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Live to work
Musings of a .NET developer living in The Isle of Man
What we should have learnt from lockdown
Before we start, let me preface this with the certainty of knowing we've had a torrid time. People have died, livelihoods lost, businesses have failed, mental wellness has suffered and a lot of money has been lost both now and in the future in our pension plans.
That said, we've had a lot of good things happen, and it's important to realise this – and wonder why we weren't able to enjoy this during normal times:
Quieter roads and neighbourhoods The island's roads have been almost deserted. The silence was marked. We could actually hear birds. Air quality was improved.
Free music from Indie discos to 24 hour house music marathons Although the underlying reasons are deeply concerning, particularly regarding the survival of venues and sustenance of music professionals, the availability of free music has been astonishing. That availability has been converted to financial aid in the form of donations. A recent 24-hour DJ marathon by United We Stream raised over £100,00 and attracted over 4 million visitors.
Realisation that art forms a real benefit to our well-being From free music from music stars and DJs to major releases that would otherwise be trapped in cinemas going straight into people's homes, the industry has reacted to consumers' needs and people have realised that art (music, film or drama) can provide immense benefit to one's mental wellbeing and forms a vital role in society.
A realisation we don't need to be in an office to work Every morning, thousands of people head off in their car to central business districts to be in the same room. The costs to the planet are immense in terms of travel, power, air conditioning requirements and compromise to formerly green areas. Although co-location has massive benefits, we saw that it isn't needed.
Support networks being established, reconnecting with our neighbours Back in the day, we used to know our neighbours. We were concerned if we didn't see them for a few days. During lockdown, we were helping with shopping, keeping in contact and reconnecting with the older generations.
A material decline in CO2 emissions We've seen a marked reduction in CO2 across the globe, which is what we need to realise for climate disaster to be averted.
Reduction in use of cash A lot of businesses started to accept cards and the contactless limit was increased to £45. This will hopefully increase the speed of acceptance of cards and reduce the friction merchants needed to go through to have their own card payment options.
What can we learn?
It would be nice to think we can develop these lessons instead of picking up where we left off.
Quieter roads and neighbourhoods The change for the island's road was transformative. Suddenly they became safe. It became easier to recognise true trunk routes for traffic and those that became trunk routes through laziness of drivers from going round the block. Neighbourhoods divided by roads can become one again, by reducing traffic flow. Our children could play out again (were they allowed to).
Recognise the arts It's easy to forget the value of the arts, but we've all collapsed in front of Netflix (or whatever) after a day at work. Music plays an integral part in helping our mental wellness. We've all got favourite tunes that "lift us up". Both we as consumers and the publishers need to realise that the landscape has changed. Streaming has to benefit both the consumer and the artist. Studios need to publish their content into the home. There is still a place for cinemas, but their role will inevitably change away from the box-multiplexes we've suffered of late.
Reliable and robust internet During lockdown I had to ask my family not to use the internet for streaming. This despite supposedly having silly expensive broadband which is shocking in quality and reliability. The internet can replace cars, offices and anachronistic business practices if it's invested into. Roll out of fibre is an excellent first step but this has to be universal and affordable.
Be human We were suddenly all facing the same problem: how to stay safe. We were facing the same problems before (how to pay the mortgage, what food to buy, how to educate our kids, etc.) but somehow we didn't recognise our mutual struggle. Let's build on our new relationships and respect for each other, including those working to help you such as shelf stackers, etc. Tesco employees were just as essential as NHS nurses in the shakedown.
Use this time to build on our sacrifices and get CO2 down We sacrificed a lot during lockdown, not least of which was our ability/right to individually contribute poisonous gases into the air within a metal and plastic box because we didn't want to walk. Our relationship with food stores changed, suddenly they started coming to us. It was the bus equivalent for food: One van to many people instead of many cars to one shop. But, the drop we saw above is already being reverted by countries on their way out of their own lockdown, for example, China. The curve is on the way back up.
There's a lot of Socialist ethos in my ideas, and I am no Socialist. However, I recognise that the free market has created a lot of insular selfishness within people and a more egalitarian structure to society, with climate as a driver, could offer real benefits. If it took a global pandemic to get here, so be it. It should be easy:
Replace cars with more public transport, more buses, more frequent
Increased home delivery options from food upwards, but we need to address the Amazon problem
Reduced global travel and holidays, staycations are perfectly fine
Focus on local where possible, buy local, stay local, recirculate money
I know I've been exceptionally lucky, I have friends and family who have supported me and my family and been considerate in our support for them, where we can. Everyone's struggle is different and personal. The New Year is just an arbitrary point in a solar calendar, but it is a line in the sand that we can look forward from. So long as the authorities don't screw it up and people don't get daft,
What Apollo 11 teaches software project deployments
In this 50th anniversary year of the first moon landing, everything seems to be talking about that achievement and those first steps. Including the BBC World Service's 13 Minutes to the Moon podcast, which goes into some detail into the final moments as the crew Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin separate from their command module, manned by Michael Collins, through powered descent and onto the surface. Using interviews, archive footage and those all important communication loops, the podcast goes into some detail into the trials of those final moments, including fuel shortages, missed landing sites, computer overloads and communication failures.
At each of those steps, mission control had two options: Go, or No Go.
Fuel shortages were known, calmly acknowledged and communication optimised by removing noise from the communication loop except the essential fuel status reports. They continued, basing their Go/No Go on a stopwatch which guestimated remaining fuel. Response: Optimised communication and a secondary control when the primary control appeared unreliable
The landing site was overshot because the horizontal progress of the landing module was too fast, Neil Armstrong took manual control to ensure that even with the guidance computer, a safe landing site could be used. Response: Manual oversight by a human being, who's often better able to effectively respond to unfamiliar circumstances (though after significant training/experience).
The guidance computer repeatedly had "1201" and "1202" alarms mid-descent. These were raised automatically by the guidance system because the computer was unable to schedule/execute fast enough. Through rapid analysis, mission control quickly identified their cause and allowed the landing to continue despite experiencing 4 of these. Response: Pre-planned response*, better to use time before the mission that during it.
Communication was patchy. On top of the voice control was the all important data feed which sent essential telemetry back to Mission Control. No telemetry meant not enough data to safely continue the mission. However, whilst each Flight Controller was given the option to raise a No Go and abort the landing, each had enough confidence in what they did have that the landing was allowed to continue. Response: Intuitive confidence in known systems based on expertise and assessment of risk.
* Technically, these alarms weren't pre-planned for, but others were. In this case, the 1202/1202 alarms were quickly analysed and a response returned.
Each example of failure here was failed forward. Risks were analysed and accepted. The risk of aborting was deemed higher than continuing. If they had to abort, although they'd practised and simulated, that scenario could never be robustly tested. Instead, they chose to acknowledge the variables they did know and work with those, mitigating if required.
Apply that to an IT project. Whilst I've never been involved in such a dramatic "Go/No Go" scenario, nerves can be high and failure can be damaging. When things don't look right, the same call still needs to be made: do we rollback?
In almost every situation I've been involved in, the risk of rolling back has been greater than "fixing forward", that is, thinking on your feet and rapidly mitigating and fixing issues as the business operates. Past a certain point, too much has changed and you risk the real possibility of losing what has happened between deployment and the "Go/No Go" decision.
Fix it forward in the short term
Whilst one should still answer (almost humour) requests with "yes, we have a back out plan" to settle management nerves, another question that should be asked about a potential failed deployment would be "have you got a fail forward plan?". What are the most likely outcomes of the deployment that may have failed? How will you spot them? Will you spot them quickly enough? Is there resource allocated to monitor post-deployment status and react outside of Business as Usual (BAU)? Is there a strong communication channel between users and potential problem solvers?
After deployment, a retrospective would allow not only the deployment to be analysed, but also the responses to the deployment, successful or not. A team can learn from the before, during and after in this retrospective to increase the likelihood of success in future deployments – including the ability to fail forward, accepting, managing and mitigating risk as you go.
This fail forward approach would probably strike fear in any project manager, though this approach can fit within an agile project very well, if the risk is accepted and handled. Whilst it would be ideal to test every possible scenario before a deployment, even within an agile framework, you cannot predict everything. As such a managed/phased roll out could slowly increase the risk, with rapid fixes and response plans ready in the wings if required. Each release is risky, but smaller change deployments can be smaller risks than rolling back a large change.
But, the people who can solve problems fast aren't necessarily close enough to the front line to be able to respond to failure. Indeed, some standards mandate that developers should not be allowed anywhere near a production – or even a test – environment.
Continuous deployments in the long term
Of course, fixing forward should never become a standard element of a deployment task. This post is about recognising its role in still being able to deliver value in a failing deployment by recognising, accepting and managing risk. But this has to be balanced with an increasingly regulated commercial environment, requiring teams to accept restrictions and requirements imposed by the likes of the US' FFIEC, Surbanes Oxley or the EU's GDPR. Technology, project methodologies, workflows and processes are increasingly able to provide the opportunity to provide a greater level of comfort before a roll out, commonly known as "DevOps". Using Containers helps manage the test and deployment environments and configurations, Continuous Integration separates developers from test platforms and Test-first development patterns help identify failure before it gets into source control. All of these aspects point to an Agile approach to software development and project delivery.
If an environment can provide not only the usual technical requirements:
Test-first development
Continuous integration from release branches, proven by testing
Automated deployments into environments, eg. test, pro-production, production
… but also the essential cultural requirements:
strong communication and trust between developers and administrators
emergency workflows/pathways that permit exceptional project responses, circumventing change controls in order to expedite responses
acceptance of management and trust in the first-responders – often developers
… then one could shoot for the moon – or rapidly built, automatically test proven, integrated code deployed into a production environment.
Plex and DVR
I've been an enthusiastic user and supporter of Windows Media Centre over the years, spending a lot of money for an optimum set up that is able to command WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). Of course, it being a standout solution that "just works", Microsoft decided to kill it – much like other awesome tech like Kinect, Windows Phone/Mobile, Silverlight, etc. So we needed an alternative that could provide media streaming of music and films we have on our home network and schedule recording of FreeSat content – all that across the house. Until recently, that was a big ask, requiring technical know how and patience which I simply do not have.
I've been using Plex as a media server for a while, not altogether impressed but it has seemed to be a consumer friendly (if sometimes tempremental with connections) solution that was rich and intuitive enough to be able to possible achieve WAF. When I heard that they started supporting DVR (the missing piece) for OTA (over-the-air) television, I thought I'd give it another go on the same machine previously used to run Windows Media Centre. Officially, Plex doesn't appear to support FreeSat, but on the off chance I thought I'd try adding a LIVE TV / DVR configuration. Imagine my surprise when my device was recognised! (Note that you need a Plex Pass to enable LIVE TV / DVR support.)
The key was that my FreeSat card (a TBS 6981) appeared as a Hauppauge WinTV-quad, which Plex is compatible with. All I had to do was set it up. By selecting options in these three entirely anonymous drop down lists – a frustrating and disappointing user experience.
After trying a few obvious combinations, it became clear that with a channel scan that takes a minute or so before failing, I'd be there for the duration. After confirming that I was actually getting a signal through my FreeSat cable by patching it into an old Humax receiver, I downloaded DVBViewer and used that as a means of quickly identifying the settings. Or rather, trying to figure out what the drop down lists meant.
Using some very basic FreeSat knowledge, I knew that we use an Astra satellite at 28.2 degrees. That was easy. But what about the other fields? One related to the LNB type and one to the what I can assume is the selection of the individual LNB within the quad-LNB I have.
Mapping these settings into Plex resulted in a grand total of 4 channels. None of which I could get. Odd. Tried it again, worked fine. Go figure.
Next came mapping guide data to the channels. This is an incredibly onerous task and immensely dull and can be particularly frustrating if the user interface isn't optimised to the task, which Plex isn't. You can't sort or filter, it's difficult to see what's what within a small window and the similar design of the buttons can make it easy to accidentally re-scan the channels – as I did – and lose everything – as I did.
Everything seemed to work after stepping through the process. Firing up a Plex client on my mobile phone and web browser showed "LIVE TV" and I could tune into channels.
There are some limitations, though.
You can't time-slip, so watch whilst a recording is in progress. I used to use this all the time to watch the news slightly late.
Not every client has a guide, which makes it excruciating to find programmes.
Not all apps have LIVE TV and DVR functionality. My Panasonic TV doesn't, for example. (yeah, I know. My FreeSat is patched into my PC because the set is only FreeView)
It's definitely got promise, however. Plex is pretty polished and things do mostly "just work", which ticks my box.
Manx with children: Lego
It's school holidays so we have to find things to amuse and occupy our son. I'm keen on making sure that the line between using Manx at school is blurred into the home because research suggests that it is possible that children see their second language as being only for use in a school setting.
We try to use Manx in settings where it can be readily and easily applied, like getting dressed, going to the shops, etc. A holiday activity would be building Lego.
Counting and identifying pieces
Count pieces you need in Manx, nane, jees, tree, kiare, quieg, shey, shiaght, hoght, nuy, jeih …
Peesh beg – Small piece
Peesh mooar – Large piece
Peesh ruy – Red piece
Peesh gorrym – Blue piece
Breek – Brick
Hoght peeshyn – Eight pieces
Breek kiare-chuilleig – Rectangle brick
Breek kiarkyl – Circle brick
Kiare taggadyn – Four studs
Cur eh ayns shoh – Put it here
Cur eh er shen – Put it on there
Coontey y taggadyn – Count the studs
C'raad t'eh goll? – Where does it go?
Navigating instructions
Toshtal dy jesh – Left to right
Jeagh er y jalloo – Look at the picture
Duillag sniessey – Next page
Jeant dy mie – well done
Yindyssagh – Wonderful
Shen eh – That's it
Prowal reesht – Try again
I'm not an expert by any stretch, but if this helps blur the gap between Manx at school and English at home, then it's all for the good. If you think any of this could be improved, do let me know in the comments.
Amazon are evil, and you're letting them be
Which tech. company has the biggest impact on our lives? Twitter? Meh, it's now passé. Facebook? Full of … well, people. Google? It gets you to where you're going, be it via their Search or Maps. All of the above trade in your data. The biggest risk is your reputation or a surprise Trump election (which hasn't actually been as bad as we'd thought). Amazon, on the other hand, has real implications on our economy, and we're allowing it to get more powerful.
Dishonest Customer Service
Their Customer Service is dishonest. Twice I've been promised recompense, twice nothing, they're more keen on getting positive feedback for individual representatives. It makes you wonder where their priorities lie. By measuring the satisfaction with their overly-friendly reps, they're not actually measuring the effectiveness of their reps. The way to solve this is to ask 5 days or so after contact for feedback, not immediately afterwards, with the representative almost pleading for a positive review as they close the call.
Gig economy to reduce costs
Everything about Amazon is cost. By shaving where they can and investing in what at first appearance looks like ridiculous technology (such as using drones to deliver, starting their own delivery infrastructure) As part of this, they use the gig economy courier Hermes. Hermes themselves save costs by not employing the same level of professional as other couriers. They don't need that lower layer of distribution. They rely on the gig economy, unprofessional couriers in your area who use their own vehicles and time to meet that last leg of delivery. These people don't have the same level of checks or rights as an employee. They are measured on successful deliveries, but this is not necessarily guaranteed. Our delivery agent deliberately marks packages as delivered when they haven't. These people are essentially uncontactable when you miss a package or need to query something, because there is no "hub" or depot you can contact. No accountability.
Aggressive competition
I'm a believer in free market economies and competition can drive prices down and quality/range of service/products up. This is doubtless the case with Amazon. To the point that it has become detrimental to not only those bricks-and-mortar stores that we're used to hear about struggling (RIP Toys'r'Us and Maplin, hope you can make it Debenhams, John Lewis, Mothercare and the rest), but also other online retailers. Through their "Marketplace" strategy, smaller retailers can supply their goods through the larger Amazon site (saving a tonne in hosting, development, maintenance, security), which is brilliant. Except the terms of that agreement is that retailers often cannot compete with their own position on the Amazon store, resulting in traffic to their own sites declining. It's now too easy to "Click Once" on Amazon.
My purchases over these last couple of months have been from the retailers themselves, rather than via Amazon. For a few moments extra time to research, it is possible to find the same products with an improved level of attention to customer service. It's almost embarrassing as a consumer, having follow-ups and almost-pleading messaging on sites to keep you and have you return. So far, I cannot say I've had a negative experience.
Overbearing employer
The plight of Amazon workers is well documented. Their rights are minimal, their satisfaction around the same. Huge warehouses with awesome technology looks good, but there is inevitably the need for humans to pick, package and post items. The rights of a worker even reportedly impinges on basic bathroom breaks. Now, they want to track their employees hand movements. Workers also avoid going to the bathroom. This race to the bottom for employees and their rights inevitably means there will be redundancies.
Prime: Pay to Pay
Amazon have managed to create a scheme whereby you pay a subscription to get benefits such as quicker/cheaper postage, films and music streamed, access to e-books, etc. A lot of benefits, for sure. Look deeper and you find it's not that good a deal. So what if you have to wait an extra day for your package? So what if it costs slightly more, just batch your order. Try finding a film on Amazon Prime, you'll probably have to pay for it (again). That's right, you've paid £7 a month to pay another £6 for Office Space. Just pay the £7 for the BluRay and keep it. (You know, because they can withdraw that title at any time they like even after you've bought/rented it). Work it out. £7 a month is the same as a BluRay/DVD a month you get to keep. They have become so arrogant that they're willing to lose sales by limiting accessibility to actual disc content to Prime subscribers. Then we get to the confusion between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited.
Only 5 years ago, if you'd have been offered a gadget that listens to every word you say and now even has a camera next to your bed, you'd express concern. Apparently, not now. We are definitely in a data economy, whereby companies are competing for our data. Now we are paying money to put gadgets into our homes to give these companies even more data. What is the real benefit here? A few gimmicks such as "Daily briefing" or home automations are less than convincing. It's not even particularly good, with requirement to use "trigger phrases" and structured questions so we're still a long way away from natural language recognition. Every demo I've had of Alexa has ended up with failed requests and frustration.
Jeff Bezos is now approaching richest man status and is literally going to go to space on your money. From what was a really useful source for text books at university has turned into the default choice for sourcing and buying products. It is globalisation on a micro-scale. Bricks-and-mortar stores, other online retailers and employees have already started to accept their loss. They've used supposed competition to build out the infrastructure but who ultimately suffers? You, the consumer. The fact you haven't realised it yet is a bonus.
Would the last user of Windows Mobile please turn out the lights? (2/3)
If you haven't arrived here from what brought me here, you might want to start there.
Without rehashing what came before, in leaving Windows Phone I find myself at odds with my ecosystem and being pulled back in to Google's data black hole.
Don't get me wrong, I love Windows and what it was/could have been. UWP and Windows 10 and x86 apps on ARM are exciting. I dislike Android and respect myself too much to buy in to Apple.
Call me old-school. But I can't be alone. For a phone, I just want it to be fast, good looking, be easy to use (so a physical keyboard) and be reliable and secure. The industry is careering towards exactly the opposite. Apps suck battery power and require Octa-core performance, all phones I can see are just slabs, no phones (bar one) have a physical keyboard instead relying on increasingly "smart" (annoying) autocorrecting on-screen keyboards and the most secure platforms (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry) are essentially dead in the water. Even the respected brands for build quality and security, Nokia and BlackBerry, have failed and are now retooling as façade-brands whilst the same Far-Eastern-manufacturing-factory-drones as everyone is using are charged with trying to maintain the trust, build quality and heritage of former platforms – but cheaper, much cheaper.
So, I switched.
The industry has failed me, producing nothing interesting, differentiating or exciting. It's all just a bunch of black slabs differentiated only by the marketing wrapped around what is otherwise the same phone.
Except, maybe BlackBerry. BlackBerry have moved to Android (probably a smart move) and they've tried to transition the established trust they have developed in their brand (key of which is security) towards what is the most insecure platform available for mobile phones. They've sort of succeeded, too. Add on a physical keyboard and you get to the BlackBerry Priv. Alas, it looks like this was the first and last phone users could trust for build quality, as their production is now handled by the same Far-Eastern-manufacturing-factory-drone previously mentioned. But this isn't a Priv review.
Image licence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Priv#/media/File:BlackBerry-Priv.jpg
But, it's a struggle.
I don't know how you people manage on this platform.
No Live Tiles. Widgets and tiny overlays on a grid of icons just don't come close
You have to turn your screen on to see the time, no 'Glance screen'
Fussy, inconsistent UI. Notifications about everything, delivered inconsistently. Only sometimes do I get told of my email, more often I get told I unplugged my headphones (yeah, I know, because I just did it with my own hands)
I've had to reboot every day. Rebooting was almost unheard of with Windows Phone 8.1, though became a regular requirement for Windows 10 – but not daily.
Things just stop working. APN settings, my primary email account four BlackBerry Hub. Then, they start working again.
Settings, settings, settings, everywhere. With great configurability comes great confusion.
About that Priv …
Poor screen in daylight. Almost invisible.
The radios (particularly Wifi and Mobile Internet) aren't that great. I seemed to get better reception for both on my Windows Phones.
Headphone socket on the bottom of the phone. Even worse, just to one side. Result is I have to put my phone in my pocket upside down to listen on headphones and can't expect to extract it without the lining of my pocket.
Going back to wired charging is like going back in time. And Micro USB to boot.
But, …
It is secure. So secure I had to factory reset when I locked myself out after forgetting my unlock pattern!
The slide is reminiscent of the old Nokia N95-2 (one of my favourites)
The BlackBerry software is neat, particularly the Hub. All the things in one inbox. It's how I like to work. One app to rule them all, and in the inbox combine them.
Next job, trying to recreate my Microsoft ecosystem comfort zone, in someone else's world …
Where am I? Read about how I got here.
Here I am in someone else's platform. I need to migrate over to Android from Windows Mobile but retain the Microsoft ecosystem that has served me so well. Windows Central recently wrote their own piece on what is fast becoming a frequent task, but that was for switching to iPhone. This is my version, for Android.
Install the Microsoft apps
Microsoft have been busy building for everyone else's platform whilst their own platform burned. Often, these apps were even better than the Windows Mobile equivalent. Nice. Kick your users whilst they're down.
There are a tonne of apps available for Microsoft users, and I've focused on Office 365 and some consumer apps:
Groove (though it can't read music on your SD card!)
I also included the MSN News apps, but quickly realised that without Live Tiles, I don't have the same pull in to the app.
There's actually an app "Microsoft Applications" which lists all Microsoft's applications that can be installed. Well worth a look.
Reacquaint myself with Cortana
A feature I always used on my Lumias was Cortana. She was awesome. Excellent speech recognition, fast, clutter free and integrated in my ecosystem. Android has a Cortana app (one of my red lines) so I was hoping we could reacquaint with each other fairly fast.
Alas, she's just not the same. She hasn't got the same over-lock-screen access, she's a little less available to my fingers and she doesn't talk to me anymore. (I miss her "Wa-wa-waa")
Sharing to other apps
Other than that, she's been fine with everything I've thrown at her. She also notifies me on my Windows 10 desktop, as she used to with my Lumia 950 XL. I am counting on Cortana filling that gap between my phone and my ecosystem. She does still let me send text messages from my Windows 10 desktop, but the first message will likely fail because she needs permission.
How it's working out …
I am really liking the Share contract that lets me select Share from any app and select which app should receive the Share. (Another feature killed from Windows Phone).
My weekly shopping trip using OneNote as a live-synced Shopping List still works. With the Recent Notes Home Screen widget, it's actually easier. But the syncing isn't as slick as Windows Mobile. There is no feedback to the user to indicate that a sync is in progress or that a sync has finished and what the changes are.
Microsoft Outlook doesn't seem to be able to manage my Contacts, which is disappointing considering my primary repository is my Microsoft Account.
I'm really liking the keyboard. Much of this blog was written on a physical mobile phone keyboard. Finally, I have freedom from my desktop to perform equivalent actions. No need for Continuum, either.
Android Pay is awesome. I don't think I'll every use my card again. It's so slick you actually doubt that the payment has worked and walking off feels far too like being a thief. Microsoft have Microsoft Wallet, but of course (with many things Microsoft), it's only available in the US.
Ironically, Microsoft have gone to the effort of writing an app, "Switch to Windows Phone". Perhaps they would have been better creating an app, "Switch from Windows Phone" to try and match what users loved from their own platform but with some degree of confidence in the longevity of the platform.
Ok, I've finally given up the good fight. I tried, I evangelised, I contributed development effort, I bought 5 phones; but one man on an island cannot save Microsoft's total lack of effort or enthusiasm for their own mobile strategy. I was an island on an island.
I've endured mockery, lack of support from broadcasters, companies and governments, absence of interest in support from peripherals (try to find a pair of headphones that has inline controls that work on a Microsoft Mobile phone); now even my partner has left (not me, the platform).
App -gap. I'm not a fan of "apps". They're expensive to develop, inconsistent to use and difficult to support. Until the industry realises that the world's best and most compatible app has always been available (it's called a well written site on the internet), we're stuck with native apps and companies who develop on one should develop on them all – or leave a percentage of customers (Windows Mobile) in the cold. Unless your app has good reason to be native, such as games or requiring access to hardware, all you're doing is replicating what your mobile site is probably already doing – but worse. As app developers came and went, the reason to stay reduced. It was SmartThings what done it, in the end.
Windows 10. Windows 10 was an abomination when it first landed on our computers. Every aspect of its launch was a botch. Overly aggressive deployments of an operating system that was clearly not ready for market do nothing to help users. The idea is a grand one, and one which is appreciated, but some things must remain stable and reliable. Windows 10 is essentially always in beta. It's much better now (though still wide of the mark of what Windows 7/8.1 was), but that first public version was Vista-in-miniature. The effect on hardware that demands performance and reliability, mobile phones, was even more acute. Older phones were left out in the cold, effectively abandoned; battery life suffered and apps were downright buggy. Yet, the Universal Windows Platform is awesome and very exciting for developers – but why are people like SmartThings not even bothering despite its benefits and ease of development? It's a vacuum into which Google will fit with its Chromebooks.
Microsoft. I've often said there can be no greater curse on a Microsoft product than Microsoft itself (Silverlight, Windows Media Centre). They create awesome platforms and applications which identify key user requirements, yet successfully damage and burn their own products. Windows Phone launched in an aggressive marketplace and had to stand out, and it did. Not always in a positive way, but that would be improved, it brought a unique experience to the market: Live tiles, deep social media integration, Groups, Rooms, Kids Corner, Apps Corner, the list goes on. As the platform struggled, instead of doubling down and making a big deal of these unique selling points, each of these was strategically extinguished. Now, what used to be a unique platform with limited uptake has become yet-another-hamburger-menu platform with an even more limited uptake.
Nadella. Since Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, there has been a fundamental shift in Microsoft's strategy, and one which is both welcome and exciting. Open-sourcing of Microsoft code with contribution from the community, free development products and cross-platform support of key Microsoft assets such as Office, SQL Server and Visual Studio have all been welcomed by the industry, even by the haters. But it is unfathomable when the apps developed for Android and iOS are better and updated more frequently than on their own platform. They are subscribing to the very same logic that has cursed the Windows Store: there's not enough people to warrant the development effort.
Of the 10 people I know who have used Windows Phone/Mobile, only one remains with the platform, and I don't suspect that is down to choice alone.
And now, I've left too. I held out, through the Nokia purchase (Nokia phones were always awesome, even before they were involved in Windows Phone), through the marked decline in product quality as Microsoft took hold of the Lumia line and into the "nothing to share" phase; waiting, always waiting for that distant Surface Phone to be realised into an actual product. But why? They want to redefine the Mobile platform, but when and how? All we have to look at is a patent filing. I'm not interested in a foldable phone, or a phone that is a hologram or anything else. I want a phone that works. If a Surface Phone was released tomorrow (or more likely, at this year's MWC), there would still be a lack of support for it. It's already dead.
So, I have chosen …
Ned Maddrell lecture 2016: Bringing up a child through a minority language
The Ned Maddrell lecture this year was as high a calibre as any previous and just as thought provoking. The subject this year was particularly close to my heart, based on the research of Dr Cassie Smith-Christmas titled "The Affective Landscape of Intergenerational Language Transmission: A Case Study of a Scottish Gaelic-Speaking Family". (You know it's going to be a good research project when you see the word "affective" in the title.)
The talk was principally about how a minority language such as Gaidhlig could be used within the family to support the language passing on to future generations through the children in the family starting to learn and use the language. The subject is close to my heart, I'm planning on sending my own son to the Manx-Gaelic immersive-learning school, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh.
Dr. Smith-Christmas stayed with a Gaidhlig-speaking family and was able to record conversations which on the surface appear to be mundane but revealed how children adopt a minority language, even though it isn't natural or easy. There were a number of takeaways from the lecture I can share.
Don't let the use of the minority language become associated with authority. These can be quite easy situations to avoid. If there are authority figures in the home speaking in the minority language or if the only uses of the language become disciplinary.
"Recast" (a word Dr. Smith-Christian used I quite liked) the child's words or sentences in the minority language, without judgement. Dr. Smith-Christian illustrated this with a transcript of her subject child using the Gaidhlig word "clach" for rock instead of English within an otherwise English sentence. I find this works well, particularly with nouns (for myself being able to be fast enough to recast, rather than expecting a response in the minority language.)
Going hand in hand with avoiding relating the use of the minority language in disciplinary or authoritarian modes, maintaining an association with the language being fun is important. Dr. Smith-Christian showed us another delightful exchange within her subject family where the child counted in Gaidhlig, again within an otherwise English sentence. I've found my son also loves to count things and it's a great way to keep things fun. Meanwhile they can be learning advanced concepts such as mutations, plurals and pronunciation.
Children's use of the minority language, even when a community is lucky enough to have an immersive teaching environment, is often limited to school and to authority figures such as teachers. When children socialise, they tend to use a more liquid language such as English which is widely understandable and readily accepted across groups of friends. Therefore, reinforcement of the language outside of school is needed to help blur the lines of where the language can be heard or used. After-school clubs with similar social groups are an ideal opportunity for this.
The opportunity to learn this language transmission, both as a student of Manx-Gaelic and as a parent, was invaluable particularly as there are scant resources on the internet to help answer some of the inevitable questions that pepper a parent's role.
Q&A afterwards
Post-Lecture Interview
Article: Me and Manx: Innovation in learning
I was asked to write a piece about my learning in Manx. Considering my interest in technology and my route through my learning, the topic was easy.
Here I am in the Manx Independent:
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/me-and-manx-innovation-in-learning-1-8191260
Isle-of-Man (8)
Manx (14)
Taggloo (11)
Work-Life (28)
1&1 6-Peaks @a_rusakov @govim @jonpauldavies @mediauktv @NokiaHelps @problogger @redstarvip @stephenfry @wcf Agile Android Anthony-Wilson BBC BCS bible Big-Brother Blog CMS Community-Server Customer-Experience debit-card Driving F1 Facebook Fail FreeSat Gaelg Google Greenpeace Health Heathrow Hosting HTC-HD7 I-Want-Sandy IOM-Ghost-Tours IOM-Social-Media-Club Isle-of-Man Isle-of-Man-TT Jacqui-Smith LoveFilm Lumia Lumia-800 Manchester Manx Microsoft Milntown-House Monster Next Nokia Panasonic PC-World-Currys Public-Transport Rail Religion Samsung Sherrilynne-Starkie Sitecore Smart-TV Social-Media source-control Surface Team Third-Thursday Tweet-up Twitter Wimbledon Windows-7 Windows-8 Windows-Media-Centre Windows-Phone Work-Connexions XBox-360 Zune


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Patrick Stewart gives a captivating performance in this witty, emotionally gripping adaptation of director Stephen Belber's own Tony Award-nominated play. Stewart stars as Tobi, an eccentric, pot-smoking Manhattan ballet instructor whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a young couple (Carla Gugino & Matthew Lillard) from Seattle, presumably there to interview him about his colourful life as a dancer in the 1960s. As Tobi spins salacious tales from his former career, an ulterior motive for the couple's visit emerges, forcing the trio to confront a secret that may connect them all. Driven by Stewart's tour-de-force performance, 'Match' moves masterfully between razor-sharp comic banter and heartrending poignancy.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Alice's Playhouse
Director: Stephen Belber
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino, Matthew Lillard
Rating: M - Offensive language, sexual references and drug use
Location in store: Alice's Playhouse
Death and the Maiden (1995)
Roman Polanski's intense film of Ariel Dorfman's play stars Sigourney Weaver as a South American wom...
Tape (2001)
Director Richard Linklater ("Slacker") delivers a dark and edgy comedy about friendship, resentment...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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U.S. probes alleged torture of Boko Haram members in Cameroon
Boko Haram (File photo)
The U.S. military has opened an inquiry into allegations of torture and murder of suspected Boko Haram militants at a Cameroonian army base used extensively by American troops, a spokesman said on Friday.
Rights group Amnesty International in July said it had documented 101 cases of arbitrary arrest and torture by Cameroonian troops charged with fighting the Nigeria-based jihadist group between 2013 and 2017.
Eighty of the cases occurred at the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion headquarters at Salak, in Cameroon's Far North region, which has been hit hard by spillover from the eight-year insurgency in neighbouring Nigeria.
French and U.S. troops have been operating out of Salak for several years, with Amnesty saying it had video evidence proving "regular presence of U.S. personnel in numerous locations across the base".
Mark Cheadle, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Germany-based Africa Command, said a "commander's inquiry" had been set up, although he was unable to provide details of its progress.
Boko Haram attacks have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 2.7 million in northeast Nigeria and adjacent areas of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
Cameroon appoints Clarence Seedorf as coach, Kluivert as assistant
CAF chief makes surprise visit to Cameroon
[Updated] Train derails in Cameroon, kills 60
ICYMI: Nigerian traders flee Anglophone Cameroon
Cameroon opposition leader charged with 'rebellion'
Samir Nasri to join Antalyaspor – reports
Mine blast kills four police in Cameroon
Cameroon official kidnapped in restive northwest


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Islay Dry Gin
Date Tasted: 2/26/2018
Clear color. Interesting aromas of rosewater, cucumber, juniper confiture, and leather conditioner with a round, crisp, dryish light-to-medium body and a warming, elegant, very long fresh pine, honey, white tic Tacs, angel food cake, and grapefruit marmalade finish. A wonderfully concentrated gin for poignant cocktails with depth.
Tasting Info
Style: Herbal & Complex
Aroma: rosewater, cucumber, juniper confiture, and leather conditioner
Flavor: fresh pine, honey, white tic Tacs, angel food cake, and grapefruit marmalade
Smoothness: Warming
Enjoy: in cocktails
Cocktails: Negroni, French 75
Bottom Line: A wonderfully concentrated gin for poignant cocktails with depth.
The Producer or Importer
Rémy Cointreau USA Inc.
1290 Avenue of the Americas, 10th Floor
www.remyusa.com
93 • Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum 43% (Barbados) $29.99.
88 • Mount Gay Eclipse Rum 40% (Barbados) $19.99.
88 • The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 46% (Scotland) $.00.
Serve in a Rocks Glass
Gin is the original flavored vodka, a clear spirit that is flavored with juniper berries and so-called botanicals (a varied assortment of herbs and spices). The spirit base of Gin is primarily grain (usually wheat or rye), which results in a light-bodied spirit.
The chief flavoring agent in gin is the highly aromatic blue-green berry of the juniper, a low-slung evergreen bush (genus Juniperus) that is commercially grown in northern Italy, Croatia, the United States and Canada. Additional botanicals can include anise, angelica root, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, and cassia bark. All gin makers have their own secret combination of botanicals, the number of which can range from as few as four to as many as 15 or more.
Most gin is initially distilled in efficient column stills. The resulting spirit is high-proof, light-bodied, and clean with a minimal amount of congeners (flavor compounds) and flavoring agents. Gin's lowland cousin, Genever, is distilled in less-efficient potstills, which results in a lower-proof, more flavorful spirit. Low-quality 'Compound Gins' are made by simply mixing the base spirit with juniper and botanical extracts. Mass-market gins, known as 'Distilled Gins', are produced by soaking juniper berries and botanicals in the base spirit and then redistilling the mixture.
Many top-quality gins are flavored in a unique manner and are referred to as 'London Dry Gins'. After one or more distillations the base spirit is redistilled one last time. During this final distillation the alcohol vapor wafts through a chamber in which the dried juniper berries and botanicals are suspended. The vapor gently extracts aromatic and flavoring oils and compounds from the berries and spices as it travels through the chamber on its way to the condenser. The resulting flavored spirit has a noticeable degree of complexity.
The most famous examples of gin are from the UK. These are among the most complex gins with subdued flavors of pine, peppery spices, citrus, herbal roots, and even floral notes, which are currently in vogue. Gin has experienced a revival thanks to the craft cocktail movement as the base for the wildly popular gin martini, a host of newly resuscitated classic cocktails, and adventuresome new libations.
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin rating was calculated by tastings.com to be 88 points out of 100 on 2/26/2018. Please note that MSRP may have changed since the date of our review.


The Chicago Fire Academy Under-12 team claimed first place in the inaugural Patterson Cup tournament, held this past weekend at Wyandotte Sporting Fields in Kansas City, Kansas.
The event was contested among six of Major League Soccer's top youth academies -- hosts Sporting Kansas City, Atlanta United FC, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC -- across Saturday and Sunday, with the young Men In Red edging past Toronto FC 4-2 in the final match to take home the trophy.
Among the Fire's standout performers were Nick Mitrega, Makhi Francis, and Patrick Los, who were named to the All-Tournament Team, as well as Aleks Duncevic who claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament's top scorer.
The Patterson Cup is named after Sporting KC co-owner Neal Patterson and his wife Jeanne, both of whom lost their lives to cancer in 2017 and were instrumental in the growth of soccer in Kansas City. Beginning in the spring of 2020, the Patterson Cup will expand to include some of the top U-12, U-13 and U-14 academy teams from MLS and abroad.
©2019 Chicago Fire Academy / SportsEngine. All Rights Reserved.


Prototype: German Railroad, Inc. DB AG type DBbzfa 761 bi level cab control car, 2nd class.
Model: This is an add-on of a bi-level cab control car to the Regional Express. The cab control car has tinted side windows and 2 red marker lights at the cab end of the car. Contents: 5 no. 24188 straight track, 4 no. 24172 straight track, 1 no. 24224 curved track, 1 no. 24612 right turnout, and 1 no. 24977 track bumper. Length over the buffers 27.3 cm / 10-3/4".
Track material to expand the C Track layout.
This extension set goes with the 29479 "Regional-Express" starter set.


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package org.zstack.header.host;

public interface HypervisorFactory {
	HostVO createHost(HostVO vo, APIAddHostMsg msg);

	Host getHost(HostVO vo);

	HypervisorType getHypervisorType();

	HostInventory getHostInventory(HostVO vo);

	HostInventory getHostInventory(String uuid);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Florida State University is recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as engaged in very high research activity, the highest status accorded to a doctoral-granting university. Graduate and professional studies are pursued by approximately 8,000 graduate, law, and medical students. We offer a fabulous wide range of doctoral, master's, specialist, joint, combined bachelor's/master's and professional degree programs, as well as certificate programs.
Graduate study is an amazingly exciting time of exploration and immersion in a particular specialty. It is a time for the free exchange of ideas, acquisition of new skills, and creation of new knowledge. It is a time when faculty change from being your teachers to being mentors and colleagues. Graduate study at the Florida State University is the right choice for a someone who aspires to make a difference in our World and have a long and distinguished career.
Florida State University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie has appointed Mark Riley dean of the Graduate School, effective May 7.
Riley is a longtime faculty member in the Department of Physics at Florida State. He has served as interim dean of the Graduate School since August 2017 when former dean, the late Nancy Marcus, stepped down from the role.
Riley, a world-renowned nuclear physicist, joined the FSU faculty nearly 27 years ago. He is the Raymond K. Sheline Professor of Physics and served as associate chair and chair of the university's physics department.
In April 2014, Riley was named the 2014-2015 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor. The recognition is the highest honor the university faculty bestows on one of its own.
As dean, Riley is responsible for the oversight of the education of approximately 8,000 graduate and professional students. He said his vision for the college is in concert with FSU's strategic plan and its goal to become a Top 25 public university.
Dr. Mark Riley, a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, is the Dean of The Graduate School at the Florida State University. His responsibilities include oversight of the education of approximately 8,000 graduate and professional students. Riley earned a Bachelor of Science with Honors in physics and a doctorate in nuclear physics, both from the University of Liverpool in England. He worked as a research associate at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen and then as a research associate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee. Prior to joining the Florida State faculty as an assistant professor in 1991 he served as an Advanced Fellow at the University of Liverpool. Riley was named the Raymond K. Sheline Professor of Physics in 2001, selected for an FSU Distinguished Research Professor Award in 2008 and became a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in 2014. He has won two university teaching awards. He served the Department of Physics as chair from 2007 to 2013. His research involves the detection of gamma-ray emission signals from excited atomic nuclei under extreme conditions. High-resolution gamma-ray detection plays an ubiquitous role in nuclear science and he has been deeply involved in the development and use of the world's most powerful gamma-ray detector systems, such as, Gammasphere and GRETINA-GRETA. He has served on Users Executive Committees at the national laboratories of Oak Ridge, Argonne and Michigan State University. Other national level committee participation has included the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee to the DOE and NSF, and Program Advisory Committees of national laboratories at Berkeley, Argonne and iTHEMBA LABS in South Africa. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and is a past chair of the APS's Publication Oversight Committee. Riley's publication record includes ~200 research articles and he has delivered ~100 invited talks.


Details of this product Stamp Mill application. Introduction: The sales of fly ash processed by Stamp Mills is a problem that customers pay most attention to when investing.
This Stamp Mill has ten stamps with each one weighing 450 lbs. each. ... The price memorial building at the North Georgia College has 16 ounces of gold on the dome.


Seventeen-year-old Delany Maxwell shouldn't have lived after falling through the ice.
She was underwater eleven minutes. Coming back after that much time without oxygen is pretty much unheard of. But her best friend, Decker Phillips, refused to stop CPR while waiting for the ambulance, and somehow, the doctors brought her back.
When she wakes up after a brief coma, she seems mostly unchanged: the doctors are shocked that she hasn't suffered massive brain damage. Truth be told, her brain scans are a little bit weird, and she's suffering occasional seizures and hand tremors, but all things considered, she's doing pretty well.
Except that her seizures and tremors are coupled with something else that she hasn't been able to explain to anyone else. A feeling—a weird tugging, an itch in her brain—that draws her towards people who are dying.
Pros: Although the synopsis makes it sound like forty bazillion other paranormals, Fracture is different. Yes, yes, Delaney is attracted to Troy (the mysterious dude), and yes, yes, there's a push-and-pull-and-push between her, Decker, and Troy. But it's not the same-old-same-old love triangle that we've come to expect in paranormals. The dynamics are different, and it's less about lurrrve and hormones and more about power, choice, and survival. The other issues that Delaney grapples with are more mundane—reintegrating into school and home as That Girl Who Died, her mother's new hyper-protective nature, the fact that she accidentally made out with her most obnoxious male friend (not Decker) shortly before the accident—and it reads more like a contemporary with paranormal (or sci-fi, if you prefer to look at it that way) elements than like a straight paranormal.
It's got some genuinely creepy moments, and rather than Bella's Edward Cullen Hurts Me Because He Loves Me routine, Delaney's reasons for not cutting Troy loose early on are easy (or, they were for me) to identify with: she's trying to understand this power she suddenly has, and what she's supposed to do with it. Well, that and the blackmail thing, but that comes later.
Cons: Two things, other but both are completely personal. First, we're told (by Delaney) that Fracture takes place in Northern Maine, but nothing about the setting really feels specifically like Maine. It could be any generic cold-winter place. (See Carrie Jones or, of course, Stephen King, for capturing the Maine feel.) Second, I think I've read a few too many girl-with-a-male-best-friend-who's-in-love-with-her-and-by-the-time-she-realizes-that-she-reciprocates-it-might-be-too-late stories.
Recommended to: I'd steer it towards fans of the darker paranormals, like the Wake trilogy, but fans of YA forensic/medical mysteries (like the Cameryn Mahoney series) might dig it, too.
Oh, completely agree about the best-friend-who's-in-love-with-her thing. I was reading Fracture and *totally* into it, until I got to that part. I had to put Fracture down and pick up something else instead. Not the book's fault, because I thought it was well-written and liked Megan Miranda's voice, but I think I've read too many books with this subplot recently, too.


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Category: video
single, the mezcaltones, video	 January 14, 2020 January 12, 2020
Video release: 'Na Na Na' by The Mezcaltones
Sydney band The Mezcaltones are known for their high-energy live shows – and their collective sense of humour, which ensures each show is entertaining as well as being musically excellent. Both energy and humour are present in their new single 'Na Na Na' and the accompanying video, seen below. The Mezcaltones are taking their outlaw country-rock sound to the 2020 Tamworth Country Music Festival at Joe Maguire's Pub:
18 January – 1.30 to 4.30 p.m.
19 January – 7.00 to 10.00 p.m.
21 January – 7.00 to 10.30 p.m
www.the-mezcaltones.com
aly cook, single, treehouse music, video	 November 27, 2019 January 9, 2020
Single release: 'Southern Christmas Stars' by Treehouse Music and Aly Cook
There is a subgenre of Christmas carols that belongs to Australian creations, such as 'Three Drovers' and 'Carol of the Birds', to go along with Christmas-adjacent songs such as Tim Minchin's 'White Wine in the Sun'. What doesn't come to mind is a joint Australian and New Zealand Christmas song – but now there is one, thanks to NZ artist Aly Cook and Kay and Buzz Bidstrup, who have created 'Southern Christmas Stars'.
The song depicts the experience of Christmas in warm weather, as well as the joy of reuniting with loved ones. The lyrics were written by Kay Bidstrup to celebrate the Christmas homecoming of her son after a year living abroad, and Buzz Bidstrup and Cook put the music together while Cook was in Australia promoting her latest album, Caught in the Middle.
While December isn't yet upon us, this song is a lovely way to ease into the festive spirit – and, perhaps, it will become your new Southern Hemisphere Christmas anthem.
Apple Music | iTunes | Spotify
www.alycook.com.au
Filed under: Australian music, NZ music, Single releases
andy nelson, single, video	 November 26, 2019 January 9, 2020
Single release: 'Late Night Letter' by Andy Nelson
Andy Nelson is a singer-songwriter from Bathurst, in the central west of New South Wales. Earlier this year he released his debut album, Man on the Mountain, which followed his debut, self-titled EP and appearances at festivals such as the National Folk Festival, The End Festival, Inland Sea of Sounds, Festival of Small Halls, Gympie Music Muster and Majors Creek Music Festival.
'Late Night Letter' is the second single from the album and it takes about three bars to establish that it's likely to be devastating and unforgettable, and so it proves. The song tells the story of an adolescent boy growing up in small regional community where there was once a thriving industry that provided work and security. But – as happens all over the world – the work ends, or the industry moves elsewhere, and the people who relied on it are left behind because they can't or are unwilling to move with the industry. (If you're interested in an Australian perspective on this, I recommend The Death of Holden by Royce Kurmelovs.)
This is sparse instrumentation on this track, as befits the subject matter, and it's incredibly effective, while Nelson honours the story and his lyrics with his delivery. For those who haven't yet listened to Man on the Mountain, 'Late Night Letter' will provide the persuasive reason to do so immediately.
Listen/buy on:
Apple Music | Artist's website | iTunes | Spotify
www.andynelson.com.au
emma dykes, single, video	 November 22, 2019 January 9, 2020
Video premiere: 'The Drovers' by Emma Dykes
When I covered 'The Drovers' by Emma Dykes earlier this week, I had no idea that I'd be offered the chance to premiere the video – but it's such a great track, how could I refuse?
This special song was inspired by a special service: the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. The helicopter team worked with Sam Davison at Two Digital Media to put the video together.
'I'm very grateful.' says Dykes, 'because I wanted the clip to show a day in the life of the rescue staff. To show the important tasks they complete and just how emotionally invested they are, in a broader sense, both the song and the video are about the emergency services in general. They're from all walks of life and do an incredible job. I also noticed they included a quick shot of me!'
Watch the video below.
Listen to 'The Drovers':
www.emmadykes.com
kora naughton, single, video	 November 17, 2019
Single release: 'Speechless' by Kora Naughton
Last year singer-songwriter Kora Naughton released her debut album at the age of eighteen. This year she has completed high school – and managed to create another album, working with producers Rod Motby and Shane Nicholson. Naughton has now released 'Speechless', the first single from that new album. It's a song about writing a song – which is not as 'meta' as it sounds. Rather, it's a song about the work of songwriting and an insight to the creative process, married with an infectious country pop sound.
Says Naughton of the song's creation, 'I was sitting around in my lounge room and I had this melody that I really wanted to use stuck in my head but I had a bit of writers' block, so as a joke, I literally wrote about having a catchy tune and a melody and no words to go with it and it ended up being the first verse!'
Given Naughton's work rate, it's no surprise that her writers' block lasted only long enough to inspire her to write a song … and 'Speechless' is not only a great song but an upbeat tune for the summer months.
See Kora Naughton live:
Sat 21st Dec – Woonona Bulli RSL, Wollongong NSW 8:30PM
Sun 22nd Dec – Appin Hotel, Appin NSW 2PM
Sat 18th Jan – Imperial Brew House Red Door Cafe, Tamworth NSW 10AM
Mon 20th Jan – Songwriters In The Round, Services Club, Tamworth NSW 9AM
Mon 20th Jan – Rebel Country Showcase The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW 5PM
(with Darlinghurst, Chloe Styler, D Henry Fenton & Zac and George)
Mon 20th Jan – Imperial Brew House Red Door Cafe, Tamworth NSW 6PM
Tues 21st Jan – Hungry Jacks Stage, Tamworth NSW 1PM
Tues 21st Jan – James Blundell & Friends, Moonshiners, Tamworth NSW 7PM
(with Andrew Farriss, Catherine Britt, Andrew Swift, Kristy Cox, Chloe Styler, Darlinghurst & more)
Wed 22nd Jan – The Atrium, Tamworth NSW 2PM
Wed 22nd Jan – Imperial Brew House Red Door Cafe, Tamworth NSW 7:30PM
Thurs 23rd Jan – Ben Ransom & Friends, Wests Diggers, Tamworth NSW 7PM
Fri 24th Jan – The Atrium, Tamworth NSW 2PM
Fri 24th Jan – Hungry Jacks Stage, Tamworth NSW 5:30PM
Fri 31st Jan – Dandaloo Hotel, Dapto NSW 8PM
www.koranaughton.com.au
brittany elise, single, video	 November 1, 2019 November 1, 2019
Video premiere: 'Pit Stop' by Brittany Elise
Earlier this year Queensland singer-songwriter Brittany Elise released her debut album, Something More, which showed her versatility as a songwriter and her great country voice, developed over years of performing (since childhood). On release the album went to number 2 on the iTunes Country Chart, and 20 on the iTunes All Genres Album Chart.
The latest single from Something More is 'Pit Stop', in which she encourages a less-than-ideal companion to 'roll on by' and find another pit stop. It's a catchy, feisty song about moving on – by getting someone else to do just that! (Even if 'five years later I still wish you well' …)
The video for 'Pit Stop' has its premiere here today. It was made by The Filmery, who create a lot of great videos for Australian country music artists.
www.facebook.com/brittanyelisemusic
cassidy-rae, single, video	 October 31, 2019 November 1, 2019
Video premiere: 'Throwback' by Cassidy-Rae
Earlier this year Sydney-based singer-songwriter Cassidy-Rae released the single 'More', a moving song that showcased her talents and debuted at number 3 on the iTunes Country Music chart. Since then she's been busy, performing on Carnival Cruise Lines in the Caribbean – and recording a new song, the delightful 'Throwback', with producer Michael Carpenter. 'Throwback' is a song about falling in love the old-fashioned way and celebrating all the little glories as two people fall in love with each other.
The equally delightful video for 'Throwback' makes its debut on this site today. Just like the song, it will put a smile on your face – a perfect upbeat track just in time for summer. The video was shot by Jackson Speed in various locations around Nashville and Sydney.
Cassidy-Rae will be performing at the Ballina Country Musical festival on 2 and 3 November, and will no doubt appear at the next 2020 Tamworth Country Music Festival, as she's a regular there. This versatile artist has also performed all over the world with the Australian Girls Choir. She never stays in once place too long, so catch her when you can!
www.cassidy-rae.com


Apr. 10 6:42 PM PT7:42 PM MT8:42 PM CT9:42 PM ET1:42 GMT9:42 6:42 PM MST7:42 PM CST8:42 PM EST5:42 UAE (+1)03:4221:42 ET8:42 PM CT0:42 - Malik Monk scored two points Wednesday, going 1 of 4 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Orlando Magic 122-114. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had three assists, tallying a plus-minus of -9 in his 17:46 on the floor.
Apr. 9 5:41 PM PT6:41 PM MT7:41 PM CT8:41 PM ET0:41 GMT8:41 5:41 PM MST6:41 PM CST7:41 PM EST4:41 UAE (+1)02:4120:41 ET7:41 PM CT23:41 - Malik Monk scored eight points Tuesday on 3-of-7 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-97. Monk grabbed three rebounds and had four assists, tallying a plus-minus of +14 in his 23:29 of playing time. He added two blocks and two steals. Monk went 2 of 6 from behind the arc.
Apr. 7 2:33 PM PT3:33 PM MT4:33 PM CT5:33 PM ET21:33 GMT5:33 2:33 PM MST3:33 PM CST4:33 PM EST1:33 UAE (+1)23:3317:33 ET4:33 PM CT20:33 - Malik Monk went scoreless Sunday on 0-of-1 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Detroit Pistons 104-91. Monk grabbed three rebounds and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +8 in his 15:22 of playing time. He tacked on one steal.
Apr. 5 5:45 PM PT6:45 PM MT7:45 PM CT8:45 PM ET0:45 GMT8:45 5:45 PM MST6:45 PM CST7:45 PM EST4:45 UAE (+1)02:4520:45 ET7:45 PM CT23:45 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Friday on 4-of-8 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Toronto Raptors 113-111. Monk pulled down four rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -10 in his 16:52 of playing time. He added one block. Monk went 2 of 5 from behind the arc.
Apr. 3 6:47 PM PT7:47 PM MT8:47 PM CT9:47 PM ET1:47 GMT9:47 6:47 PM MST7:47 PM CST8:47 PM EST5:47 UAE (+1)03:4721:47 ET8:47 PM CT0:47 - Malik Monk scored nine points Wednesday, going 4 of 8 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109. Monk grabbed six rebounds and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +10 in his 17:55 on the floor. He added one block. Monk went 1 of 4 from 3-point range.
Apr. 1 7:39 PM PT8:39 PM MT9:39 PM CT10:39 PM ET2:39 GMT10:39 7:39 PM MST8:39 PM CST9:39 PM EST6:39 UAE (+1)04:3922:39 ET9:39 PM CT1:39 - Malik Monk scored six points Monday, going 2 of 7 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Utah Jazz 111-102. Monk pulled down six rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +13 in his 24:48 of playing time. He tacked on two steals. Monk went 1 of 5 from behind the arc.
Mar. 31 7:05 PM PT8:05 PM MT9:05 PM CT10:05 PM ET2:05 GMT10:05 7:05 PM MST8:05 PM CST9:05 PM EST6:05 UAE (+1)04:0522:05 ET9:05 PM CT1:05 - Malik Monk scored nine points Sunday, going 3 of 6 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Golden State Warriors 137-90. Monk did not grab a rebound but had an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -10 in his 8:52 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 4 from behind the arc.
Mar. 30 9:08 PM PT10:08 PM MT11:08 PM CT12:08 AM ET4:08 GMT12:08 9:08 PM MST10:08 PM CST11:08 PM EST8:08 UAE05:080:08 ET10:08 PM CT3:08 - Malik Monk did not score Friday on 0-of-2 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115. Monk grabbed one rebound and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -3 in his 8:05 on the floor.
Mar. 26 5:45 PM PT6:45 PM MT7:45 PM CT8:45 PM ET0:45 GMT8:45 5:45 PM MST6:45 PM CST7:45 PM EST4:45 UAE (+1)01:4520:45 ET6:45 PM CT23:45 - Malik Monk scored five points Tuesday on 2-of-6 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the San Antonio Spurs 125-116 in overtime. Monk pulled down one rebound and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -2 in his 13:24 on the floor. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 1 of 4 from 3-point range.
Mar. 24 4:38 PM PT5:38 PM MT6:38 PM CT7:38 PM ET23:38 GMT7:38 4:38 PM MST5:38 PM CST6:38 PM EST3:38 UAE (+1)00:3819:38 ET5:38 PM CT22:38 - Malik Monk scored three points Sunday, going 1 of 5 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-114. Monk pulled down two rebounds and had two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +11 in his 14:53 on the floor. Monk went 1 of 3 from behind the arc.
Mar. 23 4:37 PM PT5:37 PM MT6:37 PM CT7:37 PM ET23:37 GMT7:37 4:37 PM MST5:37 PM CST6:37 PM EST3:37 UAE (+1)00:3719:37 ET5:37 PM CT22:37 - Malik Monk scored 13 points Saturday on 3-of-6 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Boston Celtics 124-117. Monk pulled down one rebound and added an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -9 in his 16:47 on the floor. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Mar. 21 5:45 PM PT6:45 PM MT7:45 PM CT8:45 PM ET0:45 GMT8:45 5:45 PM MST6:45 PM CST7:45 PM EST4:45 UAE (+1)01:4520:45 ET6:45 PM CT23:45 - Malik Monk scored 14 points Thursday, going 5 of 10 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-106. Monk grabbed four rebounds and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of 0 in his 18:46 of playing time. Monk went 4 of 7 from behind the arc.
Mar. 17 11:42 AM PT12:42 PM MT1:42 PM CT2:42 PM ET18:42 GMT2:42 11:42 AM MST12:42 PM CST1:42 PM EST22:42 UAE19:4214:42 ET12:42 PM CT17:42 - Malik Monk did not score Sunday on 0-of-1 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Miami Heat 93-75. Monk did not grab a rebound nor have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -7 in his 3:34 of playing time.
Mar. 11 6:29 PM PT7:29 PM MT8:29 PM CT9:29 PM ET1:29 GMT9:29 6:29 PM MST7:29 PM CST8:29 PM EST5:29 UAE (+1)02:2921:29 ET7:29 PM CT0:29 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Monday on 3-of-12 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Houston Rockets 118-106. Monk grabbed five rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +1 in his 26:09 on the floor. He added one steal. Monk went 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
Mar. 9 7:34 PM PT8:34 PM MT9:34 PM CT10:34 PM ET3:34 GMT11:34 8:34 PM MST9:34 PM CST10:34 PM EST7:34 UAE (+1)04:3422:34 ET9:34 PM CT2:34 - Malik Monk scored three points Saturday, going 1 of 2 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 131-114. Monk did not grab a rebound but had two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +1 in his 3:08 on the floor. He added one steal. Monk went 1 of 2 from behind the arc.
Feb. 27 5:31 PM PT6:31 PM MT7:31 PM CT8:31 PM ET1:31 GMT9:31 6:31 PM MST7:31 PM CST8:31 PM EST5:31 UAE (+1)02:3120:31 ET7:31 PM CT0:31 - Malik Monk did not score Wednesday, going 0 of 2 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Houston Rockets 118-113. Monk did not grab a rebound nor have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -10 in his 5:27 of playing time.
Feb. 25 5:37 PM PT6:37 PM MT7:37 PM CT8:37 PM ET1:37 GMT9:37 6:37 PM MST7:37 PM CST8:37 PM EST5:37 UAE (+1)02:3720:37 ET7:37 PM CT0:37 - Malik Monk went scoreless Monday on 0-of-3 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Golden State Warriors 121-110. Monk did not grab a rebound nor have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -10 in his 6:44 of playing time.
Feb. 23 5:50 PM PT6:50 PM MT7:50 PM CT8:50 PM ET1:50 GMT9:50 6:50 PM MST7:50 PM CST8:50 PM EST5:50 UAE (+1)02:5020:50 ET7:50 PM CT0:50 - Malik Monk scored one point Saturday, going 0 of 1 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets 117-115. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +3 in his 7:28 of playing time.
Feb. 22 5:46 PM PT6:46 PM MT7:46 PM CT8:46 PM ET1:46 GMT9:46 6:46 PM MST7:46 PM CST8:46 PM EST5:46 UAE (+1)02:4620:46 ET7:46 PM CT0:46 - Malik Monk scored five points Friday on 1-of-6 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Washington Wizards 123-110. Monk pulled down one rebound and added an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +7 in his 11:31 on the floor. He added one block. Monk went 1 of 5 from behind the arc.
Feb. 14 5:46 PM PT6:46 PM MT7:46 PM CT8:46 PM ET1:46 GMT9:46 6:46 PM MST7:46 PM CST8:46 PM EST5:46 UAE (+1)02:4620:46 ET7:46 PM CT23:46 - Malik Monk scored 15 points Thursday, going 7 of 16 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Orlando Magic 127-89. Monk pulled down four rebounds and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of -19 in his 24:30 on the floor. Monk went 1 of 7 from behind the arc.
Feb. 11 5:33 PM PT6:33 PM MT7:33 PM CT8:33 PM ET1:33 GMT9:33 6:33 PM MST7:33 PM CST8:33 PM EST5:33 UAE (+1)02:3320:33 ET7:33 PM CT23:33 - Malik Monk did not score Monday, going 0 of 3 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Indiana Pacers 99-90. Monk grabbed one rebound and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -20 in his 9:31 on the floor.
Feb. 9 5:57 PM PT6:57 PM MT7:57 PM CT8:57 PM ET1:57 GMT9:57 6:57 PM MST7:57 PM CST8:57 PM EST5:57 UAE (+1)02:5720:57 ET7:57 PM CT23:57 - Malik Monk scored four points Saturday on 1-of-4 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Atlanta Hawks 129-120. Monk pulled down two rebounds and dished out two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -6 in his 10:17 of playing time. He tacked on one steal.
Feb. 6 7:05 PM PT8:05 PM MT9:05 PM CT10:05 PM ET3:05 GMT11:05 8:05 PM MST9:05 PM CST10:05 PM EST7:05 UAE (+1)04:0522:05 ET9:05 PM CT1:05 - Malik Monk scored seven points Wednesday, going 3 of 9 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Dallas Mavericks 99-93. Monk grabbed two rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -11 in his 19:43 of playing time. He added one block. Monk went 1 of 5 from behind the arc.
Feb. 5 5:50 PM PT6:50 PM MT7:50 PM CT8:50 PM ET1:50 GMT9:50 6:50 PM MST7:50 PM CST8:50 PM EST5:50 UAE (+1)02:5020:50 ET7:50 PM CT23:50 - Malik Monk scored 12 points Tuesday on 4-of-11 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 117-115. Monk did not grab a rebound nor have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -5 in his 14:29 on the floor. Monk went 3 of 8 from behind the arc.
Feb. 2 5:34 PM PT6:34 PM MT7:34 PM CT8:34 PM ET1:34 GMT9:34 6:34 PM MST7:34 PM CST8:34 PM EST5:34 UAE (+1)02:3420:34 ET7:34 PM CT23:34 - Malik Monk scored 18 points Saturday on 6-of-9 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Chicago Bulls 125-118. Monk pulled down three rebounds and dished out five assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -2 in his 20:01 of playing time. He added one block. Monk went 1 of 3 from behind the arc.
Feb. 1 5:43 PM PT6:43 PM MT7:43 PM CT8:43 PM ET1:43 GMT9:43 6:43 PM MST7:43 PM CST8:43 PM EST5:43 UAE (+1)02:4320:43 ET7:43 PM CT23:43 - Malik Monk scored 20 points Friday on 6-of-15 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Memphis Grizzlies 100-92. Monk grabbed three rebounds and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +17 in his 25:38 on the floor. He added one block. Monk went 4 of 8 from behind the arc.
Jan. 30 5:56 PM PT6:56 PM MT7:56 PM CT8:56 PM ET1:56 GMT9:56 6:56 PM MST7:56 PM CST8:56 PM EST5:56 UAE (+1)02:5620:56 ET7:56 PM CT23:56 - Malik Monk scored 16 points Wednesday, going 6 of 14 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Boston Celtics 126-94. Monk pulled down two rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -17 in his 25:52 on the floor. He added one block and one steal. Monk went 3 of 10 from behind the arc.
Jan. 28 5:35 PM PT6:35 PM MT7:35 PM CT8:35 PM ET1:35 GMT9:35 6:35 PM MST7:35 PM CST8:35 PM EST5:35 UAE (+1)02:3520:35 ET7:35 PM CT23:35 - Malik Monk scored 14 points Monday, going 5 of 12 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the New York Knicks 101-92. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had three assists, tallying a plus-minus of +14 in his 22:24 on the floor. Monk went 4 of 7 from behind the arc.
Jan. 25 7:26 PM PT8:26 PM MT9:26 PM CT10:26 PM ET3:26 GMT11:26 8:26 PM MST9:26 PM CST10:26 PM EST7:26 UAE (+1)04:2622:26 ET9:26 PM CT1:26 - Malik Monk did not score Friday on 0-of-5 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-99. Monk pulled down three rebounds and dished out two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +7 in his 12:13 on the floor.
Jan. 23 6:34 PM PT7:34 PM MT8:34 PM CT9:34 PM ET2:34 GMT10:34 7:34 PM MST8:34 PM CST9:34 PM EST6:34 UAE (+1)03:3421:34 ET8:34 PM CT0:34 - Malik Monk scored nine points Wednesday, going 4 of 7 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-107. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +4 in his 17:46 of playing time. Monk went 1 of 3 from behind the arc.
Jan. 20 4:26 PM PT5:26 PM MT6:26 PM CT7:26 PM ET0:26 GMT8:26 5:26 PM MST6:26 PM CST7:26 PM EST4:26 UAE (+1)01:2619:26 ET6:26 PM CT22:26 - Malik Monk scored 11 points Sunday, going 4 of 9 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Indiana Pacers 120-95. Monk grabbed three rebounds and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of -10 in his 15:47 of playing time. He tacked on two steals. Monk went 2 of 3 from 3-point range.
Jan. 19 3:55 PM PT4:55 PM MT5:55 PM CT6:55 PM ET23:55 GMT7:55 4:55 PM MST5:55 PM CST6:55 PM EST3:55 UAE (+1)00:5518:55 ET5:55 PM CT21:55 - Malik Monk scored seven points Saturday, going 3 of 6 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Phoenix Suns 135-115. Monk pulled down one rebound and had four assists, tallying a plus-minus of -6 in his 18:38 of playing time. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 1 of 4 from 3-point range.
Jan. 17 5:44 PM PT6:44 PM MT7:44 PM CT8:44 PM ET1:44 GMT9:44 6:44 PM MST7:44 PM CST8:44 PM EST5:44 UAE (+1)02:4420:44 ET7:44 PM CT23:44 - Malik Monk scored five points Thursday, going 2 of 3 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings 114-95. Monk pulled down one rebound and added an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +13 in his 13:10 on the floor. Monk went 1 of 2 from 3-point range.
Jan. 14 7:07 PM PT8:07 PM MT9:07 PM CT10:07 PM ET3:07 GMT11:07 8:07 PM MST9:07 PM CST10:07 PM EST7:07 UAE (+1)04:0722:07 ET9:07 PM CT1:07 - Malik Monk scored two points Monday on 1-of-5 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the San Antonio Spurs 108-93. Monk pulled down one rebound and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -3 in his 4:51 on the floor.
Jan. 12 8:52 PM PT9:52 PM MT10:52 PM CT11:52 PM ET4:52 GMT12:52 9:52 PM MST10:52 PM CST11:52 PM EST8:52 UAE05:5223:52 ET10:52 PM CT2:52 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Saturday, going 4 of 11 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Sacramento Kings 104-97. Monk did not grab a rebound but had an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -3 in his 19:55 of playing time. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 2 of 6 from behind the arc.
Jan. 11 8:29 PM PT9:29 PM MT10:29 PM CT11:29 PM ET4:29 GMT12:29 9:29 PM MST10:29 PM CST11:29 PM EST8:29 UAE05:2923:29 ET10:29 PM CT2:29 - Malik Monk scored seven points Friday on 2-of-7 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 127-96. Monk pulled down one rebound and dished out four assists, tallying a plus-minus of -9 in his 23:11 on the floor. Monk went 1 of 4 from 3-point range.
Jan. 9 9:05 PM PT10:05 PM MT11:05 PM CT12:05 AM ET5:05 GMT13:05 10:05 PM MST11:05 PM CST12:05 AM EST9:05 UAE06:050:05 ET11:05 PM CT3:05 - Malik Monk scored 24 points Tuesday, going 7 of 14 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 128-109. Monk pulled down one rebound and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -9 in his 20:49 on the floor. Monk went 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
Jan. 6 6:37 PM PT7:37 PM MT8:37 PM CT9:37 PM ET2:37 GMT10:37 7:37 PM MST8:37 PM CST9:37 PM EST6:37 UAE (+1)03:3721:37 ET8:37 PM CT0:37 - Malik Monk scored five points Sunday, going 2 of 8 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Phoenix Suns 119-113. Monk grabbed three rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +2 in his 16:29 of playing time. Monk went 1 of 4 from behind the arc.
Jan. 5 3:37 PM PT4:37 PM MT5:37 PM CT6:37 PM ET23:37 GMT7:37 4:37 PM MST5:37 PM CST6:37 PM EST3:37 UAE (+1)00:3718:37 ET5:37 PM CT21:37 - Malik Monk scored 16 points Saturday, going 6 of 11 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Denver Nuggets 123-110. Monk grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -6 in his 22:15 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 5 from 3-point range.
Jan. 2 5:25 PM PT6:25 PM MT7:25 PM CT8:25 PM ET1:25 GMT9:25 6:25 PM MST7:25 PM CST8:25 PM EST5:25 UAE (+1)02:2520:25 ET7:25 PM CT23:25 - Malik Monk did not score Wednesday, going 0 of 2 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Dallas Mavericks 122-84. Monk grabbed one rebound and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -13 in his 5:08 on the floor. He added one block.
Jan. 2 7:13 PM PT8:13 PM MT9:13 PM CT10:13 PM ET3:13 GMT11:13 8:13 PM MST9:13 PM CST10:13 PM EST7:13 UAE (+1)04:1322:13 ET9:13 PM CT1:13 - Monk exited Wednesday's game against the Mavs with a sprained left ankle.
Analysis: He quickly returned to the bench, so the injury isn't believed to be serious, but he didn't re-enter the game Wednesday.
Dec. 31 4:27 PM PT5:27 PM MT6:27 PM CT7:27 PM ET0:27 GMT8:27 5:27 PM MST6:27 PM CST7:27 PM EST4:27 UAE (+1)01:2719:27 ET6:27 PM CT22:27 - Malik Monk scored 21 points Monday on 7-of-14 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Orlando Magic 125-100. Monk grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +25 in his 24:22 of playing time. He added one block and one steal. Monk went 3 of 6 from behind the arc.
Dec. 29 5:47 PM PT6:47 PM MT7:47 PM CT8:47 PM ET1:47 GMT9:47 6:47 PM MST7:47 PM CST8:47 PM EST5:47 UAE (+1)02:4720:47 ET7:47 PM CT23:47 - Malik Monk scored nine points Saturday on 3-of-5 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Washington Wizards 130-126. Monk did not grab a rebound but had an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -8 in his 16:59 of playing time. He added two steals. Monk went 1 of 3 from 3-point range.
Dec. 28 5:53 PM PT6:53 PM MT7:53 PM CT8:53 PM ET1:53 GMT9:53 6:53 PM MST7:53 PM CST8:53 PM EST5:53 UAE (+1)02:5320:53 ET7:53 PM CT23:53 - Malik Monk scored five points Friday, going 2 of 8 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 100-87. Monk did not grab a rebound but had an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -10 in his 15:20 of playing time. Monk went 1 of 6 from behind the arc.
Dec. 26 7:22 PM PT8:22 PM MT9:22 PM CT10:22 PM ET3:22 GMT11:22 8:22 PM MST9:22 PM CST10:22 PM EST7:22 UAE (+1)04:2222:22 ET9:22 PM CT1:22 - Malik Monk scored eight points Wednesday on 3-of-7 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Brooklyn Nets 134-132 in double overtime. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had three assists, tallying a plus-minus of +4 in his 22:41 on the floor. He tacked on two steals. Monk went 1 of 3 from 3-point range.
Dec. 23 4:25 PM PT5:25 PM MT6:25 PM CT7:25 PM ET0:25 GMT8:25 5:25 PM MST6:25 PM CST7:25 PM EST4:25 UAE (+1)01:2519:25 ET6:25 PM CT22:25 - Malik Monk scored 13 points Sunday on 4-of-8 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Boston Celtics 119-103. Monk grabbed one rebound and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +15 in his 15:02 on the floor. He added one steal. Monk went 2 of 6 from 3-point range.
Dec. 15 5:32 PM PT6:32 PM MT7:32 PM CT8:32 PM ET1:32 GMT9:32 6:32 PM MST7:32 PM CST8:32 PM EST5:32 UAE (+1)02:3220:32 ET7:32 PM CT23:32 - Malik Monk scored 19 points Saturday, going 7 of 14 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 128-100. Monk grabbed five rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -5 in his 27:26 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 5 from behind the arc.
Dec. 14 5:59 PM PT6:59 PM MT7:59 PM CT8:59 PM ET1:59 GMT9:59 6:59 PM MST7:59 PM CST8:59 PM EST5:59 UAE (+1)02:5920:59 ET7:59 PM CT23:59 - Malik Monk scored nine points Friday on 3-of-4 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the New York Knicks 126-124 in overtime. Monk pulled down two rebounds and dished out five assists, tallying a plus-minus of -7 in his 11:52 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 3 from behind the arc.
Dec. 12 5:51 PM PT6:51 PM MT7:51 PM CT8:51 PM ET1:51 GMT9:51 6:51 PM MST7:51 PM CST8:51 PM EST5:51 UAE (+1)02:5120:51 ET7:51 PM CT23:51 - Malik Monk scored seven points Wednesday on 3-of-9 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Detroit Pistons 108-107. Monk pulled down one rebound and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -8 in his 10:41 of playing time. He added one block. Monk went 1 of 3 from 3-point range.
Dec. 9 6:04 PM PT7:04 PM MT8:04 PM CT9:04 PM ET2:04 GMT10:04 7:04 PM MST8:04 PM CST9:04 PM EST6:04 UAE (+1)03:0421:04 ET8:04 PM CT0:04 - Malik Monk scored nine points Sunday on 3-of-8 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 119-107. Monk pulled down four rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +2 in his 20:14 on the floor. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 2 of 4 from 3-point range.
Dec. 7 5:50 PM PT6:50 PM MT7:50 PM CT8:50 PM ET1:50 GMT9:50 6:50 PM MST7:50 PM CST8:50 PM EST5:50 UAE (+1)02:5020:50 ET7:50 PM CT23:50 - Malik Monk scored 16 points Friday, going 5 of 12 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Denver Nuggets 113-107. Monk did not grab a rebound but had an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +21 in his 22:01 on the floor. He added one block. Monk went 3 of 8 from behind the arc.
Dec. 5 6:58 PM PT7:58 PM MT8:58 PM CT9:58 PM ET2:58 GMT10:58 7:58 PM MST8:58 PM CST9:58 PM EST6:58 UAE (+1)03:5821:58 ET8:58 PM CT0:58 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Wednesday, going 3 of 6 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-104. Monk pulled down one rebound and did not have an assist, tallying a plus-minus of +1 in his 17:47 of playing time. He added one block and one steal.
Dec. 2 3:49 PM PT4:49 PM MT5:49 PM CT6:49 PM ET23:49 GMT7:49 4:49 PM MST5:49 PM CST6:49 PM EST3:49 UAE (+1)00:4918:49 ET5:49 PM CT21:49 - Malik Monk scored four points Sunday, going 1 of 5 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 119-109. Monk pulled down one rebound and had three assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +2 in his 9:30 of playing time. He added two steals.
Nov. 30 5:56 PM PT6:56 PM MT7:56 PM CT8:56 PM ET1:56 GMT9:56 6:56 PM MST7:56 PM CST8:56 PM EST5:56 UAE (+1)02:5620:56 ET7:56 PM CT23:56 - Malik Monk scored two points Friday on 1-of-4 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Utah Jazz 119-111. Monk did not grab a rebound nor have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -1 in his 5:44 of playing time.
Nov. 29 8:29 AM PT9:29 AM MT10:29 AM CT11:29 AM ET16:29 GMT0:29 9:29 AM MST10:29 AM CST11:29 AM EST20:29 UAE17:2911:29 ET10:29 AM CT14:29 - Monk will play Friday against the Jazz after leaving in the second half of Wednesday's game against the Hawks with a quad contusion.
Analysis: The second-year guard ranks third on the Hornets with 11.1 points per game and leads all Charlotte bench players with 20.7 minutes a contest.
Nov. 28 5:35 PM PT6:35 PM MT7:35 PM CT8:35 PM ET1:35 GMT9:35 6:35 PM MST7:35 PM CST8:35 PM EST5:35 UAE (+1)02:3520:35 ET7:35 PM CT23:35 - Malik Monk scored two points Wednesday on 1-of-2 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 108-94. Monk pulled down one rebound and dished out three assists, tallying a plus-minus of +4 in his 7:55 of playing time. He added one block.
Nov. 26 5:38 PM PT6:38 PM MT7:38 PM CT8:38 PM ET1:38 GMT9:38 6:38 PM MST7:38 PM CST8:38 PM EST5:38 UAE (+1)02:3820:38 ET7:38 PM CT23:38 - Malik Monk scored seven points Monday, going 2 of 7 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Milwaukee Bucks 110-107. Monk grabbed one rebound and added an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -1 in his 20:44 on the floor. He tacked on one steal. Monk went 1 of 2 from 3-point range.
Nov. 25 4:41 PM PT5:41 PM MT6:41 PM CT7:41 PM ET0:41 GMT8:41 5:41 PM MST6:41 PM CST7:41 PM EST4:41 UAE (+1)01:4119:41 ET6:41 PM CT22:41 - Malik Monk scored 26 points Sunday on 9-of-15 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Atlanta Hawks 124-123. Monk grabbed two rebounds and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +4 in his 23:49 of playing time. He added one steal. Monk went 7 of 11 from 3-point range.
Nov. 21 5:22 PM PT6:22 PM MT7:22 PM CT8:22 PM ET1:22 GMT9:22 6:22 PM MST7:22 PM CST8:22 PM EST5:22 UAE (+1)02:2220:22 ET7:22 PM CT23:22 - Malik Monk scored 15 points Wednesday on 4-of-8 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers 127-109. Monk grabbed two rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -7 in his 18:47 of playing time. He tacked on two steals. Monk went 3 of 6 from behind the arc.
Nov. 19 6:13 PM PT7:13 PM MT8:13 PM CT9:13 PM ET2:13 GMT10:13 7:13 PM MST8:13 PM CST9:13 PM EST6:13 UAE (+1)03:1321:13 ET8:13 PM CT0:13 - Malik Monk did not score Monday on 0-of-3 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Boston Celtics 117-112. Monk grabbed one rebound and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of 0 in his 7:48 on the floor.
Nov. 17 6:10 PM PT7:10 PM MT8:10 PM CT9:10 PM ET2:10 GMT10:10 7:10 PM MST8:10 PM CST9:10 PM EST6:10 UAE (+1)03:1021:10 ET8:10 PM CT0:10 - Malik Monk scored two points Saturday, going 0 of 5 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 122-119 in overtime. Monk grabbed two rebounds and did not have an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of -4 in his 11:07 of playing time. He tacked on one steal.
Nov. 13 5:37 PM PT6:37 PM MT7:37 PM CT8:37 PM ET1:37 GMT9:37 6:37 PM MST7:37 PM CST8:37 PM EST5:37 UAE (+1)02:3720:37 ET7:37 PM CT23:37 - Malik Monk scored six points Tuesday, going 3 of 13 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-89. Monk pulled down two rebounds and dished out two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -12 in his 23:19 of playing time. He added one steal. Monk struggled from 3-point range, coming up empty on all eight of his attempts.
Nov. 11 2:21 PM PT3:21 PM MT4:21 PM CT5:21 PM ET22:21 GMT6:21 3:21 PM MST4:21 PM CST5:21 PM EST2:21 UAE (+1)23:2117:21 ET4:21 PM CT20:21 - Malik Monk scored four points Sunday, going 0 of 5 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Detroit Pistons 113-103. Monk pulled down five rebounds and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +7 in his 17:55 on the floor.
Nov. 9 6:17 PM PT7:17 PM MT8:17 PM CT9:17 PM ET2:17 GMT10:17 7:17 PM MST8:17 PM CST9:17 PM EST6:17 UAE (+1)03:1721:17 ET8:17 PM CT0:17 - Malik Monk scored 12 points Friday, going 4 of 19 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 133-132 in overtime. Monk pulled down three rebounds and had four assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +1 in his 27:28 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 10 from behind the arc.
Nov. 6 5:41 PM PT6:41 PM MT7:41 PM CT8:41 PM ET1:41 GMT9:41 6:41 PM MST7:41 PM CST8:41 PM EST5:41 UAE (+1)02:4120:41 ET7:41 PM CT23:41 - Malik Monk scored 13 points Tuesday, going 5 of 11 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 113-102. Monk did not grab a rebound but had six assists, tallying a plus-minus of +3 in his 20:45 of playing time. He added one steal. Monk went 1 of 3 from 3-point range.
Nov. 3 5:34 PM PT6:34 PM MT7:34 PM CT8:34 PM ET0:34 GMT8:34 5:34 PM MST6:34 PM CST7:34 PM EST4:34 UAE (+1)01:3420:34 ET6:34 PM CT23:34 - Malik Monk scored 16 points Saturday on 7-of-14 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-94. Monk pulled down one rebound and dished out five assists, tallying a plus-minus of +23 in his 21:05 on the floor. Monk went 2 of 6 from behind the arc.
Nov. 1 5:47 PM PT6:47 PM MT7:47 PM CT8:47 PM ET0:47 GMT8:47 5:47 PM MST6:47 PM CST7:47 PM EST4:47 UAE (+1)01:4720:47 ET6:47 PM CT23:47 - Malik Monk scored 21 points Thursday on 7-of-15 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-107. Monk did not grab a rebound but had two assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -3 in his 23:00 on the floor. He added one steal. Monk went 4 of 12 from 3-point range.
Oct. 30 5:47 PM PT6:47 PM MT7:47 PM CT8:47 PM ET0:47 GMT8:47 5:47 PM MST6:47 PM CST7:47 PM EST4:47 UAE (+1)01:4720:47 ET6:47 PM CT23:47 - Malik Monk scored 20 points Tuesday, going 7 of 10 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 125-113. Monk grabbed two rebounds and added an assist, accumulating a plus-minus of +1 in his 23:36 of playing time. Monk went 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Oct. 27 6:17 PM PT7:17 PM MT8:17 PM CT9:17 PM ET1:17 GMT9:17 6:17 PM MST7:17 PM CST8:17 PM EST5:17 UAE (+1)03:1721:17 ET8:17 PM CT0:17 - Malik Monk scored four points Saturday, going 1 of 8 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 105-103. Monk grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists, tallying a plus-minus of -6 in his 11:53 on the floor.
Oct. 26 5:33 PM PT6:33 PM MT7:33 PM CT8:33 PM ET0:33 GMT8:33 5:33 PM MST6:33 PM CST7:33 PM EST4:33 UAE (+1)02:3320:33 ET7:33 PM CT23:33 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Friday, going 4 of 10 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Chicago Bulls 135-106. Monk pulled down two rebounds and dished out two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +13 in his 24:15 on the floor. He tacked on two steals. Monk went 2 of 5 from 3-point range.
Oct. 24 6:58 PM PT7:58 PM MT8:58 PM CT9:58 PM ET1:58 GMT9:58 6:58 PM MST7:58 PM CST8:58 PM EST5:58 UAE (+1)03:5821:58 ET8:58 PM CT0:58 - Malik Monk scored nine points Wednesday on 2-of-8 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Chicago Bulls 112-110. Monk grabbed two rebounds and dished out three assists, tallying a plus-minus of -12 in his 24:13 of playing time. Monk went 1 of 6 from 3-point range.
Oct. 22 6:01 PM PT7:01 PM MT8:01 PM CT9:01 PM ET1:01 GMT9:01 6:01 PM MST7:01 PM CST8:01 PM EST5:01 UAE (+1)03:0121:01 ET8:01 PM CT0:01 - Malik Monk scored 10 points Monday, going 4 of 12 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Toronto Raptors 127-106. Monk grabbed two rebounds and had three assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -11 in his 24:41 of playing time. He added two blocks. Monk went 2 of 5 from behind the arc.
Oct. 20 7:15 PM PT8:15 PM MT9:15 PM CT10:15 PM ET2:15 GMT10:15 7:15 PM MST8:15 PM CST9:15 PM EST6:15 UAE (+1)04:1522:15 ET9:15 PM CT1:15 - Malik Monk scored 15 points Saturday, going 5 of 11 from the field, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 113-112. Monk grabbed one rebound and added an assist, tallying a plus-minus of -1 in his 25:12 on the floor. He added one steal. Monk went 3 of 8 from 3-point range.
Oct. 19 5:35 PM PT6:35 PM MT7:35 PM CT8:35 PM ET0:35 GMT8:35 5:35 PM MST6:35 PM CST7:35 PM EST4:35 UAE (+1)02:3520:35 ET7:35 PM CT23:35 - Malik Monk scored 11 points Friday on 4-of-12 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Orlando Magic 120-88. Monk grabbed one rebound and had two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +5 in his 23:37 on the floor. Monk went 2 of 6 from 3-point range.
Oct. 17 6:00 PM PT7:00 PM MT8:00 PM CT9:00 PM ET1:00 GMT9:00 6:00 PM MST7:00 PM CST8:00 PM EST5:00 UAE (+1)03:0021:00 ET8:00 PM CT0:00 - Malik Monk scored 18 points Wednesday on 7-of-16 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 113-112. Monk pulled down four rebounds and dished out two assists, tallying a plus-minus of +5 in his 33:35 of playing time. He added two blocks and one steal. Monk went 4 of 8 from behind the arc.
Oct. 12 5:51 PM PT6:51 PM MT7:51 PM CT8:51 PM ET0:51 GMT8:51 5:51 PM MST6:51 PM CST7:51 PM EST4:51 UAE (+1)02:5120:51 ET7:51 PM CT23:51 - Malik Monk scored eight points Friday on 3-of-11 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 123-118. Monk grabbed one rebound and had five assists, accumulating a plus-minus of +11 in his 19:16 of playing time. He added one block and two steals. Monk went 2 of 3 from behind the arc.
Oct. 8 5:39 PM PT6:39 PM MT7:39 PM CT8:39 PM ET0:39 GMT8:39 5:39 PM MST6:39 PM CST7:39 PM EST4:39 UAE (+1)02:3920:39 ET7:39 PM CT23:39 - Malik Monk scored 13 points Monday on 5-of-14 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Chicago Bulls 110-104. Monk pulled down one rebound and dished out three assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -8 in his 22:23 on the floor. He tacked on three steals. Monk went 3 of 7 from behind the arc.
Oct. 2 5:49 PM PT6:49 PM MT7:49 PM CT8:49 PM ET0:49 GMT8:49 5:49 PM MST6:49 PM CST7:49 PM EST4:49 UAE (+1)02:4920:49 ET7:49 PM CT23:49 - Malik Monk scored eight points Tuesday on 3-of-7 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets topped the Miami Heat 122-113. Monk grabbed one rebound and had seven assists, tallying a plus-minus of +26 in his 22:43 of playing time. Monk went 2 of 5 from 3-point range.
Sep. 30 4:57 PM PT5:57 PM MT6:57 PM CT7:57 PM ET23:57 GMT7:57 4:57 PM MST5:57 PM CST6:57 PM EST3:57 UAE (+1)01:5719:57 ET6:57 PM CT22:57 - Malik Monk scored 13 points Sunday on 5-of-12 shooting as the Charlotte Hornets fell to the Boston Celtics 115-112. Monk pulled down one rebound and had four assists, accumulating a plus-minus of -10 in his 23:36 of playing time. He added one block. Monk went 3 of 8 from behind the arc.