Studio Wildcard's road to launch with ARK: Survival Evolved was filled with more than a few obstacles. Even though the game was very successful in terms of sales (Steam Spy counts almost five million and a half owners, and that's without factoring PlayStation 4 and Xbox One data), the company had to say goodbye to $40 million which went to Trendy in a settled lawsuit.
There were also a couple sensitive PR situations with the community. For example, ARK: Survival Evolved's price was suddenly increased in order to have parity with retail and this caused a fair amount of outrage among fans, including DayZ creator Dean Hall.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Studio Wildcard's Jeremy Stieglitz explained what happened behind the scenes, adding that now there's a great $60 game and the value is there.
That one is kind of a planning blindspot. We didn't realise in order to get to retail on store shelves they would require price parity with digital, not on launch day, but prior to launch day. That was… 'well we need it now because we have to do a pre-order campaign'. We were faced with a very stark decision at that point.
We tried to communicate it in advance as fast as we could, but we didn't have as much lead time as we would have liked. We only found out a few weeks before it had to happen. You know, ultimately, it sucked. We do think now, as we get to release, we absolutely feel there is a great $60 game there. The value is there.
Stieglitz also talked of another decision Studio Wildcard made that quickly became contentious with the community: releasing a paid expansion, Scorched Earth, while the game was still in Early Access.
We didn't anticipate how it would be viewed. In hindsight, we would never do that again. I would never do that in Early Access again and I wouldn't recommend any developer do it either. I won't mince words with that. I don't think from a business standpoint it was worth it. I do think from a technical standpoint, it was, you might say, necessary.
Now that ARK: Survival Evolved is finally out, what do you think of it? Are you still playing the game? Tell us in the comments.


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Posts Tagged 'Lower East Side ghetto'
A teenager leads the great rent strike of 1907
By 1907, 16-year-old Pauline Newman (left) had been in New York City for six years.
Her widowed mother moved Pauline and her sisters from Lithuania to Madison Street on the Lower East Side in 1901, into a tenement with no bathroom or windows.
A few years later, Pauline began sewing shirtwaists in a factory—the Triangle Waist Company, actually, though this was three years before the deadly fire there.
Active in the growing labor movement and a future leader of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, Pauline was frustrated with the working and living conditions around her.
Tenement life was rough. And then, in fall 1907, landlords called for a rent hike—without making the buildings any more liveable.
So in December, she helped organize a rent strike, enlisting 400 other "working girls" who supported themselves on factory wages, to try to persuade other families to join with them and demand an 18-20 percent rent decrease.
"From 1905 to 1907, the average rent had increased 33 percent," wrote Susan Campbell Bartoletti in Kids on Strike! "The cost of a two-room apartment had risen from fifteen dollars to twenty."
On December 28, having convinced 10,000 households to withhold rent, the strike began.
Rent wasn't paid, building code violations were tallied and reported, kids burned an effigy of a landlord (below photo) and The New York Times dubbed Pauline the "East Side Joan of Arc."
Landlords fought back by shutting off water and ordering evictions, wrote the Times.
Some landlords agreed to reduce rents somewhat, but evicted tenants got no sympathy from the NYPD chief, who reportedly said, "If you don't like your rents, get out."
In early January, both sides claimed victory. "The rent strike resulted in reduced rents for approximately two thousand families," wrote Bartoletti.
"[The strikers and their supporters] lobbied for rent to be capped at 30 percent of a worker's income. But rent control was difficult to win; it took over twenty years for the passage of rent control laws."
Laws we're still debating today.
[Second photo: LOC; fourth photo: from The New York Times archive, a 1919 rent strike in Harlem inspired by Pauline's efforts]
Tags:immigrants Lower East Side, Labor leaders New York City, Lower East Side ghetto, Pauline Newman, Rent strike New York City, rent strike of 1907, tenements in New York City, Triangle Waist Company
Posted in Lower East Side | 5 Comments »
The Lower East Side ghetto on market day
I don't know exactly when this postcard was created or even what street it depicts. Rivington or Stanton are my guesses.
What's remarkable is that the Lower East Side of the turn of the last century was commonly known as "The Ghetto"—a term that today sounds so loaded and inflammatory, though back then may have simply described the heavily Jewish part of any large American or European city.
Tags:" shopping on the Lower East Side, " vintage postcards of New York City, "The Ghetto—Market Day, Jewish Ghetto, Lower East Side ghetto, Lower East Side Street, New York City ghetto, The Ghetto
Posted in Fashion and shopping, Houses of worship, Lower East Side | 3 Comments »
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Kahl Wallis, Nahko & Medicine For The People
7:00 pmSunday, 21 April 2019
170 Russell
170 Russell St, Melbourne
More details ↓
Bluesfest Touring is proud to welcome Nahko And Medicine For The People back to Australia, with stops in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne in April 2019. Known for their exciting, high-energy and powerful live shows, Nahko And Medicine For The People's upcoming performances are not to be missed. Together, their conscious tribal anthems have raised the roof of the Bluesfest tent on multiple occasions.
Over the last five years, Nahko And Medicine For The People have continued to gather dedicated members of their growing global Medicine Tribe of fans as they spread their powerful musical message. They incorporate a variety of sounds that artfully merge rustic acoustic guitars, upbeat energy, tribal flavour, and fiery percussion with ponderous lyrics. Their album HOKA debuted at #10 on Billboard's Rock Albums Chart and #6 on the Alternative Albums Chart.
Nahko's solo album, MY NAME IS BEAR, premiered at #1 on iTunes and debuted on a number of Billboard charts including Independent Albums (#11), Tastemakers (#14), Emerging Artists (#19), and Top Album Sales (#43). The album release was followed by a headline tour that boasted multiple sold-out dates stateside and a nearly sold-out tour in Europe and the UK. MY NAME IS BEAR is a 16-track collection that reflects the soul, authenticity, and spirit that Nahko's fans have come to know. As he puts it, the album serves as a "prequel," that artfully merges rustic acoustic guitars, upbeat energy, tribal flavours, and fiery percussion with ponderous lyrics. At the end of the day, MY NAME IS BEAR sets the stage for a whole lot more from Nahko.
Link https://170russell.com/


In line with our process of being on the ground in the countries we invest in, Senior Investment Analyst Ruchir Desai travelled to Sri Lanka in May to attend an investor conference. All photos are by Asia Frontier Capital, except where noted otherwise.
It was time to head back again to Colombo for an annual conference which we have been attending every year since 2014 and as has become the norm, the conference was held at the Cinnamon Grand hotel. Most of the five-star hotels in Colombo have been operating for the past few decades and there was not much competition for them until very recently. This has now changed with the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel on Galle Face marking the entry of new modern five-star hotels into Colombo with more to follow with brands such as Sheraton, ITC, and the Ritz Carlton expected to set up over the next few years.
The Shangri-La hotel is part of a larger mixed used development named One Galle Face which consists of the hotel, residential and office towers and a mall. Adjacent to the Shangri-La's One Galle Face is another development being carried out by India's ITC group named Colombo One which consists of a five-star hotel and a residential tower. The skyline of Colombo continues to change compared to my first visit there in 2014 and this will continue to change as besides the Shangri-La and ITC developments, John Keells Holdings which is the second largest listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange by market capitalisation is constructing the Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort complex which consists of a five-star hotel, a mall, and residential and office towers.
The new upcoming malls by both Shangri-La and John Keells Holdings will add a lot of life to the country's retail sector as such large-scale modern retail formats were still missing in Sri Lanka relative to some of the other markets in the region. These mixed used developments are expected to be a long-term positive for the Sri Lankan tourism industry which appears to have a lot of room to grow. Tourist arrivals reached 2.1 million in 2017, still lagging other tourist heavy countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand which attracted 5.6 million, 12.9 million, and 35.4 million tourists in 2017, respectively. Sri Lanka has the location and tourism assets to ramp up its tourism numbers further, and infrastructure improvements are also expected going forward.
In addition to the upcoming mixed-use developments which will be a positive for the tourism industry, another project which is being developed on a much larger scale is the China-backed Colombo International Financial City (CIFC). The CIFC is being developed on 269 hectares of reclaimed land just off the famous Galle Face front and though it is early days for this project, it has the potential to change the look and feel of Colombo and also provide a big push to economic growth. The CIFC is being modelled on the lines of other financial centres such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Dubai with all the additions of modern offices, residential, retail and hotel space. The economic partnership agreements that Sri Lanka has signed with India and Singapore as well as the potential for a free trade agreement with China, can all help the CIFC project gain momentum as these trade agreements could motivate businesses to move to the CIFC in order to take advantage of preferential trade with multiple countries from a single location.
Sri Lanka has also attained greater macro stabilty compared to my visit a year ago as it has strengthened its foreign reserves positon after the IMF agreement, while it has also brought about further reforms by introducing a new tax bill and recently introduced a new fuel pricing formula. However, GDP growth last year was well below its potental due to one off weather related issues which impacted agricultural output and rural consumer incomes. With agricultural output expected to improve this year, economic growth rates should stabilise in 2018.
The recent local elections which were held in February 2018 saw the party of the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, win the most number of votes and seats in a setback to the currrent ruling coaliton partners. With presidential elections expected to take place at the end of 2019, the contest, it seems, could be hard fought and close given the inroads the former president's party has made in the local elections.
Economics and politics aside, the conference gave me a chance to meet with a range of companies as well as meet with some companies outside of the conference. One of the interesting companies that I met with and which is now the largest Sri Lankan holding of the AFC Asia Frontier Fund is a telecom company with the largest market share in the mobile telecom segment, Dialog Axiata., The company is seeing high growth in its data and broadband business due to increasing smart phone penetration and greater network coverage. It trades at a steep discount to regional peers and is significantly more efficient than its closest competitor, Sri Lanka Telecom. The company is expected to benefit from ongoing consoldation in the Sri Lankan telecom industry and its data and broadband revenues increased by 34% and 39% YoY in the most recent quarter.
Recently, however, there have been some regulatory changes which have impacted sentiment with respect to its stock price. In last year's budget, the government proposed a telecom tower tax on tower operators and this tax is expected to be implemented, but in a more toned-downed fashion which will impact the company's net profits by about 3%, which is not severe. The telecom regulator also plans to do away with price floors for mobile voice calls which has led to a fear that there could be much higher price competition amongst telecom operators in the voice business. However, only two players, Dialog Axiata and Mobitel (part of the state owned Sri Lanka Telecom) are profitable and each holds the first and second position in terms of subscriber market share, so any sustained price war in voice services is debatable while growth is being driven by data and fixed broadband which are Dialog Axiata's strong points given its network coverage.
Sri Lanka has the location and the assets to take its economy forward and with ongoing developments, both in the tourism sector as well as to promote further trade and investment, the country appears to be moving in the right direction despite the political noise. Colombo most likely will look like a different place five to ten years from now. The current uncertainty across frontier and emerging markets has also made valuations more attractive with the Colombo Stock Exchange All Share Index trading at a trailing twelve-month P/E of 10x which provides bottom up opportunities to find value in sectors like banks, telecom, and diversified conglomerates where the leaders in these sectors have displayed consistent earnings growth over the long run along with stable management teams.


Latest "Blood & Guts" with Meria Heller & Jack Blood of www.deadlinelive.info - a round robin of the latest news stories and opinions.
Roaring Truth with Meria & Prof. James Fetzer on the upcoming election, candidates, HAARP, FEMA and much more.
Meria Interviews Katie McCabe co Author with Dovey Roundtree of "Justice Older Than Law".


As an Associate Director for this ICT award winning marketing agency you will be providing high level consultancy and leadership. Working with your team and with the client you will be focused on developing successful partnerships through the provision of quality marketing campaigns.
You will have worked in a similar position agency side and be passionate about B2B marketing.


This project proposes a networked tsunami evacuation shelter system for the Japanese city of Kochi-shi, in Kochi prefecture of Shikoku Island. The primary goal is to design an accessible and robust evacuation shelter that provides a safe haven during a tsunami event whose severity and power cannot be predicted. This is achieved by harnessing the destructive natural forces rather than trying to resist them with over-engineered structures. Secondary goals include integration of the shelter structures into normal daily life by layering civic uses that function as urban amenities, such as a public meeting and gathering space, and a community center.
Tsunamis are generated by large displacements of the benthic floor, caused by subsurface landslides, volcanic activity or earthquakes. When a tectonic plate slips under a neighboring plate, a subduction earthquake is triggered, which is particularly effective in producing strong tsunamis. The island of Shikoku sits at the convergence of several active plates: Pacific, Philippine and the Amur Plates. The annual subduction rate for this group of plates is among the highest in the world, with a velocity of 102mm per year occurring along the Nankai trough, just a few hundred kilometers east of Shikoku. Tsunamis have historically caused catastrophic damage, with massive loss of human life and property due to the inundation of seawater onto land at high velocity.
The city of Kochi is considered for two important reasons: its geographic location facing the Pacific Ocean and its high percentage of elderly inhabitants. The city is located on the eastern shore of Shikoku Island, within seismic zone 5, with a direct exposure to the Pacific Ocean and the origin of some of the largest historic earthquakes (Figure 1). The threat of a powerful tsunami is imminent, and the geometry of the larger island coastline can act as a magnifier focusing the energy of the large waves towards the city (Figure 2). The extent of vertical run-up of seawater depends on near-shore bathymetry, beach profile, land topography and the frequency and velocity of tsunami waves (Cho, Lakshumanan, Choi, Ha: 2008). Thus, tsunami inundation patterns will vary according to the specific topography of a given area.
The city has the benefit of being set back from the waterline, with a high ridge of hills providing a formidable buffer. However, there is a wide opening between the hills which would allow a large volume of water to make its way to the city center. A less developed portion of the city extends out to the waterline, with industrial, agricultural and residential areas fully exposed to the waves.
Given the potential short warning of an incoming tsunami, a major concern is the welfare of mobility impaired residents, such as young children and the elderly. Kochi's population is aging rapidly, with more than 27% over the age of 65 (Statistics Bureau, Japan: 2012). In the event of a tsunami, the city's population would need to seek shelter (higher ground) rapidly in order to escape the deadly rush of water.
The proposed tsunami shelter system attempts to address the above factors by creating a network of shelters throughout the city, which are set apart based on the average walking speed of an older person. The open exposure of the coastal portion of Kochi-shi, necessitates a tighter spacing of shelters to allow for a quicker travel time to each shelter (Figure 3). Given the potential of a nearby epicenter, one has to assume extremely short travel times. Since tsunami waves typically flow inland perpendicular to the shore, we can assume longer travel times as one moves uphill and away from the coastline. The network responds by loosening, with fewer shelters spaced further apart. Similarly, the typology of the shelter needs to be adjusted based on its position relative to the coastline. Shelters located within the immediate inundation zone will be subject to different forces than those sited inland or uphill.
Large scale tsunami events have historically been forecast to occur in roughly 100 year spans, so the design for an evacuation shelter should take into account the probability that it will be disused for long periods of time. The proposed schemes incorporate a civic component, so that they can be used in other ways than merely an evacuation vessel. The inland version is pyramid shaped with an open stair and ramps (Figure 4) on each side that serves multiple functions: a public meeting and gathering space (Figure 8), an enclosure for a community center, and a support for the float away shelter component. During an event, the steps and ramps provide a means for vertical escape from the powerful horizontal rush of seawater, while the float away evacuation vessel serves as a safe last resort in case the waters rise beyond historic levels. The vessel would be released by the natural buoyancy force applied by rising water. It would ride on top of the powerful stream of water rather than trying to resist it (Figure 5). Its circular form allows the vessel to roll around obstacles minimizing the chance that it would become trapped between obstructions. The curved hull of the vessel enables it to be lifted and settled without overturning by multiple waves, which are common during tsunami events. These shelters would be loose, floating freely in the water, or fixed on pylons which would limit their horizontal and vertical displacement. The latter is proposed for zones that are furthest away from the coast and least susceptible to inundation.
Coastal shelters are proposed as fixed sub-grade structures (Figures 6,9) with access limited to the side facing away from the ocean. Their underground location allows for the incoming wall of water to pass overhead without absorbing any of its energy (Figure 7). The underground shelters pose their own set of problems, such as ensuring a tight seal within a given period of time, while people may still be trying to get inside. There is also the potential for shelter entrances to be blocked by debris which would slow down relief efforts after the waves have returned to normal. An additional challenge is ensuring a sufficient supply of oxygen in case the shelter should be submerged for an extended period of time.
The driving philosophy behind this evacuation network proposal is that human survival depends on adaptability and flexibility. Rather than trying to fight against the power of natural forces by erecting ever stronger or higher walls, we suggest instead that we absorb the might of nature, by ducking under it, or floating on top of it. Our continued survival depends on a willingness to adapt to nature's strength, fostering an ability to harness its strength rather than relying on increasingly monumental mega-structures which have been historically proven to fail.


Only typical bitter Allah-clinging cowards do.
This typical bitter Allah-clinging coward's name is Mohammed Merah.
On top of murdering three children, a rabbi and several French soldiers, he's now wounded at least three French police officers.
So of course to make this whole typically bitter and Allah-clinging episode oh-so peace-loving special, this typical bitter Allah-clinger is 'holed-up' alone in his flat and French police are 'negotiating' with him to surrender.
Um……… Isn't the line 'jihad is everything'……… Shaeed or nothing else matters……… Take out everyone and everything you can before being martyred……… That's the typical bitterly Allah-clinging way……… Except in cases of typical bitter Allah-clinging cowards.
Here's a link to a Ynet News article…… The text is my doing.
French police raid apartment of a typical bitter Allah-clinger suspected of murdering four Jews (including three young children) and in separate incidents, three French military personnel. Three French police officers injured in this first raid's shoot-out. Apparently his brother and his brother's girlfriend were arrested……… Negotiations underway for the typically bitter Allah-clinging Mr. Merah to surrender.
He's in the flat by himself.
Who's surrender are we talking about: His or theirs ?
Why is there a real expectation by some for the French to wave their own white flag and walk away ?
Hopefully, this typical bitter Allah-clinger is taken out in a body bag.
But knowing the French way of doing things, he'll be led out in handcuffs and then made a national hero in the eyes of The European Union for his 'work' in attempting to sway those who are not on board with the typical bitter Allah-clinging way of life.
This entire write-up sounds bitter and clinging a different way, eh ?
European Union's Catherine Ashton compares Toulouse shooting victims to children in Gaza — Media scrubs it under orders.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 06:01 and is filed under Main Postings, The Media, The Second Amendment To The Constitution Of The United States..	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Judy James has kindly agreed to share her experiences of her travels in Morocco. Judy and her husband Robin travelled to Marrakech with Original Travel in February 2011. Judy has written a beautiful description of their trip, and Robin allowed us to use some of his stunning photography. The is an abridged account in three parts, the first focussing on their Marrakech guide, the second on their experience of the souqs and the third on their trip into the Atlas mountains.
We got a taxi into Marrakech from the airport, soon getting to the great walls of the Medina which we followed around to the Bab Doukkala, one of the main gates into the old city. We unloaded our luggage amid the milling throng of taxis, donkey carts and bicycles, then set off down the narrow main street with senses assaulted by the scents and sounds of the medina, swirling smoke from stalls selling food, stray dogs and cats under foot, turned down a tiny side street coming to an unmarked door which opened into our Riad.
Through the door you enter paradise! A Riad is a traditional Moroccan town house, and built around a central courtyard and garden, open to the air, originally to preserve the privacy of the women. There is a tiled courtyard with a fountain floating and rose petals gurgled in the centre, wood fires burned in the salons off the main courtyard, richly decorated with brocade, carpets and wall hangings. There was a pool in another courtyard with a spa area and a huge rubber tree which grew right up to the roof terrace, past the bedroom windows.
The roof terrace overlooked the rooftops of the Medina from where we could see the minaret of the Doukkala Mosque and the high Koutoubia minaret in the distance. The air was filled with the smells of spice and grilling meat - you could hear people talking and music floated up from houses round about. It is a very different experience living inside a Riad. There is no view from the bedroom or salon windows as they all open onto the courtyard, and the noise of the medina does not penetrate, so it is incredibly quiet apart from the faint call of the muezzin and the dawn chatter of hundreds of sparrows that roosted in the rubber tree whose canopy stretched up from the courtyard, past the bedroom windows.


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INDY: BRICKYARD VINTAGE RACING INVITATIONAL!
Posted on June 20, 2015 May 15, 2017 by MartynL
SVRA enjoyed a second year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with its Vintage Racing Invitational. Mike Matune was trackside for the Chronicles.
Clark Howey's '66 Corvette won its class at Daytona. After more than 20 years and numerous owners, it is once again owned and raced by Howey. So much more than just racing, the event encompasses a car auction, car show, Jaguar exhibit and autocross and an enactment of the very first event at the Speedway – 1909 hot air balloon race. To us, the signature event is the Indianapolis 500 Legends Celebrity Pro-Am that matches 33 former Indy 500 starters with vintage drivers in stunning examples of American Muscle. '65 Mustang, right, of Davey Hamilton & Frank Marcum awaits the race on the pre-grid. Hamilton is an eleven-time 500 starter with three Top 10 finishes to his credit.
Pro Bob Lazier and Amateur Jim Caudle in Caudle's '68 Corvette, below, took home the victory and bragging rights. They bested all comers and survived an active race; our congratulations on their well-earned victory.
Set appropriately at the "Yard of Bricks" a group photo shows the 33 Pro-Am teams along with distinguished guests like Honorary Stewards Janet Guthrie & Tom Sneva. As you walked through the crowd gathered in pit lane, you were struck by how close the racing community is and how much respect they have for each other.
Racing included events run on both Indy's road course and oval. Here James Webb's March 86C looks right at home at speed on the oval. This car finished second in the 1986 Indy 500 driven by Kevin Cogan.
Cogan was beaten in 1986 by Bobby Rahal in this March 86C. Rahal caught and passed Cogan very late in the race on a restart. It's owned and driven by Patrick Ryan, shown here on Indy's road course.
Casey Putsche takes his tube frame Corvette through the hard left-hander at the end of the back straight. Putsch's car has history as a GT1 racer. The car is crewed by the Genius Garage, a group of engineering students getting valuable hands on, real world experience. Their collective efforts would net a fourth place finish in one of the Group 10 races in the car's inaugural competition appearance.
Before Ike Keeler returned it to the configuration of its Trans-Am glory days, his Old's Cutlass followed a path so common with vintage racers. It had been a front running car campaigned by Darin Brassfield. Then it worked its way through a re-body or two as it moved to other teams in Trans-Am and eventually into SCCA Club Racing. Today it displays all of the features of its initial configuration including a ChevyV-8, tube frame and fiberglass "silhouette" body.
Janet Guthrie and fellow female racing pioneer Lyn St. James were there, competing in the Pro-Am. Adding to the historical perspective of women in motorsports was this car, Donna Mae Mims' Yenko Stinger (YS-085). Today it is owned and raced James Schradt.
With a production life of something like 65 years and with over 20 million produced, you would think the sight of a Type 1 VW "Beetle" in competition would be more common. Victor Frazzell has taken on that challenge, actively racing his 1968 version. The car pays tribute to a VW raced in the under 2.5-liter Trans-Am in period by Allen Treuhaft.
Chris MacAllister's Cobra is steeped in history. Bearing chassis number CSX 2323, the car is one of a handful of FIA roadsters raced in FIA events in pursuit of the World Manufacturers Title. Making its debut in the Targa Florio driven by Grant & Gurney, the car would next appear with Ireland at Spa before a crash at the Nurburgring by Enzo Arena would end its Shelby racing career. Rebuilt, it soldiered on back in the U.S. at Daytona, Sebring and around the Southeast in the SCCA.
Tom Weglarz and friends built this Camaro in 1981 for the Kelly American Challenge. It started as a 1970.5 Camaro body of undetermined origin and was assembled using pieces from GM racers of the Trans-Am era. Updated to 1981 body style, it has fiberglass panels from the then current IROC Camaros. Interesting is that in its post-Kelley racing life, it ran the "Hot Rod Power Tour" with Olds power and was featured in the November 2010 issue of Hot Rod. Today it's powered by a 331-inch Chevy.
Benneton would finish third in the 1997 Formula 1 Constructor's Championship behind Williams and Ferrari with its Renault powered B197 chassis driven by Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi. At Indy, we see Brian French in his B197 hugging the curb on another quick lap around the circuit.
Words & Photos: M.M. "Mike" Matune, Jr.
Special thanks to Jan Hyde, Registry of Corvette Race Cars and Tim Sullivan & Taylor Clauson at the Speedway for their help with credentials.
For more information, please visit http://www.svra.com/
http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/


text:
Fish survives accident
Danielle Martin, left, reacts while telling bystanders about how she lost her brakes coming down Chestnut Street in Lewiston where she lives. She ended up hitting the vehicle, left, that was parked in the lot near Action Screen Printing and continued into the wall where Maine Heritage Weavers is located. While talking to police and firefighters, she noticed something leaking from under the car. After looking closely, she realized it was from a fish tank she had in the back seat that was half empty, and Blue, the Betta Fish she was "fish sitting" for her brothers girlfriend, was flopping around on her car seat. After scooping it up and putting it back in the tank, on the ground at right, it began swimming around. The owner of the car at left, Leah Philippon, was able to drive her vehicle from the scene, but the other had to be towed. There was no significant damage to the building.
Balloons begin to rise
Jim Rodrigue salutes to the crowd gathered Thursday evening at Simard Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston where two balloons took flight on the eve of the Great Falls Balloon Festival in Lewiston-Auburn that officially kicks off Friday morning with launches through the weekend at dawn and dusk. Rodrigue made this one man balloon he calls Jimmy Hoppa, over the winter, and hung around, tethered at the field, to give spectators a look at his newest "cloud hopper." For updated information on the launches, visit: www.sunjournal.com or www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org.
Sabattus Primary School Farm Day
Sabattus Primary School first grader Haley Ross pets a bunny being held by Derek Edgerly, also a first grader, Thursday afternoon during the school's Farm Day. The school grounds were transformed into a kid sized fair complete with a large variety of farm animals, hayrides, games, popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream and more. A firetruck, and smokehouse were also on hand.


Field Bindweed | the Atchison County Official Website!!
Field bindweed, a perennial, reproduces by seeds and rootstocks. The root system is extensive, extending to a depth of 20 to 30 feet. The smooth, slender stems twine or spread over the soil and vegetation. Leaves up to 2 inches long are alternate, simple, petioled, quite variable in size, and highly variable in shape. The leaf blade may be oblong to elliptical or may be rounded to pointed with spreading basal lobes. Flowers are white, pink, or white with pink. Funnel shaped, they are about 1 inch across and usually borne singly in the axils of leaves. The flower stalk has two bracts 1/2 to 2 inches below the flower; the bracts, along with leaf shape and small flower size distinguish this plant from hedge bindweed. Seeds are dark, brownish-gray, are about 1/8 inch long, and have one rounded and two flattened sides.
Field bindweed is spread both by seed and by roots. New field bindweed infestations result from planting crop seed contaminated with bindweed seed or from portions of bindweed roots transported by tillage machinery. Harvesting equipment, manure from livestock fed contaminated feed, and grazing animals moved from infested to clean areas also cause new bindweed infestations. Seed is carried by birds, on feet of animals, or on wheels of machinery; and seeds or plant parts can be spread by road machinery. Bindweed seed is also carried in drainage water.
Small grain, forage, and legume seed should be cleaned before planting to remove seed of bindweed and other weeds. For livestock feed, one should use grain, hay, and other feedstuffs not infested with bindweed or other weeds difficult to control. If bindweed infested feed is fed to livestock the manure should not be spread on bindweed free land. Harvesting, tillage, and other machinery should be cleaned before it leaves a bindweed infested field.
Control of field bindweed shall mean preventing the production of viable seed and destroying the plant's ability to reproduce by vegetative means.
Bindweed seed is viable after remaining dormant in the soil for many years. Seeds brought near the soil surface by tillage, rodents, or other means will germinate under favorable conditions, resulting in new bindweed infestations.
Effective field bindweed control can be achieved by applying appropriate control practices. In developing a bindweed control program, one should consider the various alternative control practices and use one or more appropriate control practices for a particular cropland or noncropland area.
Practices approved for controlling bindweed on cropland are: (1) Plant competitive crops, (2) Appropriate and timely cultivation, and (3) Application of herbicides registered for use in infested crops or on crop land with no growing crop. Often a combination of control practices results in a more effective program than does a single practice.
Competitive Cropping - Close-drilled sorghum or sudan grass seeded about July 1, after a period of intensive cultivation, provides effective competition for field bindweed. Narrow row grain sorghum may also be used. The effectiveness of all competitive crops depends on intensive cultivation during the bindweed growing season when land is not in crop.
Practices approved for controlling bindweed on noncropland are: (1) hoeing and (2) application of appropriate herbicides.
Hoeing - In noncropland areas such as home gardens and flower beds and for horticultural or forestry plants, thorough hoeing every 10 days to 2 weeks during the growing season can control bindweed effectively.
2,4-D Amine or LV Ester. Apply during active growth in spring when plant is in bud stage or in fall after 12 inches of new growth.
Dicamba (Banvel, Clarity, Vanquish). After crop harvest, apply as spot treatment to stubble, fallow or other cropland. Apply during bindweed growth but before killing frost. Follow label directions & precautions.
Dicamba + 2,4-D (Banvel + 2,4-D). Follow label directions and precautions.
Dicamba + Glyphosate (Banvel + Roundup). Follow label directions and precautions.
Glyphosate + 2,4-D (Roundup + 2,4-D). For suppression of field bindweed, apply when the weed is actively growing and vines are 6 to 18 inches long. Allow at least 7 days after treatment before tillage. Addition of 0.5 - 1% ammonium sulfate by weight may increase performance. Follow label directions and precautions.
Picloram (Tordon 22k). A restricted use herbicide. Follow label directions and precautions.
Picloram + 2,4-D (Tordon 22k + 2,4-D). A restricted use herbicide. Follow label directions and precautions.
Imazapic (Plateau). Follow label directions and precautions.
Quinclorac (Paramount, Drive). Follow label directions and precautions.
Diflufenzopyr + Dicamba (Overdrive). Follow label directions and precautions.
Imazapic + Glyphosate (Journey). Apply actively growing plants in noncropland areas. Follow label directions and precautions.


After a dinner of Southwest Prime Rib at Arden Hills, Sharon and I went to see Jesuit High School's production of Spamalot. We ran into a couple of people we knew including Hugo Schmidt, Maureen Smith and Melissa Cook.
Sharon, Jack et al saw a production of Spamalot at the Music Circus in 2010.


text:
Mental-health team 'failed son' before shooting
By Ben Robinson and Paul Connolly
File on 4
duration 14 September 2020
image copyrightOther
image captionAlex Sartain shot James Nash outside his home
A man whose son shot his neighbour dead then fatally crashed his motorbike says the NHS failed to act on warnings he had severe paranoid schizophrenia.
Alex Sartain, 34, shot James Nash, 42, in the head with a homemade shotgun, outside his home in Upper Enham, near Andover, Hants, on 5 August.
And John Sartain says mental-health services had failed to act when he asked for his son to be sectioned.
Southern Health said it was "reviewing its contact" with the Sartain family.
Two hours after the shooting, as he was chased by police, Sartain crashed his 1,000cc motorbike on a country road.
image copyrightJAMES NASH/FACEBOOK
Mr Nash, a well-known artist, children's author and parish councillor, died in hospital in the early hours of 8 August.
'Absolutely ridiculous'
John Sartain said his son had deteriorated into a state of extreme paranoia during the weeks and months before the attack.
And he had warned the crisis team he needed urgent help.
He said: "They said, 'No, we can't do anything unless he's committed a crime or he's a threat to life.'
"Within two weeks, he has taken a life.
"I just couldn't believe it really.
"It was absolutely ridiculous.
"But that's what they said - nothing they can do.
"I just find that hard to believe that, you know, after being sectioned twice."
'Tortured him'
John, who runs a vintage-motorcycle repair business from the home he shared with Alex, said the mental-health team's failure to act on his warning had meant he had been left alone to try to manage his son as his condition worsened.
"He would just go and stand out there ranting and raving about people who had tortured him," he said.
"It was always Nasa, Boeing, the FBI - and they were all spying on him.
"Never ever in my wildest dreams would I imagine he was going to do something like he has done, ever.
"He wasn't a cold-blooded killer - it was a mental-health problem."
'Let down'
John also said his son had been let down by the lack of community care after he had been released from his most recent in-patient stint, last December.
And during the only recent visit a community mental-health team member had made to their home, she had not actually seen Alex.
"She didn't ask to see him or anything, just my opinion of it," John said.
"And I said, 'Well, you know he's gone back to how he was.'
"She said, 'Oh, well, that's sort of about normal,' and that was all.
"I must admit I feel very let down and angry with all of it."
'Tragic incident'
The latest NHS independent investigations annual report, covering 2018-19, shows there were 111 killings by people receiving mental-health services in England, accounting for one-sixth of the total homicides.
And it uncovered a series of failings in the care of mental-health patients in the run-up to these incidents, including poor risk assessments, community care and communication with families.
A Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said in response to the Sartain family's complaints: "We were shocked and saddened to learn about this tragic incident.
"And our thoughts are with family members at such a difficult time.
"What happened is currently the subject of investigations by the police, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and will be heard by a coroner at an inquest in due course.
"The trust is fully co-operating with these investigations.
"And we are reviewing our own contact with Mr Sartain and his family."
'Rare events'
The government has pledged an extra £2.3bn a year in additional mental-health funding by 2024.
And NHS England said it intended to spend £975m a year of that transforming community mental-health care.
An official added: "Each case is a tragedy for the families involved, though these remain extremely rare events with millions of mental-health patients safely receiving expert care each year.
"Psychiatrists and care providers are committed to learning from all independent investigations, with an annual report published just a few weeks ago with key recommendations for action."
File on 4's Mental Disorder and killings that could have been prevented is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 15 September, at 20:00 and available afterwards on BBC Sounds.
Enham-Alamein
James Nash shooting: Children's author and councillor dies
Around the BBC
BBC Radio 4 - File on 4


? Doom-and-gloom projections of the information age are abundant in film and music. Samantha in Her; the boneless space humans in Wall-E; Parquet Courts' album Content Nausea, which posits that the future "unfolds in the naked sprint from screen to screen." ??
?? Atlanta artist Kris Pilcher uses other visual mediums to embrace evolution, suggesting it could alleviate panicked, naked sprinting. ??
?? "Our lives are going to be vastly improved by integrating technology," Pilcher says. "We'll be able to live forever. We'll be able to travel the stars. We'll be able to make sure that the beauty that is the human race doesn't eke out and leave no trace behind." ??
?? ?? Pilcher's Transient Pulse at Eyedrum was like gazing from behind a fluorescent screen into the red light of its opening Saturday evening — and then walking into it. Patrons rounded the corner to find 2020 ziploc bags filled with mini Buddhas and an old Dell desktop displaying pills in a crystallized formation. In the center was an installation involving a giant dollar bill, collaged face, and projected YouTube videos of police brutality. ??
?? The feeling that we're living online is a shared one, and recent zine ventures have stressed how the line between the "digital" and the "real" is becoming less and less clear. In Transient Pulse, Pilcher not only fuses paper with processing, but bridges iconic symbols of ancient civilization like Stonehenge with iconic symbols of modern depression — such as a smattering of Prozac bottles. The visual unification proves human history and technology likely will endure together. ??
?? "We have the physical world and the digital world combining," Pilcher says. "We also have ancient knowledge combining with our newfound information wealth. So people have more access to those philosophies. That's where I found out everything that I know about Eastern philosophy — online." ??
?? Pilcher, co-founder and -owner of the Downtown Players Club, began incorporating tech and film into projects such as Intergalactic Downrock and Dream Collection Agency. For Transient Pulse, his first solo show at Eyedrum, he says he wanted include as many mediums as possible. ??
?? "This might contribute to some of the information overload inside of the gallery, but I think that may be appropriate given the theme," Pilcher says. ??
?? "I think our goal as living beings is to try to find the balance between the chaos and the stillness," Pilcher says. "In actuality, that's where we are already." ??
https://www.facebook.com/events/730292573740209/?active_tab=postsTransient Pulse. Through August 8. Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery, 88 Forsyth St. S.W. 404-578-4430. eyedrum.org.


text:
Q: .htaccess RewriteRule also affects other files with the same name? I am trying to redirect http://www.domain.com/cart to http://www.domain.com/cart.php with:
RewriteRule cart cart.php [L]

That works, but I just noticed that it also redirects files named http://www.domain.com/images/cart.jpg to the same page.
How can I avoid this from happening?

A: Use start and end anchors in your rule to target only /cart or /cart/ like this:
RewriteRule ^cart/?$ cart.php [L,NC]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Derriford Hospital
Health secretary Matt Hancock reveals when Derriford Hospital will be rebuilt on visit to Plymouth
Mr Hancock visited the hospital on Wednesday and met Ann James, the chief executive
Keith Rossiter
Politics, environment, farming and more in your new free Western Morning News newsletter - direct to your inbox every day
The £600 million project to rebuild Derriford Hospital in Plymouth will begin in the next Parliament and be complete in ten years, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has promised.
Mr Hancock visited the hospital yesterday and met Ann James, the chief executive.
Derriford's A&E is to get a £30 million upgrade next year, as already reported.
The hospital has been given £100,000 to start planning for the major rebuild – a project announced in September, before the general election was called.
"It is absolutely crystal clear that the hospital needs rebuilding altogether.
"We have funded the hospital to put the plans in place."
He said the new hospital would be built in the next ten years.
Asked whether the work would start during the next parliament, Mr Hancock said: "Yes. If we can get to that stage, then I am absolutely up for the work beginning in the next parliament.
Derriford Hospital sets record straight about '13 hour' A&E delay
Derriford Hospital will no longer be offering IVF treatment
"We've got to work through exactly what the plans are. The point about building hospitals is that they are incredibly complex operations, and this is one of the finest hospitals in the country in terms of the treatment that is available.
"Yes, if the hospital wants to get going in the next parliament, then that is what will happen."
The Conservatives have also promised to increase nurses numbers by 50,000 and recruit another 6,000 GPs.
Independent analysts have calculated that the extra nurses would cost £2.8 billion a year, not including training costs – money Mr Hancock insisted would come out of the extra £33.9 billion the Conservatives have committed to NHS funding.
Of those, 18,500 would be nurses "persuaded" to stay on or return to the NHS.
Mr Hancock said the numbers would come from a combination of training, recruitment from overseas, and helping nurses who have a qualification but are not in the NHS to return.
The government has set aside £750 million in the first year for training.
Tragedy as Plymouth dad dies almost two years after motorbike crash
Derriford Hospital needs £1.2m in urgent repairs to prevent 'catastrophic failure'
At the beginning of 2019 there 39,520 full-time equivalent nursing vacancies in the NHS in England, some of them filled by temporary staff.
That was up from 35,794 the previous year
Mr Hancock said the numbers had gone up by 5,000 this year. "I think that's terrific. It's moving in the right direction. But we need to go further."
He said there were 197 more nurses working in Derriford than there were in 2010.
"We need to see that figure rise and we're going to make sure we've got the funding in place to deliver it."
Health secretary Matt Hancock's visit to Derriford Hospital (Image: Keith Rossiter)
Johnny Mercer, the Conservative candidate for Plymouth Moor View, who joined Mr Hancock at the hospital, said he was confident the rebuilding would happen.
"I've made a point of holding the government to account in Plymouth.
"The reality is that this place [Derriford Hospital] has been living hand-to-mouth for 30 years."
He said the majority of the new build would be on the same site.
Mr Mercer said he was "disappointed at how personal the election campaign had become. It's the most personal campaign I've had against me – people talking about being posh and where I was born.
"But I've learnt that I need to rise above that."
He said Brexit was the dominant topic on the doorstep during his campaign, and politicians had a lot to do to regain the trust of the voters.
However, he said he supported Boris Johnson, who has been criticised for previous failures of trust, because "we are in unique times and we need a unique leader".
Labour MP candidate Luke Pollard previously called the £600m plan to rebuild Derriford Hospital a 'unicorn' that does nothing to cure the current 'crisis' facing the NHS.
While Mr Pollard, the candidate member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said a new hospital could well be part of the long term solution, he said there were urgent needs that still need to be addressed in the short term. Read what he had to say here.


text:
Alternative energy news, and information about renewable energy technologies.
Heathrow Airport Gets Green Makeover
Posted in Energy Industry | Solar Power | Transportation
BAA is trying to upgrade its airport terminal Heathrow East by investing to an amount of £1 billion and naming it as Terminal 2. This new terminal would be designed by Foster + Partners and developed by Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O'Rourke's joint partnership company HETCo. This terminal will house around twenty million passengers every year that chose Star Alliance airlines.
BAA is planning to reduce 40% carbon emissions compared to the other buildings by utilizing large north-facing windows in the roof to allow natural lights to light the building. They will install solar panels over the roof for self sufficiency. They will also develop a new energy center that will use renewable resources to heat and cool the building. Mike Brown who is Heathrow Airport's Chief Operating Officer, said: "The new Terminal 2 is part of a major programme of work already underway. Passengers travelling through Heathrow will be using new and extensively refurbished facilities which provide us with an excellent platform from which we can provide a better service to our customers than ever before."
The new terminal will have 185,000m² of floor space. This terminal will be completed in two phases. The first phase will be completed in 2013. The project under consideration is part of a £4.8 billion investment across the entire airport. Phase 2 that is scheduled to run parallel will merge the new terminal into the existing one. This phase will also incorporate the construction of a second satellite building. It will increase the capacity of Terminal 2 to 30 million passengers a year. After the completion of phase two, Terminal 1 will be shut down. This is likely to happen around 2019. But Terminal 1 will be open during the construction period.
Steven Morgan who is BAA capital director, said: "This is an exciting project, for the engineers and builders, and for our airlines and passengers. The challenges are not to be underestimated. We are constructing a significant new building in the middle of one of the world's busiest airports and ensuring the operating airport is not affected is an absolute priority."
sdimitrov
Thats very good news. I really appreciate the idea to put solar panels over the roof.
Solar Team Great Britain has started a kickstarter page to help fund their design for entry in the 2017 World Solar Challenge. Founder Steven Heape leads a team of volunteers
Top 10 Green Cars – 2015 Vancouver Auto Show
This Tuesday we had a unique opportunity to preview the Vancouver International Auto Show. This year's show features a wide variety of electric, hydrogen and hybrid-electric vehicles. We took full
Infinyte I4: A Purely Electric Catamaran Cruiser
While solar-power electric hybrid vehicles are a proven success story on the roads, the time is ripe for the appearance of solar-electric watercraft. Already a pontoon boat – Loon
MiraQua: A Tiny Miracle
Today there seems to be more and more and yet more vehicles on the road than ever. Everybody wants to have their own transport and a smaller car with
Best Green Car of 2011: Chevrolet Volt
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt became the first electric car to be chosen as the Green Car of the Year 2011. Chevrolet Volt received this honor at the Los Angeles
USPS Goes Green
In strict adherence to guidelines released by the Department of Energy, the United States Postal Service gets on a fast track to reach the goal for energy reduction. Green
New Battery Warranty for Chevy Volt Owners
The Chevrolet Volt is giving its extended range electric vehicle customers a great deal with an eight year/100,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty for its lithium-ion battery. The battery
eCRP Electric Motorcycle Launches for TTXGP
A trip around the eCRP plant headquarters at Modena: The eCRP is the first of its kind of purpose-built electric superbikes, and today it is pitting against the legendary


Due to a system-error, appointments for Visa, Passport, and Misc. Consular Services were given for Thursday, 21 March 2019 which is an Embassy holiday. If you've received an appointment for 21 March, we request you to please come on any following working day between 9:30 am to 12:00 pm except Wednesdays. The Consular Team will attend you. (Wednesdays are reserved only for OCI Services).
Alternatively, Passport and Misc. Consular Service applications can also be sent via post. For more information, please visit www.eoilisbon.gov.in.
Your cooperation is highly appreciated. We regret the inconvenience caused.


text:
Q: is there any way to enforce the 30 seconds limit on local appengine dev server? Hey, i was wondering if there is a way to enforce the 30 seconds limit that is being enforced online at the appengine production servers to the local dev server? its impossible to test if i reach the limit before going production.
maybe some django middlware?

A: You could write (and insert in the WSGI stack) a useful piece of WSGI middleware which uses a threading.Timer which logs the fact that the transaction has exceeded 30 seconds (and of course calls cancel on the timer object on the way out, as there's nothing to log in that case).
I'd do it at WSGI level, not Django level, (a) because I'm more familiar with WSGI middleware and (b) because it's a more general solution (it can help a Django web app, but it can also help a web app using any other framework -- WSGI's use is guaranteed by App Engine, whatever framework you decide to lay on top of it).
You'll need to tweak the "30 seconds" a bit to calibrate, because of course the power, available RAM, disk speed, etc, of your development machine, can't just happen to be exactly identical to Google's, and also many subsystems (esp. the storage one) have very different implementations "locally on the SDK" versus "on Google's actual servers" and in any given case may happen to be substantially slower (or maybe faster!-).
Given the considerations in the previous paragraph it might actually be more helpful to have the middleware simply always log the transaction's total elapsed time -- this way you can watch for transactions that (while they may terminate within 30 seconds on your development server) are taking comparable time (say 15 or 20 seconds or more), especially if they have multiple storage transactions that might slow them down on the real production servers/

A: It's possible, as Alex demonstrates, but it's not really a good idea: The performance characteristics of the development server are not the same as those of the production environment, so something that executes quickly locally may not be nearly as quick in production, and vice versa.
Also, your user facing tasks should definitely not be so slow as to approach the 30 second limit.


text:
\section{Introduction}

Quantum computation is rapidly progressing toward practical technology \cite{{Lucero},{Kandala17},{Cai},{Monz}}. So far quantum bits have been well developed on superconducting circuits \cite{Wilhelm}. When cooled to milikelvin temperatures, coherent tunneling of the Cooper pairs through the Josephson junction (JJ) exhibits slightly nonlinear harmonic oscillations with addressable energy levels \cite{Gambetta16}. Such quantum states have long coherent times and can operate in nanosecond scales. Moreover, they are compatible with the well-established microwave control technology and can scale up in large numbers. All these features makes superconducting qubits one of the prominent platforms for constructing a multiqubit quantum processor  \cite{{Chow},{Niemczyk}}.

The state of art superconducting circuits contains a few tens of qubits with operational gate error rate about 0.1$\%$ for single qubit gates \cite{Barends}  and 1$\%$ for two-qubit gates \cite{Sheldon} yet marginally below the threshold for error detection in the surface code \cite{Gambetta17}. Scaling up the qubit number to be more than a few tens will dramatically increases errors to unacceptable values and the key milestone of next few years is to reduce the errors \cite{{Preskill},{Martinis18}}. Achieving this not only requires further enhancements in the circuit quality \cite{Martinins16} but also needs progressive advancement in theory \cite{theory}. So far the Jaynes-Cummings model, originally introduced in quantum optics \cite{JC}, and its generalization have been routinely applied on superconducting circuits. These models have been so far well-studied for parameters admissible by perturbation theory, namely within `dispersive regime' \cite{{Wallraff11},{Nataf}}. Moreover, special resonant frequency solutions are also known \cite{{Haroche},{Blais04}}.  However, scaling up the number of qubits within the narrow domain of parameters will introduce new issues, such as circuit frequency crowding that must be avoided \cite{Plourde17}. Recently it has been discussed that significant advantages can be made in engineering circuits outside of the dispersive regime \cite{Bultkin}. However, those studies have been performed numerically in the absence of established theory.

Here, motivated by the `black box quantization' method,  we develop a formalism for evaluating the qubit characteristics in circuits consisting of transmons and multimode resonators/cavities at arbitrary frequencies and coupling strengths. Black box quantization has been recently introduced in Ref. \cite{Nigg12} for circuits consisting of low anharmonic transmons coupled to resonators. The low anharmonicity allows dividing the circuit hamiltonian into harmonic and anharmonic sectors. In the absence of anharmonicity the transmons and the resonators can be treated on equal footing, thus the Foster decomposition \cite{Foster} can replace the harmonic circuit with a set of lumped imaginary impedances seen by the anharmonic sector. Identifying the characteristic impedances is of the central importance in this method for which Ref. \cite{Nigg12} proposes iterative feedbacks between experiment and theory.    This formalism has initiated so far several progressive improvements for extracting circuit parameters from electromagnetic simulation \cite{{tureci17},{Firat17},{Richer17}}.  In Fig.(\ref{fig schem})  the harmonic sector is made of $N$ qubits (in blue boxes)  coupled to cavity modes (in the gray area). The curly (red) crosses denote anharmonic sector.

After introducing a unitary transformation matrix in the space of total number of qubits and resonators, we find a normal-mode basis for the harmonic sector of a multiqubit circuit.  Using the transformation we determine all dressed frequencies and Kerr nonlinear terms in the leading order of anharmonicity.   The simplicity and accuracy of this method allows us to present he results of a transmon and two transmons in closed form formulas. For complex circuits this method provides insightful hamiltonian diagonalization inside and outside of the dispersive regime, which will be progressively useful in scaling up the number of qubits. We explain the formalism first in single transmon, then we generalize it before we solve another example of two transmons.

\section{Single transmon coupled to resonator}

\emph{A transmon coupled to a resonator --} The canonical variables are charges and phases \cite{Clerk}, i.e. $({q}_i, {\phi}_i)$  with $i$ being $t, r$ for transmon  and resonator.  The transmon is  coupled to the center conductor of resonator by the capacitance  $C_g$. The dipole interaction $H_{int}=\beta V_r q_t$ couples the transmon charge and the resonator voltage $V_r=q_r/C_r$,  with  $C_{r/t}$  being the resonator/transmon capacitance and $\beta\equiv C_g/C_t$. Keeping $\beta \ll 1 $  guarantees the increase in qubit coherence time \cite{Manucharyan}.  The circuit harmonic and anharmonic sectors sum to define the circuit classical hamiltonian:
\begin{eqnarray} \nonumber
H=H_{\textup{har}}+H_{\textup{anhar}}, \ \ \ \ H_{\textup{anhar}}=- \frac{E_C }{3 Z_{t}^2 \hbar^2}  \phi_t^4 && \\
     H_{\textup{har}}=\sum_{i=r,t} \frac{q_i^2}{2C_i} + \frac{\phi_i^2}{2L_i}  +H_{int} &&   \label{eq. Hexm1}\end{eqnarray}

 The characteristic impedances and the harmonic  frequencies in the circuit are $Z_{i}=\sqrt{L_i/C_i}$ and  $\omega_{i}=1/\sqrt{L_i C_i}$, respectively, with $E_C$ being total capacitive energy of transmon (including JJ and shunt capacitances as well as  capacitive coupling  between transmon and voltage sources),  and $\hbar$ the reduced Planck constant.   We define  canonical variables $({Q}_i, {X}_i)\equiv ({q}_i \sqrt{L_i},{\phi}_i/ \sqrt{L_i})$ such that the harmonic part of Eq. (\ref{eq. Hexm1})  can be transformed to
\begin{equation}
H_{\textup{har}}=\frac{1}{2}\mathbf{Q}^\textup{T} \mathbf{M Q}+\frac{1}{2}\mathbf{X}^\textup{T}\mathbf{  X}; \  \mathbf{M}=\left[\begin{array}{ccccc}
\omega_{t}^{2} &  g \sqrt{4\omega_{t}\omega_{r}}\\
g \sqrt{4\omega_{t}\omega_{r}} & \omega_{r}^{2}  \label{eq:M}
\end{array}\right],
\end{equation}
with $g \equiv \beta \omega_r \sqrt{Z_r/4Z_t}$ and $\mathbf{Q}\equiv (Q_t,Q_r)$ and  $\mathbf{X}\equiv (X_t,X_r)$.

\begin{figure}[t]
\vspace{-0.5cm}
		\includegraphics[width=0.7\linewidth]{figschem.png}
		\vspace{-0.4cm} \caption{$N$ transmons (blue boxes)  coupled to a multimode resonator; the curly (red) crosses are the nonlinear JJ's that represent the anharmonicity sector, everything else makes the harmonic one.}
		\label{fig schem}
	\end{figure}

This Hamiltonian can be diagonalized by unitarily transforming $\mathbf{Q}$ and $\mathbf{X}$ into new canonical variable $\mathcal{Q}$ and $\mathcal{X}$, i.e.  ${Q}_i=\sum_j S_{ij} \mathcal{Q}_j$ and ${X}_i=\sum_j T_{ij} \mathcal{X}_j$.  Given that the variables in  the new and the old frames must satisfy the Poisson brackets of canonical coordinates, i.e. $\{\mathcal{Q}_i,\mathcal{X}_j\}=\{Q_i,X_j\}= \delta_{ij}$,  one can  find  that $T_{ij}=S_{ij}$   (see Appendix \ref{sec.Unitary_SM}).  The only term in Eq. (\ref{eq:M}) that needs diagonalization is  $\mathbf{Q}^\textup{T}\mathbf{ M Q}$, which in the new basis must look like  $\mathcal{Q}^\textup{T} \Omega \mathcal{Q}$,  with $\Omega$ being a diagonal matrix,  $\Omega_{tt}=\bar{\omega}_t^2$, $\Omega_{rr}=\bar{\omega}_r^2$, and zero otherwise.  The unitary transformation  $\mathbf{S}$ is therefore the matrix of columns of normalized eigenvectors of $\mathbf{M}$.

In the new basis the following dressed frequencies can be found in the linear sector: $\bar{\omega}_t\equiv K_-^2$ and $\bar{\omega}_r\equiv K_+^2$,  with $K_\pm \equiv 2^{-\frac{1}{4}} \left( \omega_t^2+\omega_r^2\pm \Delta \Sigma s^{-1}\right)^{\frac{1}{4}}$ and $s\equiv ({1+{16 \left({g}/{\Delta}\right)^2 \omega_r \omega_t}/{\Sigma^2} })^{-1/2}$,  $\Sigma\equiv \omega_r+\omega_t$ and $\Delta\equiv \omega_r-\omega_t$.  The unitary transformation matrix $\mathbf{S}$  is made of columns of the following normalized eigenvectors $(\pm \sqrt{({1\mp s})/2}, \sqrt{({1\pm s})/2})^T$ associate to the eigenvalues $K_{\pm}^2$.  (In  Appendix \ref{sec.Bogoliuboc_SM} similar results have been found using the Bogoliubov transformations \cite{BV}) In this basis the anharmonic term proportional to  $X_t^4$  should be transformed using the phase transformation $X_t= -\sqrt{(1+s)/2}\mathcal{X}_t+\sqrt{(1-s)/2}\mathcal{X}_r$, and this can make many types of terms possible, e.g. $C_{m} \mathcal{X}_r^m \mathcal{X}_t^{4-m}$ with  coupling strengths $C_{m}(s)$ and $m=0,1,2,3,4$.  In the  original eigenbasis $|n_j \rangle$, with $j=t,r$,  the ladder operators $\hat{a}_j=\sum_{n_j} \sqrt{n_j+1} \ket{n_j}\bra{n_j+1}$  can help to rewrite the charge operator $\hat{Q}_j= \sqrt{\hbar /2 \omega_j} (\hat{a}^\dagger_j + \hat{a}_j) $ and the phase operator $\hat{X}_j=i\sqrt{\hbar \omega_j/2 } (\hat{a}^\dagger_j - \hat{a}_j)$ \cite{Clerk}. Similarly in the normal mode basis the ladder operators $\hat{\alpha}_k$ determine the new charge and phase operators: $\hat{\mathcal{Q}}_j$ and $\hat{\mathcal{X}}_j$. These two basis can be transformed into one another using the following Bogoliubov-Velatin transformation: $\hat{a}^\dagger_t-\hat{a}_t=U_{tt}(\hat{\alpha}^\dagger_t - \hat{\alpha}_t) +U_{tr}(\hat{\alpha}^\dagger_r - \hat{\alpha}_r)$, with $U_{tt}=-[{ (1+s){\bar{\omega}_t}/{2}{\omega_t}}]^{\frac{1}{2}}$ and $U_{tr}= [{ {(1-s)} {\bar{\omega}_r}/2{{\omega}_t}}]^{\frac{1}{2}}$.

The anharmonic quantum hamiltonian from Eq. (\ref{eq. Hexm1}) can be written  as $H_{\textup{anhar.}}=-(\delta/12) (\hat{a}^\dagger_t-\hat{a}_t)^4$, with  $\delta\equiv  E_C$ being the anharmonicity coefficient.  In the new basis, this hamiltonian is transformed to $-\frac{\delta}{12} [U_{tt}(\hat{\alpha}^\dagger_t - \hat{\alpha}_t) +U_{tr}(\hat{\alpha}^\dagger_r - \hat{\alpha}_r)]^4$, defining self-Kerr coefficient \cite{Boissonneault} of the transmon ${\chi}_t=\delta U_{tt}^4 $ and that of the resonator ${\chi}_r=\delta U_{tr}^4 $.  Note that the anharmonic hamiltonian is not diagonal in the normal mode basis, however  we can simplify it  by ignoring irrelevant terms to first order and applying secular approximation. This reformulates total hamiltonian to
\begin{eqnarray} \nonumber \label{eq. H_1t_1r}
H&=&\sum_{i=t,r}\bar{\omega}_{i} \hat{\alpha}_i^{\dagger} \hat{\alpha}_i-\frac{{\chi}_{i}}{2}   \left[ \left( \hat{\alpha}_i^{\dagger} \hat{\alpha}_i \right)^{2} + \hat{\alpha}_i^{\dagger} \hat{\alpha}_i +\frac{1}{2}\right]  \\ &&   - 2 {\chi}_{rt} \left( \hat{\alpha}_t^{\dagger} \hat{\alpha}_t  +\frac{1}{2}\right) \left( \hat{\alpha}_r^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_r  +\frac{1}{2}\right),
\end{eqnarray}

The transmon state in normal mode basis makes a shift proportional to ${\chi}_{rt}$, namely the cross-Kerr coefficient, in the resonator frequency.  It is simple to show that  ${\chi}_{rt} = \sqrt{{\chi}_{r}{\chi}_{t}}$ and therefore it linearly scales with the anharmonicity $\delta$. Defining `dressed frequency' $\tilde{\omega}_i$ to be the coefficient of $\hat{\alpha}_i^\dagger \hat{\alpha}_i$, after summing over all relevant terms we find the following closed form formula for the dressed frequencies:
\begin{eqnarray}
&& \tilde{\omega}_{t} =  K_-^2 -\frac{{\chi}_t}{2}-{\chi}_{rt}, \ \ \ \ \tilde{\omega}_{r}  =  K_+^2 -\frac{{\chi}_r}{2}-{\chi}_{rt}  \label{eq. freqs}
\\ &&  {\chi}_{t} =  \delta{\left(1+s\right)^{2}}K_{-}^4/{4\omega_t^{2}}, \ \  {\chi}_{r}  =  \delta {\left(1-s\right)^{2}}{K_{+}^{4}}/{4 \omega_t^2}\ \ \  \ \   \label{eq. kerr}
\end{eqnarray}
which indicate $E_{n_t n_r} = \sum_{i}\tilde{\omega}_i n_i-\chi_i^2 n_i^2/2-2 \chi_{rt} n_t n_r$. The validity of these formulas are much wider than dispersive regime, in fact they are valid for \emph{arbitrary} coupling strength and frequency detuning.

Let us compare our results with other models.  In general two sets of analytical results are known for the circuit: i) within the dispersive regime, which defines the validity of perturbation theory, or ii) at resonant frequencies in the Jaynes-Cummings model.  In dispersive regime the detuning  frequency is much stronger than the coupling strength, i.e. $g/\Delta \ll 1$, and within this regime  Eqs.  (\ref{eq. freqs}) and (\ref{eq. kerr}) are expanded in polynomials of $g/\Delta$. This will result in the following dressed frequencies:  $\tilde{\omega}_{t} \approx \omega_{t} - 2 \omega_r  {g}/{\Delta}\Sigma$, $ \tilde{\omega}_r  \approx \omega_{r}+ 2 {g^2}\omega_t/{\Delta}\Sigma  $ and the self-Kerr nonlinearities ${\chi}_{t}  =  \delta [1- 4  {g}^2 \omega_r (\omega_r^2+\omega_t^2) /\omega_t \Sigma^2 {\Delta}^{2}]$ and   ${\chi}_{r} =   16 \delta \left({g}/{\Delta}\right)^{4} \omega_r^4 / \Sigma^4 $.  These expression are in agreement with  the non-Rotating Wave Approximation (non-RWA)  results recently reported in \cite{Gely} using perturbation theory.  In the RWA regime $g\ll \Delta \ll \Sigma$, therefore we can  simplify these expressions by using \cite{Gely}: $\omega_r/\Sigma \approx \omega_t /\Sigma \approx 1/2$. The RWA dressed frequencies are  $\tilde{\omega}_{t}^{\textup{RWA}} \approx \omega_{t}-{\delta}/{2} -   {g^2}/{\Delta} - \delta g^2/ \Delta^2 $,  $\tilde{\omega}_r^{\textup{RWA}}  \approx \omega_{r}+  {g^2}/{\Delta}  - \delta g^2/\Delta^2 $, ${\chi}_{t}^{\textup{RWA}}  \approx  \delta [1- 2  ({g}/{\Delta})^{2} ]$,    ${\chi}_{r}^{\textup{RWA}} \approx   \delta \left({g}/{\Delta}\right)^{4} $.  These results are in agreement with the original perturbative Lamb and AC-Stark shifts  reported by J. Koch, et.al. in Ref. \cite{Koch07} and experimentally observed  \cite{Fragner}.

\begin{figure}[t]
\begin{center}
 \includegraphics[width=0.92\linewidth]{ggg.pdf} \\
  \includegraphics[width=0.92\linewidth]{ggg2.pdf}
\caption{Exact (solid) and perturbative (dashed) results for (a) dressed frequencies  (b)  cross Kerr in circuit with $\omega_t=6.5$GHz, $\omega_r=\Delta+\omega_t$, $g=0.3$GHz, and $\delta=0.15$GHz. (Inset) Rescaled dressed frequency detuning  at resonant bare frequency in the Jayns-Cumming and the exact  models.}
\label{fig 1}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

Fig(\ref{fig 1}a) shows the transmon and the resonator dressed frequencies at different detuning frequencies $\Delta$ and a fixed coupling strength $g$. For the choice of circuit parameters, there is a negligible mismatch between RWA and non-RWA perturbative results, therefore,  in the logarithmic scales the lines labelled by Perturbation can be plotted using both formulations. In large detuning $\Delta$ the exact dressed frequencies of Eq. (\ref{eq. freqs}), in solid lines, are in good agreement with the perturbative (dotted) results.   However, as $g/\Delta$ increases almost above $\sim$ 1/3 the difference between exact and perturbative results starts to appear.  Another regime of interest is the special solution of the resonant point, where bare frequency of the transmon and the resonator are the same. Perturbation theory at this point diverges, however, the Jaynes-Cumming model predicts that due to atom-photon coupling a $2g$ frequency gap between the two dressed frequencies is produced \cite{{Haroche},{Blais04}}.  Our exact formalism in Eq. (\ref{eq. freqs}) not only confirms this result but also provides a modification in it due to the presence of finite anharmonicity in transmons, which makes the dressed frequency detuning $2g(1 - \delta /4\omega_r)$.  Fig. (\ref{fig 1}b inset) shows this gap rescaled by $2g$ at different coupling strengths $g$, which is unity for infinite anharmonicity (labelled J.C.); and is nonlinear for finite anharmonicity.  Fig. (\ref{fig 1}b) shows cross-Kerr coefficient --defined below Eq. (\ref{eq. H_1t_1r})-- in solid line and compares it with the perturbative results in dashed lines. At the resonant point as expected the perturbation theory diverges, however, in contrast, the exact solution reveals the finite value of $\delta/4+o(g^2)$ for any choice of bare frequencies.

\section{General method: N-atoms coupled to a resonator}

\emph{$N$ transmons coupled to $M$ resonator. --} Black box quantization in the original form has been proposed as an experimental method to get theoretical feedback on fitting parameters. Here we study a purely theoretical approach to generalize it to $N$ modes and $M$ transmons. This will help not only to scale up quantum circuits, but also it helps to study nonperturbative solutions.

Scaling up entanglement is one of the purely quantum phenomenon that is most crucial for quantum computing. Such phenomenon can take place in large scale quantum circuits with $N$ transmons interacting with $M$ resonators.  A total of $N+M$ pairs of  canonical variables can be defined:  the charge vector $\mathbf{Q}=\left(Q_{1},\cdots, Q_{N+M}\right)^{T}$ and the  phase vector $\mathbf{X} = \left(X_{1}, \cdots, X_{N+M} \right)^{T}$. The circuit hamiltonian can be divided into a harmonic sector and a weakly anharmonic sector. The harmonic hamiltonian is $H_{\textup{har.}}=\frac{1}{2}\sum_{i=1}^{N+M} \omega_i^2 Q_{i}^{2}+\frac{1}{2} X_{i}^{2}+\sum_{i=1}^{N} \sum_{j=N+1}^{N+M} g_{ij}\sqrt{4\omega_{i}\omega_{j}}Q_{i}Q_{j}$. Using a generalization of $\mathbf{M}$ matrix in Eq. (\ref{eq:M}) this hamiltonian is simplified to $H_{\textup{har.}}=\frac{1}{2}\mathbf{Q}^\textup{T} \mathbf{M Q}+\frac{1}{2}\mathbf{X}^\textup{T}\mathbf{  X}$  with the matrix $\mathbf{M}$ being nonzero only at $M_{RR}=\omega_r^2$,  $M_{TT}=\omega_a^2$, $M_{TR}=M_{RT}=g_{t}\sqrt{4 \omega_t \omega_r}$;  Sub-indices $_T$ labels  transmons $\{ 1,2, \cdots,N\}$ and $_R$ the resonators $\{N+1,\cdots,M\}$. Consider that the following unitary transformations charges ${Q}_{i}=\sum_{j}S_{ij}{\mathcal{Q}}_{j}$ and phases ${X}_{i}=\sum_{j}T_{ij}{\mathcal{X}}_{j}$ take them to a normal mode basis. As  discussed in Appendix \ref{sec.Unitary_SM}, these unitary transformations are identical, i.e. $T_{ij}=S_{ij}$. They transform the harmonic hamiltonian to $\frac{1}{2}\sum_{i}\bar{\omega}_i\mathcal{Q}_{i}^{2}+\mathcal{X}_{i}^{2}$.  Detailed analysis show that $S$ is the matrix of normalized eigenvectors of  $\mathbf{M}$-matrix. This evaluates dressed frequencies in the absence of anharmonicity, which in this paper we determine them exactly in closed form formula for circuits with one and two transmons and one resonator, however for larger circuits the M-matrix  can be evaluated numerically and this determines all exact dressed frequencies.

Once $S$ is found charges and phases can be promoted to operators and rewritten in terms of ladder operator  $\hat{a}$ in the original basis and $\hat{\alpha}$ in the new basis. They transform to one another as follows:
\begin{eqnarray}
\hat{a}^\dagger_{i}-\hat{a}_i & = & \sum_{j=1}^{N+M}  U_{ij}\left( \hat{\alpha}^\dagger_{j}- \hat{\alpha}_j \right), \ \ \ U_{ij}\equiv \sqrt{\frac{\bar{\omega}_j}{\omega_i}} S_{ij}  \label{eq. Bog}
\end{eqnarray}

The anharmonic hamiltonian $\sum_{i=1}^{N}(\delta_i/12)(\hat{a}_i-\hat{a}_i^\dagger)^4$ can be similarly taken to the normal mode basis --see appendix \ref{sec.Bogoliuboc_SM} for details. The smallness of anharmonicity in transmons allows the nonlinear physical parameters to be evaluated in leading order.

\section{Two transmons coupled to a resonator}

\emph{Two transmons sharing a bus resonator --} This is an important circuit for two-qubit gate calibration \cite{{Blais07},{Majer07}}.   Let us denote $\omega_i$ with $i=1,2,3$ for the two transmons, and the resonator, respectively --alternatively we sometimes use $r$ (instead of $3$) to emphasize the resonator.   The coupling strengths between the transmons and the resonator are  $g_{1}, g_{2}$. The $\mathbf{M}$-matrix is \begin{equation}
\mathbf{M}=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}
\omega_{1}^{2} & 0 & g_{1}\sqrt{4\omega_{1}\omega_{3}}\\
0 & \omega_{2}^{2} & g_{2}\sqrt{4\omega_{2}\omega_{3}}\\
g_{1}\sqrt{4\omega_{1}\omega_{3}} & g_{2}\sqrt{4\omega_{2}\omega_{3}} & \omega_{3}^{2}
\end{array}\right]\label{eq:M3dar3}
\end{equation}

The M-matrix can be taken to a normal mode basis within a wide domain of parameters that includes the superconducting circuits of interest for  quantum computation --see below Eq. (\ref{eq:eignfreq}). The cubic equation $\lambda^{3}+b\lambda^{2}+c\lambda+d=0$ determines the eigenvalues $\lambda$ of Eq. (\ref{eq:M3dar3})  with $b\equiv -\sum_{i=1,2,3}\omega_{i}^{2}$,
$c\equiv  \omega_{1}^{2}\omega_{2}^{2}+\omega_{1}^{2}\omega_{3}^{2}+\omega_{2}^{2}\omega_{3}^{2}-\sum_{i=1,2} 4g_{i}^{2}\omega_{i}\omega_{3}$,
and $d\equiv  4g_{2}^{2}\omega_{1}^{2}\omega_{2}\omega_{3}+4g_{1}^{2}\omega_{1}\omega_{2}^{2}\omega_{3}-\omega_{1}^{2}\omega_{2}^{2}\omega_{3}^{2}$. Note that the eigenvalues $\lambda_k$ determine the circuit dressed frequencies, i.e. $\bar{\omega}_{k}\equiv \sqrt{\lambda_k}$, with  $k=1,2,3$. By defining $\theta\equiv \lambda+b/3$ the quadratic term is eliminated, i.e. $\theta^{3}-f\theta+h=0$, $f\equiv  b^{2}/3-c$ and $h\equiv  \left(2b^{3}-9bc+27d\right)/27$. We solve this equation using trigonometric trials functions and find
\begin{equation}
\bar{\omega}_{k}^2 =  {2\sqrt{\frac{f}{3}}\cos \frac{ \textup{cos}^{-1}\left(-\frac{h}{2}\left(\frac{3}{f}\right)^{\frac{3}{2}}\right)-2\pi(k-1)}{3}-\frac{b}{3}}  \label{eq:eignfreq}
\end{equation}
A relabelling of indices might be needed to identify corresponding frequencies. Should the inverse cosine be always between -1 and 1, ${h^{2}}/{4}-{f^{3}}/{27}<0$ must be satisfied for real-valued solutions. In circuits suitable for quantum computation, however, since coupling strengths are much smaller than individual frequencies this condition is trivially satisfied  Appendix \ref{sec.limits_SM}.

\begin{figure}[t]
\begin{center}
 \includegraphics[width=0.77\linewidth]{gr4b.pdf} \\
  \includegraphics[width=0.77\linewidth]{gr5b.pdf}
\caption{Perturbative (dotted) and exact (solid)  dressed frequencies in circuit with  bare frequencies (dashed) of transmons $\omega_{1}=3$GHz, $\omega_2=\alpha \omega_1$, and the resonator $\omega_r=\omega_1+\Delta_{r1}$, couplings $g\equiv g_{1,2}$(=0.1GHz) and  $\delta\equiv \delta_{1,2}$(=0.1GHz). (a) $\alpha=0.86$, and (b) three-body resonance $\alpha=1$. }
\label{fig 3}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The anharmonic hamiltonian transformed into the normal mode basis in the leading order can be written as
\begin{eqnarray} \nonumber
&&H=\sum_{i=1,2,3} \tilde{\omega}_i \hat{\alpha}_i^\dagger \hat{\alpha}_i       \\ \nonumber &&
  - \sum_{i=1,2,3}\Bigg\{ \frac{\chi_{i}}{2}\left(\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{i}\right)^{2} +  2 \sum_{k > i} \chi_{ik}\left(\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{i}\right)\left(\hat{\alpha}_{k}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{k}\right)  \Bigg.  \\ \nonumber &&
 \ \ \ +   \sum_{k > i} \left( \mathcal{J}_{ik}+ \sum_{l\neq i,k} \mathcal{L}_{ikl} \hat{\alpha}_{l}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{l}  \right) \left(\hat{\alpha_{i}}\hat{\alpha}_{k}^{\dagger}+\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{k}\right)
   \\  && \Bigg.  \ \ \ + \sum_{k\neq i} \mathcal{K}_{ik}  \left[\left(\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{i}\right)\hat{\alpha}_{i}\hat{\alpha}_{k}^{\dagger}+\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{k}\left(\hat{\alpha}_{i}^{\dagger}\hat{\alpha}_{i}\right)\right] \Bigg\}
  \label{eq. 2trans}
 \end{eqnarray}
with self-Kerr $\chi_{i}=\sum_{j=1,2} \delta_j U_{ji}^{4}$ and  cross-Kerr $\chi_{ik}=\sum_{j=1,2} \delta_j U_{ji}^{2} U_{jk}^{2}$ and $U_{ij}$ being define in Eq. (\ref{eq. Bog}) ---see Appendix \ref{sec. trans 2transmons_SM} for details.   One can  evaluate  the  Kerr cofactors and see that  in general there is no simple relation between cross Kerr  and self-Kerr coefficients.

In Eq. (\ref{eq. 2trans}) the   $\mathcal{J}$ coupling indicates a direct interaction between two oscillators. The  $\mathcal{K}$ and $ \mathcal{L}$ terms are multiplied by $\hat{\alpha}^\dagger_i \hat{\alpha}_i$, therefore they are effectively $ n_l \mathcal{L}_{ikl} $ and $n_i \mathcal{K}_{ik} $ with $n$ being  integer quantum numbers. These couplings linearly depend on anharmonicity $\delta$ and are stronger in higher excited states. Detailed analysis ---see Appendix \ref{sec_Additional} and \ref{sec. SW_SM}--- show that after block-diagonalization these three interactions appear in the effective hamiltonian of the two-qubit circuit only in the higher orders $\delta^2$, thus they are negligible in the leading order.

The dressed frequency of   transmons and  resonator are
\begin{equation}
\tilde{\omega}_{i} = \bar{\omega}_{i} -\frac{{\chi}_i}{2}-\sum_{j  (\neq i)}{\chi}_{ij}. \label{eq. dress_w_2tr}
\end{equation}
and the energy levels are $E_{n_1 n_2 n_3} = \sum_{i=1}^3 n_i \tilde{\omega}_{i}-\chi_i n_i^2/2-2\sum_{k> i}\chi_{ik} n_i n_k $.  Fig. (\ref{fig 3}a) shows all dressed frequencies given the bare values $\omega_1=3$GHz, $\omega_2=\alpha \omega_1$, and $\omega_r=\omega_1+\Delta_{r1} $.  We obtain perturbative results (dotted)  using the formalism explained in Ref. \cite{{Magesan},{Gambetta13}} ---more explicitly Eqs. (4.3-4.5) of the first reference. For the fixed coupling strength $g$ and large $\Delta_{r1}\gg  g$  the results of perturbation theory and Eq. (\ref{eq. dress_w_2tr}) are in good agreement. Far from the dispersive regime, however, the two become much deviated. For example in a  circuit with the frequency of transmon 1 and resonator in resonance perturbation theory diverges, however Eq. (\ref{eq. dress_w_2tr}) predicts a finite dressed frequency gap as shown in Fig. (\ref{fig 3}a). In the case of $\alpha<1$ and $g/\omega_1  < (1-\alpha^2)/3\sqrt{6}$, a series expnasion of Eq. (\ref{eq. dress_w_2tr})  in terms of $g$ shows that in absence of anharmonicity $\tilde{\Delta}_{r1}\approx 2g$ and $\tilde{\Delta}_{12} \approx \Delta_{12}-g + [(1+\alpha)^{-1}+(1+\alpha)/2]g^2/\Delta_{12}+o(g^3)$.  Fig. (\ref{fig 3}b) shows the special case of resonant transmons with $\omega_1=\omega_2\equiv \omega$. Our exact evaluation indicates that all dressed frequencies become off resonant at the values $\omega$, $\sqrt{({\omega^2+\omega_r^2 \pm \Delta \Sigma r^{-1}})/2}$ with $r^{-2}\equiv 1+32 g^2 \omega \omega_r/\Delta_{r1}^2 \Sigma_{r1}^2$. The special case of maximal resonance, i.e. $\omega_r=\omega$, the dressed frequencies will be found  $\tilde{\Delta}_{r1} \approx \tilde{\Delta}_{12}\approx \sqrt{2} g$ in absence of anharmonicity, see Appendix \ref{sec. resonance_SM} for details. These are all previously unknown results that can be used for instance to identify bad samples in circuit fabrications.

Before conclusion let us comment on evaluating the effective impedances introduced by the black box quantization \cite{Nigg12}. They are assumed to be unknown parameters and can be evaluated in iterative feedbacks between theory and experiment. Our formalism, however,   reveals a number of constraints that link between the effective impedances that makes the simpler to be theoretically estimated. For the simple example of a transmon coupled to a resonator, the effective impedances can be found analytically:  $Z_t^{\textup{eff}}=\tilde{\omega}_t {(1+s)Z_{t}}/ {2\omega_t}$ and  $Z_r^{\textup{eff}}=\tilde{\omega}_r {(1-s)Z_{t}}/{2\omega_r}$. Their ratio in the dispersive regime is $Z_r^{\textup{eff}}/Z_t^{\textup{eff}} \sim (g/\Delta)^{2}$, which indicates the characteristic impedance associated to the transmon exceeds that of the resonator.

\section{Discussion}

We presented a rigorous method to exactly obtain effective qubit parameters from the hamiltonian of superconducting circuits consisting of resonators and JJs at arbitrary coupling strengths and frequency detunings. Using this formalism we exhibited single transmon and two transmons outside of the dispersive regime in closed-form formulas.  For complicated circuits finding analytical expressions may not be easy,  however,  our formalism can determine qubit parameters numerically much easier and more accurate compared to perturbation theory in charge basis, because the M-matrix (defined in the text) linearly  scales with the number of qubits and resonators and all we need is to find its eigenvectors. This simplicity and accuracy will play an essential role for scaling up superconducting circuits as it allows to explore the possibilities of new domains of parameters for elevated fidelities.

\begin{acknowledgments}
We thank David DiVincenzo for many useful discussions. Support from Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) under contract W911NF-16-0114 is gratefully acknowledged.
\end{acknowledgments}

\section*{Author contributions statement}

M.A. conducted  theoretical analyses.

\section*{Additional information}

\textbf{Competing interests}
The authors declare no competing interests.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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~ Daniel Hein
2. Silent Hill 2
Games that focus on story and characters are some of the most effective out there for twisting the players' mentality. Enter in Silent Hill 2. You are James Sunderland, an average every man who becomes part of something bigger than he thought when he realizes the world around him is a dark and cruel place. One where nightmares and subconscious terrors, thought since long passed, have risen in order to confront you and James as you both search for a truth that you're not entirely sure you want to find. Silent Hill 2 captures the player's sense of fear and need so effectively that when all is said and done, the experience of it all leaves such a lasting impression. The subtle hints, the notion of being alone, it all forms a bigger picture that James and the player are an integral part of, one that twists the idea of you being the actual player, instead of the game playing you…
~ Ethan Butterfield
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Jose Herrias
Gamer and collector. Pretty much had a controller glued to my hand since I was in utero. Currently residing in the Bit Cultures dungeons, being fed JRPGs in exchange for content.
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