Ammoudi is a small picturesque bay in the north of Santorini, just below Oia. It is not actually a beach, but it is a good spot for swimming in the clear blue water, sunbathing on the rocks and enjoying the sunset and the view to Thirassia island.
If you are a strong swimmer, you can dive off the rocks on the other side of the port, following the path after passing through the restaurants to the cliff with the chapel of Agios Nikolaos.
If you feel hungry, you can have a lunch or dinner in one of the nice restaurants which serve fresh fish by the sea at the small harbor, looking at the colorful fish boats.
Very nice setting for dinner at sunset time in one of the fish taverns, but not always a good value for money option!
You can access Ammoudi by car, park on the road or in the small parking area and walk for 200m. You can also reach Ammoudi by walking down about 200 steps from Oia. Alternatively there is the traditional way by catching a ride on the back of a donkey.
Ammoudi is a popular place especially in the summer afternoons and the parking space is limited, so it is better to get there early. From Ammoudi you can take a small boat to Thirassia (3 times a day) paying a low price ticket.


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Welcome New Fellows: Lana Swartz and Leyla Keser
By Summer 2015 Interns David Eichert and Dennis Redeker
Education, Libraries, & Digital Humanities
Q&A with Lana Swartz
www.llaannaa.com
@lanalana
by David Eichert
In July 2015, I was able to sit down with Dr. Lana Swartz in Cambridge, MA and talk briefly regarding her research on everyday financial technology. We were able to discuss the history of payment systems from paper money all the way to Bitcoin, as well as some of the challenges and questions that new Internet-based technologies pose for individuals, industry, and the general public.
Hello! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk! To start off, can you tell us a little about yourself and your research?
I just finished my PhD at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC. Before that, I did a masters in Comparative Media Studies at MIT, where I wrote a thesis about intellectual property regimes and "fake" fashion. Now, I'm interested in money as culture and money as technology. My dissertation looked at the socio-technical implications of payment infrastructure, historical and emerging.
That's really interesting! I don't know much about the history of payment systems - can you give us a quick history lesson?
Sure! In the course of my research, I was surprised to learn that payment, since the beginning, really, has had a lot more in common with communication and transportation than with banking. Paper currency, like other forms of print culture, helped consolidate the nation-state as an economic territory. American Express started out as an express shipping company that competed with the Federal mail system. Charge cards emerged in the 1950s and 60s, alongside highways, jet travel, and the rental car, when suddenly people were moving a lot faster and farther than their money could. The card networks used the same networked computing systems as the early Internet. Now, as mobile devices become more powerful and ubiquitous, we're seeing more and more mobile payment applications.
Awesome! Are you hoping to do something similar while a fellow at the Berkman Center?
Some of the most important thinking about the politics of intermediaries—like payment systems—is going on at the Berkman Center. The Berkman Center is also an important hub for thinking about next generation blockchain technology, which is something I think a lot about. Hopefully I can bring what I learned through my dissertation research to the conversation.
How much of your research is based here in the US or abroad?
For the most part my research has focused on the US. However, I do collaborate quite a bit with Bill Maurer and Taylor Nelms from the UC Irvine Institute for Money, Technology, and Financial Inclusion, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and does research exclusively on payment technology in the developing world.
It's interesting because payment is one area where sub-Saharan Africa is really far ahead of us—so to speak—in adoption of mobile money. For example, have you heard of M-Pesa? It's an interesting example of user-generated innovation. People living in countries where the currency is unstable or inconvenient began using airtime as a form of currency, and Safaricom (the mobile network operator in the region) embraced that and developed systems around it that allowed users to continue. It's especially important in areas with limited infrastructure.
Why is this research important, and where do you see it going in the future?
Most of the time, when people think about the politics of money, they think about it in terms of economic justice: who has money, who doesn't, why, how, and whether or not that arrangement is fair. I wanted to call attention to money as an information and communication technology. Being able to pay and getting paid is actually complicated technological achievement with many players. It's one of those things that we don't notice until it's broken for some reason.
Not being able to be paid puts us in a dire situation. As we saw when WikiLeaks was embargoed by major payment intermediaries, not being able to be paid can be a powerful form of censorship and can pose a true existential threat to an organization. But beyond censorship or politically-motivated payment blockades, ordinary people face payment challenges all the time. PayPal is notorious for erroneously freezing accounts for a variety of reasons. If you search for "PayPal account freeze," you'll find dozens of controversies. Unless you have an army of supporters to cry foul on your behalf on social media, navigating the system to find redress can be Kafkaesque.
The payments industry is changing. We're increasingly using new intermediaries that contact payments between individuals rather than between customers and merchants, so it's less clear who the client of the payment service is or who the users' advocate might be. It's becoming increasingly assembled as part of a portfolio of social media services. There's a growing interest in transactional data for advertising, risk management, or a variety of other purposes, so questions of privacy and context are also coming to the fore
So, what are the politics of how the infrastructures of money are managed? Who should manage it? The public? A start-up? A bank? Some kind of collective? I believe there is a strong public interest in payment, but we don't yet have grasp of the full range of issues that need to be considered in order to have a policy debate around it. I'm hoping to close that gap through my research.
Obviously you're very familiar with a lot of different payment systems. In your opinion, which one poses the most exciting opportunities?
I think ALL payment systems are fascinating from a cultural perspective. In fact, Bill Maurer and I are currently editing a book about favorite payment artifacts by a variety of scholars and journalists. We have chapters on Dogecoin, the cutest cryptocurrency; Minitel, the French state networked computing system that predated the mass adoption of the Internet and allowed you to pay your taxes and for porn; and the Khipu, an elaborate system of knot-tying used in the Incan civilization to keep track of obligations.
In terms emerging payments technology, I have been following Bitcoin and its siblings and descendants for, wow, probably five years now. I'm really excited about the way that Bitcoin has helped explode popular interest in payment and forced people to learn more about the "plumbing" of the economy. I think that, on some level, blockchain is still a technology in search of an application. Its ultimate applications might wind up having little to with payment—or with much of the politics that Bitcoin started with.
Dr. Lana Swartz recently finished her PhD at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at USC. She will be spending the upcoming year working as a post-doctoral researcher at Microsoft Research New England and will begin work as an assistant professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia in Fall 2016.
David Eichert is currently doing research for Professor Jonathan Zittrain at Harvard Law School. In Fall 2015 he will begin an LL.M. program in public international law at the Riga Graduate School of Law in Riga, Latvia.
Profile of Leyla Keser
www.leylakeser.org
@leylakeser
by Dennis Redeker
Dr. Leyla Keser is an assistant professor and the director of the IT Law Research Center at Bilgi University in Istanbul. While she worked on IT law since 1998, her focus changed according local and international to trends and priorities. Consequently, the research topics she works on span across many areas; they range from cybersecurity to e-government and from data protection & privacy to multistakeholder Internet governance. "A very dynamic challenging topic," the field reveals new problems to solve almost every day.
Currently, Dr. Keser investigates the implications of the Right to be Forgotten ruling of the EU on Internet actors other than search engines. She is very curious about the economic implications of the ruling. This research topic is also what she aims to examine here at the Berkman Center. She says that most studies on the topic focus mainly on effects of that ruling on other rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of media and data protection.
"I'm so excited to enlighten the dark side of that ruling and expose economic impact on different Internet actors such as content providers, hosting providers, platform providers," she said.
Another part of Dr. Keser's research will be scrutinizing the impacts of the ruling on multistakeholder Internet governance.
Here in Cambridge, Dr. Keser said she would miss having Turkish breakfast at her favorite places in the Be?ikta? district, Istanbul, as well as the long walks along the Bosporus.
When asked what if the Internet had never been invented, she said, "I always prefer to look ahead and don't want to think the times without the web. Internet and the web are the most breakthrough innovations of the humanity. They make the life easier than ever before."
Last updated Jan 4, 2016
Get to Know Berkman Klein Fellow Dragana Kaurin
Get to Know Berkman Klein Fellow Jessica Dheere

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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What Are the Odds to "Draw 2?" Part 1
Part 1. The Question
The principal purpose of this blog is to bring you living debates from game design and our solutions to them. An interesting one occurred recently which drove me on a bit of a mathematical quest. Having taken the computational plunge, it's now time to share with you fine folks my results.
So it happened that we were playtesting a card game. Luther on his turn played a card we've seen in a huge number of games; he played the special "draw 2 cards" card. So far, so good, right? We've seen this card many times in many different games. Our postgame discussion led to a debate over whether playing this special meant that he was more likely or less likely to be holding another.
We began to explore the possibilities. Luther holds more cards, that increases the odds but he also played one of these specials and that reduces the odds. It was hard to tell from the outset.
We did the calculations. This particular game has a 99 card deck and 9 of these cards are the "draw 2 cards" special. Players are dealt an 11 card hand.
The easiest way to determine the odds that Luther is holding a special is to calculate the odds that he is not and then subtract this result from 1. The probability that he is not holding a special in his first eleven cards is
In the interest of time and space, I elected to assume that you are already familiar with the mathematics of permutations. If you find yourself wanting a refresher, there is a solid description at Math is Fun.
Subtracting this from 1 gives us
So there was roughly a 67% chance that he received a special in his opening deal.
Now he plays a special, which reduces his hand by one card and draws two cards. He is now holding twelve cards but there is one fewer special in the available supply since he just played one of them. The odds that he is not holding a special in these twelve cards is
There is now roughly a 71% chance that he holds a special. We have our result. Not only did the odds go up, the odds rose by nearly 4%.
But this is not the end of the story.
It's nice to know that the odds go up by 4% in this particular game but what about all the other games with similar conditions? What about later in this same game, once a few cards have been seen? Is there some point at which the odds slip? When is that? These questions propelled me to dig deeper. Our next installment will seek to answer these questions.
What do you think of "draw 2 cards" cards? Have you incorporated them into your designs? What did you learned from the experience? Do they improve a design or weaken it? Share with your fellow readers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, create an account with WordPress and follow this blog. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.
June 17, 2015 Kevin G. Nunn	card game, card games, probability	Leave a comment
Tricky, Tricky, Part 2
Trick taking games are defined by the following criteria:
(A) Each player has a hand of cards.
(B) These cards are played in a series of rounds (tricks).
(C) Each player in turn must play to the trick.
(D) Each player plays to the trick exactly once.
Trick-taking games were in a slump they're coming back. Let's look at how to write one that stands out from the crowd.
Variations On The Basics
Even with the four criteria listed above, there's a great deal of room for any designer who's willing to explore the design space. Each of these criteria carries assumptions with it. Let's set these assumptions aside and ask "which traditional rules am I willing to break?"
(A) Each Player Has a Hand of Cards
The vast majority of trick taking games deal the same number of cards to each player. There's no particular reason for this, however.
Each player in the traditional game Euchre receives a five-card hand. Then a sixth card is offered to the dealer. If any player accepts it, that card goes into the dealer's hand and the dealer then discards one card. While this still leaves the dealer holding five cards, these five are chosen from six.
What if we allowed the dealer in Euchre to keep all six cards, simply discarding the last card when all the other players have run out their five? This would tend to make the dealer's position stronger and reduce the need for hand-evaluation skills. But what if your card game had a significant dealer disadvantage? Then offering that player a larger pool of cards from which to play would go a long way toward addressing that weakness.
A recent prototype in my group similarly gives the dealer one extra card but then requires a discard. In this case, the discard dictates trump but can never be played, thereby forcing the dealer to give up a trump card in order to promote its suit-mates. In this case, the extra card forces the player to exercise her hand-evaluation skills even more carefully.
By offering significantly different hands of cards to different positions at the table, we can give our games a type of texture which same-hand card games traditionally lack.
A Sample Game With Different Hand Sizes
What if in addition to varying the hand size, we also made different positions receive their cards from different sources? Here's an outline for such a game. Feel free to run with it as far as you wish:
Imagine a three-handed game. This game uses four suits with cards numbered 1-9 in each suit. Before dealing, these cards are divided into three decks. Deck A contains the 1, 2, 3, 4 of each suit (16 cards). Deck B contains the 5, 6, 7 of each suit (12 cards). Deck C contains the 8, 9 of each suit (8 cards).
Each deck is shuffled. and dealt out. The start player receives a fifteen-card hand–eleven cards from deck A and four cards from deck B. The middle player receives a twelve-card hand–five cards from deck A, four cards from deck B, and three cards from deck C. The dealer (last player) receives a nine-card hand–four cards from deck B and five cards from deck C.
These cards are then played over 12 tricks. The dealer will play out his hand in the first nine tricks but has the best cards. The middle player will play the entirety of her hand but has a medium-strength hand and three tricks in which the dealer does not loom over her. The start player has the weakest hand but gets to choose three cards to leave unplayed.
(B) Cards Are Played In a Series of Rounds (Tricks)
Most trick taking games start with the assumption that only one trick will be going on at a time.
Hattrick allows two tricks. After the first player plays a card, any player who wishes may begin a second trick in a second suit. Because of the possibility of this second trick, Hattrick is at its best when it is played by its full compliment of 6 players. When 4 players participate, Hattrick is simply too forgiving.
Victory & Honor is a game for exactly four players and has exactly three tricks going on at all times–the left, the center, and the right. None of these tricks are evaluated until all three have been completed.
(C) Each Player In Turn Must Play To the Trick
In addition to its three simultaneous tricks, Victory & Honor also allows players some control over the order of play. If you play a card in your left area, your left-hand opponent must play next. Similarly, play to your right area makes your left-hand opponent play next. If you play a card in your center, your partner plays next. This variable player order gives Victory & Honor a texture unlike any other card game I've seen.
Most trick taking games also assume that each player will play exactly one card in each trick. What if your game allowed cards to be played in combinations? In games of that type, there might not be any need at all to keep hand sizes even.
For example, your game might allow players to play sets and add their value. Thus, when my opponent opens with the 8 of spades, I might respond with a pair of 5s–the 5 of spades and 5 of diamonds–and count this play as the 10 of spades (the rank of my cards–5–multiplied by the number of cards in the set–2).
Alternately, you might allow your game might allow players to play runs. When my opponent opens with the 8 of spades, I might respond with a run of three cards–the 4, 5, 7 of spades–and count the play as 12 spades (the lowest card–the 4–multiplied by the number of cards in the run–3).
A Sample Game that Allows Multi-Card Plays
I particularly like set-playing in games which feature unevenly distributed ranks. Here's another game outline for you to run with:
Imagine a four-handed game. Cards in this game are ranked 2 – 9 but high-ranked cards are rarer. There are twelve 2s, eleven 3s, ten 4s, nine 5s, sis 6s, five 7s, four 8s, and three 9s. A player may follow a trick by playing sets as described above–when your opponent opens with the 8 of triangles and the 8 of spirals, played as a pair, he declares the value to be 16 and must choose either triangles or spirals as the suit.
If you were to ask most any card game player who takes their turn, they'd stare at you with the sort of look generally saved for the simple-minded. Of course, I take my turn. Who else could it be?
But Twilight/Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde threw this assumption right off a cliff. This game features two decks–one white, one black–which are shuffled together and dealt out. These colors correspond to the two teams in the game. Because these decks have different card backs, it is clear to everyone who holds how many of which team's cards. When it is your turn to play, you may name any player holding cards belonging to your team to play for you. This leads to some engaging decisions. Can you force an opponent to take a trick for you? Can you find opportunities to waste the opposition's cards?
What variations do you like to see in a trick-taking game? What makes them so special to you? Which ones do you dislike? Why? Share with your fellow readers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, create an account with WordPress and follow this blog. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.
October 18, 2014 Kevin G. Nunn	card game, card games, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Euchre, Hattrick, trick taking games, Victory & Honor	3 Comments
Trick-taking games have been in a slump lately but it looks as if they're coming back.
From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, trick-taking games were everywhere. Friedemann Friese gave us Foppen. Klaus Palesch gave us Sticheln. Alan R. Moon gave us Where's Bob's Hat. James Miller gave us Control Nut. Companies like Amigo Spiele and Adlung-Spiele–companies which already specialized in small games–generally included at least two trick taking games in each year's catalog and sometimes went as high as five!
It was inevitable that a glut like that would lead to a market crash for these games. Publishers quickly backed off from them and we went into the trick-taking drought of the late 2000s-early 2010s.
It seems that the market is starting to warm up to the idea of trick-taking games again. With nearly a decade having passed, a new generation of gamers is discovering the sweet charms of a good trick-taker and publishers, happy to provide games to fill that appetite, have begun considering them again.
Although I am not currently developing any trick-taking games, I have developed a few (most prominently the self-published Great Migration), played hundreds, and would happily play any you fine designers out there happen to be working on.
Requirements for A Trick Taking Game
There is a bit of debate about what exactly constitutes a trick taking game. For our purposes, we will define them by the following criteria:
(B) These cards are played in a series of rounds (tricks)
This definition thus includes Victory & Honor and Njet! but disallows The Great Dalmuti, and my beloved Tichu.
Variations On The Trick Taking Theme
Many trick taking games include other elements. Some of these are so common as to be almost expected while others are quite rare.
(E) Bidding
(F) Trump Suit
(G) Card-Passing
(H) Objective-Inversion
(I) Variable Hand Size
(G) Variable Turn Order
In the coming columns, we look at each element in detail and consider variations on those elements. See you Tuesday!
What are your favorite trick-taking games? What makes them so special to you? Which ones did you dislike? Why? Share with your fellow readers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, create an account with WordPress and follow this blog. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.
October 10, 2014 Kevin G. Nunn	card games, trick taking	2 Comments
Asymmetrical Suits in Card Games, Part 3
Our last column looked at several hypothetical cases to illuminate the proper use of asymmetric card decks. In this column, we look at four examples which are not at all hypothetical. These are published games which feature asymmetry. I found that each one found an interesting way to make asymmetry serve its core engagement.
Rocket Jockey
James Spurny's Rocket Journey casts players as tramp freighter captains delivering goods from world to world within our solar system. At its heart, Rocket Jockey is a rail game in the "elaborate = better" tradition. Players make these deliveries inefficient to earn more points.
Early in the game's development, Spurny decided that the back story of the game should center space development around Earth. For this reason, he concentrated the game cards around Earth. Earth cards are the most common. Venus and Mars are second-most common. They drop off steadily from there.
James Spurny used asymmetry to support his game's setting and to concentrate player focus.
Stephen Glenn's Piñata–first released in 2003 as Balloon Cup–uses complementary asymmetry to balance player decisions. The rarest commodity has only 5 cards but only requires that you collect three of it to score a trophy. The most common commodity has 13 cards but requires a comparatively massive 7 cubes to score a trophy. Piñata pushes this asymmetry further with the inclusion of 10 wild cards.
Should you collect common goods, knowing that you'll need many of them? Or should you focus on the rare, hoping for a quick win? Stephen Glenn used asymmetry to put players in a quandary.
Lord of the Fries
From the 1996 through 2006, James Ernest helmed Cheapass Games. CAG released a number of excellent games. One of his best was Lord of the Fries. LotF is a hand management game. Players worked with hands of ingredient cards to supply customer demand at a Friedey's, the fast food restaurant chain in hell. Like Glenn, Ernest uses rarity to imply value. The common and lowly 14 buns score only 1 point each while the delicious but rare 4 Berry Pies clock in at 6 points each. Of course, Earnest also made it pretty easy to score those buns and difficult to score the berry pies. He's sneaky like that.
James Ernest used asymmetry to keep players looking for the most valuable options.
As an aside, Cheapass Games began releasing new titles in 2011. Like their classic counterparts, you will be happy you checked them out.
It's been more than 20 years since Richard Garfield's idea to meld trading cards with gameplay hit store shelves. There are many reasons for its enduring popularity. Player-controlled asymmetry is one of the best. By allowing each player to construct her own deck, Garfield empowered players to create their own asymmetry. Players are limited to 4 of each card which is not a basic land but even within this restriction there is plenty of room for the active deck constructor's play. Cards that formed the backbone of your deck appeared the full 4 times. If you wanted a certain card for emergency assistance, you might choose to include only a single copy of it.
Richard Garfield used asymmetry to empower his players.
There are a great number of ways in which asymmetry can boost your designs. Consider the achievements of Spurny, Glenn, Ernest, and Garfield. Then add your name to that list.
What do you think of these examples? Do you know another which should have made this list? Share them with your fellow designers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, subscribe. It makes a big difference.
We will be together again in three days to take a look at game design conferences and how to get the most from them. See you Friday!
March 5, 2014 Kevin G. Nunn	asymmetry, card games, Cheapass Games, DIY, Game Design, game mechanism, James Ernest, Rocket Jockey James Spurny, scoring system, Stephen Glenn	3 Comments
In our last column, I outlined many of the advantages of asymmetrical card decks over symmetrical ones. No matter how good asymmetric designs can be, it is still possible to mismanage them. In this column, we look at several examples to help illuminate their proper use.
Scenario 1. Assigned Hands of Cards.
Imagine a card game with two suits, diamonds and spades. A Prize card is randomly drawn each round and some prizes are significantly better than others. Players simultaneously play one card from their hand, high number wins the prize that round. The diamonds are ranked 1-4 while the clubs are ranked 5-8. If one player is assigned the diamonds while the other player is assigned clubs, we already know how this will turn out. No fun for Mr. Diamond.
What if the distribution were altered? Diamonds are now ranked 3-6 while the clubs are ranked 1-2 and 7-8. One player is still assigned the diamonds while the other player is assigned clubs. Is this an improvement? Not really. The diamonds player now wins half of the prizes but is is clubs that is in total control. Ms. Club will decide which two prizes she takes and which two she she yields to Mr. Diamond. Mr. Diamond still isn't having any fun.
Let's interlace the suits even further. Diamonds are now ranked 2, 4, 5, 7. Clubs are ranked 1, 3, 6,8. Clubs now holds the highest and lowest cards but the middle cards have been interwoven with diamonds. Ms. Club is guaranteed to win one prize and to lose one. The other two are completely up for grabs. A good read on his opponent can allow Mr. Diamond to come out on top. Much better.
Scenario 2. Drafting Cards For Relative Rank.
Imagine a drafting game with two suits, diamonds and spades. Two cards will be put face up. Players will take turns drafting one card (alternating start player). Players want to get the best set in each suit. In our first case, the diamonds and clubs suits are each numbered 1-5. It is your turn to draft. In front of you are 3D and 3C. Which should you draft? It probably doesn't matter. Each of these cards is equal in rank.
Now we change the suits. Diamonds are still numbered 1-5. Clubs have been changed to 3-7. It is your turn to draft. In front of you are 3D and 3C. Which should you draft? 3D now stands out as the superior choice. It is in the middle of its suit while 3C is the lowest of the clubs. Even minor asymmetry creates texture in your decisions.
Scenario 3. Drafting Cards To Build Pairs.
Imagine a drafting game with two suits, diamonds and spades. Two cards will be put face up. Players will take turns drafting one card (alternating start player). Players want to build pairs–one card from each suit, both cards same rank. The diamonds and clubs suits are each numbered 1-5. It is your turn to draft. In front of you are 3D and 4D. Each of these cards is equally likely to form a pair. Your decision is largely meaningless.
Now we change the suits. Diamonds are now numbered 1, 2, 3, 3, 4. Clubs are now 1, 2, 3, 4, 4. It is your turn to draft. In front of you are 3D and 4D. Which should you draft? 4D is superior. There are two ways to pair your 4D but only one way to pair 3D. Asymmetry again adds texture to your decisions.
Scenario 4. Bidding in a Trick Taking Game.
Imagine a trick taking game with three suits, clubs, diamonds and spades. Similar to Bridge or Mü, players bid to determine trump suit. In our first case, there are nine cards in each suit. This is a three-player game so you are holding a hand of nine cards. The suits have landed equally in your hand. You hold three of each and they are all of roughly the same rank.. You must bid trump suit. Which should you pick? You cannot tell. Each of these suits is equally strong in you hand.
Now we change the suits. There are still nine clubs but there are thirteen diamonds and five spades. You again hold a hand of three cards from each suit. You are holding more than half of the spades. If you can get them to be trump, you are assured of having total control in spades. At the same time you have an equal share of the clubs. If clubs are trump, you are probably going to be okay this hand. You have only a few of the diamonds so if diamonds become trump, this hand will likely not go well for you. The asymmetry in this deck yields implications about your hand.
What do you think of these examples? Did they clarify good uses for asymmetry? Do you see examples that I missed? Share them with your fellow designers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, subscribe. It makes this old designer happy.
I will be back in four days with some great published examples of asymmetry. See you Tuesday!
February 28, 2014 Kevin G. Nunn	card games, Game Design	6 Comments
You must walk–or so they say–before you can run. You must similarly design from the familiar before you can find your own voice. Freshman designers tend to begin by working with familiar things. This means reaching for games and components already lying around. The consequence of this is that most of us have written several card games using a regular deck of cards. I certainly have. In the 1990s, living the life of the cash-poor graduate student, I frequently gave these games away as birthday presents, frequently naming them after their intended recipient.
Starting with a regular deck is great. The components are well known, readily available, and cheap.
There is a pitfall to using a standard deck, however. This issue is subtle but important. Mainstream card decks are completely symmetric. Each suit is identical to every other suit, having the same number of cards and the same card ranks. This is also true of the Scopa, Tarot, and Uno decks. These were the decks I'd grown up with. They were all symmetrical give or take a few special cards. It did not occur to me that decks should be any other way.
It was the flood of European games card game designs in the 1990s which revealed the power of asymmetry.
Asymmetry Serves Player Engagement
Asymmetric decks are not automatically well-known to the players. They offer your players a puzzle. How do these suits interact? Which cards are now better or worse by suit? In his book A Theory of Fun for Game Designers (http://www.theoryoffun.com/), Ralph Koster notes how much our brains love to search for patterns. Asymmetry challenges our brains to discover new patterns.
Asymmetry Serves Game Balance
Asymmetric decks allow the designer to balance rarity against utility. Richard Garfield's climbing game Dilbert: Corporate Shuffle, has one 1, two 2s, three 3s and so on up to ten 10s and a few special cards. Low numbers beat high numbers so the most powerful cards in the game are extremely rare. You must play the same quantity to follow another player's lead so weak cards can defeat strong cards by outnumbering them.
Many designers prefer to make powerful cards rare. I often find the opposite works better. By inserting several copies of high-utility cards, you give each player a better chance of getting it. Weaker cards and situational cards then add texture and encourage players to think laterally rather than being the majority of the hand while one lucky player draws the best card and runs away with the win.
Asymmetry Serves Story
Asymmetric decks are give you as the designer another tool for representing how one group is stronger, weaker, or simply different than another.
Doris and Frank's wonderful card game Frank's Zoo has circular card ranking. Every card can defeat at least one other card and is in turn defeated by at least one other card. No one card is the best. No one card is the worst. No player can put a card forward with impunity. There is always a risk of it being defeated. Add that one suit contains only 4 cards while the other suits contain 11 and we see how asymmetry reinforces the game's story.
Asymmetry Serves Sales
Game reviewers and the gameratti are quick to identify a game which can be played with a standard deck of cards. Once the word spreads–and be certain that word will spread with the internet being what the internet is–many of them will throw together a set from a deck they have lying around and go straight to it rather than purchasing your game.
If you simply wish to create games for the enjoyment of others and have no interest in monetization then this is perfect. This was certainly my intent when I created games as gifts.
You need to offer players more if you wish to sell your game. You are asking gamers for their money. They want to see that you earned it. Offering an asymmetrical card deck shows them that you put some of yourself into your game. Making it a little bit more difficult to make that home set gives them another reason to pay for your effort.
The best card game in the world–Tichu–uses nothing more than a standard deck of cards with 4 differentiated jokers (I games of Tichu being played in just this way at a few conventions). That Tichu can be so excellent with a symmetric deck shows that symmetric decks still have plenty of value. I've come to feel however that asymmetry should be the assumed condition over symmetry rather than the other way around.
What are your favorite asymmetric card games? Share them with your fellow designers in the comments below. And if you're enjoying what you're reading, subscribe to this blog. It makes a big difference.
Our Friday installment will examine specific examples of asymmetry. I will attempt to pick apart compare designs with a symmetric deck against identical rule sets with asymmetrical decks. Come back Friday and see how I do!
February 26, 2014 Kevin G. Nunn	card game, card games, deck of cards, DIY	3 Comments


June 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to allow states to force online retailers to collect a sales tax, breaking with 50 years' worth of previous rulings.
In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled in favor of the state of South Dakota, which asked the court to uphold a new law imposing an Internet sales tax.
South Dakota argued that an explosion in online sales changed the market, and passed a law two years ago requiring all but the smallest retailers to collect taxes on sales they make in the state, even if they have no physical presence there.
Internet companies argued applying a sales tax would be a daunting task, as local tax laws vary widely by state.
Kennedy argued physical businesses were put at a disadvantage because they were forced to charge a sales tax while online businesses did not, noting the rule "prevented market participants from competing on an even playing field."
"Each year, the physical presence rule becomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant revenue losses to the States," Kennedy wrote.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing in dissent with Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, said the decision disregards the costs a sales tax would impose on online retailers -- a process that could be "baffling" for Internet sellers.
"The burden will fall disproportionately on small businesses. One vitalizing effect of the Internet has been connecting small, even 'micro' businesses to potential buyers across the Nation," he wrote.
"People starting a business selling their embroidered pillowcases or carved decoys can offer their wares throughout the country-but probably not if they have to figure out the tax due on every sale."
Roberts said the decision should be left to Congress, as they have "more flexibility" to address the issue.


Today (or possibly tomorrow) is the 76th birthday of one of the world's first supermodels: Jean Shrimpton. Her beauty is undeniable. I love that she up and left the modeling world when it stopped suiting her. It takes a level of bravery to leave the known and go into the unknown. The world is a better place to have her in it.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Jean Shrimpton is known for being one of the world's first supermodels, the highest-paid model of the 1960s and the face of "Swinging London," as well as for popularizing the miniskirt.
Jean Rosemary Shrimpton was born to upper-class parents in Buckinghamshire, England on November 7, 1942. Raised on a farm and educated at a convent school, Shrimpton moved to London at 18, and enrolled in a typing and shorthand class. While having lunch in Hyde Park, she was discovered by a photographer and encouraged to enroll in the Lucie Clayton Charm Academy, a modeling school in London.
With her long, lean figure and wide eyes, Shrimpton popularized the waifish look and was nicknamed "the shrimp." In 1965, when she appeared at Derby Day in Australia, wearing a white shift dress that ended four inches above her knees, Shrimpton caused a scandal and popularized the miniskirt.
After her relationship with Bailey ended, Shrimpton had relationships with actor Terence Stamp and poet Heathcote Williams.
Disenchanted with the fashion world, in 1975, Shrimpton quit modeling and left London for Cornwall, where she opened up an antiques store and met Michael Cox, whom she married. In 1979, she gave birth to their son, Thaddeus. Shrimpton and Cox purchased the Abbey Hotel in Penzance, which they continue to operate.
She was stunning and I am sure she still is a beautiful Lady. I always wanted to be like her, no one ever came close to her.


New Delhi, Jan 24 () Hong Kong-based Nexstgo Thursday unveiled its new brand of 'AVITA' laptops and said it aims to clock monthly sales of 10,000 units in the coming financial year.
Nexstgo -- which ventured into the country last year -- is keen on tapping the niche Internet of Things (IoT) segment here and is also lining up products like 'smart' weighing scale and 'smart' mirror that displays health information like BMI, for Indian buyers.
"Apart from good specifications, our devices are available in bright colours and designs that separates us from competition. The focus over the next few months will be to establish the brand," Nexstgo Company Ltd CEO and co-founder Alex Chung told reporters here.
He added that the company will invest USD 2.5-3 million in various marketing activities, including digital campaigns and in-shop branding for the new brand.
"The quirky aesthetics in colour and design options will definitely appeal to the young consumers...My target would be to sell 10,000 units monthly in the next fiscal," Nexstgo India Country Manager Seema Bhatnagar said.
The products, priced between Rs 27,990 to Rs 83,990, will be retailed online as well as through offline stores. The company will also allow users to customise the designs on their AVITA laptops in the future.
The AVITA brand was created by a former R&D and branding team of Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the US in 2016. It has been solely owned and run by Nexstgo since then.
Chung said the company sees India as a major opportunity for laptops as well as IoT devices. "Our approach will be to expand the product development team, and then we will look at R&D as well as manufacturing," he added.


If you're a B2B organization, the statistics around content generation and content marketing are staggering. According to the B2B marketing site Demand Gen and its 2016 Content Preferences Survey, 47% of B2B buyers consume three to five pieces of content prior to engaging with a salesperson.
Business buyers expect their content to be delivered in a variety of formats, across all channels of communication. They also expect transparency from your organization and the ability to develop a relationship with you and your brand. In an article on my website, "Plot a course for sales success with a marketing message that matters to millennials", I look at the changes reflected in today's consumer buying habits, and how they're impacting the way businesses research and purchase equipment, technology and print. This includes how and what content is being consumed and shared and their approach to companies and brands.
For example, B2B buyers value content that offers data and analysis. They are most willing to register for and share information about themselves in exchange for white papers (76%), ebooks (63%), webinars (79%), case studies (57%) and third-party/analyst reports (66%).
Crafting compelling, relevant, shareable communications, whether in the form of an email, a presentation, a speech, a brochure, or a tweet, is critical in the prospect-to-customer journey. And every genius piece of content created comes with its own fair share of blood, sweat and tears.
While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery it's important that your carefully crafted words, images, videos, illustrations, soundbites and more are protected from being misrepresented, misused, misquoted or mistaken as someone else's.
Whether you are the content's rightful copyright owner, using it as a source of reference, or simply sharing it on social media, understanding copyright laws could make the difference between annoying emails, costly legal fees, fines ranging upwards of $25,000, or jail time.
There are differences between US and Canadian copyright laws. While both are members of the leading international copyright treaty, the Berne Convention they each have their own interpretations and unique copyright legislation. For example, the US has the fair use principle and Canada has fair dealing.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a 1998 United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization. It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works. In other words, filing a DMCA Takedown Notice puts the content owner in DMCA jail. Their content will stop appearing in searches and their website could end up blacklisted by Google.
Knowing your rights as a content owner are critical to your defence should someone file a claim against you – whether maliciously or mistakenly – claiming ownership of your content. Yes. It happens. And it could result in thousands of legal dollars spent fighting – or defending – a counter claim.
Copyright of a work in Canada exists automatically upon that work's creation.
Where a work is created as part of the author's work duties, the employer may have copyright ownership. People often think that if they commission or hire a freelance writer, photographer, graphic artist or composer to create a work for them, that they own copyright in the work and may use it as they wish. Without a clear agreement, this may not be the case.
Independent contractors (such as consultants) are the authors of and own the copyright to their works, unless they've mutually agreed otherwise. No contract? No exchange of funds? Then the author maintains copyright ownership for as long as they're alive.
As the copyright owner you can reproduce your work in whole, in part, or modified however you like, wherever you like. Everyone else needs your permission.
Canadian copyright law does not require the official registration of your work for it to be protected.
Copyright extends for 50 years past the end of the calendar year in which the author dies.
Even if an author has assigned the copyright to you, the author still has the right to prevent modifications that may be harmful to their reputation or honour.
According to marketingprofs.com, two million blogs are posted every day on WordPress. Instagram users upload 46,740 posts every minute while 656 million tweets are posted each day.
Content demand, variety and ability to create and share—and re-share—is easier than ever. And it's never been more important in the business buyer's journey. Protect the 99% of time you spend crafting your work and drive business growth with the genius that comes from it. Protect your content from plagiarism perils. And stay out of DMCA jail.
Can website visitors figure out what you do, who you do it for and why it matters within the first 5 seconds of landing on your website?


On the 10th of October @dbnspotter was invited to the IBV Supercar Club Track Day hosted at Dezzi Raceway, Port Shepstone. Present was a Porsche GT3 Cup, Maserati GranTurismo, BMW 640d, Several Porsche 911 Carrera's, 911 997.2 Porsche GT3, Aston Martin Vantage, 2015 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, CLS 63 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, SL63 AMG, E63 AMG, Ferrari F430, 458, 458 Spider, BMW E92 M3, F10 M5, Z4 and the highlight was the McLaren 12 C with MSO front bumper and Vorsteiner body kit, tell you one thing, we weren't short of V8s that's for sure.Track days are all about the thrilling track experience which Dezzi Racetrack provided all so well, good food, entertainment and the opportunity to share the passion with other supercar owners. A great event put together by the IBV Supercar Club Team and some awesome awesome driving by the owners. If you own a supercar, it's best you sign up to the club to enjoy such events.For the full album of pics, head to this link or browse some of the pics below!


On April 18, 2017, Leadership Lincoln County found out what makes Nebraska great. Nebraska's agriculture is the lifeblood of the state. Many of us have seen the signs that are on the side of the road or the billboard that reads "if you have eaten today thank a farmer and or rancher". Those signs scattered throughout the state are a symbol of pride for all of us who have any relation and or association with the agriculture of Nebraska.
The program started with some knowledge on the UNL extension office and some of the jobs that are there. Not only is the extension office a resourceful place to gain some of the newest techniques in agriculture but there are also programs for the youth of today. The youth programs not only encompass agriculture but home economics and even a new robotics program.
After a light morning of presentations off to the outdoors, we went. We had a short stop in the entomology lab were numerous techniques in helping the Nebraska farmer control pests are being conducted. The research being conducted on how to control pests was platformed on an ecosystem level. An example would be using a small wasp for caterpillar control on plants to lower the use of chemicals.
Second stop was the bovine feeding and breeding studies area. There was considerable time spent explaining how the cattle have a RFID chip placed on their ears to allow researchers to see the amount of nourishment the cattle absorbs. These tags also give the researchers the ability to track the cattle from start to finish providing information on carcass weight, the number of times feeding amount of feed and the quality of meat at the time of slaughter.
During the day we visited the purple glow that can be seen at night on the south side of town. This purple glow happens to be the greenhouse where not only are weeds grown but testing is done for some of the biggest chemical companies in the world. The University of Nebraska Extension office in North Platte does some groundbreaking studies on droplet size and speed of application for the companies who provide chemicals to the farmers of today. The purple glow is from the lights for the plants to grow. The lights provide a better atmosphere for the plants to photosynthesize.
The day was filled with an abundance of knowledge and was well worth the time. We received a presentation from North Platte Feeders and the work they are doing to grow the future of beef in Nebraska. Frito lay also stopped in to provide some information on their facility in Gothenburg Nebraska. Remember if you eat a Frito lay on the west side of the Mississippi it probably came from within a 60-mile radius of Gothenburg, Nebraska.
One of the final stops was the Fish Hatchery where thousands of fish are raised and shipped all over the country. This group of individuals works tirelessly to provide the outdoorsman of Nebraska the opportunity to fish in this state.
The final stop was the Murphy Tractor Company who provides a great service to the hard working people of the state. Not only is a tractor supply company but many other machines and services are provided within those walls as well.
Overall the experience was knowledgeable and engaging. Not only providing us with a better understanding of the extension office but of the research being conducted not more than a mile from town. Agriculture is big business in this state and we need to continue to educate and provide our youth the understanding of how much agriculture impacts our lives here in Nebraska.


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Home News Uncategorised Government's EU immigration crackdown 'disappointing' for NHS, says BMA
Government's EU immigration crackdown 'disappointing' for NHS, says BMA
The BMA has branded the Government's new immigration policy, which will end free movement for EU workers, as 'disappointing'.
The Home Office said its plans for a new points-based system, which would come into force from 1 January next year, will give the UK 'full control over who comes to this country'.
Under the revamped policy, EU citizens wishing to migrate to the UK must achieve a total of 70 points. These are based on factors including an ability to speak English; a job or job offer at an appropriate skill level or via an approved sponsor; and a minimum salary of £23,040.
The Government's statement added that 'employers not currently approved by the Home Office to be a sponsor should consider doing so now if they think they will want to sponsor skilled migrants, including from the EU, from early 2021′.
Although the statement said 'initiatives' were 'being brought forward' for NHS workers 'which will provide businesses with additional flexibility in the shorter term', the announcement was met with criticism across the health and social care sectors.
BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: 'The NHS is currently facing intense workforce shortages, so it's particularly disappointing to see the Government stop freedom of movement – something which has been instrumental in encouraging and enabling EU citizens to work in our health service.
'Dropping the salary threshold, as recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee, is certainly a positive step, but doctors work with a wide range of staff, including porters, cleaners, and care workers, and the revised threshold will still leave many valuable people unable to come to the UK.'
Elsewhere, concerns have been raised about the sustainability of the care sector, with the Nuffield Trust calling it 'on the verge of bankruptcy'.
Its chief economist John Appleby said: 'Migration has been a crucial safety valve for crisis-stricken social care services, with workers from overseas filling vital roles helping people with basic tasks like washing, dressing and personal hygiene.
'Stopping migration for social care risks pushing a sector on which many vulnerable people depend over the edge.'
Staffing shortages routinely affect primary care but the Government has pledged to bolster the workforce by 6,000 more GPs.
This month, it also confirmed plans for nurses, pharmacists and paramedics to retrain as doctors via fast-tracked courses, enabled by the UK's EU exit.


Now is a good time to enter the public service sector. Congress has recently signed into law the College Cost Reduction and Access Act to reduce the cost burden on college students. One of its provisions includes debt forgiveness for students who enter the public service sector and stay there a minimum of ten years.
It can be tough to enter public service, especially if you have an expensive degree in law, politics, or public service related degrees and a mountain of student debt to carry. Public service jobs often are not lucrative, and even students with the best intentions often cannot commit to these jobs for financial reasons. This bill aims to make public service more financially feasible for recent graduates.
The deal is this: the law will repay all federal student loan debt, including interest, that the graduate has left after making payments on the debt for a period of ten years. The catch is that the student must remain in a public service position for the entire ten-year period. The law applies to all public service employees, including lawyers, law enforcement, teachers, emergency services workers, and the military, as well as some employees of nonprofits that provide public health and welfare services.
An EMT is one career possibility where part of your student loans would be eligible to be forgiven.
The federal loans that are eligible for repayment include Stafford, PLUS, and federal loans made through the government's Direct Loan program only. If your loan did not originate from Direct Loans, it doesn't qualify. If your loans aren't through Direct Loan, they can be consolidated under the program—although some loans may have more attractive repayment options before consolidation than after.
The general advice is to consolidate your loans under a Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Program as early as possible once you graduate, so you can start paying your balance and qualifying for the tuition payment as soon as possible.
This program provides a conundrum for some employees. If you absolutely know that you will stay in public service, it's a smart choice to make the smallest payments on your student loan debt each month. This way, you'll pay the minimum possible until the repayment option kicks in. But if you're not absolutely sure you'll stay in public service, you could wind up with more debt when you get out than you had when you came in if you adopt a low monthly payment strategy. The repayment option could trap some employees in public service jobs when they'd rather switch, or it could lead to financial trouble for those who have to leave their jobs unexpectedly.
Bear in mind that your loan forgiveness may be treated as income under tax law ten years from now—so after ten years, you may be faced with a high tax bill. However, Congress may decide to exclude tax liability for these forgiveness programs sometime in the future—and it's likely that your benefits under the plan will exceed the costs.


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Home Breaking News BML Munjal University Announces Undergraduate Admissions for 2022
BML Munjal University Announces Undergraduate Admissions for 2022
MixpointTeam
BML Munjal University (BMU), a Hero Group initiative, opens its undergraduate admissions for 2022, with a focus on looking beyond cut-off based admissions. The importance of single mark cut-offs is seeing a gradual decline at progressive universities, providing much-needed relief to students who have seen cut-offs as high as 100% last year.
BMU is taking the lead to move towards a holistic review process and will consider applications even before students appear for Class 12 exams and receive their scores. The university's admission criteria doesn't judge a student's capabilities based on their school exam scores alone – but considers standardised test scores, interviews and other parameters depending on the choice of programme to consider the application.
Scores in entrance tests like JEE (Main) and CLAT will apply for the BTech and Integrated five-year programmes in law respectively, and students may also appear for the BMU-SAT, BMU's internal test.
Commenting on the approach, Ms. Hansa Sachdeva, Director – Admissions & Financial Aid and Communications with BML Munjal University said, "The move to a more personalised education is under way – through holistic reviews of applications, different pathways to admission, and over time, the ability to deliver learning that builds on individual areas of interest. At BMU, we see the years at university as a transformative journey that makes the most of every student's potential."
The eligibility criteria for admission to undergraduate programmes will require successful completion of 10+2 or the equivalent as well as meeting university admissions criteria mentioned on the website www.bmu.edu.in.
The University brings together outstanding academics, industry professionals, experienced researchers and the latest facilities to deliver a hands-on and multi-disciplinary learning experience.
About BML Munjal University
Named after the late Founder Chairman of the Hero Group, BML Munjal University (BMU) is a state private university founded by the promoters of the Hero Group. BMU is mentored by Imperial College London and is engaged in creating, preserving, and imparting internationally benchmarked knowledge and skills. The university seeks to transform higher education in India by creating a world-class innovative teaching, learning and research environment across Schools spanning the disciplines of law, management, economics, engineering. The School of Management at BML Munjal University has been ranked 41st among all management institutions All India in the NIRF Rankings 2021.
The university offers undergraduate to doctoral programmes comprising BA (Hons) in Economics, BBA, BCom (Hons), BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), BBA, Integrated BBA-MBA at the undergraduate level and MBA, LLB (Hons) and PhD at the post-graduate level.
For more information, log in to www.bmu.edu.in.
Director - Admissions & Financial Aid and Communications with BML Munjal University
JEE (Main) and CLAT
Ms. Hansa Sachdeva
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A large number of funeral homes across China have been overloaded, Dec 29, 2022. (Spotlight on China/Screenshot via TheBL/YouTube)
The severity of the pandemic in China is beyond the world's imagination, but Chinese media outlets do not acknowledge it. People have spread information and attracted a lot of attention on the internet. Although it is difficult to verify the accuracy of the information, it is one of the unofficial ways to get a hint of the complexity of the pandemic in China.
Recently, a Chinese resident named Yun Guang He from Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, expressed his grief on social media. He said that, within just over a month, 6 members of his family passed away, leaving him alone. "My parents, maternal grandparents, and paternal grandparents were all dead," Yun confided.
On January 15, Tang Baiqiao, a Chinese democracy activist, retweeted this information with the caption: "If this is true— then it must be true— no one lies to everyone that their whole family is dead. The severity of the pandemic is far beyond our imagination. It is beyond the CCP's false reports. During the 8 years of the war against Japan, very few families lost their entire family. The severity of this disaster was unprecedented to China. More seriously, this is a man-made disaster! The CCP must be responsible for all deaths! The tyranny must be destroyed as soon as possible!"
A similar tragedy also happened to 40-year-old Guan Yao, a Beijing native living in California, USA.
Sharing on Twitter, Guan Yao said he lost 5 relatives in just 8 days since the government restrictions were lifted. "I think it should give my family an explanation," Guan said in an interview with VOA. His grandmother was infected with COVID and had a constant fever, but in the end, her death certificate stated that she died of kidney failure.
Of Guan's five dead relatives, only his grandmother and his wife's uncle tested positive; the rest died suddenly before being tested. His father-in-law died of shortness of breath in the morning; His father had a heart attack and died in his sleep; His uncle had white lungs when taken to the hospital—but the death report stated that his uncle had Parkinson's.
On January 14, Bao Jian - daughter of Bao Tong – former secretary of former Premier Zhao Ziyang, expressed on Twitter: "In less than a month, 17 friends and relatives of mine have passed away. This is something that has never happened in my life…." At the same time, she criticized the Chinese government, saying: "Beijing has killed hundreds of thousands of people in a month, the city government even held a meeting to reward 'achievements'. It's shameless!"
She added that funeral homes were full, many corpses were in one furnace, and cremation schedules were several times or even ten times longer. Also, the emergency system was paralyzed, people had to line up long, hospital morgues were also out of space, and the supply of coffins, urns, and cemeteries was in serious shortage. At the same time, the number of severe cases, white lung cases, and other data are published limitedly in localities.
In response to Bao Jian's tweet, some netizens said that the death toll was not only a few hundred thousand people, it was much more.
Despite being the capital of China with the best medical conditions in the country, under the impact of the COVID pandemic wave, numerous high-ranking officials and celebrities in Beijing still could not survive. Aboluowang reported that in rural areas with poorer medical conditions, infected people may be treated less effectively, and the death toll may be higher.
On January 13, RFA cited a report on the pandemic published by the National Development Research Institute of Peking University, according to which, in terms of the difference in infection levels between regions, the highest infection rate is in Gansu province at about 91%, the second highest is in Yunnan province at about 84%, and the third highest is in Qinghai province at about 80%.
Tang Jingyuan, a Chinese news commentator in the U.S., said on "Yuanjian kuai ping" that the pandemic situation in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou is stirring the internet; however, three provinces in the western region, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai, still have more cases. The health conditions there are worse, and the death toll may be higher.
On January 16, Lin, a villager in Chisha Town, Chencang District, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, told Da Ji Yuan that there are many COVID cases in the countryside where she lives. More than ten people had died in her village, all older people. "Each family in here have four or five acres of land, the remains are buried on their land and everywhere," she said, "The village secretary and village chief said that, due to the impact of the pandemic this year, people in poor health, people in their 70s, 80s, 90s have basically passed away. In our village alone, dozens of people have died. If so, how many people have died in the whole country?"
She also revealed that, after a number of retired officials in the village died, they were all brought back to the village for burial because they couldn't be cremated at the funeral home in Baoji city. Currently, the shortage of medicine is especially serious in rural areas, and infected villagers have to suffer at home because they cannot buy medicine. Others quickly buy up medication in hospitals and pharmacies. "Young people can bear it, but old people can't. After the first infection, the doctors in the village started injecting medicine at home, but soon they ran out of medicine. The older people couldn't resist and died, she said.
Lin added that when migrant workers heard about the outbreak, they all ran back to the village, some young people did not even receive wages and quickly returned to their hometowns but were still infected. After returning, some had positive symptoms, even infecting their family members."
On January 16, Liu, a resident of Weicheng district, Xianyang city, Shaanxi province, China, told Chinese media after the government's restrictive orders were lifted in December, there have been a lot of infections in the community, most of them are from the same family. "When I went to take out the trash, I saw that my neighborhood was empty, I was very scared," he said.
Liu revealed that employees of local authorities were also infected on a large scale. Starting from December 18 or 19, more than 50 police officers were dispatched to the area where Liu lived; only 1 person did not test positive, and the rest were all infected. The government is paralyzed, no one goes to work, the neighborhood committee does not operate, and all of them are closed.
He questioned that every day, every funeral home burns hundreds of bodies, then how many people have died in the whole country? Now that the severe pandemic has not reached its peak, how many people will die when it comes?
Tags:disasters Covid19 fatalities
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Q: Overload the admin search_field with a custom function ** Django 1.3 I'm having this issue on a project where I'm trying to take a point, search a series of different polygons in the admin site, and return a list of polygons that contain that point based on a custom point_in_poly function.
In models.py I have a coordinates model...
    class PointsXY(models.Model):
        lat = models.cs_value() #custom code
        lon = models.cs_value()

    class ImagesDB(models.Model):
        ptsxy = models.ForeignKey('PointsXY')
        # more model pieces added here

        def point_in_poly(self,x,y,polygon):
            # point in poly code

In my admin.py file
    class PointsXYInline(Inline):
        model = coordinates

    class ImagesDBAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
        fieldsets[# bunch of fields placed
            ]
        # inline goes here
        search_fields['???'] # not sure where to go from here.
        # can I override the search function to search the polygons and
        # display only those that have said point in them?

If you need more snip-it's of code I can add more but I hope this is sufficient.
P.S. this was typed out on an iPad so I was trying to keep it brief.
Thanks in advance!

A: Of course you can, as the doc says you can use the method get_search_fields
an Example could be:
class ImagesDBAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
        fieldsets[# bunch of fields placed
            ]
        def get_search_fields(self, request):
             search_fields = ['ptsxy']
             if "localhost:8000" in request.META['HTTP_REFERER']:
                  search_fields = ["ptsxy__lat"]
             return search_fields

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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2015 bluefish specifications, environmental assessment, and initial regulatory flexibility analysis
[PDF-1.14 MB]
2015 Atlantic bluefish specifications
Bullard, John K. (John Kilburn)
New England Fishery Management Council	; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.)	; Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission	; Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.)	; ... More ▼
New England Fishery Management Council	; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.)	; Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission	; Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.)	; United States, National Marine Fisheries Service., Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office,	; United States, National Marine Fisheries Service., Office of Protected Resources,	; United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration., Office of Program Planning and Integration,	Less ▲
"NMFS proposes to issue final specifications for the 2015 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including state-by-state commercial quotas, a recreational harvest limit, and recreational possession limits for Atlantic bluefish off the east coast of the United States. The intent of these specifications is to establish allowable 2015 harvest levels and possession limits to attain the target fishing mortality rate, consistent with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan. The specifications are not anticipated to result in any significant impacts on target and non-target fishery resources, protected resources, habitat, or the affected human communities"--Cover letter summary.
Catch Effort
Economic Zones (Law Of The Sea)
Fishery Policy
Bluefish//Conservation/Government Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Bluefish//Management/Government Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Economic Zones (Law Of The Sea)/Atlantic Ocean
Environmental Impact Analysis/Government Policy/United States
Environmental Impact Statements/United States
Environmental Policy/United States
Fisheries//Catch Effort/Government Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Fishery Management/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Fishery Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Overfishing/Government Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Sustainable Fisheries/Government Policy/Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Professional Paper
Place as Subject:
United States	; Atlantic Ocean	; Atlantic Coast (U.S.)	;
United States	; Atlantic Ocean	; Atlantic Coast (U.S.)	Less ▲
Collection(s):
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Main Document Checksum:
urn:sha256:bcc46698cca00c0aecf71cbc6113962350eeeb381e1ab96162b4b559b9672d46
Supporting Files:
Document online in PDF via the NOAA Central Library (112 KB)
NOAA National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) home page
No Related Documents.
2013 and 2014 bluefish specifications, environmental assessment, and initial regulatory flexibility analysis
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.). United States, National Marine Fisheries Service,. United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration., Office of Program Planning and Integration,.
"This bluefish specifications document was prepared by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) under consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The document's purpose is to present a range of alternative management ...
[PDF - 1.44 MB]
Supplemental environmental assessment revised management measures for bluefish for 2014 : supplements the environmental assessment for the 2013-2014 bluefish specifications
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.). Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. United States, National Marine Fisheries Service,. United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration., Office of Program Planning and Integration,.
"National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issues final specifications for the 2014 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including state-by-state commercial quotas a recreational harvest limit and recreational possession limits for Atlantic bluefish off the eas...
2010 bluefish specifications, environmental assessment, regulatory impact review, and initial regulatory flexibility analysis
Kurkul, Patricia A.
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (U.S.). United States, National Marine Fisheries Service., Northeast Region,.
"NMFS issues final specifications for the 2010 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including state-by-state commercial quotas, a recreational harvest limit, and recreational possession limits for Atlantic bluefish off the east coast of the United States. The ...
2014 and 2015 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications : environmental assessment, initial regulatory flexibility analysis
[PDF - 16.23 MB]
2015, 2016, and 2017 tilefish specifications, environmental assessment, regulatory impact review, and initial regulatory flexibility analysis
"This document was prepared by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The purpose of this action (specifications document) is to implement commercial quotas for the til...
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on First Principles
the Voice of Liberty-minded, Grassroots Texans
Letter to Texas State Board of Education demanding Changes to Illegal TEKS Standards
By Freedom Caucus
Fellow Texans,
Recently the SBOE began circulating draft changes to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills social studies standards that will be used to educate public school children across Texas. The proposed changes are unacceptable and in many cases illegal. Among other things, the changes require educators to teach:
That the Texas Rangers were used as "instruments of oppression"
Differing perspectives (such as that of the murderous tyrant Santa Anna) of the Battle of the Alamo
A de-emphasis of our society's Judeo-Christian values upon which our state and national governments were founded
Other currently controversial issues related to CRT that do not offer the opportunity for differing perspectives
The proposed standards also eliminate Texas history as a standalone course, in favor of intertwining Texas history with other historical subjects, in effect watering down our heritage and putting it on the same level as all other cultures. This is unacceptable—Texas is exceptional, and that should be reflected in our public education system.
We are watching these changes closely and will not hesitate to intervene during the next legislative session, should the need arise, to protect Texas children from being further indoctrinated and taken advantage of. We sent a letter to the SBOE demanding the proposed changes be substantially amended before further action is taken, and you can read that letter by clicking here.
We won't let this happen in Texas! Thank you for your continued support.
Mayes Middleton
Chairman, Texas Freedom Caucus
Freedom Caucus
Prev: Freedom Caucus Formed in the Texas House To Empower Grassroots Texans
Next: Public Comment Condemning U.S. HHS Radical Rule Forcing Healthcare Workers to Perform Genital Mutilation, Abortion Services Regardless of Conscientious Objections
© 2023 Texas Freedom Caucus
info@freedomfortexas.com


Here we see the older PCX5900 and the 6200 against each other. This is what the 6200 is aimed at replacing in the PCI Express low-end market as well as take on the X300 as the low-end king.
As we go into the DX9 tests we see the 6200 increase its gap on the PCX5900 as well as ATI's Radeon X300.


For once, Park Slope residents aren't complaining about a high-tech, glass-enclosed residential building slated to rise in their neighborhood, the Brooklyn Paper reported, because it's planned to be completely powered by sun and wind energy.
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This is a gallery of Mario-themed accessories.
Super Mario collector's pins. The characters are (from left to right, top to bottom) Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, Peach, and Gold Mario.
Modeled after New Super Mario Bros. Wii, this is a "stationery set" which includes a Mario and Yoshi eraser, mini-Coins, tape dispensers, two pens modeled after Warp Pipes, and self inking stamps.
A pencil case with a stylish Mario design. It comes built in with a pencil sharpener, and the case inside looks neat and organized.
A pencil case with a different stylish Mario design.
A container of colored pencils with a Mario design consisting of recognizable characters and items from the series.
A 6-inch ruler, decorated with Mario running with a Mushroom in his hand, being chased by Bowser and his troops.
A notebook (featuring Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina).
A set of Cell Phone Straps with plushies.
A Mario wallet with different power-ups from Super Mario Bros.
A wallet presenting a shot from World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros.
A holographic wallet from 1990, featuring elements from Super Mario Bros. 2.
A promotional wallet for Wario World.
Video game accessories that are essentially Mario-themed.
Mario-themed NDS game card holders that includes Mario, Luigi, a background of a overworld level, Bowser Jr., a Brick Block, and a 1-Up Mushroom.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii based Wii Remote straps coming in four colors: Yellow (Yellow Toad), Red (Mario), Blue, (Blue Toad), and Green (Luigi).
Containers suitable for Wii Remotes, and their Nunchuks. Comes in two styles: ? Block, and Brick Block.
Mario-themed cases that can hold CDs. Comes with four different cases: ? Block (yellow and blue), and Brick Block (brown and blue).
A Nintendo DS case designed after Mario's shirt and overalls. Comes with a long stylus of Mario standing on top of a Brick Block. Manufactured by PDP (Performance Designed Products).
The Luigi version of the Nintendo DS case, and stylus.
A Nintendo DS case featuring artwork of Mario on it.
New Super Mario Bros. based touch pens used as a stylus for Nintendo DS models; with a Mario pen, and Luigi pen.
? Block, Brick Block, Coin, Fire Flower, Mushroom, and Star.
Bullet Bill, Cheep Cheep, Goomba, Toad and Yoshi. Yoshi never appeared in New Super Mario Bros.
Yoshi's Island DS stylus set includes ten colors. Each stylus has a Yoshi standing on top, and a Yoshi Egg attached to a string at the bottom; both occupied with the desired color.
A Toad under the disease, a Blitty, Starlow, Broque, Broggy, and Fawful. Manufactured by Takara Tomy.
This page was last edited on April 8, 2019, at 00:14.