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The First Family of Marvel: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2019
Thread: The First Family of Marvel: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2019
U.N. Owen
From the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of existence itself, the Fantastic Four have touched it all. They've been superheroes, parents, teachers, explorers, and gods.
They're the Fantastic Four.
It's a New Year, new thread. Let's go crazy.
Crimz
FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST WEEK, January 8th - 16th
"FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST WEEK will offer fans a sneak peek into what's next for Marvel's First Family – with special episodes of shows like This Week in Marvel and Earth's Mightiest Show, exclusive video interviews, Fantastic Four trivia, curated reading lists, delicious themed recipes, and more! Marvel fans will also have a chance to order limited-edition Fantastic Four apparel in January to celebrate their favorite characters.
Tune in to Marvel.com's live stream on January 8 to kick off FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST WEEK!"
https://www.marvel.com/fantastic-four-week
Get issue 1 of the INVISIBLE WOMAN mini OUT NOW!
Also check out : The Invisible Woman Appreciation thread!
Anyone have a recommended/essential reading list for new readers?
Those are always good to put on a first page.
Last edited by Crimz; 01-01-2019 at 11:13 AM.
The most popular three for an FF list are
Lee/Kirby (1-102)
Byrne (232-292)
Hickman (Dark Reign, 570-611, FF 1-23)
Kinky Lil' Canine
wAiD rInGo AnD sImOnSoN's runs
BEGONE BYRNE
heroine addict we love you come back
Bl00dwerK
Happy New Year, FF fans. I really hope 2019 is a better one for you guys. You've been shat on long enough.
Reviresco
Marvel's 1st Superhero
The Sunless Realm
Marvel's First Family the Fantastic Four debuted in issue #1 of their self-titled comic in November of 1961 the same year that saw John F. Kennedy take the oath of office of President of the United States. Their origins are intricately tied to the birth of the Marvel Universe that we know today. From the depths of Atlantis to the Watcher's home on the Blue area of the Moon and to the fabled kingdoms of Latveria and Wakanda, the Inhuman's city fortress of Atillan and the antimatter universe of the Negative Zone, we saw the grand tapestry unfold through the eyes of these four adventurers, or Imaginauts as Mark Waid would later call them.
When Stan and Jack weren't busy creating new characters for the FF to meet, they also made sure that any new Marvel character from another fledgling title had to make their acquaintance with Reed, Ben, Johnny and Sue. Spider-Man wanted to try out for the team. The founding members of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four joined forces to try and hunt down a wayward Hulk. Reed and Ben's former Empire State University classmate Victor Von Doom would become arguably one of Marvel's, if not comicdom's greatest villain. Johnny would have a chance meeting with a bearded stranger in a New York flop house that would lead to the return of the Golden Age anti-hero known as the Sub-Mariner. Cosmic entities like The Watcher and Galactus are on speaking terms with the Fantastic Four. Oh, and as for my mentioning JFK earlier, even President Kennedy made a cameo appearance in FF #17.
Now on the eve of the publication of FF #587, we are told that the old order shall changeth. Not that it hasn't happened before...Ben was on the verge of giving up for good quite often before he became comfortable in his rocky skin. Reed was considered dead and was absent from the title for two years. Sue was estranged from Reed and left the team when Reed had to put power dampeners on their son Franklin. She Hulk, Luke Cage, Medusa were some of the more notable replacement members. But it always came back to the original four....until now. According to Marvel, one of them will die and the Fantastic Four title, dubbed by Stan Lee as "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" will make way for the enigmatically titled "FF" in March of 2011. Roster changes are nothing new to titles like the Avengers or the X-Men but with the FF it's always different, more personal. It will be a loss of a family member.
Well, I guess I will just end this opening post with a little contribution paying tribute to the work of Jack Kirby, who along with Stan Lee co-created the FF. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I think Kirby has about 10 thousand or so packed in to this ...
-- This was Iron Maiden's first post of the original World's Greatest Comic Magazine thread, pre-rebooting of the forums in 2014. And here's a link to the previous thread:
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...reciation-2018
Last edited by Reviresco; 01-01-2019 at 02:11 PM.
***Namor75 Celebration Threads***
IMPERIUS REX FOREVER
Post by Rheged from the previous thread -- needs editing. O_O
FABULOUS FANTASTIC FOUR RUNS!
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Matt Fraction & Bagley and Allred
James Robinson & Leonard Kirk
FAVORITE FANTASTIC FOUR RUNS!
According to 5717 voters
1 John Byrne 28.0% 1599
2 Jonathan Hickman 24.8% 1417
3 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 17.4% 995
4 Mark Waid 10.1% 579
5 Stan Lee 6.7% 383
6 Mark Millar 2.5% 145
7 Walt Simonson 2.1% 119
8 Matt Fraction 1.8% 103
9 Chris Claremont 1.2% 67
10 Tom DeFalco 1.1% 65
11 J. Michael Straczynski 0.9% 50
12 Roy Thomas 0.7% 41
13 Karl Kesel 0.6% 33
14 Carlos Pacheco and Rafael Marin 0.5% 29
15 Steve Englehart 0.4% 23
16 Marv Wolfman 0.4% 21
17 Gerry Conway 0.3% 16
18 Carlos Pacheco and Jeph Loeb 0.3% 15
19 Scott Lobdell 0.2% 14
20 Doug Moench 0.1% 3
Fantastic Four Omnibus v1 Lee & Kirby
Fantastic Four Omnibus v1 John Bryne
Fantastic Four Omnibus v1 Jonathan Hickman
Thing () by Dan Slott
Thing Freakshow
Fantastic Four Unstable Molecules
Fantastic Four 1234
Fantastic Four True Story
Jason Young's Fantastic Four 9 Project
The Science of Reed Richards
The Ever-Lovin Blued-Eyed Thing Appreciation
Dr. Doom Appreciation
Quote Originally Posted by Miss Fantastic View Post
John Byrne, who, in addition to helming unarguably one of my utmost favorite FF creative runs, also penned and illustrated what I, about 95% without hesitance, proclaim to be the FINEST FF issue and story ever conceived in FF #236/"Terror In A Tiny Town". I can't express this enough: Read FF #236 ASAP. You won't thank me enough when you do...it is THAT THOROUGHLY SPLENDID an issue/story.
Besides the Lee/Kirby/Romita/Bushema and the Byrne run.
A very underappreciated run is the Thomas/Wein/Wolfman run from the late '70s.
issues #160 - #220
CJStriker
Ribrianne~4~Life!!! ^_^
2019 is Going to be a Great Year of Celebration for the Returning Royal Family of Marvel and a New 2019 Thread to show just how much the Fandom is their for them!
I am kicking off the Year with a Re-Reading of the New FF series that started late last year 2018 and going threw Marvel Two-in-One Re-Reads as well other essential titles.
I want to start off 2019 with the 1st Family of Comics that has been giving me great joy in seeing them all Back!
Marvel feels Whole again having a New year start off with the family back!
"Let it Bloom. Let it Ring. The Song of Love & Victory!"
~~ Brianne De Chateau ~ Episode 102, of Dragon Ball Super!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyHGXMH6HB0
Come Join and Learn about Wanda Maximoff at: The Scarlet Witch Appreciation Thread!
That's just after I started reading the FF, so it will always have a special place for me.
What issue / run did others start with?
Keyotheseasons
Happy New Year First Family fans.
Originally Posted by Reviresco
Issue #176. Summer of 1976.
fantasticfour176.jpg
My second issue was Marvel's Greatest Comics #69
marvelsgreatest69.jpg
Happy New Year to the FF! It's great to have them back .


Aluminium prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were weaker during Asian morning trading on Friday March 30, tracking the decline seen on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday.
The most-traded May aluminium contract declined to 13,705 yuan ($2,178) per tonne as of 10.16am Shanghai time, down by 0.8% or 115 yuan per tonne from Thursday's close.
Overnight weakness in the LME's three-month aluminium price has filtered through to Asia this morning, pressuring prices there downward.
The LME's three-month aluminium contract hit a low of $1,996 per tonne overnight - the contract's lowest since August 8, 2017.
"Aluminium therefore cost nearly $300 less than the multi-year high it achieved in early January. Almost all of the gains chalked up by aluminium in the second half of December (when it surged from $2,000 to $2,300 per tonne within a good two weeks) have meanwhile corrected again," Commerzbank's research note said.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the United States' Section 232 tariff on aluminium imports and the potential for it to affect global trade flows continue to cloud the light metal's outlook.
"Besides the much gloomier technical picture, we believe that the US import tariffs that came into force last Friday are also contributing to the price slide. This is because the material originally destined for the US is likely to be sold elsewhere - but presumably at lower prices," it added.
Alongside US import tariff worries, a 30,075-tonne delivery of aluminium stocks into LME warehouses in Port Klang has sent exchange's on-warrant stocks back above 1 million tonnes, which was also a heavy hit to the market sentiment.
The rest of the base metals on the SHFE saw fairly limited movement this morning due to the closure of a number of major markets for the Easter holidays. The exception being tin which ticked up by 0.7%.
Participants will likely be looking ahead to the release of China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) on Monday April 2 for further direction, with limited releases scheduled for today.
The LME will be shut on Friday March 30 and Monday April 2 due to the Easter bank holidays.
The SHFE May zinc contract declined by 190 yuan to 24,765 yuan per tonne.
The SHFE May lead contract was down by 80 yuan to 18,655 yuan per tonne.
The SHFE July nickel contract edged down by 70 yuan to 98,740 yuan per tonne.
The SHFE May copper contract inched up by 20 yuan to 49,900 yuan per tonne.
The SHFE May tin contract rose by 990 yuan to 142,770 yuan per tonne.
The dollar index was down by 0.09% to 90 as of 11.05am Shanghai time.
In equities, the Shanghai Composite was up by 0.17% to 3,165.94 as of 11.06am Shanghai time.
In US data on Thursday, personal spending and income during February were both in line with expectations at 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. Core PCE price index also rose 0.2%, while weekly unemployment claims stood at 215,000 - the lowest since 1973.
There is no major data scheduled for today due to a number of markets being closed for the Easter holidays, but participants will likely be keeping an eye on China's Caixin manufacturing PMI scheduled for Monday April 2.


To begin with, a fast sale is a type of a business deal which involves shopping for a property for a price decrease than its regular worth. He believes the blockchain factor will make real estate a far more liquid market, allowing buyers to buy components of buildings with the same ease as they now buy shares on-line.
And for good motive: Having achieved LEED Gold certification for its inexperienced-roofed buildings, and after the opening of the forty five,000-sq.-foot Creekside Neighborhood Centre , the Olympic Village won the 2013 Urban Land Institute award for city open spaces.


ROASTED PEPPER AND TOMATO GRINDER aka SHARON'S "MEATBALL" SUB!
Has the taste, feel and look of a meatball grinder. It also eats like one! This recipe is an adjunct to SWEET RED ROASTED PEPPER SPREAD that can be found in the starter/appetizer section. We'll be using it on these grinders. When you find the time to make the spread, don't forget to make these grinders!
Heat oil in large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Dip tomato slices, one at a time, in coconut milk, pressing milk into both sides.
Then place tomato in the crumbs. Press, lift and turn, pressing crumbs into both sides of the tomato.
Add more oil to the skillet and repeat process with roasted peppers. Because the peppers are already pre-cooked, they won't take 5 minutes to cook through. Just be sure you crisp both sides. Transfer to plate.
Broil grinder rolls. Spread one half of each grinder roll generously with the roasted pepper spread, over the entire broiled surface. Spread less generously on the second half, mostly down the middle.
Spread 2 fried tomatoes on one half of each grinder, then place the fried, roasted peppers on the second halves. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, close and serve whole.
Notes: The perfect 'meatball' grinder. Easy, cheap and best of all satisfying. Don't use regular breadcrumbs, they won't work. We're not using egg here, so we need a crisp crumb.


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Games & Gear
Other Games & Gear
Are there scholarships for video game players?
By: Kate Kershner
Scholarships for video games? You bet. Gamers can get scholarships for their skills at places like the Pokémon world championships.
© Sergei Bachlakov/Xinhua Press/Corbis
You've already defensively informed your mother that there are, in fact, scholarships for gamers during a heated argument about whether your time spent playing "World of Warcraft" is worthwhile as an academic exercise. Your mother probably looked at you pretty skeptically and told you to prove it. So here you are, desperately hoping you correctly remembered that local news segment about the kid who got into college by earning scholarships for gaming.
Well, good news, kiddo! Not only are there scholarships available based on video game performance and achievement, but there are scholarships for those who want to design, program or even study the gaming industry. Better yet: You could snag an athletic scholarship — just like the star quarterback — and join a college gaming team. The dream is alive, buddy.
Let's start with the scholarships that might most surprise your mom: the ones where you actually get money to compete as a gamer in competitions. In 2014, Robert Morris University in Chicago made headlines when it began offering scholarships for an e-sports program at the school. The school handed out 35 scholarships for the program, and they weren't just cute $500 tokens: One student's room, board and tuition were cut in half, which is no small beans at a school where those costs can top out around $30,000 a year [source: Sanserino]. And at least one other school is following suit: The University of Pikeville in Kentucky is also offering scholarships for "League of Legends" gamers, who will compete in tournaments and games just like varsity athletics in your run-of-the-mill college programs [source: Glover]. Mom will be so excited.
But that's not all. If you're interested in the gaming industry in general, quite a few scholarships are available for you. The popular Penny Arcade Web comic offers a $10,000 scholarship every year to a student who has "the most potential to impact the gaming industry" [source: Penny Arcade]. Daybreak Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) also offers a couple of really cool scholarships. The Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Scholarship offers students $5,000 toward tuition or enrollment expenses — plus an internship [source: Daybreak Games]. The scholarship isn't just open to females, but it is designed to encourage positive female representation in games and the gaming industry. You can enter into the art and design or programming and engineering categories. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences also offers a couple of scholarships to students trying to get into the gaming industry [source: AIAS].
And these are just a few of the options available. We're not including the numerous ways you could convince a scholarship committee that your commitment to "Zelda" (is that still a thing?) makes you a hot commodity. So be creative, gamer, and don't listen to Mom. It's very possible that your game is her gain.
How to Cheat at Video Games
How Becoming a Video Game Designer Works
How Video Game Testers Work
Are surgeons using video games for training?
How do you get a job as a video games writer?
Do violent video games lead to real violence?
Level Up! Video Game Myths Quiz
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS). "Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund." (June 5, 2015). http://www.interactive.org/images/pdfs/Randy-Pausch-Scholarship-Form-2015.pdf
College Scholarships. "Video Game Player & Game Design College Scholarships." CollegeScholarships.org. 2015. (May 19, 2015) http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/technology/video-games.htm
Daybreak Games. "Daybreak Games G.I.R.L. Scholarship Program." 2015. (May 19, 2015) https://www.daybreakgames.com/girl
Glover, Erika. "UPIKE Is Second College in the Country to Make Video Games a Varsity Sport." WYKT.com. Jan. 6, 2015. (May 19, 2015) http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/University-of-Pikeville--287606271.html
Gregory, Sean. "Meet America's First Video Game Varsity Athletes." TIME. March 27, 2015. (May 19, 2015) http://time.com/3756140/video-games-varsity/
International Game Developers Association. "IGDA Scholarships." (May 19, 2015) http://scholars.igda.org/about-the-scholarships/
Markovich, Matt. "UW Students Win Scholarship Money Playing Video Games." KOMONews.com. Feb. 4, 2015. (May 19, 2015) http://www.komonews.com/news/local/UW-students-win-scholarship-money-playing-video-games-290846471.html
Penny Arcade. "PA Scholarship." 2015. (May 19, 2015) http://penny-arcade.com/scholarship
Sanserino, Michael. "Video Games Gain New Ground With Athletic Scholarships." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Nov. 23, 2014. (May 19, 2015) http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2014/11/23/Video-games-gain-new-ground-athletic-scholarships/stories/201411230082
Scholarship America. "Check Out 6 Scholarships for Gamers." U.S. News & World Report. Nov. 1, 2012. (May 19, 2015) http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2012/11/01/check-out-6-scholarships-for-gamers
Wingfield, Nick. "E-Sports at College, With Stars and Scholarships." The New York Times. Dec. 8, 2014. (May 19, 2015) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/technology/esports-colleges-breeding-grounds-professional-gaming.html
Kate Kershner "Are there scholarships for video game players?" 20 July 2015.
HowStuffWorks.com. <https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/scholarships-for-video-game-players.htm> 29 January 2023
Is financial aid taxable?
10 Educational Video Games Your Kids Will Love

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For the millennial generation, social media is virtually a birthright; over two thirds use social media to gain a sense of which colleges to apply to, and around a third, once accepted, use social media to narrow down their list to a solid match.
Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune in 1871 told RL Sanderson, a correspondent, to go West, 'where men are wanted, and where employment is not bestowed as alms.' Had Mr. Greeley been around today, and the question was finding solid educational opportunities, he might well have altered his direction to the Midwest.
No matter how intelligent, clever, or driven students might be, the most important factor governing their success academically and professionally is how they interact with their fellow students and professors.
What is the right college fit and, how will you know it when you try it on?
A lot of factors compose a 'right fit': size, location, academics, housing, costs, social life, extracurricular, even the personality of the campus. While it would be nice to be scientific and run around each campus with a clipboard recording what is appealing and revolting, possibly it's best to just trust your gut. If you've visited a number of campuses and met dozens of students during your odyssey, you'll know. Let instinct rule.
Research into best undergraduate educational practices by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) yielded a list of ten: 1st Year Seminars; Required Common Courses; Learning Communities; Writing Intensive Courses; Collaborative Projects; Undergraduate Research; Global Learning; Community-Based Learning; Internships; and, Capstone Projects. The full list, along with a quick synopsis of each practice, can be downloaded at the AACU website: http://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/hip_tables.pdf.
When researching a college, a rule of thumb is the more 'best practices' offered, the more engaged its undergraduates are and the better prepared they will be upon graduation.
First Year Seminars: While some first year seminars might cover orientation or study skills, most are geared towards small seminar classes consisting of fewer than 15 students, taught by a professor, featuring specific topics or readings that require close examination, discussion, analysis, and extensive writing assignments. The small size encourages participation, frequent encounters with the professor, and again, lots of writing that is carefully developed and critiqued. The 2009 National Survey on First-Year Seminars notes over 87% of universities currently offer 1st year seminars. Brown University, for example, has dozens of 1st year seminars for its freshmen. Many state universities, especially Honor's Programs such as Barrett's Honors College at Arizona State University, offer first year seminars as well.
Writing-intensive Courses: The importance of learning to write well, and extensively, cannot be overemphasized. Richard Light, a professor from Harvard's School of Education, draws a direct correlation between the amount of writing in a course and its level of student engagement. Student writing doesn't need to be restricted to just a course, but can and should be interdisciplinary. Most universities also have writing centers that supply aid to all undergraduates in need: Swarthmore College's writing center will assist in anything from a 5-paragraph essay to an esoteric physics research paper.
Undergraduate Research: If you're planning to apply to medical school, or most graduate programs for that matter, conducting undergraduate research is essential. Learning how research is funded, conducted, and published is fast becoming the rite of passage in many undergraduate schools. Most of the departments in Boston University offer numerous opportunities for undergraduate research. Pomona College and Swarthmore require all undergraduates to conduct independent research with a faculty mentors before graduating.
Internships: Gaining internships with companies or institutions prior to graduation is also fast becoming the rigor at many schools. Over 86% of Clarkson College's (NY) recent graduating class participated in internships. Some, such as Northeastern (MA) and Kalamazoo (MI), have full-fledged coop programs that integrate work experience into their curriculum. In departments such as communication at Northwestern and Boston College, working in the media is expected by majors before the end of junior year. The more internships/work experience students gain, the better.
Capstone courses and projects: Mastery of a subject is best demonstrated through an honor's thesis, comprehensive exams, and independent projects requiring application of core concepts of a discipline. Reed College requires most its undergraduates take a comprehensive exam in their junior year followed by a capstone research thesis that is presented and defended before a panel of professors from Reed and outside universities. In essence a bachelor's from Reed signifies capabilities similar to those of PhDs.
Best results arise from best practices: they're worth looking for in any college under consideration.
How does a fledgling student spend her time within a university to gain a better education?
Andrew Roberts, an assistant professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, addresses this very question in his The Thinking Student's Guide to College, 75 Tips for Getting a Better Education, He begins by explaining how a university works, how to best approach professors, and how to work within the university to derive the best education.
If you are about to launch your undergraduate career, read it. The tips surrounding 'Choosing a Major' alone are worth the price: sample a lot of departments, choose a major you love, preferably one of the smaller majors, make sure the major is well structured, write a senior thesis, and attend a departmental lecture weekly. Solid advice abounds. Here are a few choice portions warranting review.
The first question all students need to know is 'How does a University Work?" I suppose a mission statement is vaguely helpful, but to discover the true mission of anything is to follow the money. At many universities, that money is being spent on research. The reason is research, through awards (such as the Nobel Prize), publications, citations, peer reviews (p.11 Roberts) is easy to track and prestigious. As Professor Roberts makes eminently clear, universities have an insatiable thirst for 'prestige.' Teaching is not discounted, but it's very difficult to measure its efficacy, or assign it prestige.
Regardless of how attentive a university might be to undergraduate education, Professor Roberts tips you off on how to gain the most from the class offerings. During the class shopping period (usually the first two weeks of the semester) visit multiple classes and trust your gut on your impressions of the syllabus and professor. Search among the classes by taking a variety of subjects and venturing into areas that initially might not appear of interest. Steer clear of the big lecture classes (they're often a bad value) and take smaller, seminar like classes with hefty writing requirements. Also, fill your schedule with as many upper division, or graduate level classes as you can handle. That is where most of the high quality teaching and learning takes place. One other piece of information offered by Professor Roberts is to ask some of your professors what classes they recommend: they know where the gems are hidden.
It's important to get to know at least one or two professors well during your college career. You'll invariably need a recommendation whether you go on to graduate school or join the workforce. The best way to get to know a professor is to show an interest in the professor's field of research and study. Visiting each of your professors during office hours is one good way to build credibility among a department. Surprisingly, few undergraduates do this, and even fewer are prepared to chat about the subject material knowledgeably when they do show up. Doing this will show you have initiative and intellectual curiosity, two attributes always in short supply.
A professor's existence is her work. If you take an active interest in knowing portions of her research, and show a capable understanding and appreciation of her specialty, that will help you gain credibility and improve your chances for being mentored in independent research projects, getting recommended for internships, or even working with a professor as a research assistant. A lot builds upon getting to know your professors; besides, many are brilliant and intriguing individuals—making their acquaintance that much more appealing.
Understanding a university, and how it works, and in particular how to develop a working relationship with some of its professors is probably more valuable than most of the courses you'll attend. In any field of work, knowing the institution and the people is never an easy matter. Learn to do this as an undergraduate, under the tutelage of Andrew Roberts, and you're likely to gain a better education in university and life.


Alongside our productions, we run a variety of different workshops throughout the year - for those preparing to audition for drama schools, as well as expand their skills as professional actors.
Recent participants of our drama school preparation workshops have have successfully graduated onto BA and MA courses at RADA, Drama Centre and a host of other London schools.
"A very insightful experience. I truly feel we had a thorough education on how to audition and also with preparing monologues."
"I had lost confidence in myself throughout the constant rounds of auditions and was wondering if this is what I wanted. I now feel encouraged in my ability and needed the week with talented, like minded individuals and brilliant tutors to see that. I think the biggest advantage of the week was the confidence it instilled in me."
Our courses are open to participants of all ages, 17 and above. Places are limited, in order to offer a uniquely intimate learning environment, but as such tend to fill quickly. Our courses afford participants highly personalised guidance, as well as insights into actor training by practitioners who have taught successful young actors at many of the UK's most prestigious drama schools.


text:
Major Loans of Contemporary Indian Art Coming to Peabody Essex Museum
British artist Anish Kapoor recently unveiled a scale model of his design, the "ArcelorMittal Orbit", which is due to be installed in the Olympic Park as part of London's 2012 Olympic Games, in London, March 31, 2010. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth.
SALEM, MA.- The Harmony Art Foundation helmed by Tina Ambani will lend three works by masters of contemporary Indian art to be unveiled as part of Sensational India! -- the Peabody Essex Museum's annual festival of Indian art and culture April 10 - 11, 2010.
Anish Kapoor's Halo
Anish Kapoor's work has been exhibited and collected by major museums around the world including recent exhibitions at the Tate Modern in London, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. In the United States he is best known for his 110-ton stainless steel public sculpture Cloud Gate 2004, installed in Millennium Park, Chicago. Its curved mirrored surfaces envelop the viewer in a play of reflections of themselves, the sky and the Chicago skyline.
Another of Kapoor's large reflective sculptures, Halo, 2006 will hang in the PEM Atrium, on long-term loan from the Tina and Anil Ambani Collection. Halo is a shallow circular cone of stainless steel, 10 feet in diameter. Its surface is pleated in a radial pattern, a manipulation more commonly associated with pliable fabric than unyielding steel. "Anish Kapoor is one of the most important artists working in the world today," says Trevor Smith, PEM Curator of Contemporary Art. "The extraordinary technical achievement of his sculpture depends on contemporary technology while invoking a sense of wonder that is timeless."
F.N. Souza's Birth and Paritosh Sen's Ahmedabad Scene
The Ambanis also lent Birth by Francis Newton Souza and Ahmedabad Scene by Paritosh Sen to the new exhibition drawn from PEM's Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection - the country's most important public collection of modern art from India. Painting the Modern in India features seven renowned artists who pioneered new approaches to painting after India achieved independence from British rule in 1947.
"We are thrilled to have these three key works from the Ambani Collection," says Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, The James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Chief Curator at PEM. "Their extended loan is just one of the many ways in which we are bringing global contemporary art to PEM."
PEM and Asia
The Peabody Essex Museum began collecting Indian art in 1799. Among the Museum's most stunning pieces ranging from the 1600s to the present are those currently featured in the Prashant H. Fadia Foundation and Deshpande Foundation galleries of traditional Indian art, and the Edger M. Batchelder Gallery showcasing important Mughal works. With the addition of the renowned Chester and Davida Herwitz collection of contemporary Indian art in 2000, the museum established a unique international position as the holder of one of the most comprehensive collections of Indian art showcasing the breadth and depth of Indian artistic achievement. PEM is singular among American museums in its continuing commitment to collecting and presenting the work of modern and contemporary Indian artists. In addition to its three galleries dedicated to Indian art, the museum presents a constantly changing array of exhibitions, publications, education, and public programs dedicated to engendering increased appreciation of Indian art and culture.
Harmony Art Foundation
Tina Ambani is the founder of the Harmony Art Foundation, an institution which supports India's emerging and established artists. The Foundation's yearly contemporary art show presents young, upcoming talent with that of acknowledged masters, and is the largest of its kind in the country. Over the past 13 years, the Harmony Art Foundation has showcased the work of nearly 1,500 artists and has attracted over a half million visitors.
"There is a tremendous synergy between the Peabody Essex Museum and Harmony Art Foundation based on our belief in Indian art, and our genuine commitment to bring it to the global stage. It's time that the art world looks beyond current fads and market trends to establish an abiding interest in the incredible power and potential of Indian art, " said Ambani.
A former model and popular actor, Ambani is a graduate of the Los Angeles Institute of Interior Design. She has been on the advisory board of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai; the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; and nominee to the reconstituted General Assembly of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the country's pre-eminent agency for cultural exchange. Further, she is chairperson of Harmony for Silvers Foundation, a Mumbai-based non- government organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life of the elderly in India. Ambani recently launched the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute, India's newest, most advanced tertiary care facility, which is designed to raise India's standing as a healthcare hub. Tina is married to Anil, chairman of Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (Reliance ADA Group), which has interests in communications, energy, financial services, health, media and entertainment. They have two sons.
Peabody Essex Museum | Contemporary Indian Art | Tina Ambani |
Jeff Koons Releases Design Concept for BMW Art Car to be Presented at Centre Pompidou
Yale University Acquires Photographer Lee Friedlander's Archive and Master Prints
Walters Art Museum Receives Grant to Support Digitization of Manuscripts
Recent Paintings and Works on Paper by Donald Baechler at Cheim & Read
Adelson Galleries Presents the Paintings of Self-Taught Artist Winfred Rembert
African Tribal Art, Collections of Toys Featured in Dan Morphy's Spring Auction
Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909-1929 Announced at the V&A
Sotheby's Achieves Highest Total for a Various-Owner Chinese Paintings Sale
OJ Simpson Armani Acquittal Suit Goes to Newseum in DC
Solo Exhibition by American Artist Jeff Cowen at Galerie Bernd Klueser
Michael Cline Shows His Work at BFAS Blondeau Fine Art Services
Single-Owner Sale Exceeds High Estimate at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Sotheby's Discovers Mantelpiece from the Royal Palace of Antwerp
Art Gallery of Ontario Extends King Tut's Reign
Selection of Short Video Works Produced by Forcefield at Seventeen Gallery
"Carta del Cielo" Telescope Achievements to be Celebrated
Fish, Divers Swim through Underwater Mexico Museum
Columbia Museum of Art Displays Contemporary Street Art
Woman Sentenced to 7 Years for Auctioning Fake Art
Peabody Essex Museum appoints Austen Barron Bailly as its first Curator of American Art
Peabody Essex Museum Announces Changes to the Board of Trustees
Major International Collaboration Yields Never Before Seen Forbidden City Treasures
Peabody Essex Museum to Host Art Museum Libraries Symposium
Peabody Essex Museum Announces Re-Opening of Crowninshield-Bentley House
Imprints: Photographs by Mark Ruwedel at the Peabody Essex Museum
The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family on View at the Peabody Essex Museum
Peabody Essex Museum Opens Maya Exhibition
Peabody Essex Museum Appoints Anne Munsch as New CFO
Legendary Fashion Icon Holds Court at Peabody Essex Museum


Keep off the ground & dry!
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Rogow, Sally M. is the author of 'Helping the Visually Impaired Child With Developmental Problems: Effective Practice in Home, School, and Community (Special Education Series (New York, N.Y.).)' with ISBN 9780807729021 and ISBN 0807729027.
Loading marketplace prices 4 copies from $2.32 How does the rental process work?


text:
Bruce Findlay honoured with 'outstanding contribution to music'
|In Edinburgh
Legend Bruce Findlay has been honoured with an 'Outstanding Contribution to Music' award at this years SAMAs
The founder of the famous independent music store, Bruce's Record Shop and former manager of Simple Minds was presented with the award at the launch night for the Scottish Alternative Music Awards on Wednesday evening.
Sponsored by the Academy of Music and Sound, the inaugural award honours the biggest names in Scottish music for their work in the industry. Our Scotland academy's attend the event each year.
The 71-year-old said: "I am thrilled to receive the first Outstanding Contribution to Music award at this year's Scottish Alternative Music Awards.
"The Scottish Alternative Music Awards pleases me because I've always felt alternative to the mainstream and I am genuinely humbled by this award being given by a relatively new and useful organisation to the music industry."
Bruce Findlay with Edinburgh band Bwani Junction who performed live at the SAMA launch.
Bruce first ventured into the world of music in 1967 when he and his brother opened their own record shop in Falkirk. Famous for their unique red carrier bags emblazoned with the caption 'I Found It At Bruce's', Bruce's Record Shop quickly became a favourite for music fans with a taste for underground rock.
By the mid-1970's Bruce had launched a record label named Zoom Records, where he signed local teenage band Simple Minds in 1978 and helped set them on the road to becoming global stars.
He recently appeared on STV's Grass-Roots Music to talk about his time working with the band. Richy Muirhead, founder and director of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards said: "Bruce Findlay is a massive national and global legend, what he has achieved, it's remarkable.
"For someone of my age, which is 26, that's really inspiring and I think what we need to do is inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, marketers, managers and artists and hopefully this award [for Outstanding Contribution to Music] will do exactly that".


Keith Kelly currently lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and is a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor.
He's been writing poems, short stories, and playing the guitar since he was fifteen years old. He's had the opportunity of living in many different areas of the United States and has been fortunate enough to travel, meeting many different individuals that have contributed to his life, experience, and writing.
Keith's work has been published in several issues of Common Sense 2, A Journal of Progressive Thought, as well as several issues of CC&D magazine, and in two CC&D books of poetry and prose. He has an ebook published with Ampersand Academic Press, and a self-published book of poetry. He also had stories featured in a collected works edition published with Fountain Blue Publishing of California.


restrict the functionality of processing malicious information through flexmonster.
When we are uploading data having malicious scripts (for generating reports) end user is able to extract secret information ( Username , password) of applications.
How to restrict the functionality of processing malicious information through flexmonster.
Flexmonster Pivot is a client-side component. This means that any information on the server can be accessible only if integrator provides access to this information. In your case, you have full control over the script for data uploading, and it's your choice to allow or restrict access to the secret information.


Be increasingly wary when the network TV bosses boast about their strong "scatter" ads -- they're actually describing a shrinking business.
As we've discussed before, pricing for "scatter" ads -- the ads advertisers buy on the fly, instead of prepurchasing during spring "upfronts" -- rise as ratings go down: As viewers abandon network TV, the ones who remain become more valuable to advertisers, who still feel most comfortable with television. And after a month or so of strike-afflicted TV, scatter is getting even more expensive. MediaWeek says pricing is now 40% more expensive than it was last spring.
With ratings slumping, advertisers pay through the nose. Does that sound like a healthy business model?


"I see a lot of people who get on a skateboard [for the first time] who try to do tricks, try to do an ollie," he says. "When you show up on a basketball court, you wouldn't try to slam dunk it. Just throw the ball at the hoop." Similarly, you want to start skating low and slow, as it were, so that when you fall — and you will — you can get up, dust yourself off, and keep rolling. With that in mind, here are Salfi's top six tips to get your feet under you (and keep them there).


the *background* being red/green to make it easier to see e.g.
(and completely ignore the inner diff when it comes to color).
Set the creation/deletion cost fudge factor to `<percent>`.
and addition of another), and a smaller one in the reverse case.


text:
Mehmet Âkif Alakurt, né le  à Fatsa (Turquie), est un acteur et un modèle turc.

Biographie
Il est originaire de la ville et district de Fatsa, de la province d'ordu dans la région de la mer noire.
Après l'enseignement primaire et secondaire à Istanbul, il a décidé de devenir un modèle.
Avec l'aide de sa mère il entre dans une agence de mannequins. Il a ensuite joué dans plusieurs séries télévisées, dont les séries Reis en 2011, Adanalı de 2008 à 2010, Sıla en 2005 et la série Hacı de 2004 à 2005.

Carrière

En 2005, Mehmet Âkif Alakurt est engagé dans la série télévisée Sıla, où il incarne le rôle de Boran ağa (Jawdat agha en arabe). Il donne la réplique à Cansu Dere, actrice, mannequin et animatrice turque.

Mehmet Âkif Alakurt joue en 2008 dans la série télévisée Adanalı, en compagnie d'autres acteurs turcs notoires dont Serenay Sarıkaya, et le mannequin Eda Özerkan.

Il a reçu les titres de concours de beauté masculin Prince de Turquie et modèle le plus prometteur en 1998. En 2001, il est élu d'abord Meilleur modèle de Turquie, puis la même année Meilleur modèle du monde.

Mehmet Âkif Alakurt a défilé pour de nombreuses marques, notamment : Lacoste, Marks & Spencer, Collezione, Tween, Sarar, Cons, Faruk CCEP, Vakko ou Tommy Hilfiger.

Il a aussi participé à de nombreuses publicités télévisées pour des produits tels que : Pepsi-cola, O.K. , Condom, Egos, Dogadan Cay, Ipana.

Mehmet Âkif Alakurt est le premier mannequin turc à obtenir un contrat d'égérie de la marque Lacoste.

Filmographie

Télévision

Lien externe

 interview sur milliyet.com.tr

Notes et références

Acteur turc
Acteur ayant incarné Mehmed II
Mannequin homme turc
Naissance en juillet 1979
Naissance à Fatsa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Master's and Ph.D. Career Fair, held by the Berkeley Career Center in the Pauley Ballroom of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union on October 12, was my first career fair experience. My mission: to find out what a career fair is like for Ph.D. students, especially students like me from humanities and social sciences (HSS) backgrounds, who aren't always used to being directly recruited.
As I walked into the Student Union, I saw a group of students huddled around a set of boards where the employers presenting at the fair were listed. Some of these students were wearing suits and holding copies of their résumés, and seemed like they were attending the fair to speak to specific employers. (Presumably these students had read the Career Center's useful list of tips for getting the most out of career fairs.) Others, like me, were dressed in less formal clothing and seemed to have shown up more spontaneously.
Once I had scanned my student I.D. for free admission and received a map of the fair's layout, I stepped into the ballroom. "Fair" is definitely the right word: there was a carnival-like atmosphere, with lots of swag (T-shirts, bags, chocolates), long lines, and colorful signs. Certain booths, like AirBnB and Uber, were very well-attended; others, particularly those recruiting for non-STEM positions, were getting less traffic. I was visiting the less-busy booths, and these employers were very generous with their time. Even if they didn't have a position that would be a good fit, many of them suggested how I could be more competitive in the future, or recommended positions at other organizations that were more aligned with my skills.
Talking to employers was more productive, and less intimidating, than I had expected. I found quite a few education and nonprofit employers actively looking for HSS students (such as Kiva.org, Basis Independent Schools, and American Institutes for Research). I was also surprised to find that other employers that I might have expected to be hiring exclusively STEM students (such as Covered California, Big Data Federation, and Kaiser Permanente) were offering positions oriented toward the teaching, communication, and research skills acquired in HSS programs.
Even though I wasn't looking for a job, I came away with a lot of new contacts and new career ideas. Based on my experience, I would recommend career fairs to any student (including my fellow humanists and social scientists). Whatever stage of the job hunt you're in — from just considering your options, to actively looking for employment — you can use a career fair to your advantage. For me, it ended up being ten informational interviews in fewer than two hours — a quick, low-stakes way to learn a lot about several different industries and organizations. While the Master's and Ph.D. Career Fair won't be back until next fall, grad students can check out the upcoming Spring Career Fair (January 24-25) or one of the many other fairs next semester.


We have found 2 chiropractors in College Point and chiropractic clinics in College Point New York.
You may try to filter your search results by state, city, make, or zip to find your College Point chiropractor and College Point chiropractic clinic from search results in New York.
Are you looking for College Point Chiropractors and College Point Chiropractic Clinics New York?


text:
Cornell-Swiss study reveals a 'sirtuin' way to a healthy heart
By Tom Fleischman
The human heart is a remarkable muscle, beating more than 2 billion times over the average life span.
But the heart's efficiency can decrease over time. One major contributor to this decreased function is cardiac hypertrophy – a thickening of the heart muscle, resulting in a decrease in the size of the left and right ventricles. This makes the heart work harder and pump less blood per cycle than a healthy heart.
Cornell researchers, working in collaboration with scientists in Switzerland, have identified a strong connection between a protein, SIRT5, and healthy heart function. SIRT5 has the ability to remove a harmful protein modification known as lysine succinylation, which robs the heart of its ability to burn fatty acids efficiently to generate the energy needed for pumping.
"Our research suggests that perhaps one way to improve heart function is to find a way to improve SIRT5 activity," said Hening Lin, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, who co-wrote the article published online April 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Sushabhan Sadhukhan, a postdoctoral fellow in Lin's lab, was lead author of the paper.
SIRT5 is one of a class of seven proteins called sirtuins that have been shown to influence a range of cellular processes. According to Sadhukhan, most research on laboratory mice into sirtuin activity has focused on the liver, as opposed to the heart, due to the size of the liver and ease of obtaining tissue.
Lin's lab tested mouse tissue from five locations (heart, liver, kidney, brain, muscle) and found that protein lysine succinylation occurs to the greatest extent in the heart. The testing involved mice that had SIRT5 deleted.
The removal of SIRT5 resulted in reduced activity of ECHA, a protein involved in fatty acid oxidation, and decreased levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores and transfers chemical energy within cells.
The effect of SIRT5 removal on heart function was even more pronounced as the mice aged. The researchers performed echocardiography on 8-week-old mice, with some reduced cardiac function observed. The mice were tested again at 39 weeks, and they showed hallmarks of cardiac hypertrophy – increased heart weight and left ventricular mass, along with reductions in both the shortening and ejection fractions of the heart.
The group's findings could spawn new methods for the preservation of heart health and extension of healthy life, which could have significant implications for human health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause death among both men and women, with more than 600,000 people in the U.S. dying from it annually.
Lin said that vitamin B3, also known as niacin, boosts the production of the small molecule nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme found in all living cells. SIRT5, like all sirtuins, is NAD-dependent.
"If you can have a way to promote sirtuin activity, like by taking a vitamin supplement, or somehow boosting sirtuin levels, you might have healthier tissue and organs and extend your healthy life," Lin said.
His Swiss collaborator concurred.
"The identification of this new role of SIRT5 in cardiomyopathy assigns an important role of this 'druggable' enzyme in one of the major cardiac diseases," said Johan Auwerx of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. "It can be expected that pharmacological interference with these pathways will lead to new therapies for cardiomyopathy that, as such, can extend healthy life span."
Other collaborators included Ryu Dongryeol, a postdoctoral fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Ornella Nelson, Cornell graduate student in the field of chemistry; Sheng Zhang, director of the Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility at Cornell; and Robert Weiss, professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Melissa Osgood
mmo59@cornell.edu
Enzyme inhibitor looks promising against cancer
Research paper on PNAS


text:
// Array Expression Operators: https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/operator/aggregation/#array-expression-operators

import { computeValue, Options } from "../../../core";
import { AnyVal, RawArray, RawObject } from "../../../types";
import { assert, isNil } from "../../../util";

/**
 * Returns a subset of an array.
 *
 * @param  {Object} obj
 * @param  {*} expr
 * @return {*}
 */
export function $slice(
  obj: RawObject,
  expr: AnyVal,
  options?: Options
): AnyVal {
  const args = computeValue(obj, expr, null, options) as RawArray;
  const arr = args[0] as RawArray;
  let skip = args[1] as number;
  let limit = args[2] as number;

  // MongoDB $slice works a bit differently from Array.slice
  // Uses single argument for 'limit' and array argument [skip, limit]
  if (isNil(limit)) {
    if (skip < 0) {
      skip = Math.max(0, arr.length + skip);
      limit = arr.length - skip + 1;
    } else {
      limit = skip;
      skip = 0;
    }
  } else {
    if (skip < 0) {
      skip = Math.max(0, arr.length + skip);
    }
    assert(
      limit > 0,
      `Invalid argument for $slice operator. Limit must be a positive number`
    );
    limit += skip;
  }

  return arr.slice(skip, limit);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
// Copyright 2009 the Sputnik authors.  All rights reserved.
// This code is governed by the BSD license found in the LICENSE file.

/**
 * If string.charAt(k) equal "%" and k + 2 >= string.length, throw URIError
 *
 * @path ch15/15.1/15.1.3/15.1.3.2/S15.1.3.2_A1.1_T1.js
 * @description Complex tests
 */

result = true;

//CHECK#1
try {
  decodeURIComponent("%");
  result = false;
} catch(e) {
  if ((e instanceof URIError) !== true) {
    result = false;
  }
}

//CHECK#2
try {
  decodeURIComponent("%A");
  result = false;
} catch(e) {
  if ((e instanceof URIError) !== true) {
    result = false;
  }
}

//CHECK#3
try {
  decodeURIComponent("%1");
  result = false;
} catch(e) {
  if ((e instanceof URIError) !== true) {
    result = false;
  }
}

//CHECK#4
try {
  decodeURIComponent("% ");
  result = false;
} catch(e) {
  if ((e instanceof URIError) !== true) {
    result = false;
  }
}

if (result !== true) {
  $ERROR('#1: If string.charAt(k) equal "%" and k + 2 >= string.length, throw URIError');
}


VOICE and SAINT: Why these two acronyms are creating a buzz – By Martin Musinguzi, Esq.
To counter VOICE, Rep. Jared Polis launched a database intended to tell positive stories about immigrants called SAINT – Saved by American Immigrants National Taskforce.
From Africa and Want to live as well as own a small business in the U.S?


text:
Q: How to include my Javascript file and/or jQuery in my HTML web page I have:

*

*controller/reports_controller.rb

*views/reports/index.html.erb

*assets/reports.js
I have an image in index.html.erb:

I want to print an message to the screen (alert message) when the user presses the image. so I want to write a function in reports.js that print the message.
reports.js:
$(document).ready(function() {
    $(".main_mark_image").click(function () {
        alert("alon");
    });
});

but I think I have to relate between the java script the the html.
any help appreciated!

A: When using an external script you need to tell your HTML file:

The above assumes that your 'assets' folder is in the same folder as your index. You also need to include the jQuery library. It's available for download or you can use Google's:

Or, for jQuery UI:

Hope this helps.

A: Try:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We're here to help, daily from 7am-7pm (Ireland). Contact us: https://t.co/DwWAcILtwW. Privacy: https://t.co/IWl8cpZG0L.
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text:
Time for a chat?
Imagine a retail location with no sales clerks available to help people who have questions or can't find products. That's the state of an estimated three out of four e-commerce Websites that don't make service agents available to chat live with customers and prospects.
And while no time is a good time to leave sales on the table, or Web page, so to speak, a recession is certainly not the time to let fence sitters leave for lack of attention.
Is click-to-chat a wise option for every merchant? No, it's usually not for those who sell low-consideration, low-margin products. (But live-chat customer service does make sense for low-margin items if the customer is a high-value customer overall, or if the contact-center representative can cross-sell or upsell during the process.)
Click-to-chat is also not wise for merchants who don't intend to put the proper resources into it.
"There are deployment best practices, and there are people best practices," says Kevin Kohn, executive vice president, marketing, for live-chat software provider LivePerson. "One of our challenges is that we can have the best technology in the world, and if the companies we market into aren't investing in [chat customer-service representatives], then the experience is not going to be good."
But for companies that do invest in the proper resources, live chat has advantages no other channel offers, he adds. For example, chat allows customers to get service anonymously, so they're often willing to communicate with a contact-center agent earlier in the process than they would via telephone.
"If they haven't made that decision yet, they might feel the questions they're asking aren't very sophisticated — or they might be coming in from another country and aren't comfortable with English," he says.
EarthLink began using click-to-chat customer service in 2001, and by 2004 the Internet service provider was using it to handle 15% of its customer contacts.
"This was really huge for us, because our chat agents handle three concurrent chats and, depending on call time, if we're handling the customer with chat as opposed to the phone, we're saving anywhere from $3 to $5 per contact," says Mike Murphy, senior manager, online support strategy, EarthLink. "A couple million chats a year for support breaks down into huge cost savings for us."
Chat is also EarthLink's highest scoring channel in terms of customer satisfaction and is comparable to other channels in terms of issue-resolution percentages, says Murphy.
A chat agent can handle 80 to 100 contacts a day, and no topic, including service-cancellation-save attempts, is outside their scope, he notes.
Chat currently accounts for about 25% of EarthLink's customer contacts, Murphy says.
Naturally, chat customer service is especially well suited for companies that serve younger demographics. Alton Martin, CEO of customer service consulting firm COPC, notes that his children, who are in college, are much more accepting of chat transactions because they do it all the time. "I've seen one of my kids with six chat windows open at once," he says.
Another advantage of chat customer service is that the agent can save the entire session and send a transcript electronically to the customer when it's over. "This is especially useful in technical support," Martin says.
He adds that chat also offers call-center management a unique ability to read the transcripts and assess how well — or not — agents are interacting with customers and prospects.
Pushing the button
Kohn warns that Web marketers should display the click-to-chat buttons only when there is someone available. "Don't promote the channel if you're not going to staff it," he says.
Kohn also stresses that merchants who make chat available to their customers should make clear what the click-to-chat button is and why it's there.
"How the channel is introduced is almost as important as the experience itself," he said. "It's almost like an ad banner, and it's amazing how much time people will spend on a banner or e-mail — and how little time they'll spend on a button introducing a channel."
For example, the button should be contextual, or relevant to where the visitor is on the site. "If they're on a service page, don't have a button saying, 'Hey, there's a great sale going on,' " he says. "You just need to think about it from the standpoint of the user experience, just like you do everything else."
Click-to-chat buttons should appear on pages where critical decisions are likely to be made or breakdowns are most likely to happen, such as throughout the checkout process, he adds.
Another chat function merchants should consider is proactive chat, in which contact-center representatives reach out via a chat window to certain prime-target Website visitors without being asked. Once certain rules are set in place, Kohn says, 20% to 25% of people who are contacted proactively will make a purchase.
But isn't popping up in people's faces when they're on the Internet disconcerting?
It depends on whether it's done right or not, says Kohn. "They'll love it if they just spent half an hour trying to configure a laptop on HP, they get a configuration error and have two choices: They've either got to start all over, or call the 800-number, which will have no visibility into what they just did.
But if a merchant layers in a proactive invitation that says: "Hey, I see you're having trouble. Would you like to connect with me so I can help you complete this?" Kohn says, "they'll jump on it."
Continue on Page 2
It's all about knowing when to reach out, he says. For example, he says, a bank may know that if someone spends more than two minutes on a certain step in an application, they're highly likely to abandon the process altogether.
"Sometimes it may be due to a legitimate interruption, like the phone rang or the baby's crying," he says. But in a lot of cases these customers are at risk because they're confused, they're having second thoughts, they're not sure what information they need or they don't understand the question.
"If I can put an agent in front of that person in one minute and 50 seconds or one minute and 45 seconds, an agent who understands where that person is in the process and can help them get over that hump, then it's a win-win for everybody involved."
That said, Kohn adds that one of the biggest mistakes companies make with proactive chat is being too aggressive with it.
"It's like if you walk into a store and a sales clerk immediately comes running up to you," he says.
The agent issue
Another important consideration for merchants employing online chat is making sure the contact-center agents have the unique qualifications the channel demands. Obviously, chat customer-service agents should be literate and have typing skills.
Foremost among those qualifications for merchants selling noncomplex products and services, according to Kohn, is that chat agents be able to multitask.
"One of the benefits of chat is you can handle multiple inquiries at the same time," he says. "We call it concurrency."
Concurrency is usually directly proportionate to the complexity of the product, Kohn says. "If it's a sophisticated product like financial services or brokerage, you'll want to make it one-to-one. If it's a retail product, you can probably do three to four concurrent chats, especially if it's a trained agent."
But it's important not to force chat representatives to attempt to handle too many queries at once, says COPC's Martin.
"I've sat down with chat agents trying to run eight different chats at once and they get overwhelmed," he says. And the time between responses is too long, which is frustrating for customers.
"I've seen companies make planning assumptions about the number of concurrent chat sessions an agent can handle that are way off the mark," Martin says. "The expected cost saves aren't there, customer frustration is much higher than they thought it was going to be, so what looked like a promising technology to take care of more people can backfire pretty fast."
Alton adds that with contact-center agents being increasingly required to interact with customers through multiple channels, the job is getting more complex.
"You need an individual in that position with more training, more education and more smarts," he says.
RELATED TAGS: Warehouse


Akashi-san and I have been discussing required GCC changes to make kernel's livepatching work for AArch64 and other architectures.  At the moment livepatching is supported for x86[_64] using the following options: "-pg -mfentry -mrecord-mcount -mnop-mcount" which is geek-speak for "please add several NOPs at the very beginning of each function, and make a section with addresses of all those NOP pads".
The above long-ish list of options is a historical artifact of how livepatching support evolved for x86.  The end result is that for livepatching (or ftrace, or possible future kernel features) to work compiler needs to generate a little bit of empty code space at the beginning of each function.  Kernel can later use that space to insert call sequences for various hooks.
Our proposal is that instead of adding -mfentry/-mnop-count/-mrecord-mcount options to other architectures, we should implement a target-independent option -fprolog-pad=N, which will generate a pad of N nops at the beginning of each function and add a section entry describing the pad similar to -mrecord-mcount .
Since adding NOPs is much less architecture-specific then outputting call instruction sequences, this option can be handled in a target-independent way at least for some/most architectures.
As I found out today, the team from Huawei has implemented , which follows x86 example of -mfentry option generating a hard-coded call sequence.  I hope that this proposal can be easily incorporated into their work since most of the livepatching changes are in the kernel.
 Technically, generating a NOP pad and adding a section entry in .__mcount_loc are two separate actions, so we may want to have a -fprolog-pad-record option.  My instinct is to stick with a single option for now, since we can always add more later.


Truly Design was born in Torino as a graffiti crew, pulling together Mauro149, Rems182, Ninja1 and Mach505. Sincere friendship and a strong passion for art have been the glue which has constantly held the four artists together for more than a decade. Artistic studies and the will to create a lifelong adventure out of passion soon led TD's artistic research towards contamination with other art forms.The crewmates' complementary skills gave birth to a cauldron of eclectic artwork.
The crew soon became a breeding ground for ideas which pushed the traditional boundaries of graffiti art, developing the collaboration to the point of opening of a visual communication studio in hometown Turin.
They involve themselves in street art, illustration, fine art, graphic design, and even teaching. Truly Design creates murals of various images and designs. Among these, they are specialized in anamorphic murals, only recognizable from one very specific vantage point. From that specific perspective the mural seems to float as a two dimensional image in mid-air. From any other perspective, though, the mural appears to be a warped mess.
In 2007, the group founded Truly Design Visual Communication Studio, specializing in urban art, illustration and graphic design for commercial and artistic projects, working for several brands such as Fiat Group, Martini, Samsung, Nike and EMI.
Their work has been published in international editions like Logo Design (Taschen), Logology (Victionary), Tangible (Gestalten), Graffiti Writing (Mondadori), Graffiti All Stars, Fefè, WeAr Magazine, and has been showcased in collective exhibitions (Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland,France) and solo shows (Italy, Austria, Germany) and at the 54° Biennale di Venezia.


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How the Conflict in the Ukraine affects Investors
The war that began this week between Russia and the Ukraine is a human tragedy and a stark reminder that dollars and cents are secondary to health and safety. Some of us who have friends and family in the areas affected by war are focused on the wellbeing of their loved ones. But for most American investors, the immediate impact of the conflict is seen with the change in the value of their investments.
War is bad for stocks. Companies are worth the present value of their future profits. War destroys wealth whereas work creates it. Wars reduces commerce, making companies less profitable and worth less. That was seen on Thursday, February 24th when the U.S. Stock market opened down 2.5%. It looked like Wall Street might suffer a historically bad day, but by the close of trading the market was up 1.6%, a stunning reversal. The change was more pronounced in technology stocks with Cathy Wood's ARKK going from -8% to +6%, a 14% intraday change! So what gives?
It's difficult to know exactly why the market moves the way it does, but yesterday's price action seemed especially tied to expectations from the Federal Reserve. At the moment, the market is pricing in hawkish moves by the Federal Reserve over the coming year or two. These will take the form of interest rate hikes and the elimination of asset purchases or even asset sales, all to combat inflation.
Those moves are expected to be harmful to the price of stocks, especially growth stocks which are more sensitive to interest rate changes. If war in Eastern Europe is going to be a detriment to economic activity, the Federal Reserve may not act as aggressively which may be net beneficial for stocks. Keep in mind, Ukraine is a relatively poor and small country and Russian Stocks only makes up a small fraction (0.25%) of the equity allocation portion of client portfolios.
There are two main takeaways. The first is that markets are so good at instantly pricing in news. If you had wanted to sell out of stocks yesterday at 10am because of the start of the war, you were too late. The market had already sold off on that news, so selling would have been no benefit to you.
The second is that everything is connected and when one lever is moving over here another level is moving over there. How could the outbreak of war possibly be a good thing for stocks? Because of the Federal Reserve. It's so hard to know how other elements of the market will react to news that even if you knew the news ahead of time, you still may be wrong in anticipating how markets will react.
Again, we are reminded not to try and outsmart the market. Establish an investment portfolio you are comfortable with and stick to it!
February 25, 2022 /0 Comments/by Rockbridge Team
https://www.rockbridgeinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/flag-g04f7a6ac8_1920.jpg 1280 1920 Rockbridge Team http://www.rockbridgeinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/rockbridge-logo-1.png Rockbridge Team2022-02-25 17:56:452022-05-30 06:06:22How the Conflict in the Ukraine affects Investors
Major Firms predict Expected Returns in the coming Decade
Every year large Wall Street firms publish their forecast of expected returns for the coming decade. The following table shows what each firm expects from capital markets in the coming 10-years.
The first thing that jumps out is the poor expected performance by U.S. equities. Despite averaging nearly 10% over the last 100 years, forecasters have returns in a range from 1.6% to 6.7% which an average of 3.5%.
It's also worth noting how much better forecasters expect international stocks to perform compared to U.S. stocks. Every forecaster has international stocks outperforming U.S. stocks, the average difference being 2.5% with developed countries and 4% with emerging countries.
It stands to reason international stocks will outperform U.S. stocks by a bit as they are more volatile, but if the difference in returns is as large as these forecasters expect, portfolios heavy in international stocks will have greater risk-adjusted returns.
Expected returns for bonds have much less variability, with their 2% average coming in just above what the aggregate bond market is currently yielding.
These forecasters have been predicting international outperformance for several years now, but U.S. stocks keep stealing the show. Will the experts finally be right, or will domestic stocks continue to be the best? It's anyone's guess but these forecasts reinforce the importance of maintaining a globally diversified portfolio, with a meaningful allocation to international stocks.
February 2, 2022 /0 Comments/by Rockbridge Team
https://www.rockbridgeinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/wall-street.jpeg 683 1024 Rockbridge Team http://www.rockbridgeinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/rockbridge-logo-1.png Rockbridge Team2022-02-02 15:47:122022-05-30 06:07:35Major Firms predict Expected Returns in the coming Decade


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Convinced? Shortly after the filename was spotted, someone at Google's social media division went back in and changed it to "Octopus Teaser.mp4", presumably in reference to the octopus animation Easter egg in recent editions of the Android O beta.
You're free to make your own minds up but you've only got a couple of days to get your predictions finalized, because Android O is arriving on Monday, August 21. Google has announced a livestream announcement for 2:40PM EST (11:40AM PST, 7:40PM GMT).
Oreo would make a lot of sense for the name of the next Android update, as it's a recognizable brand name in the style of KitKat, which was of course used for Android 4.0. It's less likely that Google would suddenly switch to underwater creatures like the octopus, but like everyone else we'll have to wait and see.
How quickly Android O will get pushed out to the phones of the masses isn't clear yet, but presumably anyone who owns a Pixel or a Nexus device is going to be first in line. When Google has something more specific to share we'll let you know.
The mobile OS update, which has been available as a public beta for several months, doesn't add a huge amount of new features, but you'll notice improvements to battery life, the notification system, and boot times. Once the software launch is out-of-the-way, we can get back to looking forward to Google's next pair of Pixel handsets.
Next articleMAD OS Coolpad: Is it the best Custom ROM?


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Tunisian module manufacturer Ifri-Sol commissions new solar factory
The new 150 MW solar module manufacturing facility will be located in Kairouan and will enable the company to reach a total production capacity of 200 MW.
January 10, 2018 Emiliano Bellini
The facility will rely on an undisclosed German technology for the production equipment and will assemble modules with solar cells imported from Taiwan.
Image: Ifri-Sol
Tunisian solar module manufacturer, Ifri-Sol has commissioned its second manufacturing facility, in Kairouan, in northern Tunisia's inland desert.
In a statement to pv magazine, the company said the new factory, which has a capacity of 150 MW, will produce both mono- and multi-crystalline modules, full black panels and monocrytsalline panels with PERC cells.
The facility will rely on an undisclosed German technology for the production equipment and will assemble modules with solar cells imported from Taiwan. Ifri-Sol invested around €15 million in the construction of the new facility.
With this new factory, the company, which also owns and operates a 50 MW module factory commissioned in 2013 in Enfidha, a town in north-eastern Tunisia, now has an operational production capacity of 200 MW.
The company produces modules ranging in power output from 160 W to 310 W for off-grid, commercial, large-scale, BIPV and residential applications. Modules are available in the 36, 60 and 72 cells series for both mono- and multi-crystalline technologies. The panels are also certified for the European market, the company stressed.
The company claims its modules are distributed in 43 different countries, and that its main market are Tunisia and all of Northern African countries.


About: Leptonica	is a library for image processing and image analysis applications.
Doxygen doesn't incorporate all member files but just a definable subset (basically the main project source code files that are written in a supported language). So to search and browse all member files you may visit the Fossies leptonica-1.78.0.tar.gz contents page and use the Fossies standard member browsing features (also with source code highlighting and additionally with optional code folding).
Utilities for stacks, generic arrays, queues, heaps, lists; number and string arrays; etc.
Tom Powers: Tom has supported Leptonica on Windows for many years. He has made many contributions to code quality and documentation, including the beautiful "unofficial documentation" on the web site. Without his effort, Leptonica would not run today on Windows.
David Bryan: David has worked for years to support Leptonica on multiple platforms. He designed many nice features in Leptonica, such as the severity-based error messaging system, and has identified and fixed countless bugs. And he has built and tested each distribution many times on cross-compilers.
James Le Cuirot: James has written and supported the autotools scripts on Leptonica distributions for many years, and has helped test every distribution since 1.67.
Jeff Breidenbach: Jeff has built every Debian distribution for Leptonica. He has also made many improvements to formatted image I/O, including tiff, png and pdf. He is a continuous advocate for simplification.
Egor Pugin: Egor is co-maintainer of Leptonica on GitHub. He ported everything, including all the old distributions, from Google Code when it shut down. He set Leptonica up for appveyor and travis testing, and has implemented the cppan project, which simplifies building executables on Windows.
Jürgen Buchmüller: Jürgen wrote text converters to modify Leptonica source code so that it generates documentation using doxygen. He also wrote tiff wrappers for memory I/O.
Stefan Weil: Stefan has worked from the beginning to clean up the Leptonica GitHub distribution, including removing errors in the source code. He also suggested and implemented the use of Coverity Scan.


Interactive response systems enhance pedagogy in learning. These systems help students to get to know the subject in an enjoyable and stimulating way. It helps to focus individual students.
Systems have a core coach, a student device, a wireless receiver, and a presentation software. The teacher asks for questionnaires, such as real / fake, yes / no, multiple choice questions, etc. And the student answered the questions by pressing the handset buttons. The teacher issues his or her own questions with the student using software or purchases content from the market. The teacher can learn the students' assessment of the students. The software instantly displays multimedia 3D games and graphs. The teacher gets a personal opinion on the topic, collects data for reporting and analyzing students. You can save reports to a computer in file formats such as Excel, PDF, HTML, and so on.
These ICT products help teachers find information on students' strengths and weaknesses. The teacher can use this information to improve students' understanding of the topic. It has been scientifically proven that students who are learning this ICT product understand the understanding much more easily than those who are familiar with traditional methods. It has also been observed that the use of interactive response systems helps to improve attention and keep information during the session. Even a spare-type student can choose with spontaneous confidence through interactive response systems. Integration with the visualizer is a wonderful tool for answering spontaneous questions in the classroom.


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Will 2009 Be the Year of Reckoning for Health Clubs?
Our industry is still primarily a small-business venture, and the majority of club operators expect the economy to negatively affect them this year, according to initial results from the first CMETO Independent Club Survey. I conducted and published results of the 12-question online survey last month using responses from 271 North American clubs, varying in size from less than 500 members to more than 5,000 members.
In general, the survey shows that approximately 55 percent of clubs are less than 20,000 square feet in size (the small club sector). Thirty-five percent are less than 10,000 square feet (mini-clubs). Twenty-eight percent are between 20,000 and 60,000 square feet (the middle market). Only 17 percent exceed 60,000 square feet (the large club segment).
As far as club members go, 24 percent of clubs have less than 500 members, 18 percent have between 500 and 1,000 members, 27 percent have between 1,000 and 2,500 members, 19 percent have between 2,500 and 5,000 members, and 12 percent exceed 5,000 members.
The survey showed that 36 percent of respondents report less than $500,000 in gross annual revenues, 23 percent have between $500,000 and $1 million, 20 percent have between $1 million and $2 million, 11 percent generate between $2 million and $4 million, and 10 percent have more than $4 million.
What are club membership numbers showing? Thirty-three percent of respondents say they had a net membership loss in 2008, 34 percent reported that membership stayed the same in 2008 as in 2007, and 33 percent reported growth in net membership. When it comes to new membership sales, 39 percent of respondents say they sold fewer new memberships in 2008 compared to 2007, 30 percent sold the same number of new memberships, and 31 percent reported selling more new memberships.
This translates to 33 percent of respondents reporting making a healthy profit on operations in 2008, 21 percent making a profit but not as great as in previous years, 23 percent reporting breakeven operations and 23 percent reporting a net loss for 2008.
So what do these numbers tell us? About one-third of clubs have less than 10,000 square feet, and more than five out of 10 facilities have less than 1,000 members. Two-thirds of clubs suffered no growth or net loss in memberships in the past year, nearly 70 percent of clubs are selling less or the same number of new memberships as in previous years, and almost half of health club operators are making no money or are losing money on operations.
To determine some subjective findings, I asked three opinion questions about the economy, competition and operators' outlooks. Seventy-eight percent of club operators say that the economy will have either some negative effect or a large negative effect on our industry in 2009, 15 percent say there will be no effect and 7 percent say that the economy will have some positive effect on their businesses. Forty-seven percent say about the same number of clubs will exist at the end of the year as at the beginning, 36 percent say there will be fewer facilities and 17 percent say there will be more clubs.
Will 2009 be a make or break year for club operators? Sixty-nine percent of respondents say no, and 31 percent say yes.
A reality check has finally imposed itself upon the health and fitness industry. En masse, facility operators are paying attention to long-neglected member attrition statistics. Although they are yet to all-out embrace the concept of creating ancillary revenue sources, they are cognizant that the writing is on the wall regarding membership growth in a flailing economic atmosphere. Based on my conversations with dozens of owner-operators last fall and early winter, club owners will pay more attention to programming, staff training and software solutions than ever before, while curtailing heavy expenditures on equipment.
Recessions have a way of bursting bubbles. Usually, a prolonged economic slump sobers idealism and balances marketplaces of every kind. Our industry is no exception to this age-old rule. I believe 2009 will be a year of reckoning.
Michael Scott Scudder operates MeetingZone, an online-based consulting and training service. He can be contacted at 505-514-0294, on Skype at michael.scott.scudder or by email at michaelscottscudder@yahoo.com.


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Gavin's Story
Gavin Applegate was born and everything seemed so perfect. At 7 lbs 9 oz, Gavin was "100% all boy" according to his parents, Jill and Chip. But, in an instant, everything changed. Gavin's little lungs collapsed and the birthing room became an emergency room. Jill and Chip's perfect first-born son became a critical-care patient in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit at Bangor's Eastern Maine Medical Center.
"You don't expect it. Jill doesn't smoke, doesn't drink," explains Chip. "She ate healthy and did everything right during her pregnancy. You just do not expect it." That is the common thread of guests at the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor – dealing with the unexpected
Parents at the House share their stories with one another and in the process they find the support and hope they so desperately need. "People need to know there is hope," says Jill. "When you are watching your child struggle for his life, for each breath…the Ronald McDonald House offered us peace. We were able to relax, be calm and get our rest right here at the House."
Gavin spent the first 28-days of his life in the NICU. Now, at three-years old, it's hard to tell. To his parents delight, he's still 100% all boy. "He runs into things," laughs Chip. "He gets hurt then he gets back up. He's healthy now and that feels good."
The Applegate family remains involved with the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor. Each October, they celebrate Gavin's birthday the best way they know how – by raising funds for the House. To Jill and Chip, it has all been a lesson in giving. "We know our son is a miracle and that we owe a debt of gratitude to the hospital, the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor and to every volunteer and donor who made that happen," says Jill. "We are teaching Gavin that it is a trickle down effect. What we do today will help someone else tomorrow."


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Where can I watch Westworld online in the UK (legally)?
James R | On 15, Mar 2020
Robots, philosophy and the Wild West. That's the recipe for Westworld, HBO's sci-fi epic that has become one of the must-see shows of the modern TV era. With Season 3 back this March (catch up with our reviews of Season 1 here and Season 2 here), there's only one question on our lips: where can I watch Westworld online in the UK?
Created for television by Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, Person of Interest) and Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies, "Burn Notice), both of whom are executive producing and writing, with Nolan directing, the series is based on the 1973 film Westworld, written by Michael Crichton.
Described as "a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin", it's set within a vast, remote park where guests pay top dollar to share adventures with android "hosts". It begins with another day of fantasy playing out in Westworld, as top programmer Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) alerts park founder Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) about incidents of aberrant behaviour cropping up in some recently re-coded hosts. Meanwhile, in the Westworld town of Sweetwater, a rancher's daughter named Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) encounters a gunslinger named Teddy (James Marsden) in the street — but their predictable narrative is upended by the appearance of a ruthless Man in Black (Ed Harris) and, later, by a supporting host's unscripted encounter with an artefact of the outside world.
As a growing number of robots become sentient, and both humans and hosts do digging into the origins of the park, the stage is set for the rise of the machines and the retribution of those enslaved by their programming – and in the Wild West, retribution comes with a side order of violence. Season 2 expanded that canvas to something much bigger and wider, with HBO doubling down on the scope and scale of its story for Season 3, one that brings our world and Westworld closer together, to the point where it's hard even to tell the difference. With Dolores, Maeve and Bernard all positioned to play big roles in the conflict to come, the addition of Aaron Paul as another lead character only makes the dystopian waters darker still.
Over the first three seasons, the rest of the cast includes Thandie Newton, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Luke Hemsworth and Clifton Collins, Jr., with more new additions including Vincent Cassel (Black Swan), Lena Waithe (Master of None), John Gallagher, Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane) and Tommy Flanagan (Gladiator).
A top ensemble, dream writing talent and one doozy of a scenario? Westworld has whipped up fans into a frenzy of online fan theories and speculation about what's in store in the past three years. What's next in the twisting techno-thriller universe?
The good news is you won't have to wait long to find out: Season 3 will premiere in the UK on Monday 16th March at 2am, simulcast on Sky Atlantic at the same time as its US debut, with new episodes arriving weekly.
The really good news? That means you can stream it on-demand anytime after its broadcast in the wee small hours, without having to wait for the 9pm repeat on Monday evenings.
The even better news? If you don't have Sky, you can also stream Westworld live and on-demand on NOW, as part of a £8.99 monthly subscription. That subscription also includes live and on-demand streaming access to FOX UK (home of The Walking Dead), Sky One (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl) and Sky Comedy (The Righteous Gemstones). Season 1 and 2 are also available on-demand on Sky Box Sets and NOW until 6th June 2020 – and for new subscribers, a 7-day free trial is available. Hit the button below to start streaming.
Not looking to subscribe? Read on for our breakdown of how to watch each season of Westworld online:
NOW (£8.99 a month – until 6th June 2020)
iTunes (buy and download)
Amazon Prime Video (buy and download)
Catch up TV review: Celebrity GBBO, The Trouble with Maggie Cole, The Windsors
Amazon UK TV review: Star Trek: Picard: Season 1, Episode 8
Watch: Meet the cast of Netflix's Klaus... November 5, 2019 | James R
AMC UK no longer available on Sky October 5, 2019 | James R
Cameron Crowe's Roadies cancelled after first season... September 17, 2016 | James R
Ex-Husbands: Amazon acquires Billy Eichner comedy... August 14, 2021 | James R


I did another border run recently to pick up some more eBay goodies.
Over the last month or so I scored some incredible deals on server hardware. Picked up a couple of Intel SR1680MV Dual node servers, my favorite in 1U config right now. A really cheap HP Storageworks MSA70 with 25 Trays and some other items.
Also picked up a pair of Minuteman Remote Power Management switches. These babies use to sell for over $800 a piece, I picked them up for about $20 each. Now granted these are most likely VERY old devices. I've never heard of Minuteman but for that price I was very much willing to give them a shot.
Each switch can manage 8 power ports. Each port can be designated for remote operation (via HTTP, Telnet or SNMP) or local only.
The switches come with 8 power ports each rated for a total of 12A @ 120V. Unfortunately the switches do not report actual power draw at port or total. Each power port comes with it's own RJ11 port that can be use to interface with a respective UPS or Computer, a feature I'll most likely never use.
The switches were both "supposed" to come with a management card but the seller screwed up and sent me only one. Since I already considered this a pretty good deal I didn't want to send them back even though the seller offered a full refund.
The lack of a second management module isn't a big deal since these devices can be chained and managed from a single card, but more on that later.
First order of business is to try to log into the thing. Unfortunately the devices came with no instructions or passwords of any kind. So, I connected the switch to my lab network and checked to see if by any chance the device is set for DHCP. No luck, DHCP lease list didn't show any new devices on the network. A quick search for a manual on the Minuteman site and I came across SNMP based discovery snmp32_utility.
Once again ran into a small issue as the software doesn't seem to work under Windows 7 and up (network list is empty).
Fortunately I have an old toughbook kicking around that has Windows XP 32 bit installed. A quick install and bingo! the device shows up. Attempting to access the device resulted in a password prompt. Once again I lucked out since the password was simply set to "admin" and it only took me 3 tries to figure it out.
I cleared the password and set the device for DHCP.
Once web access got enabled I fired up my browser and pointed it at the device IP. Crap! Another password prompt. This time no amount of defaults was able to bypass this login screen.
* Continue holding the reset button, wait a few second then re-insert the card to power it up.
* Continue holding the reset button for another 40 seconds and release.
The management card has been fully reset.
Once the card resets, reconfigure the card for DHCP again and use blank login/password on the site credentials and *boom* we're in.
Now that we have access to the card, time to figure out how to chain the two. Based on the manual for the device. The switch comes with an "iLink" cable and a terminator plug. I received no cable and only one plug.
I picked up a 6 lane RJ11 cable and plugged it into the boxes as described by the manual. However, no matter how I placed the cable and the one terminator plug, the device would never see the second box.
My first assumption was that I need a second terminator plug to close the loop. Since I only had one I decided to figure out how it works and build another one. I was pretty sure that due to the small size of the plug only passive circuitry is used inside. A quick run-through with a multi meter confirmed my theory and I determined the internal connections in the plug.
The pins on the terminator plug are simply connected via 1K and 5K resistors.
All I had to do was build a similar plug. I quickly whipped up a ghetto plug for testing and confirmed that it works since the master switch behaves slightly differently with it plugged in.
Once again ran into a roadblock. The addition of the second terminator did not result in connectivity between the two switches. Upon closer inspection of the cable I realized that the wires in the cable are not straight-through but rather reversed.
I snipped the cable, reversed the wires and put another RJ11 plug on it and EUREKA! Both switches are accessible via the management interface. It also turns out that the terminators seem to be unnecessary in this configuration as the switches had no problem operating with the terminators removed.
I will probably toss these into one of my data centers where I'll be able to reboot machines without having to drive for over an hour.