When it comes to health and beauty, coconut oil is known as one of the most beneficial ingredients. In case, you didn't know this and you didn't use it, this article will convince you to start doing it!
Coconut oil can penetrate deeply into the skin, thus making the skin nourished and soft. Use coconut oil before bedtime so you can make your face look clean, pure and refreshed.
Apply some coconut oil on the dark circles and massage it for a couple of minutes. Let it work overnight and rinse it off in the morning.
Before going to bed apply coconut oil onto your lashes. This is especially beneficial if your wear eye makeup because it tends to break the lashes and cause hair loss.
The shaving creams for legs and underarms you are using cost a lot and have a lot of chemicals. So stop exposing yourself to chemicals and start using this oil which is all-natural and will leave your legs and underarms well hydrated.
Use coconut oil instead of conventionally bought cream in order to make your hands softer and smoother.
Apply coconut oil on the dry cuticles and massage to make them softer.
Massage the affected area with coconut oil on a regular basis.
Mix some coconut oil with honey and apply to the skin before bedtime. You will get rid of the cellulite in a couple of weeks.


The efforts to call into question the motivations of top officials at the FBI are creating a constitutional crisis.
Tougher words could be used. But let's put it simply at this: It is a deliberate diversion from the hard facts that the FBI and CIA have been amassing of Russian espionage activity with members of Donald Trump's entourage.
And it presents FBI and CIA officers with a progressively grave constitutional crisis. The Nunes memo makes it difficult for those officers to serve an executive who—evidence increasingly indicates—has betrayed his oath to the Constitution. It also makes it hard for them to serve a legislative oversight committee that is distorting its functions so as to protect that executive.
Inside the CIA, where I served for decades, and the FBI, the strongest reaction to the Nunes memo will be anger and alarm. Top officials in both those institutions operate in a manner fundamentally at odds with what is now being depicted.
Nor do the CIA or the FBI as institutions have political agendas. The idea of the "Deep State" opposing elected leaders and the rule of law is—I will be blunt here—a fascist concept, which is intended to discredit the institutions of democracy. It is done, precisely, so that a "Leader" can represent the "people" without the encumbrance of law or representative institutions.
Most CIA and FBI officers share my alarm that such a distorting and harmful term has even entered American political discussions. Those who use the term "Deep State" frankly disqualify themselves from public life in a democracy.
If anything, the Nunes memorandum shows how carefully the FBI, CIA, and Department of Justice protect an individual from any official abuse. The memorandum notes that at least five senior officials, from three separate departments, on seven different occasions, every 90 days, had to review the FBI's request to investigate Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. That was before they passed the request to the separate Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court that grants or denies the requests. And all of this occurred each time after officers in the rank and file of the FBI had themselves judged that there was sufficient probable cause of espionage activity to merit the request.
I have lived this process. Its multiple levels of review make it just about certain that FISA requests are based on solid concern about foreign intelligence activity.
So, I can state with confidence that the reaction in the FBI and the CIA to the Nunes memorandum will be disdain for what Madison calls, the "vicious arts" in it. It will be seen for what it truly is: an attempt to protect what appears to be the Trump entourages' ties to Russian intelligence. And there will be irritation at the groundless slurs it casts on FBI officers, and anger at the harm it could cause the FBI, the CIA, and the Department of Justice.


text:
# Unikernels: A Foundation for the Principled Construction of Networked Services

Anil MadhavapeddyUniversity of Cambridge
[@avsm](http://twitter.com/avsm)

_on behalf of a merry crew:_ Richard Mortier,

Thomas Gazagnaire, David Scott, Thomas Leonard,

Magnus Skjegstad, David Sheets, Amir Chaudhry,

Jon Crowcroft, Balraj Singh, Mindy Preston

[http://openmirage.org/](http://openmirage.org/)

[http://decks.openmirage.org/irill14-seminar/](http://decks.openmirage.org/irill14-seminar/)

  Press <esc> to view the slide index, and the <arrow> keys to
  navigate

----

## Introducing [Mirage OS 2.0](http://openmirage.org/)

These slides were written using Mirage on Mac OSX:

- They are hosted in a **2.5MB Xen unikernel** written in statically type-safe
  OCaml, including device drivers and network stack
  - Including all content encoded as an OCaml string, 7.2MB

- Their application logic is just a **couple of source files**, written
  independently of any OS dependencies

- Running on an **ARM** CubieBoard2, and hosted on the cloud

- Binaries small enough to track the **entire deployment** in Git!

## Introducing [Mirage OS 2.0](http://openmirage.org/)

## Cubieboard 2 (£39)

+ __AllWinnerTech SOC A20, ARM Cortex-A7 Dual-Core__
+ GPU: ARM Mali400 MP2 (OpenGL ES 2.0/1.1)
+ 1GB DDR3, 3.4GB internal NAND flash
+ 10/100 Ethernet, supports USB WiFi/Bluetooth
+ 2x USB 2.0 HOST, mini USB 2.0 OTG, micro SD, SATA
+ HDMI 1080P display output
+ IR, line in, line out, 96 extend PIN interface, including I2C, SPI, RGB/LVDS,
  CSI/TS, FM-IN, ADC, CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, R-TP, and more

----

## Systems Programming

> It's considered good programming practice to focus on compositionality: build
> software out of small, well-defined modules that combine to give rise to other
> modules with different behaviors.

> **This is simply too difficult to do in distributed systems. Why?**

*— Marius Eriksen, Principal Engineer, Twitter*
*([source](http://monkey.org/~marius/sosp13.html))*

## From simple servers...

Traditional systems programming has involved building services in *one*
environment, e.g. Server, client, or embedded

##  ...To deep-sea diving

Traditional systems programming has involved building services in *one*
environment but a modern programmer deals with diverse targets:

- **Cloud services** with unpredictable traffic spikes and failures
- **Smartphone programming** on ARM/x86 with power budgets
- **JavaScript** user interfaces with asynchronous web clients
- **Internet of Things** devices that have little ARM M0 processors
- **Kernel modules** to extend operating system functionality

> No (little) code reuse between platforms

## The IoT Spring

## Recently...

* **Heartbleed**: 17% of *all* Internet secure web servers vulnerable to a
  single bug, described as "catastrophic" by Bruce Schneier
* **ShellShock**: CGI, Web, DHCP all vulnerable to code execution. Millions of
  sites potentially vulnerable
* **JP Morgan**: 76 million homes and 8 million small businesses exposed in a
  single data breach
* **Target**: 40 million credit cards stolen electronically

> System security is in a disastrous state, and improving only slowly, at much
> cost!

## Complexity Kills You

The enemy is **complexity**:

+ Applications are **deeply intertwined** with system APIs, and so lack
  portability
+ Modern operating systems offer **dynamic support** for **many users** to run
  **multiple applications** simultaneously

Almost unbounded scope for uncontrolled interaction!

+ Choices of distribution and version
+ Ad hoc application configuration under `/etc/`
+ Platform configuration details, e.g., firewalls

## Leaning Tower of Cloud

Numerous pain points:

**Complex** configuration management

Duplicated functionality leads to **inefficiency**

VM image size leads to **long boot times**

Lots of code means a **large attack surface**

    https://flic.kr/p/8N1hWh

## Docker: Containerisation

    https://flic.kr/p/qSbck

## Docker: Containerisation

Docker bundles up all this state making it easy to transport, install and manage

## Can We Do Better?

**We need to disentangle applications from the operating system**:

- Break up operating system functionality into modular libraries
- Link only the system functionality your app needs
- Target alternative platforms from a single codebase

----

## The Unikernel Approach

> __Unikernels__ are specialised virtual machine images compiled from the
> modular stack of application code, system libraries and configuration

This means they realise several benefits:

+ __Contained__, simplifying deployment and management
+ __Compact__, reducing attack surface and boot times
+ __Efficient__, able to fit 10,000s onto a single host
+ __Portable__, to many compilation environments beyond Xen

## It's All Functional Code

Capture system dependencies in code and compile them away

## Retarget By Recompiling

Swap system libraries to target different platforms:

**develop application logic using native Unix**

## Retarget By Recompiling

Swap system libraries to target different platforms:

**test unikernel using Mirage system libraries**

## Retarget By Recompiling

Swap system libraries to target different platforms:

**deploy by specialising unikernel to Xen**

## Retarget By Recompiling

Swap system libraries to target different platforms:

**...which provides a stable hardware interface**

## Mirage OS 2.0 Workflow

As easy as 1—2—3!

1. Write your OCaml application using the Mirage module types, expressing its
   configuration as OCaml code too!
```
$ mirage configure app/config.ml --unix
```

## Mirage OS 2.0 Workflow

As easy as 1—2—3!

1. Write your OCaml application using the Mirage module types, expressing its
   configuration as OCaml code too!

2. Compile it and debug under Unix using the `mirage` tool
```
$ cd app
$ make depend # install library dependencies
$ make build  # build the unikernel
```

## Mirage OS 2.0 Workflow

As easy as 1—2—3!

1. Write your OCaml application using the Mirage module types, expressing its
   configuration as OCaml code too!

2. Compile it and debug under Unix using the `mirage` tool

3. Once debugged, simply retarget it to Xen, and rebuild!
```
$ mirage configure app/config.ml --xen
$ cd app && make depend && make build
```

All the magic happens via the OCaml module system

----

## Modularity is Good

Mirage OS restructures all system components as __modules__:

1. A collection of __module types__, describing the structural "shapes" of the
   components of an operating system (e.g., device drivers)

2. A collection of independent __libraries implementing those module types__

As with all library OSs, only the required libraries are linked into the final
application.

## Modular to the max

Modules are used everywhere in Mirage to describe OS layers:

- For the __whole application/OS__: we've a full implementation of the network
  stack (including TLS) in OCaml

- Very __flexible approach__ for customising OS stacks for weird applications
  (e.g., HTTP over UPnP over UDP)

- Lots of __separate implementations__ of the module signatures: Unix, Xen
  microkernels, JavaScript, kernel modules, ...

## Module Types: Devices

```
module type DEVICE = sig

  type +'a io
  type t
  type id

  val id : t -> id

  val connect: id -> [ `Error of exn | `Ok of t ] io

  val disconnect : t -> unit io

end
```

Generic interface to any device driver...

## Module Types: Flows

```
module type FLOW = sig

  type +'a io
  type buffer
  type flow

  val read : flow -> [`Ok of buffer | `Eof | `Error of exn ] io

  val write : flow -> buffer -> [`Ok of unit | `Eof | `Error of exn ] io

  val writev : flow -> buffer list -> [`Ok of unit | `Eof | `Error of exn ] io

end
```

...or IO flow

## Module Types: Inclusion

```
module type TCPV4 = sig

  type buffer
  type ipv4
  type ipv4addr
  type flow

  include DEVICE with
  with type id := ipv4

  include FLOW with
  with type 'a io  := 'a io
  and  type buffer := buffer
  and  type flow   := flow
```

...and they can be composed together into other module types, avoiding the
diamond problem

## Module Types: Entropy

```
module type ENTROPY = sig

  include DEVICE
  type buffer

  type handler = source:int -> buffer -> unit
  (** A [handler] is called whenever the system has extra entropy to announce.
   * No guarantees are made about the entropy itself, other than it being
   * environmentally derived. In particular, the amount of entropy in the buffer
   * can be far lower than the size of the [buffer].
   *
   * [source] is a small integer, describing the provider but with no other
   * meaning.
   **)

  val handler : t -> handler -> unit io
end
```

Complex driver models can be expressed abstractly (see
[V1.ml](https://github.com/mirage/mirage/tree/master/types/))

## Module Types: Refinement

```
module type FLOW = FLOW
  with type 'a io = 'a Lwt.t
   and type buffer = Cstruct.t

module type NETWORK = NETWORK
  with type 'a io = 'a Lwt.t
   and type page_aligned_buffer = Io_page.t
   and type buffer = Cstruct.t
   and type macaddr = Macaddr.t

module type ETHIF = ETHIF
  with type 'a io = 'a Lwt.t
   and type buffer = Cstruct.t
   and type macaddr = Macaddr.t
   and type ipv4addr = Ipaddr.V4.t
```

The abstract types are specialised into concrete library types for common uses
(see [V1_LWT.ml](https://github.com/mirage/mirage/tree/master/types/))

----

## Writing a component

A Mirage component usually contains:

- Code parameterised by functors with very limited (Mirage-only) dependencies,
  and particularly __no OS dependencies__

- A collection of libraries where the functors are (fully or partially) applied,
  suitable for interactive use

> Functors clearly separate dependencies between OS components, breaking
> the monolithic OS down into components

## Modularizing the OS

## Modularizing the OS

## Modularizing the OS

## Example: A Website

```
module Main (C:CONSOLE) (FS:KV_RO) (H:HTTP.Server) = struct

  let start c fs http =
    ...

    let callback conn_id request body =
      C.log "HTTP request received" ...
      >>= fun () ->
      let uri = H.Request.uri request in
      dispatcher (split_path uri)
    in
    let conn_closed (_,conn_id) () = ...  in
    http { H.callback; conn_closed }

end
```

## The Bad News

Functors are rather heavyweight constructs, and need to be applied in some concrete
combination to make an executable.

The module language is much more limited than the core host language, so we embed
it inside the host language as an eDSL.

> __Metaprogramming__:  manipulate functors as values in the
  host language, and emit resulting module applications as a program stage.

## Mirage eDSL: module types

To simplify building applications, we use an eDSL.

```
type 'a typ
(** The type of values representing module types. *)

val (@->): 'a typ -> 'b typ -> ('a -> 'b) typ
(** Construct a functor type from a type and an existing functor
    type. This corresponds to prepending a parameter to the list of
    functor parameters. For example,

    {| kv_ro @-> ip @-> kv_ro |}

    describes a functor type that accepts two arguments -- a kv_ro and
    an ip device -- and returns a kv_ro.
*)
```

This describes all the __module types__ (`NETWORK`, `TCPV4`, etc...)

## Mirage eDSL: module types

The eDSL also describes concrete module implementations for a given
signature (e.g. a socket TCPv4 stack vs direct OCaml one).

```
type 'a impl
(** The type of values representing module implementations. *)

val ($): ('a -> 'b) impl -> 'a impl -> 'b impl
(** [m $ a] applies the functor [a] to the functor [m]. *)

val foreign: string -> 'a typ -> 'a impl
(** [foreign name constr typ] states that the module named
    by [name] has the module type [typ]. *)

val typ: 'a impl -> 'a typ
(** Return the module signature of a given implementation. *)
```

## Configuration EDSL

Your web server is now just an OCaml function:

```
let server =
  let conduit = conduit_direct (stack default_console) in
  http_server (`TCP (`Port 80)) conduit

let main = foreign "Dispatch.Main"
  (console @-> kv_ro @-> http @-> job)

let () =
  register "www" [ main $ default_console $ fs $ server ]
```

The configuration is evaluated at compilation time to generate a main entry
point for that _particular_ setup

## Correspondence

Configuration Code:

```
let server =
  let conduit = conduit_direct (stack default_console) in
  http_server (`TCP (`Port 80)) conduit

let main = foreign "Dispatch.Main"
  (console @-> kv_ro @-> http @-> job)
```

Application Code:

```
module Main (C:CONSOLE) (FS:KV_RO) (H:HTTP.Server) = struct

  let start c fs http = ...
```

## Correspondence: Unix

```
module Stackv41 = Tcpip_stack_socket.Make(Console)
module Conduit1 = Conduit_mirage.Make(Stackv41)
module Http1 = HTTP.Make(Conduit1)
module M1 = Dispatch.Main(Console)(Static1)(Http1.Server)
```

Fairly simple application where:

+ A kernel socket `C` binding, `Tcpip_stack_socket`, takes...
+ A `Console` to build...
+ A network stack, `Stackv41`, over which we instantiate...
+ An `HTTP` server

...which is finally passed to the application (along with a static filesystem
and a console)

## Correspondence: Xen

In Xen, we build the network stack "by hand" starting with the Ethernet device,
as we have no kernel sockets

```
module Stackv41 = struct
  module E = Ethif.Make(Netif)
  module I = Ipv4.Make(E)
  module U = Udpv4.Make(I)
  module T = Tcpv4.Flow.Make(I)(OS.Time)(Clock)(Random)
  module S = Tcpip_stack_direct.Make(Console)(OS.Time)(Random)(Netif)(E)(I)(U)(T)
  include S
end
module Conduit1 = Conduit_mirage.Make(Stackv41)
module Http1 = HTTP.Make(Conduit1)
module M1 = Dispatch.Main(Console)(Static1)(Http1.Server)

...

let () =
  OS.Main.run (join [t1 ()])
```

## Flexibility

Website can now be assembled via host code:

* Xen unikernel with all data built into image.
* Xen unikernel with data dynamically read from disk.
* Unix binary with data passed through to filesystem.
* Unix binary with OCaml userlevel TCP/IP stack

> Well-typed rope to hang yourself with, in the grand Unix tradition!

## Module vs value language

- Error messages are significantly simpler in the host language (small type mismatches *vs* dumps of entire module signatures!)

- Optional arguments:

```
val direct_tcpv4:
  ?clock:clock impl ->
  ?random:random impl ->
  ?time:time impl ->
  ipv4 impl -> tcpv4 impl
```

Can select default module implementations for CLOCK, RANDOM and TIME to save manual work.

## Extensibility

Anyone can extend the eDSL with new devices:

- define an abstract type corresponding to the module type signature (e.g. NETWORK or TCPV4 or KV_RO).
- define a CONFIGURABLE implementation and pack it using first class modules to generate a new impl type.

```
val implementation: 'a -> 'b -> (module CONFIGURABLE with type t = 'b) -> 'a impl
```

## Just like Dynamics

Dynamics is a pair between:

* a *value*
* a value that represents its *type*.

In the Mirage EDSL, an *impl* represents a triple of:

* a *typ*
* a CONFIGURABLE and the constructor function for the module.

GADTs ensure that an *impl* cannot be applied to a *typ* that does not admit it, so the resulting functor applications are sound.

## OPAM automation

Libraries are the heart of Mirage, and OPAM manages this all: <https://opam.ocaml.org>

* Configuration eDSL knows which OPAM packages are needed.
* Staged compilation makes them available via `opam install`.
* Works beautifully with OPAM 1.2 workflows.
  * Git development via `opam pin`
  * Feature branches via `opam remote`
  * Create libraries via `opam publish`
  * Upgrade installation via `opam update`
  * _(soon!)_ Cross-referenced documentation via `opam doc`

## Modular Community (1)

Many of the Mirage libraries use components developed at IRILL:

* __Lwt__ is used throughout as the concurrency abstraction.
* __js_of_ocaml__ to compile for trace viewing.
* __Re__ for pure OCaml regular expressions.

The focus on portability in Lwt via Unix, Windows and JavaScript
really helped bootstrap Mirage.

Can we give back?

## Modular Community (2)

Our protocol libraries are highly modular.  E.g., HTTP:

* __`Cohttp`__ portable parsing core in pure OCaml
* __`Cohttp_lwt`__ which adds concurrent I/O.
* __`Cohttp_lwt_unix`__ maps I/O to `Lwt_io` under Unix.
* __`Cohttp_lwt_mirage`__ adds further functors.
* __`Cohttp_async`__ uses Jane Street Core instead of Lwt.

## Modular Community (3)

And the best/worst for last...

* __`Cohttp_js`__ maps `Cohttp.Client` to JavaScript's XMLHTTPRequest!
* Existing OCaml Cohttp bindings (such as GitHub) compile straight to efficient JavaScript or native code.
* See [H261 video decoding](http://andrewray.github.io/iocamljs/oh261.html) using this.

## eDSL: Summary

* Application is a **parameterised module** over dependencies.
  - ML functors separate OS functionality into modular chunks.
  - Mirage provides a library of module types.
* **Metaprogramming** is used to manipulate these modules.
  - Mirage eDSL manipulates module types and implementations in OCaml.
  - Config file is interpreted to generate executable kernel.
  - Flexible way to specify precise device driver policy.

----

## End Result?

Unikernels are compact enough to boot and respond to network traffic in
real-time

    Appliance
    Standard Build
    Dead Code Elimination

      DNS	0.449 MB	0.184 MB

      Web Server	0.674 MB	0.172 MB

      Openflow learning switch	0.393 MB	0.164 MB

      Openflow controller	0.392 MB	0.168 MB

## End Result?

Unikernels are compact enough to boot and respond to network traffic in
real-time

## Macrobenchmarks

Type-safety in the application layer defeats several external threats, but at
what cost in the kernel?

We have implemented several larger appliances:

+ a simple webserver
+ an OpenFlow Switch
+ an OpenFlow Controller

## DNS Server baseline

_Baseline figures, running __Bind__ (standard) and __NSD__ (high performance).
NSD achieves around 70 kreqs/s_

## DNS Server mirage

_Comparing against __Mirage__ appliance, with and without simple memoisation:
this __algorithmic__ optimisation added just 6 lines of code_

## DNS Server C/miniOS

_A simple `C` appliance linked NSD directly against MiniOS but poor
user-space library performance vastly outweighs language effects_

## Scaling via Parallel Instances

_Static page request throughput: Mirage scales by running many instances rather
than paying for thread-level interlocking_

## Openflow Controller

_Competitive with NOX (C++) but much higher level, and both switch and controller
can be linked as libraries_

----

## Faster than light?

Many network services suffer as _latency_ increases, e.g.,

+ Siri
+ Google Glass

...to say nothing of how they operate when disconnected

> So let's move the computation closer to the data

## Stronger than steel?

We earlier noted the many recent network security problems:

+ Heartbleed
+ Shellshock

...and such bugs will reoccur, now in our homes, cars, fridges

> So let's interpose network protection

## Jitsu!

> __Just-in-Time Summoning of Unikernels__

A toolstack to launch unikernels on-demand with negligible latency:

+ __Performance improvements__ to Xen's boot process & toolstack
+ __Conduit__, shared-memory communication between unikernels
+ __Synjitsu__ and the Jitsu Directory Service

## Jitsu Architecture

## Xen/ARM Toolstack

+ __Removal of `libc`__ reduces attack surface and image size
  + Did need to add floating point formatting routines back, copied from `musl`
  `libc`
+ Xen PV driver model only – __no hardware emulation__
  + ARM does not need all the legacy support of Xen/x86
+ __Deserialising device attachment__ and boot transactions
  + Custom merge function in the OCaml XenStore implementation reduces spurious
    conflicts during boot
  + The backend runs _dom0_ `VIF` hotplug scripts in parallel with the domain
    builder

## Deserialisation

_Improving XenStore parallelism addresses scaling problems, and optimising boot
process dramatically reduces boot time_

## Conduit

+ Establishes __zero-copy shared-memory__ pages between peers
  + Xen grant tables map pages between VMs (`/dev/gntmap`), synchronised via
    event channels (`/dev/evtchn`)
+ Provides a __rendezvous facility__ for VMs to discover named peers
  + Also supports unikernel and legacy VM rendezvous
+ Hooks into higher-level __name services__ like DNS

+ Compatible with the __`vchan`__ inter-VM communication protocol

Code: <https://github.com/mirage/ocaml-conduit>

## Rendezvous

XenStore acts as an incoming connection queue

        Client requests are registered in a new `/conduit` subtree

        Client picks port and writes to the target `listen` queue

        Connection metadata (grant table, event channel refs) is written into
        `/local/domain/domid/vchan`

...and the data flows

## Jitsu Directory Service

Performs the role of Unix's `inetd`:

+ Jitsu VM launches at boot time to handle name resolution (whether local via
  a well known `jitsud` Conduit node in XenStore or remote via DNS)

+ When a request arrives for a live unikernel, Jitsu returns the appropriate
  endpoint

+ If the unikernel is not live, Jitsu boots it, and acts as proxy until the
  unikernel is ready

## Masking boot latency

_By buffering TCP requests into XenStore and then replaying, Synjitsu
parallelises connection setup and unikernel boot_

## Masking boot latency

    Jitsu optimisations bring boot latency down to __~30—45 ms__ (x86) and
    __~350—400 ms__ (ARM).

      Docker time was 1.1s (Linux), 1.2s (Xen) from an SD card

      Mounting Docker's volumes on an `ext4` loopback volume inside of a `tmpfs`
      reduced latency but often terminated early due to many buffer IO, `ext4`
      and `VFS` errors

----

## Git Your Own Cloud

Unikernels are **small enough to be tracked in GitHub**. For example, for the
[Mirage website](http://openmirage.org/):

1. Source code updates are merged to
   **[mirage/mirage-www](https://github.com/mirage/mirage-www)**;

2. Repository is continuously rebuilt by
   **[Travis CI](https://travis-ci.org/mirage/mirage-www)**; if successful:

3. Unikernel pushed to   **[mirage/mirage-www-deployment](https://github.com/mirage/mirage-www-deployment)**

4. Cloud toolstack spawns VMs based on pushes there.

**Our *entire* cloud-facing deployment is version-controlled from the source
code up**!

## Implications

**Historical tracking of source code and built binaries in Git(hub)**

+ `git tag` to link code and binary across repositories
+ `git log` to view deployment changelog
+ `git pull` to deploy new version
+ `git checkout` to go back in time to any point
+ `git bisect` to pin down deployment failures

## Implications

Historical tracking of source code and built binaries in Git(hub)

**Low latency deployment of security updates**

+ No need for Linux distro to pick up and build the new version
+ Updated binary automatically built and pushed
+ Pick up latest binary directly from repository
+ Statically type-checked language prevents classes of attack

## Implications

Historical tracking of source code and built binaries in Git(hub)

Low latency deployment of security updates

**Unified development for cloud and embedded environments**

+ Write application code once
+ Recompile to swap in different versions of system libraries
+ Use compiler optimisations for exotic environments

## Implications

Historical tracking of source code and built binaries in Git(hub)

Low latency deployment of security updates

Unified development for cloud and embedded environments

**Highly responsive deployment to support legacy services**

+ DNS server interprets (e.g.) `git-commit-ref.service.name`
+ Checks out appropriate unikernel revision
+ x86 boots in 20—30ms while Synjitsu proxies TCP handshake
+ Conduit channels created, allowing (per-client?) unikernel to protect legacy VM

----

## Ongoing Stuff

Mirage OS 2.0 is an important step forward, supporting **more**, and **more
diverse**, **backends** with much **greater modularity**.

For information about the many components we could not cover here, see
[openmirage.org](http://openmirage.org/blog/):

+ __[Irmin](http://openmirage.org/blog/introducing-irmin)__, Git-like
  distributed branchable storage
+ __[OCaml-TLS](http://openmirage.org/blog/introducing-ocaml-tls)__, a
  from-scratch native OCaml TLS stack
+ __[Ctypes](http://openmirage.org/blog/modular-foreign-function-bindings)__,
  modular C foreign function bindings
+ __[Profiling](http://roscidus.com/blog/blog/2014/10/27/visualising-an-asynchronous-monad/)__
  via a visualisation tool

## Ongoing Stuff (2)

Mirage OS 2.0 is an important step forward, supporting **more**, and **more
diverse**, **backends** with much **greater modularity**.

For information about the many components we could not cover here, see
[openmirage.org](http://openmirage.org/blog/):

+ __[IMAP](https://github.com/gregtatcam/imaplet-lwt/)__ client and server with Irmin backend.
+ __[XMPP](https://github.com/hannesm/jackline)__ communication using OCaml-TLS and nocrypto.
+ __[mDNS](https://github.com/mirage/ocaml-dns)__ multicast DNS for local names.
+ __[IPv6](https://github.com/mirage/mirage-tcpip)__ throughout the TCP/IP stack.
+ __OcsiMiragegen__ : almost there!

## Ongoing Stuff (3)

* __Formal reasoning about POSIX filesystems__ using Lem/HOL4/OCaml.
  * _AKA_: how do we build a POSIX-compatible Mirage filesystem?
* __Expanding the OS notion of dynamic linking__ to work across virtual machine boundaries
  * _AKA_: giving the world an alternative to OpenSSL
* __Generalising the Mirage model via staged  programming__ via Metacaml and generic programming
  * _AKA_: really exercise the new OCaml inliner

## Why? [nymote.org](http://nymote.org/)

We need to claim control over our online lives rather than abrogate it to
_The Cloud_:

+ Doing so means we **all** need to be able to run **our own infrastructure**
+ **Without** having to become (Linux) **sysadmins**!
+ How can we achieve this?

> Mirage/ARM is the foundation for building **personal clouds**, securely
> interconnecting and synchronising our devices.

## Get Involved!

Unikernels are an incredibly interesting way to code functionally at scale.
Nothing stresses a toolchain like building a whole OS.

- **Choices**: [Mirage OS](http://openmirage.org) in OCaml,
  [HaLVM](http://halvm.org) in Haskell, Rump Kernels or OSv for compatibility,
  ClickOS for routing.
- **Scenarios**: Static websites, dynamic content, custom routers.
- **Performance**: There's no hiding behind abstractions. HalVM *vs* Mirage is a
  fun contest in evaluating abstraction cost.

> Need contributors to build the library base of safe protocol
> implementations (TLS has been done!) and integrate verification
> and automated testing

## <http://openmirage.org/>

A Linux Foundation Incubator Project lead from the University of Cambridge and
Citrix Systems.

Featuring blog posts on new features by:

[Amir Chaudhry](http://amirchaudhry.com/),
[Thomas Gazagnaire](http://gazagnaire.org/),
[David Kaloper](https://github.com/pqwy),
[Thomas Leonard](http://roscidus.com/blog/),
[Jon Ludlam](http://twitter.com/jonludlam),
[Hannes Mehnert](https://github.com/hannesm),
[Mindy Preston](https://github.com/yomimono),
[Dave Scott](http://dave.recoil.org/),
and [Jeremy Yallop](https://github.com/yallop).

  Thanks for listening! Questions?

  Contributions very welcome at [openmirage.org](http://openmirage.org)

  Mailing list at <mirageos-devel@lists.xenproject.org>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Architects of Our Economic Demise
"Is there a conspiracy of global takeover, of a "New World Order," of global governance that has been in the works since the United States gained independence from Great Britain? The honest answer is undeniable: yes." – Doug Hagmann
Today, we are witnessing the final stages of the greatest financial fraud ever perpetrated on the American people. Behind the massive debt, threat of "sequestration," and the threat of massive pending layoffs exists a story that must be told and understood by every American. It is a truth that too few understand and even fewer will talk about.
The system has been rigged. However, understanding exactly what is being done to us, our country, and our economy has been deliberately made difficult for a person of average or even above-average intelligence by the architects of our demise. This process continues today, and much of it is done in secret or behind closed doors.
Every person on the planet is being robbed of their wealth by a select group of people. Worse, they are robbing your children, grandchildren, and further generations of their wealth not yet earned and (by extension) their time not yet invested, while making you believe that their enrichment is your moral obligation. It's mental conditioning on a grand scale.
A significant aspect of understanding why we find ourselves in our current financial mess is to understand exactly how we got here in the first place. Like most events taking place in Washington, DC, we are witnessing the ongoing shredding of the United States Constitution by both sides of the political divide. Yet how many people actually understand that what is taking place is completely unconstitutional? Thanks to the incremental infusion of Communist goals into the legal and societal framework of the fabric of America, people have been intellectually hobbled by a complicit media and a compromised educational system.
Discarding revisionist history and knowing the truth behind the larger global scheme will tell us, by default, what we must do to get out of the mess we're in, and identify those who are responsible, both past and present.
The founders of our country fought a difficult war of independence to break free of the constraint and oppression of England. The blood that was shed on the battlefield over two centuries ago resulted in the creation of our Constitution.
Article I, Section 8, Part 5 of the United States Constitution states that "[T]he Congress shall have the power to coin money, regulate the value thereof…" Yet, that has been violated to the detriment of all Americans. So, what is the truth?
There is a rich history of our country's monetary system, and significant events that occurred before the twentieth century. For example, why have some of the real factors for the War of 1812 been expunged from our history books? There is no mention of our forefathers' refusal to permit a central bank to run America, thereby creating antagonism with England. What were the causes of the previous financial panics that struck America in her early years? History has been revised. But for the sake of brevity, we'll begin with the events of last century and end with the present.
In all conspiracies, there must be great secrecy
In response to a Wall Street orchestrated financial panic in 1907 that saw a 50% fall in the stock market, a National Monetary Commission was created by the U.S. Congress in 1908 and signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was a "study group," ostensibly to prevent further financial panics and economic troubles. Known as the Aldrich–Vreeland Act, it was a Republican-led initiative introduced by Senator Nelson Aldrich. It is important to note that Senator Aldrich was a business associate of J.P. Morgan, and the father-in-law of John D. Rockefeller. He was ultimately named head of the National Monetary Commission, a group that spent two years in Europe studying the structure of their banking and financial system.
Two years later, and under the cover of darkness, a meeting of about a half-dozen of the wealthiest people in America took place amid great secrecy on an island just off the coast of Georgia. The meeting was set up by Aldrich himself and held on Jekyll Island, which was purchased in 1888 by J.P. Morgan and William Rockefeller (the brother of John D. Rockefeller).
Late on the night of November 22, 1910, Senator Nelson Aldrich, his personal secretary, and six of the wealthiest men in the world[i] stealthily boarded Aldrich's personal rail car in Hoboken, New Jersey to make a trip of nearly a thousand miles to this remote location, where no media or others outside of this clique were allowed.
In addition to Aldrich and his personal secretary, the other men who secretly boarded that rail car included A. Piatt Andrew (the Assistant Secretary to the U.S. Treasury, and Special Assistant to the National Monetary Commission), Frank Vanderlip (President of the National City Bank of New York), Henry P. Davison (senior partner at J.P. Morgan Company, and considered Morgan's personal emissary), Charles D. Norton (President of the First National Bank of New York, a Morgan dominated bank), Benjamin Strong (also of J.P. Morgan), and Paul Warburg (a German immigrant working for Kuhn, Loeb and Company).[ii]
The unprecedented secrecy surrounding this nine-day conference on Jekyll Island was such that the attendees were only permitted to use first names of others, causing some to refer to the group as "The First Name Club." Unbeknownst to all Americans, the framework was being set for the greatest financial Ponzi scheme that still exists today.
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913
As a result of that secret meeting on Jekyll Island in 1910, the Federal Reserve (or "Fed") was created after a three-year long magic act designed to fool the American people into believing that the Federal Reserve was something it was not. On December 23, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law after it passed in a nearly empty Capitol chamber, since many lawmakers had already departed for the Christmas holiday.
It is important to understand that, during the three years between the meeting at Jekyll Island and the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, there is a rich history of deception and subterfuge. This included influencing the presidential election that brought Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey, and former president of Princeton University) into office, over popular incumbent William Howard Taft.
Historians could rightfully assert that the primary (and perhaps only) purpose of getting Wilson elected as U.S. President at this time was in order to assure that a central banking system would be signed into law.
President William Howard Taft was the incumbent, and favored for re-election. The Republicans also held a majority in both houses of Congress. It was not until the former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (the creator of the National Monetary Commission) entered the race as a third party candidate that Taft was threatened. Roosevelt was highly funded by members of both parties who wanted a central banking system put in place in the United States. The entry of Theodore Roosevelt split the vote, and Woodrow Wilson was elected.
Two figures who played a very prominent role in the creation of a central bank, and the passage of the Federal Reserve Act behind the scenes, were Paul Warburg (a German immigrant) and Colonel Edward Mandel House from Texas. Both had European connections. House was a friend of the most powerful man in America at that time – President Woodrow Wilson. He also had connections to the Rothschild money dynasty in London. The influence of Colonel House over two presidential administrations is without question. Accordingly, he and his ideology warrant a closer look.
"Colonel" is only a nickname, as he had no military experience, just an odd and influential friendship with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. House was active in Texas politics, and became an adviser to Wilson in foreign affairs. Much like today, access to the President appears to hinge on "excess," or how much money one has. According to one account, House reportedly showed up at the Wilson White House with a $35,000 political contribution.[iii]
In 1911, House anonymously published a novel titled Philip Dru: Administrator, in which the main character causes a civil war in the United States and then becomes a dictator. As dictator, the character Dru turns the U.S. into a Socialist nation – a Socialist utopia, as dreamed by Karl Marx. The cumbersome novel seemed to serve as a blueprint for President Wilson. Then later, it influenced President Roosevelt, in terms of the implementation of socialist programs.
It is interesting that House, an avowed Socialist, viewed the enactment of the Federal Reserve as the crowning achievement of the Wilson administration.[iv] Among other decidedly Socialist "reforms," House (personally and through his novel) actually called for the creation of the Federal Reserve, or a central banking system.[v] A centralized banking system, along with a progressive or graduated income tax, is one of the ten planks of the Communist goals.
Before the Federal Reserve Act was signed into law, it was initially known as the Aldrich Plan, named after Senator Nelson Aldrich. To positively impact public opinion, national banks organized a propaganda campaign through three American Universities: Princeton, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. The banks contributed $5 million to this propaganda campaign, much of it spent by the National Citizens' League, an organization composed primarily of college professors.
As facets of the Republican Aldrich Plan became known, however, there was staunch opposition launched against it by Democrats, who presented their own plan in the form of the Federal Reserve Act. It is here – at this point in American history – that the Republican-Democrat political paradigm seems to have been essentially and forever dissolved. Much print space could be dedicated to this time period in history alone, that would enlighten readers to the collusion between parties at their highest and most powerful levels, in order to fool the American people.
Perhaps one of the most disingenuous feats during this period was this inter-party collusion for the centralization and control of our national monetary system. The illusion of dueling plans was thrust upon the American people by a simple name change. The Aldrich plan was associated with the Republicans. The Federal Reserve plan was associated with the Democratic party. The difference was in name only.
Despite the identical nature of the plans, those pushing for a central banking system made it appear that they were at odds with each other. Aldrich joined with Frank Vanderlip, president of the National City Bank, to publicly denounce the Federal Reserve Act.
The people of the United States had fought previously against the implementation of a central banking system under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, when the Rothschild family attempted to install such a system (and briefly succeeded via The First Bank of the United States and the Second National Bank, respectively). Therefore, the advocates of the Federal Reserve Act wanted to hide the fact that it was really a centralized banking system.
Accordingly, one of the architects at Jekyll Island, Paul Warburg, devised the plan to set up a series of regional banks throughout the U.S., in order to make it appear that the Federal Reserve was not a central bank. Additionally, Warburg also seemed to alleviate concerns over who would oversee the appointments to head the Federal Reserve by making it appear that the U.S. government had full authority over such appointments. Actually, appointments were (and are) made from a list of "acceptable candidates" provided by the Federal Reserve alone.
After the political theater that made it appear that the Republicans and Democrats were at odds with each other, the objective of the architects of a central banking system prevailed. As previously noted, the Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913.
Wilson apparently realized what he had done. In 1916, Wilson wrote, "Our system of credit is concentrated [in the Federal Reserve]. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities, are in the hands of a few men."
The creation of the Federal Reserve concentrated the power, wealth, and industry of the United States into the control of a handful of people, including J.P. Morgan who was (for all practical purposes) an emissary for the Rockefeller dynasty. But it was not only the Rockefellers who benefitted from this devious plan; the Rothschild family of London also controlled the wealth of the U.S. by proxy. The Rothschilds also took over the Vatican Bank in 1824.
It is becoming clear that all roads and bridges lead to the bankers of London. Not just to London, but a specific area within London – a city within a city. It is within this magical mile where the root of untold wealth and power exists. It is here where its denizens control men and might, plan wars and "a New World Order."
Accordingly, honest investigation into the creation and continued existence of the Federal Reserve must include identifying the people behind its creation, as well as its current existence.
"Thou doth protest too much"
Additionally, honest investigation and research into the Federal Reserve, past and present, would not be complete without looking at its "protagonist [leaders who dared resist international bankers] threats" and their fates. Examples can be found in President Abraham Lincoln (who issued "Greenbacks"), President James A. Garfield (who suggested serious monetary reforms just before his assassination in 1881), and of course, President John F. Kennedy.
It is applicable to introduce Louis Thomas McFadden, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving from 1923 to 1935. He was a member of the House Banking and Currency Committee, and had a working understanding of what the central bankers and the power elite were doing to the United States.
On June 10, 1932, Rep. McFadden addressed the House of Representatives with this important message [emphasis added]:
"Some people think the Federal Reserve banks are United States Government institutions. They are not government institutions. They are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people of the United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign customers.
"The Federal Reserve banks are the agents of the foreign central banks. Henry Ford has said, 'The one aim of these financiers is world control by the creation of inextinguishable debts.' The truth is the Federal Reserve Board has usurped the Government of the United States by the arrogant credit monopoly which operates the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks."
Based on his analysis of the treachery taking place by the Federal Reserve and its enablers, McFadden introduced House Resolution No. 158, Articles of Impeachment on May 23, 1933 against the Secretary of the Treasury and two Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury; the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the officers and directors of the Federal Reserve Banks for their guilt and collusion in causing the Great Depression.
McFadden stated: "I charge them with having unlawfully taken over 80 billion dollars from the United States Government in the year 1928, the said unlawful taking consisting of the unlawful recreation of claims against the United States Treasury to the extent of over 80 billion dollars in the year 1928, and in each year subsequent, and by having robbed the United States Government and the people of the United States by their theft and sale of the gold reserve of the United States."
Rather than a bullet, McFadden was instead marginalized by rumors that he was legally insane. The Progressives of that era heavily funded his political opposition. Between the allegations of his insanity and the money furnished to his opposition, McFadden lost his congressional district and faded into relative obscurity. The impeachment resolution never saw the light of day.
Quietly backed by the Socialist and Communist parties, Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, ostensibly to end Wall Street domination and free the American people from the evil domestic banking cartel and its equally evil international influences that caused the Great Depression.
But who was Roosevelt? He was himself was an international banker who floated large issuances of foreign bonds in the U.S. during the 1920s. He was also the was President and Director of United European Investors, Ltd., which also floated millions of German marks in this country. Like the pattern we have witnessed more recently, the bonds defaulted and Americans collectively lost millions of dollars.
Perhaps most telling were his associations. Upon taking office, Roosevelt appointed James Paul Warburg, son of Paul Warburg, as Director of the Budget and Vice President of the International Acceptance Bank and other corporations.
Moving quickly through history, there were a number of significant events related to the Federal Reserve and our economy that brought us to this most dangerous point in history.
Glass-Steagall Banking Act of 1933
Partly due to the Great Depression, the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 essentially separated commercial and investment activities by banks. Enacted in part as a result of the findings of the Pecora Commission, an investigation of the events that led to the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, the commission's findings led to the Glass-Steagall Banking Act.
Most telling about the secrecy and conspiracy of the central banks, bankers and the Federal Reserve is an entry in the memoir of Ferdinand Pecora, published in 1939:
"Bitterly hostile was Wall Street to the enactment of the regulatory legislation. Had there been full disclosure of what was being done in furtherance of these schemes, they could not long have survived the fierce light of publicity and criticism. Legal chicanery and pitch darkness were the banker's stoutest allies."
The Banking Act of 1935
This legislation greatly increased President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's power over the country's finances and accordingly, his power as president. It repealed the specific clause of the Glass-Steagall Act that provided that a banking house could not be on the Stock Exchange and also be involved in investment banking. The most essential provision of the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed in 1935, thus permitting the Federal Reserve Banks to loan directly to industry.
Summary of Part I
"The dollar represents a one dollar debt to the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve Banks create money out of thin air to buy Government bonds from the United States Treasury, lending money into circulation at interest, by bookkeeping entries of checkbook credit to the United States Treasury. The Treasury writes up an interest bearing bond for one billion dollars. The Federal Reserve gives the Treasury a one billion dollar credit for the bond, and has created out of nothing a one billion dollar debt which the American people are obligated to pay with interest." –Money Facts, House Banking and Currency Committee, 1964, p. 9
It is clear that the Federal Reserve and central banks across the globe represent a shadowy, elite group of the wealthiest and most powerful men on this planet. The central bankers finance wars, often all sides of the conflicts, loaning money for war materials for their own financial gain.
Because of the very manner in which it was established, our current economic system is untenable and is destined for collapse, leaving only those elite with the riches stolen from the American people.
Is there a conspiracy of global takeover, of a "New World Order," of global governance that has been in the works since the United States gained independence from Great Britain? The honest answer is undeniable: yes.
I've attempted to cover as much history in Part I to establish the groundwork and backdrop of Part II: Who is responsible today for robbing the Americans of our wealth, our heritage, our freedom, and our country. Today, we have men and women in power who, by the very definition of the word, are involved in the greatest conspiracy to be thrust upon America and all of the world. By definition, they are traitors to our country, and will be responsible for the collapse of the United States. They must be identified and exposed. But to adequately and effectively do so, it is important to understand the history of the conspiracy of which we are the victims.
When the U.S. dollar collapses, who will appear to be our savior, rescuing the United States from economic destruction through restructuring? I contend that our salvation, which will be our imprisonment, will rise from the seat of economic power – a city within the city of London. The significance of this cannot be understated, as we will be facing the end of our country and our freedoms. It will be the final stage of the implementation of global governance. Perhaps then people will understand the significance and true meaning of the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics/
Labels: Coup d'état Economic Collapse Global Governance NWO
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson spills on the 'Hobbs & Shaw' premiere drama: 'It was so surreal'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


GT1 race cars from Navarra, Spain in July 2011. Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Nissan GT-R, Ford GT, Chevrolet Corvette. Video and pictures from the event. http://www.2009gtr.com for more information on the event, results, and more pictures.


text:
Q: Correctly restoring callee-saved registers I am trying to correctly understand where and how I push and pop callee-saved registers like ebx onto/off the stack to restore them for later use.
Is this code correctly restoring the ebx register?
global main
extern printf

section .text:

print:
    mov     eax, 0x1
    add     eax, ebx

    push    eax
    push    message
    call    printf
    add     esp, 8
    ret

main:
    mov     ebx, 0x1
    push    ebx
    call    print
    pop     ebx
    ret

message db "result = %d", 10, 0

Should I pop ebx directly after usage like so?:
global main
extern printf

section .text:

print:
    push    ebx
    mov     ebx, 0x1
    mov     eax, 0x1
    add     eax, ebx

    push    eax
    push    message
    call    printf
    add     esp, 8
    pop     ebx
    ret
main:
    call print
    ret

message db "result = %d", 10, 0

A: Both ways are fine, but the second is a little more conventional.
The rule is this: when a compiler generates code to call a function, it assumes that the contents of ebx will be the same after the call as before.  In your program, the only situation where that applies is to the startup code which calls main.  For both versions of your code, ebx has the same value when main returns as when it was entered, so all is well.
If you had a C function in your program which called print, then the first version would be bad, and the second version would be needed.  But as it stands in the first version, print is only called from your hand-coded main function, and you know that print will clobber ebx and you are taking appropriate action to save and restore it, so that's fine.
To put it another way, in the first version of the code, print doesn't conform to standard C calling conventions.  But since you never actually call it from C code, that isn't necessarily a problem.  In the second version, it does conform, which is perhaps aesthetically nicer and may be less confusing to maintain.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A retrospective is anytime your team reflects on the past to improve the future. Between technical and non-technical teams, you can retro on just about anything! Right now, we're hosting a public retrospective on agile software development. Help define the future of agile by adding some of your ideas to our board.
Reflect on your software development by tweeting with #RetroOnAgile. Tell us one thing you like with #ILike, one thing you wish you could improve with #IWish, and one thing you'd like to see in the future with #WhatIf. Use the hundreds of responses below as inspiration. Your feedback will show up here within 24 hours.
What do you like about your agile practice?
I like how scrum turns agile back into a heavyweight process with lots and lots of meetings, even when those meetings take place in Jira itself.
What do want to improve about your agile practice?
#RetroOnAgile #IWish there was more management-focused material available on the transition from waterfall to Agile.
#IWish - What's one thing you wish you could improve about your #agile practice? https://t.co/M8fBklybbH #RetroOnAgile I wish we could stop the "Agile my way" practices that are not really Agile.
#RetroOnAgile #IWish team members could accept the mindset of Agile more than the method argument.
#Iwish to have more advance functions in jql.
ADFS authenticatin - please release id-79 asap.
#IWish Teams won't declare agile victory prematurely by merely doing stand-ups.
What if anything was possible? What would your agile practice look like?
#WhatIfEverybodyMovedToKanban #RetroOnAgile Kanban has changed our processes and efficiency for the better.
The agile manifesto makes it clear: In order to best live the agile values, teams should meet reguarly to check in and make adjustments. Most commmonly, development teams apply this principle by hosting regular retrospective meetings, and while that meeting is the focus of much of this page, it's not the only way to retro.
More recently, the concept of retrospectives has made it's way out of development teams and into all facets of business and teamwork.
I know marketing teams that retro on campaigns, management teams that retro on large presentations, and above, Atlassian is hosting a retrospective on their entire industry. This openness to retrospecives, and their proliferation into all facets of business, is something to get incredibly excited about.
At face value, this is what a retro is all about: Working with real people to make changes and improvements. Few things reinforce agile principles better. Now that we know why retrospectives are so important, read on and learn how to host a meeting on your own.
And don't forget, we do retrospectives to make things better, so if you're into agile, participate in our #RetroOnAgile and help define the future of software development.
Evaluate how the last sprint, iteration, or work item went, specifically around the team dynamic, processes, and tools.
Articulate and stack rank the items that went well, and those items that did not.
Create and implement a plan for improving the way the team does work.
The retrospective provides a safe place to focus on introspection and adaptation. In order for retrospectives to be successful, there needs to be a supportive atmosphere that encourages (but doesn't force) all team members to contribute.
The retrospective should be a positive, energizing experience for your team. It helps team members share important feedback, let go of frustrations, and work together to come up with solutions. Facilitators can also get a lot from the retrospective, including a better understanding of how the team works together and what challenges (and successes) they experienced in the last sprint. A successful retrospective results in a list of improvements that team members take ownership of and work toward in the next sprint.
While it can be beneficial to vary the format of the retrospective (more on that below!), certain aspects like timing, attendees, and general format should remain as consistent as possible.
For agile teams working in the traditional two week sprint, the retrospective should take place at the end of every sprint. For teams running a more Kanban-esque style of work, a monthly or quarterly retrospective may make more sense. It's also healthy to engage members of the broader leadership after major initiatives have been rolled out; be careful to focus not on what was delivered, but rather on how the team worked together produce it.
Plan to spend at least thirty minutes, and up to an hour, depending on how long the sprint is and how much you have to cover.
Every team member should attend the retrospective, with a facilitator leading the discussion. The facilator can be the scrum master, product owner, or it can rotate throughout the team. Feel free to pull in designers, marketers, or anyone else who contributed to the current sprint or iteration.
Create a short list of things that worked well and things that could be improved. This list can be created on a whiteboard, on an Atlassian Confluence page, or maybe even sticky notes on the wall! No matter where you capture the initial feedback, be sure to memorialize it right after the meeting so it can be referenced down the road.
Prioritize this list by importance as a team. You may discover common themes, which can be grouped together.
Discuss ways and tactics to improve the top two items on the "room for improvement" list. Focus on outcomes, not actions or people, or the past.
Create an action plan. By the end of the session, the team should have produced a few actionable ideas with clear owners and due dates to address the areas of improvement.
Be disciplined about executing #4. Nothing is more frustrating than repeating the same roadblocks in every retro. Avoid stagnation (and frustration!) by making sure everyone walks away with clear next steps. Each action item identified in the retro should have a clear owner who follows it through to completion.
Standardizing your retrospective is a good idea to create consistency and to build trust amongst the team over time. But there are a few "tweaks" facilitators can try that may help uncover additional insights, encourage participation from new team members, or simply keep it interesting.
Bring in an outside facilitator. Typically retrospectives are run by the scrum Master or project lead, but you may want to consider bringing in a guest to facilitate your next retro. The dynamic may shift in a positive way by having someone with no "skin in the game" lead the discussion. Moreover, this strategy enables someone else within the organization to observe how other agile teams are working and may pick up some best practices for his or her own team.
Start / Stop / Continue: What the team should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. Focus on ways to discontinue items in the "Stop" column.
More / less: What the team needs to do more and less of. Create a plan around how to tackle the top items in the "do less" list.
Glad / Sad / Mad: What made the team glad, sad, and mad. You guessed it, focus on the sad and mad lists and how to improve so there are only items in the glad column next time.
Engage leadership. After a major project has been rolled out, schedule an hour with a member of your leadership team and focus on how the team worked together (not particulars of how the initiative went).
There are plenty of ways to improve, so don't hesitate to find some new tricks of your own. Whether you're trying to engage a distributed team or improve a retro process that has stagnated, the key is to keep your team engaged and make the results actionable.


The Desert Shores area is a master planned community located in Las Vegas NV. This community was developed 1988 and includes approximately 3,500 homes. All of the lakefront homes have direct access to the lakes and the option of private docks. Desert Shores is 682 acres. Desert Shores has four man made lakes, a lagoon style swimming pool surrounded by a sand beach, and a picnic park with volleyball, basketball and playground. The community docks provide paddle boating and fishing for the residents. The clubhouse is 2,100 sq feet. This community offers miles of walking and biking paths.
playgrounds & a dedicated skateboard park.
-Durango Hills Park- Pickleball Courts.


text:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's double wins League Cup for Man United
LONDON (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic powered in a late header to win the League Cup for Manchester United on Sunday, sealing a 3-2 victory over Southampton after a two-goal lead was thrown away by Jose Mourinho's side. It was the 35-year-old forward's second goal in the Wembley final after putting...
By Rob Harris - AP Global Soccer Writer - Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic powered in a late header to win the League Cup for Manchester United on Sunday, sealing a 3-2 victory over Southampton after a two-goal lead was thrown away by Jose Mourinho's side.
It was the 35-year-old forward's second goal in the Wembley final after putting United ahead from a free kick, taking the Swede's tally to 26 goals in an incredible first season at United.
And it ensured Mourinho will become the first manager in United history to win a trophy in his first season, adding to his three League Cup triumphs with Chelsea.
United's fragile defense, though, nearly contrived to throw away the chance of glory.
Although Jesse Lingard extended United's lead in the 38th minute, Southampton fought back with goals either side of halftime from Manolo Gabbiadini. But as Southampton pushed for the victory, Ibrahimovic produced the bullet header in the 87th minute from Ander Herrera's cross.


We all know how Google continuously optimises their algorithms and how they index their websites, and they've had some big news for us this year. Back in March, Google started to migrate sites for mobile-first indexing and focused on the first wave. April 30th, May 17th, and May 27th saw the subsequent waves being rolled out.
We can predict that this practice will cost time and money to make sure that everything is ready, but what exactly is mobile-first indexing in 2018 bringing to businesses?
Why is Google Investing in Mobile-First Indexing in 2018?
Simply put, mobile-first indexing means that Google will focus on websites' mobile versions for indexing purposes. Instead of referring to desktop versions of websites, as Google previously did, they will now refer to mobile versions first for websites with both desktop and mobile versions. Don't worry, Google will notify you through the Search Console when your website is migrated.
If your website doesn't have a mobile version, don't panic: Google is still going to index your website. You probably won't, however, rank as well as someone who has a mobile website. The first wave of mobile-first indexing started back in March, with brands that already had websites that were extremely mobile-responsive.
Although we're not quite sure yet of the full impact of this change, Google will eventually move their focus to just indexing and crawling mobile websites. The question remains what happens to the majority of your backlinks on your desktop website.
We're guessing at this point it's still a waiting game!
Mobile site configuration. Choose from a responsive website (Google's recommendation, websites that adapt to all devices), dynamic serving (similar to the responsive configuration, but each URL serves its own HTML and CSS) or a mobile URL (a mobile website or an m-dot).
Meta tags. This includes optimising for mobile: meta tags, schema tags or structured data, and alt tags.
Page speed and load time. Make sure your website is loading quickly enough for mobiles and the page speed isn't slow.
Mobile-friendliness. Use the Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check your mobile-friendliness.
Keep in mind that if you have dynamic serving or mobile URLs, you will need to follow Google's best practices for mobile-first indexing.
Google developed a tool to help you compare your mobile site to your competitors', called Speed Scorecard. This tool lets you compare websites per country and by 3G or 4G – which is very helpful with today's use of Chrome as a web browser. The company also provides an Impact Calculator, so you know how your mobile website speed could be affecting your business.
According to a Google/SOASTA study from last year, 28% of customers won't go back to a website if it's too slow. The study also says that even a one-second page load time delay can make you see a 20% drop in conversions. Customers also converted on websites that were 26% faster than others, with a value of 21.87% of mobile conversions.
The Google/SOASTA study also adds that the number of mobile conversions is expected to grow – after all, almost half of customers (47.42%) use their mobiles for searches. Having a mobile-friendly design is different from a mobile-responsive one.
Google wants mobile websites to start being interactive, with customers able to quickly and efficiently navigate as if they were on desktop. Customers don't want to see a website that gets blurry images or fonts when they zoom in, so giving your mobile website a good scrub and update is a good idea.
If you focused more on the desktop version, you'll have to make sure that your website's mobile version has everything your desktop version does. This includes all the images, structured data, meta tags, content, and much more, all optimised for mobile website.
But for some bigger brands, it goes beyond just having mobile-responsive websites that automatically adapt to every device. Facebook, for example, invested heavily in their mobile-first readiness, even having their own app to specifically make it easier to navigate.
You will likely also notice, through the smartphone Googlebot an increase in the crawl rate. This is a measure you already have access to, which is the percentage of your pages that are being crawled by the Googlebot.
Knowing how often the Googlebot visits and crawls your mobile pages is a vital way of knowing how Google views your site. Make sure you consider the freshness and size of your pages so that the Googlebot visits your website more. This means that Google has a high interest in your website!
Having a cohesive marketing strategy that keeps the mobile part in mind is very important, as Google seems to really focus on this platform. Get in touch with us to know how we can help you develop your own strategy and make sure that your website is mobile-first indexing ready.


Upgrade to higher-quality streaming and more space.
All your favorite television online television.
The living room; the internet lets us watch TV anywhere in the include shows such.
Search terms for unique your cable bill, the number of shows you watch.
Heaps of big-budget films, new and old, and the stable of HBO tV?and stream whatever.


Francois Brosseau from RE/MAX Commercial recently concluded a 15-year lease transaction for Cytronics Corp., Canada's largest independent payroll services provider.
In addition the company will pay just a little more than its current annual rent for brand new turnkey offices located at 3333 Graham Blvd.
Clarkson Conway, a division of Viad Corp. headquartered in Phoenix tapped into Brosseau's 25-year market expertise to secure new storage and distribution facilities after it had exhausted all avenues, searching in vain for months for alternate facilities.
The company however needed to remain close to the downtown core in order to provide its clients with its show and exhibition set-up services principally delivered within the city's two main exhibition venues. Within a couple weeks Brosseau had found the ideal premises located at 3700 St-Patrick Street, securing a 10-year lease for Viad.
Finally communications firm David & Goliath was unsure about renewing or moving to new premises. After analysing all relevant market options for the client, it decided to renew its lease at 400 Atlantic Avenue for a 10-year term after the landlord conceded important financial considerations and lease options to the tenant. Although Brosseau says the Montreal office market is relatively tight, he believes it still offers opportunities if the right market alternatives are brought to bear during negotiations.


packets sent to/from the Windows network stack.
- Everything works well before we start our app.
> Which checksum offload? Just TCP or IPv4 too?
> problem lies in the application. One thing to try is disabling LRO though..
> actually support it. (Moving to a newer NDIS is on the TODO list).
2. If this belongs to Xen Net driver, does the latest driver fix this?
> current issues with checksum or large packet offloads in the 8.x drivers.


Pronoun agreement can be a tricky point of grammar. If you're wondering how to make your pronouns agree with your favorite antecedents, look no further. In this edition of Celebrity Grammar, we explore pronoun agreement errors in the words of Kanye West!
Lets take a look at a tweet from Kanye with a pronoun agreement error. See if you can spot it!
everyone can say anything they want about me but they could never say that I didn't care.
If you don't see the error, don't fear! By the end of this post you'll able to spot it with ease.
First let's discuss what pronoun agreement is all about. Pronoun agreement is the idea that pronouns must agree with the words that they reference (antecedents).
Pronouns are words like "them", "it" "he", and "she"– words that reference other words. They come in handy for sentences such as "Kanye took Kanye's dog for a walk in front of Kanye's house"– obviously if you spoke without pronouns you might raise some eyebrows. When we replace words with pronouns, we have to make sure they match in terms of singular and plural. Here's an example of a sentence with a pronoun agreement error in it.
The word "clothing" is what we call a mass noun . The word clothing can stand for "a whole lot of clothing" but is technically a singular word. "Them" is a plural noun– we need a singular pronoun to make the sentence correct.
"People" is plural and the pronoun "they" is plural — now we have a grammatically correct sentence.
Beware of the "Ones and the Bodies"— remember they are singular so make sure your accompanying pronoun is also singular if you choose to use these words!


So, first things first: We have no idea if these documents are real. They're all plausible, if ambitious, and have the same layout as other Verizon documents we've seen. But we've had no confirmation from Verizon, so take everything here with a grain of salt. We've been hearing rumors about this forever, though, and these documents are consistent with those.
That said, let's get to it! Some Verizon documents leaked to Engadget last night showing Verizon's next-gen network plans. Verizon will be using an LTE network–it'll also be used by major international carriers like Vodafone and China Mobile–as opposed to the only American 4G network currently working, Sprint's WiMax.
Verizon's LTE speeds could reach a peak of 40-50Mbps, which is crazy fast, but real world performance is likely to hit around 5-12Mbps. That's still very, very fast for mobile speeds, significantly higher than Sprint's 4G, which hits around 3-6Mbps in real-world use. 3G is lucky to hit 1Mbps.
According to these documents, Verizon is aiming to roll its LTE network out to 30 cities, covering around 100 million people, within the year. 4G modems will be out to use them, with 4G smartphones and, notably, tablets coming out in 2011.
Verizon has arguably the most reliable network in the country at the moment, but it's nowhere near the fastest–AT&T is faster, when it works, and Sprint's 4G blows them both away. But if Verizon can successfully roll out its own 4G network according to these plans, they'll be hard to beat.


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I recently printed some photos for a family I photographed and it got me thinking that the average person might not understand how important printed photos are.
Since I'm all about helping people better understand what I do as a photographer, I decided to find some articles to explain the printing process. This first article talks about how important it is to print your photos, and this second article talks about the importance of printing at a reputable lab.
Hopefully this will inspire you to get those special family photos printed so you can persevere those memories for future generations.
Print your photos or risk losing them to the digital dark age.
Next Post Bye bye snow! Hello summer weddings!


The very first ammunition belts manufactured in Switzerland for the domestically produced MG11 in caliber 7.5x55mm Swiss, incorporate most features of the contemporary German Maxim belts. The Swiss belts have a total capacity of 250 rounds and are composed of two strips of hemp webbing fixed together by means of brass strips and eyelets, thereby generating the pockets to seat the cartridge cases. Every three pockets, extended strips are installed to prevent the cartridges from slipping out of their pockets while being transported in the ammunition box. The motion of the loaded belt inside the ammunition box is then limited to the front of the box by the extremity of the extended strips and to the rear by the base of the cartridge cases. According to the size of the Swiss cartridge, the total length of the extended strips is 60.5mm. On the specimens examined, the extended strips are assembled at their extremity with a solid brass rivet whereas the contemporary German belts are fitted with a solid steel rivet at the extremity of the long strips. Two sheet brass tags are attached to the fabric at each end of the belt by three eyelets and three more eyelets are used to fasten each pair of tags together. Specimens examined so far have their starter tags marked with the W+F logo denoting production by the State Arsenal Waffenfabrik Bern. Sometimes a number is also found on the tags but a positive identification of its meaning has not yet been found.
In 1934-35, MG11s were upgraded and modified to a few extents, among which was the belt feed system. As with most users in the world, the Swiss experienced the main drawbacks of fabric belts with tight or loose pockets and a great sensitivity to adverse meteorological conditions. Accordingly, a new continuous metallic belt was adopted for service. With a total capacity remaining at 250 rounds to fit the existing ammunition boxes, the new belt is composed of stamped closed cartridge pockets permanently assembled together with a hook-and-eye pattern. The starting end, used to insert the belt into the feed block, is composed of a leather band fitted at its extremity with a steel toe. The trailing end is assembled with an odd metal plate whose precise mechanical role remains obscure to the author.
It can be noted that other metallic belts of similar designs have been examined; in particular for the Romanian Schwarzlose in caliber 7.92x57mm or for Belgian Brownings in caliber 7.65x54mm or .30-06 caliber. For the Belgian belts, the design is somewhat different with the use of connecting pins instead of the recurved hook-and-eye. It is not definitively determined yet if these Belgian belts were designed before or after World War II, although such belts are sometimes found loaded with Belgian post World War II .30-06 ammunition.
So far, no conclusive evidence as to the country where the very first design originated and the author would be grateful for any information readers could provide to address this issue.
The early Swiss belt loading machines intended for use with the fabric belts bear some features very similar to the contemporary British Vickers loaders. It consists of two elements: first, a cast casing body to which all operating parts and the crank handle are assembled; and second, a hopper from which the cartridges are fed by gravity. A forged steel plunger consisting of a flat blade twisted through an angle of 90 degrees is fitted to the forward end of the camshaft. The plunger, in its longitudinal movement, passes through a rectangular steel guide contained in the body, which, on account of the twist in the blade, causes rotation of the latter. Thus, the blade opens each cartridge pocket before the cartridge projectile is forced into the belt by the pusher fastened to the other end of the camshaft. The main body and the hopper are usually transported in a wood box. For early productions, the main body and hopper are made of brass whereas a steel main body characterizes later productions and a hopper made of lightweight zinc-alloy.
In the middle of the 1930s, with the adoption of the continuous metallic belt, the filling machines already in service were modified to accommodate the new belt. The modifications basically consisted of adding an extra feed guide intended to drive the empty belt into the proper loading position and of removing the plunger which was formerly used to open the loop of the fabric belts. These modified filling machines could be found with either brass or steel casings depending on the vintage of the original loader being upgraded. Markings found on the loaders are the W+F logo testifying to the production by the Waffenfabrik Bern and a serial number stamped on both the main casing and on the hopper.
The life of these machines continued well after World War II until present time. In 1951, the Swiss Army replaced its MG11 Maxims with the more modern MG51 based on the wartime German MG42. The corresponding push-through belts are of the half-open type similar to the German MG42 belts. The existing MG11 belt loading machines in stock were then heavily modified to accept these new belts. The pieces to drive the belt are completely different whereas the main casing and the cartridge hopper are only slightly altered. Production of new loaders fulfilling the MG51 standard also occurred and can be easily recognized by a different cast main body which does not incorporate the loaded belt exit slot since for the MG51 pattern, the direction of the belt movement is opposite to that of the MG11 pattern. Though these machines for the MG51 show a general appearance somewhat similar to those for MG11, they are mechanically different and not interchangeable.
Many Swiss MG51 belt-filling machines are now offered on the surplus market and some of them are of the upgraded MG11 type. Some of these machines represent a key testimony of almost a century of Swiss armament. For example, the earliest brass versions were originally made for the MG11 fabric belts, then modified in the middle of the 1930s for the MG11 steel belts and finally modified once again in the 1950s for the MG51 push-though belts. These different successive modifications have been generally carried out with a very Swiss rigor and only very few machines escaped the modifications. Accordingly, an unaltered original MG11 loader for fabric belts is an extremely scarce item whereas only very few MG11 loaders incorporating the modification for the 1930s steel belts can be located from time to time. Most of the formerly MG11 loaders found today have been profoundly altered to the MG51 pattern and do not really recall their original patterns.
The Swiss belt loading machines show an extremely high craftsman quality, which would be able to fulfill watchmaking requirements. The operation is the smoothest, and one of the most reliable, of any type of belt loader the author has ever used or examined to date.


text:
Gwrych Castle is a Grade I listed country house in north Wales, one of the first attempts at replicating true medieval architecture in Europe. It stands in 250 acres of gardens and grounds and has extensive views over former parkland including a deer park and the Irish Sea.
Gwrych Castle was built by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford Hesketh, heir of the Lloyds of Gwrych, from c.1810, incorporating his family's ancestral home, with the work continuing over four decades. The castle then passed to the Earls of Dundonald by marriage to the Bamford Hesketh heiress, Winifred. During World War II the castle was requisitioned as part of Operation Kindertransport and in 1946 was sold by the Dundonald family, ending nearly 1000 years of continuous family ownership. In1948, the castle was purchased by Leslie Salts who opened it as the 'Showplace of Wales' for a period of twenty years.
Following Salt's sale in 1968, the castle was operated as a medieval entertainment centre with jousting, banquets and markets taking place in the grounds. This also heralded a period of slow decline which saw the building shut to the public in 1985 and the final joust taking place in 1987. In 1990, an American property purchased the estate with a view for creating an opera centre and hotel – nothing materialised. Instead, the castle was asset-stripped and vandalised to the point that its very future was uncertain.
As an eleven year-old child in 1996, Mark Baker, passed the castle daily and found the destruction so appalling that he went on to found the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust at the age of 12. The Trust forced the American absentee owner to sell the castle in 2006 to Clayton Hotels who had ambitious plans to convert the buildings into a luxury hotel. Work began but was halted by the credit crunch which also sadly saw Clayton Hotels enter receivership. The castle was once again purchased by another property developer who took the hotel development through the planning process. In 2018, the planning permission ran out and the castle was offered for sale by auction. Through the intervention of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, the castle was purchased by Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, on behalf of the nation.
The Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust (GCPT) was formed in 1997 to serve the following purposes:
'The objects of the charity are to preserve for the benefit of the people of north Wales and of the nation, the historical, architectural and constructional heritage that may exist in and around Gwrych Castle, Abergele, north Wales in buildings (including any building as defined in Section 336 of the Town & Planning Act 1990) of particular beauty or historical, architectural or constructional interest.'
These objects will be achieved by the following aims and objectives:
To preserve the castle and estate on a long term sustainable basis with extensive public opening;
To find sustainable and sympathetic uses for the castle and estate;
To raise funds restoration and other essential works.
Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was established to secure a long-term future for Gwrych Castle and its estate.
GCPT's charity number is 1092035 and the company number is 4331307


When the bugs come crawling, you're Pest Control Companies in Barrow, AK will answer the call. Pest Control is an annual rite of passage for many families tired of the endless stream of spiders, ants, rodents and other critters that find their way into the home. If you are tired of the parade of bugs and wasps, your local Pest Control Companies can take care of this issue in a matter of moments, at a price that is less that you would expect.
When you think of Pest Control you probably think of the guy in the overalls that comes into the house to spray for bugs and other insects once every year. Your local Barrow exterminator in can handle much more than bugs. Rodent control, bed bugs and other critters that you don't want in your home can be exterminated with a quick trip from the overall guy. Call now, exterminators are standing by.
If you've got a Pest Control problem and don't know what to do, it's high time you contact the best Pest Control specialist in Barrow, AK. If you have mice in the house, an annoying rodent in the back yard or wasps and other bugs flying around the house, it's time to do something about it. Bug bombs don't work, and sprays and other remedies work for a short time, but the best pest control is going to exterminate your problem and keep it exterminated.
Every year, bugs begin their annual migration into people's homes and your local Pest Control Services in Barrow, AK get busy rectifying this problem. Whether it's termite control or ant control, these exterminators can take care of your problems for less than you think. Barrow Pest Control is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity and many families are taking advantage of this low-cost, bug-removal option.
If you have mice in the house, the only thing your thinking about is getting rid of the mice in your house. Pest Control in Barrow, AK knows how to solve the dilemma of getting rid of mice in your house and can do it in a timely manner. If you're not extending the welcome mat to these fuzzy creatures, call your Pest Control specialist to get rid of them for good. Call now for your peace of mind appointment.


The Stats Icon button on the Schedule Tab, allows users to see Schedule Stats. By clicking on the Stats icon button, a new Schedule Stats window will open showing hours and cost statistics for each employee. This allows users to see who is working, how many hours they are scheduled for the work week, and the dollar expense.
Click on the Week you would like to statistical information for.
Click the Stats Icon button.


You can purchase all these goodies and more from the Not On The Highstreet Summer Sale with 20% off!
The summer sales are seriously tempting, the hope of sunshine (yes please) just makes you want to brighten things up with a few new lovely items!
I have a new twitter icon! This isn't really blog post worthy but I just wanted to show you this lovely picture of my Curious Otter Tote Bag, snuggled in amongst the spring leaves on a warm sunny day.
I love spending time in the countryside, it was so lovely and sunny at the weekend (not so much now I just got drenched in a downpour!) and it was just what I needed, to be amongst the beautiful blossom, feel the warmth of the sun and look out onto fields of green grass.
For my walk amongst the trees I wore my new Curious Otter tote bag, it's perfect for carrying a small jacket for when things get a little bit chilly, or for holding your jumper when things get a bit hot! It does happen from time to time!
When I have super heavy items to carry around (which may or may not include a few boxes of french fancies…they can get quite heavy you know!) I usually tie the long straps into a knot for easier carrying capabilities.
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the sunshine, let's hope it comes back soon!
All my A5 prints are now £10!
If you are celebrating an anniversary or engagement, a new arrival or a birthday I have the perfect gift for you!
You can order any of my prints from my website, Etsy, Not On The Highstreet and Folksy They will be sent out to you board backed and wrapped to ensure safe delivery!
I now create custom pet illustrations!
I have been commissioned for a few custom pet portraits in the past and love drawing your beautiful furry friends so I thought I would offer a bespoke service on my website and online stores!
When placing an order simply send me a picture of your lovely pet or even favourite animal and I will create a line drawing for you (in the style of the fluffy bunny above) on a5 Fabriano paper for £40!
These would make really nice gifts for anyone with pets (lucky!) or anyone that has a favourite animal they would like captured in an ink drawing!
Available to order from my website, Not On The Highstreet and Etsy shop.
I do love looking on Instagram, probably too much, but it's just so pretty! You can follow me here if you'd like a look at what I'm up to!
My newest and latest Risograph print is here! My Valentine Bears are very much in love, this print has been a long time coming for various reasons but it is finally here.
It is such a lovely print to give to anyone who has recently got engaged, celebrating an anniversary or to give as a wedding present. The sweet and petite a5 size also means you can pop it in the post to anyone you love!


A growing number of large British-based businesses are prioritising cashflow, fearing a downturn, as their view of the long-term economic impact of Brexit has darkened to its most negative so far, accountancy firm Deloitte said on Monday.
Denise's is from sunny California, she specializes in front end development. Since 2011 Denise has used WordPress with 99% of her projects. For the last several years she has focused on building responsive custom WordPress website. Her diverse experiences has allowed her to be involved on all aspects of a project from start to finish.
Welcome to my digital note book. Stay tuned for the latest Wordpress tips, tricks and design styles.