text:
Renesas eyes next-gen machine-learning SoC
February 4, 2018 Junko Yoshida
TOKYO — Renesas Electronics is pumped up. After lying low for a long time, the Japanese chip company is now brimming with confidence, claiming that it's "ready to intersect" with the demand to produce highly automated vehicles in volume.
In store for Renesas' roadmap is a yet-to-be-announced next-generation R-CAR SoC, designed for deep learning. Ready to go into advanced city driving autonomous vehicles in 2020, the new SoC will start sampling in 2019. It will deliver "more than 5 trillion operations per second (TOPS) at one watt," Ryuji Omura, executive vice president at Renesas, revealed in an exclusive interview with EE Times in Tokyo last week. Omura is general manager responsible for the Japanese company's automotive solution business unit.
The R-CAR SoC, if true, will double deep-learning performance efficiency compared to the Intel/Mobileye's upcoming EyeQ5 SoC — which, according to Intel — will provide 24 TOPS at 10 watts.
Ryuji Omura, executive vice president at Renesas (photo: EE Times)
Until this surprising development, Renesas' practiced pattern has been launching R-CAR SoCs primarily designed for in-vehicle infotainment applications and active safety systems. Renesas offered no hint about specific plans to design an R-CAR SoC for highly automated vehicles.
Indeed, unlike Nvidia and Intel/Mobileye, who have been battling to outshout each other about their self-driving expertise, Renesas has been conspicuously mute on the topic of robocar SoC platforms.
This reticence led some analysts to believe that Renesas might be more interested in ADAS than aggressively pursuing the nascent robocar market. Danny Kim, director and senior advisor at VSI Labs, for example, wondered if Renesas would consider TI and NXP as more of a direct competitor (with revenue largely earned from lower level safety systems) than Nvidia and Intel.
Nothing is further from the truth, according to Renesas. With the next-gen R-Car SoC underway, "We will be competitive in the highly automated vehicle SoC market," said Omura.
Renesas' game is to crack the robocar market at the right time with a much lower power and safety-conscious next-gen R-Car SoC, presenting itself as an alternative to Intel/Mobileye and Nvidia.
Renesas believes that covering all of automotive computing tasks by only general purpose GPU calculation presents problems with overall performance and power. The basic concept behind the R-Car Autonomy Platform is to integrate various IP cores for different operations with high throughput internal bus, the company said.
(Source: Renesas)
Continue reading on Embedded's sister site, EE Times: "Renesas SoC to double EyeQ5 efficiency."
Tags: IoT
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Q: Efficiency of Code: Java Transfer File over TCP I would like to know the difference in terms of performance between these two blocks that try to send a big file over a TCP socket.
I couldn't find much resources explaining their efficiency.
A-
byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
int number;

while ((number = fileInputStream.read(buffer)) != -1) {
socketOutputStream.write(buffer, 0, number);
}

B-
byte mybytearray = new byte[filesize];
os.write(mybytearray);

Which one is better in terms of transfer delay?
Also What is the difference if i set the size to 1024 or 65536? How would that affect the performance.

A: The latency until the last byte of the file arrives is basically identical. However the first one is preferable, although with a much larger buffer, for the following reasons:

*

*The data starts arriving sooner.

*There is no assumption that the file size fits into an int.

*There is no assumption that the entire file fits into memory, so

*It scales to very large files without code changes.

A: Your MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size is likely to be around 1500 bytes. This means your data will be broken up (or combined into) this size no matter what you do.  Any reasonable buffer size from 512 byte up is likely to give you the same transfer speed.
How you send and receieve data impact the amount of CPU you use. Unles syou have a fast network e.g. 10 GB, your CPU will mroe than keep up with your network.
Writing the code in an efficient manner will ensure you don't waste CPU (which is a good thing) but shouldn't make much difference to your transfer speed which is limited by your bandwidth (and latency of your network)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This entry was posted on 26 noviembre, 2018 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Actuaciones, Marionetas y títeres with tags actuaciones, centro cultural, Cultura, Espectáculos, Hilando Títeres, Madrid, Marionetas, Niños y Niñas, Títeres.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
Bible Society
New Testaments for Serbian Soldiers
More than 4,000 New Testaments are being given to the Serbian army. The New Testaments will be handed out to soldiers over the coming months. Colonel Sasha Milutinovic, the Serbian army's Chief of Religion Section, said, "I hope as a result of this we will never see a war crime in the Serbian Army again," he said. "In the past we made some mistakes. But now we not only want to improve our morals but to come back to faith in eternal life and to eternal values."
The New Testaments are produced by Bible Society. It is hoped that, in time, all 33,000 members of the Serbian Armed Forces will receive a copy. The General Secretary of the Bible Society
of Serbia, Vera Mitic, welcomed the move. "I strongly believe that the Bible should be a spiritual and moral guide for our soldiers," she said. She hoped the scheme would inspire other
Bible Societies in the Balkans to provide Bibles to their armies.
Serbian forces were responsible for atrocities during the 1992- 95 Bosnian war, among them the massacre at Srebrenica. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims died in the three-day massacre, the worst in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The former head of the Serbian Army, Ratko Mladic, is currently on trial at the Hague for war crimes.
Source: Christian Today
Bible Study: Isaiah 2:1-4
PRAISE God so many soldiers will receive a copy of the New Testament.
PRAY for many conversions.
Bible Distribution at Record Levels
Last year saw the highest number of Bibles ever distributed by Bible Societies around the world – nearly 34 million Bibles, with a total of 428.2 million Scriptures, including full Bibles,
Testaments, Gospels and other smaller scripture items. Far more Scriptures were distributed in Brazil than in any other country in the world. Its 7.6 million full Bibles account for more
than a fifth of last year's global Bible distribution. It is thought that this was boosted by the many thousands of Scriptures handed out during the FIFA World Cup. Cuba was another country that saw an increase in Bibles. Last year 1.5 million Scriptures were distributed there – more than double the total distributed in 2010. The Bible Society has also reported that more than five times the number of Testaments were distributed in Syria in 2014 than in 2010, before the conflict began.
Source: Premier News
Bible Study: Psalm 19
PRAISE God that His Word is reaching far and wide.
PRAY especially for fruit among the suffering Syrians.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Near Fine (corners slightly rubbed, light thumbdents, otherwise flat, clean), Carl Macek & Associates, Yorba Linda, 1970, 1st, 12 inches, 8.75 inches, 74 pages, color and black & white, softcover, spiralbound with cardstock covers, English
The Mousetrap was published in 1937 by Ward Ritchie in a limited numbered edition of 500 for the Disney Studio. It was an unofficial in-house publication...
The Movie Art of Syd Mead: Visual Futurist
Syd Mead, Mead, Syd, Very Fine in Very Fine dustjacket, Titan Books, London, 2017, 9781785651182, 12.25 inches, 9 inches, 256 pages, color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
From the publisher: Syd Mead is one of the most accomplished and widely respected artists and industrial designers alive today. His career boasts an...
Michel Gagne, Gagne, Michel, One of 1000 numbered copies signed by the artist., Very Fine/Very Fine, Burbank, Gagne International, 1999, 1st, 0-9666404-2-X, 11.25 inches, 11.25 inches, 32 pages, black & white, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
Gagne's second book. One of 1000 numbered copies signed by the artist. The artist has added a drawing of He on a hill on the front free endpaper....
Syd Mead, and George Jensen,
The Official Art of 2010
Syd Mead, George Jensen,, Mead, George Jensen,, Syd, Near Fine (moderate horizontal crease to the spine, light bump to the top of the spine, otherwise Fine-Very Fine, very flat, tight, clean), New York, Wallaby, 1984, 1st, 00671543369, 10 inches, 7 inches, 96 pages, black & white illustrations, softcover, color wraps
Quite scarce design book for the 1984 film directed by Peter Hyams. A fully illustrated, behind-the-scenes look at the early stages and evolution of...
Bill Plympton
The Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton
Bill Plympton, Plympton, Bill, Very Fine, New York, Bill Plympton, 1996, 1st, 0965207501, 10.75 inches, 8.25 inches, 80 pages, black & white with 32 pages in color, Softcover, wraps, English
"...here readers and fans, are my best sex toons from the 70s and 80s." Out of print. Animation cartoonist extraordinaire Bill Plympton cartoons for...
Very Fine in Very Fine dustjacket, Van Eaton Galleries, Sherman Oaks, 2015, 1st, 11.3 inches, 8.8 inches, 295 pages, over 1000 color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
From 2015, this is the limited edition dust-jacketed hardcover edition catalog of the Van Eaton Galleries' first Disneyland auction. This 296 page...
The Story of Disneyland: An Exhibition and Sale - Softcover Catalog
From 2015, this is the limited edition softcover edition catalog of the Van Eaton Galleries' first Disneyland auction. This 296 page full-color catalog...
The Techniques of Syd Mead DVD Volume 4: Final Gouache Rendering DVD
Syd Mead, Mead, Syd, Very Fine DVD in Very Fine DVD case in publisher's shrinkwrap, Gnomon Workshop/Design Studio Press, Hollywood/Culver City, 2005, 9781930878969, 7.5 inches, 5.5 inches, English
See Syd Mead paint! Out of print. Unopened in original cellowrap. From the publisher: The Techniques of Syd Mead DVD Collection The...
Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, and Tony Benedict
The Three Tooners in Florence: Behind the World of Hanna-Barbera - Exhibition Catalog - Photo Cover - Signed
Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, Tony Benedict, Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, Tony Benedict, Willie, Signed by artists Willie Ito and Jerry Eisenberg, Fine, Nemo Academy/La Citta della Nuvole, Florence, Italy, 2019, 1st, 8.25 inches, 11.75 inches, 262 pages, over 300 color and black & white illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
A full color art book devoted to Hanna-Barbera and animation artists Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, and Tony Benedict. Produced by the Florence animation...
The Three Tooners in Florence: Behind the World of Hanna-Barbera - Exhibition Catalog - Willie Ito Cover - Signed
The Vader Project Auction
Very Fine, Freeman's, 2010, 1st, Softcover, wraps, English
For this unique project, 100 artists customized 1:1 scale authentic prop replicas of the actual Darth Vader helmet featured in the STAR WARS films. This...
The Young Minotaur
Signed by the artist, Fine, Gabriele Pennacchioli, Pennacchioli, Gabriele, 2008, 1st, 9.35 inches, 8.25 inches, 48 pages, color, hardcover, pictorial boards, English
Short stories told in full page illustrations with a title underneath. Our hero is a brave young sword-wielding minotaur in an epic fantasy world with...
This Is Animation - Visual Archive of Dora the Movie [Doraemon]
Very Fine in Very Fine dustjacket in Near Fine obi band, Japan, Shogakukan, 2003, 1st, 9784092902749, 8.3 inches, 6 inches, 390 pages, black & white with 34 pages in color, Softcover, wraps, English
A pristine copy. Out of print. This Is Animation - Visual Archive of Dora the Movie "Nobita and the Windmasters" 332 pages reproduce the entire...
Thor: The Art of Thor the Movie
Very Fine in Fine slipcase, Marvel, New York, 2011, 1st, 10.8 inches, 11.8 inches, 240 pages, color, Hardcover, leatherette, English
Out of print. The art of the first Thor film, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Featuring...
Enrico Casarosa, Ronnie Del Carmen, and Tadahiro Uesugi
Three Trees Make A Forest
Enrico Casarosa, Ronnie Del Carmen, Tadahiro Uesugi, Casarosa, Ronnie Del Carmen, Tadahiro Uesugi, Enrico, Fine, issued without dustjacket, Gingko, Corte Madera, 2007, 1st, 9.25 inches, 7.25 inches, 128 pages, 95 color illustrations, hardcover, pictorial boards, English
29 pieces by Enrico (a mixture of digital, pencil & watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media). 28 pieces by Ronnie (an equal mixture of digital, watercolor,...
Moebius (Jean Giraud)
Thru the Moebius Strip: Moebius' Vision
Moebius (Jean Giraud), Moebius (Jean Giraud), Limited to 1500 copies, Near Fine (light shelfwear), Los Angeles, GDC Entertainment Ltd., 2002, 1st, 9628660314, 12.5 inches, 9.5 inches, 115 pages, color, hardcover, pictorial boards, English
A lavish glossy full-color book on THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP; the independently produced, computer animated film based upon an original story and designs by...
Hayao Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Hayao, Near Fine in Near Fine dustjacket (a bump to the lower corner has created two light creases to every page, otherwise sharp and unread), Kaiga, Japan, 2002, 1st, 11.75 inches, 8.3 inches, 88 pages, color, softcover, wraps, Japanese
A collection of comic stories by Miyazaki originally published in Model Graphix, a Japanese magazine for plastic model enthusiasts. The stories feature...
Zep, et al, Zep, et al, Very Fine in Very Fine Dustjacket, Glenat, Grenoble, 2011, 1st, 9.4, 11.5, 160, color and B&W, Hardcover, boards
A Chronicle style animation art book for the French animated feature film written & directed by Zep and based upon his album series. Titeuf is a hugely...
To Be Continued...1930's & 1940's Serial Movie Posters
VF, Bruce Hershenson, 2001, 1st, wraps
Volume 16 in the Illustrated History of Movies through Posters. A collection of posters for 125 movie serials from 1931 through 1954. Out-of-print.
Tom Bancroft
Tom Bancroft: Character Designer, Animator - Second Edition - Signed
Tom Bancroft, Bancroft, Tom, Near Fine (corners lightly bumped, new and unread), Nemo Academy/La Citta della Nuvole, Florence, Italy, 2019, 1st thus, 8.25 inches, 11.75 inches, 96 pages, color and black & white illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
This is the 2019 Second Edition updated and expanded with 16 additional pages. Produced by the Florence animation school Nemo Academy, a full color...
Tony Bancroft
Tony Bancroft #Sketches: A Tony Bancroft Sketchbook - Signed
Signed by the artist, Fine, Tony Bancroft, Bancroft, Tony, 2019, 1st, 10 inches, 7 inches, 76 pages, color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
A full color collection of sketches and drawings by Tony Bancroft, Animator (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame,...
Limited to 1000 copies, Very Fine, Emeryville, Totoro Forest Project/OOP, 2008, 1st, 9780982013106, 10 inches, 8 inches, 224 pages, color, softcover, French wraps, English
This is the long out-of-print catalogue for an auction for the benefit of the non-profit organization, "Totoro No Furusato National Fund". Oscar winning...
Totoro Forest Project - Limited Edition
Limited to 1000 copies, Fine, Emeryville, Totoro Forest Project/OOP, 2008, 1st, 9780982013106, 10 inches, 8 inches, 224 pages, color, softcover, French wraps, English
Totoro Forest Project - Signed by Three Contributing Artists
Limited to 1000 copies, Near Fine (slight shelfwear along the bottom edge, otherwise tight, flat, clean), Totoro Forest Project/OOP, 2008, 1st, 9780982013106, 10 inches, 8 inches, 224 pages, color, softcover, French wraps, English
This copy is signed by contributing artists Lizette Vega, Tim Heitz, and Wayne Lo next to their paintings. This is the long out-of-print catalogue for an...
Limited to 999 numbered copies, Very Fine, Paris, Galerie Glenat, 2016, 1st, 9782344015094, 12.5 inches, 10.5 inches, 86 pages, 43 full-page and 12 smaller color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, French
The original limited edition catalog--limited to 999 copies--issued on the occasion of the exhibition in tribute to Katsuhiro Otomo for the 43rd...
Tribute to Otomo - New French Edition
Limited to 5000 copies, Very Fine, Grenoble, Glenat, 2017, 1st, 9782344018675, 12.5 inches, 10.5 inches, 168 pages, 80 full-page and 15 other color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, French
An expanded edition of the catalog to the exhibition in tribute to Katsuhiro Otomo for the 43rd International Festival of Bande Dessinee at Angoulême...
Turning Point 1997-2008
Hayao Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Hayao, Very Fine, San Francisco, Viz Media, 2021, 1st, 9781974724505, 9 inches, 6 inches, 452 pages, 8 pages of color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
From the publisher: The second volume of legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki's career memoir continues with essays, interviews, and discussions...
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: The Art of the Film
Very Fine, issued without dustjacket in publisher's shrinkwrap, London, Titan Books, 2017, 1st, 9781785654008, 10.75 inches, 12 inches, 192 pages, color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
Full of design art by Ben Mauro, Marc Simonetti, Patrice Garcia. From the publisher: Rooted in the classic graphic novel series, Valerian and...
Vance Kelly
Vance Kelly Collected Works - Signed
Vance Kelly, Kelly, Vance, with an illustrated bookplate signed by the artist, Very Fine, issued without dustjacket, in publisher's shrinkwrap, Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, 2020, 1st, 8.75 inches, 11.25 inches, 132 pages, over 130 color illustrations, Hardcover, decorative leather, English
The first book collecting Vance Kelly's pop culture illustrations and artwork. Covering his entire career, focusing on his rock and movie artworks. Almost...
Robert Ball
Vectormania - Signed
Robert Ball, Ball, Robert, Signed by the artist, Very Fine, London, 2015, 1st, 11.75 inches, 8.25 inches, 100 pages, color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
Robert M. Ball is an illustrator, designer and comic maker, living and working in London. His clients include HBO, Disney, ESPN, Sony, Wired and Conde Nast....
Vintage Hollywood Posters IV
Includes 331 posters.
Vintage Hollywood Posters IX
Vintage Hollywood Posters V
Vintage Hollywood Posters VII
Includes 592 posters. Out-of-print.
Vinyl Conflict: The World of Godzilla Toys - Exhibition & Auction Catalog
Very Fine, issued without dustjacket, in publisher's shrinkwrap, Peekaboo Gallery, Montrose, 2019, 1st, 11.25 inches, 8.75 inches, 290 pages, over 1000 color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
A beautifully Illustrated, art book and commemorative catalog for the biggest Godzilla exhibition & auction ever. This is a limited edition silver foil...
Bob Kurtz
Vision: Kurtz & Friends
Very Fine, Bob Kurtz, Kurtz, Bob, Tokyo Designers Gakuin College, 1980, 1st, 11.75 inches, 8.75 inches, 84 pages, Over 300 color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, Japanese, English
"Special Issue on the Work of Kurtz & Friends." Kurtz commercial animation company created the ubiquitous Chevron Oil dinosaur spots of the seventies...
Brian Kesinger
Walking Your Octopus - 1st Printing
Very Fine, Brian Kesinger, Kesinger, Brian, Baby Tattoo Books, 2013, 1st, 9781614040064, 7 inches, 14 inches, 64 pages, color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
This wonderful book by Disney story artist and steampunk enthusiast Brian Kesinger has been a runaway hit selling out its first print run in less than two...
Walt Disney's Chicken Little Set of 6 Mini Block Figures in Plastic Egg Carton
Limited edition of 5000 units, Very Fine in Very Fine box, Disney, Burbank, 2005, 1st
A limited edition set of figures from the 2005 Disney animated feature film Chicken Little . Part of an underground marketing campaign, these were not...
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves: A Disney Read-Aloud Film Classic
Fine, New York, Harmony Books, 1980, 1st, 0517543273, 7.5 inches, 9 inches, 128 pages, over 100 full-page color illustrations, Softcover, wraps, English
The story told with frames from the film reproduced as full-page color illustrations. From the back cover: All of the Disney magic is captured here in...
Walter Simonson, and Tom Palmer
Walter Simonson Star Wars Artist's Edition
Walter Simonson, Tom Palmer, Simonson, Tom Palmer, Walter, Very Fine in Very Fine shipping box, IDW Publishing, San Diego, 2019, 1st, 17.25 inches, 12.25 inches, 144 pages, color, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
Comics legends Walter Simonson and Tom Palmer collaborated on a wonderful run of Star Wars comics in the early 1980s, before the release of The Empire...
Carter Goodrich
We Forgot Brock!
Carter Goodrich, Goodrich, Carter, Very Fine/Very Fine, New York, Simon & Schuster, 2015, 10.25 inches, 10.5 inches, 48 pages, color, hardcover, pictorial boards, English
The latest children's picture book by the New Yorker cover artist and character designer (Brave, Ratatouille, Despicable Me). Carter Goodrich has...
Derrick Wyatt
Very Fine, Derrick Wyatt, Wyatt, Derrick, 2004, 1st, 8.5 inches, 5.5 inches, 40 pages, black & white, softcover, wraps
When this was published in 2004, Derrick Wyatt was Art Director/Lead Character Designer for Transformers Animated. He had previously worked on Teen Titans...
What is Torch Tiger?
Limited to 1300 copies, Very Fine in Very Fine dustjacket (sharp clean, tight, bright), 2009, 1st, 9780615295978, 0615295975, 9 inches, 6 inches, 216 pages, color, softcover, wraps, English
The second full-color comics anthology self-published by Walt Disney Animation Studio's Story Artists and Directors. It sold out quickly and is now...
Limited to 1300 copies, Very Fine in Fine dustjacket (sharp clean, tight, bright), 2009, 1st, 9780615295978, 0615295975, 9 inches, 6 inches, 216 pages, color, softcover, wraps, English
What is Torch Tiger? (Signed by 27 Contributors)
Limited to 1300 copies. Signed by 27 contributors., Very Fine/Very Fine, 2009, 1st, Softcover, wraps, English
What is Torch Tiger? - Signed by 6 Contributors
Limited to 1300 copies, this copy is signed by artists Steve Anderson, Paul Briggs, Kevin Deters, Don Hall, Joe Mateo, and Chris Williams, Fine in Fine dustjacket (clean, tight, bright), 2009, 1st, 9780615295978, 0615295975, 9 inches, 6 inches, 216 pages, color, softcover, wraps, English
This book has been signed by six of the 30 contributors: Steve Anderson, Paul Briggs, Kevin Deters, Don Hall, Joe Mateo, and Chris Williams who has added a...
Natalie Hall
What the Hall? - Signed with a Drawing
Inscribed by the artist with a drawing, Fine, Natalie Hall, Hall, Natalie, 2013, 1st, 8.5 inches, 5.5 inches, 28 pages, color and black & white, Softcover, wraps
Inscribed by the artist with a drawing: "To ___ Thanks so much! You made this happen! Natalie Hall" A very winning sketchbook from this L.A. illustrator...
When is High Moon?
Very Fine, Los Angeles, Baby Tattoo, 2018, 1st, 978-1614040248, 9 inches, 6 inches, 280 pages, color, Softcover, wraps, English
In 2008, a group of Walt Disney Feature Animation's Story Artists challenged themselves to create their own comic stories that they would self-publish as an...
Limited to 1000 copies and signed by over 30 artists, Very Fine, issued without dustjacket, Los Angeles, Baby Tattoo, 2018, 1st, 978-1-61404-113-9, 9.25 inches, 6.25 inches, 280 pages, color, Hardcover, pictorial boards, English
This is the limited hardcover edition signed by 31 contributing Disney story artists. In 2008, a group of Walt Disney Feature Animation's Story...
Who is Rocket Johnson? - Signed by 3 Artists
Limited to 1000 copies, signed by 3 artists, Near Fine (very slight wear to the two lower corners), 2008, 1st, 9 inches, 6 inches, 144 pages, color, softcover, wraps, English
The first full-color comics anthology from the story artists at Disney Feature Animation. It sold out quickly and is now out-of-print. This copy is...
Limited to 1000 copies, signed by 5 artists, Near Fine, 2008, 1st, 9 inches, 6 inches, 144 pages, color, softcover, wraps, English
The first full-color comics anthology from the story artists at Disney Feature Animation. It sold out quickly and is now out-of-print. Signed by Don...
Shunya Yamashita
Wild Flower: Shunya Yamashita Illustration 2
Shunya Yamashita, Yamashita, Shunya, Fine in Fine dustjacket, Japan, 2008, 1st, 11.75 inches, 8.4 inches, 128 pages, color, softcover, wraps, Japanese
Yamashita is a video game character designer & illustrator in the mold of Hyung-tze Kim and Hakua Ugetsu but Yamashita's art is softer and cuter. He is...
Working Women: The New Pin-Up - Temporary Tattoos
Bill Presing, Presing, Bill, Very Fine, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2016, 1st, 9781452145372, 1452145377, 7 inches, 4 3/4 inches, 6 pages, color illustrations, Softcover, English
A collection of temporary tattoos based on strong women such as astronauts, athletes, pilots and more. Bill Presing is a story artist at Pixar and also...
Writing with Light, Vol. 1: The Light / Scrivere con la Luce, Vol. 1: La Luce
Vittorio Storaro, Storaro, Vittorio, #760 of an unstated print run, Near Fine (light scuffing to corners, interior Fine), Venice, Aperture, 2002, 1st, 9781931788038, 12 inches, 12 inches, 312 pages, Over 500 color illustrations, Hardcover, pictorial boards
Three-time Oscar-winning Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's stunning book on his work in such films as Apocalypse Now, Dick Tracy, and The Last Emperor....
Mike Yamada
Zoom Zoo: Alphabet Flash Cards - Signed with a Drawing
Mike Yamada, Limited to 500 copies. The boz is signed by Mike with a small original drawing, Fine in Near Fine box (dent to bottom edge of box), Yamada, Mike, 2011, 1st, 7.5 inches, 5 inches, 28 cards pages, color, box with flip top, English
From concept artist Mike Yamada, a set of 26 full-color alphabet flash cards each with a different animal in a unique car. Plus an artist's bio card and a...


text:
Apple Tells Court That It Is Impossible To Pull User Data From Locked iPhones
By Paul Morris | October 21st, 2015
Apple lawyers has told a judge in the United States District Court circuit that unlocking an iPhone with the intention of accessing the files and data stored on it would be "impossible" if its running one of the latest versions of iOS; 8.0 – 9.x. Those representing Apple did however admit that the company does have the technical ability to assist law enforcement officials in individual cases when it comes to unlocking older devices that are running less secure and less advanced versions of its mobile platform, that is versions below iOS 8.0.
Apple was invited to provide some insight into the technical possibilities of device unlocking by a federal magistrate in Brooklyn, New York, as part of a Justice Department case that has been attempting to force Apple to offer assistance in unlocking an iPhone that has been seized from an individual during an ongoing case. In the filed papers, Apple said that granting the request for approximately 90% of iOS devices in existence running iOS 8 or above would be "impossible to perform" due to the strengthening of internal encryption methods in the latest firmware.
Apple hasn't made any secret of the fact that security within iOS has been beefed up over the last couple of major iterations. As of iOS 8, the company's mobile platform, which powers all iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices, has shipped equipped with a feature that is designed to prevent anyone from accessing the device without knowing the passcode that has been set through the device's internal settings. This includes preventing Apple itself from accessing the encrypted data, and was initially introduced in 2014 at the peak of the NSA surveillance program scandals.
The information provided by Apple did concede that it has the technical ability to access the remaining 10% of devices that are still running pre-iOS 8 firmware, as is with the iPhone in the Justice Department's custody. However, the iPhone-maker did also make an appeal to the judge to not force it to comply with the request made by the Justice Department:
Forcing Apple to extract data in this case, absent clear legal authority to do so, could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand.
Given the fact that consumers, and the general public at large, are increasingly sensitive to government spying and the security of their data, it'll come as a very positive surprise to see Apple fighting its right to protect its users data.
(Source: WSJ)


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Home / News / Buying Guides
2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio Coming Q2 2011, Abarth and EV In 2012
Nelson Ireson January 28, 2011 Comment Now!
Fiat is poised to make its return to the United States, with the 500 Prima Edizione the forerunner of a flotilla of pint-sized hatches and convertibles. Already open for order and soon to start delivery, the manual-only Prima Edizione will be joined over the next year by the 500C Cabriolet, Abarth, and the all-electric 500 EV.
Starting at just $15,500, the Prima Edizione will set the standard for the models to follow, as well as the tone of Fiat's return. The first of the follow-ons will be the 500C Cabriolet, due in the second quarter of this year as a 2012 model. Around the same time the standard Fiat 500 hatch will become available with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The 500C Cabriolet is, as we've seen from the European version, a 500 hatch with the entire roof removed and replaced with a sliding soft top, though the C-pillar and door arches remain. Also like the hatch, the 500C will share the same engine, which in the U.S. means a 1.4-liter Multiair engine rated at 101 horsepower. The 500C will also be available with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.
After the 500C arrives, we'll have to wait almost a full year for the first 500 Abarths to go on sale in the first quarter of 2012. The Abarth gets its power from a 1.4-liter turbocharged T-Jet engine, generating 135 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 132 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm in Euro trim. U.S. specs have yet to be officially revealed, but should be nearly identical. In addition to the upraded powerplant, the Abarth will also sport unique exterior features including a full body kit, wider fenders, and Abarth badging. Due to its early 2012 arrival, the Abarth model is expected to wear a 2013 model designation.
Then it's another long wait until the fourth quarter of 2012 for the 500 EV, the all-electric version of the car announced last year. Specs on the 500 EV remain even more elusive, likely because they haven't been completely finalized, but a report from GreenCarReports' John Voelcker quotes Chrysler PR manager Nick Cappa as saying the car will be best suited to "daily commuters who don't travel more than 40 miles a day" though he added that total range would be "well beyond that."
As for where you'll be able to buy one, one third of the 130 dealers to get Fiat 500s will be former Saturn or Hummer dealers. With a network that large and re-purposed showrooms from the two dead brands, there should be a dealer within reasonable driving distance of most Americans.
For more on the 2012 Fiat 500, don't miss Marty Padgett's review of the Prima Edizione at TheCarConnection.
High-Res Gallery: 2012 Fiat 500 live photos. Photo by Joe Nuxoll.
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It's easy to dismiss Avoriaz: high-rise, mid-range a bit plain Jane. But then Maisons et Hôtels Sibuet swept in to take charge of the resort's only hotel - The Sixties, wood-shingle, pyramid-shaped Dromonts - and shake it up into the funkiest, retro-styled crashpad in the Alps. The listed building is all sloping walls and weirdly interconnected rooms, designed to make the most of the views, but the new incarnation works - with shiny, tinkly bells on: original archways, curvy seatings area, retro furniture, cowhide walls, nobbly silver fabrics and vintage photos of rosy-chekked skiers. The hotel's bar Le Festival celebrates the film festival that was held here until the Nineties and serves purple mojitos that match the groovy walls. The pure Altitude spa had a former life as an underground nightclub - no more shagadelic dancing, but we're more inclined to spend a few hours in the new slate-and-wood retreat, finishing with a soothing signature "candle ritual" massage. The whole shebang is a little bit Alpine kitsch, a little bit Barbarella - and a little bit fabulous.


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August 18, 2017 / 2:51 PM / 2 years ago
Germany bets on second time lucky with migrant workers
Joseph Nasr
GESCHER, Germany (Reuters) - As Germany struggles to absorb more than a million migrants from the Middle East and Africa, the government is hoping to avoid the mistakes it made half a century ago when it brought in a generation of guest workers from Turkey.
Merhawi Tesfay, an immigrant from Eritrea poses during a Reuters interview at German plant engineering firm Kremer Machine Systems where he found a job as electrician and plant manufacturer in Gescher near Muenster, Germany, August 4, 2017. Picture taken August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
In the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Turkish men were invited in to fill labor shortages. But Germany made no attempt to help them learn the language or upgrade their skills.
The result is that three million Turks in Germany are still struggling today. They are the least integrated minority, with an unemployment rate of about 16 percent, almost three times the national average.
Now, two years after it threw open its doors to the latest migrants, Germany has devised an integration strategy based on language and job training intended to get the newcomers into work and off welfare. Among the changes are 600 hours of mandatory language lessons and fast-tracked work permits.
These measures are starting to show signs of success: a growing number of migrants are joining a labor market where a record 1.1 million jobs are unfilled.
"Things are very different here," said Merhawi Tesfay, a 32-year-old Eritrean who was hired by Kremer Machine Systems, an engineering company in the town of Gescher in western Germany.
"In Eritrea you find work through word of mouth. Here you have the Job Centre and online job sites. Everything comes with too much bureaucracy and my German wasn't good enough."
Tesfay was hired initially as a trainee and then full-time, through ELNet, a government-funded project run by charities who assign mentors to refugees. He had been looking for work for almost three years.
Waves of migrants, many forced to flee Syria's civil war, began arriving in large numbers two years ago, one of the biggest migration movements Europe had seen since World War Two.
The challenge now for Germany, which took in the largest number of the incomers in western Europe, is to integrate them into society over the long term.
With its strong economy, Germany is better placed than many European countries, especially in southern Europe, to accept migrants. German unemployment is at its lowest since 1990 and seven straight years of growth mean the government can afford to put aside more than 10 billion euros a year for refugees.
"The lesson that Germany learnt is that integration is something you work on," said Herbert Bruecker of Humboldt University of Berlin. "It doesn't happen on its own".
When the first Turkish guest workers arrived in the 1960s, German politicians, still preoccupied with rebuilding the economy after World War Two, regarded them as a temporary measure. The perception was that Turks were guests who would go back home.
The Turks of course did not go home. And their wives and children began following them, just as the oil crisis of the early 1970s pushed Germany into a recession that cost many guest workers their jobs.
With low skills and little grasp of the language, many found it hard to find work again as Germany shifted away from industry towards automation and services.
This time, Germany has taken a different approach.
One month after her decision to open Germany's borders to refugees fleeing war and persecution, Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament in September 2015 that Germany should learn from its mistakes with the Turkish guest workers and seek to integrate asylum seekers from day one.
Since then, her government has focused on language and vocational training to help 1.2 million asylum seekers get into a manpower-hungry labor market and wean them off Germany's generous welfare system.
Under legislation approved in August 2016, integration courses including language learning were made mandatory for all refugees and asylum seekers from countries such as Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan.
The new rules also included a 'Give and Take' clause giving authorities powers to cut financial aid to asylum seekers if they don't attend language courses.
The government speeded up work permits for asylum seekers, and scrapped a rule under which Job Centres had to prove they couldn't find a European Union citizen for a vacancy before they could offer it to a refugee.
There are several signs that the measures are working: Some 203,000 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria and Somalia were employed in May, according to the Labour Agency, 23,000 more than in February.
"The employment numbers leave much to be desired," said Thomas Liebig of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. "But clearly many of the measures that have been taken are in the right direction."
The government is also offering financial incentives for companies that offer vocational traineeships to refugees and asylum seekers. This could amount to half a new recruit's salary for a year.
More than 13,500 refugees are taking part in these schemes, which involve learning a profession at a technical college while at the same time gaining experience with a company.
While it's too early to say whether the program is a success in Germany, salary assistance schemes have boosted migrant employment rates in Scandinavia.
"Most of the refugees come from countries where they either study or work," said Christina Mersch, who heads a government-funded project at the DIHK Chambers of Commerce called 'Companies integrate refugees'. "So it's difficult to explain to them that in Germany you can do both simultaneously."
Germany suffers from labor shortages as its population ages. This bodes well for the largely low-skilled migrants given that sectors requiring unskilled labor such as catering and hospitality are growing fastest.
"In the last three years, 1.6 million positions were created in low-skilled sectors, 45 percent of which were jobs for which one requires no formal qualifications," said Bruecker of Humboldt University. "We don't only need doctors and engineers".
HERE TO STAY
Despite its integration push, Germany appears to be repeating one mistake it made with the Gastarbeiter in the 1960s. Last year it granted fewer applicants full refugee status, suggesting it is expecting some migrants to go home.
Temporary residence permits, rather than full refugee status, hamper integration, economists say, as this discourages companies from hiring people who may not remain in Germany.
In the first seven months of last year, more than three-quarters of Syrian applicants were granted full refugee status and just over one-fifth were given a one-year residence permit.
Over the same period this year, only one third of Syrians were granted full refugee status and six out of ten got a temporary permit.
"The main mistake is that most refugees are being given temporary residency permits because of the false expectation that they would return," said Bruecker. "This could have fatal economic consequences. Why would firms invest in someone whose prospects to remain are uncertain?"
About 90 percent of the new arrivals have said in surveys they want to stay in Germany permanently.
The stricter asylum rules were quietly introduced last year after Merkel's conservatives were punished in regional elections by Germans angry with her decision to welcome asylum seekers. Voters backed the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is expected to enter the national parliament for the first time in a general election on Sept. 24.
Slideshow (4 Images)
Whether Germany's integration strategy succeeds will depend largely on how many migrants arrive in the months and years after the election, in which Merkel is expected to win a fourth term.
"I don't think Germany will fail," said Reiner Klingholz of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, noting that 116,000 asylum applications were filed in the first seven months of this year, well down on the crisis year of 2015.
"But another dramatic surge in asylum arrivals may well overwhelm the system," he said. "The first refugee crisis produced the AfD. A second one could bring down a government."
Additional reporting by Daniel Felleiter; Editing by Giles Elgood


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ReviewsMovie Review
Nathan Rabin
Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Dustin Hoffman
I Heart Huckabees is such an iconoclastic movie that it seems a bit perverse to note just how much it owes to other films and filmmakers. Yet out of a heady stew of disparate influences emerges one of the boldest, most audacious American movies of the last 25 years, a freewheeling cerebral carnival of energy and ideas, if not always coherence or cohesion.
The latest from writer-director David O. Russell combines the intellectual vaudeville of an early Woody Allen short story with the cinematic playfulness that Jean-Luc Godard exhibited before Marxist orthodoxy destroyed his sense of joy and possibility. Also like early Godard, Russell seems heavily influenced by his peers and contemporaries. Huckabees borrows Jason Schwartzman, melancholy quirkiness, and a perfectionist's eye for detail from Wes Anderson, as well as Mark Wahlberg (in his finest role and performance since Boogie Nights) and a woozily psychedelic Jon Brion score from P.T. Anderson. I Heart Huckabees also suggests Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze's trippy postmodern absurdism, but, like Quentin Tarantino's best work, it synthesizes its influences into something joltingly original.
A self-described "existential comedy" about interconnectivity, environmentalism, corporations, coincidences, the meaning of life, and Shania Twain, Huckabees casts Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin as existential detectives who help their clients deal with philosophical crises, albeit sometimes in ways that just confuse them further. Schwartzman, in a rare and welcome lead role, co-stars as an environmentalist locked in personal and political struggle with fellow client Jude Law, a yuppie executive whose happy façade conceals an emptiness shared by his girlfriend Naomi Watts. For his part, Wahlberg imbues a modern icon of manliness and courage—the heroic firefighter—with a combustible mixture of rage, idealism, and despair. United in their confusion and alienation, Wahlberg and Schwartzman form an unlikely friendship as they fall under the spell of gloomy philosopher Isabelle Huppert, the apparent ideological foe of Hoffman and Tomlin.
A stoner movie that gets high on theories and concepts, Huckabees throws out so many seemingly contradictory and counterintuitive ideas that it takes repeat viewings just to process everything in the script. A light comedy about the meaning and nature of existence, the film fuses lowbrow physical comedy and deep thoughts in a far-from-seamless way, but it's thrilling to witness a movie this eager to risk looking ridiculous.
In I Heart Huckabees, ideas don't just meet and clash: They dance furious tangos of love and hate, enter into ill-advised marriages, and then head down to Mexico for quickie divorces. That exhilarating fearlessness makes flying off the rails seem like a glorious leap of faith.


Ive tried tweaking CS not much help. Im starting to regret spendin money on this card. I cant really see how this would be my processor bottlenecking, I know that p4 aint the best for gaming but comeon. Anyeone have any ideas on tweaking this bad moy let me know. Any Suggestions would be much appreciated.
you could try coolbits/riva tunner and up the core and memory clock speeds see if that helps - just dont put it to high only move in small increments of say 3-5mhz at time and test.
What drivers are you using? Also make sure CS is running in direct3d or opengl.
Look to me like you just didn't install drivers properly. That or you have a rediculous amount of background applications.


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The Impact of AI on Video Games
Back in the early 2000s, I received a copy of the original Unreal Tournament released in 1999. It was my first exposure to an online FPS, even before my friends and I would spend late hours shooting each other in Counter-Strike.
I entered the deathmatch mode, the backbone of any online shooter, and geared up, (a little nervously), for the match of my life.
What followed was a few hours of addicting gameplay. I was impressed with the gameplay, the fluidity, and the fellow players.
Well, there was one issue with what I thought I was playing. It turns out that my younger self was not aware that for all that time, I wasn't connected to the Internet. I discovered that I wasn't hooked up to it after I quit the game after satisfying rounds of deathmatch and team deathmatch.
What I had been doing was actually facing off against bots; AI opponents. This was my first real exposure to interacting with bots and AI so blatantly. I played other games against AI; however, the AI in Unreal Tournament was so lifelike that I confused the bots for actual humans for hours.
This affected me deeply. I started to take notice of AI behavior in any game I played: how it functioned, how it interacted with me, etc. How did it get so lifelike?
Artificial Intelligence and History in Games
AI, of course, stands for artificial intelligence. It has a rich history and has been the backbone for countless aspects of computing, gaming, and more. It is the intelligence of machines in comparison to the intelligence, (or lack thereof), exhibited by a younger me playing Unreal Tournament.
In gaming specifically, AI is more geared towards automation. This means that for the most part, a lot of AI works in the manner that those very talented bots in Unreal Tournament did.
They served a purpose of keeping the game moving forward, forever engaging the human player in a match after match, ad infinitum. With gaming, this is an extreme benefit.
Related: The Evolution of Video Game Genres
Instead of engaging in a more complicated strain of AI that deals with complicated algorithms, and machinery, game AI is able to simply play the game with the player.
As the years go by, gaming AI has become more impressive. That automation that serves as a purpose to sort of 'fill the gaps' has become a force to be reckoned with in some cases.
Civilization and FEARs
You have those old computer shooters with automaton bots to fill the game with players, giving the player a mild challenge. But then you have more advanced AI. Two examples that always jump out at me are with Sid Meier's Civilization series, (specifically the fifth entry in the series), and the horror/FPS shooter FEAR.
In the turn-based strategy game Civilization V, the player is able to play a multiplayer game online, however, I believe that the game truly shines when the player is going head to head with some seriously great AI.
When setting up the game, the player is able to tweak AI behavior: they can be more aggressive, passive, historically relevant to their nationality, (Genghis Khan would be more aggressive), and more.
An infamous example of AI taking over is the anachronistic stories of India's Gandhi becoming a maniacal, militaristic lover of nuclear bombs. On multiple occasions, I have had Gandhi eclipse me in technology and threaten me with devastating war if I didn't kowtow to his ridiculous demands.
This AI performance is strangely human in its operation. I could easily imagine a fellow human player acting in an unreasonable manner to win the game.
Likewise, with FEAR, the AI works in such a fashion that it could easily fool the player into thinking they were facing off against a group of human players. In FEAR, the player takes on the role of a special agent soldier with some serious psychic abilities.
Along with an arsenal at their fingertips, the carnage of this game is unrivaled. But so is the AI. Released way back in 2004, FEAR is somewhat a relic of the past game generation.
But where its graphics and mechanics may have aged, the AI is still as robust as ever. It kind of makes me rethink the whole 'automation' thing.
FEAR's enemies are skilled commandos trying to put a stop to your mission. Sure, you are equipped with an impressive arsenal of army-issued weapons as well as some unique ones.
You also have the power to slow down time to more easily dispose of those annoying enemies. They engage in some truly impressive AI behavior.
If you are fighting in an office, they'll spread out and actively communicate with each other. "He's over by the desk! He's over by the closet!" are just some of the uncanny commands they'll issue to their unit. They will try to surround you and make your life a living hell.
I remember playing it and their AI making me more uneasy than whatever jump scares the game puts in. The future of gaming, with AI like this, is on par to become truly groundbreaking.
How did the FEAR super soldiers get here? How could AI be this robust? Get out your notebooks, class, because it's time for a history lesson, and I think you'll be surprised.
Games before AI? Nim, and Deep Blue
Artificial intelligence has truly been involved with gaming since day one. I'm talking way back. 1951, to be exact. While the Korean War was raging on, there was a computer game called Nim.
Now, it isn't a videogame as we know it today; it's more of a mathematical exercise. In Nim, the player would take objects from a pile, with the aim of not being the last player to receive the last object. Pretty simple, I know, but it was the perfect first experiment for gaming AI.
This specific AI construct was extremely skilled and echoes what would happen later in the future in the forms of checkers and chess AI.
Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov famously played against artificial intelligence, named Deep Blue, in 1996.
IBM had developed this computer as a chess computer, specifically to see if it could beat a grandmaster. It did exactly that against Kasparov in 1996. Deep Blue miraculously defeated Gary Kasparov under normal conditions.
This was a landmark in not only gaming AI, but in human history in regard to computer development. The benefit to the AI was that it could detect easily when Kasparov made a mistake. Again, it fills in the gaps.
In seconds, Deep Blue would use brute force techniques, in which it would quickly calculate through every possible chess move. This leaves us human players in the dust. Of course, the defeat didn't come without its controversy.
Kasparov claimed that IBM had most likely used the input of skilled chess players to develop Deep Blue's AI. IBM refuted this and eventually got rid of Deep Blue. This actually culminated in the development of a similar game, called Arimaa, in which it pits chess players versus a new AI.
There was actually a constant prize of $10,000 doled out to players who could defeat the computer in the 'Arimaa Challenge'. The thing is: it doesn't seem like video games truly existed in a solid form without artificial intelligence.
This landmark conflict between human and AI seems like a prequel to The Matrix. Are we living in a computer simulation? That's a discussion for a different time!
RPGs and Tactics
The iconic release of Space Invaders for arcade cabinets in the late 1970s and the subsequent gaming boom of the early 1980s ushered in new forms of gaming AI.
Those familiar with Space Invaders, (who isn't?!), knows that the enemy AI constantly moves downward, encroaching on the player's position until either the player has vanquished their foes, or the invaders have reached the bottom of the screen to defeat the player.
With the release of Dragon Quest IV, AI took a huge step forward. The player was able to actually go in and modify the AI's behavior, namely the different tactics it could use.
In RPGs, different characters may have different AI behaviors. If a player is playing single player in a tactical team-based RPG like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, there are wildly different tactics between mages and warriors.
Changing the tactics in an RPG would, for example, be changing the mage's tactics to heal the party if their health goes below 25%, or to simply attack the nearest enemy. In 2009, the great Dragon Age: Origins, as players advanced levels, were able to change increased tactics.
To survive some seriously tough bosses, the player would absolutely need to bring a mage with some modified tactics. My personal build was Wynne the healer helping us out constantly while staying out of the line of fire.
It could be the difference between victory and an embarrassing defeat.
Modern Gaming AI: Combat and Pathfinding
You will often find in modern gaming reviews comments about AI performance. It is a serious black mark against a game if the AI is terrible. Games like the infamous Daikatana had absolutely abysmal artificial intelligence, causing the game to sometimes become unplayable.
Team members controlled by the computer in the game would act so erratic, getting in your line of fire, dying easily, and not responding. AI can make or break a game if it is bad enough.
In certain cases, the development of the game can be altered to actually accommodate the AI's performance. It could be more cost-inefficient to completely rewire the AI, but rather change the game world around the AI so it can navigate better in the game world.
This is crucial, as the performance of the AI can break immersion in the game and can make the game look buggy and NPCs seem dumb.
Famous examples of AI scripting are in Half-Life where Valve actually eliminated the concept of NPCs scrambling out of harm's way and had them remain stationary but had them crouch to still seem like they knew danger was imminent.
This editing could seem lazy in some situations; however, I believe these decisions blaze new paths and create new ideas to make AI work more efficiently.
Where AI really either makes or breaks the performance and immersion of a game is in regard to combat. If you are engaging in heated gunplay with some AI conscripts in Gears of War or the Last of Us, you want the AI enemies to be in tip-top shape.
In the Last of Us, AI humans, as well as the mangled and terrifying infected, had unique and distinct AI. What a huge aim for gaming AI is for enemies to hunt the player.
This is a call back to FEAR's brilliant AI super soldiers. That's the gold standard for AI. However, for many games, the idea is to make enemies appear more human than they actually are, which I honestly have no qualms with.
If they AI hunts and appears human, I will still be immersed. Even better if they're somehow able to be both more human and possess human qualities.
AI in eSports
In AI is esports' newest weapon, author Olcay Yilmazcoban examines the impact that AI has and will have in eSports. Since eSports is becoming one of the most profitable industries within gaming itself, the state of the art AI is becoming increasingly desirable.
Much like Deep Blue and the famous matches against Gary Kasparov, AI development is going to focus more on the insanely skilled tactics of games like DotA and League of Legends. Could this make playing eSports against AI bots more difficult?
Perhaps, but I believe that it will make the talented players work even harder to give the audience some seriously impressive game-playing skills.
Related: How eSports Have Changed Gaming
Pros and Cons?
As we have gone over, some aspects of AI, especially when misused or underestimated, can effectively ruin a gameplay experience. Excellent AI like that in Assassin's Creed Origins will hunt down the player relentlessly, making you regret your mistake of being spotted by a fort populated with tough baddies.
On the other side, you have train wrecks like AI enemies in Jane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, in which the bad guys are so boring and hide behind walls the entire time, effectively making your gaming experience a more violent and annoying version of whack-a-mole. So, what are the benefits and shortcomings of using AI in games?
If implemented with the right code, AI can be truly impressive. It all comes down to talented programmers. AI will act and perform better than humans would, making the human player adapt to the best, ideal performance possible.
Cons harken back to our terrible experiences with games like Daikatana and, surprisingly, Dead Rising from 2006. Known for its wild and entertaining combat and gameplay, Dead Rising, unfortunately, has many escort missions.
Related: 10 Games to Make You Smarter
You need to help out multiple survivors in the zombie-infested mall, often with frustrating results. You will often be completely surrounded by hostile zombies, and the escorted characters are slow to react, or they get easily overwhelmed.
This, along with Dead Rising's unforgiving save system, makes this concept in the game an absolute living hell.
AI is a fragile asset. You need to be skilled enough to harness the power of it to make your game shine. Otherwise, you'll be saddled with a bad reputation and the ire of gamers the world over.
Gaming and AI have been bedfellows for nearly 70 years. It has been a staple of gaming since day one and will never go away. As long as there are players competing against a computer in any game genre, it will be around, constantly growing and adapting to different gaming styles that exist.
With a rich history and a beautiful and impressive set of behaviors that can immerse the player in the game, AI is clearly the future of gaming.
Image Sources: (gadgetsboy, pri, gizmodo, falmouth, microsoft, redbull, theverge)


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NewsiGaming
Scientific Games Bringing ELK Studios Content to Canada
Scientific Games is boosting its iGaming portfolio by acquiring Swedish games developer ELK Studios and distributing its content in Canada and the U.S., as well as continuing to strengthen its position in the UK and Europe.
The studio's games are already live via Scientific Games' OpenGaming platform.
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, ELK specialises in mobile games, and has launched titles such as Wild Toro II, Katmandu, and Cygnus. It has also created X-iter, a feature that allows players to engage with a range of predefined game scenarios and modes.
Following the acquisition, it will continue to develop new content independently, albeit with the added benefits of Scientific Games' scale and reach, game IP, and data analytics.
"Acquiring ELK Studios demonstrates once again our commitment to make targeted, value enhancing investments designed to advance our cross-platform content capabilities," Scientific Games' president and chief executive Barry Cottle said in a release. "The highly synergistic combination of their top-ranked games and our leading OpenGaming ecosystem offers exciting distribution opportunities in the U.S. and Canada."
"We see it as the perfect time to join the Scientific Games team, given that our ambitions to grow through innovation and into the U.S. and Canada are in total alignment," added ELK chief executive Filip Säfbeck. "This acquisition offers us a solid base to bring to market a wide range of exciting new slots more smoothly than ever to online casino partners across the globe."
The acquisition is the latest in a line of Scientific Games deals in recent months as it looks to expand its digital and iGaming portfolio and cement its market position. The company recently agreed to purchase live dealer specialist Authentic Gaming, marking its first foray into the vertical, and it also added gaming content studio Lightning Box in August.
That's all part of Scientific Games' strategy after it sold its lottery business to Canadian investment firm Brookfield Business Partners and divested its OpenBet sports betting business to IMG owner Endeavor in September, in order to shift towards operating as a pure gaming business.
Gateway Asks Sudbury to Delay Kingsway Entertainment District Development
Auditor General Review Suggests Legal Risks Around Ontario's Private iGaming Market


Admission is done on the basis of the central counseling conducted by Punjab Technical University Jalandhar and Direct counseling conducted by the Institute. The statutory reservations are given in detail in the PTU Information Brochure (www.ptu.ac.in). Institute strictly follows the guideline laid down by the PTU/AICTE/Punjab Govt. from time to time.
(a) He/She has passed 10+2 or its equivalent examination ( Obtain atleast 45% marks), conducted by a recognized Board / University / Council with Physics, Mathematics as compulsory subjects and any one of the following as optional subject: Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology/ Computer Science.
Those candidates who have passed diploma in any Engineering trade from Punjab State Board of Technical Education, Chandigarh with atleast 45% marks or Diploma / Certificate course from Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology Longowal or such Examination from any other recognised State Board of Technical Education.
(b) He/She possesses a good moral character.
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(d) He/She fulfills the requirements laid down by the MRSPTU, Bathinda/ PTU Jalandhar / this College.
(e) He/She is a citizen of India.
(f) Admission will be made on the basis of rank of JEE(Main) conducted by CBSE, New Delhi for both 85% quota for resident of Punjab and 15% quota for outside Punjab.
All other general provisions of eligibility criteria are as per MRSPTU/PTU guidelines given in Information Brochure-2013 (www.ptu.ac.in).
Admission is done on the basis of JEE(Main) merit list through centralized counseling conducted by MRSPTU Bathinda/PTU Jalandhar. Detail & Procedure on online counseling is available on website www.ptu.ac.in.
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Undertaking – Citizen of India, if already submitted to PTU/ GNDU and then photocopy of the affidavit is acceptable.
DMCs of Diploma (for Lateral Entry in B.Tech. 2nd year only).
Undertaking – Citizen of India, if already submitted to MRSPTU/PTU/ GNDU and then photocopy of the affidavit is acceptable.


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Aboard The New Disney Magic
Discover the ship's delights for each and every member of your party.
Staterooms on board the Disney Wonder feature modern comforts, ample space and elegant nautical decor. Most boast split bathrooms—a feature perfect for families& and a cruise line industry first!
Youth Clubs aboard the Disney Wonder fulfill the playtime needs of our young Guests! Children's activity centres, clubs and special supervised programs are found all around the ship.
Dining options aboard the Disney Wonder range from intimate gourmet to casual quick-service. You can enjoy an intimate dinner-for-two just as easily as you can grab a bite by the pool with the whole family!
Entertainment aboard the Disney Wonder is offered across a number of exciting venues, and all options are designed to fill your days at sea with memorable experiences.
Pools aboard the Disney Wonder are great places to cool down and relax on sunny afternoons. On Deck 9, you'll find 3 crystal pools—one for kids, one for families, and one just for adults.
Nightclubs & Lounges
Nightclubs & Lounges on the Disney Wonder fill the nights at sea with sizzling music, dancing and socialising. Get your kicks on Route 66—the ship's "roadside" adults-only entertainment district, featuring the hottest bars and clubs.
Construction Of The Disney Wonder
The Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of the Disney Magic. With the first ship, a long and meticulous process of design and re-design eventually produced a perfect specimen of sleek function and nostalgic glamour—a vessel that paid homage to a time when ocean liners inspired awe and represented the very best in artistry and architecture.
Fuelled by the success of the cruises aboard the Disney Magic, construction of the Disney Wonder took place in the celebrated Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, known for excellent engineering, craftsmanship and ingenuity. With the Disney Magic's innovative design, power, speed and beauty proving a winning combination, the Disney Wonder would be constructed with the same qualities.
Today, the Disney Wonder is a breathtaking ship. Though its exterior is nearly identical to its sister ship's, its interior features whole new designs that make the experience of staying aboard the Disney Wonder fresh, exciting and new.
Interior Design of the Disney Wonder
he interior of the Disney Wonder reflects all the majesty and enigmatic beauty of the seas, with its swirling wave patterns, marble accents and touches of Venetian glass adding brilliance to the Art Nouveau d�cor. A bronze statue of Ariel from the classic animated Disney film The Little Mermaid greets Guests in the lobby—an instalment designed by Disney Imagineers to evoke a feeling of adventure. The same sophistication and fun that mark this distinctive part of the ship is found throughout the vessel. Guests are invited to discover the sheer wonder, from the wide expanses of the sunny decks to the inviting interiors of the cozy staterooms.
From the beginning, the Disney Wonder was meticulously designed to bring the golden age of ocean liners to life. Specially commissioned paintings, sculptures and woodwork, as well as rare animation cels from the expansive Disney archive, make the ship's interior inimitable and distinctive. Attention to detail can be observed in everything from the murals and framed pieces that line its interior walls to the gleaming fixtures and furnishings that fill its grandest spaces.
Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
Step into a Concierge 1–Bedroom Suite with Verandah—and be transported back to the Art Deco glamour of the early days of sea travel. These...
A Concierge 2–Bedroom Suite with Verandah is an expanded stateroom for Guests traveling in larger parties (up to 7). Within a sizeable 945 square–foot...
Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah
A Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah is a sprawling 1,029 square–foot stateroom decked from floor to ceiling in palatial splendour....
Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
A Disney Cruise Line Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah is a richly appointed and spacious accommodation tailored for families of 5, featuring...
Deluxe Inside Stateroom
A Disney Cruise Line Deluxe Inside Stateroom is a relaxing and roomy retreat on the high seas, providing plush comforts in an environment decked in elegance....
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
A Disney Cruise Line Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom is an outstanding accommodation for your family vacation on the high seas, with the added feature of a...
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Navigators Verandah
A Disney Cruise Line Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Navigator's Verandah is a spacious accommodation that's specially themed and decorated for adventurous...
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
A Disney Cruise Line Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah is a relaxing accommodation offering generous space and rich comforts in an environment decked...
Standard Inside Stateroom
With a Disney Cruise Line Standard Inside Stateroom, "standard" comes with substantially more! Enjoy more space than you'd find on most other cruise ships...
10-Night Hawaiian Cruise Itinerary A
Vancouver, Canada - Hilo, Hawai'i - Nawiliwili, Kaua'i - Kahului, Maui - Honolulu, O'ahu...
10-Night Hawaiian Cruise Itinerary B
Honolulu, O'ahu - Kahului, Maui - Hilo, Hawai'i - Nawiliwili, Kaua'i - Vancouver, Canada...
14-Night Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise
Los Angeles - Cabo San Lucas - Puerto Vallarta - Panama Canal - Cartagena, Colombia - Cozumel - Galveston...
14-Night Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise Itinerary A
San Diego, California - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) - Cartagena, Colombia - Cozumel, Mexico - Galveston...
14-Night Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise Itinerary C
San Diego, California - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) - Cartagena, Colombia - Cozumel, Mexico - Port...
14-Night Westbound Panama Canal Cruise
Miami - Castaway Cay - Cartagena, Colombia - Panama Canal - Puerto Vallarta - Cabo San Lucas - Los Angeles...
14-Night Westbound Panama Canal Cruise Itinerary A
Miami, Florida - Cozumel, Mexico - Cartagena, Colombia - Panama Canal (Cruising Canal) - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - San Diego...
2-Night Weekend Getaway Cruise
San Diego, California...
3-Night Baja Cruise Itinerary A
San Diego, California - Ensenada, Mexico - San Diego, California...
4-Night Bahamian Cruise Itinerary B
Miami, Florida - Castaway Cay - Nassau - Key West, Florida - Miami, Florida...
4-Night Bahamian Cruise Itinerary D
Miami, Florida - Castaway Cay - Key West, Florida - Miami, Florida...
4-Night Bahamian Cruise Itinerary E
Miami, Florida - Nassau - Castaway Cay - Miami, Florida...
4-Night Vancouver to San Diego Cruise
Vancouver, Canada - Victoria, Canada - San Diego, California...
4-Night Western Caribbean Cruise Itinerary A
Galveston, Texas - Cozumel, Mexico - Galveston, Texas...
5-Night Bahamian Cruise Itinerary A
Port Canaveral, Florida - Castaway Cay - Key West, Florida - Castaway Cay - Port Canaveral, Florida...
Port Canaveral, Florida - Key West, Florida - Castaway Cay - Castaway Cay - Nassau - Port Canaveral, Florida...
5-Night Bahamian Cruise Itinerary C
San Diego, California - Ensenada, Mexico - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - San Diego, California...
5-Night San Diego to Vancouver Cruise
San Diego, California - San Francisco, California - Vancouver, Canada...
Miami, Florida - Cozumel, Mexico - Castaway Cay - Miami, Florida...
5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise Itinerary B
Miami, Florida - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands - Cozumel, Mexico - Miami, Florida...
5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise Itinerary C
Miami, Florida - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands - Castaway Cay - Miami, Florida...
Miami, Florida - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands - Cozumel, Mexico - Castaway Cay - Miami, Florida...
7-Night Alaskan Cruise Itinerary A
Vancouver - Tracy Arm Fjord - Skagway - Juneau - Ketchikan - Vancouver...
Galveston, Texas - Nassau - Castaway Cay - Key West, Florida - Galveston, Texas...
Galveston, Texas - Key West, Florida - Castaway Cay - Nassau - Galveston, Texas...
Galveston, Texas - Key West, Florida - Nassau - Castaway Cay - Galveston, Texas...
7-Night Los Angeles to Vancouver to Cruise
Los Angeles - San Francisco - Victoria - Vancouver...
7-Night Southern Caribbean Cruise Itinerary A
San Juan, Puerto Rico - Bridgetown, Barbados - St George's, Grenada - Fort de France, Martinique - St John's, Antigua - Basseterre, St. Kitts - San Juan...
9-Night Alaskan Cruise
Vancouver - Sitka - Tracy Arm Fjord - Skagway - Juneau - Ketchikan - Vancouver...
Animators Palate
Animator's Palate on the Disney Wonder is a 462–seat, Main Dining restaurant located on Deck 4, Aft that serves contemporary Pacific Rim cuisine...
Beach Blanket Buffet
Beach Blanket Buffet on the Disney Wonder is an indoor/outdoor buffet located on Deck 9, Aft that serves classic American and international cuisine....
Goofys Galley
Goofy's Galley on the Disney Wonder is an outdoor Quick Service restaurant located on Deck 9, Aft next to Mickey's Pool, serving breakfast, lunch and evening...
Palo on the Disney Wonder is a 130–seat, Adult Exclusive restaurant located on Deck 10, Aft that offers Northern Italian cuisine for dinner nightly...
Parrot Cay on the Disney Wonder is a 462–seat, Main Dining restaurant located on Deck 3, Aft. Inspired by the relaxed feel of the tropics, Parrot...
Plutos Dog House
Pluto's Dog House on the Disney Wonder is an outdoor Quick Service restaurant located on Deck 9, Aft next to Mickey's Pool, serving lunch and dinner in...
Preludes, a Quick Service restaurant located on Deck 4, Forward just outside the Walt Disney Theatre, is a bar on the Disney Wonder serving beverages and...
Disney Cruise Line Room Service onboard the Disney Wonder is available 24 hours a day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks are also available throughout...
Triton's on the Disney Wonder is an approximate 462–seat, Main Dining restaurant located on Deck 3, Midship that serves classic American fare for...
Buena Vista Theatre
The Buena Vista Theatre, one of 2 large–sized theatre spaces on the Disney Wonder, is a 268–seat cinema located at Deck 5, Aft that screens...
Character Greetings
Character Greetings, where kids and adults can meet and greet Disney Characters, occur throughout the Disney Wonder, both during special surprises appearances...
Disney Dreams - An Enchanted Classic
Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic is an award–winning, 50–minute musical live show celebrating the power of dreams that plays at approximately...
The Golden Mickeys
The Golden Mickeys is an approximate 50–minute, musical live show celebrating the star in us all. It plays at approximately 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m....
Toy Story The Musical
Toy Story – The Musical is an approximate hour–long, musical live show based on the hit Disney Pixar film that plays at approximately 6:00...
Walt Disney Theatre
The Walt Disney Theatre, one of 2 large–sized theatres on the Disney Wonder, is a 977–seat live performance venue that showcases original Disney...
Cadillac Lounge
Cadillac Lounge is a 66–seat, vintage Cadillac–themed piano bar located on Deck 3, Forward in the Route 66 section on the Disney Wonder that...
Cove Cafe
Cove Café is an adults–only, 40–seat lounge located on Deck 9, Midship next to Quiet Cove Pool on the Disney Wonder....
Diversions is a 120–seat sports pub lounge located on Deck 3, Forward in the Route 66 area on the Disney Wonder. During the day, Diversions provides...
Outlook Cafe
Outlook Café on the Disney Wonder is a 65–seat, 2,500–square–foot indoor lounge located on Deck 10, Forward just above Cove Café....
Promenade Lounge
Promenade Lounge is a 104–seat lounge located on Deck 3, Aft situated off the elevator lobby on the Disney Magic....
Signals is an adults–only bar on Deck 9, Midship located next to the Quiet Cove Pool on the Disney Wonder. Open from approximately noon to 9:00 p.m....
WaveBands
WaveBands, located on Deck 3, Forward in the Route 66 area on the Disney Wonder, is a stylish club that resembles the interior of a transistor radio....
Goofys Pool
Goofy's Pool, one of 3 freshwater pools on the Disney Wonder, is a pool designed for families located on Deck 9, Midship, open from approximately 8:00...
Mickeys Pool
Mickey's Pool, one of 3 freshwater pools on the Disney Wonder, is a Mickey Mouse–shaped children's pool located at Deck 9, Aft that is open from...
Quiet Cove Pool
Quiet Cove Pool, one of 3 freshwater pools on the Disney Wonder, is an adults–only pool located at Deck 9, Forward that is open from approximately...
The Disney Cruise Line Fitness Center is an adults–only state–of–the–art exercise facility with a breathtaking ocean view, located...
Vista Spa and Salon
Vista Spa & Salon is a tranquil haven offering therapeutic and beautifying services for adults on Deck 9, Forward of the Disney Wonder....
Wide World of Sports
The Disney Cruise Line Wide World of Sports Deck is an immense open–air activities area featuring basketball and volleyball courts, located on Deck...
Disneys Oceaneer Club
Disney's Oceaneer Club on the Disney Wonder is a children's activity center located on Deck 5, Midship. Open from approximately 9:00 a.m. to midnight daily...
Disneys Oceaneer Lab
Disney's Oceaneer Lab on the Disney Wonder is a children's activity center located on Deck 5, Midship. Open from approximately 9:00 a.m. to midnight daily...
Edge is a fun center on the Disney Wonder exclusively for tweens—kids ages 11 to 14 years. Located on Deck 2, midship, this lounge and interactive...
Flounder's Reef Nursery
Flounder's Reef Nursery on the Disney Wonder is a nursery for children ages 3 months to 3 years located on Deck 5, Aft which is named after Flounder—Ariel's...
Quarter Masters
Quarter Masters on the Disney Wonder is an arcade located on Deck 9, Midship next to the Quiet Cove Pool. Open from approximately 8:00 a.m. to midnight...
Studio Sea
Studio Sea on the Disney Wonder is a family entertainment center located on Deck 4, Midship. Open at various times daily, Studio Sea is the ideal place...
Vibe lounge on the Disney Wonder is a teens–exclusive activity center located on Deck 11, Midship in the non–functioning smoke stack. Open...
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Ohio Sheriff Had Gambling Problem
October 24, 2019 Jessica Whitehouse
Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader has been was charged with several crimes committed to support his gambling habit. Among the 16 felony and misdemeanor charges are theft, tampering with evidence, tampering with records, conflict of interest, and securing writings by deception back on June 28th. He was initially suspended on July 30th and the Ohio Supreme Court confirmed the suspension on September 3rd. Retired Piketon police chief Jim Nelson was appointed interim sheriff in his place.
A pair of hands bound by handcuffs © Open Clipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Sheriff Reader conceded to investigators that he occasionally gambled when he had trouble sleeping but denies stealing any money to support his gambling habit. On December 13th of 2018 an Ohio auditor's office raided Reader's office to search for stolen money which had been submitted as evidence in other crimes. The following day his defense lawyer, James Boulger, scheduled a meeting with the investigators and presented them with 14 bags of cash. Documents obtained by the Columbus dispatch claim Boulger, "Advised none of the envelopes had been tampered with or altered in any manner."
Sheriff Reader's Gambling Problem
The Ohio Auditor's office received an anonymous tip from a hotline alleging Reader had committed police misconduct. Investigators conducted research and found that Reader had lost approximately $17,000 gambling the past three years. The data also indicated his gambling was becoming progressively worse. He lost about $600 in 2016, $5,500 in 2017, and $11,000 in 2018. When the search warrant was executed, he tried to get sympathy from the investigators by telling them that his wife was threatening to divorce him due to his gambling addiction.
He also tried using a murder case which he investigated to rationalize his gambling problem. The Rhoden family murders occurred in April of 2016. Eight members of the Rhoden family were killed by four members of the Wagner family. George "Billy" Wager, Angela Wagner, George Wagner IV, and Edward "Jake" Wagner were all charged with the crime. Their convictions are now in jeopardy due to the police misconduct by one of the investigating officers.
Evidence Of Financial Struggles
Sheriff Reader began asking, and receiving loans from coworkers which ranged from $500 to $2,500. Additionally, there was suspicious activity related to evidence from crimes which caused reason for concern. Reader had a safe under his desk which contained evidence from drug-related crimes. He also instructed subordinates within his department to had all cash seized from crimes be handed over directly to him.
Captain James Burchett was one of the officers in Reader's department with a contradictory version of events. He flat-out told investigators that an envelope containing over $6,000 was sealed differently than when he sealed it. Upon seeing the bills inside the envelope, Burchett claims they appeared differently, and the documents acquired by the Columbus Dispatch quote Burchett as saying, "That is not the money I counted guys."
Reader Even Took An Impounded Vehicle
Sheriff Reader even used the vehicle impound improperly to support his habit. In August of 2017 an impounded 2013 Nissan Versa was going up for auction. Reader ordered Cpl. Adam Ball to compromise the appearance of the vehicle by making it appear dirty and unappealing prior to the auction. He then had an accomplice purchase the vehicle for only $2,000. Reader later posted pictures of the car on Facebook and sold it for $5,500.


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Q: Out of the box matrix operator in Matlab Background: I'm running a finite difference scheme in Matlab. I want to differentiate a function of two variables f(x,y). Instead, I have a matrix representation of it on the grid points F(:,:). If F was a one-dimensional array, then the differentiation operator would have been a matrix Delta(:,:), and differentiation would have been F_tag = Delta*F.
However, as F is a matrix, this becomes more involved. The basic approach is to represent F as an n^2one dimensional vector, and then represent 2d_Delta as a n^2 on n^2 matrix. However, this might be a source for a lot of inefficiencies and bugs.
My question: Given an n*n matrix F(:,:) and a compatible matrix-operator Delta(:,:,:,:), is there an out of the box implementation of running Delta*F as an n^2 matrix-vector multipication?

A: Specifically for the case of finite difference differentiation scheme, or any matrix-operator A which can be written by two matrices R,T such that for every matrix X
A(X) = RX + XT

Then the kron function is an excellent way to create the n^2 x n^2 matrix. Given a one-dimensional 2nd derivative matrix D, then the two-dimensional will be
Laplacian2D = kron(speye(n),D) + kron(D, speye(n));

For more details, I refer to this great tutorial by Long Chen.


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Marcus King Band Toronto Tickets & Tour Dates
Marcus King Band Tickets in Toronto
Marcus King Band concert in the Toronto
Marcus King Band at Danforth Music Hall Theatre Toronto on 18 December 2019
The Marcus King Band has announced 32 further shows for fall and into the future winter supplement behave at the Danforth Music Hall Theatre in Toronto on 18 December 2019.
The first part of the tour, called El Dorado Tour, will start in autumn / winter later than a undertaking in Truman, Kansas City, Missouri, on October 31, and grow less on December 21 in the same way as the band's debut at the Beacon Theater in NY.
The 30 recently announced concerts will take place from October to December in medium-sized theaters in North America. The bureau will as a consequence appear in at many music festivals in the coming months, including the two-day Reunion intimates North Carolina music festival later than Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Doyle Bramhall II, Yonder Mountain String Band and more.
Vip packages tickets and premium seating tickets for Marcus King Band Toronto tour upon sale!
LOCATION:Toronto, ON, US
VENUE:Danforth Music Hall Theatre
ADDRESS:147 Danforth Avenue


"The best we can do is size up the chances, calculate the risks involved, estimate our ability to deal with them, and then make our plans with confidence."
Becoming a successful real estate investor is the result of learning and performing a group of skills the right way—over and over again. If you uncover, develop and practice these skills, then make them habits, those habits will not only lead you to success, you will literally find it difficult to fail.
By forming good habits you are planting the seeds of your success. Og Mandino stated it this way in his book, "The Greatest Salesman in the World".
One of the greatest and winningest college coaches of our time, Paul "Bear" Bryant, kept this poem in his pocket and read it every day.
It holds a great message regardless our lot in life.
exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever.
I want it to be a gain, not loss--good, not evil.
in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.
BeforeYou can ever win a prize.
Did you know that by creating a real estate note you may purchase some fantastic deals without using any of your own money?
Writing notes is like creating money out of thin air. Governments do it all the time. If you look at a U.S. Dollar you will see that it is simply a note from the Uncle Sam stating that he owes you one dollar.
"In all labor and strong effort there is profit but talk leads only to poverty."
"98% of the millionaires in this country made it through Real Estate Investing", words that inspire millions to get involved in real estate investing, yet lack that special 'secret ingredient'... The one thing that explains HOW to make those millions in real estate investing... So, just what is it that the millionaires of real estate investing know that you don't?
"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions"
In his book "Think and Grow Rich" Napoleon Hill emphasizes that in order to become successful in any endeavor, it is important to develop a deep and unshakable faith in your ability to succeed. But how do you develop that kind of faith?
"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing.
is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."
"Obstacles are the scary things you see when you take your eyes off your goals."
In order to become a successful real estate investor there are several major skills that must be mastered. One of these skills is Mining or finding good deals. This skill should be learned, developed, practiced and perfected.
The best way to learn a skill is by actually doing it. Anyone can find a property to purchase. There are thousands of them in the MLS, newspapers, at auctions and For Sale By Owners. But to become a successful investor you must develop the skill of not just finding a property to purchase but finding a "golden nugget" or a really good deal.


August Swago INTL - Me, him, the dog and a baby!
Swagbucks is holding their monthly Swago promotion starting Monday, 28 August at 9am PDT! It's just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online. If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it.
I use Swagbucks to help earn vouchers and cash to help towards the cost of Christmas. A bit of help here and there can really add up and you'll soon see you points racking up.


Fairy Lantern Original Watercolor Painting $88 Fairies and lanterns go together like Tinker Bell and well..tinker. This little fairy enjoys the beauty of the night in he favorite lantern. Enchanting and magical piece. Beautiful wall art to nursery or bedroom. Lovely gift for yourself or someone special. Painted with inks and watercolors on acid-free watercolor paper. Signed and dated by the artist. Measures: 21 x 29 cm / 8 x 11 inches. Guaranteed original! Artwork will be shipped flat packed with love and care. Free shipping worldwide! THANK YOU for your interest in my artwork and taking time to view my listing!
Fairies and lanterns go together like Tinker Bell and well..tinker. This little fairy enjoys the beauty of the night in he favorite lantern. Enchanting and magical piece. Beautiful wall art to nursery or bedroom. Lovely gift for yourself or someone special.
Painted with inks and watercolors on acid-free watercolor paper. Signed and dated by the artist.


A few of us got to talking about video formats and our confusion about which formats were which, which ones were open, and so forth. I've never found a web document that really explains that clearly, but since I wasn't up to going anywhere or doing anything hard, I spent some quality time with google and wrote up my findings: Digital Video Formats.
It's still very rough, but at least it tries to make clear what's a codec vs. what's a container, and how to identify the container and codec used in a particular file. And it's a good place to store a few references that I found useful.


HSO: Intermix is intimate, inviting, and interactive! Get up close with HSO ensembles as they perform contemporary compositions and intriguing, rare, classical pieces. Enjoy cocktails, conversation, mingling, and more. The final Intermix concert of the season, The Twittering Machine, takes place within the galleries at Real Art Ways.
Supported in part by a Hartford Events Grant through the Greater Hartford Arts Council with major support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.


Our specialty is all welded aluminum pipe railings.
For a cleaner stronger joint our railings are coped and mitered and then TIG welded. TIG welding provides a naturally smooth weld, but unless specified our welds are then ground and polished.


Sanctuary Lakes is a Malaysian based property developer that boasts great success in international locations such as China, The USA, Australia and Malaysia itself. Sanctuary lakes are now proud to bring their unique brand and style to the beautiful seaside resort of Hua Hin.
Sanctuary Lakes pride themselves in their locations. Their philosophy is such that clients can feel at harmony with the beautiful nature and scenery around them, with lake, mountain and sunset views with cooling breezes. Sanctuary Lakes Hua Hin is a mere 3 mins from the beautiful Banyan Golf Course.
To add to the overall tranquility of the development, Sanctuary Lakes have made very good use of the environment. It's a low density project with underground electrics, which means nice, open spaces and easy access to the walkways around the lakes.
Sanctuary Lakes pride themselves in the quality of their villas. With 4 different designs of varying sizes and budget, the villas have an open feel with spacious living and terrace areas maximising the peaceful, relaxing environment. With a very unique and modern design, these villas offer natural lighting and ventilation throughout, again profiting from the location. Other notable features include: fitted kitchen, sky-light windows, very high ceilings, walk-in wardrobes, air conditioning and high speed internet in every villa.
Sanctuary Lakes will have its own, shop, cafe and shuttle bus to town adding to the overall quality of life.
Sanctuary Lakes is 50 plots, varying in size from 552 sqm to 2,253 sqm.


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(-) Law, Justice, Human Rights
Politics & Polls #210: All About State Courts - Packing, Expansion & More (Marin Levy)
The unique circumstances of this year's elections created quite a stir among state courts regarding mail-in ballots, with some requiring intervention…
Politics & Polls #209: A Week After Election 2020
The results are in: Joe Biden has won the presidency. However, President Donald Trump has yet to concede and is filing lawsuits in a number of states…
Politics & Polls #206: What Happens Next?
As the election inches closer, polling data seems favorable to the Democrats, especially in a number of Senate races. Yet some say the Democrats are…
Mellody Hobson '91
Shortly after graduating from Princeton University, Mellody Hobson '91 joined Ariel Investments as an intern. Today, she serves as the company's co…
Scheppele Named Winner of Service Award by Law and Society Association
Professor Kim Lane Scheppele was named the winner of the Ronald Pipkin Service Award from the Law and Society Association (LSA), where she served as…
Why the Supreme Court Should Rule in U.S. Foreign Affairs (Martin Flaherty)
Some argue that U.S. foreign affairs should be left to Congress and the President. But as more executive and legislative actions arise in this arena,…
Politics & Polls #131: 'Mass Human Caging' Featuring Alec Karakatsanis
There are unprecedented rates of incarceration in America today, with hundreds of thousands of people being jailed annually. How does the cash bail…


I've made a hobby out of often browsing the Japanese iTunes store to find hidden gems. The other night I sorted through plenty of horrible apps of which I'll spare you the details but I did finally come across Kitinto which has quickly become my new favorite!
Before I continue, it's worth mentioning that this game is a Japanese iTunes store exclusive which means if you want in, check out this tutorial. And unfortunately, I don't think that this application is available for Android users.
Kitinto is a free puzzle game with over 100 levels! I've already made it well into the 30's within 24 hours so that's just a testament to how much I love this game already. I found it floating around the Japanese iTunes game charts so it's quite popular over in Japan but because it doesn't seem available in the American iTunes store, that would explain why its popularity hasn't spread. It has nothing to do with the quality of the game and everything to do with accessibility but this is typical of Japanese products.
This game is advertised as a "brain training"game and the goal is to kind of "tetris" fit all of bento items perfectly into the designated space on each level. The concept is super straightforward but the levels themselves get progressively more difficult. There is an option to receive a hint on where to place one item. If you click the button to the bottom left of the screen, an advertisement will play and then the hint will be revealed. I'm sneaky and found a way to bypass this by briefly turning your phone on airplane mode. If you are also tired of advertisements for Episode, I suggest that you do the same. On that note, another positive of this game is that you can play it without having any service! I'm always on the lookout for games I can play on the subway and this one is perfect. I also love how many levels it has which gives the illusion that it's never-ending until you inevitably get sucked into the black hole of addiction like I did. Below is a comparison of level 3 to level 31.
I absolutely love the artwork for this game. The food items are adorable and I love how they change with each level. Some levels are exclusively dessert items and others include dishes like yakisoba or dango. The colors used in the overall design are bright and well coordinated. Even if I'm struggling with a level, I can't ever be too upset because this game is undeniably adorable!
Generally speaking, Kitinto hits all the major categories of great graphics, excellent usability, and generally well-executed concept with additional bonuses. I award it the full 5 stars for going above and beyond the minimum. I hope that this game can be released in English or at least in international iTunes stores because it definitely has the potential to be the next big hit.
Did you download this game? What did you think?


text:
The Last Horseman is a 1944 American Western film directed by William Berke and starring Russell Hayden, Dub Taylor, and Ann Savage.

Cast
 Russell Hayden as Lucky Rawlins
 Dub Taylor as Cannonball
 Bob Wills as Bob
 The Texas Playboys as Musicians, Cowhands
 Ann Savage as Judy Ware
 John Maxwell as Cash Watson
 Frank LaRue as Rance Williams
 Nick Thompson as Henchman Karp
 Blackie Whiteford as Henchman Slade
 Ted Mapes as Duke Cudlow
 Forrest Taylor as Bert Saunders

References

Bibliography
 Morton, Lisa & Adamson, Kent. Savage Detours: The Life and Work of Ann Savage. McFarland, 2009.

External links

1944 films
1944 Western (genre) films
1940s English-language films
American Western (genre) films
Columbia Pictures films
Films directed by William A. Berke
American black-and-white films
1940s American films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia