text:
Escape from Copyright: Market Success vs. Statutory Failure in the Protection of Expressive Works
University of Cincinnati Law Review, Vol. 69, 2001
65 Pages Posted: 22 Apr 2002 Last revised: 27 Jan 2014
See all articles by Tom W. Bell
Tom W. Bell
Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Copyright law, originally excused as a necessary evil, threatens now to become an inescapable burden. Because state and common law rights seemed inadequate to protect expressive works from unrestricted copying, the Founders expressly authorized federal copyright legislation. Lawmakers have read that constitutional mandate liberally. Each new version of the Copyright Act has embodied longer, broader, and more powerful legal protections. Meanwhile, private initiatives have developed increasingly effective means of safeguarding copyrighted works. Alarmed that these dual trends benefit copyright owners at too great an expense to the public interest, many commentators argue that the Copyright Act should limit and preempt non-statutory alternatives. But that puts matters exactly backwards. Besieged by lobbyists and bloated by public choice pressures, the Copyright Act has fallen into statutory failure. Insofar as common law and self-help technologies unite to secure exclusive rights in expressive works, in contrast, they succeed in overcoming the market failure that originally justified the Copyright Act. If legislativeand private protections prove too powerful in combination, therefore, copyright owners should have the right to choose between the two. Rather than automatically nullifying private efforts, courts should allow the owners of expressive works to abandon the Copyright Act's protections and rely once more on non-statutory ones. Because the idea has only just begun to draw scholarly attention, this paper offers a comprehensive analysis of such an exit option. It finds that principles of law, equity, and policy favor opening an escape from copyright and describes both potential and currently functioning means of putting that theory into practice.
Keywords: Escape from Copyright, copyright, market success, statutory failure, expressive works, intellectual property, preemption
Bell, Tom W., Escape from Copyright: Market Success vs. Statutory Failure in the Protection of Expressive Works. University of Cincinnati Law Review, Vol. 69, 2001, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=307820 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.307820
Tom W. Bell (Contact Author)
Chapman University, The Dale E. Fowler School of Law ( email )
Orange, CA 92866-1099
HOME PAGE: http://www.tomwbell.com


The Global Citizen Festival announces its Mandela 100 concert to honor Nelson Mandela's legacy in the fight to end extreme poverty. The festival will be headlined by Beyonce, Jay-Z and more. Forest Whitaker, Rev. Al Sharpton and Chuck Robbins discuss.
Desmond Tutu not attending Mandela's funeral?
Phony interpreter at Mandela memorial?


text:
The Harem Town Council: Interview
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi • Dec 25, 2019 at 12:10 pm
http://www.aymennjawad.org/2019/12/the-harem-town-council-interview
Translations of this item:
The town of Harem is located in north Idlib countryside near the border with Turkey and is presently under insurgent control. From the civilian angle, the town is administered by a town council that is currently affiliated with the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham-backed Salvation Government.
To learn more about the situation in Harem, I conducted an interview with the town council's media on 23 December 2019. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.
Q: What is the number of original inhabitants in the town of Harem and the number of IDPs in it currently?
A: The number of original inhabitants is currently 50,000: of course the majority of them also are of the origin of the land, but there are IDPs from a number of towns like Aleppo, al-Sham [Damascus] and Homs. The number of IDPs is around 35,000.
Q: What is the number of members of the council and its main offices?
A: The council in Harem embodies a town council and municipal office. There are eight main offices in it: the cleaning office, the technical office, the relief office, the financial office, the services office, the veterinary office, administrative affairs and the police office.
Q: How is the services and humanitarian situation in general?
A: The services situation is fine or below average because of the lack of availability of financial resources for projects. The humanitarian situation is difficult currently on account of the increase of the number of IDP brothers coming to the town, and the lack of ability of the council to secure them residence and refuge in light of the absence of work of the humanitarian aid organisations and emergency programs.
Q: For how many hours are the generators in the town operated currently?
A: The generators are operated for a period of two hours only on account of the expensiveness of the mazout substance.
Q: From where does the water come?
A: As for the water, it is support by the GOAL aid organisation. And it is extracted from springs [/sources] present in the town through operating stations, at an average of one day every week.
Q: What are the most important projects of the council recently?
A: There are no projects currently because of the lack of availability of money.
Q: What are the biggest challenges? Have the rise of the price of the dollar and the new campaign upon Idlib impacted the services and humanitarian situation in Harem? How exactly?
A: The challenges in the work of the council: the most important of them material and it is on account of the great size of the work entailed and the resources are few. Of course the rise of the prices of the dollar has negatively impacted the services and humanitarian situation, and that is because necessities are bought in dollars and the council's income is in [Syrian] pounds.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shailene is featured in the special issue of Vanity Fair, in which 75 different stars were photographed as a tribute to Hollywood itself. For now we have added a single scan from the magazine but we'll be replacing it with a larger version as well as some additions if Shailene is featured on any other pages. Enjoy!


HP E5406-44G-POE+/4G V2 ZL SWCH W PRM SW.
Are you looking for a great website to buy HP E5406-44G-PoE+/4G-SFP Switch Chassis ? Then you have found exactly what you need right here! Datavision's flagship SuperStore is located in Midtown Manhattan, adjacent to the New York Public Library, but our massive online presence makes great selection and deals available all over the country. Free Ground Shipping may be available for items shipped within the continental U.S. (48 Contiguous States) . Free Shipping does not apply to Hawaii, Alaska and all the U.S. Territories.


text:
It's time to focus on your lentil health. In one four-week Spanish study, researchers found that eating a calorie-restricted diet that includes four weekly servings of legumes aids weight loss more effectively than an equivalent diet that doesn't include beans. Those who consumed the legume-rich diet also saw improvements in their "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and systolic blood-pressure. To reap the benefits at home, work lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans into your diet throughout the week.
Lentils and beans are great foods for weight loss, but chickpeas also belong in your pantry. They contain a whopping 39 grams of protein per cup, which nearly meets your recommended daily amount from the USDA, so you're guaranteed to stay full for awhile after noshing on these beauties. Most eat them in hummus form, but you could also toss them in seasonings and roast in the oven, which you can then sprinkle into meals or eat alone for a crunchy snack.
Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entree, split a dish with a friend, and don't order supersized anything. At home, visual cues can help with portion sizes. Your serving of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of a traditional light bulb. By serving your meals on smaller plates or in bowls, you can trick your brain into thinking it's a larger portion. If you don't feel satisfied at the end of a meal, add more leafy greens or round off the meal with fruit.
A big reason to incorporate more strawberries into your diet: not only do they taste delicious, but a study from Harvard Medical School found that an increased intake of flavonoid-rich fruits, like strawberries, could help prevent weight gain. Stock up on the seasonal fruit in summer, but don't shy away from grabbing the frozen variety once colder temps hit — fruit is frozen at its nutrient peak, so you'll still nab most of the same health benefits.
Like peanuts, avocados contain metabolism-enhancing monounsaturated fats that have been shown to reduce hunger. In fact, a study in Nutrition Journal found that participants who ate half a fresh avocado with lunch reported a 40 percent decreased desire to eat for hours afterwards. What's more? The trendy toast topping is also loaded with unsaturated fats, which seem to prevent the storage of belly fat, as well as satiating fiber and free-radical-killing antioxidants.


Join me for a fun weekend of creative expression, movement and magic, as you learn to paint mandalas and sacred art. Transformation is inevitable as you allow yourself to (as one of my mentor's would say) 'Yield to the Paint', entering the sacred space of the mandala and the center of your heart.
Be seen, heard and supported.
Express the colors of your soul.
To register or learn more about an upcoming workshop click this 'Art Workshops' link.
Early in my art career I was looking for some guidance and inspiration on how to carve out a successful career as an artist, when I found, The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money: Thriving As an Artist Without Selling Out by Zoe Westhof & Chris Guillebeau.
It shifted my perspective from artists are destined to be poor and helped me to really learn about how other successful artists are monetizing their art careers in today's modern marketplace.
All the materials were easy to digest and I was able to listen to the audio interviews from my phone while I did other things.
His materials are great for people on the go. This program is unlike any other book or class that I have taken, with it's mult-media approach.
I recommend Chris and his products to any creative souls that are just beginning their careers as artists and are looking for ways and means to get up to speed on how other artists are succeeding.


text:
"""
    Title: birds.py
    Description: Take pictures when a birds is passing by and send it to the API.
    License: see Github project: https://www.github.com/oSoc17/code9000
    Depends: python-requests, python-picamera
"""

# Python built-in modules
import logging
import json
import sys
from time import gmtime, strftime, sleep, time
import threading
import os
import asyncio
from subprocess import call

# Set current working directory
os.chdir(sys.path[0])

# Set logging level
logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.DEBUG, format='%(asctime)s %(message)s')

# Python external modules
try:
	import requests
except ImportError:
	logging.critical('Python Requests is not installed!')
	exit('Importing Python Requests module failed!')

# Python Raspberry Pi specific modules
try:
	import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
	import picamera
except ImportError:
	logging.critical('Raspberry Pi Python modules are missing or this program is not running on a Raspberry Pi!')
	exit('Importing Python Raspberry Pi modules failed!')

# Read configuration (you can edit this file for your system)
configFile = open('constants.json')
configData = configFile.read()
configFile.close()
configData = json.loads(configData)

# Create directories if not exist
if not os.path.exists(configData['pictureDir']):
	os.makedirs(configData['pictureDir'])

# Create a camera instance
camera = picamera.PiCamera()

# Upload callback
uploadQueue = []
uploading = False
uploadCounter = 0
launch_time = time()

def takePicture(channel):
	global camera
	global uploadQueue
	global uploadCounter
	global launch_time
	logging.debug('Bird detected!')

	if uploadCounter < configData['uploadLimit']:
		logging.debug('Getting current time...')
		currentTimestamp = getTime() # Read the current time
		logging.debug('Taking picture...')
		camera.capture('{}/{}.jpg'.format(configData['pictureDir'], currentTimestamp)) # Take picture
		uploadQueue.append('{}/{}.jpg'.format(configData['pictureDir'], currentTimestamp))
		logging.debug('Bird event completed!')
		uploadCounter = uploadCounter + 1
	else:
		logging.warning('Daily upload limit reached!')
		if launch_time - time() > configData['resetUploadTime']: # Reset limit if device is powered for more then 24 hours.
			uploadCounter = 0

# Shutdown callback
running = True

def shutdown(channel):
	running = False
	GPIO.remove_event_detect(configData['pirsensor'])
	GPIO.cleanup()
	call("sudo shutdown -h now", shell=True)

# Setup GPIO pins
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD) # Use BOARD GPIO numbers
GPIO.setup(configData['pirsensor'], GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_DOWN)  # Setup GPIO for PIR sensor
GPIO.setup(configData['shutdown'], GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_DOWN)  # Setup GPIO for PIR sensor
GPIO.add_event_detect(configData['pirsensor'], GPIO.FALLING, bouncetime=configData['bouncetime'], callback=takePicture)
GPIO.add_event_detect(configData['shutdown'], GPIO.FALLING, bouncetime=configData['bouncetime'], callback=shutdown)

@asyncio.coroutine
def uploadAsync():
	global uploadQueue
	global uploading

	logging.debug('Uploading asynchronous the picture and meta data to API')
	logging.debug('Uploadqueue: {}'.format(str(uploadQueue)))

	for index,picture in enumerate(uploadQueue):
		currentFile = open(picture, 'rb')
		currentUpload = {'image': currentFile} # Read file
		currentTimestamp = os.path.basename(currentFile.name).split('.')[0]
		try:
			r = requests.post(configData['api'], data={'longitude': configData['location']['lon'], 'latitude': configData['location']['lat'], 'captured_at': currentTimestamp, 'token': configData['token'] }, files=currentUpload) # Upload data to API
			if r.status_code == 200:
				uploadQueue.remove(picture)
				logging.debug('Upload OK')
		except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError:
			logging.debug('Suddenly, a wild network error appeared')
		except:
			logging.debug('Uploading failed!')
	return False

def getTime():
	return strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S', gmtime())

def loop():
	global running

	try:
		logging.info('You can always exit this program by pressing CTRL + C')
		logging.info('Looking for birds...')
		busy = False
		while(running):
			if len(uploadQueue) and busy == False:
				busy = True
				asyncLoop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
				busy = asyncLoop.run_until_complete(uploadAsync())
			sleep(configData['sleeptime'])

	except KeyboardInterrupt:
		logging.debug('Shutting down and cleaning up...')
		GPIO.cleanup()
		logging.info('Shutdown complete!')

# Start the loop()
# Reason for the IF statement is here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/419163/what-does-if-name-main-do
if __name__ == '__main__':
	loop()

# Clean up too when crashing...
logging.error('Shutdown and cleaning up after crash...')
GPIO.cleanup()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: MongoDB: Gathering queries and grouping them under a common key Say I had the following data:
db.warnings.insertMany([
    { "_id" : 1, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_A" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "critical", "is_active": true },
    { "_id" : 2, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_A" }, "warning_type" : "battery", "status" : "critical", "is_active": false },
    { "_id" : 3, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_B" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "minor",  "is_active": false },
    { "_id" : 4, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_B" }, "warning_type" : "battery", "status" : "major",  "is_active": true },
    { "_id" : 5, "target_type": "light", "target" : { "name": "light_A" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "major",  "is_active": true },
    { "_id" : 6, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_B" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "major",  "is_active": true },
    { "_id" : 7, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_A" }, "warning_type" : "battery", "status" : "critical", "is_active": true },
])

Say I wanted to know every active warning controllers have, and to map these warnings to the relevant controller (so I could easily determine what active warnings controller_A has and separate these from the active warnings that controller_B has).
I would like these grouped into an array.
Example of what I would hope the result to look like:
{
    "_id" : "controller_A", "warnings": [
        { "_id" : 1, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_A" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "critical", "is_active": true },
        { "_id" : 7, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_A" }, "warning_type" : "battery", "status" : "minor", "is_active": true },
    ],
    "_id" : "controller_B", "warnings": [
        { "_id" : 4, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_B" }, "warning_type" : "battery", "status" : "major",  "is_active": true },
        { "_id" : 6, "target_type": "controller", "target" : { "name": "controller_B" }, "warning_type" : "offline", "status" : "critical",  "is_active": true }
    ]
}

For the sake of this example, say two-way referencing in the design is not possible (i.e. we cannot design the system so that targets have their corresponding warnings embedded into their documents).
How could I achieve this using MongoDB queries (my application will be using Mongoose for NodeJS, knowing how to achieve this in MongoDB itself is sufficient for now).

A: You can use aggregation in this case.
I wrote an example which looks like this:
db.getCollection('warnings').aggregate([
      {
        $group: {
          _id: '$target.name',
          warnings : {$push: '$$ROOT'}
        },
      },
      { $sort: { warnings: -1 } },

    ]);

If you execute this query you get the following result:
[
  {
    "_id": "controller_A",
    "warnings": [
      {
        "_id": 1,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_A"
        },
        "warning_type": "offline",
        "status": "critical",
        "is_active": true
      },
      {
        "_id": 2,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_A"
        },
        "warning_type": "battery",
        "status": "critical",
        "is_active": false
      },
      {
        "_id": 7,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_A"
        },
        "warning_type": "battery",
        "status": "critical",
        "is_active": true
      }
    ]
  },
  {
    "_id": "controller_B",
    "warnings": [
      {
        "_id": 3,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_B"
        },
        "warning_type": "offline",
        "status": "minor",
        "is_active": false
      },
      {
        "_id": 4,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_B"
        },
        "warning_type": "battery",
        "status": "major",
        "is_active": true
      },
      {
        "_id": 6,
        "target_type": "controller",
        "target": {
          "name": "controller_B"
        },
        "warning_type": "offline",
        "status": "major",
        "is_active": true
      }
    ]
  },
  {
    "_id": "light_A",
    "warnings": [
      {
        "_id": 5,
        "target_type": "light",
        "target": {
          "name": "light_A"
        },
        "warning_type": "offline",
        "status": "major",
        "is_active": true
      }
    ]
  }
]

A: Extending Kerschbaumer's answer to include the extra matching I needed:
db.getCollection('warnings').aggregate([
      { $match : { is_active : true, target_type: "controller" } },
      {
        $group: {
          _id: '$target.name',
          warnings : {$push: '$$ROOT'}
        },
      },

      { $sort: { warnings: -1 } },
    ])

This returns:

/* 1 */
{
    "_id" : "controller_A",
    "warnings" : [
        {
            "_id" : 1.0,
            "target_type" : "controller",
            "target" : {
                "name" : "controller_A"
            },
            "warning_type" : "offline",
            "status" : "critical",
            "is_active" : true
        },
        {
            "_id" : 7.0,
            "target_type" : "controller",
            "target" : {
                "name" : "controller_A"
            },
            "warning_type" : "battery",
            "status" : "critical",
            "is_active" : true
        }
    ]
}

/* 2 */
{
    "_id" : "controller_B",
    "warnings" : [
        {
            "_id" : 4.0,
            "target_type" : "controller",
            "target" : {
                "name" : "controller_B"
            },
            "warning_type" : "battery",
            "status" : "major",
            "is_active" : true
        },
        {
            "_id" : 6.0,
            "target_type" : "controller",
            "target" : {
                "name" : "controller_B"
            },
            "warning_type" : "offline",
            "status" : "major",
            "is_active" : true
        }
    ]
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I really like using Opera. There are a few things I would like to see added or changed.
When retrieving documents or with webmail attachments, I would like to view without first savings the document. I frequently do not need to save.
A setting with the option to clear cache, browsing history, cookies, etc. when closing Opera.
The Cisco Webex add-in will not load.


San Francisco, CA—The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) today awarded eleven neighborhood bookstores with funding as part of the Bookstore SF Program, a partnership with Working Solutions and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The fund celebrates the contribution of small businesses to the vibrancy of the City and ensure the economic well-being of our neighborhoods.
In addition to pressure from rising rents, bookstores face fierce competition from big box and online retailers. In order to remain competitive, small businesses must innovate to grow their customer base and sales. The Bookstore SF Program will fund the revitalizations of bookstores to help them become welcoming spaces where people can attend an event or workshop, hear staff recommendations, or just relax and read. By increasing comfort and interactivity, bookstores can serve as a social hub, deepening community and consumer connections.
The grants will also allow bookstores to grow their Book of the Month membership programs and the redesign of their websites to increase e-commerce revenue streams. As part of the program, bookstores receive a variety of services, including technical assistance on marketing, financial assistance, human resources and management consulting, and real estate and broker services such as long term lease negotiations.
"Working Solutions, a long-time partner of OEWD, is pleased to be part of this special project to deploy small business grants to local San Francisco bookstores so that they can continue to be a fundamental part of what makes San Francisco special" said Sara Razavi, CEO of Working Solutions.
look forward to further developing our working relationship as we strive for their long-term sustainability," said Angel Cardoz, Director of the San Francisco Small Business Development Center.
There are approximately 57 independent bookstores in San Francisco. Through the Bookstore SF Program, eleven are being awarded a total of $103,000. These neighborhood bookstores contribute to the local economy and generate over $9.8 million in annual sales, create and retain over 100 jobs, host over 40 free community events monthly, and have an average of 21 years in business.
"Bookstores are more than just retailers. The passionate book-lovers and thousands of books help open worlds, create connections, allow discovery, start conversations, and act as a 'third place' for members of our community," said Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books.
"Thank you very much for your consideration and work for making this possible! We are looking forward to expanding Just A Touch Christian Bookstore to reach the Bay Area," said Arnella and Artiese Williams, owners of Just A Touch Christian Bookstore.
The Bookstore SF Program is part of the Small Business Resiliency Fund which is led by OEWD in partnership with the Small Business Development Center and Working Solutions. The goal of the fund is to support and promote San Francisco's unique merchants, ensuring they remain strong. The fund provides technical assistance and grants to bookstores and other unique cultural assets to assist with customized development plans through business advisors and consultants.


I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Hush, Hush. I really liked the idea of it, but I found Patch to be creepy and Vee to be irritating and I wanted Nora to grow a backbone. I was on the fence for quite a while about whether or not I wanted to pick up the sequel, Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick, but when a friend sent over her spare copy of the book, I figured I might as well give it a try.
And my experience of reading Crescendo was a very different experience to that of reading Hush, Hush. Perhaps it was my lower expectations going into reading the book, perhaps it was my own emotional vulnerability as I read Crescendo at a very trying time in my life - whatever it is, it turns out that I really enjoyed Crescendo. I found Crescendo to be really heart-breaking to read and I found my heart hurting and the tears flowing down my face as I read it.
I still have my issues with it, of course. I find it really disturbing that Nora and Patch have a relationship in which Patch doesn't trust Nora enough to tell her important information and that Nora's lack of trust and faith in Patch means that she's able to be manipulated into believing terrible things about him. But then, without these sort of conflicts I guess it would be hard for the plot to move forward like it does. These weren't large enough issues for to stop enjoying the story however.
Crescendo begins shortly after Patch sacrificed himself and became Nora's guardian angel. Things should be wonderful for the loved-up couple, but Patch is under close watch as trouble brews between fallen angels and the nephilim and worryingly for Nora, Patch seems to be spending an awful lot of time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. As Nora frets and worries and makes important and drastic decisions with her relationship with Patch, who doesn't let Nora in what's going on or what he has planned, other strange things begin to occur.
When an old family friend, Scott Parnell, arrives, it seems to be the beginning of Nora unravelling both the mystery of what Patch is up to (and what's going on between Patch and horrid Marcie) but also about Nora's father's death 14 months ago. Things begin to get really dangerous and poor Nora is left without the protection of Patch.
Like I said, I found Crescendo to be heartbreaking. I could fully understand the confusion and hurt that Nora feels as Patch distances himself from Nora in order to spend more time with Nora's enemy. She's hurt and jealous and angry but what's worse is that she still wants to be with Patch and to be near him. I felt like I had a bit more respect for Nora as she makes these difficult choices, I didn't have any strong dislike for either Patch or Vee this time around, and for the most part, I found Crescendo to be hugely addictive reading, very exciting and incredibly emotional. I'm so glad that I gave this book a chance to change my mind about the series!
Sophie - Oh dear. Yes, that does speak volumes. I read Crescendo when I was feeling incredibly emotionally vulnerable and reading it felt like having my heart ripped out. So it really worked for me.


text:
Pentoffia tridenta är en insektsart som beskrevs av Dietrich 2004. Pentoffia tridenta ingår i släktet Pentoffia och familjen dvärgstritar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Dvärgstritar
tridenta

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We were all part of the hype that was the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and how it has created a huge and wonderful occasion over the last few weeks! It's a wonderful time to see more of the UK in its full, patriotic state!
We love UK holidays and even weekend trips to London, even more so when it's in its prime with flags flying and the sun is shining! But, before you can travel and venture anywhere, peoples attention needs to be diverted towards the importance of car servicing and maintenance; you can book your MOT test at Fife Autocentre website and essentially, be given the Royal Treatment too!
It's so important to ensure that if you drive, your car is fully functioning and safe and you have everything you need sorted for a road trip or holiday in the UK. MOT tests on cars should be carried out yearly with services alongside these usually every 10-12,000 miles! Making sure your tyres are within the legal tread limits (1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre) and that all oil and water measures are full, if you were to ever breakdown or need assist traveling, knowing that you have done the basics will make it easier for a recovery service to help you get back on the road!
We're heading to Cornwall this summer and a few things that I find help ease any issues if they occur are kept in a little 'recovery kit' in the boot of our car, meaning that if we are ever caught out, or even stuck in shed loads of traffic, we know we have some basics to see us through!
Sometimes holidays can become a little same old, same old. If you feel as though you are stuck in a rut with regards to how you spend your holidays, it may be time to get a bit creative and try something new. The usual two weeks in the med every year can become a little stale after a while and whether you are travelling as a family or you are single, it's good to make changes once in a while. In fact, an activity holiday is probably more suitable to a family as you won't get the "I'm bored!" statement every five minutes!
I've never actually been Skiing but, I've been told that it's great fun and can be really exciting! The thrill of learning a new skill is great for building self esteem and the adrenaline rush of building up speed whilst travelling down the slopes will fulfill the needs of even the most serious risk taker! Skiing also has many health benefits, it's easy to forget that it is a great form of exercise, excellent for increasing stamina and coordination. It is also a sport which is done outdoors so you reap the health benefits of breathing in mountain fresh air. Skiing is excellent for families and children can receive expert tuition from a very young age on the nursery slopes. Andorra ski holidays offer excellent holiday options for visiting the Andorra region.
Sailing encompasses a whole host of options. You could choose to learn how to sail a yacht, learn to canoe or book a holiday kayaking down one of the many white water rivers throughout the world. Sailing offers a freedom that is seldom met by other activities, you can choose to explore at leisure, simply visiting areas of coastline wherever the wind blows! If you find the thought of sailing your own boat a little daunting, you could charter a boat, complete withy your own skipper. You will have plenty of time for swimming, snorkeling and watching the sunset... Not so sure that we'd enjoy this though as Adam and Millie got super sea-sick on our last boat trip and it didn't go down well!
If you have a travel bucket list, going on safari is probably close to the top (it is for me!) The thrill of watching animals in their natural habitat is unsurmountable, especially when those animals are normally only seen in zoos or on the pages of a child's story book. Kenya offers the ultimate safari experience, you can view lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants and zebras living amongst the forest and grassy savannah! How incredible would that be for your kids to witness!?
Going on safari also offers an element of thrill and adventure. Setting off into the unknown protected only by your 4x4 is exhilarating. You can book various experiences, including river safari's and nighttime safaris. Accommodation can be as luxurious or basic as you like, ranging from tents to luxury lodges!
There are many travel operators that deal only with holiday experiences that are a little out of the "norm". Do your research and book that flight!
There's no denying that when you become a Mum, several things that may have seemed like a priority, soon gets pushed to the back of the line and you sometimes 'forget' to look after yourself. I know when I had Millie, so many things that I didn't appreciate being able to do - Makeup, Hair, even showering - became such a chore and being able to do them was a sheer luxury! My makeup routine consisted of lip-balm and concealer, my hair was permanently in a bun and I was lucky if I got to shower alone and so even when it come to my skincare, that also took a knock and so I managed to find a few skin-saving ways to be able to look after my face and a few of them have stuck with me ever since!
With both pregnancies, I was lucky that my skin remained the same! Some people can suffer with dry or sensitive skin during pregnancy and even develop pregnancy/adult acne! It's all to do with the imbalance of hormones and unfortunately, it is unavoidable. For some people, the acne can last post-pregnancy too and can begin to cause concern for those who have never suffered with it before, they may have several medical acne questions that they want answering however, acne is easily managed and easy to treat if you do the right things.
Treat yourself to a facemask at least once a week! There are tonnes of sheet masks available now which means it's quicker and easier to treat your face to that 5 minute pamper! Simply stick on a sheet mask whilst you're bathing the kids or reading their bedtime story - you might scare them a little but it's better than what you could end up doing to your face permanently! There are lots of varieties around but I love the Masque Bar Foil Sheet masks, they have Calming, Moisturizing and Brightening along with lots of others!
Keep an eye roller or cream in the fridge for cooling and de-puffing eye bags! You're a Mum; the chances are you will have days that you wake up and your eyes are puffier than ever, using a cool eye roller or eye cream will help to settle the puffiness and will also feel lovely on your face! It can help brighten your under-eyes too! We love a multi-tasker! I love the Botanics Refreshing eye roller, it smells lovely and I keep mine just in the top of the fridge! If you don't have an eye cream, you can buy eye masks that again, you can keep in the fridge to keep them cool! The No7 Revitalising Hydrogel eye-masks are perfect for this!
Forget the effort of priming, moisturising and then applying foundation, use a Tinted Moisturiser with SPF in to ensure you're protecting your skin from the sun but also giving yourself the coverage you need to make you feel a little less zombie! The No7 City Light Moisturiser has SPF 15 and you can usually grab a £3 off voucher from Boots if you buy some baby bits too meaning it would only cost £10! Bargain for something that is doing 3 things in 1!
If you don't have time to sit and remove, tone and everything else your makeup, grab a Makeup remover cloth and take it all off in one! You can use Oils like the DHC Cleansing oil to break it up a little first and then one of the cloths to remove it completely! Primark have some fab ones in at the moment and they're super cheap too! If you're not into those, grab a decent Miceller water and ensure you take off the majority of your makeup with the cloth and then go over your face with a cotton pad and miceller water just to remove all of the nasties left on your skin! The Aldi 'Lacura' version is AMAZING!
Use a Night cream even if you forget to use anything else! Our skin will appreciate the luxury of drinking up a night cream whilst we sleep and it doesn't take a lot to do! Keep your favourite cream by your bed so that even if you forget, it means you don't have to get back up to put it on! I love my Charlotte Tilbury Magic Night Cream at the moment, it's super luxurious but wow, it's such an amazing product! My skin feels brand new when I wake up!
Skincare has always been something I've kind of just done. I've never been a massive lover of trying every new oil, elixr or cleanser as my skin reacts when I put too much on it. However, as I have Oily/Combination skin most of the time, finding things that really work for me can be difficult and so I'm always curious to try new bits when they're released. So when Caudalie partnered with Love me Beauty, I managed to get my hands on one of their 'Mix it Up' skincare boxes which included 4 of their favourite and most popular products.
You can pick and choose the combinations that work best for you and your skin so if you have dry skin, you can use the detox oil to help replenish your skin overnight. If you want a deep cleanse, you can use the cleansers and mask! You see how it works... it's just about choosing what you want at any one time!
The detox oil is one of my favourites, it smells like something you'd get treated to during a facial, infused with anti-oxidant grape-seed, regenerating rose hip, purifying neroli, soothing lavender and detoxifying carrot oils it smells incredible and leaves your skin feeling so soft! Use alongside the super soft, foamy cleanser which is infused with purifying sage and moisturising grape extract, the soap-free formula rids the skin of impurities and gently cleanses the skin!
If you're looking for a better way to remove makeup instead of using those horrid makeup wipes, the Makeup removing cleanser oil is perfect - it works to dissolve all types of make-up, including waterproof, whilst removing impurities and cleansing the skin. The blend of 100% naturally derived plant oils nourishes and softens the skin without leaving a greasy film, you can always use the foaming cleanser after for a double treat!
For an extra boost after any of these products, the Glycolic Peel is perfect, especially if you have a complexion in need of an instant boost! The peel works like a scrub and a peel at the same time, feeling luxurious and non-irritating, it provides the ultimate spa-like glow from the comfort of your own home. Apply the mask twice a week to dry skin, avoiding the eye contour area and simply leave on for 10 minutes then rinse with water.
You can mix and match almost all of Caudalie's products to help give you the best combination of products for your skin type and issues. If you head over to their website, you'll find tonnes of products that will suit all skin types and even chat with an advisor online if you have any other concerns!
The Eye and Cheek palette (£12.95) was the one I was excited to try the most - with 12 eyeshadows, 3 being metallic and the rest matte, 2 golden shimmers and 4 bright blushes, it has everything you need to create a day to night makeup look. The colours of the eyeshadows are perfect and include some gorgeous transition colours too so you could use bolder colours on top if you wanted to create more of a bolder look. The size of the eyeshadows are fab, you get plenty of product in all 3 products; blusher, shadows and highlight, the blushers are just a little tricky to get to and you'd need to use a small blusher brush to pick up the pigment without getting any other shadows on the brush too.
When trying the shadows out for the first time to get swatches, it was clear that the shadows were very powdery - especially the lighter ones (see next photo), they were very crumbly and made a bit of a mess of the palette once I had used my finger to get the pigment. However, that said, the pigmentation is fab and all colours, light and metallics, gave off amazing pigment on the swatches. I did try with a brush and it didn't leave as much of a mess or much kick-back but it also didn't seem to pick up as much product.
The blushers and highlighters again, have fab pigment and went on smoothly and didn't have the powdery like consistency that the shadows did but again, when using a brush it didn't seem to pick up a great amount of pigment, especially from the highlighters. I guess you can apply more if required but it's very subtle.
The next palette is the Amber Eyes palette (sold out) which I think is a little bit of a dupe for the Naked Heat palette - using burnt oranges and lighter colours, it's a great summer palette to do more spring/summer looks with some lovely deeper transition colours. There are 12 eyeshadows in this palette, 2 being shimmer/metallic ish, and it comes with a double-ended brush. The shados in this aren't as powdery as the ones in the Eyes and Cheek palette however, the pigment isn't as good as those either - the darker colours come out better than the lighter and shimmer colours and again, it works best by using fingers rather than a brush but they do blend out nicely and are buildable so you're able to get the intensity you want from the shadows if you work with them.
The packaging on both of the eyeshadow palettes is quite sturdy but it makes them quite heavy - the amber eyes palette has a built in mirror too which I like on eyeshadow palettes as you can use it for getting up close but I think that the tin case could be changed to make it more light-weight.
Last up, the Brow palette (£7.95) is such good value for what you get inside! The same kind of packaging, so it's quite heavy but very durable and you know that the shadows won't get smashed. The palette contains 4 Eyebrow Powders, 1 Eyebrow Pencil, 1 Brow Highlight, 1 Brow Wax & 1 Dual-Ended Brow Brush - the colours will suit most people as you can mix between them all to get the perfect colour for you and use the wax to set. The chocolate brown colour works perfectly for me as it's the darkest but I use the soft brown and pencil to fill in the fronts and carve underneath my brows for precision. The shadows are bendable and the pigment lasts most of the day so they're a better formula compared to the eyeshadow products.
Overall, for the price of the palettes and the amount of shadows you get, they are all fab value however, the chalky shadows put me off in the eyes and cheek palette but the brow palette is something I use on a daily basis. I do like the metallic shadows in the larger palette and the colours in the Amber eyes palette are gorgeous but I don't find myself reaching for either of those and use other shadows that I have instead.
If you're only just getting into makeup and want to build your stash, they're great additions but for those of you who are used to higher end products, you'll be disappointed.


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What Keeps Deputy Ministers Up at Night?
Last week in Halifax IPAC hosted its 67th annual conference. I've embedded a video of a DM panel addressing the question "What keeps Deputy Ministers Up at Night?". It's worth watching.
Labels: deputy ministers
Dissent in Public Organizations
Last week Nick and I delved into the long-term arc of communities and the people that comprise them. I was thinking about how public servants of a certain stripe will spend their careers navigating tension between short- versus long-term results, their intuition versus their instructions, and even different tenets of the Values and Ethics Code versus each other (see: Tricksters, Hackers, and Schemers). Nick explored the arc of the #W2P community in particular, summing up and offering theories how such communities evolve (see: The Gentrification of #W2P).
It's important for a couple reasons. It's partially because #W2P, even from my biased perspective, was significant in the Government of Canada. The community was tightly coupled with the learning curve into digital, and particularly social, communication. Many "members" of the community are now involved in transformation and innovation projects. (Ryan Androsoff started a wiki to map the community timeline - I encourage you to visit and contribute.)
But mainly? I just think that public organizations really, really need a healthy culture of challenge. Now more than ever.
In defence of challenge
When talking about challenge, I'm referring both to organizations systematically fostering dialogue and deliberation, as well as individuals being willing to step up when they feel something is awry - the tricksters referenced last week. But, first a quick word on that latter option.
At it's worst, this could be seen as a rationalization for questioning others' experience or judgment, justifying roguish behaviour. Perhaps anyone who thinks in trickster terms isn't actually a prime candidate for public service - we all know the rules of the game we've signed up for. But that all depends on the interpretation of those (and many other) rules and a philosophy of public service (try Dwight Waldo's Twelve Ethical Obligations of public servants for an alternate take). Over the last few years the Values and Ethics Code and The Ethics of Dissent have been common topics on CPSRenewal. This is not taken lightly.
And truthfully, the "rules of the game" are often somewhat uncertain. The relationship between elected officials and the public service is explicit, but the relationship between members of the public service is murkier. It seems as though the rule of "fearless advice, loyal implementation" is applied throughout organizations, exapting the political-bureaucratic rule to a different context.
Why challenge is needed
Public servants' ethical obligations (to stewardship, respect for democracy, respect for people, and integrity) always require a culture that welcomes challenge. But the "now, more than ever" part is because our governance algorithms are better suited to some decisions than others. For the most part, everything gets the same treatment. The organizational structure for, say, policy advice is largely identical to that for process improvements, administrivia, communications, and manufacturing.
I'd argue that it's often borderline unfair to ask people to make decisions under these parameters, expecting an authoritative direction in areas where there's no experience, best practices, or precedence (see: Innovation and Rigour). For instance, I wrote a few months ago that essentially everyone - in and out of government - is only beginning to climb the learning curve for online collaboration (see: The Promise of Online Collaboration). In this view, few if any people are experts, and we'd be crazy to think that anyone would singlehandedly have the expertise to solve something truly complex that had never been tackled before.
We see symptoms like this: in any large organization, people often talk of "picking their battles," the logic of which is uncomfortable. It's essentially shorthand for "I believe we're about to make the wrong decision, but I'm choosing not to say anything because I think things are such that saying anything will make everything worse off in the long run." I think public servants in particular have a duty to avoid or mitigate such dilemmas.
This is where the challenge culture is required. We often hear that the pace and complexity of the world is increasing (the Clerk of the Privy Council's speech yesterday is an example), and that we must be agile and responsive. I think there's a compelling case that where a decision is characterized by complexity, novelty, and a diverse range of stakeholders, we might want to consider trading speed for diligence (see: What We Lost in the Fire We Gain in the Flood). In some cases, the appropriate role for government may be the slow, deliberative space. A space where challenge is welcomed, and we are cautious and intentional in how we manage power dynamics and systemic biases.
Or, as Rosemary O'Leary put it in The Ethics of Dissent
"Some [moments of dissent] are canaries in the coal mine telling us that something is awry… [employees willing to challenge assumptions] just may become creative assets to public organizations if their dissent is listened to and channeled appropriately.
That can happen is public organizations strive for a culture that accepts, welcomes, and encourages candid dialogue and debate. Cultivating a questioning attitude that encourages a diversity of views and encourages staff members to challenge the assumptions and actions of the organization is important."
Labels: #w2p, organization, scheming virtuously, the ethics of dissent
The Gentrification of #w2p
Earlier this week Ryan Androsoff stood up a post on Storify entitled "Wither #w2p?" where he reflected on the origins of the '#w2p community' and its (not so recent) decline. Yesterday Kent circled back to Ryan's post in his piece Tricksters, Hackers and Schemers and in so doing linked to an article entitled The Hacker Hacked: How yuppies hacked the original hacker ethos. The article is long but essential reading for anyone looking to understand – as Ryan is – what happened to the #w2p community.
First, what is #w2p?
#w2p - standing for Web 2.0 Practitioners - was one of the first widespread online communities of public servants in the social media era, first launching in 2009. It used the #w2p hashtag on Twitter combined with regular in-person happy hour type events to build a community of Canadian federal public servants (and some non-governmental folks as well) interested in online technology, innovation, and public sector reform. Unique for government, it was a completely grassroots and organic network. Members organized a number of Collaborative Culture Camp "un-conferences" starting in 2010 and the work of the #w2p network was featured in the Clerk of the Privy Council's 2012 report to the Prime Minister. - Ryan Androsoff, Wither #w2p
Essentially, #w2p is the hipster hashtag of yesteryear. It was #gc2020 before #gc2020 was a thing, before the mainstreaming of hashtags into popular culture and public service culture, back when being on Twitter (et al) was a still 'risky' proposition. We traded tactics, strategies, documents and shit stories about the use of social media and collaboration technologies in government over drinks once a month. No single person was in charge and we rotated hosts and venues, there was only one rule: we are open to anyone, but there's no selling.
It didn't spontaneously spring into existence from nowhere; there's whole rich history full of different players who are likely to remember events differently. Amanda Clarke – a long time friend – from Carleton University has studied the rise and fall (evolution?) of the Government of Canada's unofficial online communities and has pulled together a rough timeline based on her work:
2007 Public opinion research on social media for communications
2007 GCPedia developed
2007 Clerk: information revolution
2007 NRCan wiki starts
2008 Bar Camp (social media and technology in government)
2008 Gcpedia launch at GTEC
2008 Clerk: wikis for internal collaboration/engagement
2008 Guideline to Acceptable Use of Internal Wikis and Blogs Within the Government of Canada
2008 CPSrenewal blog starts
2009 Communications Community Office (CCO) develops Considerations for the Government of Canada's Use of Social Media to Communicate with and Engage the Public
2009 Clerk: wiki and collaboration
2009 #w2p starts
2009 Collaborative Culture Camp (C3)
2010 2010/11 PSR action plan demands collaboration and experiments with web 2.0
2010 Clerk: wikis, Gcpedia, veterans affairs Facebook page
2010 Change Camp Ottawa
2010 Gov Camp
2010 Policy Ignite
2011 TBS policy on social media and external engagement
2011 Signed onto Open Government Partnership
2011 Open Government Action Plan announced by Clement (three streams)
2011 Open Data Pilot under Day at TBS
2011 Clerk: wikis, social media for policy development
2011 Policy Horizons report on Governing by Wiki
2012 Open Government Action Plan commitments announced
2012 Clerk: SM for external engagement, mentions PD and SD
2012 Clement's Twitter townhall
2013 DMSMPD
2013 Blueprint 2020 launched
2014 DMSMPD becomes DMCPI
Understanding all the moving pieces is too complex an undertaking, and quite frankly I'm not sure they all matter. For what it's worth, I was personally involved in:
GCPedia (advisor)
NRCan wiki (observer)
Barcamp (participant)
Guideline for Acceptable Use (advisor)
CPSrenewal Blog (founder)
Collaborative Culture Camp (organizer)
Change Camp Ottawa (organizer, and coincidentally, how I met Amanda Clarke)
GovCamps in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Victoria (speaker/organizer/participant)
I also hosted many #w2p meetups, the highlight of which was the one were I worked quietly behind the scenes to get Wayne Wouters, then Clerk of the Privy Council, to attend one of the meet-ups. I mention it not to show my '#w2p cred' but rather to disclose my own involvement in the community itself.
Second, what happened to #w2p?
Well, there's a few theses floating out there:
1. Unique Circumstances / Natural Evolution:
#w2p was the result of a unique combination time, place, circumstances and actors. When those unique elements were no longer in place, the community simply dispersed. That's just the natural evolution of a community.
2. Evaporative Cooling
[Evaporative cooling] occurs when the most high value contributors to a community realize that the community is no longer serving their needs any more and so therefore, leave. When that happens, it drops the general quality of the community down such that the next most high value contributors now find the community underwhelming. Each layer of disappearances slowly reduces the average quality of the group until such a point that you reach the people who are so unskilled-and-unaware of it that they're unable to tell that they're part of a mediocre group. (Thanks to Meghan Hellstern for putting this on my radar.)
When I first saw evaporative cooling put forward as a possible theory, I pushed back against it. However, I've since re-evaluated my position, especially in light of a second, closer reading. First, one of the community's core tenets was openness. Open communities are more susceptible to the effects of evaporative cooling than closed ones. Second, there was also a considerable amount of social gating (mechanisms that allowed people to self-select out of the group). If you weren't on Twitter your weren't really #w2p (recall this was earlier days for Twitter, before mass market adoption). Moreover, few executives participated because it was a place where influence came from being online rather than traditional organizational/hierarchical authority. Third, when the community was small, recognition and reputation was actively managed through the social layer. As it started to scale up it took on new members (and/or attracted 'tourists') these social controls broke down. Cooling accelerates when people don't understand/value the established social hierarchy of community. (Caveat: yes, despite all the collaboration rhetoric, social hierarchies, loyalties and even factions did exist; the retrospective memory of a homogeneous community is a myth). Fourth, there was some complex interplay between what happened on Twitter (the community's plaza) and what happened at the meet-ups (the community's warrens) that was complex and impactful beyond any explanation; again see my caveat above.
3. Gentrification
[I]n subcultures ... we find a rebel spirit succumbing to perhaps the only force that could destroy it: gentrification.
Gentrification is the process by which nebulous threats are pacified and alchemised into money. A raw form – a rough neighbourhood, indigenous ritual or edgy behaviour such as parkour (or free running) – gets stripped of its otherness and repackaged to suit mainstream sensibilities. The process is repetitive. Desirable, unthreatening elements of the source culture are isolated, formalised and emphasised, while the unsettling elements are scrubbed away.
Key to any gentrification process are successive waves of pioneers who gradually reduce the perceived risk of the form in question. In property gentrification, this starts with the artists and disenchanted dropouts from mainstream society who are drawn to marginalised areas. Despite their countercultural impulses, they always carry with them traces of the dominant culture, whether it be their skin colour or their desire for good coffee. This, in turn, creates the seeds for certain markets to take root. A WiFi coffeeshop appears next to the Somalian community centre. And that, in turn, sends signals back into the mainstream that the area is slightly less alien than it used to be.
If you repeat this cycle enough times, the perceived dangers that keep the property developers and yuppies away gradually erode. Suddenly, the tipping point arrives. Through a myriad of individual actions under no one person's control, the exotic other suddenly appears within a safe frame: interesting, exciting and cool, but not threatening.
Much like the article about the hacker subculture quoted above, what I think we are witnessing is the gentrification of the #w2p subculture. Having reaching the tipping point, its original tricksters are being pressed into the service of more traditional authorities. There has been a significant de-risking of the online environment and the ethos of widespread collaboration in the wake of the formation of the Deputy Minister's Committee on Social Media and Policy Development (now the Deputy Minister's Committee on Policy Innovation) and Blueprint 2020.
In short: #w2p went mainstream. Or, more correctly, its subversive elements went mainstream. Accordingly, those who managed to build influence outside the system have since traded it for a more mainstream form of influence. This is precisely what Kent was getting at when he wrote:
So you believe in change and doing things right. But do you do things less than right for the opportunity to do things right in the future? Or dogmatically stick to your guns, but end up alienated from the organizations and people that can facilitate progress? Do you stay as a garage hacker, or join an organization that limits your freedom but expands your impact?
Ryan Androsoff was recently musing about whether the W2P (web 2.0 practitioners) community in the Government of Canada had withered, and he captured the discussion. It seems I'm not alone in viewing the people in that community as innovators and schemers, but that they've moved on to "operationalizing" their goals or simply "doing."
Or as Brett Scott puts it in The Hacker Hacked:
Any gentrification process inevitably presents two options. Do you abandon the form, leave it to the yuppies and head to the next wild frontier? Or do you attempt to break the cycle, deface the estate-agent signs, and picket outside the wine bar with placards reading 'Yuppies Go Home'?
To be clear, there's nothing sinister about this mainstreaming. It's a perfectly legitimate career move if you are willing to accept the inherent trade-offs.
Third, my take
My own personal view is that its actually a combination of all three of these things. First, there were some unique circumstances coupled with some natural ebb and flow. Second, there was some evaporative cooling. It was an open community. It had some unique social gates, but eventually grew too large for social controls and a disconnect between the online and real life components accelerated the gentrification of the community. People took on operational roles precisely as the issues they championed mainstreamed.
Fourth, the Elephant in the Room
All of that said, what hasn't been addressed is the underlying notion of of competition among the gentrified. Opportunity to mainstream is limited. The competition is fierce and the stakes are high because careers rooted in tricksterism are hard to sustain. Surely one of the contributing factors to the fall of the community was the undercurrent of the competition among an otherwise collaborative community. It's something we don't ever talk about - but its real, omnipresent and important.
Labels: #w2p
Tricksters, Hackers, and Schemers
In literature, trickster characters are the rule-breakers. They cross boundaries, put others outside their zones of comfort, and question authority. They "playfully disrupt normal life and then re-establish it on a new basis." They're often set in a world such that the rule-breaking appears, to the audience, to be understandable - if not downright virtuous.
In society, the tricksters might be the civic tech, NGO, social entrepreneurship, and hacker communities. Hackers, in this view, are those who take things apart to understand them and reconstruct them to suit their needs, be it technology, institutions, or machinery (try these pieces by Tanya Snook or David Fleming for this take). Dealing with government is just one lever to pull towards achieving their goals.
Inside organizations the tricksters may be called innovators, or perhaps mavericks or "rebels at work." Less flatteringly, they might be called "headstrong" or "naive".
There's always conflict between tricksters and those around them, including other tricksters with different levels of willingness to break the rules. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (the character in the image, above) revels in tricking farmers out of chickens until he realizes that his actions are endangering the other animals in his community by provoking the gun-toting farmers. In many stories, a common theme is discord between members of the counterculture: some people are willing to do anything to reach their goals, and their friends have to stop them from compromising their principles. Ideals and goals don't always get along.
Wither rebels?
Brett Scott's recent piece The hacker hacked gets into the conflict faced by the first group, those outside large businesses or institutions.
"We are currently witnessing the gentrification of hacker culture. The countercultural trickster has been pressed into the service of the preppy tech entrepreneur class. It began innocently, no doubt. The association of the hacker ethic with startups might have started with an authentic counter-cultural impulse on the part of outsider nerds tinkering away on websites. But, like all gentrification, the influx into the scene of successive waves of ever less disaffected individuals results in a growing emphasis on the unthreatening elements of hacking over the subversive ones.
In this setting, the hacker attitude of playful troublemaking can be cast in Schumpeterian terms: success-driven innovators seeking to 'disrupt' old incumbents within a market in an elite 'rebellion'."
(See also: "The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads." - Jeff Hammerbacher)
I highly recommend reading the full piece. For one, it's as a fascinating take on the arc of the technology and digital world - once considered a disruptive, democratic, playing-field-leveling force. Two, there's an obvious parallel for anyone trying to remake an organization around themselves.
The trickster's dilemma
Akin to hackers being subsumed into the tech entrepreneurship scene, change-wanters will face a practical dilemma in efforts to drive change. Sometimes, after years of suggesting X project, someone will say "Ah, now you have your chance to put your money where your mouth is: we'd like you to do X. But by our rules." This invariably means that you won't actually get to spend much of your time on X, instead worrying about HR, finance, proving the value of X, building partnerships, and navigating internal politics. And you'll realize that they're using a different definition of X. But, you're finally getting the chance, so you can't rock the boat now. You need to succeed, even if it's not exactly what you wanted to succeed at, to gain the credibility for future such projects. Besides, if you decline the opportunity they'll ask someone else anyway, and it won't be done as well. You're stuck.
Last year I had the opportunity to speak on a topic I was passionate about and I was pumped. When I accepted, I heard the parameters: it was an "un-panel," and I'd be "randomly" selected from the audience to ask a question and then join the panel. My question was scripted and a speaker would magically have a presentation ready to answer it. I backed out, but the principles versus impact debate is rarely so lopsided.
In the US, the Presidential Innovation Fellows program exists to get bright and talented tech experts into government to revamp systems, build tools, and shake established mindsets. My anecdotal evidence from conversations with public servants south of the border is this: one, that the "not-quite-in-government" position allows the freedom to question established practices and push through solutions. Two, that institutions have had problems following through and maintaining Fellows' projects after they leave. The program was made permanent this week, which could help the latter problem - but might hurt the former advantage.
For the Fellows and W2P, there's a power in being distant enough from portfolios that you can truly speak your mind. Once institutionalized, operationalized, or made responsible, these Fantastic Mr. Foxes may realize that other animals are counting on them and that playing with the rules - even if virtuously done - isn't the right approach anymore.
Which is not to say that accepting positions of responsibility is inadvisable. It's actually the core of the public service ethos. It's why we're here. If you have a meaningful job and your work actually impacts citizens then it comes with responsibility. But there will be constant tension: is the value you had as a trickster being left behind?
A last word about naiveté
Naiveté is the true enemy of tricksters, hackers, and schemers. But it comes in two different flavours.
Failing to understand or appreciate the value of "the way things are". Ever complain about something and have a friend respond "Actually, there's a perfectly good reason for that"? The more you learn about something, the more you'll see both its flaws and its virtues. If you're trying to change things, you have a responsibility to understand them.
Failing to understand or appreciate the value of ideals. There's a reverse-image naiveté to the above and it manifests in Machiavellianism, acting as though everything is strategic, pragmatic, and political. As bad as the naive tricksters, the naive institutionalist can't tell when the tricksters are right, and falsely believes that the rules of the game can never change.
Labels: counterculture, scheming virtuously, w2p
A blast from my own personal past
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting in on a presentation by Gilles Paquet as a part of the Institute on Governance's (IOG) Executive Leadership Program. It had been almost 7 years since I last saw Gilles and he's still a firecracker at the age of 79.
I first met Gilles back in August of 2008 when I was asked to sit as a discussant at an internal seminar about Leadership as Governance at what was then HRSDC (See: Speaking Notes on Leadership as Governance). At the time I was less than 2 years into my career in government and only about 4 months into blogging about the public service. At the time I was both nervous and excited. It was the first time I was ever asked to speak publicly about the public service. It was also one of the most transformative experiences of my life. I can honestly say that Gilles sent me down the path that has lead me to where I am today. What is most impressive is that he did it with a simple challenge. He simply asked me to put my money where my mouth and scheme virtuously.
Scheming virtuously not only immediately became the tag line for the blog but also inspired Scheming Virtuously: A Handbook for Public Servants which I published a few months later. The handbook was well received and everything just kind of snowballed from there. A year later Gilles called me out of nowhere to tell me that he dropped a note into his latest book entitled Scheming Virtuously: The Road to Collaborative Governance pointing people here, telling them to visit the site to gain greater insight into the practical application of the book's findings. A few years later, I took the time to review the book and I've been trying my best to keep scheming virtuously every since.
When I found out Gilles was the speaker for the evening I was naturally excited. I hadn't seen the man in years and was eager to take some time to speak with him and share my appreciation for his little nudge early in my career. Much to my amazement he took the time to speak with me prior to giving his remarks, made a handful of references that only I would understand given our past, and generally made me laugh aloud. I hadn't realized how much of Gilles style, attitude and ethos I had appropriated until I saw him speak to a crowd again.
There were two things that really amazed me about my interactions with Gilles that night. The first was that he had details about my career path that I hadn't given him, that he must have gleaned from others. To me that signalled an interest that I didn't know was there, and to be honest it was incredibly humbling. The second was that he knew exactly how to push me again on the way out:
"You think Nicholas is dangerous now? You should have seen him when he was young. What I love about him is that you can push him a bit and watch how far he runs."
Time to dig in I suppose.
Keep scheming (virtuously) everyone, I'll see you on the road to collaborative governance.
Labels: Gilles Paquet, scheming virtuously
The Ottawa Bubble(s)
I was home in PEI for the last week, which means that public service renewal hasn't been on my mind much. But the one thing that strikes me every time I go is how it momentarily pops the Ottawa bubble.
The "Ottawa Bubble" isn't necessarily restricted to the city itself, referring more so to the people that interact with the government. These are the people that know, work with, lobby, report on, or are politicians or public servants. There's a certain jargonous way that those in the bubble talk about things like the politician-public servant divide, the writ, election campaigns,and jurisdictional boundaries.
There's a degree of self-awareness. It's noticeable when, for instance, journalists flip back and forth between a policy's actual merit and its political merit, recognizing that many Canadians will interpret things differently than they do. It's also why Aaron Wherry can easily spill 3,000 words explaining the counter-intuitive way our elections work. It's also worth reading this explainer on how the government works during an election: the Caretaker Convention.
Our governance structures are not exactly intuitive. Recently I quoted the Clerk in a tweet and then thought to clarify that the Clerk of the Privy Council is the head of the entire Canadian federal public service; to many the term would be confusing. So much of the ebb and flow of public administration in Canada is based on a long, quirky history, much inherited from the UK, and with all of the very un-plain language that follows (the (Queen's) Privy Council (for Canada), the Usher of the Black Rod, the Governor General, and on and on). There's only ever one context in which you hear about a "writ" and even then, some think we're all using the term wrong anyway. Can we reasonably expect most people to genuinely understand how their government works?
Do our rich governance traditions come at an public understanding cost? A civic engagement cost?
In the Public Service
On top of that, there is a general "public service bubble". Nick noted as we were discussing Tragedy in the Commons, a collection of interviews with outgoing or former Members of Parliament, that in discussing Canadian governance they rarely mentioned the public service. We all have a tendency to see our fields and functions as more important than others do, but before reading the book we drastically overestimated how much the public service would play into conversations. (I joke that CPSRenewal is written for a niche market of about twelve people.)
And we have our own (actually) Ottawa bubble: 41.7% of the workforce is in Ottawa and, as of 2007, 71% of the executives. This doesn't seem to be an accident - the question of whether or not the public service is better centralized or decentralized was asked in a 2005 Library of Parliament paper and it seems the lower travel costs argument won out. (For reference, the UK has 16.6% of its civil service in London; Australia, 35% in Canberra; and the US, 16% in Washington.) From the paper:
"The high concentration of federal employees in the NCR is considered to be undesirable because public servants at all levels run the risk of losing sight of the interests and concerns of the regions and the people across the country they have a duty to serve."
It's not just a matter of us getting outside of our bubbles periodically. It's hard to write in "plain language" when the subject matter simply isn't plain. Or if what seems plain to us is incomprehensible to others. It's hard to put things in terms that would be meaningful to citizens if we don't understand what's meaningful to them in the first place. And its hard for citizens to trust a system they cannot be reasonably expected to understand.
What Innovation Feels Like (Part 1: Fear)
There was a comment on my last post by Martin (See: A Government that Learns By Design), and while I was nodding my head at the whole thing, these two bits rang very true:
We need to move away from a culture of CYA and learn to speak frankly of the barriers and risks associated with change.
Let's all start speaking real-talk.
So here's my real-talk. I'd like to explore a series of barriers I've encountered being a public servant for more than seven years, and suggest some ways to overcome them.
A primary barrier to innovation is fear
I recently read something by Seth Godin, and the opening sentence is probably what permeated my subconscious and has driven me to write this blog post:
The opposite of creativity is fear.
Inside the public service, fear takes the shape of deeply entrenched risk aversion, and defaulting to a (very broken) status quo. Fear leads to bad decision making, ignoring opportunities for growth/change, and oppressing diverse talent and voices in the organization.
I've seen fear in action. I've seen leaders being chosen based on a system that favours the familiar – "safe1" choices who think and act the exact same way as the hiring managers. I've seen managers "check in" with staff 50 times a day, to prevent any straying from the official plan or processes (effectively removing any possibility for creative – or even critical – thinking). I've seen peers mindlessly do work they're asked to do and complain in the staff room how little sense it makes, without speaking up about it.
Each of us, at every level, is responsible for the culture of fear we've created (and we're all responsible for fixing it, collectively).
What innovation feels like: a principled, shared fight
My solution to remedy the culture of fear has always been to challenge the system, to be hyper aware of illogical requests and/or politics-driven (big "P" or little) decisions, and to push back against them whenever and wherever I have the energy to put up a fight.
A seemingly benign (but, really, insidious) way to do this is to simply speak up and ask "why." I find that this simple habit seems to disarm people, and challenge them to think critically. It also creates space for others to speak up – if one person speaks up, it gives permission for others to do it, too.
More actions to fight fear
Here are pro tips that have worked for me when starting a principled fight against things in the system that make no sense.
Pick your battles wisely. Choose to challenge nonsensical things that will have the most meaningful impact, for the most amount of people (called leverage points in systems thinking).
Partner with at least one ally. Walk away if you're alone in the battle. If you're the only one who sees a problem, either there isn't a problem; the amount of effort outweighs the potential impact (i.e., the leverage point is weak); or you're surrounded by people who are willfully or unwillfully blind, and/or unwilling to be the change we need to be to fix this culture of fear2.
Try infiltrating official networks/communities. There are usually some safe spaces to experiment and learn from others. If there aren't any, grab your ally and start one yourselves. (All it takes is two people).
I recognize that all these suggestions take energy and some dedication (and maybe a little bit of nerve), and an ability to look at the long game. I think I've resolved that I'm a lifer, and if I don't try to live the kinds of values I want to see our organization demonstrate (at least, some day), I should pack up and move to Hawaii and spend my energy saving whales instead (hold on... why am I not doing this instead?)
Is there a culture of fear where you work? What shape does it take? If you could imagine how the culture should be instead, what might that look like?
Next barrier to attack: lack of trust.
1. Not safe at all. The status quo, and hiring people who are doing things the way they have always been done, is a major part of what is keeping everything (including the workplace culture) in an unsurprisingly bad state.
2. In which case, I'd say don't just walk but run away from your job entirely, if you're able to.
Labels: risk aversion, workplace culture


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17/02/2013 LORETO REPRESENT ULSTER IN ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL
The Senior Camogie team from Loreto College Coleraine represented Ulster in the All Ireland B Schools' Final in Co. Wicklow on Saturday 16th February. Earlier in the year, the team had triumphed in the final of the Danske Bank Ulster Colleges Fr Davies' Cup competition on Saturday 8th December. Bridging a ten-year gap, the Loreto side had collected their second Ulster title with a final scoreline of Loreto Coleraine 3-7 St Pius X Magherafelt 1-4.
On Saturday 16th February, the Loreto team contested the All Ireland B semi-final against St Mary's New Ross. The match was played in Co. Wicklow, and not only had the team members been training hard for the fixture, they had also raised funds through cake sales and other activities to fund their travel and overnight accommodation.
On the day, the Co. Wexford side just edged a six-point victory, with the final scoreline St Mary's New Ross 1-2 to Loreto College's 1-2. The Loreto team put up a spirited display, fighting for points until the final whistle.
Mr Michael James, Principal of Loreto College, paid tribute to the Loreto team and to their coaches, Mrs Schira McGoldrick and Bean Ui Mhainain, on behalf of all the staff and students of the College.
'The Loreto team have fought a magnificent campaign throughout the season, with a fantastic dedication to their training and a wonderful team spirit. The team are an inspiration to our younger students, who will seek to emulate their achievements when their turn comes,' Mr James commented.
Loreto College was represented in this event by: Cristin O'Kane (team captain), Clodagh Connolly, Therese Corrigan, Megan Kerr, Jessica Hickinson, Kirstin Ingram, Rosanna McAleese, Cliodhna McIlvenny, Bronagh McKinney, Eilis McNamee, Catherine McNicholl, Shannon McWilliams, Nicole O'Neill and Claire Rafferty.
- School Calendar
- PE Calendar
- 75th Anniversary


According to The ArchaeoAstronomy Website, the next significant transition point in time is Beltain and occurs at 3:46 am EST on May 5, 2009.
I plan to start a float at that time. Please be in the chat room at least 15 minutes prior to float to insure synchronization.
Many thanks to Kane Mantyla for coming up with this idea in the "first" place, for those entrapped in linear thought.
Thanks to Kane Mantyla of Float Matrix in San Francisco, CA we are having the first (and not last) World Floatation Day. This is a day when we get together and float with a common intention. If you need an alarm clock, I use this software for the PC. Here is Kane's final announcement!


It has an I5-3230m, and I know that it can support up to an I7-3632qm, but I'd really like to install the i7-3840qm. Can someone please unlock the bios to allow me to do this?
i5-3230M, i7-3632QM and i7-3840QM have the same CPUID=0306A9. Your BIOS has microcodes for CPUID=0306A9 version 15, date 08/07/2012.
No reason prevent booting i7-3840QM but it has TDP=45W and cooling system is designed for TDP=35W only. Your laptop with it will be overheated!
So best choice for you is i7-3612QM or i7-3632QM.


text:
Le terme « oursin vert » est utilisé en français pour désigner plusieurs espèces d'oursins (échinodermes marins sphériques épineux), à partir de leur couleur.

Ce nom est cependant ambigu car plusieurs espèces très différentes arborent cette couleur, et se voient parfois affublés de ce nom :

 Echinometra viridis (oursin perforant des Caraïbes) des Caraïbes ;
 Lytechinus semituberculatus (oursin vert des Galapagos) aux îles Galápagos ;
 Lytechinus variegatus (oursin variable) dans les Caraïbes (consommé aux Antilles) ;
 Psammechinus miliaris (oursin grimpeur) dans l'Océan Atlantique nord-est (du Maroc à la Scandinavie en passant par les côtes françaises), espèce comestible ;
 Psammechinus microtuberculatus, (oursin grimpeur) espèce jumelle du précédent, occupant la même niche écologique en Méditerranée occidentale ;
 Salmacis sphaeroides, (oursin vert asiatique) oursin commun en Asie du sud-est ;
 Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, (oursin commun) oursin d'eaux froides se trouvant sur les deux côtes océaniques de l'Amérique du Nord (surtout au Canada). C'est un oursin comestible très consommé jusqu'en France, souvent sous le nom de « verts d'Islande ».

Il convient toutefois de noter que certaines autres espèces peuvent parfois être vertes (par exemple l'« oursin violet » Paracentrotus lividus, dont le squelette est d'ailleurs vert), et que les espèces citées ici peuvent souvent arborer d'autres couleurs.

Voir aussi
Oursin, Oursin violet, oursinade.

Echinoidea
Échinoderme (nom vernaculaire)


The Hike Utah tee is super soft! It may just be your new favorite. Feel comfy and fun whether you're on the trail or on the sofa planning your next adventure.
This tee is by Canvas and is 52% combed and ringspun cotton and 48% polyester. This shirt runs a little narrower than some tees, so if you're in between sizes, choose the larger size. Free Shipping!


Have you ever wondered how products are shaped to their current form? There are objects that seem meticulously done yet can still be produced in a vast number. The equipment responsible for shaping of metal and plastic are called stamping presses.
Press means "to squeeze or compress". The same principle is used by stamping press in molding things. You may not notice but there are a lot of items around us that went through pressing. Stamping press is applied in manufacturing appliances, automotives, ceramic and electrical products. Since stamping presses are being utilized by industries, they can be customized in order for the press machine to form the desired shape for their product. The pressing strength can be managed according to the requirement of goods production. This means same hardness will be applied to every product being manufactured. This paved the way to the creation of similar parts resulting to mass production of identical home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and kitchen tools. The detailed parts of the car which includes windshield wiper blades, carburetors and gear assemblies can be easily reproduced.
The advantage of using stamping press is the efficiency it brings in producing consumer goods. More products are produced in a lower span of time compared to having them shaped by human. The chances of creating low quality items are reduced since the machine is automated and are programmed to function at the same force level. The strength that human applies on his work depends on his condition. Once we get exhausted in what we are doing, our energy and speed lessen. Also, we tend to get bored for doing the same thing over and over again which is not an issue for machines that can repetitively do the same action for hours. Creation of several goods with unequal appearance, features and form can be avoided if applied with stamping presses.


Picpoul, sometimes "pique-poule", or lip-stinger, is an exceptionally beloved cépage of Southern France, lending balance to cuvées that might otherwise veer off into the direction of the fulsome. Impressively bracing natural acidity (no acidification was doon), with echoes of the ocean. Beeswax Vineyard, in Arroyo Seco, is after all, only a hop, skip and jump away from the cool breezes of Carmel. Whether lips are literally stung by a "coup de picpoul" is open to debate, but lips are certainly known to smack at the ultra-savoriness of this unique grape variety. Pairs well with grilled octopus with lemon, moussaka, sardines a la plancha or grilled sardines with frisée & whole-grain mustard dressing.
"On the nose, peach, wet stone and lanolin, a true signifier of the grape's Languedocian origins. On the palate, grapefruit pith, iodine and brine. The true saline quality begs for raw oysters on the half shell with shallot-rich mignonette. Look for oysters grown in or near the open ocean- the brinier, the better my friends; Belon, Wellfleets or Snow Creeks would fit the bill." – Randall Grahm, winemaker.
Start a fire in your grill 30 minutes in advance, burning the wood down until you have a red-hot coal base. You don't want flames touching the fish.
Wash the frisée and snip the green tips off the leaves, leaving behind only the white and yellow part of the head. Cut off and discard the core. Tear the remaining leaves into medium pieces. Place the frisée in a bowl, toss in the herbs and shallots, and set aside, undressed, until ready to serve.
In a medium bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is thick and emulsified—it should come together pretty quickly. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Set the dressing aside.
Brush the sardines on both sides with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the parsley. Place the fish on the hot grill, skin side down, and cook until their flesh turns opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the fish from the grill and set them aside on a plate with the skin side up.
Toss the frisée salad lightly with the dressing, add salt and pepper to taste, and arrange salad on a platter. Place the sardines on top, skin side up. Enjoy with a glass of 2014 Picpoul.
* Note: Cleaning Sardines: Using a sharp knife, slice open the belly of each fish and remove its innards. Cut off the head, open the fish with your fingers, and pull out its spine (this should remove most of the bones, though there may be a few stragglers). Keep the fish butterflied for grilling.
Recipe from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant by Michelle and Philip Wojtowicz and Michael Gilson with Catherine Price, published 2009.
This entry was posted in Recipes and tagged bonny doon, Bonny Doon Vineyard, california wines, central coast california wine, cooking with wine, food pairing, may wine club, Picpoul, picpoul wine, randall grahm, recipe, wine, wine club, wine pairing, wine recipe, wine tasting, winestyles. Bookmark the permalink.


Revision – it's part of the learning process. But, how can teachers make this, often mundane task, enjoyable for learners in the classroom?
This particular post is about a brilliant revision activity that I read about recently (via @lessontoolbox): revision bingo. The game is excellent for so many reasons!
How does revision bingo work?
The activity is actually very simple and requires minimal resources, as well as minimal preparation. Use it at the beginning of a lesson to revise the previous lesson's input, as a plenary to revise what has been learnt during the lesson, or use it the end of a unit or end of the year to revise for tests and exams.
Go around the room ensuring students are not using resources to help them, but are filling out the boxes, offer support where necessary. Make notes on a piece of paper of common elements produced, as well as 'gems' to use in the game of bingo later.
When time is up, read out words/phrases/rules related to the topic you set (in the form of bingo) and add them to the board as you go along.
Students must cross the words/phrases/rules out on the paper as they hear them. I used 12 boxes as a guide for a year 10 German GCSE group. Give a prize to the first student with a line (4), a diagonal (3), as well as a full house (12). As a challenge, you could get students to translate as you are going along OR ask the word in English and someone with the target language word must say the word in that language.
Have you ever played Revision Bingo in the language classroom?
What are your go-to revision activities in the classroom?
What variations would you make to make the game of revision bingo even better in the languages classroom?


Looking for asbestos companies Imperial County CA? Here's why you should choose H2 Environmental.
Asbestos air testing is an important part of any project, and in some ways it may be more important than materials testing. Asbestos dust can be inhaled, and over time or in large doses this can result in potentially deadly diseases. By conducting asbestos air testing before, during, and after any project that may disturb asbestos-containing materials, an asbestos company Imperial County CA can make sure the air is safe to breathe.
Be sure to check the certifications of all asbestos companies Imperial County CA you are considering hiring. H2 Environmental possesses the necessary qualifications from both the federal government and the state of California. Any additional personnel that we hire for your project will be required to possess the necessary certifications and training as well. You can rely on us to make sure every step of your project is handled with the utmost professionalism.


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Nexus One will be a global-system device with a 3.7-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera.
Google unveils Nexus One "superphone"
(CNN) -- Calling it their "superphone," Google unveiled the Nexus One on Tuesday, marking the online search giant's first leap into the smartphone market.
The phone, which goes head to head with Apple's darling of the market, the iPhone, is sold only through a Web store operated by Google and, unlike the iPhone and most other current smartphones, is available either with or without mobile service.
"We are very happy to be able to offer a choice," said Mario Queiroz, Google's vice president of product management.
T-Mobile is the initial service provider. Verizon in the United States and Vodafone in Europe will be coming on board later, and more operators are expected.
Already available Tuesday, the phone costs $180 with a contract or $530 unlocked, leaving the phone open to other carriers.
Among the Nexus One features Google announced at an invitation-only event at its California headquarters was text without typing. A voice-enabled keyboard allows users to send texts, e-mails or Facebook updates by speaking into the phone.
It is a global-system device with a 3.7-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, an accelerometer and a compass, according to Google.
Nexus One runs the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 2.1, which is also made by Google but runs on other phones as well.
"It pushes the limits of what's possible of a mobile phone today," said Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC, which designed the Nexus One.
Google recently released the phones for use by some of its employees, leading to the inevitable appearance of videos and unofficial reviews online.
The move has prompted online chatter about an "iPhone killer," a phrase bandied about before every major smartphone debut. But reviewers who saw the phone pre-release have more modest expectations.
"I don't think anything is an iPhone killer," said Kevin Burden, a mobile industry analyst with New York-based ABI Research. "Was the iPhone a Blackberry killer? It's never going to be that one device that was promised to us a decade ago."
Google spokesmen on Tuesday repeatedly stressed their phone's openness: allowing multiple service providers and applications from multiple developers, unlike Apple's one-stop shopping approach for the iPhone.
But they downplayed suggestions of becoming an "iPhone killer."
"I think the message isn't to the iPhone specifically," Google Vice President of engineering Andy Rubin said. "I think it's to consumers. I think choice to consumers is an important thing."


Mollichaff Hoofkind is a fibre based concentrate feed designed to support the nutritional needs of horses and ponies that are prone to laminitis. The mixture itself is highly palatable with it being made from popular ingredients like oat straw and alfalfa.
Oat straw, alfalfa, fibre pellets, soya oil, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and anti-oxidants.