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6pm at Casa Gardiner. 97 degrees, 5% humidity and I think of being head to toe in Nomex, 10″ heavy leather fire boots, humpin' a 15- pound chainsaw and line gear up the gnarly side of Menefee…hats off to the firefighters out there because it.is.so.goddam.hot. Heat stroke has to be a serious concern.
The situation is bleak. No rain since April and nothing but chances of dry lightning in the high country for the foreseeable future. It's not hard to imagine why the Anasazi packed up their shit and headed somewhere else if they faced 10 straight years of this nonsense.
Fort Collins got it started with the High Park fire (now at 82,000 acres), Pagosa followed suit with the Little Sand (20,000), and now we have our very own neighborhood scorcher, the Weber Fire. The Rocky Mountain region just hit the 200,000 milestone and it's only June. Colorado is a tinderbox and the burning is just going to get worse. I'm here to cheer everyone up.
As of this evening (Sunday) the fire is within a 1/4 mile of Highway 160 but 'in an easily defensible spot'. Knowing the neighborhood but not having seen the fire up close it would seem they could keep the beast south of the highway but all it takes is one gust of wind to blow something hot across and it's back to the races.
Much to the credit of the fire crews, luck, and the proactive partnerships with the Forest Service for thinning done in Elk Springs Subdivision, no structures have been lost yet, which is amazing when you see a towering column and know there are houses in the way. Same with the Weber Canyon structures. Again, solid work firefighters.
We were north for the weekend, in Ridgway and Montrose
house-hunting laying in the Uncompahgre River (life support on a 95 degree day) trying to guess what the fire was doing based on the fact that from Ridgway we couldn't see the mountains in Ouray. The smoke was thick and the column seemed to be following us. At one point it bent over the sun and the temperature immediately cooled by 10 degrees (the banner picture).
We spent the night in the Ridgway State Park and just gawked in disbelief as 200 little campfires were allowed to burn in the campground, surrounded by nothing but a foot of concrete and then a sea of long-cured grass and flammable tents. Nothing like a pack of mouth-breathers, a bottle of lighter fluid and a burn ban to make a weekend exciting. Todd left the keys in the ignition so we could get the hell out of there in a hurry. Craziness. Similarly, the fireworks booths are doing what I am sure is a brisk business in Montrose – with the pyrotechnic holiday season just a week away I shudder to think of the coming weeks for my Forest Service peeps.
Time will tell how this year pans out. I noticed that there is a glimmer of hope building to the south, the red/blue bulges of moisture starting to line up in Mexico. If we could get a hint of monsoonal moisture without all of the lightning precursors I think we'd all count ourselves very lucky.
Fire is nature's way of keeping the balance. Humans have complicated the simple nature of that reality. But it is what it is now and all I can hope during a season like this is that people with vulnerable homes proactively take steps to protect their property and by association protect all of our friends and family out there trying to keep the beast from burning up all of your stuff. In the meantime, firefighters, I wish you good RH recovery, cooler temps and a kick-ass caterer in camp.


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6 Blenders That Pulverize Food Just As Well As The Trendy Vitamix
The Vitamix is dominating the luxury blender market.
The brand has tripled its workforce in the last two years as its popularity among health-conscious consumers has surged, with sales growing 52% last year. The Ohio-based company is now considering an international expansion, Crain's Cleveland Business reports.
The blender's swift rise over the last couple years is due in large part to its fervent following of fans, who openly profess their devotion to the 2-horsepower, commercial-grade machine online and in public settings to just about anyone who will listen.
With its $300-$650 price tag, it has become something of a status symbol for fitness buffs and healthy eaters, but it's also catching fire among people for whom the kitchen is foreign territory.
"It's the perfect life hack," Bloomberg Businessweek's Joshua Green wrote earlier this month. "While nobody at Vitamix emphasizes this, a whole universe has sprung up to support the hapless male user."
With its popularity, the Vitamix has attracted a number of competitors, many of which offer a much lower price for similar capabilities. The Ninja, for example, sells for under $250 and does just about everything the Vitamix can.
Here are six blenders other than the Vitamix that customers love:
Price: $454 to $1,035
Warranty: Seven years
Vitamix's biggest competitor in the high-end blender market is the Blendtec. Blendtec was founded in 1975 by CEO Tom Dickson, who also stars in a YouTube series called "Will It Blend?" where he uses his machines to pulverize cell phones, iPads, golf balls and other items not meant for kitchen appliances. Last year, he threw parts of the Vitamix blender into the Blendtec machine after winning a $24 million lawsuit against the company for copying the design of Blendtec's "Wild Side" jar.
Both companies' blenders have an average customer rating of 4.5/5 stars on Amazon.com. On Costco's website, Blendtec has 4.5/5 stars while Vitamix has 5/5 stars.
Blendtec reportedly has a slight advantage in horsepower over the Vitamix, but the Vitamix offers a lower average price and simpler controls, according to the website blenderreviews.us.
The Ninja
Price: $59 to $250
Warranty: Lifetime
The Ninja is tied for first place with the Vitamix in Consumer Reports' blender ratings and its a best-seller on Amazon.com. Most of Ninja's blenders sell for under $100, but promise to do nearly everything that a Blendtec and Vitamix can. Customer reviews on Amazon.com range from 3.5/5 stars to 4.5/5 stars for various versions of the blender.
The Ninja was developed by Euro-Pro Operating LLC, a household appliance maker with offices in Massachusetts, Canada and China. While the blender is generally highly rated, Euro-Pro doesn't get such high ratings. The company has a "D+" from the Boston Better Business Review for a range of issues including billing, warranty and product problems.
The Tempest
Price: $520
Warranty: Two years
This blender is made by U.S. home goods manufacturer Hamilton Beach Brands Inc.
Like Blendtec and Vitamix, it can turn vegetables and fruits into smooth purees in seconds. But unlike those brands, it targets more commercial users — like bars, restaurants and cafes — over home cooks. Perhaps for that reason, the Tempest doesn't have the cult following of its better-known competitors.
But it still has some really positive reviews, with an average 4.5/5 stars onAmazon.
"After wasting hundreds of dollars on GE, Oster and other blenders that were too weak, poorly designed or that died after a few months, we are so happy that we went commercial grade," one reviewer wrote.
The Omni Blend
Price: $289
Warranty: Seven years
This $289 blender is made by Australian company Radiant Marketing. A customer calls it a "formidable opponent to the Vitamix and Blendtec" in an Amazon review.
"So you have to blend a few extra seconds to get the exact same results as you would with a Vitamix or Blendtec — it's worth the difference in price!" the reviewer continued. "My Omni is pressed into service at least twice a day, and I have had NO problem blending nuts, greens veggies (such as swiss chard and kale), and frozen whole bananas."
Price: $119
Warranty: One year
The NutriBullet, like its higher-priced competitors, promises to pulverize all vegetables and nuts without leaving behind any pulp or chunky substances. The only drawback is that the NutriBullet only makes single servings. So cooking for an entire family would be cumbersome.
The blender is listed by its manufacturer, NutriBullet LLC, for $119, butsome retailers sell it for as low as $99. Customers give it 4/5 stars onAmazon.
The Versa
Price:$199 to $249
Warranty: Seven years
The Versa, made by Oster, has the same capabilities as its high-priced competitors and a similar warranty and gets high customer ratings.
One customer who gave the Versa a glowing rating on Amazon called it "the poor man's Vitamix."
Another who tested the machine wrote, "I'd buy this over my Vitamix."
"This blender is the first one that I can say absolutely is comparable to the Vitamix and probably more favorable because it has a better price tag and more features," the reviewer wrote.
See Also:
- Here's A $500 Cardboard Box For The Kid Who Has Everything
- Chipotle Has Been Secretly Growing A Pizza Chain In Denver
- A Former Major League Pitcher Is Now The Chef At One Of L.A.'s Hottest Restaurants
SEE ALSO: Sears Pokes Fun At Its Empty Parking Lots In This Sad TV Ad

subset: commoncrawl


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A leading player in the state's redistricting turmoil said this morning he's hopeful that both sides are closing in on a settlement that will salvage Texas' April 3 primary.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has been meeting with representatives of minority groups that sued the state last year to stop new political boundaries from taking effect on grounds the decade-long maps ignore profound population growth of minority Texans – mostly Hispanics.
"I am confident that the parties are working in good faith and have enough time to craft a compromise that will assure that the April primaries go on as scheduled," said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, chairman of the House Mexican American Legislative Caucus, which is one of the parties suing the state.
Caught off guard as he was preparing for a 1 p.m. court hearing in San Antonio before three federal judges refereering the redistricting fight, Martinez Fischer acknowledged that lawyers for his organization have been talking with Abbott and others in the case about a settlement. Martinez Fischer said he could not share details.
A spokesman for Abbott said the attorney general will hold off commenting until the court hearing.
The redistricting fight is playing out in federal courtrooms in both San Antonio and Washington, D.C.
Any settlement, Martinez Fischer said, will reflect the state's population growth of 3.7 million Hispanics and other minorities. The legislative maps drawn by Republican lawmakers laragely ignored that growth. Minorities accounted for 89 percent of the state's population growth during the past 10 years.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week to send interim redistricting maps back the San Antonio court to redraw.
The three-judge panel in D.C. already signaled that it had major problems with the state's plan and likely will not pre-clear it. Without a settlement in the next week or so, the state's April primary will have to change again. It was originally scheduled for March 6.


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Tesh wrote an insightful post discussing why daydreaming about what a game might turn out to be like can be the best part of gaming. We all have our ideal types of games, our ideal IPs or genres, our ideals of what a game could be like to capture our hearts. And sometimes we love our favourite games because they're a shadow of the game in our minds.
I see this a lot with early adopters of MUDs/virtual worlds/MMOs. These things started before the internet was really mature. Wandering around in a game and encountering an actual real person (well, behind the text) was exciting just because this kind of virtual life was such a new experience. And your imagination filled in all the rest. Even without formal roleplaying, the fact that all you knew about the other person was what you could tell about their character was very very immersive.
I've also seen a few posts recently about the notion of a RP-centric MMO. Wolfshead in particular posts about his ideal of a RP game. The concept of this terrifies me on several different levels, and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool roleplayer. I have played RP-centric online games, and they were fantastic. Also dreadful. But that's what happens when you are so dependent on other players for the experience, you get a mixed bag 🙂
But if you see his post as describing the dream, unsullied by practical considerations (such as players acting like players), then it reads in a different light. After all, without a vision, we'll never get anything better than the games we currently have.
There are some specific issues with making roleplaying work as the entire basis for a game.
1. Who watches the watchmen
The big difference between a tabletop game and an online game is the lack of a GM. In tabletop, one player assumes the GM role and 'runs' the game for the other 2-5 players. In virtual roleplaying, the players run things themselves. So there is no one to arbitrate when they come into conflict.
The GM actually has three roles in a tabletop game. One is to describe the world to the players (ie. we open the door, what do we see?). Another is to resolve conflicts in game (ie. I try to hide behind the door, can I get there before he sees me?). And the third is to weave a story around the player group and whatever they are doing.
In a computer game, no one needs to describe anything (this is the HUGE advantage of the virtual world), and players can tell their own stories, even if they aren't particularly good ones.
But who resolves conflicts between players? Who decides if player cop #1 can track down player thief #2?
Any game like this needs to give players the tools to resolve their own conflicts. Random rolling isn't good enough – it removes too much of the game if you just randomly decide whether the cop catches the robber.
2. So what is my motivation?
You don't need to be an award winning actor to roleplay but players need to share some kind of common understanding about the game world. When you walk into a room, you need to be able to answer the question, "what does my character do next?" If someone addresses you in character, you need to be confident enough to answer them.
I'll give an example of this: In EQ2 I had created a dark elf alt and done a couple of quests. It was on a roleplaying server so it wasn't really surprising when another higher level player came up to me and addressed me in character. Except he mentioned names of (presumably) NPCs I'd never heard of, and threw in a few phrases in some random fantasy language I didn't know.
I had no idea what to say to the guy. Clearly he thought my character should know these things. But I was a noob OOC (out of character) and just didn't. All I knew about dark elves is that they were an evil race, and the questgivers had been vaguely sarcastic.
So in order to RP with any kind of depth, the game needs to present its lore to the characters well. And players in general need to understand that not everyone knows the background in depth and off by heart.
Wolfshead compares RP with a film:
This is exactly the scenario that the characters of Micheal Crichton's amazing Timeline novel found themselves in. In his story, a bunch of modern day scientists and anthropologists travel back in time to the 13th century France and are forced to deal with the people and politics of the time in order to survive. One small mistake in dialect or custom and they would be imprisoned and even worse burned at the stake. The result was that they HAD to role-play — it was a matter of survival.
Yes, but they were modern day scientists and anthropologists. They had the information they needed. A new player in a strange world won't know all those things. You can't expect them to RP as if their life depended on it – they simply don't know the things their characters should know. (Unless you start them all off as amnesiacs, which would be a workable background, especially in a scifi type of game).
3. Hell is other people
One of the characteristics of a strongly social game is that they get very political. People can and do try to manipulate each other by faking friendliness, cybering, and ganging up against each other in their various cliques. Or in other words, metagaming.
In a RP type game, who you know and what you know can be as important as stats in a typical MMO today. And if you can schmooze people OOC and persuade them to tell you interesting things about their character or other people's characters then you may be able to use the information to boost your self in game. Being a particularly entertaining RPer (or just being good at cybering) can make a player very popular – even if it's not appropriate for their character.
As long as this is an advantageous strategy (and it is) then you cannot stop players from doing it. They're never 'just playing their characters'. They are playing the other players too.
In many ways, our stat and gear and skill based games are much more even-handed and accessible. If you do the grind, you get the gear. You don't have to actually make friends (or fake friends) to get anywhere in game. This is not to say that social networking isn't a useful skill, but in social games it can get quite toxic.
4. He said. She said.
In an RP centric game, the influence of NPCs is kept to a minimum. That means that all the most important resources in game are 'owned' by players or player-factions. A resource might be anything from an important NPC (their influence may be monitored but that doesn't mean that there might not be NPC faction leaders – often we do this to keep some continuity in the storylines, even though players may come and go), to a city, or a crafting guild, or any story entity. And that sometimes means that players need to somehow ask permission from other players before they can work story elements into their story.
I'll give a WoW example for this. Assume a night elf player thinks up an awesome back story for himself – in the past he got captured by blood elves while spying near Silvermoon, then he was tortured, but he managed to bravely escape and make it back to his own people. This is fine as far as it goes, but what happens if the blood elf players say 'Wait, why would we have let an enemy spy escape? Surely we'd have just executed them. We don't agree with that history, it didn't happen. He is ICly making it up.'
Now imagine this kind of scenario every time a player wants to write a backstory that possibly involves other player factions. Bear in mind that some players will never ever agree that their faction might have made a mistake which could weaken them in future, even though it might make for a better story. So given one faction which occasionally agrees to being flawed for the sake of making a better story and another who never ever agree to making mistakes, the latter has an in game advantage.
So basically, it's very very hard to get gamers to put story above personal gain. There's no real way to reward it. That's where the GM comes in – s/he takes that option out of the players' hands. Left to their own devices, players will tend to play safe.
In MUSHes, we got around this by having an active set of staff. We reviewed all backgrounds before characters went live and agreed any background details with appropriate people. We also made notes of who had which links so that we could set up various stories between different players. (For example, if one player had been a cop and another was an ex-con, we might OOCly point out to them that they might have known each other – then it's down to the players if they want to run with it or not.)
This is important because although it's all very well to write your own story in a vacuum, it won't work in a MMO unless everyone else buys in.
5. Tracking the history
A characteristic of this kind of game is that political allegiances and storylines can change rapidly. Even vast world-spanning conspiracies may be over in a couple of months. What players do can and will affect the world –- or at the very least it affects other players. But how to keep track of the in game history? How are new players to know the recent history of some faction or other? And bear in mind that from point #2, they may need to know these things in order to roleplay with other players who remember it.
This is a very real and very difficult problem. It is best solved by bboards and wikis and other means for players to record their own histories for other people to read. And these suffer exactly the same issues as real life histories –- they are subject to bias, and to the author only having one side of the story. They're subject to not being kept up to date, by the maintainer getting bored, by small grounds of players deciding to keep their own faction history somewhere else and forgetting to tell people, etc.
Hopefully some players will take on the role of chroniclers or journalists, so that the stories will not be forgotten. The reason this is important is because things that have happened in the past affect the present. If a leader of one faction was snubbed by the leader of another, then she may hold a grudge for years. Pity the poor player who doesn't know what anyone in game at the time would have known (ie. not to mention the offending faction in the presence of the other faction leader) and gets into serious IC trouble for their pains.
Towards a better roleplaying experience online
I'm going to write a series of posts about improving RP in MMOs – probably one a week. I don't think they ever can or should be the sort of game that Wolfshead describes. Aside from being full of RP Nazis (you know the sort of person who barrages you with whispers every time you open your mouth, telling you that your character wouldn't do or say that and that you're doing it wrong?), it simply doesn't play to the strengths of computer generated worlds.
In a MMO, no one ever has to ask the GM 'what can I see?' or 'what can I do next?'. Every time you see an awesome vista in game, fly across a crazy zone full of giant mushrooms, or cast a fireball, you're experiencing something very different and very special compared to your tabletop compatriots. It's like being there.
Tabletop players have all the freedom in the world. But computer gamers don't have all their experiences filtered through a GM. Vive la difference! And that's the charm.


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I skipped a June update because I had little to relate. The situation was essentially the same as May. This month, though, there is movement afoot!
In June I picked up Drew Storen in the hope that Matt Capps's rough patch would lead him to lose his closer job, but that never happened. Storen has provided a month of good stats in relief but no saves.
At the time, I had to decide between him and Aaron Heilman, who seemed to be a possibility for saves In Arizona. Since then, Heilman has indeed become the closer there. I chose wrong. Somehow, though, Heilman went unselected in our monthly update draft and I was able to snag him at the second-to-last position. That's right, I've climbed to second place. Here's how it breaks down:
.268 batting average (3rd and in a huge clump of five vying for second place)
106 HR (4th)
469 RBI (2nd)
81 SB (2nd and will fall no lower than 3rd)
4.07 ERA (6th up from 10th)
1.26 WHIP (2nd up from 7th)
40 wins (6th)
20 saves (tied 8th)
It's a pitching year. Only one team has a batting average over .270. With my crappy pitchers on the disabled list, my team has a WHIP of 1.16 and an ERA of 3.21 over the last 28 days.
Heilman alone will get me 2.5 additional points. I'm in second, 14 points behind the runaway leader and five points up on the third-place team.
Bonus real baseball:
Child Three has one of the nicest line-drive swings in the league. Incredibly, he's only made four outs at the plate so far this season and only two of those were strikeouts. He's speedy, he fields adequately, and he has no arm. As Uncle Jeff observed, he's like his dad.


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Return Policy
1. General Policy
These are Afrofinity's ("Afrofinity", "we" or "our") Standard Return Policies applicable only to products purchased directly from Afrofinity.
Products that are not eligible for return will be sent back to you at your cost and expense if received by us. These include:
- Any product not purchased from Afrofinity.com
- Any product that is returned without original packaging and accessories, including box, inside packaging, and all other items originally included with the product
- Any product that exhibits physical damage
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- Any hair that is missing its original packaging
2. Reasons for Return
Items covered by this policy are those products for which Afrofinity states "This item may be returned for a store credit or refund within 30 days for this policy to apply".
3. Return Conditions
Items must be returned within 30 days of delivery to be eligible for return.
Change of Mind: Item must be sealed, in original packaging, show no signs of usage and include all accessories (including free bundled offers). Shipping charges incurred during delivery will apply
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To ensure a speedy resolution, please contact our customer care team on email@example.com to inform them of the return and refund or replacement request. In addition, confirm that the item to be returned meets the return conditions set out above.


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Microsoft plans to launch "Windows 9" this fall, backed by a substantial advertising campaign, according to Russian leaker Wzor.
The Russian blogger also predicted that the release will be accompanied with a new distribution method that will be keyed to the user's PC and the online Microsoft Store, rather than an activation key that will be sold and/or distributed to an individual user.
Wzor, who went silent in March after allegedly receiving leaked information from former Microsoft employee Alex Kibkalo, recently resurfaced, posting information to Russian bulletin boards. His latest post actually spends more time describing the new activation system than the Windows 9 campaign—although that may end up being the more significant announcement.
So far, Microsoft hasn't said what its future plans are regarding Windows. Following the recent release of Windows 8.1 Update 1, tipsters have pointed toward a second, minor update this fall. Following that, reports have said, comes "Threshold"—though whether that's considered to be a third update, or a new, full-fledged "Windows 9" is up in the air.
At this point, the distinctions are purely marketing—but what important distinctions they are. According to NetMarketShare, the combined market share of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 is just 12.54 percent—more than Apple's Mac OS share, but far less than the 25.31 percent held by Windows XP, or the 50.55 percent share held by Windows 7.
Microsoft stopped disclosing the number of Windows 8 licenses it had sold long ago. Also, its product releases have steadily moved away from the bold, yet intimidating Start Page to something a little more friendly, such as the shrunken Start menu that will supposedly accompany Threshold.
It's Microsoft prerogative to keep the Windows 8.1 branding—or not. But there's equal reason to jump ahead to Windows 9 and a new chapter in its product development. If that turns out to be the case, then yes—Windows 8 is the new Vista.
Microsoft Store now the method of activation
Wzor also outlines what he describes a new, online-centric method of registering a Windows purchase. According to Wzor, registration would be bound to a single PC and activated when the user connects it to the Windows Store. Users could also back up the key to a special 'ESD-RETAIL' format on either a flash drive or another PC. Users who tried to run a single copy on multiple PCs would be asked to "undock" it, in Wzor's phrasing, within three days.
A translated copy of Wzor's post described the Windows 9 marketing campaign as "fantastic."
Caustic Microsoft communications chief Frank Shaw essentially dismissed the rumor, tweeting "Was there a 'crazy rumor day' declaration that I missed?" without specifically referring to the Wzor report.
Whether or not the report is true, the question it raises is an important one. Each Windows 8.1 release that Microsoft ships leaves the company mired in history. With a new chief executive, a revamped executive structure, and a new "mobile first, cloud first" mantra, doesn't it make sense to turn the page on Windows, as well?


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Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the company of a grid-based, first-person dungeon crawler in the year 2012. No, you are not dreaming. You've just been presented with Legend of Grimrock from the folks over at Almost Human. Whether this brings back fond memories of Dungeon Master or is completely new to you, I can easily say that this title delivers.
Personally, when I hear the term "dungeon crawler," I cringe a little. I think of games that are incredibly bland, repetitious, and uninspired. Luckily, Legend of Grimrock is none of these things. With clever puzzles, tactical combat, and secrets upon secrets, Grimrock takes an old-school feel and injects it seamlessly into the modern era.
Legend of Grimrock (PC)
Developer: Almost Human
Publisher: Almost Human
Release: April 11, 2012
Though it may not seem like it at first, Legend of Grimrock does have a story. You begin by either choosing one of four preset characters or creating your own. Other than the opening and closing cinematics, there are absolutely no cutscenes. You'll never have control taken away from you as you watch your characters act on their own. Instead, when your team is resting, you will begin hearing a voice in your dreams with seemingly useful information. You're left wondering how and why you're hearing this voice and more importantly who it could be.
Meanwhile, you'll be finding notes left all around the dungeon, many written and signed by a single person. These often contain useful information about your surrounding area, recipes, or journal entries from someone who has been in your exact predicament before. At times, you may question just how reliable all of this information really is, but when it comes down to it, these notes and dreams are all you have to go off of.
The story did a great job of keeping me interested and I really enjoyed how well it was told. I never had to read paragraphs of text or idly sit back and watch as a cutscene laid everything out for me. I appreciated that the game allowed me to put many of the pieces together myself instead of holding my hand. There's also the potential for expansions and user-created dungeons in the future which is definitely something to get excited about.
Legend of Grimrock sports tile-based movement combined with real-time combat. The strict movement may be a bit jarring for some people in the beginning, but after an hour or so you'll become accustomed to it. This type of movement is a clear throwback to the games of yore and really ends up working well within the confines of the game. If there was free movement, then a lot of the puzzles simply wouldn't work as well.
The combat is pretty straightforward. Your party is set up in a 2×2 grid, with only the front two being able to use melee attacks as the members in the back cannot reach. You can rearrange your party on the fly by simply dragging them into place. Naturally, you'll want to place any mages or rogues in the back row due to their low health and defense, and place any warriors in the front. In the early game, combat is frantic – you'll be swapping members in and out, attacking, and then swapping them back in an effort to keep everyone alive. Eventually things calm down as mages learn spells and rogues gain more abilities, but combat never feels boring.
In order to reduce the amount of damage you receive, you'll want to constantly be moving while fighting. Strafing and attacking in quick succession is easily the most effective way to approach most of the battles. However, there were plenty of times when I found myself backed into a corner faced with multiple enemies blocking my way.
Something that struck me as a bit odd was the magic system. Not how it works, but rather that it's not explained in the game at all. In order to figure out how to use the magic casting system, you'll have to open up the digital manual that comes with the game. All magic is cast by dialing a specific combination of runes. You'll unlock more spells as you level up, but in order to know what spells require what combinations, you'll have to either experiment or find scrolls throughout the dungeon. Once you master the system, casting spells mid-fight is incredibly satisfying.
Legend of Grimrock's strongest element is easily the puzzles you'll find strewn throughout the dungeon. I lost count as to how many times I threw my fist in the air and shouted, "YES!" after successfully completing a puzzle. I can't stress enough how well the guys over at Almost Human nailed the puzzle difficulty.
Most puzzles will consist of you activating pressure plates or finding secret buttons to press on the walls. In some cases, there will be hints written on the walls or in scrolls that you can find around the area. Some are quite dastardly, and required me to break out the ol' paper and pencil to get a better look at them.
There are also optional puzzles that are way more difficult than what you'll normally encounter. Occasionally, you'll come across large iron doors that will take a lot of wit and a keen eye to open. I managed to open about three of these doors in my playthrough, but left many more closed. I felt defeated and I loved it.
The only frustrating moments I had were the few rooms in which I felt death was inescapable on the first try. Some rooms have traps that will unleash a flood of enemies at you, many times with only one way out. Without the knowledge of where and when they will attack, it's almost impossible to survive on the first attempt. After reloading your save, it becomes significantly easier, but it is a minor annoyance. Now, if I were designing a dungeon and wanted to weed out the weak ones, I would totally build rooms just like this. However, in terms of gameplay, these rooms end up being slightly annoying.
If you're like me, you might be nervous about the environments in Legend of Grimrock. A lot of the early screenshots and videos show very generic-looking stone walls. In total, there are three types of environments and they change at just the right times. Towards the end of the first section, I was growing tired of seeing the same walls and thought I was going to go insane. It seems as if this was intentional – after all, this is a dungeon. Sure enough, the next floor down had a new tileset for me to get used to and explore. The game thankfully auto-maps the dungeons for you, although if you're feeling hardcore, you have the option to turn it off. The game even provides graph paper for you in the "extras" folder of your download!
The enemies within the dungeon are quite varied and are equally terrifying. You'll run into your regular fanfare of spiders and skeleton warriors, but soon enough you'll turn the corner, see something staring back at you, and immediately turn and run in an attempt to mentally prepare yourself for what you just saw. You really get a sense of character progression, as enemies that took meticulous planning two floors ago are now going down in just a few attacks. Don't ever get too comfortable, though; a new enemy is likely just around the corner waiting to kick your butt.
Exploration is easily one of my favorite aspects of any game and Legend of Grimrock did not let me down. There are a ton of secrets for you to discover within these dungeon walls. I was scanning just about every inch of every floor to make sure I didn't overlook any secret switches or buttons. The act of finding secrets and treasures is extremely rewarding, even if the loot reward isn't always as amazing.
A lot of people bring up Dungeon Master when looking at Legend of Grimrock. I had never played Dungeon Master before, so I went ahead and took a crack at it. After playing it for a bit, it's clear that they are indeed very similar. However, Legend of Grimrock has all of the conveniences that you'd expect a game to have in 2012, like improved visuals and better UI. If you're like me and this is your first foray into the world of first-person dungeon crawling, don't worry! If you are at all interested in what it brings to the table, you'll have a wonderful and exciting jaunt through this dungeon. While there aren't many dungeon environments and the occasional "trap" rooms can be a bit annoying, these small issues are relatively minor quibbles when compared to the greater experience.
I have to give Almost Human a lot of credit. The level design, enemy placement, and especially the puzzles are all, by and large, wonderfully crafted. There are a few instances where the "traps" seem more unfair than clever, but that hardly tarnishes what is otherwise a terrific experience. You'll be hard-pressed to find a modern game like Legend of Grimrock any time soon, but with a game of this quality, you won't need one.
Oh, and remember to save often.


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" Making York Region The Best Place to Raise all Families"
A grassroots community group which began as a coupling of the "Pay the Rent & Feed the Kids Program" and the "Ontario Disabilities Support Program Action Coalition" (Y R Chapter). Many PACC members and supporters have "lived experience" with income support issues. PACCers are based in York Region Ontario, Canada, where members work cooperatively within the community and sectors, to educate, find solutions, and seek to minimize (the effects of) poverty amongst our most vulnerable.
PACC's mandate is, "To raise community awareness of poverty and the income security issues facing marginalized York Region residents through research, public education, and initiatives that effect change".
PACC has become the voice of those on low income supports in York Region and welcomes anyone with a passion to make a difference. Paccers get involved through numerous related and self imposed initiatives driven by the issues brought forth directly - from those living on the margins.
Most recently , in 2010 - PACC acted as host group for ISARC's YR social audit which PACC successfully lobbied to get for the 1st time in YR history. In early 2011 YR Council endorsed in principle the themes and recommendations of the resulting YR report - ' Behind The Masks - testimonials from those marginalized by income".
Other key PACC to YR initiatives include
Oct 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty link
PACC is also an acting "Make Poverty History" Chapter for York Region and you may see our web page at
Link to the Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road-hockey Challenge
Do The Math! - Ontario - wide action -
Operation Sparrow link - kids programs
PACC has generated and provided source information for numerous media stories from national to local coverage providing local residents and shelters / support groups unmatched free publicity. Some news articles have won awards via key PACC supporters' input.
PACC has created its own media and " Channel" on youtube - povertyacc - with breathtakingly informative and informative self produced docu-style video media with 'hits" now reaching into the thousands in a few short months.
Join us today. We don't talk a good game - we are one!
Terms of Reference
Poverty Action for Change Coalition (PACC)
1. Context:
1.1 The Poverty Action for Change Coalition (PACC) is a group of community members/individuals, faith groups and community agencies that came about as a result of low social assistance rates (Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program).
2. Purpose:
2.1 To raise community awareness of poverty and the income security issues facing York Region residents through research, public education and initiatives that effect change.
3. Objectives:
3.1 Raise social assistance rates to the actual costs of rent and living.
3.2 Index social assistance benefits to the cost of living.
3.3 Provide adequate level of funding for childcare allowances.
3.4 Provide transparency to recipients around all benefits available under each program.
3.5 Educate various groups/organizations and community around issues facing people living in poverty.
3.6 Identify and work toward eliminating barriers in each social assistance program.
3.7 Raise wages to levels above the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO).
4. Geographic Scope:
4.1 York Region
5. Composition:
5.1 Anyone may join PACC by supporting the mandate of PACC. Participation levels may vary without discrimination.
5.2 PACC members will identify what they are interested in being involved with (i.e., meeting, actions, etc.).
5.3 If membership is sought, people will be given:
5.3.1 PACC Terms of Reference
5.3.2 PACC Endorsement form
5.3.3 Directions to accessing PACC website
5.3.4 Offer to participate in list serve
6. Accountability and Confidentiality:
6.1 The coalition is accountable to its members. All working groups and sub-committees are accountable to the membership of PACC. All individuals who sign Endorsements are considered members.
6.2 All members of PACC must respect and protect fellow members' rights to privacy and confidentiality. A members' information will not be disclosed or shared without explicit permission from the member. Please see attachment What is Confidentiality?
7. Structure
7.1 Co-ordinating Committee
7.1.1 The Co-ordinating Committee includes the Chairperson of each Chapter or their designates, two representatives from each Chapter, and up to three representatives who are in receipt of Ontario Works and/or Ontario Disability Support Program.
7.1.1a Chapter Chairs and Representatives on the Co-ordinating Committee represent their Chapter membership, not their individual selves.
7.1.1b Preference for Co-ordinating Committee representatives/membership will be given to individuals whose income is lees then the current Low Income Cut-Off (LICO). This can be determined through self-disclosure.
7.1.2 The Co-ordinating Committee is responsible for co-ordinating chapters and being a conduit for information.
7.1.3 The Co-ordinating Committee will have the power to make decisions regarding:
7.1.3a reviewing and making decisions regarding use of finances
7.1.3b approval of Chapter activities, i.e. research, public education and initiatives.
7.1.3c input and maintenance of the website
7.1.3d facilitation and development of other chapters
7.1.4 Where possible, consensus will be obtained by the PACC membership (Please see Decision Making, 8).
7.2 Finance Committee
7.2.1 The Finance Committee will consist of six members.
7.2.2 Three (3) members will have signing authority for PACC'S bank account. Two signatures are required for signing at all times.
7.2.3 The Finance Committee will update Co-ordinating Committee, through a financial report for the month. This report will be given to the Co-ordinating Committee at its monthly meeting and will be distributed to members via chapter meetings and emails.
7.3 Chapters
7.3.1 Chapter Groups are encouraged to form and develop based on geographic location, social identity, etc.
7.3.2 Chapter Groups will meet monthly.
7.3.3 Ideas and suggestions for research, public education and initiatives from the Chapter Groups will be brought to the Co-ordinating Committee each month.
7.3.3a Materials, including but not limited to, letters, flyers, etc., related to approved Chapter activities will be completed and approved by the Chapters without the need for approval by Co-ordinating Committee/PACC membership.
7.4 Sub-committees
7.4.1 Sub-committees may be created to work on specific issues from time to time.
7.4.2 These sub-committees will report to the Co-ordinating Committee.
7.5 Chairpersons for Chapters
7.5.1 There will be a Chairperson for each Chapter who will be chosen by the Chapter.
7.5.2 The Chairperson will hold a two-year term in office that can be renewed.
7.5.3 The Chairperson is responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of the Chapter through preparing agendas and attachments, circulating minutes and information, maintaining order at meetings, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to speak at meetings, summarizing decisions fairly, ensuring follow-through and serving as a spokesperson for the Chapter. The Chair's conduct must be underpinned by PACC's mission, purpose and values. Please see attachment What is the Role of the Chair (for PACC Co-ordinating Committee and Chapter)?
7.6 Chairpersons for Co-ordinating Committee
7.6.1 There will be a Chairperson for PACC Co-ordinating Committee who will be chosen by the Committee.
7.6.2 The chairperson will hold a two-year term in office that can be renewed.
7.6.3 The Chairperson is responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of the Co-ordinating Committee through preparing agendas and attachments, circulating minutes and information, maintaining order at meetings, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to speak at meetings, summarizing decisions fairly, ensuring follow-through and serving as a spokesperson for the Chapter. The Chair's conduct must be underpinned by PACC's mission, purpose and values. Please see attachment What is the Role of the Chair (for PACC Co-ordinating Committee and Chapter)?
7.7 Minute-taker
7.7.1 This will be a member designated at each meeting to take the minutes for that meeting and will forward completed minutes to the Chairperson for distribution.
7.9 Organizational Structure
7.9.1 PACC is a grassroots, community-based and led organization.
8. Decision Making Process
8.1 Any major policy recommendations or actions should go through the membership and decision to act is made by the Co-ordinating Committee through consensus.
8.2 A recommendation regarding any of these activities will follow this process:
8.2.1 Recommendation minuted in Chapter minutes and distributed to membership
8.2.2 Co-ordinating Committee reviews recommendation and makes final decision on outcome.
8.2.3 Co-ordinating Committee brings decision and reason for decision to membership via email, prior to acting on decision.
8.2.4 Any person, agency or group that does not support the recommendation will have the opportunity to abstain or have their lack of agreement recorded.
8.3 All decisions will be minuted.
9. Meeting Frequency
9.1 All Chapters will meet monthly.
9.2 Co-ordinating Committee will meet monthly.
9.3 All Sub-committees will meet when necessary or as outlined above.
10. Agendas of Meetings
10.1 The Co-ordinating Committee agenda will include, but is not limited to:
"1. Welcome and introductions
2. Review of the last meeting minutes
3. Follow-up regarding requests for Chapter and Committee activities from last meeting.
4. Reports, discussions and requests from Committees
· Education Committee
· Finance Committee
5. Reports, discussions, requests and website submissions from Chapters
· Keswick Chapter
· Newmarket-Aurora Chapter
· Richmond Hill Chapter
· Youth Chapter
6. Other"
10.2 The Chapters' agendas will include, but are not limited to:
"1. Welcome and introductions
2. Review of the last meeting minutes
3. Chair and representatives report on Co-ordinating Committee
· Education Committee
· Finance Committee
· Other Chapters
4. Website Submission
5. Other"
Amended July 20, 2006
Revised (numbering) June 15, 2006
Revised June 7, 2006
January 25, 2006
PACC's original supporting collaborators in the community: Community Legal Clinic York Region, Canadian Mental Health Association-York Region, York Support Services, Future Abilities and Creative Employment, Krasman Centre, York Region District School Board, York Region Housing Corp, York Region Food Network.
PACC is not affiliated with any political party.Members names are kept confidential and only used/released with full permission of the subject members.
To raise community awareness of poverty and the income security issues facing marginalized York Region residents through research, public education and initiatives that effect change.


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Dolls, this issue of ELLE is filled with deliquescently sinful desires, so here's a catalog of cravings selected from this month's Ask Eeee correspondents. Presenting: The Lust List, 2007
An Epic Derriere
Dear E. Jean: I've always been thin, but I recently lost eight pounds. I was running around a lot because of my job, and now I'm toned and healthier than I ever was. Unfortunately, my behind—an asset I've always adored about myself—has shrunk. And my boyfriend is bothered as hell about it.
He misses my butt and keeps nagging me to gain weight. At first I thought he was joking, but now I'm irked. I loved my body before, and I love my current body just as much. Why can't he find me sexy the way I am now?—Baby's Gotta Get Back
Back, my lettuce leaf : Next time the boy begs for the rebirth of your buttocks, drop to one knee, lift his trouser leg, and cry: "Your ankles! What happened to your ankles? How bony! You know how I adore a fat, bulging, porcine ankle! Please, darling! An addition of a mere 20 or 30 pounds will plump up those knobs in no time. Here, let me call the caterer and order you the Gala Six-foot Gorgonzola Cheese Wheel."
More From ELLE
You gotta love a man who wants more of you: But in the end, it's your bottom, my dove. You may tighten, tone, trim, tweak, or tattoo the bugger with the words: "Methought I was enamored of an ass." And if you desire to walk around with a smaller, haughtier, firmer little fanny—well, then the lad must learn to love it... and shut the hell up.
The Dude on a White Horse
Dear E. Jean: I've been dating this fabulous man for three months. He's sweet, funny, respectful, charming, smart, and ambitious. I was skeptical at first because he is ultrainvolved with his career, is 12 years older than I am, and makes waaaaay more money than I do. I have a respectable career, and I offer to pay when I can. Money has never been an issue—until this past weekend.
He decided to take a three-day vacation together, and he made the reservations, organizing everything down to the last detail. He even insisted on paying for it all, saying we'd "settle it later." I expected to pay half of the hotel and some of the other expenses. But today he e-mailed me an itemized Excel spreadsheet of every penny we spent! He asked that I pay for whatever I was "comfortable with."
I felt like he gave me a bill! I told him I was sending him a check for half of the expenses, and he didn't say anything! Where, all of a sudden, is this coming from? I'm wondering if he's even interested in a real relationship with me.—Baffled in Brooklyn
Baffled, my begonia : Oh, he's interested— just not abso-freaking-lutely interested. Ninety-nine point nine men out of 100 would have felt the most brutal of male tremors—humiliation—sending a beautiful, clever, sexy young Brooklyn woman (with whom they've just enjoyed a three-day pash-romp) a flippin' spreadsheet.
However, the romance is new, and he is old. Give it time. And just to make certain that Mr. Wad McDillweed doesn't have a hedge fund for a heart, the next time he suggests a holiday, smile and say: "My luv, here's my wallet. [Hand it over] You're sweet and charming, and I beg you to take whatever cash you need now. Because in the future, since I find imminent death sexier than a spreadsheet, I intend to refuse all e-mails containing ledgers, invoices, grids, and line-itemized budgets." I think he'll add things up.
E-mail your questions to email@example.com
Fame and Food
Dear E. Jean: I'm an award-winning artist. My work has been published; I've been selected for numerous juried shows; and I've always been positively received. Why isn't my work selling like hotcakes? I give out my business cards; I tell people to check my website; I have six shows coming up, for Pete's sake! Yet no one is knocking down my door. What gives?—Will Paint for Food
Paint, my petunia : Did you say what..."gives"? Don't you know that you're up against the whole art world here? Nobody "gives" you anything, hunny. You take. Okay, okay. Now, let's sell your masterpieces.
The Three Rules for Working the Art Racket:
1. Know who buys art. Damien Hirst will pluck Frida Kahlo's eyebrows before "numerous juried shows" get you half a tube of cadmium red. Prizes help, but your career depends on crashing the tightly controlled universe of status, bull hockey, money, ego, sex, and fame; on hanging out in the right galleries; and on meeting investors, dealers, patrons, and collectors.
2. Suck up to the collectors. You're a pretty, young Louisiana woman full of moxie (I can tell: I checked your website, amyguidry.com). Attend charity events, volunteer at your museum, and—this requires real Southern grit—offer to do portraits of the two or three leading socialites in your city for free. You'll soon be hanging above the fireplaces of people who actually invest in art.
3. Hire a publicist. She will get you mentions in magazine and newspaper columns, which, in turn, will get you invited to more openings and events; which, of course, will create a frenzied desire among collectors to haunt your studio and be photographed purchasing your pictures. Good luck.
The Giant O
Dear E. Jean: I've been with my fiancé for two years and love him to death. But (there's always a "but," isn't there?) he's unbelievably selfish in bed. He always wants me to "do everything" to him, and he never returns the favor. The sex is over before it starts. I've only had one "O"—and that was when he was drunk—because he's Mr. One-Minute Man. When I suggested we try some techniques to help lengthen his staying power, he got mad and told me to "go get something at the adult store when [he's] not around."
He's my first, so I have no idea what I'm doing. He doesn't try before, during, or after to give me any pleasure. The only thing he ever did was put some kind of "orgasm cream" on me—it burned like hell! He also splurges on himself when we're trying to save for a down payment for a house, sneaks around to see his ex, and is friendlier to strangers than to me.—Future Mrs. Minute Man
Mrs. Minute, my muskmelon : Auntie Eeee is raising an indignant eyebrow here, but first things first: Of all the sex snafus and shag-mires, premature ejaculation is the simplest to fix. It merely requires your fiancé to learn control. About a thousand books and websites exist on the subject. The best : WebMD's article titled "Trigger Happy?" (webmd.com/sex/premature-ejaculation).
But what can't be fixed, my dear, is your fiancé's breathtaking selfishness and slink-weasel disrespect. He's a creep of the first order. You deserve better.
E-mail your questions to firstname.lastname@example.com
The Splendor of Youth
Dear E. Jean: I'm happy—got the dream job, the great friends, the financial success, and the spiritual enlightenment. The issue is that I just turned...30! Am I now a social outcast? The thing that pushed me over the edge was a dating site called 30+Singles, which is for "mature" singles. Eek! Am I over? Am I an old loser now?—30 Is NOT the New 20
Miss Eek, my thistle : Thirty is not for wimps, young lady! Pull yourself together. Stop bitching. You want to see old? Volunteer at a nursing home, and perk up the ancient darlings' spirits—some poor souls haven't had a visitor in 30 years. This will get your head straight.
And then if you're a brave girl for the next half century, I'll send you a one-month subscription to GeezerFever.com at the end of it.
A Faithful Chap
Dear E. Jean: My husband is having an affair, and I don't know what to do. I'm a terrible person: I accessed his credit card statements and snooped in his cell phone. And here's the irony: He confronted me! He said "someone" was looking at his bank statements. Flustered and frightened, I lied.
He has spent extensive amounts of time with this other woman, and our relationship is becoming weaker and weaker. I'm so scared of losing him! Isn't that awful? I feel he has everything (he's the breadwinner) and I have nothing. If he's so unhappy with me, why doesn't he just leave? I'm afraid of what will happen if I have it out with him: He'll disappear for good. And without him, where will I be left?—Sad Snoop
Miss Sad, my snowdrop : You stand a chance of being left with half of everything if you hire a clever attorney. If you decide not to split (and you adore the lout, obviously), consult an attorney anyway.
Not very Zen, I know, but a lawyer will help you figure out what you want, concentrate your thoughts, and give you confidence, knowing you have someone in your corner.
Then, over cocktails, or sometime when you're not rushed, tell your husband you saw his bank statements and that you know he's having an affair. Don't be treacly. Don't cry. Don't squish Kleenex into your face, and be prepared for him to attack you for snooping. Hold your ground.
Then wait for him to calm down (and shed about six ounces of persp). If you stay strong, drop the helpless-wife act, and tell him exactly what you want...I think you'll have begun the first step of a journey that could lead to a v.v.v. unboring marriage. Or divorce.
E-mail your questions to email@example.com


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For the record, Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) is not a band of 15-ft.-tall mutants who have joined together to save the world from a diabolical villain with the power to influence metal. But you could be forgiven for thinking so, since the term is about as arcane as any that the dual disciplines of physics and computer science have produced. Despite its gargantuan-sounding proportions, the GMR principle is all about the infinitesimally small bits of information squeezed onto hard drives--and how to read them.
Most people in the geekosphere are familiar with Moore's Law, which observes that the number of transistors on a CPU will double every two years, but not everyone has heard of the corresponding law in the field of data storage. Named Kryder's Law, after Carnegie Mellon professor Mark Kryder, it predicts regular exponential growth in hard-drive capacity (click here for my Q&A with Kryder). Since the introduction of the hard drive in 1956, when the 1-ton IBM RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) included 5MB of storage, drives have experienced a 50-million-fold increase in capacity. In the early 90s, desktop drives started surging into the 1GB range, and now drives max out at around 1TB (terabyte). On Monday, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST) announced that it expects to be shipping 4TB desktop and 1TB laptop drives by 2011. Meeting that news was a chorus of yawns all around from the techno-bloggers ("Hitachi announced 4TB HDDs by 2011. So?" read the headline on Ubergizmo), who instantly went back to obsessing about iPhone hacks and Japanese robots.
Unfair, I say! Hard drives are the most underappreciated technology in the world of computing. It takes some pretty sophisticated tricks at the microscopic--and even the subatomic--level to pack all those bits onto the spinning platters that hold everything from our music collections to pictures to PowerPoint presentations. Every time it seems that those disks are carrying as much information as is allowed by the laws of physics, engineers find a fascinating new method to squeeze out more capacity. In 2005, when the horizontally aligned bits on high-capacity drives were becoming crowded, Toshiba (followed by pretty much every drive manufacturer) upended the bits to a perpendicular orientation to the surface of the platter, aligning them like standing dominoes to squeeze in more per square inch.
More From Popular Mechanics
Hitachi's announcement about drive heads was a good deal more esoteric than that: Hard-drive engineers have essentially found a way to redesign and shrink the read/write head (the official name for the technology is "Current-Perpendicular-to-the-Plane Giant Magnetoresistive," or CPP-GMR, drive heads) to allow for smaller perpendicular bits. And the GMR effect is not new. In fact, this year's Nobel Prize for physics went to France's Albert Fert and Germany's Peter Grunberg, whose research into GMR in the late 1980s brought about the first real-world application of nanotechnology.
In short, GMR is a quantum-level effect that allows hard-drive manufacturers to use magnetic fields to exploit the subatomic spin of particles. The discovery of GMR launched an entirely new field of applied physics known as spin-based electronics, or "spintronics."
Given the complexity and difficulty of the subject, I imagine the reason Hitachi GST is making announcements about technologies two to four years down the pipeline is to piggyback on the Nobel and take advantage of the only public attention that GMR is ever likely to get.
But the confusing mechanics of the hard drive belies its undeniable usefulness in the world of electronics. Over the past few years, CPUs from Intel and AMD have rolled into the world of gigahertz calculations and split into multiple cores. Consequently, computer users are now buying PCs with awesome processing power that doesn't always translate into improved real-world performance in tasks such as surfing the Internet, looking at pictures and playing music and movies. But the advent of 100-plus-gigabyte computers has had a huge effect on the way we use our machines, moving them into the realm of entertainment devices, swallowing huge quantities of music, movies and family videos and photos.
Whenever people come to me looking for guidance on purchasing a new computer, my advice is this: Buy as much processor as you think you need, but be sure to buy more hard drive than you'd ever imagine. That's because once you get into consuming and producing music and video, you'll start to see those gigabytes fill up awfully quick. Plus, it doesn't cost much to overestimate--going from a 320GB drive to a 500GB drive on a standard Dell desktop computer only adds about $80. And modern operating systems and software are veritable hard-drive hogs--a Microsoft Windows Vista install requires 15GB of free disk space.
Still, despite their massive capacities and apparently unlimited room for improvement, there is reason to question the future relevance of our spinning platter workhorses in home PCs. On the bottom end, flash-based solid-state disks (SSDs) are chasing HDDs up the capacity ladder--current SSDs have capacities of up to 128GB. On the top end, online storage providers will start to seem like reasonable alternatives as offerings approach infinite capacity and super-high-bandwidth fiberoptic connections to the home become the norm. Meanwhile, if our Breakthrough Award-winning $99 Zonbu laptop is any indication, we may be on the verge of a new era of slim-client computing.
Nevertheless, hard-disk drives have maintained their primacy in the PC thus far because they have routinely kept pace with computer users' needs and they are relatively cheap solutions for storing tons of data. Current 1TB drives sell for less than $350 and can hold up to 200 DVD-quality movies (far more if you compress them). And as we step gingerly into the world of downloading hi-def, that sort of localized capacity will become even more important.
So even though the rest of the world may not get too excited about the soldierly progress of the hard-disk drive, I'm willing to give it a column's-worth of respect. Current-Perpendicular-to-the-Plane Giant Magnetoresistance may seem like a hopelessly impenetrable piece of computer science (except to the people who hand out Nobel Prizes), but it's advances like this that are enabling our DVRs to record Heroes for us while we're out with friends, and that allow a computer to act as the repository for a collection of music and movies. Because there's no such thing as too much room for your stuff.


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This is an on-going project for the year 2016! We need photos of the people and places that are uniquely Richardson. As we begin to see how our new facilities will host many people from our neighborhoods and community, we want to show that FUMCR stands with the unique landmarks that make our city standout!
Use your creativity to tell the story about your people or places... Find unique perspectives of landmarks, capture unique moments in the day-to-day life of Richardson, or find the people we will most recognize in or out of their natural element!
Upload Link: http://fumcr.smugmug.com/upload/HP9drq/richardson


text: The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America and recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. The Order of the Arrow provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, developing leaders, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.


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Following in the footsteps of the AG2712 Gaming All-in-One PC, MSI has introduced a new 27-inch, All-in-One gaming PC -- the MSI AG270 2PE/AG270 2PC. The MSI AG270 features a 4th Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870/880M discrete graphics card, and up to 8GB GDDR5 of graphics memory.
Additionally, MSI has included an anti-flicker, non-glare display to the AG270 and Yamaha speakers. The anti-flicker technology stabilizes the electrical current to prevent flickering seen in standard displays. This technology helps to reduce eye fatigue after extended use while enhancing the quality of the gaming environment. The AG270 includes Less Blue Light Technology combined with MSI's ScenaMax image optimization software to reduce the screen's blue light emission.
MSI AG270 also supports Super Raid 2. Up to three mSATA SSD can be configured to run in RAID 0 for read speeds of up to 1500MB/sec. MSI formed a partnership with Plextor to provide mSATA SSDs optimized for MSI All-in-One PCs. Plextor's proprietary True Speed performance technology offers stable long-term read/write performance to eliminate the drop in read/write speed experienced by SSDs after long use.
Technical Specifications of the MSI AG270:
Processor: Intel Core i7-4860HQ 2.4GHz Turbo 3.6GHz
Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.4GHz Turbo 3.4GHz
Operating System: Windows 8.1
Display/Touchscreen: 27-inch LED 1920x1080 Multi-Touch with Anti-Flicker and Less Blue Light Technology
Chipset: Intel HM87
Graphics Card: AG270 2PE - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M 8GB GDDR5 AG270 2PC - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M 3GB GDDR5
Memory: DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM * 2 slot/Max. to 16GB
Storage: 2TB 7200RPM HDD and Up to 3 x mSATA SSD
Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Wireless-N
ODD: DVD Super Multi/ BD Writer
Card Reader: 3 in 1 (SD, MMC, MS)
Speaker: 2 x 5W Yamaha Speaker
Rear I/O: Mic in x1, Earphone out x1, USB3.0x2,USB2.0x2, HDMI out x1, RJ45x1, D-Sub x1
Side I/O: USB 3.0x2 (including Super Charger x1) Card Reader, DC Jack
Built-in cam: 2M-pixel FHD cam+microphone
Wall Mount: Support VESA 200x100mm
Dimensions: 672.23mmx482.96mmx66mm
Power: 230W