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Book review: The Utopia of Rules by David Graeber
The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy by David Graeber
Profitable paperwork? This world makes no sense.
The Utopia of Rules is a collection of David Graeber's essays around bureaucracy. He dives into where bureaucracy came from, how it was changed by the rise of large private companies, how this is impacting society, and how we secretly love all this stupid stuff just a bit too much. Graeber combines history, illustrative anecdotes, anthropology, and insights that you realise have been staring you in the face for years. He also argues that we've largely accepted bureaucracies as they now stand, but because of the implications for power relations, we should try to change or remove them.
With the recent passing of David Graeber, I thought I should read some more of his work. I've previously read the excellent Bullshit Jobs and wanted to dive into some of his other work. That lead me to his essay Of Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit which in turn lead me to The Utopia of Rules. That essay is incorporated and expanded in this book to bring it into the main thesis. Other sections similarly come from essays published elsewhere, so if you've already read many of Graeber's essays and articles, you'll recognise a lot of the material here.
I think one of the most interesting insights from Utopia of Rules was how bureaucracy has morphed from the civil service that ran society (and was a great place to park stray aristocrats and military officers) into the bureaucracy of big business. Some will bristle at this insight until they realise that "cost recovery", "KPIs", and "performance reviews" are in all big organisations, regardless of them being public or private. This builds on Graeber's insights from Bullshit Jobs, that showed the private sector was often more guilty of waste, mismanagement, paperwork, etc. to the point of creating entire useless jobs to do them.
How this bureaucratic system is then used to exploit the public, uses implicit and explicit violence, and obfuscates accountability is also interesting. Graeber's example of trying to apply for health insurance for his mother is how companies profit. They effectively keep money for the company/government that is due to the public they are meant to be servicing.
This is also where I disagree slightly with Graeber. In a complex society, there is a need for some level of organisation (bureaucracy). Is it a good idea to have a senior research scientist spend a large part of their time filling out paperwork, applying for funding, and reporting to the funders rather than doing research? Well, no. But is it a good idea for that researcher to just get money and do whatever they feel like without any reporting? Well, no. As much as no researcher is just going to blow their grant money on a sports car and Columbian Marching Powder, the paperwork is meant to create a solid research plan, figure out what underlings they'll need, and get the creative work solidified (hypotheses, designs, etc). That the paperwork doesn't really achieve this is something that needs to be criticised, especially as the reason it fails and is needlessly time-consuming and complex is because of that private company influence Graeber outlined.
And Graeber argues that bureaucracies are no longer analyzed or satirized. This is a large part of the problem. We experience them every day, but those with power effectively stifle any input we have to reforming them. Satire and social critique are a useful tool in this regard, which I assume is why Graeber's review of The Dark Knight Rises was included. He uses it as an example of institutional power using popular media to control the narrative and condemn social critique and movements.
Overall, I enjoyed The Utopia of Rules and look forward to reading more from Graeber, particularly Debt.
"I asked him why everyone was still waiting for even one bank official to be brought to trial for any act of fraud leading up to the crash of 2008.
OFFICIAL: Well, you have to understand the approach taken by U.S. prosecutors to financial fraud is always to negotiate a settlement. They don't want to have to go to trial. The upshot is always that the financial institution has to pay a fine, sometimes in the hundreds of millions, but they don't actually admit to any criminal liability. Their lawyers simply say they are not going to contest the charge, but if they pay, they haven't technically been found guilty of anything.
ME: So you're saying if the government discovers that Goldman Sachs, for instance, or Bank of America, has committed fraud, they effectively just charge them a penalty fee.
OFFICIAL: That's right.
ME: So in that case … okay, I guess the real question is this: has there ever been a case where the amount the firm had to pay was more than the amount of money they made from the fraud itself?
OFFICIAL: Oh no, not to my knowledge. Usually it's substantially less.
ME: So what are we talking here, 50 percent?
OFFICIAL: I'd say more like 20 to 30 percent on average. But it varies considerably case by case.
ME: Which means … correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that effectively mean the government is saying, "you can commit all the fraud you like, but if we catch you, you're going to have to give us our cut"?
OFFICIAL: Well, obviously I can't put it that way myself as long as I have this job …"
October 19, 2020 October 17, 2020 Book review, Book reviews, Books, Bullshit jobs, Bureaucracy, Capitalism, David Graeber, non-fiction, Politics, Reading, Right What You No, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
Book review: Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks
Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
"The soul of our politics is the commitment to ending domination."
Feminism is for Everybody is bell hooks' attempt to have a text that acts as a summary of feminism in an easy to read format for everyone. She had always wanted a book she could hand to people that did away with the exclusionary academic language of feminism. So she caved and wrote one.
This was an interesting book. As much as it is a book about feminism, it also gives a fairly good argument and overview of intersectionality. Its strengths certainly lay in covering the goals of feminism and why it is important, despite the supposed rights gained since the feminist movement started.
Feminism is for Everybody isn't without flaws. Aside from her inability to use the word "the",* hooks doesn't achieve her stated aim of a book free of academic language. While she does keep it to a minimum, I still noted an academic tone to the writing. So while this is accessible, it does fall short of its stated aim.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to everybody.
* Seriously, it was so distracting. Obviously, this was a style choice but I'm not quite sure why it was made.
April 13, 2020 April 13, 2020 bell hooks, Book review, Book reviews, Books, Feminism, Intersectionality, non-fiction, Politics, Reading, Right What You No, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
Book review: The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato
The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy by Mariana Mazzucato
What if I told you that we don't measure most of the things we value in our economy?
Mariana Mazzucato sets out to show that when we talk about the economy we are only talking about certain parts of it (and of our society). She shows how the parts that are included is determined primarily by the history of economic thinking, ideology, and what's currently making people rich. Mariana then argues that this is flawed and fails to account for several very important aspects of the economy to our current and future detriment.
I've read several economics books over the past year that have addressed the failures of the neo-liberal economic ideology. The solid argumentation, countless references, piles of evidence, and rather obviousness of the problems leave me scratching my head as to why these books need to exist. Why isn't this obvious to the various "experts" who are running our economy?
The Value of Everything is a very solid argument for rethinking the way we diminish the role of government in our economy. The current "get out of the way while we're making money, but bail us out when we mess up"* approach is clearly wrong. I've heard the very charismatic arguments from the likes of Friedman on why free markets are the way to go, and I thought Mariana's rebuttals to those arguments were good if a bit too charitable.** But it is clear that governments have a long history of being the innovators, investing early, creating the value that business then exploits, and without that, we're going to see things fall in a heap.
Well worth a read so we can all start to take off our neo-liberal ideological goggles.
* Privatise profits, socialise losses.
** Worth reading this piece on the Virginian School, a more extreme version of Friedman's Chicago School for some context as to how the "Free Market" is a con to turn the masses into slaves.
Curing Affluenza – this has a similar upbeat "fixing" approach to our current system.
Utopia for Realists – takes a different approach and suggests a different system may be needed.
Austerity: History of a dangerous idea – similarly documents some of the failures of neo-liberalism and how it is ideologically driven.
January 10, 2020 January 9, 2020 Book review, Book reviews, Economics, Economy, Mariana Mazzucato, Neo-liberal, non-fiction, Politics, Reading, Rich, Right What You No, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
Book Review: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Being prophetic is really easy when you make a "kids these days" argument.
Amusing Ourselves to Death is Neil Postman's ode to the "good old days" before television when entertainment wasn't ruining everything. TV bad, reading good!
I decided to read this book after it once again started to be referenced as prophetic in the modern age. The first time someone mentioned this book to me I couldn't help but feel the argument was likely to lack substance – you can amuse and inform at the same time.* What I found in this book was a supposition that isn't without merit – slogans and sound bites can be influential whilst lacking any substance – but is argued in a cherry-picked and biased manner.
One example is how Postman claims that political campaigns used to be written long-form to influence voters, whereas now (meaning then in 1985, but many say it is highly relevant today) we get political messages in sound bites and 30-second adverts. This argument underpins his work and is at best convenient revisionism, at worst it is naive drivel. To suggest that there is no modern day long form political articles (and interviews, etc) is rubbish, just like the idea that the historical long-form articles he alludes to were well read by the masses is rubbish.
Another example is Postman claiming that media organisations aren't trying to (in general) maliciously misinform their audience. We know that this isn't the case. Even at the time this was written there were several satires addressing how "news" is deliberately framed for ratings (e.g. Network, Brave New World, the latter he references in the book). Either he has a different interpretation of malicious misinformation or he just thinks the media are incompetent.***
Now, his idea that we should be trying to educate kids to be able to navigate this new media landscape – instilling critical thinking, understanding of logic, rational thought, basic knowledge so that we are less likely to be fooled – is laudable. I completely agree. I'd also agree that there is a desperate need for this in people of all ages when we have an attention economy in place that is less interested in informing you than making sure your eyeballs stay glued for the next advert. I think this is why Postman's book has resonated with people, the arguments aren't without merit. But they are also deeply flawed and problematic.
I can't really recommend this flawed book, but it isn't without merit.
Interview with Postman:
Attention Wars:
* This modern review from an education professional sums up this point:
"Instead of striking a balance between the use and over-use of media in education, Postman has completely shut down the debate in the belief that there is no good way to use visual media like the television and film in education. If you take his thesis to its logical conclusion, the number of technological tools in the classroom would be reduced to the overhead projector, the ScanTron grading machine, the copier and the laser pointer, and the field of educational technology would be greatly reduced in the process."**
** Read this review particularly carefully. The author cites a number of problematic sources for claims made, such as Ben Shapiro, David Barton, Glenn Beck, Jonathan Strong (of The Daily Caller). All are known to deliberately misrepresent their sources (e.g. see my review of Ben Shapiro's book covering this issue).
***Hmmm, could be something to that argument. As I regularly say, don't attribute to malicious intent that which could be incompetence.
NB: I don't normally post reviews of books I haven't enjoyed (3 stars or more out of 5). It is my intention that this particular review will be one of few exceptions.
January 2, 2019 December 29, 2018 Amusing Ourselves to Death, Book review, Book reviews, Books, Brave New World, Media, Neil Postman, non-fiction, Politics, Reading, Right What You No, Social media, Television, TV, Tyson Adams1 Comment
Book review: Political Ideals by Bertrand Russell
Political Ideals by Bertrand Russell
Reading old books reminds you that nothing has changed.
Political Ideals is an essay Bertrand Russell wrote during World War 1 – stay tuned for WW3 – that offers critiques of capitalism, socialism, nationalism, politics, education, and offers insights into how we should go about building a better society. He does this in less than 100 pages.
Russell's essay is filled with interesting and insightful ideas. Even if you disagree with any of them, there is value in engaging with what he is saying. E.g.:
"Few men seem to realize how many of the evils from which we suffer are wholly unnecessary, and that they could be abolished by a united effort within a few years. If a majority in every civilized country so desired, we could, within twenty years, abolish all abject poverty, quite half the illness in the world, the whole economic slavery which binds down nine-tenths of our population; we could fill the world with beauty and joy, and secure the reign of universal peace. It is only because men are apathetic that this is not achieved, only because imagination is sluggish, and what always has been is regarded as what always must be. With good-will, generosity, intelligence, these things could be brought about." Source.
This quote has been paraphrased, rephrased, and appropriated by many in the last century (although, I'm sure these thoughts weren't original when he wrote them). It shows Russell's reputation as a founder of modern analytic philosophy and as having made significant contributions to many subjects is well deserved. Few could so concisely state such a complex social idea.
Worth a read, even if you disagree with Russell on some or all points.
August 20, 2018 August 4, 2018 Bertrand Russell, Book review, Book reviews, Philosophy, Politics, Reading, Right What You No, Tyson Adams1 Comment
Blog Topic, Fun Articles, My Writing, Mythtaken, Sciency
Is sport king in Australia?
Sports Supporters: Alcohol Compulsory Accessory
With pork-barrelling season in full swing, we will be seeing plenty of politicians hitching their wagons to prominent sports and sporting teams. The proclamations that sports are True-blue, dinky-di, Aussie will come to win over voters, with a little somethin' somethin' in the budget to sweeten the deal. Because sport is king in Australia, right?
Aussies are routinely described as sports mad, sports addicts, and that we love watching and playing sports in sporty sports ways. But how many of us actually play sports? How many of us actually watch sports? Given that you could describe weekly matches of football as repeats of the same teams doing the same thing for months on end annually, it is worth taking a look at a few of our assumptions about the claims.
Let's start with a look at how many Aussies play "sports". Inverted commas around sports? Yes, because when people say that 60% (11.1 million) of Aussies play sports – down 5% compared to 2 years previous – what they actually mean is that we're classifying walking and generally not sitting on the couch watching TV as sport. Let's make it fairer on sports and subtract the walkers from being classified as sport participants. And let's not succumb to temptation and call golf just more walking with intermittent cursing. That means that our 11.7 million "sports" participants is suddenly 7.5 million, which is 41.4% of the population (and falling with the ageing population). That figure sounds impressive until you realise that figure is participation of at least once in the past year and doesn't account for the regularity of participation. How regularly someone is involved in sports is a much better indicator of our interest and love of sports. As opposed to accounting for that time you went to the gym because of a New Year's resolution or because the doctor ordered you too out of concern for being dragged into an orbit around you at your next visit. The reality is that less than half of the population engage in regular (3 times per week on average) physical activity, with roughly a third of those people being gym junkies (NB: young men are more likely to play a sport, that drops with age and isn't replaced with other activities, whilst women are more likely to be involved in non-organised sports and remain doing so).
The Top 20 most popular physical activities are dominated by fitness activities like the already mentioned walking, aerobics/fitness, swimming, cycling, and running. One of the big name sports, AFL, ranks 16th on the list behind yoga. When yoga beats football for popularity it must only be a matter of time before the PM declares it the most exciting sport. For those wondering where rugby is on the list, the rest of Australia says 'hi'.
Of course, this is only looking at sports. How does sports participation compare to other activities? Well, ABS figures show that we spend roughly 23 minutes a day reading, versus 21 minutes on sports and outdoor activities (NB: this varies between genders and age groups). The US figures show similar results with more time reading than playing sports, but they also spend less of their day on both activities. So at least we are still better read and fitter than Americans in the low bar metrics.
Obviously sports aren't all about participation and most would regard themselves as avid armchair sportspeople. It could be argued that the best way to stay injury free in sports is to participate from the comfort of the couch in front of the TV at home. The other option is to attend a sporting stadium dressed in clothes made from random assortments of gaudy colours to cheer on a team who are wearing similar clothes but are less inebriated. Or would the most appealing option be to go to a movie, concert or theme park? The correct answer is that people would prefer to attend a movie (59%), a concert (40%), or a theme park (34%). Live Comedy (31%) was more popular than Football (30%), Cricket (29%) and Rugby (25%).
Of course, someone is bound to point to spectator numbers for AFL, A-League, and NRL that look very impressive. With average match attendances in the tens of thousands, and millions annually, sports are clearly important.
Total spectatorship
Average match attendance
A-League 1,887,206 13,480 2013–14 [108]
Australian Football League 6,975,137 33,696 2014 [109]
Big Bash League 823,858 23,539 2014–15 [96]
National Basketball League 574,813 5,132 2013–14 [96]
National Rugby League 3,060,531 15,940 2013 [110]
Super Rugby 773,940 19,348 2012 [111]
At a glance the figures look mildly impressive, but much like enhancement pouch underwear, things aren't nearly as impressive when you look at the attendance figures in the cold light of day.
Even if we disregard the doubling up and totalling of attendance occurring in the stats, it is easy to see that even the most popular sport in Australia would rank behind visiting Botanic gardens, zoos and aquariums, and libraries. They aren't even in the same ballpark as cinema attendance. But we can go deeper on the reading, library and cinema figures, even getting frequency statistics so we can tell the difference between the people doing something "at least once" versus people doing something regularly in the past year. 47.7% of people are reading a book weekly, 70% of library attendees (mostly women) visited at least 5 times in the past year, 65% of Australians are (computer) gamers, and 65% of Aussies go to the cinema an average of 6-7 times a year. And yet sport has a segment in news broadcasts whilst reading, gaming, and parks and zoos battle to get media coverage. Technically if we wanted to be fair then the sport segment would be cut to make way for movie news and a live cross to the local library.
What about the economy? How much are households spending on sports? That's a great question and a great segue into a discussion of how trickle-down economics doesn't work in sports either. I mean, funding sports that way when it hasn't worked in the economy must be a no-brainer, right? [Insert low IQ athlete joke here] Or we could stay on topic and discuss the $4.4 billion sports and physical recreation spend by households annually. Let's not complicate things by talking about the buying of stuff like footwear, swimming pools, and camper vans. Seriously, camping is in the sport spending category? Either way, $4.4 billion sounds like a lot of money, until you realise that gaming is a $3 billion industry, and that households spend $4.1 billion on literature and $4.7 billion on TV and film.
We allow governments to spend a lot of money on big sports and big sporting events. Think that hosting the Olympics will encourage people to play sports? Nope. Actually, seriously, nope. One report described this idea as nothing more than a "deeply entrenched storyline", sort of like a fairy tale handed down from one Minister for Sport to the next. Part of the problem is that we buy this narrative hook, line, and sinker, such that the sports themselves (and surrounding data agencies) never really bother to keep statistics to prove the claims. But they make for great announcements and ribbon cutting events on the election campaign trail, so the myth keeps on keeping on.
Ultimately the argument isn't that sports are unpopular or bad but rather that we spend an inordinate amount of time pretending we like them far more than the reality. And that is impacting our elected officials more than a chance to wear a high-viz vest at a press conference. Maybe it is time to rethink what media and funding we throw at sports, and perhaps consider a gaming segment on the news.
So this pork-barrelling season look forward to the announcement of a new multi-million dollar yoga stadium in a marginal electorate near you.
Update: Charlie Pickering and The Weekly team cover some similar points for the Grand Prix events in Australia.
NB: I haven't covered sports injuries, particularly how over half a million Aussies have long term health conditions as a result of sport. Please see this report for more.
Australian Sport Injury Hospitalisations 2011-12
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19407963.2012.662619
http://apo.org.au/files/Resource/Crawford_Report.pdf
http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/57329/91705_1.pdf
https://theconversation.com/we-need-abs-arts-and-sports-data-to-understand-our-culture-30255
https://theconversation.com/olympics-success-leaves-a-mixed-legacy-for-australias-sporting-life-7531
https://theconversation.com/will-the-olympics-really-inspire-more-people-to-play-sport-8913
https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/smi/ausplay/results/sport
https://theconversation.com/bushwalking-and-bowls-in-schools-we-need-to-teach-kids-activities-theyll-go-on-to-enjoy-123004
June 24, 2016 September 16, 2019 AFL, Aussie sports, Aussies love sport, Australia, Australian love sport, Australian politics, Australian sports, Car racing, Charlie Pickering, Golf, Grand Prix, Humor, Humour, Libraries, Mythaken, opinion, Politics, Pork-barrelling, Reading, Right What You No, Rugby, Sports, Sports injuries, Sports mad, Sports mad Aussies, Statistics, The Weekly, Tyson Adams, Yoga5 Comments
Fun Articles, Humor, My Writing
If a charismatic Aboriginal Australian with an attractive political agenda ran for office, would he ever get elected as Prime Minister?
Sure why not. We've elected people who can't swim, people whose claim to fame was drinking beer fast, and people who think it is appropriate to wear these in public:
So it isn't unreasonable to think that there are better qualified people who could rise to the top despite our casual racism. We still can't get sexism right, but we managed to have a female Prime Minister.
It should be pointed out that while Australia has a proud history of treating Aboriginals like fauna, Indigenous Australians have been elected to state and federal seats. The big problem would be getting the support of one of the major parties to be leader, and that major party holding the balance of power.
I notice that the question implies Aussies elect the Prime Minister directly. We're not silly here in Australia. The last thing you want in a democracy is the people getting to decide important decisions like who is preselected to run for a political seat, how their elected representative should represent them, or who is Prime Minister. Best to keep these decisions out of the hands of the people they impact and make sure only the political insiders get to make those calls.
Our Prime Minister is the leader of the political party that holds the balance of power. Thus, the party decides who is Prime Minister, and is not directly elected. For an Indigenous Aussie to become leader of the party would be no small feat, and they'd have to watch out for knives to the back.
Hopefully we will see an Indigenous Australian Prime Minister. Hell, they might even be non-male just to shake things up a bit. Just hard to tell how many old white guys we'll see before that happens.
This post originally appeared on Quora.
May 20, 2016 May 18, 2016 Aboriginals, Answers, Australia, Australian politics, Australian Prime Minister, Humor, Humour, Indigenous Australians, Indigenous politicians, Politics, Q and A, Q&A, Quora, Quora answers, Racism, Satire, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
Fun Articles, Humor
My New Year's Resolutions
I'm looking forward to 2015. With each New Year there is a chance to change ourselves and the world around us, to make it better, to lay plans to bring about a better Australia. It is always best to make these plans at the beginning of the year, not at any other times throughout the year, because the earlier we make the plans, the easier it will be to forget them when it comes time to follow through.
This year I plan to make a few small changes, and if others follow my lead, we may have a better country by 2016.
Join a gym.
Last year I tried to lose weight using the Paleo Diet, which was based on the diet that someone who failed history and biology thought our ancestors ate. This year I'm going to join a gym for the year and then stop attending sometime in the second week of January. Regular gym members appreciate it if New Year's Resolutioners leave before the end of January so that they have forty-eight to fifty weeks of the year they can work out unhindered. Gyms appreciate the extra memberships to keep their business running without having to invest in more equipment and space.
Do something about climate change.
I know I've been putting this one off since the 1980s, but this year for sure. Look, I know that coal is good for humanity and that climate change is crap, but I have all of these scientist friends who work for all of these science organisations who have been pestering me. I think at this stage it would be easier to stop using fossil fuels just to shut these experts up.
Stop reading the fantasy fiction genre.
There has been a lot of fantasy fiction released this past year. Regular series were back again with tales from Fox News, The Australian, in fact just about everything published by News Corporation. Until these fantasy authors start producing more realistic stories, such as Matthew Reilly's story about a zoo filled with dragons, then I will have to stop reading them.
End my expectation of entitlement and join team Australia.
Australians have been far too entitled for far too long. Living in a first world economy that survived the 2008 Global Financial Crisis relatively unscathed has made us complacent. We have to stop expecting welfare, job security, privacy, and a fair go, unless we are rich, white, coal miners.
Start saving for my kids' education.
Part of being entitled was the idea that we could expect an education that would give Aussies a good start at the fair go. Now it is up to me to make sure that my kids can afford an education. Our leaders know that it isn't realistic for Aussies to expect a free education like they had, it is much more realistic to saddle young Australians with huge education debts, or have rich parents. Not being rich I'll have to save money now for my kids' education, they'll just have to do without clothes, shoes and food in the meantime.
Write more letters of support for politicians.
Our nation's elected leaders had a tough time in 2014 with experts from science, economics and ethics disagreeing with their policies and statements. Whether it be scientists pointing out that climate change was real, economists disagreeing with the budget measures and pointing out that the carbon tax was working, or the Human Rights Commission condemning the asylum seeker policies, it is clear that our politicians need more support for their uninformed policies. So I will be writing letters of support in 2015 encouraging them to stay the course, no matter how many uppity experts, with their facts and logic, disagree with them.
January 4, 2015 Abbott Government, Age of Entitlement, Anthropogenic climate change, Asylum seekers, Australia, Australian, Budget, climate change, Climate deniers, Coal, Coal is good for humanity, Economics, Economy, Education, Entitlement, Fantasy fiction, Fox News, Gym, New Year, New Year's Resolutions, News Corporation, Paleo diet, Politicians, Politics, Right What You No, Rupert Murdoch, Satire Satirical, Team Australia, The Australian, Tony Abbott, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
I love to hate tech articles: internet speed
I love technology. So many cool things have been made during my lifetime that it is hard to believe that as a 30-something I can remember a time before mobile phones, laptops, CDs, DVDs, tablets, and even personal computers. Since I love technology and love to read, it is a no-brainer for me to keep abreast of the latest developments via tech articles, especially since these articles are so woefully out of touch with the average person that they are comedy gold.
The article that tickled my funny-bone this time was all about Google's new internet service. As part of Google's plans for world domination, whilst not being evil of course, they are entering the market with an optical fibre broadband rollout in the USA. This video explains the deal with Google Fibre (video a little old now):
The funny part is the article author lamenting his current internet pricing and speeds relative to the service offered by Google:
My $52-per-month plan bestows me with the unheralded power of 30Mbps down and 5Mbps up, a depressing far cry from the (Google Fibre) $70 (and 1 Gbps up and down).
Sorry, not funny ha-ha, but funny sad. According to the reports into global internet speeds, the average US internet user is downloading at 10Mbps, with only 34% of users getting speeds above that (see figure below), ranking them top 10 in the world for speed.
Akamai State of the Internet Report Q4 2013
Meanwhile my Aussie internet is ranked 44th in the world, with average speeds of 5.8Mbps and 9.7% of users having average speeds higher than that.
Akamai State of the Internet Report Q4 2013 – Asia
So the tech author was lamenting internet that not only ranks as some of the best in the world, but is also some of the cheapest. In Australia we have some the most expensive broadband in the world (although not as a % of income) and the service is quite possibly far worse than our average speeds would suggest. Just a few kilometres from where I'm sitting, deep in rural Australia, there are people who can't get the internet. Whilst I have above average internet at work and at home – although that average bar is low enough for an asthmatic 2 year old with no coordination to jump over – the copper network is antiquated and slows the speed of internet down the further you get from the hub. Once you are 20-30 kilometres out of town, the internet is so slow that you are running dialup speeds, which is ridiculous and annoying when most of the web assumes broadband speeds. These slow speeds means that most people not in town have satellite broadband, which is speed limited by the number of users at any one time, is really expensive, and even the top speeds are capped at 800kbps. No, I'm not kidding.
Australia isn't even in a position to climb the internet rankings in any great hurry either. There were two broadband plans taken to the last Australian election: Fibre to the Home and Fibre to the Node. Since optic fibre (that stuff Google is rolling out) is only going to the node, that means people in cities will have to pay to get their connection upgraded, while we can now expect to see most rural areas of Australia covered by satellite plans (the ones I just told you sucked). Both of these options are more expensive regionally or where the "node" is a long way from the "home". See the outline below (source):
Access to the internet is a wonderful thing: information at your fingertips, streaming news and entertainment, commerce on a global scale, and lots of porn. Australia is not really in the digital age, limping along with second-rate connections, political plans for second-rate upgrades, and monopolies charging big $$ for second-rate services. Which is why the tech articles are so interesting in the way they show the massive disconnect between the writers, tech services, and the rest of the world.
See other articles: http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/the-rise-and-fall-of-australias-44-billion-broadband-project
http://www.politicalscience.com.au/2010/04/why-we-need-national-broadband-network.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_access
May 26, 2014 Australia, Broadband, Dialup, Fibre internet, Fibre to the Home, Fibre to the Node, Google, internet, internet speeds, Politicians, Politics, Right What You No, Satellite, Tech articles, Technology, Tyson Adams, USA2 Comments
New Sobriety Tests
Walk in a crooked line
Let's face it, walking in a straight line is something people now practice. Make the line crooked and you'll quickly have people staggering like drunken zombies, regardless of the number of drinks they've had.
Not buy a kebab
Somewhere between the pub and home there is always a kebab store. If someone can walk past it and not buy a kebab, then they are sober.
Discuss politics without yelling
Although this may just mean the person yelling is a politician. Either way, just lock them up to be on the safe side.
Not heckle a comedian
Unless they are on this list, in which case don't stop at heckling, molotov invented a drink that needs to be served to them.
Check that they don't use the phrase "I'm not drunk."
May be combined with the phrases "I've only had one/couple of drinks" or "Just a wine with dinner."
Refuse to sing karaoke
Much like the kebab, there is no way a drunk person can refrain from busting out a classic tune in all its warbling, tone deaf, shouted glory.
August 1, 2013 August 7, 2013 Alcohol, Beer, classic tune, Comedian, crooked line, Drinking, Drunk, drunk person, Fun, Funny, Heckle, heckling, Humor, Humour, Karaoke, Kebab, Politics, Right What You No, tone deaf, Tyson Adams, walking in a straight line, Whiskey, Wine, YellingLeave a comment
Mythtaken, Pics, Reblogged, Science, Sciency
Election 2013: Australian House of Reps and Climate Change
Normally I don't talk politics. It really hurts my head when I repeatedly bash it against the desk when listening to politicians speak. Being apolitical I see little point in discussing what a bunch of self-serving failed lawyers do on a daily basis. Regardless, I've reblogged this post from uknowispeaksense – a fellow science nerd – as he has done a very good breakdown of both the houses of Australian parliament and where they stand on climate change.
Being a scientist, I find the current political inaction on climate change to be unacceptable. I find the denial of climate science to be akin to disputing gravity. Then again, I'm sure we could find politicians that would argue pigs can fly if there were enough votes in it. The science is settled. So I think it is important that people know where their politicians stand on what is quite possibly the most important issue to face humanity.
Also, this link has position statements of various parties.
Note: Senators' positions here.
In September this year, 2013, Australians will head to the polls to exercise their democratic right and vote in the federal election, with each eligible voter hoping the party of their choice wins enough seats to govern for the next 3 years. Recently, Australian politics has seemingly become much like American politics with the right shifting to the extreme right and what were formerly centre left shifting slightly to the centre. In the process, the issue of climate change has become highly politicised. The idea of this page, is to highlight where each party and some selected individuals stand on climate change. In particular, I am interested in whether they accept the science or not.
Recent climate change is real, it is happening now, it is caused by humans and it is serious. This is not up for debate because the science is settled. Every major national scientific body in the developed world and the tens of thousands of scientists researching the climate accept this as fact. In my opinion, and many others, it is hands down the most important global issue and challenge facing humanity, and urgent action is required…now.
In order for global initiatives to be implemented to tackle the threat of climate change we must have governments who are prepared to act, and that means we must first have governments that accept the science. So how does our current crop of politicians stack up? To find out, Hansard, party websites, individual websites, press releases, newspaper, radio and television interview transcripts were searched for definitive statements made by our politicians that demonstrate that they either accept the science or not. Where a definitive statement wasn't apparent, but the Member had mentioned some aspects of climate change, I emailed the Member requesting clarification of their position. Where no response was provided, the Member was classified as "no data" or "insufficient data". Two Members made no mention of "climate change" or "global warming" at all in the places searched. They have been placed in the denier category. Retiring politicians (as at February 16, 2013) have been excluded.
An example of a definitive statement accepting the science on climate change is this one from Steve Irons, the Liberal Party Member for Swan, who when rising to speak in parliament on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 and associated Bills (CPRS2009), said…
"I accept the premise that climate change exists and that greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the accelerated rate of climate change. There is evidence to support this and I lend my weight to those arguments."
The link for that speech is here. An example of a definitive statement or statements rejecting the science is this barrage from Warren Truss, the National Party Member for Wide Bay as reported in the Australian newspaper.
"It's too simplistic to link a finite spell to climate change."
"These comments tend to be made on hot days rather than cold days.
"I'm told it's minus one in Mt Wellington at the present time in Tasmania.
"Hobart's expecting a maximum of 16.
"Australia's climate, it's changing, it's changeable. We have hot times, we have cold times…
"The reality is that it's utterly simplistic to suggest that we have these fires because of climate change."
This is the usual grab bag of inane throw away lines, or variations of, one can find on any climate denial website. So, just how many of our politicians accept or reject the science of climate change?
Position on the science of climate change of current Australian members of the House of Representatives. n=150
What is clear from this graph is that the majority of Members accept the scientific consensus on climate change and have made definitive statements to that effect. When we break it down into party affiliations v position, we get an interesting look into the politicisation of the issue.
Position on the science of climate change of Members of the House of Representatives by political party affiliation. n=144 (6 retiring)
The striking thing about this graph that should be immediately apparent, is the fact that nearly every Australian Labor Party Member has made a definitive statement accepting the science of climate change. For the conservatives, the split is nearly 50/50. This can be broken down further…
Position on the science of climate change of Coalition Members of the House of Representatives by political party affiliation n=59
No real surprises here that the Nationals, being the representatives for large areas of "the bush" are climate change deniers. Their constituents tend to be highly conservative. Please note: retiring members and those for which there is no data have been excluded from this graph.
So, who accepts the science and who doesn't? What is clear is that if you are of the right, there's a good chance you are in the wrong. Here is a complete breakdown of the results with each member and their position.
Current sitting Members of the House of Representatives and their position on climate change science.
It's probably fitting that the leader of the opposition, with a bit of help from alphabetisation, tops the list of deniers. This is the man who wants to lead the country and he refuses to accept the science of climate change. Remember, it is Abbott who claimed that "climate change is crap." Now I'm sure there are supporters of Mr Abbott who will find quotes about his direct action plan to tackle climate change and hold this up as evidence that he is serious about the climate however, this is the man who will say anything for political expediency.
The thing that really bugs me about the list of deniers, is the presence of those National Party Members. While it isn't surprising, these 8 people are supposed to represent Australian rural communities and have their best interests at heart. Climate change is likely to have very severe impacts on agricultural production in Australia. The CSIRO State of the Climate 2012 report states…
Australian average temperatures are projected to rise by 0.6 to 1.5 °C by 2030 when compared with the climate of 1980 to 1999. The warming is projected to be in the range of 1.0 to 5.0 °C by 2070 if global greenhouse gas emissions are within the range of projected future emission scenarios considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These changes will be felt through an increase in the number of hot days and warm nights, and a decline in cool days and cold nights.
Climate models suggest long-term drying over southern areas during winter and over southern and eastern areas during spring. This will be superimposed on large natural variability, so wet years are likely to become less frequent and dry years more frequent. Droughts are expected to become more frequent in southern Australia; however, periods of heavy rainfall are still likely to occur.
These changes will require mitigation and adaptation activities to be undertaken not just by the agricultural producers, but also the communities in which they exist, and without government support, many will go to the wall. One wonders if a government full of climate change deniers will be able to make the important decisions that will secure Australia's food future? For an insight into the potential challenges faced by agricultural producers in the future, as well as what will be required to adapt and mitigate, it is well worth reading the 2012 paper by Beverly Henry et al titled, Livestock production in a changing climate: adaptation and mitigation research in Australia. From the abstract…
Climate change presents a range of challenges for animal agriculture in Australia. Livestock production will be affected by changes in temperature and water availability through impacts on pasture and forage crop quantity and quality, feed-grain production and price, and disease and pest distributions. This paper provides an overview of these impacts and the broader effects on landscape functionality, with a focus on recent research on effects of increasing temperature, changing rainfall patterns, and increased climate variability on animal health, growth, and reproduction, including through heat stress, and potential adaptation strategies.
Full text available here. It's not just livestock. It's across the board. What will wine growers do in the face of earlier springs, increased risk of fungal diseases and changes in the microbiology and chemistry of winemaking? What will apple and stone fruit growers do to cope with a decrease in the efficacy of natural pest predators due to phenological changes in host species? Will wheat farmers be able to rely on a government full of climate change deniers to provide adequate R&D funding to combat lower yields? One need only look to Queensland to see what ideological climate change denial from a government looks like.
So, here are a few examples of the kinds of statements made by the deniers in our parliament. Remember, these people are ignoring the advice of tens of thousands of experts from around the world who are all saying the same thing, and they want to make decisions on your behalf, that won't just affect you, but your children and grandchildren as well.
"The Prime Minister and her ministers have repeatedly declared that the "science is settled" and there is no need for further debate on how to respond to the environmental challenges from climate change. A Nobel Prize-winning scientist told me recently that "science is never settled" and that scientific assumptions and conclusions must always be challenged. This eminent Noble Laureate pointed that had he accepted the so-called "settled science", he would not have undertaken his important research, which challenged orthodox scientific propositions and led to new discoveries, which resulted in a Nobel Prize." Julie Bishop
That was Julie Bishop appealing to authority…the wrong authority.
"We are after all only talking about models and forecasts. Just as an aside, when the weather bureau cannot reliably tell me what the weather is going to be like tomorrow and then tells me that in 100 years there are going to be sea level rises of a metre as a result of climate change, I think I am entitled to exercise a level of caution in deciding whether to accept everything that is put to me about weather, climate and long-term trends." Darren Chester
Darren Chester, failing to understand the difference between short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate trends. Scarily, he then goes on to discuss how wonderful it would be to dig out and burn all the brown coal in the Latrobe Valley. For the uninitiated, burning any coal is bad, but burning brown coal specifically is very bad. It burns much cooler than anthracite due to higher water content and less lithification and so you have to burn more of it to produce the same amount of energy.
"As I rise to speak on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 and related bills, I do so wondering whether the debate is being driven by alarmists or scientists. Are we debating this subject from a scientific standpoint or are we being caught up in the emotion of the times? We do live in an uncertain world and it is understandable why it can be easier to accept statements at face value rather than questioning what we are being told. I have been reading Professor Ian Plimer's book on his response to the global warming debate. It makes for very interesting and illuminating reading, and I would recommend it to any member entering the debate on global warming."Joanna Gash
Joanna Gash basing her uneducated and ill-informed opinion on the writings of a non-expert who has never published a single peer-reviewed paper on the subject of climate change and who is the director of seven mining companies. Can you say "vested interests" Joanna?
"To say that climate change is human induced is to overblow and overstate our role in the scheme of the universe quite completely over a long period of time. I note that the member for Fraser came in here today with a very strong view about how human beings have been the source of all change in the universe at all times. He has joined a long line of Labor backbenchers I have spoken about in this place before—amateur scientists, wannabe weather readers, people who want to read the weather, people who like to come in here and make the most grandiose predictions about all sorts of scientific matters without even a basic understanding of the periodic table, or the elements or where carbon might be placed on the periodic table. So the member for Fraser has joined this esteemed group of people who seem to be great authorities on science." Alex Hawke
Alex Hawke, also confusing weather with climate but doing so in a spectacularly arrogant way. I love it. He's not just saying, "I'm an idiot" but rather "I'm really an idiot and you better believe it! So there!" Who wants to ask Mr Hawke where carbon is on the periodic table? I know I do.
"As the only PhD qualified scientist in this parliament, I have watched with dismay as the local and international scientific communities and our elected leaders have taken a seemingly benign scientific theory and turned it into a regulatory monolith designed to solve an environmental misnomer. With a proper understanding of the science, I believe we would not even be entering into this carbon tax debate. To put it simply, the carbon tax, with all its regulatory machinations, is built on quicksand. Take away the dodgy science and the need for a carbon tax becomes void. I do not accept the premise of anthropogenic climate change, I do not accept that we are causing significant global warming and I reject the findings of the IPCC and its local scientific affiliates." Dennis Jensen
Dennis Jensen, legend in his own lunchtime appealing to his own non-authority and single-handedly dismissing the honest, dispassionate work of tens of thousands of real scientists from around the world. At this point I should point out that Dennis Jensen does indeed have a Phd….in materials engineering on ceramics. Next time it starts raining cups and plates I'll be sure to look him up. Oh, and he is also tied in with the Lavoisier Group and according to Wikipedia, boycotted parliament the day Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generation. I know that isn't relevant to climate change but hey, if he's a racist arsehole then everyone has the right to know about it. Anyway, I strongly urge my readers to check out the rest of his parliamentary rant. It is a cracker. Every single paragraph is filled with…well….crap. Who voted for this clown?
"Perhaps more concerning is the evidence that suggests climate scientists have engaged in manipulation of data, routine alienation of scientists who dispute the theory of anthropogenic global warming and the overall culture of climate change science that encourages group think and silences dissent."Don Randall
Don Randall, reflecting on a newspaper article about "Climategate"no less. Obviously 9 independent investigations into "Climategate" all finding no wrong doing isn't enough for the wilfully ignorant. For a good roundup of the whole saga, skepticalscience is the place to go.
These were just a few of the deniers and their ill-informed statements that I randomly selected. Having read through so many speeches and transcripts and media releases, I can attest that these are representative of the other deniers in the list. For me, the mind boggles when it comes to climate change denial. Presumably, these politicians are meant to be rational people. The appeals to the authority of non-experts really confuse me. It is akin to getting a plumber instead of an electrician to rewire your house. They wouldn't get a vet to perform the brain surgery some of them clearly need. Why do they think the opinions of non-experts has any weight when it comes to climate science? It is completely irrational.
I guess it may seem to some that I am picking on the conservatives…and that would be correct, but I also have one or two big questions to ask of the ALP. If you all accept the science behind climate change as you claim and see fossil fuel combustion as the primary cause of recent climate change, why do you subsidise the fossil fuel industry to the tune of billions of dollars every year? Why not use that sort of money to develop the renewable energy sector and get us off our dependence on coal quicker?
This year's election, if recent polling results carry through to September, is going to be won by the conservatives. Their leader, who admits to lying, who is on the record as holding different policy positions based on political expediency, is surrounded by men and women who are irrational in their non-acceptance of the science of climate change, many of them failing to grasp simple concepts such as the difference between weather and climate. Some of them suffer heavily from arrogance and one inparticular the Dunning-Kruger effect. A number of them have links to the mining industry and right-wing think tanks that are funded by mining companies and/or have mining executives on their boards. I wonder where their royalties loyalties lay? Is it with the people who have elected them, or their mining mates? I think I know the answer and it isn't we the people. But then you've got the ALP subsiding the very industries they are claiming are the problem. Decisions decisions. For some, the decision might be about the lesser of two evils. Choose wisely.
Thanks to John Byatt for his valuable assistance with data collection.
If any politicians read this and feel they have been misrepresented, please feel free to contact me at unknowispeaksense@y7mail.com preferably with a definitive statement and I will make the necessary corrections and publish your response.
I have done the same thing for the Senate here.
Check out the National Party's disconnect here.
Tyson Says: A point I should make about the results here, which was also made on The Drum last night: The Labor Party doesn't allow for crossing the floor or dissenting public comment. Now, it isn't like there aren't penalties in the other parties for doing so, but this point needs to be considered when viewing the statistics.
Essentially, where it has all of Labor politicians on board with climate change, that is actually a party stance, not the individuals. I know from first hand discussions that there are Labor politicians who don't believe in climate change science, but they won't go on record as such because the party room has voted against them.
This is partly why we see such pathetic policies and hypocritical positions (e.g. mine coal like it is going out of fashion whilst claiming coal is to blame). Remember, politicians don't care about science or facts, they care about making their supporters happy. Just don't think that the voting public are their key supporters, because they certainly didn't donate tens of millions to their party.
See why I'm apolitical?
June 10, 2013 January 16, 2014 australian parliament, climate, climate change, Climate denial, Climate science, Election 2013, Environment, political inaction, Politicians, Politics, Right What You No, Science, science nerd, Tyson Adams, uknowispeaksense5 Comments
Fun Articles, Humor, Science, Sciency, Uncategorized, Video
Does gun control work? Well, yes, yes it does.
I could post a bunch of statistics and the data from various countries, but instead I'm going to post The Daily Show's three part series on the topic.
Now, I don't like the idea of making it illegal for people to be able to be involved in the sport of shooting, nor making vermin control prohibitive. I think in some respects that Australian gun laws are probably a little too restrictive. I also think that the figures on how effective our gun control measures have been are a little overstated, as law enforcement had already made inroads into lowering gun crime prior to the new laws in 1996. But overall, in my opinion, Australia doesn't have much of a gun problem now. Making sure gun owners are responsible people who are involved in the sport of shooting and not a disgruntled time bomb going unnoticed until they start shooting people, seems to be a good thing.
Update: other articles on gun myths:
https://tysonadams.com/2013/06/26/i-think-youre-mythtaken-guns/
https://tysonadams.com/2014/03/21/i-think-youre-mythtaken-guns-2-the-second-armour-piercing-round/
http://thinkprogress.org/gun-debate-guide/#moreguns
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hemenway-guns-20150423-story.html
April 27, 2013 September 3, 2015 1996, Australia, Daily Show, Gun control, Gun massacres, Guns, John Howard, John Oliver, NRA, Politics, Right What You No, Tyson AdamsLeave a comment
Book Review: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Every time I walk past a book store I just have to take a wander through and see what is on the shelf. The last time I saw two books that caught my eye, Luther: The Calling and Red White and Blood. I'd never heard of the latter, never heard of the author, Christopher Farnsworth, and this was the most recent in a three book series.
Sadly I've been burnt before, so I only walked out of the store with Luther. No matter how interesting this book looked, it was about vampires, politics and secrets, this could have been Twilight in the Whitehouse for all I knew. So instead I contacted my trusty local librarian and asked if they had any of the books on the shelves, they had all three. I'm glad they had them all.
Chris's writing is witty, fast paced and well crafted. Essentially he has written a supernatural thriller in direct opposition to the sparkly lameness that has infected the supernatural genre. Despite the themes, the line isn't crossed into horror territory, remaining firmly enjoyable to thriller fans who don't like the gore aspect.
In short, I won't be getting to Luther: The Calling, until after I finish all three of Chris' Nathaniel Cade novels.
December 15, 2012 Blood, Blood Oath, Christopher Farnsworth, Humor, Humour, Nathaniel Cade, Politics, President, Right What You No, supernatural genre, supernatural thriller, Thriller, Tyson Adams, USA, Vampire, Whitehouse, WittyLeave a comment


text:
La chapelle Saint-Roch est une chapelle catholique française, située à Montgenèvre (Hautes-Alpes) dans le diocèse de Gap et d'Embrun.

Historique et architecture
La chapelle fut érigée par les familles Bousquet et WIBAUX, en mémoire de Pierre Bousquet, son fils Bernard Stéphane Bousquet, Andrecito FATTET, Théodore WIBAUX et ses deux fils André WIBAUX et Raymond WIBAUX, tous les 6 emportés par une avalanche au col du Chenaillet le .

Une plaque commémorative sur la chapelle rappelle cet événement.

Actuellement fermée au public, elle est la seule des trois chapelles à être communale.

Notes et références

Montgenevre
Montgenevre
Montgenèvre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Unable to write function for df.columns to factorize() I have a dataframe df:
age           45211 non-null int64
job           45211 non-null object
marital       45211 non-null object
default       45211 non-null object
balance       45211 non-null int64
housing       45211 non-null object
loan          45211 non-null object
contact       45211 non-null object
day           45211 non-null int64
month         45211 non-null object
duration      45211 non-null int64
campaign      45211 non-null int64
pdays         45211 non-null int64
previous      45211 non-null int64
poutcome      45211 non-null object
conversion    45211 non-null int64

I want to do two things:
(1) I want to create two sub-dataframes which will be automatically separated by dtype=object and dtype=int64. I thought of something like this:
object_df=[]
int_df=[]

for i in df.columns:
   if dtype=object:
       *add column to object_df*
   else:
       *add column to int_df*

(2) Next, I want to use the columns from object_df['job','marital','default','housing','loan','contact','month','poutcome'] and write a function which factorizes each column, so that categories will be converted to numbers. I thought of something like this:
job_values,job_labels= df['job'].factorize()
df['job_fac']=job_values

Since I would have to copy and paste those for all columns in the object_df, is there a way to write a neat dynamic function?

A: Use DataFrame.select_dtypes first:
object_df = df.select_dtypes(object)
int_df = df.select_dtypes(np.number)

And then create lambda function for factorize, DataFrame.add_suffix and DataFrame.join to original DataFrame:
cols = ['job','marital','default','housing','loan','contact','month','poutcome']
df = df.join(object_df[cols].apply(lambda x: pd.factorize(x)[0]).add_suffix('_fac'))

Sample:
np.random.seed(2020)
c = ['age', 'job', 'marital', 'default', 'balance', 'housing', 'loan', 'contact', 'day', 'month', 'duration', 'campaign', 'pdays', 'previous', 'poutcome', 'conversion']
cols = ['job','marital','default','housing','loan','contact','month','poutcome']
cols1 = np.setdiff1d(c, cols)

df1 = pd.DataFrame(np.random.choice(list('abcde'), size=(3, len(cols))), columns=cols)
df2 = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randint(10, size=(3, len(cols1))), columns=cols1)
df = pd.concat([df1, df2], axis=1).reindex(columns=c)
print (df)
   age job marital default  balance housing loan contact  day month  duration  \
0    9   a       a       d        5       d    d       d    6     a         5
1    4   a       a       c        2       b    d       d    7     c         1
2    3   a       e       e        2       a    e       b    1     b         2

   campaign  pdays  previous poutcome  conversion
0         6      4         6        a           6
1         3      4         9        d           4
2         0      7         1        c           9

object_df = df.select_dtypes(object)
print (object_df)

  job marital default housing loan contact month poutcome
0   a       a       d       d    d       d     a        a
1   a       a       c       b    d       d     c        d
2   a       e       e       a    e       b     b        c

int_df = df.select_dtypes(np.number)
print (int_df)
   age  balance  day  duration  campaign  pdays  previous  conversion
0    9        5    6         5         6      4         6           6
1    4        2    7         1         3      4         9           4
2    3        2    1         2         0      7         1           9

cols = ['job','marital','default','housing','loan','contact','month','poutcome']
df = df.join(object_df[cols].apply(lambda x: pd.factorize(x)[0]).add_suffix('_fac'))

print (df)
   age job marital default  balance housing loan contact  day month  ...  \
0    9   a       a       d        5       d    d       d    6     a  ...
1    4   a       a       c        2       b    d       d    7     c  ...
2    3   a       e       e        2       a    e       b    1     b  ...

   poutcome  conversion  job_fac  marital_fac default_fac  housing_fac  \
0         a           6        0            0           0            0
1         d           4        0            0           1            1
2         c           9        0            1           2            2

   loan_fac  contact_fac  month_fac  poutcome_fac
0         0            0          0             0
1         0            0          1             1
2         1            1          2             2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Afghan airstrikes kill 31 militants: Officials
File photo. Photograph:( Reuters )
AFP Ghazni, Afghanistan Mar 14, 2019, 07.16 PM (IST)
Thirty-one militants, many of them believed to have been Al-Qaeda fighters, have been killed in airstrikes in south-eastern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
The strikes were carried out in Ghazni province late Wednesday, where the defence ministry said they targeted a "base" belonging to the militants.
"Qari Aref, one of the facilitators (for Al-Qaeda) was transferring these 31 terrorists, including nine suicide bombers, in several cars when targeted by airstrikes and eliminated," the ministry said.
It described the fighters as all belonging to the Middle Eastern jihadist group, although a spokesman for the Ghazni governor said fighters from the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network were also present.
The defence ministry did not specify who carried out the airstrikes. Only Afghan and US forces in Afghanistan conduct airstrikes.
The Ghazni governor's spokesman, Mohammed Aref Noori, said the strikes had been carried out by US forces, but there was no immediate confirmation of his claim.
Al-Qaeda is still believed to be active in parts Afghanistan and Pakistan, where some of its surviving leadership such as Ayman al-Zawahiri are thought to be hiding.
While still regarded as a threat by Afghan and US officials, the group has not been able to conduct major attacks in Afghanistan or repeat the spectacular success of the September 11, 2001 attacks by hijacked airliners on New York and Washington.
The strikes were carried out in Ghazni province late Wednesday, where the defence ministry said they targeted a 'base' belonging to the militants.
Swedish charity can re-open Afghan clinics: Taliban
'My entire world was gone': Floods devastate northern Pakistan
From Kabul to Baghdad, a tale of two 'Green Zones'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Demand for gas and increasing interest in renewables are breathing life into traditional offshore and marine energy markets. Bureau Veritas helps clients achieve safe construction and operation while producing on a cost-effectiveness and sustainable basis.
Offshore actors demand flexible solutions alongside technical expertise. Driven by the need to supply sustainable and environmental-friendly energy , engineering companies, manufacturers and operators aim at developing innovative and cost-effective solutions. While safety of people and environment remains the industry's top priority, reduction of lifecycle cost and maximization of assets availability appear as the way forward in making oil, gas or electricity affordable everywhere in the world.
Bureau Veritas class and certify any asset within an offshore field or farm. We support offshore actors to improve safety, optimize costs throughout their assets' lifecycle and reduce risks during operations. . By investing in R&D and developing new standards, we also promote the business model and performance of marine renewable energy projects.
We support our clients in developing new designs that save time and money - always targetting the best performance and quality for their assets.
We provide Approval in Principle, certification and classification of new designs as well as new technologies qualification.
Bureau Veritas is the leader in FSRU classification. Our dedicated classification rules detail requirements to address FSRU technical and operational aspects.
At the cutting edge of innovation, we work to qualify new subsea technologies by conducting design reviews, and providing qualification of new technology and Approvals in Principle. We also deliver type approval certificate for Subsea Umbilical, Risers and Flowlines for a wide range of offshore use.
As complete compliance partners, we support operators at every phase of decommissioning—from portfolio planning through safe asset decommissioning programming to in-field delivery.
Our Independent Verification Body (IVB) services experts work on some of the industry's most complex projects, ensuring safety and compliance on all types of offshore units.
Optimize the integrity of your offshore asset throughout the lifecycle with Veristar AIM3D.
Marine Energy Devices such as Tidal and River Energy Converters, Wave Energy Converters or Ocean Thermal Energy Converters, still in the early stages of development.
Leveraging our expertise in marine, power and offshore, we support the business model of MRE projects by providing Approvals in Principle,Type Certifications for equipment or device as well as qualifications of new technologies and power curve certifications. For projects on the way to commercialization, we propose to cover all the safety, intergrity and performance aspects of a development with a Project Certification.


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Events - Young Adults Calendar View
Events (7+)
Young Adult (6+)
Young Adults (6+)
Friday, February 3, 2023, 6:30 PM
Sacred Heart Frassati Fellowship YA Bible Study
Young Adult Bible Study at Sacred Heart Church. We meet in the Youth Room located next. to the Sacred Heart School gym. Email Kelsey for more information, ksanchez@shcs.org.
Holy Hour + Social Hour @ St. Michael the Archangel
Friday, February 10, 2023, 6:30 PM
Sacred Heart Frassati Fellowship YA Holy Hour + Social
Join us for a Holy Hour and Social at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Ascension Valentine's Day Party
Join us on February 14th to celebrate! You can come with a friend, spouse, or on your own to meet new people! Tickets will be sold before and on the day of the event. $12 per ticket includes 4 tacos a beverage and dessert! We will have music and a raffle. See you there!
Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 6:30 PM
St. Alice YA Holy Hour + Social
Join us for a Holy Hour followed by a social.
Friday, February 24, 2023, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Encounter: Young Adults Catholic Ministry at Mt. Angel Abbey
Join us for a Friday evening retreat, including Dinner, Eucharistic Adoration, and Sacrament of Reconciliation, lectio divina, followed by Compline, and fellowship at Benedictine Brewery. Ages 18–35 are welcome. Suggested donation of $10 to cover cost of dinner and snacks. Questions? Email encounter@mtangel.edu. Please RSVP by sending an email to encounter@mtangel.edu.
Friday, March 3, 2023, 6:30 PM
Friday, March 10, 2023, 6:30 PM
Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 6:30 PM
Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Friday, April 7, 2023, 6:30 PM
Friday, April 14, 2023, 6:30 PM
Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 6:30 PM
Friday, April 28, 2023, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM


Located off Aberdeen Bay, this pioneering offshore wind farm has 11 turbines with a total generating capacity of 93.2MW.
EDS was subcontracted by Boskalis to complete cable termination and testing work on the 66kV network, and successfully completed the scope of work on the 11 assets while providing the expertise and skill set required to work with the increased voltage.
Learn more about the Aberdeen Offshore Windfarm here .


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Francesca Amiker
Published: January 16, 2017, 10:53 pm
Tags: Jacksonville, News, Crime
Rape kit tested 2 decades later leads to arrest
Jacksonville police accuse Willie Miles of raping woman in 1995
A Jacksonville man was arrested last week accused of two counts of sexual battery in connection to an attack police said he committed nearly 22 years ago.
When a woman reported she was struck in the face, choked and sexually assaulted in May 1995 in a downtown parking garage, a rape kit containing evidence was collected, but officials said it was not submitted for processing until 2014 when the public pressure was increasing to catch up on a backlog of rape kits.
Police said the test found a DNA match to 49-year-old old Willie James Miles, who was arrested Jan. 10. He is being held in the Duval County jail on $1 million bail.
"For a long time the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement), which is the law enforcement agency that processes these rape kits, they were greatly understaffed," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said. "It wasn't mandated until after the year 2000 that all rape kits be processed, so in every case, you did not have the kits being processed. For example, if you didn't have any evidence that a crime had occurred, sometimes it wasn't processed. Or, if the victim and suspect knew each other, they were boyfriend and girlfriend, that type of dispute, in those cases sometimes the kids weren't processed."
Last April, Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation to help push thousands of rape kits through the testing system, and even provided funding to use private labs to catch up on the backlog.
Last month, News4Jax learned that Duval and Nassau counties had 1,400 kits still waiting to be tested. That same month, the Woman's Center of Jacksonville said that all remaining kits should be submitted to the FDLE crime lab by February.
When he was arrested on the sexual battery charges Miles was on supervised release on a Pasco County conviction for failing to disclose the status of property sold to a pawn shop.


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Home Current Students Field Experience International Placement
(L-R)Becky Lee, Sean Ethier, Amanda Langille, Laura Patterson, Ken Chisholm, Brittany Andersen, Maria MacMillan, Kieran Gallivan, Megan Pritchard, Tess Thurber, Stephen Clark, Andrea Clair
It has been the St.FX Bachelor of Education tradition that students in their second year have the option during their last practicum to travel as a group to teach abroad in a location chosen by the Faculty. Previous destinations include Norway (2012), Australia (2011), Kenya (2010), Iceland (2009) and Scotland (2009). This practicum (Education 482) provides an opportunity to expand and practice teaching skills in an international setting. Participants will gain information on an educational system different from their own, gain experiences with the traditions and cultural values of the host country, and participate in classrooms where they can observe, assist, and teach. This is normally of five or six week's duration. The expenses for travel, food and lodging are the responsibility of the participants. Immersed in a different culture, students see how cultural factors influence educational policies and practices. Working alongside experienced cooperating teachers on site, the pre-service teacher gains invaluable cultural experience, meets diverse student populations, and contributes to the global society. Pre-service teachers are accompanied by a St FX Faculty of Education member who fulfills the role of Faculty Advisor.
Nine St FX B.Ed. students accompanied by Faculty Advisors Jeff Orr and Mark Firminger completed their final practicum in Selfoss, Iceland in the spring of 2009.
The note below is a reflection by pre-service teacher Nicole Cox Class of 2009:
The international practicum in Iceland was a positive experience that has changed my life. It was extremely beneficial to my education career and has really opened my eyes to the different teaching methods and philosophies around the world. The opportunity for an international practicum allows education students who are about to enter the real teaching world to step outside of their comfort zone and experience something that they can't in Nova Scotia. The language barrier, culture differences and education methods are all areas that we each had to adapt our strategies to overcome problems. The school was amazing. The staff and students were very welcoming and helpful to all of the Canadian student teachers. The teaching and observing opportunities in the school allowed us to take part in a variety of subjects. The cabins that we stayed in were convenient because they were so close to the school. The opportunities to visit the other schools in the area were appreciated. Selfoss was a nice small town to be placed in. It had everything we needed and was a safe community. -Nicole Cox
In the spring of 2009 an experimental project was undertaken by the St Francis Xavier University Faculty of Education in Nova Scotia and the Highland Council in Scotland. Arrangements were made for two students from the B.Ed. program, who were studying elementary methods and Gaelic as a teaching subject, to undertake their final teaching practice - March / April 2009 - in Portree primary school on the Isle of Skye. During the Easter break the students spent one week taking a high level Gaelic course at Sabhal Mor Ostaig. The objective of this project was to establish whether the degree of competence in Gaelic demonstrated by the students was sufficient to allow them to take charge of a class in a Gaelic medium school. The project was a success and Highland Council reported that the students had shown a high level of competence in Gaelic and also in primary teaching method. It indicated that it would be happy to appoint them to a post in a Gaelic medium school if a suitable vacancy arose and there were no Scottish trained teachers available.
Fourteen St. FX Bachelor of Education students and their professor and faculty advisor Bosire Mwebi travelled to Kenya for an international practicum placement in March and April of 2010.
The reflection below is from pre-service teacher Susan Thistle, Class of 2010:
We were going on an adventure. More specifically, we were going on an adventure to Kenya, Africa, where we would complete our Bachelor of Education degrees by teaching the students of Nairobi. My friend Melissa Walsh and I were travelling in a group of 17, including 14 university students, two teachers from Nova Scotia and our professor and guide from St. Francis Xavier University.
We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya after two days of travel and were very excited to start teaching at the Nairobi School. We were welcomed warmly by staff who were very excited about the partnership which would have us working together for the four weeks we would be at their school. We would be working in an all-boys National boarding school, Form I-IV, (grades 9-12), with a curriculum modeled on both British and Canadian systems. With our Canadian team, we taught in various disciplines throughout the school, including, Math, Science, English, French, Music, Health, History, Technology as well as afterschool clubs and sports. During our time at the school, we were able to learn about the many differences and similarities (both in and out of the classroom) between Nairobi and Canada. Students came from many different backgrounds, but all understood and cherished the importance of education and the opportunities that it provided for them. We had many discussions with the students about the things that motivated them, and how we could bring this motivation to our Canadian classrooms. We were also able to take part in a Professional Development Week with the teachers of the Nairobi School and helped to plan the upcoming school year. We were able to adopt some of their teaching strategies and techniques and presented some of the techniques that we use in Canadian classrooms. We were able to create an international curriculum plan to benefit the Nairobi students as well as those students of our future classrooms in Canada.
While in Kenya, we were also able to travel throughout the country and take in the beauty of Africa. We visited an animal orphanage, a giraffe park where we were able to feed the giraffes, Mount Kenya where we stopped at the equator, the Nairobi National Museum, Kenyatta University, a Children's Home, the United Nations, the Canadian High Commission and many other schools throughout Nairobi. We were also able to gain an appreciation for the beautiful wildlife, visiting Masai Country and spending time on a Safari, seeing spectacular animals in their natural habitat. We returned home to Canada after six weeks of international exposure and a life-changing learning experience in Africa. We were hosted with fabulous hospitality and welcomed by warm-hearted people everywhere we travelled. Hopefully, one day, we will return to Africa again. -Susan Thistle
Fourteen St. FX Bachelor of Education students and their professor and faculty advisor Dan Robinson travelled to Australia for an international practicum placement in March and April of 2011.
The reflection below is from pre-service teacher Matt MacDonald, Class of 2011:
What student doesn't dream of international travel at some point in their lives? For 14 of us, all Bachelor of Education students of St. FX, our dream came true in March 2011, when we travelled to the southern hemisphere of beautiful Australia for 6 weeks to complete our final teaching practicum!
Accompanied and organized by Professor Dan Robinson, who made this incredible journey possible, this was undoubtedly the highlight for each one of us during our final two years at St. FX. This opportunity was not only about travel, but a chance for each one of us to bond as peers and fellow teachers, to broaden our knowledge of what we had learned as students on our journey to become teachers. This incredible trip broadened our personal development, and gave each one of us a chance to grow professionally by learning about the educational culture and lifestyle "down under". Although similar cultures, the heat is extreme in Australia and students wear long sleeves and hats on a daily basis while outside at school, and we too, were required to do the same while teaching. Wide brimmed hats were mandatory. Teaching abroad in Strathpine, just outside of Brisbane, was an opportunity to interact with Australian teachers and students; share ideas, stories and ways of life within our own cultures. We were fortunate to live in a beachfront community while in Australia, with the beach literally steps away from our front door, and an amazing sight to see each day on our commute to school.
As a group, we all had a unique opportunity to bond with one another while living together, and to share our experiences from the different schools we were teaching at, while enjoying the culture, beach, travel and many other events that Australia offered us while there. We learned some fun expressions: "g'day mate", "dodgy" "lolly" "Sheila" "mozzie" "cuppa" "bloke", "wadd a ya reckon" "jumper". Some of our memories include footey games, fantastic nightlife, sightseeing, beautiful beaches and Morton Island (which is the third largest sand Island in the world) A few of us Phys. Ed students also had the opportunity to live and spend a week on this incredible Island, as part of the curriculum, camping in the open, on the beach, with the students we taught. In addition, ST. FX students hosted a thank you BBQ for the Australian Teachers and staff who welcomed us into their schools and community. This was an incredible experience and opportunity for each of us from St. FX. On behalf of every one of us, thank you Dan and St. FX for this awesome experience! - Matt MacDonald
Twelve St. FX Bachelor of Education students and faculty advisors Elizabeth Munroe and Andrew Foran travelled to Norway for an international practicum placement in March and April of 2012.
The reflection below is from pre-service teacher Laura Patterson, Class of 2012:
Our practicum in Norway consisted of 12 students who were dispersed between four schools situated in and around the city of Bergen. From an outdoor based kindergarten on top of Mt. Floyen, to public and private schools within the city central, we had a taste of Norway's education system like no other!
We understood very quickly that the Norwegian school system instills a set of values and understandings of education through experiential learning occurring outside of the classroom walls. This practicum gave us a first hand comparative understanding of curriculum and teaching in this part of the world, and how this translates for the students to provide incredible learning experiences. The academic benefits for us as we practiced and taught proved that these values inhabit the classroom daily. We saw that differentiation plays a very important role in the Norwegian education system and the valued relationships of trust and responsibility between the teacher and student are immeasurable.
We were also able to immerse ourselves in Norwegian lifestyles, which helped to close the cultural and language barrier. With the most beautiful scenery and refreshing rain, we explored daily. Many of us climbed some or all of the seven mountains surrounding the city. We tasted treasures of the city's restaurants, and took weekend excursions exploring the world renowned Fjords and city of Voss for example. When speaking on behalf of the 11 other students in the group, I know we will all hold a piece of Bergen in our hearts and be forever grateful for the people we met and the impression it has made on our future teaching careers. - Laura Patterson
Field Placement Information
Individualized Placement


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Written By: Lea Ozdere & Natalie Robinson
As the fall season sports are unfortunately coming to an end, the Newport Harbor Varsity Girls' Volleyball team continues to demonstrate an amazing amount of effort and poise within their games. Despite the loss of their second to last (home) game of the season against Edison High School on October 18th, the girls maintained their sense of determination, cooperation, and sportsmanship throughout all three matches.
The volleyball players began by getting ready w ith different types of techniques to prepare themselves for the game. Edison's girls mirrored Harbor's on the opposite side of the court with similar strategies. The girls managed to unwind and ease their nerves while warming up before players from both sides were properly introduced and the first match, of five, officially began.
Edison took the lead of the first match, 8 to 1, before Harbor made their second point. Claire Covina, #5, hit a remarkable spike against Edison that landed on the boundary line, confirmed as Harbor's third point by the referee. Although Harbor's girls continued to work hard, Edison created a major gap in the lead at 20 to 6. During Edison's match point, Harbor's attacking players were unable to block their opponent's strike, establishing a domina ting win by Edison with the score of the first match, 25 to 9. Claire Covina, #5, starts the second match with a point for Harbor. Harbor's girls, working hard together, blocked Edison's shot, making the score 9 to 6 (Edison's lead). Both teams played an amazing rally, un til Claire Covina, #5, ended it with a point for Harbor, still behind at 9 to 16. Slowly, they started making a comeback, Edison still in lead, until Harbor unfortunately lost the match when their ball went into the stands. Edison led the third match 6 to 3, before Harbor made their fourth point. As Harbor's ball shot high between the bars on the roof, Delaney Decinces, #15, and Jasmine Amirie, #15, continue to play a remarkable rally and try their best to get the ball over. Edison fights back and creates a 6 point streak before Callie Govaars, #24, breaks it with a point for Harbor, 12 to 20. Edison continues to score, winning the match 25 to 17, therefore winning the game.
Q&A with Freshman Basketball Player Joey DiCarlo
Boys Lacrosse: Q&A with Coach Todd
Golf: Q&A with Coach Tarnow
Surf: Q&A with Coach Burns
Water Polo: Q&A with Coach Sinclair
One of the Biggest Failures in NBA History: The 2021-22 Lakers
A Historic Rivalry: NHHS Football Prepares for Battle of the Bay
Best of 2020: The Top 10 NBA Players of the Year
Best of 2020: The Car of the Year is Toyota's GR Yaris


Demonstrating the value of health centers is a necessary element of sustainability and measuring benefit. How value is assessed can range from illustrating cost effectiveness and evaluating performance measures to ensuring access to reliable, high-quality, and equitable care.
The purpose of this webinar is to provide a clear, digestible demonstration of the value that Health Care for the Homeless grantees provide and the impact of the HCH integrated care framework on health care. We will provide clear examples of the uniqueness of populations experiencing homelessness and the invaluable work that HCH grantees and those providing direct services give to our communities.


Ujene is an international icon from Switzerland, their commitment to using only the finest purity grade of ingredients is made me interested to try their product. Their skin care range contain, a Serum, Day Cream, Night Cream and Eye Gel. However I couldn't try their Night Cream because it's out of stock. And they said I can use the Day Cream for Night Cream too. But I still really want try the night cream, lol.
Packaging looks nice and well-made. Good quality and not looking cheap.
Oviluxe is a finest grade natural 99% purity collagen that acts as a moisture-magnet in skin, drawing and plumping up vital moisture within skin's epidermis.
The Oviluxe collagen used is prepared at 99.9% purity with 10% in each product, except eye gel which has 5%. (This is for better absorption of gel around the thin eye skin area).
Parabens, Phthalates, Formaldehydes, Propylene Glycol, PEGs, Volatile Alcohols, Mineral Oil, Paraffin, Petrolatum, Synthetic Dyes, Synthetic Fragrance and Essential Oils.
And now Let me introduce you The Ujene Puriste Collagen Serum.
Very high concentration of Oviluxe at 10%, absorbs instantly, leaving silky after-feel.
Contain other ingredients including, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Ginseng Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and Allantoin.
It doesn't harm my sensitive skin AT ALL. I have tried few serum before and most of them made my skin red and sometimes break outs. But this serum isn't since the first time I use it.
"Unlike many serum in the market, Puriste collagen doesn't contain Alcohol. That's why I heart it so much! Alcohol is often used in serums as it evaporates quickly, creating the illusion of rapid absorption by skin. In fact, alcohol evaporates not only the product but also essential moisture in skin, causing dryness, flakiness, wrinkles, sensitivity and is one of the top causes of skin irritation".
Rejuvenate and Renew Skin Tone with purest collagen. Contain very high concentration of Oviluxe at 10%.
This cream contains other ingredients including, Grapeseed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. Can turnover dead skin for look younger, plumper and brighter.
Cant really see the difference? You need to try it by your self! My skin is feel firmer and doesn't clog pores even when I use this cream during my Travel in Bangkok. Seriously, this cream is helped me A LOT during my travel. At night I never skip this cream and my skin is feel soft like baby skin, not oily and greasy.
I will continue to use this cream, especially at night. Seriously can't skip it now. Lol. It reduce fine lines around smile line but only when after apply this cream. I hope with regular use it can really help me to reduce and fight fine lines appears on my skin.
To let you know my skin type is combination but bit dry around my cheek, especially around my mouth.
Contain Oviluxe at 5% for better absorption effect. Contains Eryluxe, and advanced tetrapeptide, clinically proven to reduce puffy eyebags in just 14 days.
Contains other ingredients including, Madecassosside, Panthenol (vitamin B5), Vitamin C, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Asiaticoside, Chamomile, Allantoin and Aloe Leaf Juice.
Testure is purely gel, no color no scent. lol. Has a cooling effect when I applied it around my eyes area. But suddenly after the cooling effect it feels warm. Non-greasy after use and really can reduce puffy eyes and lines. But didn't work for my dark circle, lol.
If you have puffy eyes you might want try this eye gel, work so well to reduce puffy eyes and eye bags. But honestly, sometimes I want to have obvious eye bags because I think it's kawaii. Bhahahaha.
A picture of My skin after back from travelling. hahaha captured this after wash my face. I can see my dark spots is lighten. Kekkekeke, I have many spots and scars on my face. Hope with regular use, my face will become clearer and clearer each day! Photo not edited at all ^-^v , captured with flash-room light.
Get 25% off for all items limited for 30 first purchases and 1 week after this post. Only available for Indonesian readers. I'm happy to tell you this promotion is include free international delivery to Indonesia!
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I think its great that these events have been re-branded – Get Social. Do Business. is so much more relevant.
For the UK, I think that IBM's move to have smaller events based in IBM UK locations is also a good one – leaving plenty of budget for the massive marketing push we're hoping to see later in the year!
You know that house from 'Up'? It really does fly!