text:
Trace: • timeline
Timeline of Humanity
Ancient Terra
The Era of Desperation
The Fall of Terra
The Era of Recovery
Terra Ascendant
The Elysian Revelation
The Corporate Era
First Tulaki Invasion
The First Armistice
Second Ascendancy-Dominion War
The Second Armistice
The Age of Unrest
The Modern Age
210 BF (Before Fall) (2040CE) - Permanent colony established on Mars.
202 BF (2048CE) - First successful revival of cryogenic sleep candidate after 6 months frozen.
200 BF (2050CE) - Terran atmospheric temperature average 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
198 BF (2052CE) - Manned spacecraft launched to survey Sol asteroid belt and Jovian moons, using cryogenic sleep technology to sustain crew through the months-long journey.
190 BF (2060CE) - Habitats are set up to extract resources from Sol asteroid belt.
174 BF (2076CE) - Monocultured corn in the American continents wiped out due to the rapid spread of aggressive and highly resistant soil fungi.
160 BF (2090CE) – First sleeper ships despatched to candidate colonial worlds. They are equipped with rudimentary environmental alteration systems, and are considered the best chance for humanity's survival away from a rapidly deteriorating Terra.
125 BF (2125CE) - Atmospheric pollution in Terra's sub-arctic zone makes it increasingly hazardous to be outdoors without a face mask. This area comprises the majority of the planet's habitable land.
100 BF (2150CE) - Conditions on Terra deteriorate further, resulting in increased authoritarianism by the remaining intact governments. Resources are strictly rationed and society is highly regulated at all levels. These harsh conditions do prolong Terra's habitability, as more sleeper ships are launched and various underground habitats are dug to escape the worsening climate and environmental toxins.
75 BF (2175CE)- Predicting Terra's trajectory towards total ecosphere failure, a number of groups construct habitats elsewhere in the solar system, and the space construction industry booms.
67 BF (2183CE) - Terran atmospheric temperature average 5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
50 BF (2200CE) - Anthropogenic activity exceeds the Permian-Triassic extinction event in magnitude, with 96% of pre-industrial species wiped out. Large-scale invertebrate extinction has resulted in massive instabilities in the majority of Terran biomes. Basic agriculture now requires incredible energy as machines and human effort are needed to replace missing linchpin species.
30 BF (2220CE) - Terran atmospheric effects are continuously at crisis levels. Tropical and near-tropical zones are regularly hit by major storms, severe droughts or lethal heatwaves, while more northern climes suffer torrential downpours, blizzards and highly variable weather conditions that make growing crops more difficult.
10 BF - Society on the surface of Terra breaks down, as governments are unable to cope with maintaining order in the face of crippling climatic events. Without regular supplies from Terra, many smaller habitats in the Sol system fail within months.
0 PT (Post-Terra) (2250CE) - Terran biosphere collapses completely. Billions of human inhabitants who are unable to leave are left to die on the uninhabitable surface. Bereft of shipments of water and organic matter, the remaining self-sufficient space habitats repurpose themselves with survival as their only goal. Many brutal compromises are during this period of realignment, which imprints deeply on what remains of human culture. Over the next few years, the habitats that remain re-establish communications and begin to cooperate, so that each is able to trade for the supplies that they desperately need.
5 PT - Ruling members of the surviving habitats across the Sol system establish an authoritarian government, the Polity of Sol. The new government claims authority over all of humanity. Although the new ruling class governs initially as a Council, the founding membership sows the seeds of the later system of Houses.
30 PT – The Polity issues a series of decrees to reinforce its hold on the Sol System. Due to a combination of harsh governance, a cultural drive towards genetic purity, and the lack of a diverse biosphere to study, progress in the life sciences, humanities and social sciences in the Sol system slows to a crawl or even reverses as archives are purged or fail. Over the next 50 years or so, much of the stored remnant of pre-Collapse Terran cultural history is discarded or repurposed to more "practical" ends.
57 PT - Research into methods of cleansing the atmosphere of Terra leads to the development of Terraforming Probes. These devices, when deployed in a network around a planet, co-opt its natural processes and adapt them into Terran-like conditions. They also propagate rudimentary Terran organisms that then tend to spread across the planet. The process takes about 50 years to complete, but is difficult to stop once the probes are launched. Terraforming probes are launched at distant "candidate worlds" identified by astronomic surveys, with the intent of creating habitable worlds. In the early stages, clusters of probes are launched primarily at the same systems as the sleeper colony ships, in the hope that they can be terraformed prior to their arrival. The fully robotic probe clusters are able to travel at 90% of the speed of light, allowing them to outpace the slower sleeper ships.
90 PT - Mining of asteroid belt and Jovian moons ramped up to provide resources for the construction of Terraforming Probe clusters, and for sleeper ships to follow in their wake.
100 PT - Bereft of any evidence of non-human life, Sol government makes the decision to launch terraforming probes at all solar systems with evidence of planets bearing carbon in their atmospheres. Their intent is to spread the human race to as many worlds as possible.
110 PT - Military scientists develop a means of stabilising a hydrogen-helium fusion reaction so that it can be used to generate usable energy. Although the technology requires large-scale facilities to function, large-scale power generation is now within the grasp of orbital civilisation. Steps are taken over the following decade to begin harvesting the required elements from the Jovian and Saturnine atmospheres.
146 PT - Artificial gravity generators invented. This substantially improves the health of humans living in orbital habitats, although it does take a few generations to readjust back to universal Terran gravity.
167 PT - Signals received from human colonies established in the Trappist-1 system, 39.5 light years from Sol. This confirms the survival of humanity beyond the solar system. Humanity is now an interstellar species.
225 PT - Scientists in the Hygiea habitat develop a method of projecting an energy field around a structure to protect from micrometeorites. As the projection apparatus and power sources is miniaturised over time, the military applications of this technology rapidly become clear and within a decade most ships are equipped with energy fields.
250 PT - Military physicists invent a method of faster-than-light propulsion using exotic solar particles circulating within paired spiral magnetic containment vessels . These drives warp the fabric of space-time, allowing ships to travel in a moving bubble of altered physical laws in which the lightspeed barrier is suspended. Initial warp drives are capable of moving at about 2c (twice the speed of light), but are quickly refined and improved as the Sol government pours vast resources into the research.
258 PT - Jovian satellites receive the distress signal of the Lucent Voyager, the first warp-capable sleeper ship dispatched to Trappist-1. The ship is never heard from again. Extrasolar warp-capable shipbuilding is paused while scientists work out what went wrong.
269 PT - After a number of progressively longer extrasolar missions with non-sleeping crew, it becomes clear that automated navigation systems are unable to cope with fluctuating in the space conditions between solar systems. Research on developing faster warp drives continues once more, in order to make journies to other systems a viable prospect.
284 PT - The Dedicated, a sleeper vessel with a rotation of waking crew arrives in the Trappist-1 system, over 300 years after the first colonies there were established. The crew finds that 3 planets in the system have been colonised, but that their society had regressed to a more rudimentary form due to environmental upheaval from Terran terraforming probes. The crew of the Dedicated, loyal military soldiers indoctrinated into the regimented culture of the Sol system, remains apart from what they see as decadent planet-dwellers, awaiting reinforcements.
301 PT - Faster warp drives allow large numbers of soldiers to be deployed to Trappist-1. Rendezvousing with The Dedicated, they use intel gathered in its 17 years in the system to launch rapid military strikes on the governments of the Trappist-1 colonies. The entire system is rapidly brought under the full control of the Solar Polity. Many of the Council's families are involved in the assault, and claim land, resources, and power on the new planets.
316 PT - 40c warp drive developed - it is now possible to travel between Sol and Trappist-1 within a year. Long-range scout ships are constructed to follow in the path of the second wave of sleeper vessels. Mass movement of populace from the overpopulated Sol system to the Trappist-1 colonies begins.
342 PT - First sentient alien species, who refer to themselves as the Fless, are discovered on a terraformed world, and their language painstakingly decoded. A late-iron age species, they report having been altered by the terraforming process about 90 years prior. Investigation by Imperial scientists discover that viral RNA mutagens released by the probes, originally designed to help Terran life cope with the terraforming process, instead forcibly altered the native planetary life to adapt to the atmospheric conditions generated by the probes. The timid Fless are deemed weak by surveyors, designated lesser caste and subsumed into a protectorate under human governors. A similar pattern follows for many of the other alien races encountered by humanity going forward.
350 PT - Etamin (Gamma Draconis), the tenth system with a successful human colony is discovered, 155 light-years from Sol. It is quickly invaded and brought under the authority of the Solar Council.
360 PT - The Council now operates almost exclusively from the Trappist-1 colonies, which lie at the hub of an extensive network of human industry. The Houses begin to codify their behaviour in more elaborate social constructs, and claim specific areas of space or activity as their primary remit.
390 PT - Specialised terraforming probes are deployed on Terra, in an attempt to restore its ravaged ecosystem.
475 PT - After the discovery and domination of a second alien species, the Yunt, the Polity of Sol renames itself the Terran Ascendancy, and styles itself as benevolent humanity shepherding the other species of the galaxy into its vision of the future.
490 PT - Terraforming of Terra completes, but the ecosphere remains poor. While the surface is now habitable, it remains a shadow of its former abundance.
493 PT - Surveying of restored Terra locates a number of underground civilisations, scratching an existence in isolated enclaves, fortified against the ruinous elements. Due to radiation exposure, use of rudimentary cybernetics or deliberate genetic manipulation, many of these enclaves have traits substantially outside the human norm. The Ascendancy makes an effort to integrate the more useful aberrant humans, while covertly eliminating the less useful or fractious ones. Many of their technologies, acquired out of desperation, are either seized by the Houses and hidden away in secret archives, or deemed too dangerous and expunged.
510 PT - Warp drives are developed capable of reaching speeds of 1,000c. The travel time between Trappist-1 and Sol is now only 2 weeks.
515 PT - Contact established with some of humanity's first settlers, out on the fringes of Ascendancy space. Given their isolated existence, these colonies have developed independently to the rest of the Ascendancy, and are culturally distinct. Over the next few centuries, the Ascendancy encounters many more early colonies, and either annexes or allies with them and slowly subsumes them. Many, however, retain a stubborn independent streak and attempt to hold onto their own culture despite attempts to suppress it.
676 PT - Beyond the current boundary of the Ascendancy, human-launched terraforming probes catch up with the most distant sleeper colony ships.
800 PT - Warp drives are now capable of travel at 2500c.
950 PT - The Ascendancy's standing navy is mostly occupied with putting down the various small rebellions that crop up, protecting freighters from pirate vessels, and scouting for new worlds or established human colonies established by the millennium-old Terran sleeper vessels.
1000 PT - The increased energy demands of high-end technology lead to the development of highly advanced power storage systems, which utilise a mixture of chemical storage and high-energy particle containment to store power reliably for long periods.
1345 PT - Galactic Energy Supplies founded after a series of mergers and hostile takeovers of the leading power generation and storage companies in the Ascendancy. After a period of consolidation, their massive infrastructure allows them to develop energy projects that would be impossible without their expertise and resources. GES begin to decouple themselves from the Ascendancy's authority.
1500 PT - Warp drives are now capable of travel at 5000c.
1650 PT - GES's Energy Chits become the de-facto currency across known space. This offers a consistent benchmark for inter-system trade.
1800 PT - The Elysians, hailing from well beyond the Ascendancy's borders, have been an unseen presence in Terran space for some time. They have used their psionic powers to infiltrate numerous worlds, and have identified a number of protectorate species who they consider to be candidates for enlightenment and protection. Under Elysian guidance and support, and with the tactical advantage provided by their network of Nexus Trees, these species rebel and secede to the Elysian Commonality. The Ascendancy Council is furious, but their forces are spread too thin to provide any coherent opposition.
1816 PT - Advanced Armaments is founded to meet the growing demand for weapons as the Ascendancy prepares for hostilities against defectors to the Elysians.
1825 PT - Ascendancy naval ships arrive above the Elysian protectorate world of Trantel, and initiate a vicious campaign of terror to bring the populace back into the Ascendancy's control. In response, the Elysians activate some of their networks of psionically-manipulated infiltrators, leading to the assassination of Terran officials on a number of nearby worlds - in many cases at the hands of bodyguards, employees and even spouses. The hot war between Ascendancy and Commonality cools quickly, becoming a cat and mouse war between Ascendancy police forces and Elysian infiltrators, sympathisers and spies.
1976 PT - The Ascendancy codifies a series of exercises and mental techniques that prove effective at shielding the mind from psionic intrusion. Training in these techniques becomes mandatory for Imperial citizens hunting Elysian infiltration.
2017 PT - The Ascendancy reaches a detente with the Elysian Commonality. They agree to cease the persecution of Elysian vassals and withdraw from what is grudgingly accepted to be "Commonality space", with the Elysians agreeing to withdraw their agents from Ascendancy volumes. The Ascendancy enforces brutal purges of those suspected to be lingering Elysian spies.
2238 PT - A collaboration of Ascendancy atmospheric scientists and particle physicists release papers describing a variant phase of matter which they call Yurian Lattice Plasma. This discovery causes brief excitement in the scientific community, although enthusiasm dies down within a few years as the plasma lattice proves impossible to reliably synthesise, and research into its applications go nowhere.
2348 PT - News leaks out from supply ships returning from the Ascendancy's scientific station in the Metnas system that the station was completely destroyed by the simultaneous detonation of multiple nuclear bombs. The station was tasked primarily with overcoming the barriers to creating fully sapient Artificial Intelligence.
2540 PT - Improvements in neural machine interfaces, and incorporation of some elements of Elysian biotech, finally allow for the creation of rudimentary cybernetic devices. Early cybernetics are, however, extremely difficult to connect properly to their hosts, require regular maintenance and are quite fragile. The biological elements of the process present significant barriers to development of the technology for common use, and interface failures are common. Although the technology does improve, it is only extremely slowly.
2570 PT - GES announces expansion of its operations into Elysian-held territory.
2610 PT - GES scientists release information describing the application of Yurian Lattice Plasma to provide a short-term capacity boost to plasma-based energy storage systems. It quickly becomes clear that this knowledge was part of GES-Elysian data exchange. The Commonality had been aware of the energy storage applications of the rare plasma phase for several centuries.
2640 PT - A loosely-bound network of "problem-solvers", usually independent crews of small, but fast ships that perform contract jobs for money, congeal into the Clearance Organisation. Its stated purpose is to offer a framework for these independent crews to get work in a more structured manner. It quickly becomes a clearing house of sorts for various bounties, contracts and requests for missions or items to be "acquired" - for money.
2704PT - Rastan Particles first detected, in the America Nebula. These strangely elongated particles can be used to significantly boost the efficiency of powered devices and systems. GES immediately commissions a fleet of ships to collect substantial quantities of the particle for further research.
2800 PT - Warp drives are now capable of travel at 10000c
3200 PT - Scout ships of unknown design appear over a number of fringe worlds. They announce themselves as the vanguard of the Tulaki Dominion, spread knowledge of their culture and religion, and urge the populace to join them or face conquest.
3284 PT - Tulaki battlefleets, composed of thousands of ships, appear in the skies above numerous worlds on the fringe. Their fortified landing craft contain devices that facilitate teleportation from ships in orbit, allowing them to disgorge hundreds of troops from a few well-defended positions. Despite solid resistance from some worlds, conquest is swift. Thankfully, Tulaki warp drives are slower than Imperial ships, so their advance is slower than expected. The Tulaki consolidate each conquered world and take steps towards establishing supply routes and basic governance, quickly integrating each world into their supply chain. Once the scale of the invasion becomes clear, the Ascendancy re-routes its forces on the Elysian front and scales up its war engine.
3288 PT - The first major confrontation between Tulaki and the Terran Navy is brutally one-sided. Large numbers of small, agile Tulaki vessels are easily able to outmanoeuvre the vast Imperial capital ships. The Ascendancy, unprepared for the way the Tulaki fight, are forced to pull back and re-tool their military.
3300 PT - The Tulaki push into Ascendancy-controlled space, conquering worlds as they advance. They establish themselves as overlords over those who they conquer, but do offer acceptance and privilege to those species that prove themselves as "strong", as well as induction into the Tulaki faith. The newly elevated "strong" Tulaki vassal species, emboldened by Tulaki missionaries, do not respond well to the Imperial tenet of human supremacy. Humans living under this new order fear for their lives and flee to Imperial space.
3342PT - Exobiologists working in the Veil Sector discover Xenomorphic Neo-Adoxacus roddenberrii, the fruit of which can be refined into Roddenberry Extract.
3348 PT - Scientists working for a small biotech company at the fringe of human space finally crack the cybernetics interface problem, and are able to develop cybernetic implants that can interface reliably with organic neural systems. In the chaos of the war this development is not noticed on the governmental scale, and the company is quickly surrounded by and finally purchased by a network of evangelical cyber-enthusiasts who take full ownership of the technology and control its use.
3370 PT - The rolling juggernaut of the Tulaki Invasion, and apparent lack of protection from the Ascendancy, unites a number of fringe worlds to form the Free Union of Sovereign Worlds, who band together for self-defence from both the Tulaki and the Ascendancy. The Free Union re-purposes a network of trade freighters and independent ships into a guerilla force that disrupts supply lines and hampers the Tulaki advance.
3386 PT - The Corporeal Perfection Syndicate, now the sole source of mostly reliable cybernetics, declares itself sovereign, makes contact with the Tulaki and begins selling cybernetic implants to both sides of the conflict. These implants are in high demand by high-value individuals who have been injured or maimed in the conflict. Although the process is 99% reliable, some implants still fail, occasionally causing additional neurological damage.
3401 PT - Tulaki invasion is finally blunted by the mutual destruction of Terran and Dominion battlefleets over Arda II. Both sides are sufficiently weakened that they fall back to consolidate their holdings.
3408 PT - Diplomatic talks between the Dominion and Ascendancy establish territorial borders and a tentative non-aggression pact. The Tulaki separately reach an agreement with the Free Union, having decided that they are honourable and worthy opponents.
3410 PT - GES announce an accord with the Dominion to provide power generation and supply within their conquered territory. Although peace now exists between the Factions, the complexity of the published deal suggests at least some cooperation and talks prior to the cease-fire of 3408.
3434 PT - Dominion Gateway technology reverse-engineered by the other factions. These gateways allow for the instantaneous transfer of matter between fixed points. The gateways require built structures at both ends and require a stable power supply. The power requirements scale exponentially with gateway size and distance, limiting the usefulness of the technology beyond the transportation of people and small amounts of materials.
3442 PT - Ascendancy incursions to "influence" their former holdings in what is now Dominion space results in armed push-back by the Tulaki. The conflict quickly escalates into the Second Ascendancy-Dominion War. The infrastructure of both sides is dedicated to the conflict for more than four decades.
3451 PT - Groups of Free Union mercenaries are found on all sides of the conflict - working for the Dominion, free agents in the contested zone, and smaller Ascendancy worlds. Retrospectives of the war reveal the presence of Elysian agents also, who seem to be active in the warzone although their exact motivations regarding the larger conflict are unclear.
3486 PT - With few gains on either side despite massive losses of troops and materiel, the Ascendancy and Dominion have exhausted themselves through war. Numerous Ascendancy worlds are slipping from their grasp internally, and the Dominion leaders face growing resistance from prominent outsider priests. Both sides taper off their offensives and eventually sign an armistice, concentrating once more on internal issues.
3522 PT - Lazarus Corporation, a powerful biotechnology corporation based in the Free Union, unveils its Rebirth Process and declares itself politically neutral. The obvious applications of this tech, and the high demand for it among elites of all species, allows them to operate independently – the threat of withdrawal of services is too great for any Major Power to consider threatening them.
3540 PT - Warp engines are developed capable of reaching speeds of 20,000c in favourable conditions.
3472 PT - Elysian efforts around the Lacerta Cluster result in five Free Union and seven Dominion worlds seceding to the Commonality.The Dominion has not had much contact with the Commonality prior to this point, and believes that the incident is a ruse by the Free Union to claim more space using the chaotic appearance of its internal structures as a bluff. Both sides mobilise occupying forces, and there are numerous skirmishes over known trade hubs and mining colonies throughout the Cluster.
3486 PT - Information from the Ascendancy leaks to the Dominion concerning the presence of Elysian fleets and assets in the Lacerta Cluster, and the Dominion diverts its forces to eradicating any Elysian presence.
3488 PT - Diplomatic overtures from the Commonality are finally accepted by the Dominion, and an agreement is reached. Those who seceded from the Free Union and Dominion in the Lacerta Cluster are offered the chance to settle in Commonality space, or rejoin their previous Factions.
3627 PT - Spacer Collective ships are first encountered. Their small, agile ships are undetectable to most sensors. When approached, they rapidly retreat and seemingly vanish shortly afterwards. After the initial handful of encounters, these ships are spotted with increasing frequency, usually scanning inhabited worlds from a distance.
3710 PT - The Ascendancy attempts to reassert control over a number of Free Union worlds in a number of minor engagements, but are rebuffed each time. The four major factions of the known galaxy settle into an uneasy peace.
3726 PT - The Spacer Collective somehow transports a number of orbital habitats and establishes small pockets of control across known space. The Ascendancy and Dominion see this as an invasion and send fleets to destroy these stations, but it soon becomes clear that Spacer Stations will simply vanish when they detect enough of a force to threaten their stations.
3731 PT - Movements of Spacer ships within the Free Union lead scientists to conclude that they possess a non-warp method of FTL travel that allows them to teleport from one location to another without crossing the intervening space. It is theorised that this method is similar to Gateway technology, but somehow does not require a physical portal generator at both ends, and is also large enough in scale to allow entire ships to teleport. How they have managed to overcome these limitations is unknown, and the debris from the few Spacer ships that are destroyed by warships reveals little of their internal workings.
3735 PT - Clearance Organisation agents offer a communique on behalf of the Spacer Collective. This message establishes who the Spacers are, their neutral and peaceful intentions, and the services they are offering to the four Factions. Spacer stations and ships are offering to provide near-instantaneous communication services for worlds with a Spacer presence who are willing to pay. Hostilities against Spacer assets cease almost immediately, as all realise the benefits of this service. The Spacer network vastly speeds up communication between far-flung worlds and trade booms.
3750 PT - The Spacer Collective begin shared projects with other MegaCorps - shifting materials, transporting individuals and the like. The status of MegaCorps as neutral, apolitical bodies begins to solidify as their practical benefits become clear to all the Factions.
3770 PT - The Spacer Collective announces a joint venture with Galactic Energy Supplies to provide energy storage and supply at their stations.
3800 PT - Warp drives on smaller vessels are now capable of travelling at about 25,000c. For these ships, travel time between Sol and Trappist-1 is now only 14 hours. Ascendancy-controlled space can now be crossed in a matter of a few weeks by smaller vessels, although warships and mass freighters still take many months.
3818 PT The Spacer Collective announces collaboration with a number of Megacorps to allow limited hire of their jump-capable ships to invited groups from the four major Factions.
galactipedia, ascendancy, commonality, dominion, free union
timeline.txt · Last modified: 2019/08/13 16:55 (external edit)


It's day 11 and as you can see here at Trinity McQueen, we love counting down the days to Christmas – and nothing can be better than doing so with a daily chocolate from your advent calendar. Or is there?
Times have changed in the advent calendar world, with the cheap and sparing chocolate being replaced with an assortment of alcoholic tipples, luxury beauty products, and even daily blog offerings. This is the year the "luxury" advent calendar has gone truly mainstream.
Some of these, of course, are for children (Vtech has one, as does Smiggle), but most high-end calendars are squarely aimed at adults with plenty of disposable cash. As the Christmas period gets bigger and busier each year, people are looking for an opportunity to treat themselves. In many respects these calendars have shifted from counting down the days to Christmas to satisfying the demand for a treat every day.
Since Selfridges launched its beauty calendar with cosmetics giant L'Oréal for a modest £60 back in 2010, a huge number of beauty and fragrance brands, both high-end and high-street, including Jo Malone, Diptyque, Boots No7 and the Body Shop, have released their own take on the tradition. But are they worth it? Zoella received criticism from parents pestered into buying her advent calendar for their children, which featured 12 gifts including a bauble, a few stickers, and a pen, for £50. It appears shoppers are more willing to fork out on a little bit of a luxury for themselves in the run-up to Christmas than a loved one – after all we all need something to get us through those hours battling the high-street masses.
On the other end of the scale is Liberty's beauty advent calendar which went on sale for £175, but claims to have products worth £500. Shoppers can quickly assess the value of a calendar and its contents, and it's this that drives customers to queue for hours to ensure they get their hands on one. But is it just a marketing ploy? The beauty calendars, in particular, are so successful because they work so well on social media – instead of a beauty blogger posting a product once, they're posting pictures every day for 12 or 25 days. It's a powerful tool to getting the most content out of one product.
To those who argue that the trend for luxury calendars is just another example of the mass commercialism of Christmas, you're going against a tradition that goes back to the Victorian period. Christmas has always been a time of excess, and we've always been encouraged to spend, so really, as you are crunching your 25th bag of pork scratchings, or lighting a miniature Yankee Candle, or you've done nearly three weeks straight with a daily craft beer miniature, you should be thanked for keeping the spirit of Christmas alive.


Using Sport to promote gender equity in countries impacted by genocide.
Tracy Evans founded Kids Play International in 2008 after taking a trip to Africa and seeing the positive impact sports had on the impoverished youth there. She was so moved by her experience that she started a nonprofit organization to that shares the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Fair Play with the youth in Rwanda and Cambodia.
Come Travel with a Purpose to meet the kids, see our programs in action and experience exciting excursions; perhaps you can become our next new Trip Leader! Check out our Volunteer trips to Rwanda and Cambodia at www.kidsplayintl.org. All ages and backgrounds welcome!
Kids Play is partnering with Olympic and Professional athletes, actors and like-minded individuals who understand the power of sport and how it can make a difference in the lives of kids in Africa. If that sounds like you, send us a message and tell us about yourself and why you would be a good Kids Play Ambassador, as we would love to consider you to join our Team!
Partnering with like-minded people who understand how using sport can make a difference in kids' lives.
We'll also promote you on our website, through social media, press releases, events and all other media outlets.
How YOU Can Help Us Promote Kids Play!
Help us spread the word through Social Media: linking to your website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog.
Communicate with others to become Athlete Ambassadors.
Allow us to use your name.
Participate in our online fundraising campaigns.
Refer any potential volunteers, donors, supporters who may like to donate or be associated with our non-profit.


text:
package org.apache.jena.rdf.model.impl;
import java.util.Objects ;
import java.util.regex.Matcher ;
import java.util.regex.Pattern ;

import org.apache.jena.JenaRuntime ;
import org.apache.jena.datatypes.RDFDatatype ;
import org.apache.jena.datatypes.xsd.XSDDatatype ;
import org.apache.jena.graph.Node ;
import org.apache.jena.rdf.model.Literal ;
import org.apache.jena.shared.CannotEncodeCharacterException ;
import org.apache.xerces.util.XMLChar ;

/** Some utility functions.
 */
public class Util extends Object {

    /**
     * Given an absolute URI, determine the split point between the namespace
     * part and the localname part. If there is no valid localname part then the
     * length of the string is returned. The algorithm tries to find the longest
     * NCName at the end of the uri, not immediately preceeded by the first
     * colon in the string.
     *

     * This operation follows XML QName rules which are more complicated than
     * needed for Turtle and TriG.   For example, QName can't start with a digit.
     *
     * @param uri
     * @return the index of the first character of the localname
     */
    public static int splitNamespaceXML(String uri) {

        // XML Namespaces 1.0:
        // A qname name is NCName ':' NCName
        // NCName             ::=      NCNameStartChar NCNameChar*
        // NCNameChar         ::=      NameChar - ':'
        // NCNameStartChar    ::=      Letter | '_'
        //
        // XML 1.0
        // NameStartChar      ::= ":" | [A-Z] | "_" | [a-z] | [#xC0-#xD6] |
        //                        [#xD8-#xF6] | [#xF8-#x2FF] |
        //                        [#x370-#x37D] | [#x37F-#x1FFF] |
        //                        [#x200C-#x200D] | [#x2070-#x218F] |
        //                        [#x2C00-#x2FEF] | [#x3001-#xD7FF] |
        //                        [#xF900-#xFDCF] | [#xFDF0-#xFFFD] | [#x10000-#xEFFFF]
        // NameChar           ::= NameStartChar | "-" | "." | [0-9] | #xB7 |
        //                        [#x0300-#x036F] | [#x203F-#x2040]
        // Name               ::= NameStartChar (NameChar)*

        char ch;
        int lg = uri.length();
        if (lg == 0)
            return 0;
        int i = lg-1 ;
        for ( ; i >= 1 ; i--) {
            ch = uri.charAt(i);
            if (notNameChar(ch)) break;
        }

        int j = i + 1 ;

        if ( j >= lg )
            return lg ;

        // Check we haven't split up a %-encoding.
        if ( j >= 2 && uri.charAt(j-2) == '%' )
            j = j+1 ;
        if ( j >= 1 && uri.charAt(j-1) == '%' )
            j = j+2 ;

        // Have found the leftmost NCNameChar from the
        // end of the URI string.
        // Now scan forward for an NCNameStartChar
        // The split must start with NCNameStart.
        for (; j < lg; j++) {
            ch = uri.charAt(j);
//            if (XMLChar.isNCNameStart(ch))
//                break ;
            if (XMLChar.isNCNameStart(ch))
            {
                // "mailto:" is special.
                // Keep part after mailto: at least one charcater.
                // Do a quick test before calling .startsWith
                // OLD: if ( uri.charAt(j - 1) == ':' && uri.lastIndexOf(':', j - 2) == -1)
                if ( j == 7 && uri.startsWith("mailto:"))
                    continue; // split "mailto:me" as "mailto:m" and "e" !
                else
                    break;
            }
        }
        return j;
    }

    /**
	    answer true iff this is not a legal NCName character, ie, is
	    a possible split-point start.
    */
    public static boolean notNameChar( char ch )
        { return !XMLChar.isNCName( ch ); }

    protected static Pattern standardEntities =
    	   Pattern.compile( "&|<|>|\t|\n|\r|\'|\"" );

    public static String substituteStandardEntities( String s )
        {
        if (standardEntities.matcher( s ).find())
            {
            return substituteEntitiesInElementContent( s )
                .replaceAll( "'", "'" )
                .replaceAll( "\t","	" )
                .replaceAll( "\n", "
" )
                .replaceAll( "\r", "
" )
                .replaceAll( "\"", """ )
                ;
            }
        else
            return s;
        }

    protected static Pattern entityValueEntities =
 	   Pattern.compile( "&|%|\'|\"" );

   public static String substituteEntitiesInEntityValue( String s )
     {
     if (entityValueEntities.matcher( s ).find())
         {
         return s
             .replaceAll( "&","&" )
             .replaceAll( "'", "'" )
             .replaceAll( "%", "%" )
             .replaceAll( "\"", """ )
             ;
         }
     else
         return s;
     }
    protected static Pattern elementContentEntities = Pattern.compile( "<|>|&|[\0-\37&&[^\n\t]]|\uFFFF|\uFFFE" );
    /**
        Answer s modified to replace <, >, and & by
        their corresponding entity references.

        Implementation note: as a (possibly misguided) performance hack,
        the obvious cascade of replaceAll calls is replaced by an explicit
        loop that looks for all three special characters at once.
    */
    public static String substituteEntitiesInElementContent( String s )
        {
        Matcher m = elementContentEntities.matcher( s );
        if (!m.find())
            return s;
        else
            {
            int start = 0;
            StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();
            do
                {
                result.append( s.substring( start, m.start() ) );
                char ch = s.charAt( m.start() );
                switch ( ch )
                {
                    case '\r': result.append( "
" ); break;
                    case '<': result.append( "<" ); break;
                    case '&': result.append( "&" ); break;
                    case '>': result.append( ">" ); break;
                    default: throw new CannotEncodeCharacterException( ch, "XML" );
                }
                start = m.end();
                } while (m.find( start ));
            result.append( s.substring( start ) );
            return result.toString();
            }
        }

    public static String replace(String s, String oldString, String newString) {
        return s.replace(oldString, newString) ;
    }

    /**
     * A Node is a simple string if:
     *
(RDF 1.0) No datatype and no language tag.
     *
(RDF 1.1) xsd:string
     */
    public static boolean isSimpleString(Node n) {
        Objects.requireNonNull(n) ;
        RDFDatatype dt = n.getLiteralDatatype() ;
        if ( dt == null )
            return !isLangString(n) ;
        if ( JenaRuntime.isRDF11 )
            return dt.equals(XSDDatatype.XSDstring) ;
        return false ;
    }

    /**
     * A Node is a language string if it has a language tag.
     * (RDF 1.0 and RDF 1.1)
     */
    public static boolean isLangString(Node n) {
        Objects.requireNonNull(n) ;
        String lang = n.getLiteralLanguage() ;
        if ( lang == null )
            return false ;
        return !lang.equals("") ;
    }

    /** Return true if the literal is a simple string.
     *
RDF 1.0 => it is a plain literal, with no language tag
     *
RDF 1.1 => it has datatype xsd:string
     */
    public static boolean isSimpleString(Literal lit) {
        Objects.requireNonNull(lit) ;
        String dtStr = lit.getDatatypeURI() ;
        if (  dtStr == null )
            return ! isLangString(lit) ;
        if ( JenaRuntime.isRDF11 )
            return dtStr.equals(XSDDatatype.XSDstring.getURI());
        return false ;
    }

    /** Return true if the literal has a language tag. (RDF 1.0 and RDF 1.1) */
    public static boolean isLangString(Literal lit) {
        Objects.requireNonNull(lit) ;
        String lang = lit.getLanguage() ;
        if ( lang == null )
            return false ;
        return ! lang.equals("") ;
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


CELLFOOD is a proprietary ionic formula that contains 78 ionic minerals, 34 enzymes, 17 amino acids, electrolytes and dissolved oxygen-and utilises a unique water-splitting technology. It provides an unsurpassed oxygen and nutrient delivery system, and is absorbed quickly and efficiently by every cell in the body. Cellfood's unique structure oxygenates and feeds the cells - cleaning and tuning up the body's systems throughout the day. Cellfood is made from all-natural plant substances, and is yeast-free and gluten-free.
It was said by a well-known doctor that there is really only one disease known to mankind - though it has a thousand names. It's the disease of too many toxins in the body and too few nutrients reaching the cells. Cellfood is the only product that addresses these two vital health issues at the same time, and with remarkable thoroughness.
When you mix Cellfood with water or juice and ingest it, its proprietary water-splitting action begins the moment you take the first sip. This cascading time release of oxygen typically peaks within 8-12 hours, and then keeps working hour after hour. In partnership with the body's own natural intelligence, Cellfood releases oxygen whenever and wherever it's needed - and if no longer needed, no more is released. And, its essential natural minerals, enzymes, amino acids and electrolytes are delivered simultaneously throughout the body on the deepest cellular level.
Adults take 8 drops in 240 mL of purified or distilled water, or juice, 3 times per day-or during stress or physical activity. Best taken between meals (at least 15 min. before or 1 hour after). May mix 1 day's amount in waterbottle and sip throughout day.


Cosmotek College does not offer ESL as part of it's training. We may recommend students to take remedial English classes concurrently.
Classes will be conducted in English. Students are to provide their own translation of any and all materials in any languages other than English.
If you are interested in attending our school and do not have a high school diploma or GED certificate, please contact visit http://www.sccgov.org/ for a list of GED preparation and testing centers.


Late post, but we still wanted to share our Fall photos with you. We fell in love with every moment this past Fall had to offer.
Hope you enjoy the photos of Fall in NYC and Upstate New York. Stay warm and enjoy the holidays!


I'm a private individual looking to automate the collection of my personal wearable sensor data. This data is logged automatically by the wearable device to the company's website, and then they have a dashboard, behind a login, where the data is available as JSON format.
I would like advice on how to automate this on a daily scheduled basis with existing hosted providers, such as Integromat, Zapier, Apify, Google app script, Google sheets or similar, that provide free access for private hobbyists.
You must demonstrate that the web login and scraping actions will function (not be blocked by the host as robot or scraper) while it is running on the platform that you suggest.
* Have you written a regularly executing web scraping LOGIN script that ran on a commercial hosting provider that didn't get blocked by the hosts as a robot?
1. Sheet that function is called from, or via some other web API site such as Apify, zapier, integromat etc that can access google sheets.
3. Use your best judgement on the format of the machine readable error messages.


text:
Terry Bogard is Available Now in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
byLogan Plant
Posted Nov. 6, 2019, 8:53 p.m.
Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury is now available to download and play in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director, Masahiro Sakurai, held a 45-minute livestream showcasing Terry's moveset and stage – which also revealed 50 tunes from SNK's library that will be added to the game as part of Challenger Pack 4.
Terry's moves are inspired by his many appearances in SNK fighting games, and his kit brings a number of unique mechanics to the roster. Similar to Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken, Terry automatically turns to face his opponent in one-on-one matchups to make it easier to use his classic fighting game command inputs. He has weak and strong versions of each of his special moves, and the strength is determined by how long you hold the button.
Terry also has a back-side Special Move – a first for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Additionally, if Terry's damage goes over 100% he unlocks the ability to use his Super Special Moves, which are high-risk, high-reward options that Sakurai said should only be used when you need to turn the tide of battle.
The new stage, King of Fighters Stadium, also presents a new mechanic. The edge of the stage is walled off and fighters will eventually break through the wall after they've accumulated enough damage. 20 characters from King of Fighters and other SNK fighting games will appear in the background, including Terry's rival – Geese Howard, Art of Fighting's Ryo Sakazaki, and more. New SNK-themed Mii fighter costumes are also available for purchase as of today.
Sakurai mentioned the notable absence of SNK staple Mai Shiranui, and, with a smile, said she was excluded because, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many different ages, so we decided not to feature her."
As for the music, Sakurai said he sent SNK a list of 50 tracks in hopes 10 or 20 of them would be approved, saying he was surprised when he received permission to use all 50 he requested. The tunes are from various SNK games and franchises beyond Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters – like Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug, and others. Sakurai said he doesn't think Nintendo will ever be able to include this much music in one update again.
Earlier this week, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate became the best-selling fighting game of all time. The game will continue to get DLC in the future, even after the Fighters Pass wraps up. The final character for the first wave of DLC has not yet been announced.
Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
Release Date: Dec. 31, 2018
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Python - newline if variable is in print function, need fix I have one problem with print in Python, I am starting to learn Python, but when I want to print variables in print function, it looks like that after one variable it adds newline to the outcome:
print(game_name + " | " + rating)

I am making a game database with my own ratings on the games but if it prints the game and the rating there is like one empty line belpw the game_name and rating is written, how can I delete that empty newline? I am very new to this, so please don't be mean...

A: Welcome to Stack Overflow!  The most likely culprit is that there is a newline at the end of the game_name variable.  The easy fix for this is to strip it off like this:
print(game_name.strip() + " | " + rating)

A: Say we had two variables like this.
game_name = 'hello\n'
rating = 'there'

game_name has the newline. To get rid of that use strip().
print(game_name.strip() + " | " + rating)

output
hello | there

A: If you want to remove the line break after printing, you can define the optional end parameter to the print statement.
print('Hello World', end='') # No new line

If your variable has a new line added to it, and you want to remove it, use the .strip() method on the variable.
print('Hello World\n'.strip()) # No empty line

For your code, you could run it:
print(game_name + " | " + rating, end='')

Or
print(game_name + " | " + rating.strip())

If the error is that a new line is printed after game_name, you'll want to call the strip method on that instead.
print(game_name.strip() + " | " + rating)

A: rating or game_name most likely have a new line after the specified string.
You can fix it by doing this:
game_name = game_name.strip('\n')
rating = rating.strip('\n')
print(game_name + " | " + rating)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


GARDEN CITY - Eunice Smith Bowling, 95, died Jan. 18, 2008, at Wamego Valley Vista Good Samaritan Center, Wamego.
She was born Jan. 9, 1913, in Fort Smith, Ark., the daughter of Robert E. and Nancy Smith Rodgers Conatser. A resident of Garden City since 1949, moving from Joplin, Mo., she had been a checker and then the deli manager at Walls IGA, Garden City.
She belonged to the Bible Christian Church, Garden City.
On Sept. 23, 1934, she married Arthur Smith in Tucson, Ariz. He died Feb. 29, 1976. In March of 1986, she married "Doc" Bowling. He died in 1991.
Survivors include: a son, Dennis E. Smith, Manhattan; two daughters, Reta Dale, Lakin, and Janet Mullikin, Elbert, Colo.; four brothers, William Conatser, Grainfield, Mo., Merle Conatser, Red Bluff, Calif., Maurice Conatser, Maryville, Tenn., and Jack Conatser, Calhoun, Tenn.; a sister, Nancy Goodwin, Maryville, Tenn.; eight grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Virgil Conatser and a sister, Idabel Strong.
Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, at the Bible Christian Church, Garden City, with Pastor Jeff Starkey presiding. Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. today at Price and Sons Funeral Home, Garden City. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to the Wamego Valley Vista Good Samaritan Center, in care of the funeral home.


When we met Riley he was a dancer at a local club. Normally, he dances for gay guys but has expressed to me that he wants to be fucked by a straight guy. I told him that I was in the straight guy business and that I could make that happen for him.


text:
You are here: Home / Articles / Stop Denigrating The Few
Stop Denigrating The Few
30th August 2006 /2 Comments/in Articles /by James Holland
Revisionism and The Battle of Britain
I've got to say that personally, I'm quite sick of the wave of revisionist thinking that's been going on with regard to the Battle of Britain. I don't think it's prompted any healthy debate at all; rather it has merely denigrated the efforts of the Few.
This recent spate began with the sixtieth anniversary of the battle in 2000 and the publication of Professor Richard Overy's book, The Battle. Overy is a fine and highly distinguished historian, not least of the air war, but this mini-book was badly flawed. The remit he gave himself was to try and separate the 'myths' from the hard facts and so buried himself away at the Public Record Office, (since renamed The National Archives), where he produced a lot of figures to fit his argument. Most contentious of these was the revelation that Fighter Command actually had more fighters for most of the battle than the Luftwaffe, and therefore wasn't quite so outnumbered as the myth would have it.
He did, however, forget two very important points. First, the Germans had the twin-engined Messerschmitt 110, which although not very effective in the fighter role, was nonetheless considered a fighter by the Luftwaffe. But because it was not single-engined, Overy took it out of the equation; yes, for the most part there were more Spitfires and Hurricanes than Me 109s, but there were not fewer German fighters than in Fighter Command. Second, he discounted the thousand plus German bombers in his figures. The point, of course, is that every bullet expended by Fighter Command in shooting down German bombers – and they were the primary target – was a bullet that could not be used on German fighters. Moreover, numbers of aircraft are not necessarily as important as fire-power, and not only did the 109s have fewer targets than the British fighters, they also had cannons with a rapid rate of fire, which packed a considerably greater punch than the eight Browning machine guns the Spitfires and Hurricanes could call on.
Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for these new theories to take hold. The man in pub now says over his pint, 'Well, I heard they weren't quite so outnumbered after all' – a line I have heard on several occasions. This will be precisely the damage caused by this latest piece of news about the role of the Royal Navy in the Battle of Britain – a theory that was put forward last year by novelist Derek Robinson in his first work of history, Invasion, 1940, and which has now been revisited by a panel in the magazine History Today.
No one would ever play down the skill of the Royal Navy's sailors or the importance of the Navy as a whole. But Hitler's prerequisite for invasion was complete air superiority and the destruction of the RAF, not the Royal Navy. As Hitler understood, and as the Allies would equally appreciate later in the war, seaborne invasions can only occur if the attacker has mastery of the skies. The Luftwaffe failed in this because it was defeated in the air battle. Similarly, the Allies were only able to invade Northwest Africa, Sicily, Southern Italy and make the D-Day landings because they had air superiority.
The other point that needs to be borne in mind is the nature of the Royal Navy in 1940. Britain had, from the First World War and right through the inter-war years, been sniffy about submarines and had even tried to get a worldwide ban on the use of them in the 1920s. It was an arm of the Navy that was seriously under-funded and so by the beginning of the war, the majority of British ships were surface vessels. Many of these were also largely out of date and the majority of the capital ships – HMS Hood included – lacked the kind of armour plating being used on both Italian and German battleships and cruisers. As the Navy discovered at Norway, at Crete and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, their fleets were highly susceptible to submarine and aerial attack. Indeed, Admiral Cunningham, Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet for the first half of the war, continually demanded a) more armour plating for his ships, b) more aircraft carriers (and larger more up-to-date versions than the Royal Navy possessed at the start of the war), and c) more aircraft for his fleets. As he correctly realised, the key to successful naval warfare was primarily aircraft, not surface vessels. This, of course, was borne out spectacularly at the Battle of Midway, when the US Navy scored a resounding victory over the Japanese Navy using predominantly naval aircraft to achieve their success.
I'm not saying the Royal Navy in 1940 would not have repelled a German seaborne invasion, but I do think a concerted effort by the German U-boat fleets and by the Luftwaffe combined, would have been more likely to have destroyed the Royal Navy as an effective fighting force than the Luftwaffe's efforts against Fighter Command.
Playing a retrospective devil's advocate might be a bit of fun, but it is important not to look at the events of 1940 with the benefit of too much hindsight. Britain in 1940 faced a very, very severe danger. The continental threat – an enemy coastline that ran from Norway to North Africa – was far greater than the Napoleonic danger Britain had faced in 1805. America was not yet in the war, and with US Presidential elections scheduled for November that year, a Roosevelt victory and almost immediate American participation on the side of Britain was by no means guaranteed. Britain had been stunned by the scale of defeat in France; the Army was, for the moment, finished as an effective fighting force; and the country was in the middle of a deep political crisis that had seen the Prime Minsiter resign, only to be replaced by a hard-drinking, seemingly unreliable maverick. No punter would have put any money on Britain holding out.
And yet she did. The summer of 1940 halted the Nazi avalanche and gave Britain – and the free world – the breathing space to regroup. Furthermore, the continued threat from Britain – and subsequently America – almost certainly played a key part in Germany's eventual defeat in Russia. Not only did the Allies crucially provide the Soviet Union with arms and equipment, they also ensured that a large amount of German forces were tied up combating that threat rather than being pitted against Russia.
1940 should therefore still be seen as a crucial – if not the crucial turning point in the war, and in this, the Few more than lived up to the subsequent myth.
https://www.griffonmerlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/logo-griffon-merlin.png 0 0 James Holland https://www.griffonmerlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/logo-griffon-merlin.png James Holland2006-08-30 10:12:032006-08-31 09:15:37Stop Denigrating The Few
David H. Lippman says:
23rd October 2006 at 7:44 pm
I agree with your analysis above, and add that the German possession of Knickebein and X-Gereat would have made it easier for the Luftwaffe to find, fix, and strike the Home Fleet if it headed south to repel an invasion…under conditions of air superiority. The Luftwaffe would thus have been able to swiftly target and sink or damage British ships, once spotted by U-Boat.
I also think that while British infantry training was sound, morale was high, and the British defenders knew the ground, their deficiencies in the face of the German tactics, operational ability, and equipment would have told in a battle in Kent or Surrey. I'm not sure how much British morale would have held if the British forces were defeated in that situation. The British are a tough people, and don't crumble, but it could also have been the last straw…the British were short of everything but determination at that point.
The 1940 situation was very near-run thing for Britain and the world in general. I have the utmost respect for the nation's defenders of 1940, and also remember that many of them came from other countries: Australia, Canada, Rhodesia, South Africa, all united by ties of history, empire, and blood, as well as occupied nations like Czechoslovakia, Poland, and France. 141 of them were New Zealanders, the second-largest national representation. I have a special place in my heart for New Zealand.
Sean Higgins says:
I also agree with the above comments. Also, the high & mighty revisionist/hindsight thinking does not take into account that the severe tactical constraints of the day that Fighter Command found itself fighting under. It would be fair to say that on most occasions Fighter Command was fighting at an extreme tactical disadvantage with regard to height (or lack thereof), their squadrons were generally fed into the battle in much smaller numbers than the opposing Luftwaffe formations and were therefore outnumbered (besides a few notable exceptions), overall they were fighting a more seasoned and experienced enemy, and perhaps the most serious consideration of all was a lack of fully trained and experienced pilots which Fighter Command could draw on to feed into the battle. Which makes the RAF acheivement all the more remarkable and memorable, and one that should not be diminished or downgraded as time marches on.


The Blue Flamingo Quartet is where flamenco, jazz, funk, blues, pop and just about everything else collide. Why Flamingo? The word "flamingo" comes from the mid16th century Spanish word, "flamengo" from the Latin "flamma" or "flame."... 7/01/2019 · Blues music follows a general structure but artists take creative twists to give their music even more life. Lyrics are always optional so if you'd prefer to just create bars and skip the lyrics, feel free to.
Students will listen to several blues and non-blues recordings to practice recognizing the "backbeat" in each song. Hands-on exercises will show students how to identify and create a backbeat rhythm.
Listen to Branford Marsalis Quartet now. Listen to Branford Marsalis Quartet in full in the Spotify app. Play on Spotify ℗ 1990 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Many argue that the Blues and especially Jazz are the two most important, distinctly American contributions to music. The extraordinary rhythmic complexity, the virtuosic improvisation, and the lush harmony define many of the quintessential works of these genres.
The blues form was first popularized about 1911-14 by the black composer W.C. Handy (1873-1958). However, the poetic and musical form of the blues first crystallized around 1910 and gained popularity through the publication of Handy's "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914).


UPDATE – 24 Nov, 1000am: Maybank2U is now operational once again. More details below.
UPDATE – 24 Nov, 3:00am: The site is still inaccessible.
Maybank2u.com.my, arguably Malaysia's largest online banking platform is currently down. The outage was reported at around 9.05pm, and the site still remains inaccessible as of 11.45pm.
Prior to the outage, customers confirmed facing issues logging into the site, with passwords not being accepted, and the secure image which accompanies each login failing to display.
Maybank2u mobile apps, which are available on iOS and Android doesn't seem to be affected by this outage.
A quick check on Maybank's Facebook page confirms that they are having intermittent issues with their site.
Maybank2U is online once again according to a short status update on the bank's official Facebook page.
That being said, some users have reported in the same Facebook post above that a variety of errors still popping up in the service. Do let the bank know if you are facing similar situation.


It all started 17 floors up in a hotel in Hawaii. Flickr member californiabirdy snapped a pic (he actually took two pictures) of someone swimming in his hotel pool. About the photo, in his own words, "I do remember waiting until the swimmer was in a good stretched out position and the ripples were right." Then, two years later, Getty Images reached out to him to license his photo. Pretty cool in and of itself, but then last week, four months later, he spotted his photo driving by on the side of a Muni bus in his hometown of San Francisco. He had to do a little fast footwork to get the photo below, but we're glad he did.
Want to make your own photos available for license? You can update your account settings here.
Photos from CrzysChick, V.L.G., Bahman Farzad, and nophoto4jojo.


text:
Dawn of the Lead
Miniature wargaming and the occasional zombie
« Fountain of joy
Five by five »
Predators – a review
First off, let me point your attention to one thing. How many blockbuster, shoot'em up action movies star an Academy Award winner? I don't think there are too many. Predators does. When they announced that Adrien Brody, known for his Oscar-winning performance as the eponymous pianist in The Pianist would star in the newest film of the Predator franchise, I doubt I was the only one who nearly choked on his coffee. How could the skinny, quiet, sad-looking man possibly play the lead role in a sequel to a movie starring a young Arnold Schwarzenegger – in his physical prime and speaking almost unintelligible English? He nails it.
Let's get back to Brody and the rest of the cast a bit later, and start from the top. The concept of Predators is simple: a bunch of dangerous people are kidnapped and dropped on a strange planet for the Predators' private safari. What follows is just what you would expect: big guns, explosions, jungle getting torn to shreds, gory deaths and Predators, Predators, Predators. Apart from the plural Predators, these are precisely the elements that made the original Predator film a scifi/horror/action classic. The big question here is whether Predators can bring anything new to the table.
Predators has been bashed for being unoriginal, of being nothing but a cheap remake of the 1987 film, of having no substance. I have to disagree. While there are a lot of references to the first film to satisfy fanboys – such as yours truly – the two films have different concepts, different settings, different plots, different characters and their dynamics and so on. Yes, they're both set in a jungle. Yes, they both have Predators knocking off members of a heavily armed group of killers one by one. That's about it. Oh, there is one excellent similarity: Predators uses the original film's theme in the soundtrack, and the rest of the soundtrack is also heavily influenced by the score in Predator.
The characters in Predators are pretty much standard fare, mostly one-trick ponies. They have, however, a few things going for them. There are little touches making the characters just a bit more likable/loathable. I like the idea, that the characters as a rule are not heroes. In the original Predator movie (and most action flicks, come to think of it) the main characters are heroes, regardless of the mayhem and death they cause. Not so in Predators, and the movie does make a good effort to make the viewer root for a bunch of monsters, and I'm not talking about the aliens here. The acting is solid and pretty much what you'd expect. As mentioned, Adrien Brody pulls of his mercenary anti-hero very nicely, while Walton Goggins (of Shield fame) manages to create a somewhat sympathetic sick rapist. Which is actually a tad disturbing, now that I think about it. Laurence Fishburn puts in a nice performance too, even if it borders on over-acting. Nimród Antal is a fair director, and gets a good show out of the cast.
I have to mention the storytelling elements in the movie as well. Unlike a lot of movies today, every single thread is not unraveled. There are blanks instead, left for the viewer's imagination to fill. I'm not talking any big mysteries, just little touches that add colour to the movie. Kind of like that 18th century gun the Predators have at the end of Predator 2, suggesting a lot more than is shown. While on the subject of Predator 2, Predators only mentions the original Predator film, suggesting that Predator 2 and the AVP films aren't part of the canon. While the AVP flicks are dreck hopefully quickly forgotten, I've always liked Predator 2, so it was a bit of a disappointment.
There's one thing I love above all in Predators: the reliance on makeup and guys in suits over CGI. The Predators look fleshy, heavy and well…real. There's none of the unnatural lightness and jerky movement that's there in even the most advanced CGI – such as that in Avatar. The makeup is great, the Predators look absolutely lovely and all the iconic sights and sounds are present. Overall, the movie has a very nice, grimy and physical feel to it, which is essential to a good action movie.
So, any flaws? A few. 10-15 minutes could've been cut to keep the movie's pace up. There are some scenes and plot twists that you can spot coming a mile away, as well as a few problems solved so easily that it reeks just a bit of deus ex machina. The lead female – the only female in the film – plays a very one-dimensional character with next to no development. Come to think of it, she's pretty much the hero of the film, which is a bit boring, to be frank. Is it the action film makers' fear of being labeled misogynistic that leads to female lead characters being all nicey-nice, and in general much more ethical, intelligent and caring than the men? See AVP for an awful example – both of a movie and of an über-heroine.
Overall verdict: Predators is a good film, even a great one at times. Do note, that when I talk of a good movie in this review, I mean entertaining. Predators is no Citizen Kane or Godfather, make no mistake. It is, however miles and miles beyond the terrible disappointment of the AVP films, and right up there with the original two films of the franchise. If you're into scifi action, there's nothing better available, and probably won't be for a while. If you're a fan of the Predator franchise, you can't possibly miss this.
Here's the official site.
Posted in Movie reviews, Movies, Sci-Fi | Tagged Predators |
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From the painting desk #58 - Long John Silver
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I'm a modeller, you know what I mean
From the painting desk #63 - It's...pirates!
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Hunting pirates #4 – Zachary Sallow
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Business clients have varying requirements but Pro Locksmith's highly skilled locksmiths can help you create the best high-security system for your business needs. Pro Locksmith commercial security specialists use the most up to date tools and equipment to satisfy the requirements of all our commercial customers. Give Pro Locksmith a call to arrange a time to meet you and create a security plan that satisfies your requirements and budget. Pro Locksmith is available 24 hr a day, 365 days a year. Pro Locksmith's professionals are licensed, bonded and guaranteed for your security.


This piece is an abstract ocean wave that I carved while on vacation in the Caymans, It was so relaxing to carve from a table facing the ocean. I wished I could stay there forever. The scratchiness of this piece is what I love the most.
This listing is for a signed, unframed 14x17" print made with India ink on white archival Bristol paper.


Bristol is home to some ridiculously talented artists and self starters. For our second interview in the Characters of Culture series, we turn to a woman bringing colour to the West Country, Ruby Maya, to tell us about the origins of Ashanti Empress, and how Bristol keeps her inspired throughout the winter.
Every year, after creating the new Ashanti Empress collection we get the whole team of 35 tailors, apprentice and their families together for a big Ashanti Team excursion! This year we visited Lake Bosumtwe in the Ashanti Region of Ghana and spent the day swimming and enjoying our picnic and the glorious African sunshine!


A clock that keeps track of the time even when the computer is turned off. Real-time clocks (RTCs) run on a special battery that is not connected to the normal power supply. In contrast, clocks that are not real-time do not function when the computer is off.
Do not confuse a computer's real-time clock with its CPU clock. The CPU clock regulates the execution of instructions.
Disclaimer: real-time clock (RTC) definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.


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Pharma Asia
Cipla says top 50 drugs in development could bring in $30B
Indian drugmaker Cipla said it currently has 200 drugs in development and that the top 50 of those drugs have the potential to earn the company more than $30 billion.
The Mumbai-based company also said it plans to expand its North American market share to 25% by 2020 and plans to devote more resources to R&D for that specific market. It also plans to seek more generics approvals there, according to a report in the Business Standard.
The company said in an investor presentation that it had "strong" development and filing potential with respiratory and HIV candidates and said its top 50 drugs under development are in sectors such as respiratory, oncology, antiretroviral and others with "20 in solid oral form of delivery, 13 injectables, 12 inhalation and five in other delivery forms," the report said.
Cipla Managing Director Subhanu Saxena
The company told investors it planned to file from 10 to 15 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) each year and said it would "transition from a pure B2B to Direct plus B2B model in the U.S.," with its HIV and oncology treatments.
Drugs such as esomeprazole, Dymista nasal spray, budesonide respules, escitalopram and finasteride will feature in its partnerships; the company also plans to release the "product pipeline" of Invagen as part of its post-$500 million acquisition activities from its takeover of InvaGen Pharmaceuticals.
As FiercePharmaAsia reported earlier this month, the company's moves on the North American market come after it reshuffled top management and created a 6-member management council to keep up with rivals like Sun Pharmaceuticals and Dr. Reddy's ($RDY).
- here's the report from the Business Standard


Weekend away to focus on training for the head racing season.
All those attending the camp are expected to attend.
2 full days on training on the Yarra to get us race ready for the sprint season.
Special focus on Victorian State Championship crews.
Celebrate grand final weekend in Nagambie with all your RRC rowing friends at our annual head racing season training camp.
Travel up on evening of Thursday 29th if you can.
To be held on the Yarra.
Make the most of two full days of training as squads build for the sprint racing season and the Victorian State Championships.
On the water at 8am – so arrive with plenty of time to warm up, check boat etc.
Please bring your runners for land training too.
Weekend away in Nagambie with focus on building for the Head Season campaign.
Rowing on the Goulborn and on the Lake.
Following the success of last years training camp we will again be descending on mass upon Nagambie for a weekend of intense training and some club bonding and fun.
Take a look at the below schedule for camp to see just what our coaches have in store for you this weekend!
There are many variables to consider when trying to plan for a weekend with more than 40 rowers so please be prepared to be flexible. This guide is to give you an idea of what to expect and times you will be required at the regatta centre (remember it's a 5-10min walk from the cabins to the boats).
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had 38 training this morning and 26 of those having some fun with a quick burst of club races to round out the morning.
to be had at our Spring Camp in Nagambie on 12-14th September. If you haven't already signed up to attend, complete the survey and organise payment of $240 ASAP. See the previous blog for all the details because we need to finalise numbers.


Using public health and transportation data, Illinois professor Sheldon H. Jacobson and colleagues found that higher mass transit use is correlated with lower obesity rates.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Healthy mass transit systems could contribute to healthier communities, according to a new study by University of Illinois researchers that determined higher mass transit use was correlated with lower obesity rates in counties across the United States.
"As local communities seek to allocate public funds to projects that will provide the most benefit to their residents, our research suggests that investing in convenient and affordable public transit systems may improve public health by reducing obesity, thereby providing more value than had been previously thought," said Sheldon H. Jacobson, a professor of computer science at Illinois. He conducted the study with graduate student Zhaowei She and Douglas M. King, a lecturer of industrial and enterprise systems engineering.
The study used publicly available county health and transportation data. To get the clearest picture of the relationship between mass transit use and obesity, the researchers controlled for a number of factors that could influence health or transportation, such as household income, poverty rate, education level, leisure physical activity and access to health care among the adult residents of each county.
The analysis found that for each 1 percent increase in a county's population who frequently ride public transit, obesity rates dropped 0.2 percent. The study is published in the journal Preventive Medicine.
The latest findings correlate well with previous work by Jacobson and King that found a reduction in daily driving, even by a mile a day, was associated with a reduction in body mass index.
Editor's notes: To contact Sheldon H. Jacobson, call 217- 244-7275; email shj@illinois.edu.


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Catching Up On Character Development | "Loki" Season 1: Episode 1 "Glorious Purpose" Review
by Mitchell Chapman June 10, 2021
Leave a Comment on Catching Up On Character Development | "Loki" Season 1: Episode 1 "Glorious Purpose" Review
Well, "Loki" is finally here. And episode 1 isn't that bad.
Of Disney Plus's live action Marvel shows, "Loki" was the one I was the least excited for, right after "Hawkeye," mostly because Loki (Tom Hiddleston) already had a pretty good arc that ended in "Avengers: Infinity War," in which the God of mischief, having learned to finally be his own person, and come to an understanding with his brother, Thor, died in a selfless act. Given that this death, unlike many other times when he appeared to die, was final, the only way for Marvel to bring his character back was to use a past version of him, which worked out conveniently, because "Avengers: Endgame" was a film all about time travel. But this also meant that, for this "Loki" series, we'd get a far inferior version of the character, from 2012's "The Avengers."
Because of this, this series was going to have to inevitably retread the ground the films did, as this version of Loki is underdeveloped, selfish, and just not as interesting as the later versions of his character. Thankfully, they contain, more or less, the retread to this first episode.
Episode 1 "Glorious Purpose" sees Loki land in the Gobi Desert after his "Endgame" escape from 2012's Stark Tower with the Tesseract, but he is immediately apprehended by agents of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), a cosmic entity that makes sure the universe's one timeline — the Sacred Timeline — stays intact. Sporting old-timey looking futuristic technology, they are exactly like the Commission from "The Umbrella Academy", making sure everything that's supposed to happen, happens, as they fear timeline splits might destroy the universe. Loki is a variant, and is almost reset, if not for the obstruction of TVA Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), who thinks he can use Loki's help tracking down an even bigger variant that has been killing their agents.
Loki, of course causes mischief, but in the process gets caught up as to how his timeline is supposed to go, up until his death in 2018. The show also plants some key questions to think about, that will probably be explored in greater depth later in the series, such as: Why does Loki do what he does? Does he like hurting people? What does it feel like to know that, in your whole life, you were meant to fail in order for other people to be their best selves? What was the point of your life?
Episode 1 manages to catch Loki up in terms of character development, but it also changes him in a way different than the films, as for the first time, he has some agency over his life and where it goes. And it questions Loki seriously about what he wants, revealing that — at least in 2012 — Loki really didn't have any idea what he wanted outside of ruling all the realms and gaining control over his life.
Episode 1 is a very good introduction into this series and world, though I do have my doubts about it as a whole, as like "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," "Loki" Season 1 has six episodes, which might not be enough to fully pull off what this show wants to do. I get wanting to do your own thing, but Netflix has really proven that eight-episode seasons are the way to go.
Still Episode 1 was incredibly strong. In my opinion, it's the strongest premier of Marvel's live action Disney Plus shows so far.
"Loki" Season 1: Episode 1 "Glorious Purpose" gets a 9/10
Tags: Glorious Purpose Loki Mobius Tesseract Time Variance Authority Tom Hiddleston TVA
Published by Mitchell Chapman
Mitchell Chapman is the owner and editor of InReview. He has worked at New England Newspapers Inc. as a page designer/copy editor and columnist since June 2016. An alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, he is the former editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, The Beacon, and has also served as the paper's arts & entertainment editor, features editor, managing editor and business manager. He was also the editor-in-chief of the school's chapter of Her Campus, and the design editor for the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Spires Literary Journal. He's been published in The Berkshire Eagle, Bennington Banner, Brattleboro Reformer, Manchester Journal, The Huffington Post and Goomba Stomp Magazine.View all posts by Mitchell Chapman
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"Eritrea remains a one-man dictatorship under President Isaias Afewerki, now in his 26th year in power. It has no legislature, no independent civil society organizations or media outlets, and no independent judiciary"9.
"Eritrea, a mere sliver on the Horn of Africa, boasts a wealth of culture, history and natural beauty for travellers to experience. Historically intriguing, culturally compelling and scenically magical, Eritrea is one of the most secretive countries in Africa. For those who have a hankering for off-the-beaten-track places, it offers challenges and excitement aplenty, with a unique blend of natural and cultural highlights. The country wows visitors with its awesome scenery, from the quintessentially Abyssinian landscapes - escarpments, plateaus and soaring peaks - to the deserted beaches of the Red Sea coast.Culturally, Eritrea is a melting pot. It might be a tiddler of a country by Africa´s standards, but it hosts a kaleidoscopic range of ethnic groups who have contributed to a cultural fabric that ranges from rock-cut monasteries and Ottoman-era harbour towns, to the evening passeggiata on Asmara´s main thoroughfare.
Eritrea's population is predicted to rise to 8.394 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 4.28. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.
Eritrea is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Eritrea does worse than average in its Global Peace Index rating19, LGBT equality20 and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights21. It falls into the bottom 20 in commentary from Human Rights Watch22 and in fighting corruption23. It is second-from-the-bottom in eliminating modern slavery24. And finally, it is the worst in supporting press freedom25. In 2001, "the government closed all independent newspapers and arrested their editors and leading journalists. None were brought to trial. They remain in solitary detention. There are reliable reports that about half of them had died"9. "Eritreans are subject to arbitrary imprisonment. Arrest and harsh punishment including torture, are at the whim of security force commanders without trial or appeal"9.
The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant27.
Freedom of Religion and Belief: The government does not respect its peoples' right to freedom of religion and belief. In recent years there has been an "increase in serious government violations of religious freedom, including mass arrests, torture and death for members of minority belief groups"28. Since 2002, only four official religious groups have been allowed to exist (Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical (Lutheran)9,29 and the government controls them closely. Failure to be a member of one of them is enough to be denied government services, and sometimes even arrested on the spot28.
There isn't much information in the database for Eritrea, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or posession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.
United Nations Development Programme: Eritrea country profile.


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Q: What makes '$c$' $c$? And what if it was slightly different? I was thinking about what would be necessary to change to have a different value for $c$ (speed of light in vacuum, or speed of anything massless, or the one that seems most fundamental to me: he maximum speed of 'making stuff happen elsewhere').
And, if $c$ was different, what that would change about the universe?
From Maxwell (I think): $c = {1}/{\sqrt{\mu_0\,\epsilon_0}}$.
Where:
$\mu_0$ = permeability of free space ('how easy it is to magnetise free space'?)
and $\epsilon_0$ = permitivity of free space ('how strongly free space resists an elecectrical field'?)
(I know those definitions are very simplistic, and please tell me if they're wrong.)
Which means $c$ is inversely proportional to how easy it is to  magnetise free space, and inversely proportional to how difficult it is to create an electric field in free space. (Ie, directly proportional to how easy it is?).
My initial question was: Is there a plain English explanation for why the speed of light (or the speed of causality?) is related to these two properties, and why it's inversely proportional to how easy it is to  magnetise free space and to how difficult it is to create an electric field in free space? (Or, do you just have to do the maths?!)
(With a slightly hurty brain I wondered if a comment from Emilio's link answered this: "The stiffer the [medium] is (more energy to squeeze), the faster the wave. The more inertia, the slower the wave")
BUT as PM2Ring explained below, $c = {1}/{\sqrt{\mu_0\,\epsilon_0}}$ is just the way that EM waves behave in the universe, so this original question of mine was flawed from the outset.
Part 2 of my question was if $\mu_0$ and $\epsilon_0$ were different and $c$ was slightly larger/smaller), what would the universe look like? And would the wheels fall off the apple cart if that were the case? Would I still be here to ask this question? (Ie, specifically thinking about $\mu_0$ and $\epsilon_0$, but now that i know they are not what defines $c$, that question is also moot.) I do think it's an interesting creative exercise to image a universe with $c$ = a million times as fast, or only the speed of a cart horse, though!
So my understanding (thanks to wonderful explanations below) is that:
$c = {1}/{\sqrt{\mu_0\,\epsilon_0}}$ is how EM waves behave in our universe
$\alpha = \frac1{4\pi\epsilon_0} \frac{e^2}{\hbar c} \approx \frac 1{137}$ is a happy coincidence. ('Happy' in that it allows wheels stay on apple carts, stars to form, and me to ask this question.)
And as for why $c = c$, the best answer might be it's a fundamental part of our universe, and no-one knows why that's the case.
If those answers look right, I'll change this to question answered.

A: It so happens in the universe we find ourselves that three basic units can define all other units. They correspond to space time and mass, in the original unit systems, if one defines a unit for space (distances),mass, and time,  everything else measured can be expressed in these units.
This led to the so called "natural units" where one chooses to set three basic constants, i.e. constants which are basic to the mathematical models developed to describe data/measurements, to 1 and simplify the maths.
In particle physics it is ħ = c = k_B = 1, k_B the Boltzmann constant

This sets the stage for the effect of changing units. Units can change as long as the three basic ones keep their relationship constant. In natural units the two numbers , permeability and permitivity of space would not change as long as the three basic units could be set to one, because the exact same theories would describe the data.
If this equality relationship were broken the theories would give different predictions and if broken too much life as we know it would not exist.
Why the constants are such that the theories fit the data belongs to the set of "whys" that physics cannot answer. Physics develops mathematical models which show us "how" nature acts. The answer to "why" can be explained within a model with "how" one goes from one set of equations to another. But  such basic "whys" cannot be answered within the models except with "because this fits  what we have observed'.

A: Historically, we first encountered $c$ as the speed of light in a vacuum, and Maxwell's $c = {1}/{\sqrt{\mu_0\,\epsilon_0}}$ shows that $c$ is invariant. But something having an invariant speed doesn't make sense under Galilean relativity, and physicists from Maxwell onwards tried to resolve that difficulty on the basis that it was something to do with electromagnetism.
That was a reasonable approach to take because (as far as they had observed) relativistic effects only appeared in connection to electromagnetic phenomena. Eventually Einstein realised that electromagnetism was a red herring, and that those weird deviations from Galilean relativity could be simply explained by assuming a fundamental connection between space and time that had not been previously expected. In other words, the relativistic weirdness happens whenever sufficiently high speeds are involved, it's not due to the electromagnetic nature of light and electrons.
In special relativity, Einstein introduced the notion of the spacetime interval between two events. This is an invariant quantity for all inertial observers, and it is given by the equation
$$s^2 = \Delta r^2 - c^2 \Delta t^2$$
where $\Delta r$ is the spatial separation between the two events in some inertial frame, $\Delta t$ is the time interval between them in that frame, and $c$ is (of course) the speed of light. Observers in different frames will measure different values of $\Delta r$ & $\Delta t$ between 2 given events, but they will all get the same value when they calculate the $s$ between those 2 events.
An important implication of this is that what is a purely spacelike interval to one observer (i.e. $\Delta t = 0$) will be an interval with both space & time components to another observer moving at non-zero velocity with respect to the first observer. And of course the same thing can be said about a purely timelike interval.
So in special relativity $c$ is fundamentally a scaling factor that relates pure time-like intervals to pure space-like intervals. And with appropriate choice of units we can set $c = 1$ (as anna v describes in her answer), so the above equation simplifies to
$$s^2 = \Delta r^2 - \Delta t^2$$
These equations basically say that although space and time are fundamentally different, the magnitude (size) of a spatial interval of one light-second is the same as the magnitude of a temporal interval of one second. When drawing spacetime diagrams we typically use natural units where $c = 1$ so an interval of 1 second has the same length in the diagram as an interval of 1 light-second, and the path of a photon will always be at 45° to the space and time axes. If we use a non-unitary value for $c$ the cells of the spacetime grid get squashed. :)
So of your 3 "definitions" of $c$ (speed of light in vacuum, or speed of anything massless, or max speed of 'making stuff happen'), the last one is the more fundamental, but even more fundamental is to think of $c$ as the "slope" of spacetime.
Because observers moving at different velocities disagree on what's a purely spacelike or purely timelike interval they will naturally disagree on what's the magnetic component and what's the electric component of an electromagnetic field, which brings us back to Maxwell's equations. So $c = {1}/{\sqrt{\mu_0\,\epsilon_0}}$ isn't really a defining equation for $c$, it's simply expressing the relationship between the magnetic component and electric component of the electromagnetic field in spacetime.
But why does spacetime have the particular slope that it does? We don't know! Of course, in natural units it has a slope of 1, even if we lived in a universe that was different to this one, but that's just weaseling out of the question. :)


Foothills Painting was founded by a Fort Collins native and a CSU graduate. Since starting in 2010, we've grown quickly across the front range from Fort Collins to Boulder to Broomfield and into Denver. We focus on residential repaints, which is what we do best. All of the work is performed by experienced painters. Communication and service are something we value and care about. We strive to return calls promptly. We will never charge you more than the estimated price. We look forward to working with you and constantly improving our business for our customers.


Hi, I have tried many times to install Jf Relaxio Quickstart Version with Kickstart but i have always errors. Is possible to install Quickstart without kickstart ?????
Last Edit: 29 Jan 2014 17:48 by bill.
What error you get while trying to install the JF Relaxio via quickstart ? Please send us more detail.


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Q: Why don't the angular velocity components add up for a rotation on a tilted plane? I seem to have a problem visualizing the addition of angular velocity components for rotation in a tilted plane and hoping someone will explain any basic errors I am making.
Please see diagrams below where I've drawn a circular tilted plane described by a vector R in a $3D$ $XYZ$ reference frame. Then I've drawn 3 circular projected shadows of that plane in the $XY$,$XZ$ and $YZ$ planes.
Let's assume that the vector R moves in a complete circle in 1 second, therefore the angular velocity $\omega$ (ie. 360 degrees/sec or 2π radians/secs).
I'm assuming that vector $R$ would also draw those circular shadow planes at the same time so therefore the angular velocity of the components of vector $R$ in $XY$,$XZ$,$YZ$ planes would also have an angular velocity of $\omega$.
But that doesn't make sense because if I added those component angular velocity vectors using pythagoras theorem we would have 'Angular Velocity Vector
$
R' = \sqrt{\omega_x^2 + \omega_y^2+ \omega_z^2}
$
and that does not equal to $\omega$.
I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

A: *

*The projections are not circles but ellipses.

*The projection of a vector does not rotate with uniform velocity even if the original vector does.

*The magnitude (length) of the rotation vector designates its speed and therefore if you add up the three projected lengths using a Euclidean length then you would get

$$ \omega = \sqrt{ \omega_x^2 + \omega_y^2 + \omega_z^2 } $$
this is because the length of a vector in Euclidean space is invariant to rotations.
You can add up the areas of the projected ellipses in a vectorial way to get
$$ \text{Area of circle} = \sqrt{ {\rm A}_x^2 + {\rm A}_y^2 + {\rm A}_z^2 } $$ where ${\rm A}_i$ is the corresponding area of each ellipse.

A: I think it's my confusion regarding the definition of angular velocity. I've assumed that rate of change of angular displacement of that yellow dot around the geometric centre of an ellipse can be used as some average angular velocity = 2π rad/sec. But that is plainly wrong because angular velocity is instantaneous about a circular path.
Therefore, I cannot use the ellipse because a position vector of that yellow dot from the geometric centre of the ellipse is not necessarily a 'radius' and not always at right angles to the orbital velocity.
I am therefore misinterpreting the definition of angular velocity and applying it incorrectly to the angle traversed around a non-circular orbit in a certain period of time.
In fact, I can decompose the angular velocity (black vector) into components as shown in Diagram B.