they're only quick fixes, change it at the earliest opportunity. Adjust the clutch stops as per a manual once the unit is refitted.
Carefully grease all the parts when reassembling using a multi-purpose grease, and make sure the clutch plunger is fitted the right way - big chamfered hole uppermost - to avoid breaking the ball off!


It is incredibly difficult for people to get the money in their checking account that is needed to start a new company and keep it afloat. . However, you will need to figure out how to do this if you have the dream of running your own business. There are a wide variety of ways that you can obtain money to finance your business. The method that you choose will often depend on what type of business you are running and how much money you need. Here are some of the most significant ways to finance your business.
There are always people who want to invest their money in a company that has an innovative idea or product. However, attracting these investors to your product can often be much easier said than done. This is why it is important to do your homework before you open your doors or put your site online for the first time. You will need to put together a solid business plan. This will allow any potential investors to see what exactly you are going to sell and the way you plan on marketing it. Putting together a business plan that is very well thought out is essential to gain the confidence of people who are going to risk their money in the hopes that your company will succeed. It would be a good idea to create a video that demonstrates to your investors what you are trying to accomplish. It might even be worth spending some money to hire a company that specializes in making commercials to create your video for you. Remember, people will not want to risk their money on your business unless they are impressed by your pitch.
A small business loan is a common way for people to get the necessary capital they need to get their company up and running. However, not every person will be able to use this method. You will first need to establish a credit history. This is sometimes an issue for young people who want to take out a loan. You will also need to have very good credit. Banks and other financial institutions that lend out money to small business owners want to be sure that you will pay it back. Therefore, you will most likely not get approved for a small business loan if you have a bad credit score. You would be wise to obtain a copy of your credit report to be sure there are no mistakes on it that could be ruining your credit score. Working with a factoring company is also an option.
This is always a preferable option to borrowing money from a bank or other financial institution. There are a couple of major reasons for this. First of all, people who know you and believe in your business idea will be willing to give you a long time to repay your loan. They will most likely not give you a firm deadline to pay it back. They might be willing to give you more time if they do give you a deadline and you are unable to repay the loan. Basically, friends and family members will give you much more leeway about repaying a loan than a bank ever would. It is also unlikely that your loved ones will charge you interest if they lend you money to start a small business. Meanwhile, interest on loans is one of the main ways that banks make money.
There are now several websites that specialize in allowing people to raise money for various causes by simply asking the general public to donate money to them. For example, a person who is trying to finance an independent film can go on one of these sites and create an account that talks about the film in detail. It is very important that the public know exactly what the money they donate is going to be used for. You might be surprised how many people would be willing to help you out with some cash if your idea for a business is compelling to them. This is why it is so crucial that you write a pitch for your business that draws people in and makes them want to help you. The best thing is that the people who send you donations will not own a piece of your business. You can use their money without being obligated to give them part of the profits.


École des Roches offers a classic French education in the heart of the Normandy countryside. With dedicated teachers and small classes, your child will grow their individual talents and potential.
Read more in this section about our Primary, Secondary and High School pedagogy, which includes a fantastic range of extra-curricular activities.


Starting a business is not easy. I didn't know how hard it would be. I told Nick that I didn't want to do it because it wouldn't be easy. I gave in. I did it. It's not easy. If anyone ever tells you that it is, roll your eyes and move on.
Is it worth it? I think it will be. This year was probably the hardest. We had a lot of hurdles to jump. We got tangled in a few but I think we finished the race and now, we have a lot of things to be grateful for.
Manufacturing – after several runs of prototypes to get the product "out there" we have finally completed our tooling and with it, a complete manufacturing run. In the end, we were 8 months late on our originally scheduled production run. The hardest thing to do when you are starting a company is to survive without product. The bills don't stop when the income does.
Fire testing – our first fire test was a resounding success and we now have a SoftSlam installed in a fire door undergoing live testing.
Orders – While we love our residential customers, we are always looking for that big order to ease the overhead costs of doing business. We found them. We have two major orders from major hotel / motel customers. Both have been a testing ground for SoftSlam throughout the year while we were awaiting manufacturing and that fire test. They deserve a special thank you for their patience and belief in us as a company and as individuals.
Signature Homes – Soon, you will be able to find our product in their home selection catalogue. Until then, if you are in the Nelson, New Zealand area, you can see our product in their Show Homes on Daelyn Drive.
Parkwood Doors – while they don't sell hardware, they have generously offered to put us in their monthly newsletter because they believe that a safe door is a good door.
Patents – The issuing of our New Zealand patent is HUGE. The other patents are going through the process as we eagerly await the outcome of each and every patent search.
Investor - And finally, we found that super critical investor who agreed with our business plan, matched our personality, loved our product, and made it all possible.
We love all of you that have helped us get this far. We don't know what we will eat next week. We don't know how we will pay our bills but we continue to have faith that soon, very, very soon, we will have enough cash flow to pay the electric bill AND the company bills!


Used in dressings, sauces, dips, even baked into flatbreads and cakes, nutty, rich sesame-seed paste is essential to Middle Eastern cuisine. Look for tahini that is smooth and light in color. The natural oil will rise to the top; stir to incorporate before using.
The juice of sour pomegranates is reduced to make this sweet-tart syrup that adds a layer of complexity to everything from lamb kebabs to baba ghanoush.
Prized for bringing mild and fruity heat to almost any savory dish, this Syrian spice is now popular around the world. Look for coarse flakes, without seeds.
These fragrant waters are distilled from the Damascus rose and the Seville orange tree, respectively. Try those made by Mymouné.
A precious, potent Moroccan blend of up to 30 spices; each merchant has his own unique blend. Buy it ground in small quantities, and use with a light hand.


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Ауреа (нар. 7 вересня 1987 року, Сантіагу-ду-Касен, Португалія) — португальська поп-співачка.

Життєпис
Ауреа народилася 7 вересня 1987 року у Сантіагу-ду-Касен. Дитинство провела у Алгарве. У 2008 році співачка випустила перший сингл «Okay Alright», який став саундтреком до мильної опери «Полуниці з цукром». У 2010 році Ауреа випустила свій перший альбом «Aurea», який швидко став найпопулярнішим альбомом у Португалії. Хіт «Busty for Me» (з альбому «Aurea») став найуспішнішим синглом альбому. Наступний альбом співачки «Soul Notes» посів п'яту позицію в чарті. Проте наступні два альбоми («Restart» та «Confessions») знову стали найпопулярнішими в країні.

Дискографія
 Aurea (2010)
 Soul Notes (2012)
 Restart (2016)
 Confessions (2018)

Посилання

Португальські співачки
Співачки
Виконавці англійською мовою
Співачки XXI століття

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The natural way of curing any health issues can be cured through herbs. The traditional treatments are brought to the sight of the viewers both theoretically and practically. The other part of the show helps you to learn about the how to make organic food for all the age groups!!!


Located 60 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, the Barossa Valley is a major wine producing region and tourist destination. Its cool summers and rainy winters are perfectly suited for red wine production, particularly Shiraz and richly flavoured Cabernet.
You will leave the train in Two Wells to embark on your journey of the senses. Travel past flat farm lands before arriving at the picturesque rolling hills of the Barossa Ranges which overlook a colourful patchwork of vineyards, dotted with historic churches, stone buildings and cottages beckoning you to explore.
The hospitality of the local community is memorable from the warm welcome of a cellar door, to the friendly hello and the many stories to be told by the locals the Barossa Valley will welcome you. Visit Seppeltsfield Wines where you will delight in a wine and food tasting experience in their charming Vintage Cellar. As a Platinum guest you will enjoy an included upgrade to their Taste Your Birth Year experience, where you'll be given the rare opportunity to join a wine educator in the renowned Centennial Cellar and try tawny directly from the barrel of your birth year.
Recommended Fitness Level: MODERATE – coach tour with short walks and stairs required at Seppeltsfield and short walks required at Yalumba.


A few months back, NPR compiled a list of the 100 best science fiction and fantasy books. There were, of course, no arguments. Everyone agreed precisely on what was included and what was excluded, and what placement each book/series received.
I mean, who doesn't think the Wheel of Time series is the 12th best thing ever to come out of the world of SF/F? Or, for that matter, that the number of women in the top 50 should be able to be counted on one hand?
If you meant to dive into this list, but were waiting for someone to produce a flowchart that might help you navigate your way to a starting point by way of pithy questions, well, you can relax.
Sf Signal has made such a flowchart, and everything makes sense now. Follow the link for the embiggened one.


text:
Tag Archives: classical physics
Emergence in Toronto and Ottawa and brains in Vancouver (Canada): three April 2018 events
April 2018 is shaping up to be quite the month where art/sci events are concerned. I just published a March 27, 2018 posting titled 'Curiosity collides with the quantum and with the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada in Vancouver (Canada)' and I've now received news about more happenings in Toronto and Ottawa. Plus, there's a science-themed meeting organized by ARPICO (Society of Italian Researchers &; Professionals in Western Canada) featuring brains and brain imaging in Vancouver.
Toronto's and Ottawa's Emergence
There's an art/sci exhibit opening, from a March 27, 2018 Art/Sci Salon announcement (received via email),
The Oakwood Village Library and Arts Centre event:
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT328709&R=EVT328709
341 Oakwood Avenue, Toronto, ON M6E 2W1
I check the library webpage listed in the above and found this artist's statement,
Artist / Scientist Statement [Stephen Morris]
I am interested in self-organized, emergent patterns and textures. I make images of patterns both from the natural world and of experiments in my laboratory in the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto. Patterns naturally attract casual attention but are also the subject of serious scientific research. Some things just evolve all by themselves into strikingly regular shapes and textures. Why? These shapes emerge spontaneously from a dynamic process of growing, folding, cracking, wrinkling, branching, flowing and other kinds of morphological development. My photos are informed by the scientific aesthetic of nonlinear physics, and celebrate the subtle interplay of order and complexity in emergent patterns. They are a kind of "Scientific Folk Art" of the science of Emergence.
While the official opening is April 5, 2018, the event itself runs from April 1 – 30, 2018.
Next, there's another March 27, 2018 announcement (received via email) from the Art/Sci Salon but this one concerns a series of talks about 'emergence', Note: Some of the event information was a little difficult to decipher so I've added a note to the relevant section).
What is Emergent Form?
Nature teems with self-organized forms that seem to spring spontaneously from the smooth background of things, by mechanisms that are not always apparent. Think of rippled sand on a beach or regular stripes in the clouds. Plants, insects and animals exhibit spirals and spots and stripes in an exuberant riot of colours. Fluid flows in amazingly regular swirls and eddies. The emergence of form is ubiquitous, and presents a challenge and an inspiration to both artists and scientists. In mathematics, patterns appear as solutions of the nonlinear partial differential equations in the continuum limit of classical physics, chemistry and biology. In the arts and humanities, "emergent form" addresses the entangled ways in which humans, plants animals, microorganisms inevitably co-exist in the universe; the way that human intervention and natural transformation can generate new landscapes and new forms of life.
With Emergent Form, we want to question the idea of a fixed world.
For us, Emergent Form is not just a series of natural and human phenomena too complicated to understand, measure or predict, but also a concept to help us identify ways in which we can come to term with, and embrace their complexity as a source of inspiration.
Join us in Toronto and Ottawa for a series of interdisciplinary discussions, performances and exhibitions on Emergent Form on Apr 10, 11, 12 (Toronto) and Apr. 14 [2018] (Ottawa).
This series is the result of a collaboration among several parties. Each event of the series is different and has its dedicated RSVP
Tue. Apr 10 The Fields Institute, 222 College Street
Emergent form: an interdisciplinary concept 6:00-8:00 pm Pier Luigi Capucci, Accademia di Belle Arti Urbino. Founder and director, Noemalab*, Charles Sowers, Independent artist and exhibit designer, the Exploratorium, Stephen Morris, Professor of of Physics University of Toronto, Ron Wild, smART Maps
CLICK HERE FOR MORE AND TO RSVP
Wed. Apr 11 The Fields Institute6:00-8:00 pm
Anatomy of an Interconnected SystemA Performative Lecture with Margherita Pevere, Aalto University, Helsinki
Thu. Apr 12 (Note: I believe that from 5 – 6 pm, you're invited to see Pevere's exhibit and then proceed to Luella Massey Studio Theatre for performances)
5:00 pm Cabinets in the Koffler Student Centre [I believe this is at the University of Toronto] Anatomy of an Interconnected System An exhibition by Margherita Pevere
6:00 pm Luella Massey Studio Theatre, 4 Glen Morris Ave., Toronto biopoetriX – conFiGURing AI
6:00-8:00 pm Performance:
6:00pm Performance "Corpus Nil. A Ritual of Birth for a Modified Body" conceived and performed by Marco Donnarumma
6.30pm LAB dance: Blitz media posters on labs in the arts, sciences and engineering
7.10pm Panel: Performing AI, hybrid media and humans in/as technologyMarco Donnarumma, Doug van Nort (Dispersion Lab, York U.), Jane Tingley (Stratford User Research & Gameful Experiences Lab –SURGE-, U of Waterloo), Angela Schoellig (Dynamic Systems Lab, U of T)
Panel animators: Antje Budde (Digital Dramaturgy Lab) and Roberta Buiani (ArtSci Salon)
8.15pm Reception at the Italian Cultural Institute, 496 Huron St, Toronto
Ottawa. Sat. Apr. 14 National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street11:00 am-1:00 pm
Emergent Form and complex phenomenaA creative panel discussion and surprise demonstrationsWith Pier Luigi Capucci, Margherita Pevere, Marco Donnarumma, Stephen Morris
This event would not be possible without the support of The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Science, The Italian Embassy, the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto, the Digital Dramaturgy Lab, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Many thanks to our community partner BYOR (Bring your own Robot)
I wonder if some of the funding from Italy is in support of Italian Research in World Day. This is the inaugural year for the event, which will be held annually on April 15.
Vancouver's brains
The Society of Italian Researchers and Professionals in Western Canada (ARPICO) is hosting an event in Vancouver (from a March 22, 2018 ARICO announcement received via email),
Our second speaking event of the year, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 11th, 2018 at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Professor Vesna Sossi's talk will be examining how positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has contributed to better understanding of the brain function and disease with particular focus on Parkinson's disease. You can read a summary of Prof. Sossi's lecture as well as her short professional biography at the bottom of this message.
This event is organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver to celebrate the newly instituted Italian Research in the World Day, as part of the Piano Straordinario "Vivere all'Italiana" – Giornata della ricerca Italiana nel mondo. You can read more on our website event page.
We look forward to seeing everyone there.
Please register for the event by visiting the EventBrite link or RSVPing to info@arpico.ca.
The evening agenda is as follows:
6:45 pm – Doors Open
7:00 pm – Lecture by Prof. Vesna Sossi
~8:00 pm – Q & A Period
Mingling & Refreshments until about 9:30 pm
If you have not yet RSVP'd, please do so on our EventBrite page.
Further details are also available at arpico.ca, our facebook page, and Eventbrite.
Imaging: A Window into the Brain
Brain illness, comprising neurological disorders, mental illness and addiction, is considered the major health challenge in the 21st century with a socio-economic cost greater than cancer and cardiovascular disease combined. There are at least three unique challenges hampering brain disease management: relative inaccessibility, disease onset often preceding the onset of clinical symptoms by many years and overlap between clinical and pathological symptoms that makes accurate disease identification often difficult. This talk will give examples of how positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has contributed to better understanding of the brain function and disease with particular focus on Parkinson's disease. Emphasis will be placed on the interplay between scientific discoveries and instrumentation and data analysis development as exemplified by the current understanding of the brain function as comprised by interactions between connectivity networks and neurochemistry and advancement in multi-modal imaging such as simultaneous PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Vesna Sossi is a Professor in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Physics and Astronomy Department and at the UBC Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health. She directs the UBC Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging centre, which is known for its use of imaging as applied to neurodegeneration with emphasis on Parkinson's disease. Her main areas of interest comprise development of imaging methods to enhance the investigation of neurochemical mechanisms that lead to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and mechanisms that contribute to treatment-related complications. She uses PET imaging to explore how alterations of the different neurotransmitter systems contribute to different trajectories of disease progression. Her other areas of interest are PET image analysis, instrumentation and multi-modal, multi-parameter data analysis. She published more than 180 peer review papers, is funded by several granting agencies, including the Michael J Fox Foundation, and sits on several national and international review panels.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 11th, 2018 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:45pm)
WHERE: Roundhouse Community Centre, Room B – 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 2W3
RSVP: Please RSVP at EventBrite (https://imaging-a-window-into-the-brain.eventbrite.ca) or email info@arpico.ca
Tickets are Needed
Tickets are FREE, but all individuals are requested to obtain "free-admission" tickets on EventBrite site due to limited seating at the venue. Organizers need accurate registration numbers to manage wait lists and prepare name tags.
All ARPICO events are 100% staffed by volunteer organizers and helpers, however, room rental, stationery, and guest refreshments are costs incurred and underwritten by members of ARPICO. Therefore to be fair, all audience participants are asked to donate to the best of their ability at the door or via EventBrite to "help" defray costs of the event.
You can find directions for the Roundhouse Community Centre here
I have one idle question. What's going to happen these groups if Canadians change their use of Facebook or abandon the platform as they are threatening to do in the face of Cambridge Analytica's use of their data? A March 25, 2018 article on huffingtonpost.ca outlines the latest about Canadians' reaction to the Cambridge Analytical news according to an Angus Reid poll,
A survey by Angus Reid Institute suggests 73 per cent of Canadian Facebook users say they will make changes, while 27 per cent say it will be "business as usual."
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said they would use Facebook less in the future, and 41 per cent of users said they would check and/or change their privacy settings.
The survey also found that one in 10 say they plan to abandon the platform, at least temporarily.
Facebook has been under fire for its ability to protect user privacy after Cambridge Analytica was accused of lifting the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission.
There you have it.
*Well, a bit more information about one of the "Emergent' speakers was received in an April 4, 2018 ArtSci Salon email announcement,
Do make sure to check out Pier Luigi Capucci's EU-based (but with international breadth) Noemalab platform. https://noemalab.eu/ since the mid-nineties, this platform has been an important node of information for New Media Art and the relation between the arts and science.
noemalab's blog regularly hosts reviews of events and conferences occurring around the world, including the Subtle Technologies Festival between 2007 and 2014. you can search its archives here http://blogs.noemalab.eu/
Capucci has been writing several reflections on emergent forms of Life and theorized what he called the "third life". See a recent essay https://noemalab.eu/memo/events/evolutionary-creativity-the-inner-life-and-meaning-of-art/ here is a picture which I would love him to explain during Emergent Form. Intrigued? come listen to him!
This entry was posted in medicine, science, science communication, Vancouver, Visual Art and tagged Aalto University, Accademia di Belle Arti Urbino, addiction, Anatomy of an Interconnected System, Anatomy of an Interconnected SystemA Performative Lecturre, Angela Schoellig, Antje Budde, ARPICO (Society of Italian Researchers & Professionals in Western Canada), art/sci, Art/Sci Salon, art/science, arts, biology, brain function, brain illness, BYOR (Bring your own Robot), Canada, Charles Sowers, chemistry, classical physics, Consulate General of Italy, Corpus Nil. A Ritual of Birth for a Modified Body, Curiosity collides with the quantum and with the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada in Vancouver (Canada), Digital Dramaturgy Lab, Dispersion Lab, Doug van Nort, Dynamic Systems Lab, Emergent Form, Emergent Form and complex phenomena, emergent patterns, emergent patterns and textures, Exploratorium, Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Science, humanities, Imaging: A Window into the Brain, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italian Embassy, Italian Research in World Day, Jane Tingley, LAB dance: Blitz media posters on labs in the arts sciences and engineering, Luigi Capucci, Marco Donnarumma, Margherita Pevere, mental illness, multi-modal imaging, neurochemistry, neurological disorders, Noemalab, nonlinear partial differential equations, nonlinear physics, Ottawa, Parkinson's Disease, Performing AI hybrid media and humans in/as technology, Piano Straordinario Vivere all'Italiana - Giornata della ricerca Italiana nel mondo, Pier Luigi Capucci, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, Roberta Buiani, Ron Wild, science of Emergence, Scientific Folk Art, self-organized, self-organized forms, simultaneous PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), smART Maps, Society of Italian Researchers and Professionals in Western Canada (ARPICO), Stephen Morris, Stratford User Research & Gameful Experiences Lab (SURGE), Toronto, TorontobiopoetriX - conFiGURing AI, UBC Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Vesna Sossi, York University on March 29, 2018 by Maryse de la Giroday.
Keeping up with science is impossible: ruminations on a nanotechnology talk
I think it's time to give this suggestion again. Always hold a little doubt about the science information you read and hear. Everybody makes mistakes.
Here's an example of what can happen. George Tulevski who gave a talk about nanotechnology in Nov. 2016 for TED@IBM is an accomplished scientist who appears to have made an error during his TED talk. From Tulevski's The Next Step in Nanotechnology talk transcript page,
When I was a graduate student, it was one of the most exciting times to be working in nanotechnology. There were scientific breakthroughs happening all the time. The conferences were buzzing, there was tons of money pouring in from funding agencies. And the reason is when objects get really small, they're governed by a different set of physics that govern ordinary objects, like the ones we interact with. We call this physics quantum mechanics. [emphases mine] And what it tells you is that you can precisely tune their behavior just by making seemingly small changes to them, like adding or removing a handful of atoms, or twisting the material. It's like this ultimate toolkit. You really felt empowered; you felt like you could make anything.
In September 2016, scientists at Cambridge University (UK) announced they had concrete proof that the physics governing materials at the nanoscale is unique, i.e., it does not follow the rules of either classical or quantum physics. From my Oct. 27, 2016 posting,
A Sept. 29, 2016 University of Cambridge press release, which originated the news item, hones in on the peculiarities of the nanoscale,
In the middle, on the order of around 10–100,000 molecules, something different is going on. Because it's such a tiny scale, the particles have a really big surface-area-to-volume ratio. This means the energetics of what goes on at the surface become very important, much as they do on the atomic scale, where quantum mechanics is often applied.
Classical thermodynamics breaks down. But because there are so many particles, and there are many interactions between them, the quantum model doesn't quite work either.
It is very, very easy to miss new developments no matter how tirelessly you scan for information.
Tulevski is a good, interesting, and informed speaker but I do have one other hesitation regarding his talk. He seems to think that over the last 15 years there should have been more practical applications arising from the field of nanotechnology. There are two aspects here. First, he seems to be dating the 'nanotechnology' effort from the beginning of the US National Nanotechnology Initiative and there are many scientists who would object to that as the starting point. Second, 15 or even 30 or more years is a brief period of time especially when you are investigating that which hasn't been investigated before. For example, you might want to check out the book, "Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life" (published 1985) is a book by Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer (Wikipedia entry for the book). The amount of time (years) spent on how to make just the glue which held the various experimental apparatuses together was a revelation to me. Of course, it makes perfect sense that if you're trying something new, you're going to have figure out everything.
By the way, I include my blog as one of the sources of information that can be faulty despite efforts to make corrections and to keep up with the latest. Even the scientists at Cambridge University can run into some problems as I noted in my Jan. 28, 2016 posting.
Getting back to Tulevsk, herei's a link to his lively, informative talk :
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_tulevski_the_next_step_in_nanotechnology#t-562570
ETA Jan. 24, 2017: For some insight into how uncertain, tortuous, and expensive commercializing technology can be read Dexter Johnson's Jan. 23, 2017 posting on his Nanoclast blog (on the IEEE [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] website). Here's an excerpt (Note: Links have been removed),
The brief description of this odyssey includes US $78 million in financing over 15 years and $50 million in revenues over that period through licensing of its technology and patents. That revenue includes a back-against-the-wall sell-off of a key business unit to Lockheed Martin in 2008. Another key moment occured back in 2012 when Belgian-based nanoelectronics powerhouse Imec took on the job of further developing Nantero's carbon-nanotube-based memory back in 2012. Despite the money and support from major electronics players, the big commercial breakout of their NRAM technology seemed ever less likely to happen with the passage of time.
This entry was posted in electronics, nanotechnology and tagged Cambrdige University, carbon-nanotube-based memory, classical physics, Dexter Johnson, George Tulevski, IBM, IEEE, imec, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes Boyle and the Experimental Life, Lockheed Martin, Nanoclast blog, Nantero, NRAM technology, quantum mechanics, quantum physics, Simon Schaffer, Steven Shapin, TED talk, TED@IBM, The Next Step in Nanotechnology talk, University of Cambridge on January 23, 2017 by Maryse de la Giroday.
Connecting chaos and entanglement
Researchers seem to have stumbled across a link between classical and quantum physics. A July 12, 2016 University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) news release (also on EurekAlert) by Sonia Fernandez provides a description of both classical and quantum physics, as well as, the research that connects the two,
Using a small quantum system consisting of three superconducting qubits, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and Google have uncovered a link between aspects of classical and quantum physics thought to be unrelated: classical chaos and quantum entanglement. Their findings suggest that it would be possible to use controllable quantum systems to investigate certain fundamental aspects of nature.
"It's kind of surprising because chaos is this totally classical concept — there's no idea of chaos in a quantum system," Charles Neill, a researcher in the UCSB Department of Physics and lead author of a paper that appears in Nature Physics. "Similarly, there's no concept of entanglement within classical systems. And yet it turns out that chaos and entanglement are really very strongly and clearly related."
Initiated in the 15th century, classical physics generally examines and describes systems larger than atoms and molecules. It consists of hundreds of years' worth of study including Newton's laws of motion, electrodynamics, relativity, thermodynamics as well as chaos theory — the field that studies the behavior of highly sensitive and unpredictable systems. One classic example of chaos theory is the weather, in which a relatively small change in one part of the system is enough to foil predictions — and vacation plans — anywhere on the globe.
At smaller size and length scales in nature, however, such as those involving atoms and photons and their behaviors, classical physics falls short. In the early 20th century quantum physics emerged, with its seemingly counterintuitive and sometimes controversial science, including the notions of superposition (the theory that a particle can be located in several places at once) and entanglement (particles that are deeply linked behave as such despite physical distance from one another).
And so began the continuing search for connections between the two fields.
All systems are fundamentally quantum systems, according [to] Neill, but the means of describing in a quantum sense the chaotic behavior of, say, air molecules in an evacuated room, remains limited.
Imagine taking a balloon full of air molecules, somehow tagging them so you could see them and then releasing them into a room with no air molecules, noted co-author and UCSB/Google researcher Pedram Roushan. One possible outcome is that the air molecules remain clumped together in a little cloud following the same trajectory around the room. And yet, he continued, as we can probably intuit, the molecules will more likely take off in a variety of velocities and directions, bouncing off walls and interacting with each other, resting after the room is sufficiently saturated with them.
"The underlying physics is chaos, essentially," he said. The molecules coming to rest — at least on the macroscopic level — is the result of thermalization, or of reaching equilibrium after they have achieved uniform saturation within the system. But in the infinitesimal world of quantum physics, there is still little to describe that behavior. The mathematics of quantum mechanics, Roushan said, do not allow for the chaos described by Newtonian laws of motion.
To investigate, the researchers devised an experiment using three quantum bits, the basic computational units of the quantum computer. Unlike classical computer bits, which utilize a binary system of two possible states (e.g., zero/one), a qubit can also use a superposition of both states (zero and one) as a single state. Additionally, multiple qubits can entangle, or link so closely that their measurements will automatically correlate. By manipulating these qubits with electronic pulses, Neill caused them to interact, rotate and evolve in the quantum analog of a highly sensitive classical system.
The result is a map of entanglement entropy of a qubit that, over time, comes to strongly resemble that of classical dynamics — the regions of entanglement in the quantum map resemble the regions of chaos on the classical map. The islands of low entanglement in the quantum map are located in the places of low chaos on the classical map.
"There's a very clear connection between entanglement and chaos in these two pictures," said Neill. "And, it turns out that thermalization is the thing that connects chaos and entanglement. It turns out that they are actually the driving forces behind thermalization.
"What we realize is that in almost any quantum system, including on quantum computers, if you just let it evolve and you start to study what happens as a function of time, it's going to thermalize," added Neill, referring to the quantum-level equilibration. "And this really ties together the intuition between classical thermalization and chaos and how it occurs in quantum systems that entangle."
The study's findings have fundamental implications for quantum computing. At the level of three qubits, the computation is relatively simple, said Roushan, but as researchers push to build increasingly sophisticated and powerful quantum computers that incorporate more qubits to study highly complex problems that are beyond the ability of classical computing — such as those in the realms of machine learning, artificial intelligence, fluid dynamics or chemistry — a quantum processor optimized for such calculations will be a very powerful tool.
"It means we can study things that are completely impossible to study right now, once we get to bigger systems," said Neill.
Experimental link between quantum entanglement (left) and classical chaos (right) found using a small quantum computer. Photo Credit: Courtesy Image (Courtesy: UCSB)
Ergodic dynamics and thermalization in an isolated quantum system by C. Neill, P. Roushan, M. Fang, Y. Chen, M. Kolodrubetz, Z. Chen, A. Megrant, R. Barends, B. Campbell, B. Chiaro, A. Dunsworth, E. Jeffrey, J. Kelly, J. Mutus, P. J. J. O'Malley, C. Quintana, D. Sank, A. Vainsencher, J. Wenner, T. C. White, A. Polkovnikov, & J. M. Martinis. Nature Physics (2016) doi:10.1038/nphys3830 Published online 11 July 2016
This entry was posted in science and tagged A. Dunsworth, A. Megrant, A. Polkovnikov, A. Vainsencher, B. Campbell, B. Chiaro, C. Quintana, chaos theory, Charles Neill, classical chaos, classical physics, D. Sank, E. Jeffrey, Ergodic dynamics and thermalization in an isolated quantum system by C. Neill, Google, islands of low entanglement, J. Kelly, J. M. Martinis, J. Mutus, J. Wenner, M. Fang, M. Kolodrubetz, P. J. J. O'Malley, P. Roushan, Pedram Roushan, quantum computing, quantum entanglement, quantum physics, qubits, R. Barends, regions of chaos, Sonia Fernandez, T. C. White, thermalization, UC Santa Barbara, UCSB, University of California at Santa Barbara, Y. Chen, Z. Chen on July 26, 2016 by Maryse de la Giroday.
Complex networks to provide 'grand unified theory'
Trying to mesh classical physics and quantum physics together in one theory which accounts for behaviour on the macro and quantum scales has occupied scientists for decades and it seems that mathematicians have discovered a clue so solving the mystery. A Sept. 13, 2015 news item on Nanotechnology Now describes the findings,
Mathematicians investigating one of science's great questions — how to unite the physics of the very big with that of the very small — have discovered that when the understanding of complex networks such as the brain or the Internet is applied to geometry the results match up with quantum behavior.
A Sept. 9, 2015 Queen Mary University of London press release, which originated the news item, describes the collaboration between Queen Mary and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology mathematicians,
The findings, published today (Thursday) in Scientific Reports, by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, could explain one of the great problems in modern physics.
Currently ideas of gravity, developed by Einstein and Newton, explain how physics operates on a very large scale, but do not work at the sub-atomic level. Conversely, quantum mechanics works on the very small scale but does not explain the interactions of larger objects like stars. Scientists are looking for a so called 'grand unified theory' that joins the two, known as quantum gravity.
Several models have been proposed for how different quantum spaces are linked but most assume that the links between quantum spaces are fairly uniform, with little deviation from the average number of links between each space. The new model, which applies ideas from the theory of complex networks, has found that some quantum spaces might actually include hubs, i.e. nodes with significantly more links than others, like a particularly popular Facebook user.
Calculations run with this model show that these spaces are described by well-known quantum Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics, used in quantum mechanics, indicating that they could be useful to physicists working on quantum gravity.
Dr Ginestra Bianconi, from Queen Mary University of London, and lead author of the paper, said:
"We hope that by applying our understanding of complex networks to one of the fundamental questions in physics we might be able to help explain how discrete quantum spaces emerge.
"What we can see is that space-time at the quantum-scale might be networked in a very similar way to things we are starting to understand very well like biological networks in cells, our brains and online social networks."
Complex Quantum Network Manifolds in Dimension d > 2 are Scale-Free by Ginestra Bianconi & Christoph Rahmede. Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 13979 (2015) doi:10.1038/srep13979 Published online: 10 September 2015
This is an open access paper.
This entry was posted in Mathematics and tagged Albert Einstein, Bose-Einstein statistics, Christoph Rahmede, classical physics, Complex Quantum Network Manifolds in Dimension d > 2 are Scale-Free, Fermi-Dirac statistics, Germany, Ginestra Bianconi, grand unified theory, Isaac Newton, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, physics, quantum gravity, quantum mechanics, quantum physics, Queen Mary University of London, UK on September 16, 2015 by Maryse de la Giroday.
Quantum and classical physics may be closer than we thought
It seems that a key theory about the boundary between the quantum world and our own macro world has been disproved and I think the July 21, 2015 news item on Nanotechnology Now says it better,
Quantum theory is one of the great achievements of 20th century science, yet physicists have struggled to find a clear boundary between our everyday world and what Albert Einstein called the "spooky" features of the quantum world, including cats that could be both alive and dead, and photons that can communicate with each other across space instantaneously.
For the past 60 years, the best guide to that boundary has been a theorem called Bell's Inequality, but now a new paper shows that Bell's Inequality is not the guidepost it was believed to be, which means that as the world of quantum computing brings quantum strangeness closer to our daily lives, we understand the frontiers of that world less well than scientists have thought.
In the new paper, published in the July 20 [2015] edition of Optica, University of Rochester [New York state, US] researchers show that a classical beam of light that would be expected to obey Bell's Inequality can fail this test in the lab, if the beam is properly prepared to have a particular feature: entanglement.
A July 21, 2015 University of Rochester news release, which originated the news item, reveals more about the boundary and the research,
Not only does Bell's test not serve to define the boundary, the new findings don't push the boundary deeper into the quantum realm but do just the opposite. They show that some features of the real world must share a key ingredient of the quantum domain. This key ingredient is called entanglement, exactly the feature of quantum physics that Einstein labeled as spooky. According to Joseph Eberly, professor of physics and one of the paper's authors, it now appears that Bell's test only distinguishes those systems that are entangled from those that are not. It does not distinguish whether they are "classical" or quantum. In the forthcoming paper the Rochester researchers explain how entanglement can be found in something as ordinary as a beam of light.
Eberly explained that "it takes two to tangle." For example, think about two hands clapping regularly. What you can be sure of is that when the right hand is moving to the right, the left hand is moving to the left, and vice versa. But if you were asked to guess without listening or looking whether at some moment the right hand was moving to the right, or maybe to the left, you wouldn't know. But you would still know that whatever the right hand was doing at that time, the left hand would be doing the opposite. The ability to know for sure about a common property without knowing anything for sure about an individual property is the essence of perfect entanglement.
Eberly added that many think of entanglement as a quantum feature because "Schrodinger coined the term 'entanglement' to refer to his famous cat scenario." But their experiment shows that some features of the "real" world must share a key ingredient of Schrodinger's Cat domain: entanglement.
The existence of classical entanglement was pointed out in 1980, but Eberly explained that it didn't seem a very interesting concept, so it wasn't fully explored. As opposed to quantum entanglement, classical entanglement happens within one system. The effect is all local: there is no action at a distance, none of the "spookiness."
With this result, Eberly and his colleagues have shown experimentally "that the border is not where it's usually thought to be, and moreover that Bell's Inequalities should no longer be used to define the boundary."
Shifting the quantum-classical boundary: theory and experiment for statistically classical optical fields by Xiao-Feng Qian, Bethany Little, John C. Howell, and J. H. Eberly. Optica Vol. 2, Issue 7, pp. 611-615 (2015) •doi: 10.1364/OPTICA.2.000611
This paper is open access.
This entry was posted in light, science and tagged Albert Einstein, Bell's Inequality, Bethany Little, boundary between quantum and classical, boundary between quantum and macro, classical physics, entanglement, J. H. Eberly, John C. Howell, quantum physics, quantum theory, Shifting the quantum-classical boundary: theory and experiment for statistically classical optical fields, University of Rochester, Xiao-Feng Qian on July 28, 2015 by Maryse de la Giroday.
Can the future influence the past? The answer is: mostly yes
The principles of quantum mechanics mystify me which, as it turns out, is the perfect place to start with the work featured in a Feb. 9, 2015 news item on ScienceDaily,
We're so used to murder mysteries that we don't even notice how mystery authors play with time. Typically the murder occurs well before the midpoint of the book, but there is an information blackout at that point and the reader learns what happened then only on the last page.
If the last page were ripped out of the book, physicist Kater Murch, PhD, said, would the reader be better off guessing what happened by reading only up to the fatal incident or by reading the entire book?
The answer, so obvious in the case of the murder mystery, is less so in world of quantum mechanics, where indeterminacy is fundamental rather than contrived for our reading pleasure.
A Feb. 13, 2015 Washington University at St. Louis (WUSTL) news release by Diana Lutz, which originated the news item, describes the research,
Even if you know everything quantum mechanics can tell you about a quantum particle, said Murch, an assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, you cannot predict with certainty the outcome of a simple experiment to measure its state. All quantum mechanics can offer are statistical probabilities for the possible results.
The orthodox view is that this indeterminacy is not a defect of the theory, but rather a fact of nature. The particle's state is not merely unknown, but truly undefined before it is measured. The act of measurement itself that forces the particle to collapse to a definite state.
It's as if what we did today, changed what we did yesterday. And as this analogy suggests, the experimental results have spooky implications for time and causality—at least in microscopic world to which quantum mechanics applies.
Until recently physicists could explore the quantum mechanical properties of single particles only through thought experiments, because any attempt to observe them directly caused them to shed their mysterious quantum properties.
But in the 1980s and 1990s physicists invented devices that allowed them to measure these fragile quantum systems so gently that they don't immediately collapse to a definite state.
The device Murch uses to explore quantum space is a simple superconducting circuit that enters quantum space when it is cooled to near absolute zero. Murch's team uses the bottom two energy levels of this qubit, the ground state and an excited state, as their model quantum system. Between these two states, there are an infinite number of quantum states that are superpositions, or combinations, of the ground and excited states.
The quantum state of the circuit is detected by putting it inside a microwave box. A few microwave photons are sent into the box, where their quantum fields interact with the superconducting circuit. So when the photons exit the box they bear information about the quantum system.
Crucially, these "weak," off-resonance measurements do not disturb the qubit, unlike "strong" measurements with photons that are resonant with the energy difference between the two states, which knock the circuit into one or the other state.
In Physical Review Letters, Murch describes a quantum guessing game played with the qubit.
"We start each run by putting the qubit in a superposition of the two states," he said. "Then we do a strong measurement but hide the result, continuing to follow the system with weak measurements."
They then try to guess the hidden result, which is their version of the missing page of the murder mystery.
"Calculating forward, using the Born equation that expresses the probability of finding the system in a particular state, your odds of guessing right are only 50-50," Murch said. "But you can also calculate backward using something called an effect matrix. Just take all the equations and flip them around. They still work and you can just run the trajectory backward.
"So there's a backward-going trajectory and a forward-going trajectory and if we look at them both together and weight the information in both equally, we get something we call a hindsight prediction, or "retrodiction."
The shattering thing about the retrodiction is that it is 90 percent accurate. When the physicists check it against the stored measurement of the system's earlier state it is right nine times out of 10.
Going from a 50% accuracy rate to 90% is quite amazing and according to the news release, this has many implications,
The quantum guessing game suggests ways to make both quantum computing and the quantum control of open systems, such as chemical reactions, more robust. But it also has implications for much deeper problems in physics.
For one thing, it suggests that in the quantum world time runs both backward and forward whereas in the classical world it only runs forward.
"I always thought the measurement would resolve the time symmetry in quantum mechanics," Murch said. "If we measure a particle in a superposition of states and it collapses into one of two states, well, that sounds like a process that goes forward in time."
But in the quantum guessing experiment, time symmetry has returned. The improved odds imply the measured quantum state somehow incorporates information from the future as well as the past. And that implies that time, notoriously an arrow in the classical world, is a double-headed arrow in the quantum world.
"It's not clear why in the real world, the world made up of many particles, time only goes forward and entropy always increases," Murch said. "But many people are working on that problem and I expect it will be solved in a few years," he said.
In a world where time is symmetric, however, is there such a thing as cause and effect? To find out, Murch proposes to run a qubit experiment that would set up feedback loops (which are chains of cause and effect) and try to run them both forward and backward.
"It takes 20 or 30 minutes to run one of these experiments," Murch said, "several weeks to process it, and a year to scratch our heads to see if we're crazy or not."
"At the end of the day," he said, "I take solace in the fact that we have a real experiment and real data that we plot on real curves."
Here are links to and citations for the Physical Review paper and an earlier version of the paper,
Prediction and retrodiction for a continuously monitored superconducting qubit by D. Tan, S. Weber, I. Siddiqi, K. Mølmer, K. W. Murch. arXiv.org > quant-ph > arXiv:1409.0510 (Submitted on 1 Sep 2014 (v1), last revised 10 Nov 2014 (this version, v2))
I last mentioned Kater Murch and his work in a July 31, 2014 post titled: Paths of desire: quantum style.
This entry was posted in science and tagged classical physics, D. Tan, Diana Lutz, I. Siddiqi, K. Mølmer, K. W. Murch, Kater Murch, Prediction and retrodiction for a continuously monitored superconducting qubit, quantum guessing game, quantum mechanics, qubit, retrodiction, S. Weber, superposition, time, two-headed arrow, Washington University in Saint Louis, WUSTL on February 13, 2015 by Maryse de la Giroday.


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Q: Need Immediate Help To Develope T-SQL
Hi DBAs,
I want to Develop a T-SQL For Fetch data from following Table.
But Condition is : I want to select only those data which status has all three status.
suppose for id 1 : It has Only two status temp and delete, then it should not be populate. And for id 2 it has 3 statuses Temp,Delete and Schedule. So, id 2 should be populate but  a row with temp status should not be get populate.
output should be as follow:
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| p_id     | id       | name     | status   |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| 4        | 2        | Raju     | Schedule |
| 5        | 2        | Raju     | Deleted  |
| 7        | 3        | Viru     | Schedule |
| 8        | 3        | Viru     | Delete   |
+----------+----------+----------+----------+

Please help me.....

A: The query below should return the desired results if the only 3 possible status values are those listed in your image.
SELECT  p_id
      , id
      , name
      , status
FROM    dbo.Foo
WHERE   status <> 'temp'
        AND id IN ( SELECT  id
                    FROM    dbo.Foo
                    GROUP BY id
                    HAVING  COUNT(DISTINCT status) = 3 );

Help us help you by providing CREATE TABLE, INSERT statements in your question, along with the query you've tried.  That will help expedite an answer.


And so, another year is coming to an end. Our seventh year, at Posh Yarn. The time seems to have flown, and at the same time, it's hard to remember what life was like pre-Posh!
2013 has been a year of challenges for us, and lots of changes within the structure of the company. I want to thank you, from the very bottom of my heart, for your constant support, your patience with the changes, your custom, and your friendship, throughout the last twelve months especially. You are so much more than just customers.
A sock weight yarn, made from 50% baby alpaca, 25% silk, 25% linen. 440 yards (400m) per 100g. £14.40 (including VAT), £12.00 (excluding VAT) per 100g skein.
A dk weight yarn, made from 50% baby alpaca, 25% silk, 25% linen. 273 yards (250m) per 100g. £14.40 (including VAT), £12.00 (excluding VAT) per 100g skein.
A dk weight yarn, made from 100% Grade A mulberry silk (8ply). 220 yards (200m) per 100g. £18.00 (including VAT), £15.00 (excluding VAT) per 100g skein.
And we're back! With a nice juicy bursting-with-colour update. Hope you like it!!
Free post on everything left in the shop!!
This week's preview is up!! Don't forget, this is our last update before the Christmas break. The next update will be Saturday December 28th.
We have another new base for you this week.
An aran yarn, made from 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere. 180 yards (165m) per 100g. Recommended needle size is 4.5mm (US 7). £16.50 (including VAT), £13.75 (excluding VAT) per 100g skein.


Clyde Shuman is a Partner in the Patent Litigation and Post Grant Proceedings Group and in the Copyright, Design and Trademark Litigation Group. Clyde is also a Partner in the Commercial Litigation Group at Pearl Cohen's New York office.
Clyde has been litigating intellectual property disputes for over 20 years. He has extensive experience in patent and trademark litigation, and patent and trademark prosecution, as well as opposition and cancellation proceedings. Clyde has litigated patent disputes in a variety of technologies, including: Near Field Communications devices, machine-to-machine communications, computer printer software, computer graphics subsystems, medical devices, and digital printing plates. He has also litigated trademark disputes involving multilevel computer marketing of nutritional supplements, as well as disputes involving Internet marketing of precious gemstones. Clude's experience includes Markman hearings, trials and appeals.
Prior to joining Pearl Cohen, Clyde was an associate at Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione.


PORT ANGELES — Snow continues to wreak havoc with area basketball playoffs as games that were already postponed once were postponed again on Monday.
The Crescent boys and Clallam Bay girls were set to play Monday in the Tri-District 1B Tournament in Joyce on Monday, but those games were postponed due to the snowstorm, which came on top of a major snowstorm Friday and Saturday morning.
A Quilcene girls game at Grace Academy was also postponed.
The Crescent and Clallam Bay games have been moved to Wednesday.
For now, Crescent is set to play Lopez at 2:30 p.m., while Clallam Bay is set to play Rainier Christian at 4:15 p.m. in Joyce.
That possibly affects Neah Bay Tri-District games that were originally set to be played in Port Angeles today.
A Forks boys' playoff game in Hoquiam versus King's Way Christian has been postponed to 7:30 p.m. today.
Meanwhile, West Central District III 2A Tournament games scheduled tonight in Port Angeles were postponed to Wednesday.
The Port Angeles boys and girls, who have been waiting a week to play their playoff games, will finally get on the court on Wednesday.
The Olympic League 2A Division champion Port Angeles girls will host Franklin Pierce at 5 p.m., while the boys will host Fife at 7 p.m. These games were originally scheduled for last Thursday.
It's possible the Port Angeles boys and girls' teams and the Sequim girls' team would have to play four games in four days in the West Central District III 2A Tournament. The Wolves are set to play at White River at 5 p.m. Wednesday. If any of these teams lose and end up in the consolation bracket, they would have to play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Sequim boys, who are in a consolation bracket, may have to play three games in three days, with a game scheduled Thursday against the loser of the Port Angeles/Fife game.
A Chimacum girls West Central District III 1A game today at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma against Annie Wright has been moved to 6 p.m. Thursday. As of press deadline, a Port Townsend girls' game at home at 6 p.m. today against Seattle Christian was still set.


text:
Les Cabannes ist der Name zweier Gemeinden in Frankreich:
 Les Cabannes (Ariège) im Département Ariège
 Les Cabannes (Tarn) im Département Tarn


A non-bake chocolate malt based pastilles compliment with a hint of bitter taste from coffee and smooth chocolate hazelnut spread from TOPVALU.
Mix TOPVALU Non-Dairy Creamer, Classic Roasted Instant Coffee, Chocolate Malt, Sweetened Creamer and almond nibs in a bowl. Combine until the ingredients incorporated and forms a sticky dough.
Scoop up a small portion and roll the dough into round shape.
Coat each pastillas with the TOPVALU Chocolate hazelnut Spread.
Drizzle on the pastilles with TOPVALU Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Allow the pastillas to set in the refrigerator.


text:
Compare the costs and benefits of regulation
Assignment Help Business Economics
Compare the costs and benefits of regulation. In your opinion, do the benefits outweigh the cost or do the costs outweigh the benefits? What are the advantages and disadvantages of deregulation?
Indicate the long-run post-subsidy situation in this market
Assume that the state government is interested in subsidizing the local production of steel. The current price of steel is $1600 per ton and the government wants to provide a
To allocate scarce resources-free-market capitalism
Why would the gov't want to limit gas price increases? Isn't that exactly what we want to happen (price increases), to allocate scarce resources? Is the gov't in the 'price co
Suppose the firms compete in quantities
Suppose that market demand for golf balls is described by Q = 90 − 3P, where Q is measured in kilos of balls. There are two firms that supply the market. Each firm has a const
Ricardian model of international trade
Explain the so-called "Ricardian" model of international trade, including its assumptions, and use this model to explain why and how both of the two countries considered count
Now assume that sprockets obtained waiver from the bank
Now assume that Sprockets obtained a waiver from the bank on December 30, 2009 stipulating that the debt covenant violation must be rectified within 90 days. Determine whether
Block can be deliberate or the result of social structure
Do a Library search for an articles about Robert Merton's Structural Strain Theory. This theory talks about the kinds of responses that one might expect when the "normal" legi
Firm must pay to induce two workers to work for the firm
A monopsonist faces a labor supply curve given by LS = −300 + 0.01w , where w is the annual salary. What is the lowest salary the firm can pay yet still induce one worker to w
What do you expect the exchange rate to be a year from now
Suppose that the current exchange rate is 200 yen per dollar, the U.S. interest rate is 6%, the Japanese interest rate is 4%, and there is no risk premium. What do you expect


Accessibility professionals from around the world come together to define, promote and improve the accessibility profession through networking, education and certification.
IAAP offers a variety of membership opportunities.
Learn more about our membership levels and benefits.
An exclusive on-line members-only forum.
Take a certification exam at one of these upcoming events/locations!
IAAP Exams at AccessU 2019 on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 from 2-5 p.m. Applications and payments due by May 6.
IAAP Exams at M-Enabling 2019 on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 from 2 - 5 p.m. Applications and payments due by June 12.
Call for Webinars is Open! Submit your proposal to present as an accessibility subject matter expert. More on call for webinars and submission form.
May Professional Development Webinar: Digital Accessibility ROI with Gary Aussant, Director of Digital Accessibility, Perkins School for the Blind. May 23, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern (UTC - 4 hours).
Learn more and register for the May Webinar.
IAAP will be at Access Israel's Annual International Conference on the Future of Accessibility. May 23-27th in Tel Aviv. Find out more about Access Israel conference.


What could be funnier than a vegetable wearing underwear? A veggie with a wedgie, of course!
When Farmer John puts out his underwear to dry, he has no idea that it will draw the curiosity of all the vegetables on the farm. They think underwear looks cool. And fun. And they desperately want to wear it. But how? On their heads? Their arms? They will have to wiggle around to get a perfect fit.
This hilarious story is perfect for children transitioning from diapers to underwear—and of course for those big kids who already sport it. Because, after all, underwear IS funny. And a wedgie is REALLY funny. Especially on a veggie.


text:
Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1946
The Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 1946 was a by-election held from 22 November to 27 November 1946 for the Combined Scottish Universities, a university constituency of the British House of Commons.
It was the last election for a university constituency of the UK Parliament; the Combined Scottish Universities was abolished along with the other university seats for the 1950 general election.
The seat had become vacant on 16 October 1946 when the independent Member of Parliament (MP) Sir John Boyd Orr had resigned by the procedural device of accepting the post of Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, a notional 'office of profit under the crown' which is used as a procedural device to enable MPs to resign from the Commons. After his resignation, Boyd took up the position of Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He had held the seat he was first elected at a by-election in 1945.
Five candidates contested the by-election, none of whom had stood in 1945.
The Unionist candidate was Walter Elliot, who had been MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove for more than 20 years, until his narrow defeat at the 1945 general election. He had been Secretary of State for Scotland from 1936 to 1938.
The Labour Party candidate was the philosopher and broadcaster C. E. M. Joad. The Liberal Party fielded J. M. Bannerman, who had contested Argyll in 1945, and the National Liberals nominated Dr R. S. Stevenson, who had stood in West Fife in 1945.
The fifth candidate was J. G. Jameson, a member of the Federal Union who stood as an advocate of the policies of the Federal Union, although the union did not endorse his candidacy.
The result was a clear victory for the Unionist candidate, Walter Elliot, who won over 68% of the votes, and a majority of more than 50% over the second-placed Labour candidate. Elliot held the seat until the university constituencies were abolished for the 1950 general election.
Combined Scottish Universities by-election, 22-27 November 1946[1]
Unionist Walter Elliot 22,152 68.2 +64.0
Labour C. E. M. Joad 3,731 11.5 +2.8
Liberal John Bannerman 2,593 8.0 +2.3
Independent J. G. Jameson 2,080 6.4 N/A
Liberal National Dr R. S. Stevenson 1,938 5.9 N/A
Majority 18,421 56.7
Turnout 32,494 50.7 −0.9
Unionist gain from National Swing N/A
Combined Scottish Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
↑ "1946 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
Tony Judge, Radio Philosopher - The Radical Life of Cyril Joad (Charleston NC Alphahouse Books 2012)) ISBN 9781469957128
« 37th Parliament « By-elections to the 38th Parliament of the United Kingdom » 39th Parliament »
October: Smethwick
Ashton-under-Lyne
Edinburgh East
November: Bromley
Kensington South
December: Tottenham North
January: Preston
February: South Ayrshire
Glasgow Cathcart
Heywood and Radcliffe
Hemsworth
March: Combined English Universities
June: Ogmore
July: Bexley
Battersea North
August: Glasgow Bridgeton
November: Rotherhithe
Paddington North
Aberdeen South
Combined Scottish Universities
December: Aberdare
February: Normanton
May: Jarrow
September: Liverpool Edge Hill
September: Islington West
November: Gravesend
Howdenshire
December: Epsom
January: Glasgow Camlachie
February: Paisley
March: Wigan
Southwark Central
September: Glasgow Gorbals
October: Stirling and Falkirk
November: Edmonton
Glasgow Hillhead
February: Batley and Morley
Hammersmith South
March: St Pancras North
Sowerby
July: Leeds West
December: Bradford South
Lists of UK by-elections


A consistent social media presence is paramount in today's world for brand recognition and customer participation. Larry can activate and maintain social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ according to the clients' marketing goals, editorial calendar and content guidelines. Larry believes that the content makeup of a brand's social media posts should be roughly 20 percent marketing, 10 percent sales and promotions, and 70 percent value-added materials such as articles and custom blog posts. Utilizing social media networks can increase brand awareness, encourage customer loyalty and purchasing behavior, and position yourself or business as an industry thought leader.


Representative of Rivers South East Senatorial District, Magnus Abe, yesterday said he has ended his 2019 gubernatorial ambition in the state.
Abe said sequel to Supreme Court's judgement against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and candidature, his dream to occupy Government House Port Harcourt had been laid to rest.
He stated this yesterday, while addressing his supporters and APC stakeholders in the state, at the party's factional secretariat, in Port Harcourt.
His words: "I have ended my ambition for 2019 here and ready to work for the progress of the party. We need to put the baton together again. It is our own determination that will make the APC work in Rivers State.
"I will not support any post-mortem of what has happened. I feel pained over what has happened in APC in Rivers State. We have sacrificed so much, we may not be holding anything now but because of what we have done, politics will be better in our state and country.
Senator Abe, who was APC's factional governorship candidate, however, charged the national leadership of APC to desist from moves that would further destroy the party in the state.
"The leadership should stop doing things that will put the party and state in chaos and recognise the Chief Peter Odike-led leadership of APC," he said.


This £50 pet hamper is filled with delicious food, yummy treats, fun toys and more! It's bound to keep your pet happy this Christmas.
Aston Clinton Vets in Aylesbury realise your pets are very much part of the family. They pride themsleves on the qualified capability of their team to deliver comprehensive medical and surgical services for dogs, cats, children's pets and exotic species. Their experience shows that those 'family members' entrusted to us need love and tender care to help them make a full recovery.
Aston Clinton Vets, 107 Aylesbury Road, Aston Clinton.


I'm working on Flickr meet #2. Watch the Guelph Flickr group discussion area for more details.
Hi Sue, thanks for introducing yourself yesterday. It was great meeting you. I'm sorry I missed the meet in August; it sure would be fun to get to know more photographers from the city.
I have syndicated your blog (and Gareth's) on LiveJournal so LJers like me can view updates on their friends pages.
P.S. I blogged about meeting you!


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=no">

        <title>sCTF.io - 2016Q1</title>

    <meta name="description" content="Who cares?">

    <link rel="icon" href="/assets/img/favicon.png">
    <link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Inconsolata:400,700' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/assets/css/main.css">
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/assets/css/rouge.css">

    <-- home

sCTF.io - 2016Q1

April 17, 2016

Ducks

The ducks and I have a unfinished score to settle.

Hint: If you've remember HSF, you'll know that The Ducks is unsolvable.

This one was quite easy: since it gave us the source code of the page we could see that it uses the PHP extract() function.

Our goal was then to send a POST that would override the thepassword_123 variable:

wget -qO- --post-data="pass=abc&thepassword_123=abc" \
http://ducks.sctf.michaelz.xyz/

and within the output, there it is:

<h1>The Ducks</h1>
<div class="alert alert-success">
<code>sctf{maybe_i_shouldn't_have_extracted_everything_huh}</code>
</div>

LenghtyLingo

Can you crack the code? We intercepted this flag but can't seem to figure out how it was encrypted.

The solution is quite simple. You have to count the length of each word, then convert its number to ascii.
I've came up with this one-liner:

sed 's/, /\n/g' encrypted.dat | while read i; do printf "\x$(printf %x ${#i})"; done

Rain Or Shine

This one we couldn't crack in time, mostly because I first found a JPEG signature which turned out to be just the thumbnail of the original image, what cost us a lot of time, and also because GIMP wouldn't open layered TIFFs.

Because of this, we spent a lot of time trying to manually reassemble the QR Code, which was impossible since there were overlayed layers.

By the time I got access to a friend with Photoshop, the challenge was ended.

Cutting to the chase: Open the rain.wav file in your favourite hex editor (mine is bless). Keep digging until you find a TIFF header:

49492a0008

So what we'll have to do is cut the file from this header until the end:

xxd -p rain.wav | tr -d '\n' | grep -Eo "49492a0008[0-9a-f]*" | xxd -r -p > file.tiff

and then open it with Photoshop (GIMP apparently has some issues managing layered TIFFs), where you can see four layers and easily rearrange them.

The result is a QRCode that you could read with your phone or using zbar-tools

Verticode

Welcome to Verticode, the new method of translating text into vertical codes.

Each verticode has two parts: the color shift and the code.

The code takes the inputted character and translates it into an ASCII code, and then into binary, then puts that into an image in which each black pixel represents a 1 and each white pixel represents a 0.

For example, A is 65 which is 1000001 in binary, B is 66 which is 1000010, and C is 67 which is 1000011, so the corresponding verticode would look like this.

Except, it isn't that simple.

A color shift is also integrated, which means that the color before each verticode shifts the ASCII code, by adding the number that the color corresponds to, before translating it into binary. In that case, the previous verticode could also look like this.

The table for the color codes is:

      Value
      Color

      0
      Red

      1
      Purple

      2
      Blue

      3
      Green

      4
      Yellow

      5
      Orange

This means that a red color shift for the letter A, which is 65 + 0 = 65, would translate into 1000001 in binary; however, a green color shift for the letter A, which is 65 + 3 = 68, would translate into 1000100 in binary.

Given this verticode, read the verticode into text and find the flag.

Note that the flag will not be in the typical sctf{flag} format, but will be painfully obvious text. Once you find this text, you will submit it in the sctf{text} format. So, if the text you find is adunnaisawesome, you will submit it as sctf{adunnaisawesome}.

decode.sh

#!/bin/bash
(( $# != 1 )) && { echo "please specify input file"; exit 1; }

# constants:
line_height=12
pixel_width=12
line_width=168
color_width=83

# convert png to txt using ImageMagick's convert
convert $1 txt: > out.txt
sed -i '1d' out.txt
lines=$(tail -1 out.txt | cut -f2 -d, | cut -f1 -d:)

# get just one line of pixels for each real line in the image
for (( i=0; i<$lines; i+=$line_height )); do
	grep -E "^[0-9]*,$i: " out.txt ;
done > lines.txt

# get just one pixel per needed column in the original image
>sane.txt
for i in $(cat lines.txt | cut -f2 -d, | cut -f1 -d: | sort -nu); do
	for (( j=$color_width; j<$line_width; j+=$pixel_width )); do
		grep "^$j,$i: " lines.txt >> sane.txt
	done
done

# each "line" in one line
cat sane.txt | tr -s ' ' | sed 's/, /,/g;s/( /(/g' | cut -f4 -d " " | \
  xargs -L8 > end.txt

# black and white to binary
sed 's/ black/1/g;s/ white/0/g' end.txt | sed 's/^[a-z]*/\0 /g' >ideal.txt

# binary conversion, color conversion and mathematics, then print ascii code
paste -d-  <(for i in $(cat ideal.txt | cut -f2 -d" "); do echo $((2#$i)); done)\
  ideal.txt > last.txt
for i in $(cat last.txt | cut -f1 -d" " | \
 sed 's|red|0|g;s|purple|1|g;s|blue|2|g;s|green|3|g;s|yellow|4|g;s|orange|5|g'| bc); do
	printf "\x$(printf %x $i)";
done
echo

Running:

chmod +x decode.sh
then
./decode.sh code1.png

Sorry about the great number of temporary files, but I did this step by step on the shell :)

Vertinet

This problem follows the same specifications as the previous Verticode, except that you have to solve many of them by developing a client to communicate with the server available at problems1.2016q1.sctf.io:50000. Good luck.

client.sh

start=0;
print=0;
while read -n1 char;
do
		(( $print == 1 )) && echo -n $char;
		if [ "$char" == "," ]; then
			start=1; continue;
 		fi
		if [ "$char" == "'" ]; then
			start=0;
		fi
		(( $start == 1)) && {
			resp+=$char;
		}
		if (( ${#resp} > 1500 )) && (( $start == 0 )); then
			echo -n "${resp}" | base64 -d >/dev/null && {
				echo -n "${resp}" | base64 -d > file.png
				print=1;
				answer=$(../Verticode/decode.sh file.png)
				echo -n $answer >&4
				resp=
			} || print=0;
		fi
done <&3

Running:

chmod +x client.sh

then

socat TCP4:problems1.2016q1.sctf.io:50000 EXEC:/full/path/to/client.sh,fdin=3,fdout=4

Maybe you'll need to install socat first

Failed Compression

This one was a pain in the *ss. I opened the file (compressed.zip, 73mb) and found a lot of JPEG JFIF broken headers, and also PNG IHDR ones.

I was REALLY bored to code something nice to extract all the files, so I thought I could use some luck this time. Then I focused on the JPEG files.

Before you continue, I'd like you to know that I'm not proud of the following lines ;)

1. Convert the file to hex

xxd -p compressed.zip | tr -d "\n" > hex

2. Make an ugly loop to isolate the JPEG markers within spaces using an uglier sed.

j=0;
for i in $(cat hex | sed 's/e000104a/ STARTHERE/g;s/ae4260/ENDHERE /g'); do
	echo $i > $j.j;
	let j++;
done

3. Loop all the files, now fixing the headers and footers, then converting back from hex to file.

for i in *.j ; do
	sed -i 's/STARTHERE/ffd8ffe000104a/g;s/ENDHERE/ae4260/g' $i;
	xxd -r -p $i > ${i}pg;
done

4. For easy browsing, let's make a HTML file with all the valid JPEG files

for i in $(file *.jpg| grep JPEG | cut -f1 -d:); do
	echo "<img src='$i'>" >> index.html;
done

As I said, we needed luck. The flag was in one of the jpeg files :)
Take a look at 264.jpg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Colonia Verónica Anzures is a colonia of Mexico City located in the Miguel Hidalgo borough.  The neighborhood is a residential area but it also houses some office buildings, most importantly the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex.

Location
The neighborhood is bordered by:

Av. Marina Nacional to the northeast, across which is Colonia Tlaxpana and Colonia Anáhuac
Bahía de San Hipólito street on the northwest, across which is Colonia Anáhuac
Av. Ejército Nacional on the south, across which is Colonia Anzures
Circuito Interior Melchor Ocampo on the east, across which is Colonia Cuauhtémoc in the Cuauhtémoc borough

History

During the late years of the 1800s, Chapultepec was still surrounded by ranches, such as the Anzures, Polanco and La Teja ranches and the La Condesa and Los Morales haciendas.

In 1920, the owner of the Los Morales hacienda, Eduardo Cuevas Rubio, dies, leaving in his testament instructions for the partition of the hacienda in five sections. Sections I and II, then the closest to the center of Mexico City, became the colonia Verónica Anzures. An area that, at the time, was known only as La Verónica, due to the proximity of the Calzada de La Verónica (today Circuito Interior Melchor Ocampo).

In the 1950s, Verónica Anzures started to develop as a residential zone, described by anthropologist Luis Barjau as "an urban zone in the Federal District of middle-class pretentious residents, who wanted to emulate the then sumptuous Polanco, but smaller".

Description
Verónica Anzures has, mainly, residential buildings of art deco and colonial revival styles. The colonia also houses several commercial buildings, Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, headquarters of state-owned Pemex, one of the largest petroleum companies in the world and shopping center Plaza de las Estrellas, being the two most important.

From the first decade of the 21st century, the neighborhood has experienced a process of gentrification, resulting in the restoration of old buildings and the construction of new big residential buildings.

References

Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
Neighborhoods in Mexico City
Tenochtitlan