text:
(-) College news (10)
Pharmacy Practice (1)
(-) Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D. (1)
(-) Hugh D. Smyth, Ph.D. (1)
(-) Michael Johnsrud, Ph.D., R.Ph. (1)
(-) Mohammed Maniruzzaman, Ph.D. (6)
(-) Nathan D. Pope, Pharm.D., FAPhA (1)
Carolyn M. Brown, Ph.D., FAPhA (2)
Christopher R. Frei, Pharm.D., M.Sc. (1)
Jennifer Ridings-Myhra, M.Ed. (1)
Karen Vasquez, Ph.D. (2)
Kelly Renee Reveles, Pharm.D., Ph.D., BCPS (1)
Kirk Evoy, Pharm.D., BCACP, BC-ADM, CTTS (1)
Leticia R. Moczygemba, Pharm.D., Ph.D., FAACP, FAPhA (2)
M. Lynn Crismon, Pharm.D., FCCP, DABCP, BCPP (1)
Maria A. Croyle, Ph.D. (2)
Robert O. (Bill) Williams III, Ph.D. (3)
Rueben A. Gonzales, Ph.D. (1)
Samuel M. Poloyac, Pharm.D., Ph.D. (1)
Skyller Walkes, Ph.D. (3)
Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. (5)
Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery (4)
3D-printing (1)
TxCORE (1)
(-) Nick Nobel (10)
(-) Nick Nobel
(-) Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D.
(-) Hugh D. Smyth, Ph.D.
(-) Michael Johnsrud, Ph.D., R.Ph.
(-) Mohammed Maniruzzaman, Ph.D.
(-) Nathan D. Pope, Pharm.D., FAPhA
(-) College news
PharmE3D Labs Receive R01 Grant for Complex Vaccine Technologies
The College of Pharmacy's Pharmaceutical Engineering and 3D Printing (PharmE3D) Labs recently earned a three-year $1.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant to research novel manufacturing technology for complex vaccine formulations for influenza and other emerging infectious diseases.
Nathan Pope Named New Assistant Dean
Nathan Pope, Pharm.D., BCACP, FACA has been named The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy's new assistant dean of experiential education and will succeed Jennifer Ridings-Myhra, M.Ed., R.Ph., who plans to work with Dr. Pope through July and August to assist in the transition. The start date for this new role is effective July 1, 2021.
Maniruzzaman Lab Earns Grant to Research 3D Printed COVID-19 Treatment
The UT College of Pharmacy's Pharmaceutical Engineering and 3D Printing (PharmE3D) Lab earned a Texas Global Faculty Research Seed Grant for its work on patient-specific treatment of COVID-19.
TxCORE Research Wins PhRMA Foundation Award
Three researchers from the College of Pharmacy won an award from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation. Leticia R. Moczygemba, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Carolyn M. Brown, Ph.D. and Michael Johnsrud, Ph.D., R.Ph. were awarded $5,000 from the PhRMA Foundation for their proposal to advance racial and ethnic representation in value assessments.
Suh and PharmE3D Labs Win Fellowships for 3D Bioprinting Research
Student pharmacist Johana Suh earned an undergraduate fellowship award for research on 3D bioprinted modeling of the neurodegenerative disease NPC-1, or Niemann-Pick disease type C1. Suh is a second-year Doctor of Pharmacy candidate in the UT College of Pharmacy, and serves as an undergraduate researcher in the Pharmaceutical Engineering and 3D Printing (PharmE3D) Labs led by Mo Maniruzzaman, Ph.D.
Inhaled Niclosamide a Potential Effective Antiviral to Treat COVID-19
Researchers in the lab of Dr. Hugh D.C. Smyth have released promising results of a new method to treat SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The antiviral niclosamide, when incorporated with human lysozyme as a carrier molecule, shows potential as an effective COVID-19 treatment when delivered directly to the airways.
UT 3D Printing Labs Enter Patent License Agreement to Develop Digital 3D Drug Manufacturing and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
Assistant Professor Mo Maniruzzaman's Pharmaceutical Engineering and 3D Printing (PharmE3D) labs have entered an agreement with UK-based CoM3D to develop digital 3D drug manufacturing and advanced drug delivery systems.
Maniruzzaman Lab Collaboration Works to Develop Patient-Focused Medicines More Efficiently
To meet the need to develop methods to make drugs more soluble and usable, the Maniruzzaman Lab teamed up with Advanced Material Development (AMD) to address challenges with the reduction in quantity of new drugs coming to market.
3D-Printing Project Aims to Meet UT Community's PPE Needs
Mo Maniruzzaman's Pharmaceutical Engineering and 3D Printing (PharmE3D) Lab is 3D-printing face shields to meet PPE demands at UT health institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gore receives five-year NIH grant to research PCBs
Pharmacology and Toxicology Professor Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D. recently received an impressive five-year RO1 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes for Health (NIH), for research to determine how PCBs cause dysfunctions in reproductive physiology and behavior.


text:
Barn owls rescued, nest and all, from accidental road trip
A family of two went on an unexpected journey recently when their entire home was picked up, loaded onto a truck and driven five hours away. No one realized the mother and baby barn owl were nesting between bales of hay bound for transport until the truck driver stopped and started unloading. That's when he saw those feathery faces staring up at him. Concerned for his accidental avian passengers, the truck driver contacted Wild Friends (the state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitation center at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary) to save the misplaced pair.
"It was one of those giant trucks with hay that was piled 20 feet high," says Brianna Vlach, Wild Friends supervisor, who made the trip to pick up the owls. "So, we climbed on top, and the baby was wedged down in there."
Since the baby was uncovered and alone, Brianna wondered if the mother had flown off; but the truck driver assured her that, no, mom was still in there. So Brianna, wearing her raptor gloves and safety goggles, extracted the fluffy owlet from the hay and got ready to put him into a carrier. And that's when she heard Sierra Medlin, a Wild Friends manager accompanying her say, "Oh, there's another baby."
Only, it wasn't a baby. The mother owl had been hidden underneath her chick, deeper into the hay. "(It was) just this heart-stopping moment of nothing between me and her," says Brianna, who remembers freezing as she looked down at the distressed mother owl whose baby had just been plucked away from her.
Barn owls are no fun to handle on a normal day, much less when you're getting between a mom and her baby, especially after such a long and tumultuous trip. But Brianna's cool head and steady hands (aided by the way the owls were tucked between the bales) were successful in getting both owls out of the hay and into the carrier without adding more stress to an already tense situation.
Soon, they were all headed back to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the mama owl screeching the whole ride back.
Helping a protective mother owl and her owlet
Once the owls were settled in at Wild Friends, the staff noticed that they weren't doing very well because of dehydration from the long trip. And the mother, weighing even less than her owlet, was weak and unable to fly.
"With owls, the mother sits on the nest and the father brings food," explains Wren Blossfeld, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. "So, she was protecting the baby and she didn't have access to any food. She also didn't want to lose the nest because it was in a moving vehicle."
Even after the two owls were given fluids and plenty of food, caregivers were still worried that the mom might not make it. But a few days later she made it abundantly clear that she had regained her strength (and was very protective of her baby) by flying straight at Wren as she tried to weigh the little owlet. Luckily, Wren was wearing a mask (meant to keep the owls from seeing a human face while interacting with them), so mama owl only caught plastic.
Caregiver Lauren Ross says the staff caught glimpses of the mom feeding the young owlet. "They were really cute while in rehab and the mom owl would sit on top. She was really good at protecting the baby."
When they were a bit stronger, they put the birds outside in an enclosed area to let them fly a little bit and stretch their wings. The owls could be observed through an outside camera setup, the birds sitting together perfectly still, their detailed camouflage making them look exactly like a rock.
While the pair spent two weeks building up their strength, the little owlet's feathers started filling in. That's when Wild Friends got a call from the truck driver who'd found them. He wanted to help get the owls back to their home barn, where the father owl had been spotted flying around. It was time for a family reunion.
Barn owls' home sweet home
The owls, with Lauren along for the trip, traveled back home in the same truck that had taken them on their unscheduled road trip. Only this time, they got to enjoy the relative comfort of the cab.
The people who own the barn where the owl family lives were happy to open it up and welcome them back. They had missed the mother's presence and had only seen the father flying around for those few weeks.
"When we got there, I put the baby in the hay first," Lauren says. "When I brought the mom into the barn, the baby was climbing the hay bales to get to another hole, and she saw him and went in after him. They climbed to the top, and then they found a hole and popped in."
The owls were back where they belonged, all in one place. And though Lauren didn't get to see the father or their reunion, they're sure to find each other. "They know the territory well," says Wren. "That's where she was from, so they should find each other pretty quick."
The owls should also be safe from any future impromptu escapades. And the truck driver has certainly learned a lesson about checking hay bales for stowaways. "Half of our job is taking care of the wildlife, but the other half of our job is preventing bad human interactions with wildlife," says Wren. "Our education program helps a lot."
Safe and sound, the owls whose entire nest was hauled away on a truck are finally home ― none the worse for wear and with quite the story to tell around the nest.
Help more animals go home
Wild animals in rehabilitation or pets looking for new families, they often need our help. By joining Best Friends, you can support them on their road home.
From two legs to four, a kitten's journey
Man rescues stray puppy who was found living in an old shoe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Kenneth Omeruo and his CD Leganes players teammates marked this year's International Women's Day in a special way, donning their mother's names on their jerseys for the Liga match against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Omeruo made his 20th Liga appearance of the season in the 1-0 defeat to Rojiblancos, but the visitor's defensive display wasn't the only thing that caught the eyes.
The Nigerian like his teammates paid tributes to their mothers on IWD; they had their mother's names printed on their shirts.
Omeruo wore "Onyeoma" as the club joined the rest of the world in celebrating womanhood.


We now have six clubs.
Our 3rd Dojo is at West Rainton Primary School ran by the School which is how the Jubilee Hall Dojo was opened due to popular demand outside of the school after hearing about the School club.
Our 6th Dojo is at Kirk Merrington Primary School ran by the School and instructed by Sarah Bell, all students must attend the school as it is an afterschool club.


Do you remember the first time… you met your musical hero? I was lucky enough to meet mine during an internship at Rough Trade Records back in 2011.
You might have guessed from the pun that it was the lothario Mr Jarvis Cocker; you might have also guessed from the blog's title that I completely struggled to think of anything witty and original to say (should I have told him that I thought he was 'A Different Class'?).
Let's face it, meeting your heroes – even meeting just regular people in bands – is an altogether awkward experience. With that in mind I decided to compile a list of things to avoid, which is reflective of why my loved ones tend not to let me out much in public places.
I have to say that I am the worst at this. I went to Bloc Party's signing of 'Silent Alarm' and the only phrase that came to mind was, "I'm your biggest fan… not literally". Needless to say even I found that comment socially repellent. Similarly I asked two members of Noah & the Whale "where they see themselves in five years' time", like some bizarre Oxford screening process.
At an Interpol gig I met Everything Everything and after connecting over our hometowns of Manchester I then started talking about my mum. This made EE look more uncomfortable then a person trying to sing the lyrics to an EE song. From this I have learned that talking about mums should only be reserved for student radio.
Although completely not ageist I have tended to point out the ages of well-known musicians. When I interviewed Henry from the Young Knives we were discussing this year's Royal Wedding. When the 'young' knife told me he remembered the first Royal Wedding, my reaction of "wow" somewhat stilted the conversation. I would also avoid mentioning their height and weight (i.e. you look smaller and fatter in person) – luckily I don't yet have an anecdote for this one.
Technically more of a not to do than say, and if you are stubborn then please wear a jumper. I learned my lesson about this one at a Flight Of The Conchords gig. I waited outside with my friend, surrounded by similar fans who were dressed up like robots; like a heartbroken Mel the boys never showed up. I'm not crying… it's just been raining on my face.
By 'make it' I mean sing/dance/act or get noticed: basically anything in Alan Sugar's Guide How To Succeed In Business The Alternative Way. I went for Sugar's advice when I met Jarvis and played the kazoo on his latest recording.


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The Last Cruise to Cuba
by momtoast | Jul 12, 2019 | Uncategorized | 0 comments
When our cruise ship docked in Havana, Cuba on the morning of June 4th, we hurried up to the deck to get a glimpse of the city. I admit, part of the appeal was the forbidden nature of the place. Though Americans had been coming to Cuba for a few years now, it was still not a popular destination. At least, I had never met anyone else who had vacationed in Cuba, so it was a big mystery in my mind. What would it be like? Would they be happy to see American tourists, or would they resent our descending on their home?
The first thing we noticed was how run down everything was. Beautiful, as it was a mixture of Spanish Colonial style carved facades and Spanish Revival buildings designed to impress the American travellers in the 30s, when Havana was a popular hangout for gangsters and expatriots. But it looked like nothing new had been built since the 50s, and nothing had been kept up. Crumbling roofs and abandoned warehouses surrounded the port. Most buildings had large blue plastic jugs on the roof to collect rainwater, we were told later, for the days when the city didn't pipe water to the houses. Another ship was parked beside us, so we didn't see the Spanish fort across the bay, only the formerly glorious buildings and the road that ran along the shore with its never ending stream of classic American cars.
We lined up to disembark, our passports and visas ready, to head through customs. It was much less arduous than I expected. They collected our visas, took our picture, checked our passports and we were in. The security lines, metal detectors and x-ray machines for our bags were policed by women, busty women, in mini skirts, fishnet stockings, and tight fitting shirts, sometimes not even fully buttoned. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind this uniform was. I thought it an odd first impression to give tourists. Later that day I saw a nurse walking down the street in a similar uniform, all in white with a nurses cap on.
Che Ivera and other heroes of Cuba. "Faithful to our History"
Our tour guide the first day was polite, but cautious. Some passengers assumed a Castro was still in power, and she explained they had just gotten a new president earlier that year, appointed, or elected. I wasn't sure if she had corrected herself because she misunderstood the language or to sound more democratic. Rather than give her opinion of the new president, she explained that he had a lot of changes that he wanted to make, had to deal with several hurricanes hitting the island, and had a lot of work ahead of him. When asked about the massive images of men's faces that decorated public areas, she told us proudly about the revolution, and their main hero, Che Ivera, who defeated Bautista and freed Cuba. There were no images of Castro. It was part of his will to not build monuments to him or put his image around the country, preferring instead that the money go to the people. She was proud, you could hear it in the way she spoke about her country and her heritage. Cubans are reclaiming their African roots, and are proud to call both Africa and Spain part of their background.
The wall of the patio of Fuster, the artist behind Fusterlandia
We stopped at the Plaza de la Revolucion, famous for all those speeches by Castro, drove through the wealthier parts of Havana where the embassies are, and then stopped at Fusterlandia. This is a community project, a neighborhood where an artist had spread his art all over, not just covering his own home in bright mosaic murals, but the whole street. He left his home open most mornings for tourists to take pictures and shop his art. We explored the place, I have a few parts to translate still as there were poems worked into the walls, and then bought some souvenirs at the stalls set up across from his home. This was the first time we realized something was going on. As we got back on the bus, a woman from the neighborhood was chewing out our tour guide. She shouted that Cuba is for the Cubans, and how dare they park these giant buses in front of their homes and what we were doing there. Our guide remained calm, mostly ignoring or only making small comments in reply. But it made us worry.
On one hand, I can understand the frustration of coming home to your neighborhood crawling with American tourists. We do tend to have the reputation of being loud and rude in other countries. But if you live in a neighborhood covered in creative art, where the artist invites people to come in and explore, you would think you would expect there to be tourists. Living in Philadelphia, I don't have tourists in my immediate neighborhood, but if I lived on Elfreth's Alley, I couldn't complain about them coming by. It's part of living there. I'd be out on the street giving tips on where to get the best cheesesteaks and what buses to take to get around town. It's part of being proud of where you live. Of course, if those tourists were from somewhere like Russia while that country was making aggressive overtures to the US, I might feel much the same was as this woman did.
El Morro fortress and Faro Castillo, the lighthouse
We finished our tour at El Morro, the original Spanish fort that protected the bay from pirates for a few centuries, so well in fact that no one had ever taken Havana by sea. The British had to land in the east of the island and march on Havana, holding it hostage until Spain traded Florida for it. Cuba was the central hub of Spain's operations in the Americas, being a perfect distance between the Yucatan and the Gulf Stream that took their galleons to Spain. T the fort we shopped for the things Cuba is famous for, and that Americans longed to get hold of: rum, cigars, and coffee. Well, OK, maybe that last one is just me. I purchased two large bags of cuban coffee, as I'm not a smoker, and I'm content with Puerto Rican rum. The tiny shop was mobbed. There were some more stalls outside the fort as well, where we picked up some more souvenirs for my nieces. Most of these were small wooden objects with Cuba burned onto it, little cars, fans, boxes with beaded flowers on top.
We debated exploring Cuba on our own, but we were hot and tired and just wanted to relax for the afternoon. When we returned to the ship we overheard some conversations about the new sanctions, so I immediately got back on my phone. That's when we saw the announcement that Trump would be closing down American travel to Cuba. We were shocked and not quite sure what to think. Would we have to leave early? Would the Cubans ask us to leave, or refuse to take us on tours? We went to bed uneasy and sad.
Driving around Cuba in a '51 Chevy
Our tour guide the second day was different. He made jokes about more things. When asked about an 'ugly' tree in the parking lot, an old banyon tree that had been trimmed to keep from damaging nearby homes during storms, he shrugged and said, "Well, it is a socialist tree." This tour involved riding in some of those amazing classic American cars through the streets of Havana. We rode in a hot pink 1951 Chevy with a young man who seemed to be new to this job. He was friendly, and funny, and with his spotty English and my spotty Spanish we managed to get along well enough. We saw the row of embassies again, as well as the Bosque, a large wild forest with some more 'ugly' trees and overgrown everything. They also took us down Neptune street, which was our first look at the real Havana, the kind of things we like to see when we visit other countries. This was what would be South Street in Philly, narrow, crowded, lined with cafes and banks and cell phone stores. Our driver knew several people along the road and fielded what sounded like a few friendly jibes.
We ended the tour at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. We were looking forward to this as a famous hangout of Hemingway, among other writers and notaries from the 30s and 40s. It's a huge, beautiful building, still in very good repair, down to the Spanish American War era cannons facing the sea. We had mojitos, my first, and it was more refreshing than anything else. A small group of musicians serenaded the tourists and sold CDs. I found it curious, amazing even, to see how much American culture was part of their heritage too, how proud they were of their connection. A lot of our runaways spent their days in Cuba, getting away from prohibition, or crimes, or drafts or whatever American thing was pulling at them. We have shaped each other more than we know.
Back on the bus, as we drove back to the ship, our guide asked us if we knew what was going on politically. He was legitimately sad. He too was proud of his country, but had family in Miami, and had lived outside of Cuba for a time. He said he was sorry for the wrong decisions being made on both sides. He wanted people to be able to come and enjoy his beautiful country, he wanted tourist jobs to be available for the people there. He spoke more openly about how things were in Cuba. He pointed out that Cuba has classic American cars because those were the only cars people could get, other than the tiny Russian cars that the Soviet Union brought in. But those were expensive, and it was easier to fix up the old ones. He let us know why the cruise ship had warned us which version of Cuban currency to get when we exchanged our money. The federal government only pays their employees in the old currency, even though it isn't worth much now and is only good for the subsidized services like education or health care. If a Cuban wants clothes, or a phone, or to eat out, they need the newer currency, which was worth a little more than the American dollar. ($1=.87CUC) He remarked that socialism is the longest road to capitalism. Now that the Soviet Union is no more, Cuba has few other income opportunities. It was sugar that they shipped to the USSR, and now mojitos to the Americans. Without that income, he seemed at a loss to say what would keep Cuba afloat now.
We had originally wanted to get to Cuba because we wanted to see it before it changed. We knew, after visiting Puerto Rico, what kinds of things would change as American culture flooded in. Cuba looks like a place not frozen in time, but left to decay. Cuba needs to become part of the world to keep from collapsing, but it shouldn't have to become a copy of America to do so. Puerto Rico had no choice, becoming part of the US after a we won a war, and though they have hung onto their language and part of their unique character, it is very much American now. Cuba is for the Cubans, yes. But they are also a part of our world, one that is getting smaller all the time. It makes me sad that so many sweet, creative, lively people are cut off from us because of the choices of our respective governments, and I hope that soon we will all be able to put aside our squabbles and come to know each other as fellow citizens of that world.
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Umbrella Academy & Black Parade July 16, 2019
Created By: Gillian Sarah | Copyright 2018


With the Modaris program from Lectra we can recreate an existing base size to different available sizes. The base size pattern is digitized into the system within Modaris to create the other sizes. A nest can then be printed on request for reference.
Copyright 2009-2012 © Hitech Markers. All rights reserved.


text:
Q: VolleyError NetworkResponse is null Not new to android but new to Volley Library.
I am trying to send a stringRequest to server(of type POST) to update and retrieve rows. After that I am trying to get Json response out of it.
php code is working fine. Tested with the html form already.
problem :
VolleyError is returning null.
when trying to getMessage() it is returning null and even I cant print Networkstatus code.
following is the stringRequest code...
/**
 * function to verify login details in mysql db
 * */
private void checkLogin(final String vehicle_no, final String password) {
    // Tag used to cancel the request
    String tag_string_req = "req_login";

    pDialog.setMessage("Logging in ...");
    showDialog();

    StringRequest strReq = new StringRequest(Method.POST,
            AppConfig.URL_LOGIN, new Response.Listener<String>() {

        @Override
        public void onResponse(String response) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Login Response: " + response.toString());
            hideDialog();

            try {
                JSONObject jObj = new JSONObject(response);
                boolean error = jObj.getBoolean("error");

                // Check for error node in json
                if (!error) {
                    // user successfully logged in
                    // Create login session
                    session.setLogin(true);

                    // Now store the user in SQLite
                    JSONObject user = jObj.getJSONObject("user");
                    String name = user.getString("name");
                    String vehicle_no = user.getString("vehicle_no");
                    String created_at = user.getString("created_at");

                    // Inserting row in users table
                    db.addUser(name,vehicle_no, created_at);

                    // Launch main activity
                    Intent intent = new Intent(LoginActivity.this,
                            MainActivity.class);
                    startActivity(intent);
                    finish();
                } else {
                    // Error in login. Get the error message
                    String errorMsg = jObj.getString("error_msg");
                    Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),
                            errorMsg, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
                }
            } catch (JSONException e) {
                // JSON error
                e.printStackTrace();
                Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Json error: " + e.getMessage(), Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
            }

        }
    }, new Response.ErrorListener() {

        @Override
        public void onErrorResponse(VolleyError error) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Login Error: " + error.getMessage());
            Log.e(TAG, "Login Error: " + error.networkResponse.statusCode);

            Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),
                    error.getMessage(), Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
            hideDialog();
        }
    }) {

        @Override
        protected Map<String, String> getParams() {
            // Posting parameters to login url
            Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<String, String>();
            params.put("vehicle_no", vehicle_no);
            params.put("password", password);

            return params;
        }

    };

    Log.d(TAG, "string req: " + strReq.toString());
    // Adding request to request queue
    AppController.getInstance().addToRequestQueue(strReq, tag_string_req);
}

And this is the log:
01-31 11:30:37.407 14868-14868/csi_research_wing.vehicle D/LoginActivity: string req: [ ] http://192.168.0.101/android_login_api/login.php 0x85adf655 NORMAL null
01-31 11:30:45.035 14868-14868/csi_research_wing.vehicle E/LoginActivity: Login Error: null
01-31 11:30:45.036 14868-14868/csi_research_wing.vehicle D/AndroidRuntime: Shutting down VM
    01-31 11:30:45.039 14868-14868/csi_research_wing.vehicle E/AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
Process: csi_research_wing.vehicle, PID: 14868
java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to read from field 'int com.android.volley.NetworkResponse.statusCode' on a null object reference
at csi_research_wing.vehicle.activity.LoginActivity$5.onErrorResponse(LoginActivity.java:187)
at com.android.volley.Request.deliverError(Request.java:524)
at com.android.volley.ExecutorDelivery$ResponseDeliveryRunnable.run(ExecutorDelivery.java:101)
at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:739)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:95)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:135)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5292)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:372)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:904)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:699)

A: 401 Not Supported by Volley
It turns out that it is impossible to guarantee that error.networkResponse is non-null without modifying Google Volley code because of a bug in Volley that throws the Exception NoConnectionError for Http Status Code 401 (HttpStatus.SC_UNAUTHORIZED) in BasicNetwork.java (134) prior to setting the value of networkResponse.
Work-Around
Instead of fixing the Volley code, our solution in this case was to modify the Web Service API to send Http Error Code 403 (HttpStatus.SC_FORBIDDEN) for the particular case in question.
For this Http Status Code, the value of error.networkResponse is non-null in the Volley error handler: public void onErrorResponse(VolleyError error). And, error.networkResponse.httpStatusCode correctly returns HttpStatus.SC_FORBIDDEN.
Other-Suggestions
Rperryng's suggestion of extending the Request class may have provided a solution, and is a creative and excellent idea. Thank you very much for the detailed example. I found the optimal solution for our case is to use the work-around because we are fortunate enough to have control of the web services API.
I might opt for fixing the Volley code in one location within BasicNetwork.java if I did not have access to making a simple change at the server.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package com.jaxio.celerio.configuration;

import org.junit.Assert;
import org.junit.Test;

public class NumberMappingTest {

    @Test
    public void matchOk() {
        NumberMapping nm = new NumberMapping();

        nm.setColumnSizeMin(1);
        nm.setColumnSizeMax(11);

        nm.setColumnDecimalDigitsMin(1);
        nm.setColumnDecimalDigitsMax(4);

        Assert.assertTrue(nm.match(1, 1));
        Assert.assertTrue(nm.match(10, 3));

        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(1, 4));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(11, 1));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(1, null));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(1, null));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(null, null));
    }

    @Test
    public void matchOkWhenMaxIsNull() {
        NumberMapping nm = new NumberMapping();

        nm.setColumnSizeMin(11);
        nm.setColumnSizeMax(null);

        nm.setColumnDecimalDigitsMin(4);
        nm.setColumnDecimalDigitsMax(null);

        Assert.assertTrue(nm.match(11, 4));
        Assert.assertTrue(nm.match(22, 22));

        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(10, 4));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(11, 3));

        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(1, null));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(1, null));
        Assert.assertFalse(nm.match(null, null));
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
PFP Cybersecurity Recognized as a "Vendor to Watch" by Enterprise Management Associates
Leading Analyst Firm Sees Major Potential for Innovative Security Startup
PFP Cybersecurity
VIENNA, Va., Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PFP Cybersecurity, a unique provider of anomaly-based cyber security threat detection technology, today announced it has been named a "Vendor to Watch" by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), a leading industry analyst firm. EMA Vendors to Watch are companies that offer unique customer value by providing unique solutions in their markets or solving problems that have previously gone unaddressed.
Launching to market this week, PFP Cybersecurity solves the detection gap problem with a physics-based approach for detecting sophisticated threats targeted at the supply chain, industrial control systems and any chip-based computing system. PFP's unique anomaly detection technology uses a known baseline reading of the power usage of any microchip, then using continuous monitoring or spot checking, can detect a change in power consumption behaviors, which indicate a change in the chip behavior and thus a potential security breach. Although it has many use cases which include mobile phones and network routers, it focuses on protecting SCADA systems and critical infrastructure such as power grid, nuclear power plants and water treatment facilities. It can also be used to detect supply chain corruption with counterfeit or substandard chips and spying or infiltration including chips modified with backdoors or kill switches.
"PFP offers an unrealized ability to deploy high sensitivity malware detection in current infrastructures without the need to change the systems, and with savings in recertification costs of legacy systems," noted David Monahan, research director at EMA, in his report. "The air-gapped implementation means it cannot be detected by hackers; and the fact that it is a 'physics-based' solution makes it impossible to evade."
With PFP's unique ability to detect both active and dormant attacks at the hardware and firmware levels, enterprises and government agencies can now find zero-day threats immediately by monitoring and detecting power consumption anomalies. For example, as soon as power usage changes due to the introduction of malware onto a system, PFP's solution will detect this and alert the system that there is a breach.
"We are honored to be named an EMA Vendor to Watch as we officially launch our company and products to market this week," said Steven Chen, Founder and Executive Chairman of PFP Cybersecurity. "The cyber threat landscape has evolved so much in the past few years and as a result, we must also evolve the technologies used to detect these advanced threats. At PFP, we believe that our disruptive approach of monitoring changes in power consumption to detect threats targeted at the supply chain and industrial control systems is what the industry needs right now."
Added Monahan in his report, "Longer-term as PFP is embedded on chips, or is otherwise isolated from the rest of the system by acceptable means, its uses in consumer technology including Wi-Fi routers, cell phones, and IoT and wearables could have an even greater impact on the fight against malware."
The first generation of PFP's technology was developed at Virginia Tech in 2006 by the company's President Dr. Jeff Reed and CTO Dr. Carlos Aguayo Gonzalez. In 2010, they joined serial entrepreneur Steven Chen to form PFP Cybersecurity. Today, PFP has raised $1M from Blu Venture Investors and the CIT (Center of Innovation Technology) GAP Funds to accelerate its sales and marketing and build a talented team by hiring top researchers and government hackers who know how to hack and defend networks. The company has filed two patents so far, with more to come, and their government customers including DARPA, the US Army, US Air Force, NSF and DHS.
For access to the full EMA "Vendor to Watch" report on PFP Cybersecurity, please contact Thurston Brooks, VP of Product Marketing at PFP Cybersecurity, at [email protected].
About EMA
Founded in 1996, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) is a leading industry analyst and consulting firm that specializes in going "beyond the surface" to provide deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA delivers research, analysis, and consulting services to two key client groups: Enterprise IT Professionals and IT and Data Management Vendors.
About PFP Cybersecurity
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., PFP Cybersecurity (aka Power Fingerprinting, Inc.) provides a unique, anomaly-based cyber security threat detection technology that can instantly identify software and hardware intrusion including active and dormant attacks. With its innovative technology, PFP shortens the compromise detection gap to milliseconds by monitoring changes in electromagnetic frequencies and power supplies. This physics-based technology can be applied to detect advanced malware and sophisticated threats in critical cyber systems. It can also detect hardware Trojans and counterfeits in the supply chain. For more information, please visit: www.pfpcyber.com
SOURCE PFP Cybersecurity
http://www.pfpcyber.com


Retail banking is in a bind. One the revenue side, deposit valuations are at an all-time low, and banks are literally pushing outstanding commercial customers' deposits out the door, as they are negatively margined on every incoming dollar.
On the cost side, demand for channel proliferation is extreme. Prospects select their bank not just by branch location convenience but, often more importantly, by their mobile offering and the ease of navigation of self-service channels.
How do customers prefer to get information?
How do customers prefer to transact?
How do we encourage them to use self-service channels to get information and to transact?
How do we sell services to customers when we're successful and they start using self-service channels?
We now know that there are very few single-channel users. As the chart below depicts all too clearly, new channels augment but do not replace older channels.
There are some tweaks in the usage intensity. For example, ATM usage declined 8% in 2012 while debit card usage continues to explode. While this is useful information, it's not wholly actionable, since no channel can be discontinued at this point in the evolution cycle. Promiscuous channel usage ensues, since there is no downside to customers to become channel hogs. Banks' attempts to create such a downside, most famously First Chicago's ill-fated attempt to charge customers $3 for talking to a teller, haven't fared well.
The underlying issue remains: how to achieve profitability in the retail business when spreads on deposits are razor-thin at best, and when operating costs continue to rise.
One effective guiding principle calls for keeping distribution costs fixed, but shifting investments across channels to reflect customer preferences. For example, reduce the physical footprint and human resource investment in the branch channel wherever appropriate and possible (a tall order, I know), and utilize the freed investment capacity to improve mobile offerings. Link such shifts to service enhancements and new features, not simply to defensive moves to catch up.
Another guiding principle calls for investment in channels that increase customer engagement (a strong proxy for customer retention, which is an important part of enhancing earnings stability). Researchers such as Raddon, Greenwich and private bank information correlate logins, swipes and other customer behavior to engagement and retention. Customers are voting with their feet by reducing branch activity and increasing self-service and remote channels usage. Ergo, investing in those channels will increase customer engagement and retention.
One more guiding principle involved investments in value-add channels and features. For example, if you use your tellers primarily as transaction fulfillment resources, an ATM can be an excellent, sometimes even preferred, fulfillment center. Conversely, if your bankers truly become trusted advisors to your customers, whether in person or by phone, investment in banker counts and skill sets will generate greater revenues.
"Finally, the quest for a seamless customer experience across channels, while a noble goal, might impede progress by setting the bar too high. Customers do not necessarily expect the same experience from a teller as they do from an ATM, their phone etc. Following your cultural edicts across channels to guide the customer experience is a more practical approach to giving the customer the experience you strive for across channels. Seamlessness may be nice, but it is also very difficult to achieve".
It seems as if channel management today is driven by different motives, primarily cost cuts. Looking at distribution holistically is a necessary first step to wisdom, rather than examining each element in isolation. An excellent example of such an approach is branch optimization studies that ignore the network effect impacting each branch, and where customers do their business vs. where they initially opened the account. Traditional retail banking models won't do in today's channel proliferation environment. Consider your entire universe of customer touch points and follow the customers' behavior and value-add opportunities to reducing investment where appropriate.


text:
Q: boot stuck on "checking battery state [ok]" loaded ubuntu 12.10 but during boot gets stuck at checking battery state  [ok]. It appears its some kind of loop where this message keeps repeating. Any idea on how to fix?

A: Some reported it as corrupted .Xauthority file/ .Xauthority file owned by root. Removing it does the trick.

*

*Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 when you are stuck.

*Log in using your username and password.

*Execute: sudo mv /var/lib/lightdm/.Xauthority /var/lib/lightdm/.Xauthority-bak

*Now reboot: sudo reboot

A: If you installed drivers before(downloaded from http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us) for your nvidia video card, just get a new version from that site and install it again.
It works for me.


Discovering The Truth About Sports – Click On The Right Link !
You will notice that camping and hiking are things that people do simultaneously. There are so many outdoor activities that people can engage during their free time. You are required to understand that these activities are not those that need just one person. To make the events memorable and full of fun; it is necessary that you involve a few people that are close and share the same interest. It is necessary that you plan well in advance to enable everyone interested in taking part in the events.
One is supposed to know that hiking and camping are simple and do not require a lot of financial investments. For individuals going for these activities, it is required that they carry certain things to make this a success. The explained below are some of the things that you are supposed to have.
For campers, tents and sleeping bags are mandatory. You should have in mind that going for camps will mean that you will sleep outside there. There are adverse weather conditions that you may experience and it would be wrong coming back sick. One should therefore cover themselves well to avoid this kind of thing. One is expected to understand that they should have all the necessities for the journey in one bag. One is supposed to understand that they will require things like socks and innerwear for the journey. Make sure you keep these in a clean and dry to avoid inconveniences once you are there.
The other thing that you require whether you are going for camping or camping is enough water. It is important to know the benefits of having water when going for these activities. You should understand that having enough water is essential for hydrating the body during this period. The other thing that should not miss in your bag is the first aid kit. It is important to note that things happen and one can get involved in an accident while out there having fun. Having the kit will mean that you can save the simple cases likely to be experienced. It is also essential to have yourself covered against leeches and other insects.
It is required that you also carry something that will enable you to save enough photos and record all scenarios. You should know that you need a pair of binoculars for this although, for some people, it might be hard getting this. You should appreciate the fact that memories are good and hence you need at least something like a camera. You are supposed to know that you will require something like hiking sticks as well for this. Through this, it will be easy to hike through even if you are tired.


If you have a burst pipes, you'll need to shut off your water main right away. You will likely need to call a plumber if you don't have the tools and supplies to fix it yourself.
The pipes that most commonly freeze normally run in crawl spaces, basements or pipes that run along exterior walls.
If we get a really cold snap for a few days running, you may want to turn on your taps slightly. Even a small trickle can prevent a pipe from freezing. The cost of the extra water is little compared to a repair bill or damage due to a burst pipe.
Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Lowering it during the night may be fine for you under the covers, but the vulnerable pipes may dip below freezing.
If you are leaving on vacation for a period of time, don't set your thermostat to a temperature below 13C/55F. Always have someone check on your home when you're away in times of cold.
You may have a bathroom or kitchen in your home that is colder than other rooms. The temptation may be to keep the cold in these rooms, but if they contain water/pipes, then you'll need to allow warmer air to circulate through.
You can attempt to unfreeze pipes as long as you're sure they have not ruptured.
Do not use fire/torch/candles to thaw pipes, ever!
If these methods do not work, or you have a burst pipe, call us at Chasles Plumbing Professionals (519) 240-0077.


So here we sit. Again. For the second time post thyroidectomy, we are in the hospital. The girl doesn't feel well. She just doesn't. End of story. But, not too many people seem ready to listen until she's in a full on physical crisis. Even then sometimes the numbers are frighteningly low. Yesterday she knew. She NEVER tells me to stay home from work. She KNEW. And my pediatrician heard it in my voice. She was admitted soon after he saw her. He wanted it to be the flu. In some ways I did too. A little Tamiflu and some rest. Buts she's negative for flu. No real surprise. Too simple a diagnosis for my girl. Since her surgery in February, her TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) which is supposed to rest somewhere between 4. and 4.0 has been lingering well over 10, despite numerous medication adjustments. The TSH is supposed to be down regulated when the synthetic thyroid hormone takes the place of the T4 and T3. Enough thyroid hormone and the TSH decreases. Not enough and it increases causing hypo (under active) thyroid symptoms which can range from bone crushing fatigue, to generally feeling unwell and a whole host of issues in between. He medication has been adjusted upward with no effect – several times. I know it takes time. I barely remember my own battle with thyroid hormones over 20 years ago. The veterans of this surgery tell me 6 months, a year… I get it. I do. But then there is the reality of watching your kid feel crappy every day. The reality of watching her FIGHT with all her might to do the normal things others take so easily for granted. And then I get impatient. To complicate things it may not just be the thyroid hormones keeping us hopping. That "lymph node" turned "salivary gland" is now back to a lymph node in the neck. We are awaiting the ultrasound that I feel should have been done with her appointment last Monday. And there is a fever. She never gets fever. Not really. And yesterday it was 102. Today around 100. No answer why. Not even the White Blood Cell Count gave a clear indicator. And the reflux. Painful. Like fire. Lack of desire to eat much of anything leads to weakness. And the throat clearing. Reflux? or lymph node? or something totally different? So we temporarily stopped the celebrex to try to solve the GI issues. The medical equivalent of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The joint pain – managed for now – is rearing its head. And why does a 10-year-old, with no gall bladder and a week of the worst reflux of her life – with no dietary changes – begin vomiting bile? Maybe just maybe we will meet up with a decent GI. Girls can hope. So I sit. We sit. Waiting for answers to questions. Waiting for answers to more questions than we will ever get. But we are hopeful. Anxious. At least right this minute the worst part of being here is passing the time with the stupid IV.
They got it the second time!


Howard Sims is an 83 year-old man from Comer, Georgia, who found an affinity for astronomy long before he even knew what astronomy was. As a small child in the 1940s, he would often lie in a field that yielded no more than $500 worth of cotton a year for him and his family. In those quiet moments, Sims said he would look up at the sky and wonder what was up there.
Sims is holding his personal model of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of the dozens astronomical models he collects.
Sims was 17 when he saw his first telescope after he and his family moved from Comer to Chicago. They visited the Alder Planetarium within his first month in the city.
"I had to build one (a telescope). I asked the people who worked there how, and they placed a book with instructions in my hands. They told me to read chapters one through six twice over, and then I would know how. So I did."
Sims' observatory that he started to build in 2001 and finished in 2002. The dome rotates 360 degrees, is 18 feet tall, and can comfortably hold ten people.
Sims learned how to grind glass together to make the mirrors necessary for telescopic lenses around the same time that he began working as a glass sign manufacturer at the Beeco Technology Company. During that time the dream to build his own observatory began to take root. He decided he would move back to Comer where there was less light pollution and build an observatory when he retired. An observatory is essentially a room equipped with a telescope and other scientific materials for the study of astronomical phenomena.
Sims built his first telescope in 1962. Seven years later, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Dissatisfied with the distance that his first telescope could reach, Sims built this 300 pound telescope in 1974.
Though it is daytime, Sims is adjusting the telescope to focus on soda cans he nailed to a tree roughly a mile away.
True to his desire, on the day of his sixty-fifth birthday Sims retired. He has always loved working with his hands, and retirement allotted him more time to partner his skills in glassmaking with his passion for astronomy.
According to Data USA, 96.8 percent of astronomers and physicists in the American work force are white or Asian. There are only 92 working astronomers and physicists over the age of 80 in the United States. Sims was never a paid or commissioned astronomer and is completely self taught. He finished his formal education in the eleventh grade in a one room school where his teachers did not know how to use a typewriter.
Sims invited Dr. Loris Magnani, a professor of astronomy at the University of Georgia, to visit his observatory. Sims made an impression on Magnani that he has remembered in the ten years since that visit.
In comparison to the telescopes at the UGA Physics department, Magnani said that Sims' are "little gems in relation to our functional behemoths." Though they are smaller in size, Magnani says that Sims' telescopes are perfect to suit Sims' personal interests.
"We are asking different questions overall. Sims is interested in what he sees and how to improve in seeing it, whereas I am more on the theoretical side of things," Magnani said.
Above: A model of the Solar System that Sims made out of items such as modeling clay, erasers, and scrap metal. Below, Left: A model of the moon's affect on the tides Sims made out of a golf ball. Below, Right: Sims speculates over the most dangerous asteroid that hit the Earth and projects when another will strike.
Sims does value process and proof.
The thought that a belief he harbored from the ages of 17 to 70 could be falsified vexes Sims. His need to understand has influenced his work as a craftsman. In addition to astrological dioramas and models, he has built his own furniture and fish tanks.
Sims uses a road sign to angle enough light onto the telescope mirror to start a fire.
Sims spent 66 years teaching himself about astronomy. At 83 he says he feels like he has seen almost all he can with his telescope. He now finds fulfillment in sharing his knowledge with others in the community.
"By me being an amateur astronomer, I got about 6 ponds I can go to. People come to the observatory and I don't take no money for letting them see. They say they learn so much about the stars and the planets that they want to do something for me, so they let me fish," Sims said.
Morgan Lewis, a third year student with a geology major and astrophysics minor, has spent time in Sims' observatory and shares his love for showing people the sky. Lewis, who has her own telescope, says that the she too is most fulfilled when sharing her passion with other people.
Sims shows Lewis a collection of constellations he mapped.
"I understand his need to share what he knows. It brings life to the knowledge. He knows so many numbers and facts, it's mind boggling," Lewis said.
Though many of Sims own dreams involve having his head far beyond the clouds as well, does not limit his dreams to the sky. He finds much purpose in the land. He lost his wife of 59 years in December of 2017, but before he promised her that he would keep all of her plants alive. His house and garden teem with life, and he has folders filled with photographs of the one and a half acres of yard that he grooms himself. He also grows various vegetables which he gives away to his neighbors and friends.
"And that's my dream: fish, show people the sky, work my wife's flower beds, and have a garden where I can give the vegetables away," Sims said.
Though Sims says he is fulfilled, he is still making plans. He hopes to create a simulation in his backyard that allows people to experience what it is like to grind mirrors.
"Yeah, I would like to do that before I die. If I ever die," Sims joked.
His dream may sound simple to some. Sims started his life in the same location, and he plans on finishing it there, too. However, his choice to embrace questions and wonder within himself has brought Sims to an entirely new place.


On Marcy 7th, 2011, in honour of International Women's Day, The YWCA released Educated, Employed and Equal speaking about the need to have a national child-care program in Canada. The success of the country depends on a labor force that is educated and skilled.
60% of university graduates are women. With so many more highly educated women in the work force that have children it is a great benefit to have a national child care program.


Sunshine is forecast throughout the country, with early morning mist. Winds northerly, light. In the north, temperatures will range from 4C to 20C; in the Ionian and on the rest of the mainland from 6C to 23C; and in the Aegean islands from 10C to 18C. Sunny in Athens, with temperatures between 8C and 21C. Fair weather in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 5C to 19C.
In expectation of the announcement tomorrow of the new cotton prices, farmers have begun their mobilisations by symbolically blocking motorways in various parts of the road network including the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway at Tempi. After the anouncement of the prices, farmers will decide on their further stance.
Meanwhile, the farmers' representatives will try to meet with opposition party leaders on Friday and with the Minister of Agriculture on Monday.
Although New Democracy party President Costas Karamanlis accused the government of leading farmers to desperation, he stated that he was against the blocking of roads.
From his side, the government spokesman accused the New Democracy party of not adopting a firm stance.
Finally, the producers' problems will be discussed in Brussels today during Prime Minister Constantine Simitis meeting with the competent European Commissioner Frantz Fisler.
In a meeting to be held by competent ministers today, discussions will focus on the issue of illegal gambling. In an attempt to combat illegal gambling, the Ministry of Finance has anounced measures such as the setting up of a register of electronic game producers and inporters as well as their income. The ministry is also examining the possibility of banning electronic games.
Meanwhile, the New Democracy party has asked for Public Prosecutors to intervene, while Synaspispos party leader Nicos Konstantopoulos has raised the issue of gambling to the Prime Minister.
Commenting on the same issue, the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos stated that it does not honor Greece. Greece must also present its positive profile.
Referring to an exploratory dialogue between Greece and Turkey, Foreign Minister George Papandreou stated to Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence that only the issue of the continental shelf would be discussed, excluding any dialogue on issues related to Greeces sovereign rights. In the meantime, all MPs have asked for a dialogue to be conducted on the issue.
c)Social Security Funds will have to be reduced to six.
During his address at an economic Forum, Minister of Development Akis Tsochatzopoulos has asked for the immediate reform of the taxation system, pointing out that since 1995 tax revenue has risen by 70%.
20 New Democracy party MPs have asked for an extraordinary meeting of the Parliamentary committee of Economic Affairs to examine the failure of the merger of the National Bank of Greece with Alpha Bank.
Due to a 48-hour strike to begin as of tomorrow by doctors, all hospitals will be operating for the next two days on skeleton staff.


text:
Aegis Publishing House
Connecting Readers To Genre Fiction
Follow Aegis Publishing House on WordPress.com
How To Be A Successful Affiliate Marketer In 2015 and Beyond
Editor's Desk
Birthday Memories
Vacuum Cleaner Salesman
Clothes Make The Woman
It's great to have a smart kid
Ridding myself of books
Sperm Bank Donation
Dick Tracy-By Joe Statton and Mike Curtis
Garfield by Jim Davis
Jump Start by Robb Armstrong
Nancy by Guy Gilchrist
Non Sequiter by Wiley Miller
Lisa Benson
Dear Abby by Abigail Van Buren
Print On Demand (POD)
Famous American Novelist
Publishers of Genre Fiction
Blue Island, Illinois 60406
Is the short story dead?…
Ronald Ayers: Publisher-Editor
I've heard it said that one of the ways you can tell if you are crazy is when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.
Well, I'm as crazy as a Looney Tune Cartoon.
My craziness stems form the fact that for the third time in my life I'm attempting to launch an online publication dedicated to short story Genre fiction. My other two attempts were miserable failures. But things will be different this time. Why? Because the third time is the charm, right?
According to many media experts, the short story, and the poem are as dead as a "Night of the Walking Dead" zombie. I disagree. I think that the reports of the death of the short story have been greatly exaggerated. Like the zombie, the short story has been stumbling , and groping along trying to get a foothold in the consciousness of a public with a short attention span, and more in tune with television and internet viewing.
Some media studies report that our attention span is now measured in nano-seconds. If that's so it would certainly follow that entertaining, short story Genre fiction like mystery, suspense and horror stories would fit into a short attention span for reading. My thinking is that young people, would be shying away from the 200,000 word novels in favor of a shorter length of work that would afford more immediate gratification.
The short story is defined as anything below 10,000 words. Some times a lot less, as little as 3,000 words. In my experience the shorter form of writing allows writers to discipline their minds, tighten their plots, and learn the craft of writing. The short story allows writers an opportunity to experiment, write outside their genres, and try something new.
A short story can be read in twenty minutes. It can be read on a smartphone without hurting your eyes, and it can be read while you're waiting for the bus or on your lunch break. And you don't have to invest as much in the story, so there is less risk for the reader if they don't like it.
Undoubtedly one of the major reasons for the reported death of the short story is the demise of popular and literary magazines such as Playboy, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan. These publications paid top dollar for short stories. Professional writers could pay their bills gaining acceptance to these magazines.
An aspiring writer might turn his writing efforts to magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Black Mask. The pay in these smaller magazines was not as great as the literary magazines. But, if an aspiring writer could get a short mystery story published he could boast to his friends and neighbors.
'Look! I'm a published writer! I've got the byline and a check to prove it!'
So, here I go again.
I'm going to go Looney Tune, and I'm going to play God.
With Gods help, the help of aspiring writers, and willing readers I'm going to resurrect the carcass of the short story through Aegis Publishing House.
I invite you to bring me your 3,000 word short stories. Bring me your eyeballs and your desire to engage in a few moments of quiet entertainment.
WORD!
One thought on "Editor's Desk"
Crow Johnson Evans says:
Thank you for asking. The following appeared in a self produced collection of short stories two years ago. I am the author and owner of copyright. Hope you enjoy this 2829 word story, The Red Glove.
Sincerely, Crow Johnson Evans
The Red Glove
What did I do that was so awful? Father slapped me! I'll never forget the look on his face—he ripped the red glove from my hand.
Annie's eyes were puffy from crying. Under a mass of shiny orange curls, her face looked weary, older than a typical fourteen-year-olds in the year 2086 CE. She sniffled as she walked along the passageway, that umbilical tether that connected her sleep-nest to her parents' quarters in New Los Angeles, a model-city space community.
When she entered the sleep-nest, Annie reached to the wall and pressed "distance, maximum" then "view, full." Shields over the clear bubble fell back like lotus petals; she watched the Milky Way above her bed while the tether lengthened. The tether stretched from a short walkway, tall enough for adults, to a snake-like two-hundred-meter long tube the diameter of a child's thumb. Floating away from the city's activity and noise, she felt isolated, alone, humiliated and safe.
Father had never slapped her face before. It was a hard resounding smack. The sound popped in her ears—and her mother, always the reservoir of tenderness and comfort, had turned away. Why? How could a glove make them so angry?
Three shooting stars chased each other across the night as Annie pulled the soft blanket closer. She thought back over the sequence of events.
Hours before, she'd entertained herself in the family library—a room filled with Earth history, space science, education modules, moving images, and games. It was her favorite place to go during dust blizzards and meteor showers. Shelves and cubbyholes ran floor to ceiling, stuffed with treasures and curiosities.
After some risky climbing, poking and prying, she'd found a box hidden on a corner shelf, behind a full collection of Shakespeare's plays. The cinebox, old technology, still worked. As she opened the lid, a scratchy recording of an old man's voice began while his holographic image paced the room. Inside the box was a soft red leather glove.
In the old days on Earth, it was acceptable for humans to make garments from the bodies of other life forms, both vegetable and animal. Annie knew about it, but had never seen or felt the supple elegance of leather.
First, she stroked the glove as she watched the old man wave his red gloved hand for emphasis as he droned on about something—something that didn't interest her. Then, she slipped her hand inside, putting thumb and fingers in the slender tubular channels. Thrilled with the discovery and sensation, she'd run to the navigation room to show her parents the amazing glove.
Their reaction had been a nightmare—a total, confusing nightmare that left her distraught, tucked in a floating sleep-nest. She drifted for hours, looking into space, crying, and regretting that her life would never be the same. Her parents had been disappointed in her before, but this was different.
After what seemed like a thousand tears and sobs, Annie felt the bed move. Her parents must have given the return command. She'd have twenty minutes to watch the tether shorten and thicken to the size of a hallway, pulling her back to New Los Angeles and her father's angry eyes. If she'd had a knife she would have severed the umbilical and drifted away forever.
When the nest finally opened, she braced for the worst, but her parents were calm. They held their palms out in apology. Mother spoke first.
"You are our beloved child and it saddens us both to be harsh with you. The seriousness of your action was enormous. When you are older you will understand the depth and reason in our anger."
Annie swallowed her fear and using an adult tone said, "How will I ever understand, if you won't explain things to me? I am nearly grown. How can you pass up the opportunity to better prepare me for my future and the future of our people?"
The logic and composure of her near-womanly form was astonishing; it left her parents stunned.
Mother spoke. "How can you surrender the innocence of youth for an unknown? Would you rush the movement of the stars? Once learned, a thing cannot be unlearned."
Annie found the words and nerve to reply. "Are you protecting me from reality or the responsibility of my actions once I am informed?"
They reluctantly agreed to let her hear the story.
Sitting in the library between her only living kin, Annie noticed details: the smell of paper books, the frozen appearance of two dimensional images behind solid silicate and the brown-red color of the wood table—souvenirs of the old days on Earth. Father placed a faded proclamation and some ribbons on the table beside the red glove cinebox.
"New Los Angeles—with five other model-city space stations—was sent to orbit in 2070 CE. That was on August 23rd, exactly fifty years after the Day of Equality." All children knew this history and the sad fact that only two of the original five cities remained.
Addressing her by her adult name, her father asked, "Annie of New Los Angeles, sector 9, whose ancestors lived in Washington, D.C. America on the planet Earth, how long did you interact with this cinebox?"
"Only a few minutes maybe three or four." She decided that it would be mature to keep her answers precise, succinct.
"Did you recognize the human holographic image?"
"No, Father. Should I have?"
"Hmmm. We'll have to start at the beginning. The man was your grandfather, my father."
He opened the box and an old man gave a ceremonial bow. Half of the library room filled with trees and blue sky. There was a canine chewing on a tree part and Grandfather—strolling around the room—began his story.
"I am W.F. Jones-Wilson, born natural in 1980 on the planet Earth to Harold P. Jones and Amelia K. Wilson. I was raised in the Northwest part of the state of Arkansas in North America. As I record this cinebox, it is the year 2070. I am ninety years old." Then he seemed to turn his wrinkled face and look straight into Annie's eyes.
"If you are seeing and hearing me, I can assume that my son survived and that the great model space community experiments were successful. My greatest hope is that you, who hear my words, are grandchildren, great-grandchildren or great-great-grandchildren or. . . well, you get the idea. If no one sees this cinebox, then all will have been lost forever."
As he reached down to touch the fur of the canine's neck, he asked, "What do you wish to know?"
The movement made Annie jump and ask her father, "Is he alive? I thought he was dead."
"Cineboxes are interactive. He recorded this about six months before he died and years before you were born. You can ask him anything, but he can only answer questions up to the day he made the recording. I'll reply this time, but you can speak to him as you wish." Then under his breath,"The less I talk to the old fool, the happier I'll be."
Standing, he began, "If part of you lives on…you are celebrating. I am your son, Jacob, and I stand with your granddaughter, Annie, who needs to know your story."
As he looked across the forest, Grandfather frowned. He appeared to be listening to the winged things crying out, then said, "Some stories are better left in a box. Are you sure that my telling is necessary?"
Annie spoke without hesitation, "Grandfather, this is Annie. Please…how can I become a full person without hearing the truth?"
"Ah, truth…" his voice trailed, "I can only promise you the story of an old man. Truth—truth is another matter." He threw the tree part and the canine rapidly followed, put fangs in it, and returned to where the old man seated himself with a groan.
"In the early 2000's our Alliance of Earth Homelands was run by a group of people who had privileges, advantages not available to everyone. The system had worked (more or less) for a long time; however, when the quality of our planet's environment began a drastic decline, the common people noticed that the rulers had traded what was not theirs—global resources—for personal wealth." He appeared agitated, stood and walked around, passing in and out of the forest hologram, into the library and back out.
"But even this dreadful behavior was tolerated, because every day we were assured "ETILBIO" Even Though It Looks Bad, It's Okay. ETILBIO was the first thing we heard on waking and the last thing we heard at night. There were jingles on the media, and children sang the songs to salute the flag each morning.
"It was the euphemistically called Art of Making War that finally tipped the balance. A few of us stopped believing ETILBIO and began comparing life in different sectors of our population. We discovered that our founding national principle—that all people are equal—had been removed from practical governance." He paused, "Am I including too much detail?"
Annie urged him to continue, while her parents exchanged uneasy glances.	"Good for you, Annie," he boomed, "a chip off the old block. Where was I? Ah, yes. The privileged were doing the deciding about waging war and the unprivileged were doing the dying. Over a span of three generations, the upper echelon of leaders never put their blood kin in physical, emotional, or financial danger.
"I was a hot-headed forty-year-old man, a dreamer…an idealist. But I wasn't alone. Thousands of us came together to save our planet, our freedoms, and the future of mankind."
Annie's dad broke in, "Are you glorifying what you did? Is this story going to be a hero's tale, all medals and flag waving? I refuse to…"
"Calm down, son. The child asked for truth. Give me a chance, damn it." The old man's scowl took a few minutes to fade, first leaving his eyebrows then his mouth. He continued. "Once it began, there was no stopping it. Like the great revolutions in antiquity, it gained a force and direction of its own." He paused and scratched his beard. "Come to think of it, in your eyes, I am a figment of antiquity. Well, the point is that revolutions have a seductive, charismatic force. They run wild and spawn unexpected—and often undesired—results. We believed that we were absolutely right and that our motivations were Godly in the best sense of the word. Annie's father scoffed, "Godly? Give me a break." "On the Day of Equality, all rulers were forced to surrender family members—enough to equal all of the children of the unprivileged, lost to war." He went pale and shook his head. "It was horrific. In one day, one turn of the Earth, our rich and poor understood each other's losses; they viscerally felt each other's misery. The streets ran red. Our victory was hideous." Grandfather went silent as he recalled the violence.
"Since that bloody day," Mother filled in, "all decisions have been made to benefit all Life—all peoples, the planets and all life forms. Your grandfather was one of The Two Hundred, brave and moral men and women—leaders willing to risk as much as they asked others to risk. Back then, only they could wear the red gloves. Today, we still have The Two Hundred, but not the same gloves."
"If you won, Grandfather, why do you describe it as hideous? Didn't you want to overthrow the evil rulers?"
With a sigh, Grandfather cleared his voice. "Yes, we were heroes. The Rules of Ruling were rewritten and we set about making the world a better place. We hated the greed and violence of our previous government and proclaimed that if there was a vote on sending our people to war, each of our Two Hundred leaders who voted yes would have to make devastating personal sacrifices."
Annie's mother stood and tried to redirect the telling, "This is too much for her to take in all at once…"
"No, we have gone too far to stop." Father interrupted, "Please continue."
Grandfather stood tall now, in a statesmanlike pose. "A vote recommending war was costly. First, each leader who voted for war must send a child to live in the enemy country, before a weapon—if any—was launched. Second, each leader voting yes must choose between having a family member serve as a ground soldier for ten years or having one of his own fingers removed.
"These stipulations, though apparently cruel, helped avert war. Since I've been—er, huh, perhaps I should say "was"—one of the Two Hundred, there have been seven war votes called." He glanced at his gloved right hand then covered it with his bare left hand. His attention appeared to drift and he whistled to the canine.
"Upon election," Mother interjected, "each of the Two Hundred was ceremoniously given a red glove. It was to be worn on the right hand for the rest of their lives. When your grandfather died, his glove was stored in the box you found. Sorry to interrupt."
The old man looked away, so Father picked up the story with tension in his voice, "The red gloves were at once a badge of courage and shame."
The old man's attention snapped back at the word shame and he glared as Father asked, "What did it say of a leader if he'd rather keep his fingers while his own flesh and blood went to battle or to live in enemy territory?"
"If a man voted for war but preferred to cut off a finger than send a family member to fight," Grandfather boomed back, "where was the honor then—as the loved ones of others died? What kind of leader would that be?"
As he enunciated his words sharply and his neck tinged red, Father asked, "Would a man who voted no be motivated by cowardice or conscience? If you shake the hand of a leader and feel four fingers in the red glove, can you trust him or her with your life or the future of humanity?"
To this Grandfather harrumphed and started to walk away, but Annie spoke up. "But wasn't it okay if the majority didn't want to fight?"
The old man softened and returned his attention to her. "When the majority voted against war, no war was waged; however, those who had voted for war were honor bound to obey the rules. There are halls of preserved fingers in the Human Archives as proof of our votes. As gruesome as that may sound to you, it drove us to find ways to solve conflicts without war."
Annie ran her fingers over her bare hand, recalling the leather texture. "The glove was so soft to touch, Sir. What kind of creature was it made from?"
Grandfather's image froze and a synthesized voice recited the phrase "This cinebox is experiencing temporary technical difficulties. One moment please."
After a long glance between her parents, Annie's father slammed the cinebox shut and answered. "The leather for the gloves came…" he swallowed, "came from the people sacrificed on the Day of Equality. The red dye and gloves themselves were meant to be a physical reminder of the responsibility and horrors of war. Many gloves held only prosthetic fingers by the time the statesmen died.
"The revolutionaries meant well, but things went bad. Some leaders adopted children—insurance offspring—from potential enemy lands and then they began buying fingers and it all fell apart. Your grandfather pulled strings to send me to New Los Angeles before Earthlife ended."
Annie shuddered and closed her eyes. "That glove was made from human skin? Oh. I see." Then slowly she pressed on, "I must know how many fingers Grandfather had left when he died?"
Father said, "All of them. Every damn one of them."
"Oh, good. So Grandfather never voted in favor of war?" Annie chirped, lightened by the thought.
Silence choked the room, except for the whir of environment stabilization equipment. Father stood and grasped the cinebox. He threw it with such force it splintered as soon as it hit the bookshelf.
"Good riddance old fool. I wish you'd loved us as much as you loved your dog and your bloody revolution."
After Father left, Annie's mother spoke softly and solemnly.
"Dear, your father was not always an only child. He had six brothers and two sisters. He is the only one to survive. Both of his sisters and two of his brothers were sent to live in countries that were at war with us. And the other four brothers were sent to serve as foot soldiers in wars where they died. Your father has never forgiven Grandfather for dying with four fingers and a thumb intact on his right hand."


As both a writer of inwards reinsurance and a buyer, Swedish mutual insurer Länsförsäkringar's Tor Mellbye can appreciate the buying process from both sides of the fence. "I have always had two hats," he says.
The Norwegian-born executive started his career in Oslo but has lived in Stockholm for almost 25 years. As with many of his peers, he fell into reinsurance buying. "It was coincidence really," he admits.
Q. How would you evaluate the state of the market?
A. The reinsurers have had a lot of losses, so the results this year are not very good. They are trying to talk up the prices, especially for the larger risks and catastrophe-type business. I think prices will go up on the larger programmes, especially where you have had losses, but not everywhere.
On the other hand, as I see it, the amount of capacity is still the same, the players are the same and the market hasn't changed very much. For some business the price should really go down, because there is plenty of capacity.
It is a mixed picture: some programmes will have increases. A lot of business will be under pressure and might even have some small reductions. We are not talking big changes. I will keep this opinion until I see some changes in market capacity, and I haven't seen that yet. It is a fairly disciplined market - there is not silly competition like we had in the past. But as long as the capacity is there, not too much can happen.
Q. How are market conditions affecting your buying strategy?
A. We buy a big pillar of catastrophe protection and the rest of the programme is relatively small limits. I think the catastrophe portion will remain rather stable. There are opportunities to have reductions on the rest of the programme, because there are smaller limits and we have a clean loss record.
With losses, the situation would be slightly different. It really depends on whether you are prepared to keep your existing panel or if you want to make some changes and get in some newcomers. Then it might be possible to achieve some small reductions. However, we are conservative and not changing that much. There is no need to because we have done that quite a lot in the past to achieve changes in the price, structure and terms and conditions of contracts.
We are careful - we don't utilise this to the maximum that we could, because we want to be a company that shows continuity. If you use this technique to the extreme you get a bad reputation and, in the long run, you don't benefit much from it. You have to find a balance.
The introduction of RMS version 11 could have an impact in some countries, but I don't think companies really want to use it yet. They want to understand a bit more how it works first. It will have some impact on pricing, but I think a lot of companies will leave it until next year.
Q. How do you approach the buying process?
The data is compiled in September and October in close co-operation with our brokers - Guy Carpenter and Aon Benfield - resulting in a renewal information package. In the meantime, we also have board meetings because limits and retentions are decided by our board. That usually happens in October.
We then approach the market. We get some broad ideas of what we want to do, normally in Monte Carlo and even more in Baden-Baden. The renewal information package is finished just after Baden-Baden. We send it out to brokers and then we start discussing pricing and structures with our leading reinsurers. We normally agree on terms and conditions in early December and then we go out and place it. We use brokers on most of the programme. We deal a little bit direct as well.
Q. How will Solvency II affect the buying process?
A. It doesn't look like we need to make any changes. For catastrophe we buy up to a one-in-200-year event and as a group we are quite well off capital wise, so I don't think Solvency II will impact our buying behaviour that much. We are of course preparing ourselves for Solvency II. It is a big project. But I don't think it will be that important for our reinsurance buying.
Q. How much business do you cede to reinsurers?
A. We cede in excess of Skr400m ($60.8m), so it's not huge amount. We only buy excess-of-loss. The retentions have been pretty stable over the last 10 years. There have been some increases but they are still rather low.
We are slightly different from the stock [non-mutual] companies and so we should buy a bit more reinsurance than they do. So we are buying lower down, and the limits have increased over time, especially for catastrophe. The retentions have also increased a little bit, but nothing dramatic.
Q. What qualities are most important in reinsurers and brokers?
A. For brokers the servicing of the account is very important: the claims service and their negotiating power. That today also includes having the modelling capability and knowledge of the modern tools. It is about being able to handle the business in a good way, place it, and be technically professional. On the cat side, there is a very limited number of brokers you can choose.
For reinsurers it is willingness and ability to pay claims. We determine this not only by the rating but also knowledge we have about whether they are good or bad payers. We are not really that interested in the servicing from companies when it comes to Solvency II. We do that ourselves.
Q. How did you get involved in buying reinsurance?
A. Coincidence really. I started working for a company named Polaris in 1981 and I was both an underwriter and I placed their excess-of-loss programme, so I have always had two hats.
A. I never relax! I like running, I do a lot of sports. But I don't have much time to relax. It is a lot of work, a lot of sport and a lot of fun. I enjoy life, my work and my sports. I have many friends inside and outside the business and I have a nice social life as well. I am a very happy man.


text:
News tagged with game console
Google sits on Internet-traffic throne, says report
The stats are in. According to Deepfield, an Internet analytics business, Google serves 25 percent of North American Internet traffic. The question becomes, glass half empty or full and overflowing?
Sony signs 3-D video deal for 2010 World Cup
(AP) -- The 2010 World Cup is going 3-D. Sony Corp. said Friday it has signed a deal with FIFA, the international football governing body, to record up to 25 World Cup games in 3-D - a technology that gives viewers an illusion ...
Nintendo debuts hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch console
Nintendo is trying to Switch it up.
Sony back at top of console sales after eight years
Sony have topped worldwide sales of video game consoles for the first time in eight years, a newspaper reported on Saturday, pipping struggling rival Nintendo and signalling the Playstation manufacturer's comeback.
Sony unveils virtual reality headset for PS4
Sony is getting into the virtual reality business. The Japanese electronics and gaming giant unveiled a prototype virtual reality headset to be used in conjunction with its PlayStation 4 video game console during a Tuesday ...
Blast from the past: 1970s games revived on Internet
For those old enough to remember console games like "Asteroids" or "Red Baron," from the 1970s and 1980s: the games are back.
Gift Guide: PS4, Xbox 1 won't disappoint gamers
The game consoles have landed. Millions of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners are getting their first taste of what to expect from this new generation of high-powered video games.
More than a million Xbox One consoles sold on launch day
Microsoft on Friday crowed that more than a million Xbox One consoles were snapped up within 24 hours in 13 countries after hitting shelves for the first time in the morning.
Google, Mozilla are tweaking browsers for Web-based games
As electronic titans Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. spend billions of dollars redesigning the video game console, the next leap forward in digital games may come from the unlikeliest of places.
Nintendo cuts price of Wii U game console (Update)
Nintendo Co. announced Wednesday that it is cutting the price of its Wii U video-game system as it braces for the fall release of competing consoles from Sony and Microsoft.


Aluminum foil rewinding and cutting machine it used Semon PLC control,and the speed can do 18pcs per min for 5m .
All our machine have passed CE Certification,and SGS inspection .we accord JB/T 10641-2006 of China's machinery industry standard to manufacter machine.
we make mould for two size of wallboards . Aluminium foil rewinding machine of wallboard is used by wrought iron, so it can use more than 30 years without deformation ,some supplier use A3 board .it can easily out of shape in one or two years .our machine length is 4000mm ,some suppliers will just 3600mm, that is say you need one more operator to operate the machine. You need pay extra cost for work force .
but we use SIEMENS,you can buy in your country very easily.
And also solve the problem very quickly .We can guarantee the Touch screen working panel for 5 yeas .
Our PLC use Mitsubishi made in Japan . some supplier use Yangmin or XINJIE of made in China . that is say if it's broken ,you only can buy from your supplier, at that time ,thay may charge you high cost of PLC ,The worse is that Yangmin is wrotten by Chinaese ,without English . yourproblem will go with you again ,but if we give you Mitsubishi ,you can buy easily from yourcountry . your enginner will easy to know how to adjust it .
Copyright © 2016 Fineness aluminum foil supplier. All rights reserved.


The company is leveraging partnerships with Juniper, Intel, Nutanix and others to build out its data center infrastructure offerings.
Lenovo officials are continuing to partner with other tech vendors and software makers as they expand the company's data center infrastructure portfolio.
The company on June 6 unveiled new server, storage, networking and hyperconverged infrastructure offerings that expand on executives' strategy to make the Chinese tech vendor a larger player in the $87 billion data center technology space through a combination of in-house development and outside partnerships.
Lenovo has looked to accelerate its capabilities in the space since buying IBM's x86 server business two years ago for $2.3 billion, a move that immediately made the company the world's third-largest server maker. Company officials are looking to create a portfolio of data center solutions that use partnerships from established tech vendors and startups and Lenovo's own products to bring emerging technologies to customers.
"This dramatically expanded portfolio is a powerful demonstration of Lenovo's commitment to creating purposeful data center innovation in a truly open ecosystem," Tom Shell, senior vice president of Lenovo's Data Center Product Group, said in a statement.
Many of the new offerings will be on display at the company's TechWorld event in San Francisco June 9.
Lenovo is quickly growing out its capabilities in the storage segment of the market. The company launched a new software-defined storage (SDS) appliance program called StorSelect, starting with systems created through partnerships with Nexenta Systems and Cloudian to bring their SDS software to Lenovo's x86 server hardware systems. The new DX8200N will use Nexenta's open-source SDS software to support unified file and block storage for scale-up deployments, leveraging all-flash, hybrid and spinning drives. It builds on a partnership with Nexenta that Lenovo officials announced in March, when they first said Lenovo was integrating Nexenta's products into their x86 servers.
The DX8200C is an object-based storage appliance that will use Cloudian's SDS software and will target large scale-out environments. Both systems will begin shipping in the third quarter.
Separate from the StorSelect program, Lenovo officials announced the V-Series lineup to 12G-bit storage-area network (SAN) offerings, which will feature the company's first Lenovo-branded midrange storage systems. The V3700 V2 and V5030 are hybrid and all-flash SAN offerings that will begin shipping this month.
Lenovo also is pushing to expand its networking capabilities, which include a new network operating system and a new reseller agreement around Ethernet switches with Juniper Networks. The two companies in March announced they were teaming up to develop hyperconverged data center systems that will combine Lenovo's strength in x86 systems and Juniper's networking expertise. Now Lenovo will resell Juniper's EX2300 and EX4550 Ethernet switches and the QFX10002-72Q data center spine aggregation switch as part of its lineup of integrated systems that will include Lenovo's data center access products. Those will be available in the third quarter.
The two vendors also jointly published a virtualized data center reference architecture that is designed to enable customers to more easily build solutions that use products from both Lenovo and Juniper.
In addition, Lenovo released Lenovo Cloud NOS, a network OS that is designed to bring resiliency, programmability and cloud-level scalability to customer networks, according to company officials. Customers can start downloading the offering June 17.
In hyperconverged infrastructure, Lenovo is leveraging its partnership with Nutanix, which sells software for hyperconverged environments, to expand its portfolio of HX series appliances based on its x86 server products. The new appliances, which will run Nutanix's Xpress software, include the HX1000 Series for remote office/branch office (ROBO) settings and the HX2000 Series for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), which was announced in May. In addition, Lenovo officials said the company is integrating its latest servers into the HX3000 Series of hyperconverged appliances aimed at virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI) and smaller virtualized workloads and the HX5000 Series, which is optimized for server virtualization environments.
They will be available in the third quarter.
Lenovo also is upgrading its x3850 and x3950 X6 servers with Intel's latest Xeon E7 8800/4800 v4 processors, which the chip maker also announced June 6. The new chips support up to 12TB of memory, which means systems powered by them fit well in mission-critical environments running such workloads as in-memory applications, large virtualization projects and big data analytics, officials said. They will be available this month.
The four-socket x3850 X6 will use Intel's Xeon E7-8890 v4 chips on Windows, which will bring more than 33 percent better performance over the previous Lenovo system.
In addition, Lenovo also unveiled the ultra-dense ThinkServer sd350, a 2U (3.5-inch), four-node system for software-defined workloads. The new system offers a combination of high density, efficiency and affordability.


text:
Q: How to emulate MySQLs utf8_general_ci collation in PHP string comparisons Basically, if two strings would evaluate as the same in my database I'd also like to be able to check that at the application level.  For example, if somebody enters "bjork" in a search field, I want PHP to be able to match that to the string "Björk" just as MySQL would.
I'm guessing PHP has no direct equivalent to MySQL's collation options, and that the easiest thing to do would be to write a simple function that converts the strings, using strtolower() to make them uniformly lower-case and strstr() to replace multi-byte characters with their corresponding ASCII equivalents.
Is that an accurate assumption?  Does anybody have a fool-proof array handy to use as the second parameter of strstr() for conforming strings as various MySQL collations would do (specifically for my current needs, utf8_general_ci)?  Or, lacking that, where could I find documentation of exactly how the different collations in MySQL treat various characters?  (I saw somewhere that in some collations ß is treated as S and in others as Ss, for instance,  but it didn't outline every character evaluation.)

A: Here's what I've been using, but I have yet to test it for complete consistency with MySQL.
function collation_conform($string,$collation='utf8_general_ci')
{

    if($collation === 'utf8_general_ci')
    {
        if(!is_string($string))
            return $string;

        $string = strtr($string, array(
            'Š'=>'S', 'š'=>'s', 'Ð'=>'D', 'Ž'=>'Z', 'ž'=>'z', 'À'=>'A', 'Á'=>'A', 'Â'=>'A', 'Ã'=>'A', 'Ä'=>'A',
            'Å'=>'A', 'Æ'=>'A', 'Ç'=>'C', 'È'=>'E', 'É'=>'E', 'Ê'=>'E', 'Ë'=>'E', 'Ì'=>'I', 'Í'=>'I', 'Î'=>'I',
            'Ï'=>'I', 'Ñ'=>'N', 'Ò'=>'O', 'Ó'=>'O', 'Ô'=>'O', 'Õ'=>'O', 'Ö'=>'O', 'Ø'=>'O', 'Ù'=>'U', 'Ú'=>'U',
            'Û'=>'U', 'Ü'=>'U', 'Ý'=>'Y', 'Þ'=>'B', 'ß'=>'Ss','à'=>'a', 'á'=>'a', 'â'=>'a', 'ã'=>'a', 'ä'=>'a',
            'å'=>'a', 'æ'=>'a', 'ç'=>'c', 'è'=>'e', 'é'=>'e', 'ê'=>'e', 'ë'=>'e', 'ì'=>'i', 'í'=>'i', 'î'=>'i',
            'ï'=>'i', 'ð'=>'o', 'ñ'=>'n', 'ò'=>'o', 'ó'=>'o', 'ô'=>'o', 'õ'=>'o', 'ö'=>'o', 'ø'=>'o', 'ù'=>'u',
            'ú'=>'u', 'û'=>'u', 'ý'=>'y', 'ý'=>'y', 'þ'=>'b', 'ÿ'=>'y', 'ƒ'=>'f'));

        return strtolower($string);
    }
    else die('Unsupported Collation (collation_conform() collation_helper.php)');
}

A: Have you looked at the PHP collation class? http://www.php.net/manual/en/class.collator.php

A: Try the following code.
$s1 = 'Björk';
$s2 = 'bjork';

var_dump(
    is_same_string($s1, $s2)
);

function is_same_string($str, $str2, $locale = 'en_US')
{
    $coll = collator_create($locale);
    collator_set_strength($coll, Collator::PRIMARY);
    return 0 === collator_compare($coll, $str, $str2);
}