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Глава 08: Обзор пакета MIDI
Chapter 1,"Introduction to Java Sound," gave a glimpse into the MIDI capabilities of the Java Sound API. The present chapter assumes you've read Chapter 1. The discussion here provides a more detailed introduction to the Java Sound API's MIDI architecture, which is accessed through the javax.sound.midi package. Some basic features of MIDI itself are explained, as a refresher or introduction, to place the Java Sound API's MIDI features in context. The chapter then goes on to discuss the Java Sound API's approach to MIDI, as a preparation for the programming tasks that are explained in subsequent chapters. This chapter's discussion of the MIDI API is divided into two main areas: data and devices.
A MIDI Refresher: Wires and Files
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard defines a communication protocol for electronic music devices, such as electronic keyboard instruments and personal computers. MIDI data can be transmitted over special cables during a live performance, and can also be stored in a standard type of file for later playback or editing.
This section reviews some MIDI basics, without reference to the Java Sound API. The discussion is intended as a refresher for readers acquainted with MIDI, and as a brief introduction for those who are not, to provide background for the subsequent discussion of the Java Sound API's MIDI package. If you have a thorough understanding of MIDI, you can safely skip this section. Before writing substantial MIDI applications, programmers who are unfamiliar with MIDI will probably need a fuller description of MIDI than can be included in this programmer's guide. See the Complete MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification, which is available only in hard copy from http://www.midi.org (although you might find paraphrased or summarized versions on the Web).
MIDI is both a hardware specification and a software specification. To understand MIDI's design, it helps to understand its history. MIDI was originally designed for passing musical events, such as key depressions, between electronic keyboard instruments such as synthesizers. (As mentioned in Chapter 1, MIDI data consists primarily of control events that communicate a musician's gestures. MIDI data doesn't contain the audio that results from these events.) Hardware devices known as sequencers stored sequences of notes that could control a synthesizer, allowing musical performances to be recorded and subsequently played back. Later, hardware interfaces were developed that connected MIDI instruments to a computer's serial port, allowing sequencers to be implemented in software. More recently, computer sound cards have incorporated hardware for MIDI I/O and for synthesizing musical sound. Today, many users of MIDI deal only with sound cards, never connecting to external MIDI devices. CPUs have become fast enough that synthesizers, too, can be implemented in software. A sound card is needed only for audio I/O and, in some applications, for communicating with external MIDI devices.
The brief hardware portion of the MIDI specification prescribes the pinouts for MIDI cables and the jacks into which these cables are plugged. This portion need not concern us. Because devices that originally required hardware, such as sequencers and synthesizers, are now implementable in software, perhaps the only reason for most programmers to know anything about MIDI hardware devices is simply to understand the metaphors in MIDI. However, external MIDI hardware devices are still essential for some important music applications, and so the Java Sound API supports input and output of MIDI data.
The software portion of the MIDI specification is extensive. This portion concerns the structure of MIDI data and how devices such as synthesizers should respond to that data. It is important to understand that MIDI data can be streamed or sequenced. This duality reflects two different parts of the Complete MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification:
- Standard MIDI Files
We'll explain what's meant by streaming and sequencing by examining the purpose of each of these two parts of the MIDI specification.
Streaming Data in the MIDI Wire Protocol
The first of these two parts of the MIDI specification describes what is known informally as "MIDI wire protocol." MIDI wire protocol, which is the original MIDI protocol, is based on the assumption that the MIDI data is being sent over a MIDI cable (the "wire"). The cable transmits digital data from one MIDI device to another. Each of the MIDI devices might be a musical instrument or a similar device, or it might be a general-purpose computer equipped with a MIDI-capable sound card or a MIDI-to-serial-port interface.
MIDI data, as defined by MIDI wire protocol, is organized into messages. The different kinds of message are distinguished by the first byte in the message, known as the status byte. (Status bytes are the only bytes that have the highest-order bit set to 1.) The bytes that follow the status byte in a message are known as data bytes. Certain MIDI messages, known as channel messages, have a status byte that contains four bits to specify the kind of channel message and another four bits to specify the channel number. There are therefore 16 MIDI channels; devices that receive MIDI messages can be set to respond to channel messages on all or only one of these virtual channels. Often each MIDI channel (which shouldn't be confused with a channel of audio) is used to send the notes for a different instrument. As an example, two common channel messages are Note On and Note Off, which start a note sounding and then stop it, respectively. These two messages each take two data bytes: the first specifies the note's pitch and the second its "velocity" (how fast the key is depressed or released, assuming a keyboard instrument is playing the note).
MIDI wire protocol defines a streaming model for MIDI data. A central feature of this protocol is that the bytes of MIDI data are delivered in real time—in other words, they are streamed. The data itself contains no timing information; each event is processed as it's received, and it's assumed that it arrives at the correct time. That model is fine if the notes are being generated by a live musician, but it's insufficient if you want to store the notes for later playback, or if you want to compose them out of real time. This limitation is understandable when you realize that MIDI was originally designed for musical performance, as a way for a keyboard musician to control more than one synthesizer, back in the days before many musicians used computers. (The first version of the specification was released in 1984.)
Sequenced Data in Standard MIDI Files
The Standard MIDI Files part of the MIDI specification addresses the timing limitation in MIDI wire protocol. A standard MIDI file is a digital file that contains MIDI events. An event is simply a MIDI message, as defined in the MIDI wire protocol, but with an additional piece of information that specifies the event's timing. (There are also some events that don't correspond to MIDI wire protocol messages, as we'll see in the next section.) The additional timing information is a series of bytes that indicates when to perform the operation described by the message. In other words, a standard MIDI file specifies not just which notes to play, but exactly when to play each of them. It's a bit like a musical score.
The information in a standard MIDI file is referred to as a sequence. A standard MIDI file contains one or more tracks. Each track typically contains the notes that a single instrument would play if the music were performed by live musicians. A sequencer is a software or hardware device that can read a sequence and deliver the MIDI messages contained in it at the right time. A sequencer is a bit like an orchestra conductor: it has the information for all the notes, including their timings, and it tells some other entity when to perform the notes.
The Java Sound API's Representation of MIDI Data
Now that we've sketched the MIDI specification's approach to streamed and sequenced musical data, let's examine how the Java Sound API represents that data.
MIDI Messages
MidiMessage is an abstract class that represents a "raw" MIDI message. A "raw" MIDI message is usually a message defined by the MIDI wire protocol. It can also be one of the events defined by the Standard MIDI Files specification, but without the event's timing information. There are three categories of raw MIDI message, represented in the Java Sound API by these three respective MidiMessage subclasses:
- ShortMessages are the most common messages and have at most two data bytes following the status byte. The channel messages, such as Note On and Note Off, are all short messages, as are some other messages.
- SysexMessages contain system-exclusive MIDI messages. They may have many bytes, and generally contain manufacturer-specific instructions.
- MetaMessages occur in MIDI files, but not in MIDI wire protocol. Meta messages contain data, such as lyrics or tempo settings, that might be useful to sequencers but that are usually meaningless for synthesizers.
MIDI Events
As we've seen, standard MIDI files contain events that are wrappers for "raw" MIDI messages along with timing information. An instance of the Java Sound API's MidiEvent class represents an event such as might be stored in a standard MIDI file.
The API for MidiEvent includes methods to set and get the event's timing value. There's also a method to retrieve its embedded raw MIDI message, which is an instance of a subclass of MidiMessage, discussed next. (The embedded raw MIDI message can be set only when constructing the MidiEvent.)
Sequences and Tracks
As mentioned earlier, a standard MIDI file stores events that are arranged into tracks. Usually the file represents one musical composition, and usually each track represents a part such as might have been played by a single instrumentalist. Each note that the instrumentalist plays is represented by at least two events: a Note On that starts the note, and a Note Off that ends it. The track may also contain events that don't correspond to notes, such as meta-events (which were mentioned above).
The Java Sound API organizes MIDI data in a three-part hierarchy:
- Sequence
- Track
- MidiEvent
A Track is a collection of MidiEvents, and a Sequence is a collection of Tracks. This hierarchy reflects the files, tracks, and events of the Standard MIDI Files specification. (Note: this is a hierarchy in terms of containment and ownership; it's not a class hierarchy in terms of inheritance. Each of these three classes inherits directly from java.lang.Object.)
Sequences can be read from MIDI files, or created from scratch and edited by adding Tracks to the Sequence (or removing them). Similarly, MidiEvents can be added to or removed from the tracks in the sequence.
The Java Sound API's Representation of MIDI Devices
The previous section explained how MIDI messages are represented in the Java Sound API. However, MIDI messages don't exist in a vacuum. They're typically sent from one device to another. A program that uses the Java Sound API can generate MIDI messages from scratch, but more often the messages are instead created by a software device, such as a sequencer, or received from outside the computer through a MIDI input port. Such a device usually sends these messages to another device, such as a synthesizer or a MIDI output port.
The MidiDevice Interface
In the world of external MIDI hardware devices, many devices can transmit MIDI messages to other devices and also receive messages from other devices. Similarly, in the Java Sound API, software objects that implement the MidiDevice interface can transmit and receive messages. Such an object can be implemented purely in software, or it can serve as an interface to hardware such as a sound card's MIDI capabilities. The base MidiDevice interface provides all the functionality generally required by a MIDI input or output port. Synthesizers and sequencers, however, further implement one of the subinterfaces of MidiDevice: Synthesizer or Sequencer, respectively.
The MidiDevice interface includes API for opening and closing a device. It also includes an inner class called MidiDevice.Info that provides textual descriptions of the device, including its name, vendor, and version. If you've read the sampled-audio portion of this programmer's guide, this API will probably sound familiar, because its design is similar to that of the javax.sampled.Mixer interface, which represents an audio device and which has an analogous inner class, Mixer.Info.
Transmitters and Receivers
Most MIDI devices are capable of sending MidiMessages, receiving them, or both. The way a device sends data is via one or more transmitter objects that it "owns." Similarly, the way a device receives data is via one or more of its receiver objects. The transmitter objects implement the Transmitter interface, and the receivers implement the Receiver interface.
Each transmitter can be connected to only one receiver at a time, and vice versa. A device that sends its MIDI messages to multiple other devices simultaneously does so by having multiple transmitters, each connected to a receiver of a different device. Similarly, a device that can receive MIDI messages from more than one source at a time must do so via multiple receivers.
A sequencer is a device for capturing and playing back sequences of MIDI events. It has transmitters, because it typically sends the MIDI messages stored in the sequence to another device, such as a synthesizer or MIDI output port. It also has receivers, because it can capture MIDI messages and store them in a sequence. To its superinterface, MidiDevice, Sequencer adds methods for basic MIDI sequencing operations. A sequencer can load a sequence from a MIDI file, query and set the sequence's tempo, and synchronize other devices to it. An application program can register an object to be notified when the sequencer processes certain kinds of events.
A Synthesizer is a device for generating sound. It's the only object in the javax.sound.midi package that produces audio data. A synthesizer device controls a set of MIDI channel objects—typically 16 of them, since the MIDI specification calls for 16 MIDI channels. These MIDI channel objects are instances of a class that implements the MidiChannel interface, whose methods represent the MIDI specification's "channel voice messages" and "channel mode messages."
An application program can generate sound by directly invoking methods of a synthesizer's MIDI channel objects. More commonly, though, a synthesizer generates sound in response to messages sent to one or more of its receivers. These messages might be sent by a sequencer or MIDI input port, for example. The synthesizer parses each message that its receivers get, and usually dispatches a corresponding command (such as noteOn or controlChange) to one of its MidiChannel objects, according to the MIDI channel number specified in the event.
The MidiChannel uses the note information in these messages to synthesize music. For example, a noteOn message specifies the note's pitch and "velocity" (volume). However, the note information is insufficient; the synthesizer also requires precise instructions on how to create the audio signal for each note. These instructions are represented by an Instrument. Each Instrument typically emulates a different real-world musical instrument or sound effect. The Instruments might come as presets with the synthesizer, or they might be loaded from soundbank files. In the synthesizer, the Instruments are arranged by bank number (these can be thought of as rows) and program number (columns).
This chapter has provided a background for understanding MIDI data, and it has introduced some of the important interfaces and classes related to MIDI in the Java Sound API. Subsequent chapters show how you can access and use these objects in your application program.


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Just before the Internet's meteoric rise in the public consciousness, large centralized dial-up services like America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe dominated the online landscape. In this competitive climate 20 years ago, Apple introduced eWorld, a subscription-based information service available to Mac and Newton users. Despite its closure in 1996, eWorld remains notable for its city-based interface metaphor and as a symbol of Apple's overreach in the era.
Users accessed eWorld through custom client software written by Apple and connected using a traditional dial-up modem hooked to a telephone line. Upon connecting to the service, the eWorld software displayed a playfully-illustrated aerial view of a small city. Each building in the city represented a different topical focus for the service, containing articles, chat rooms, discussion boards, and file downloads centered around various themes.
For example, clicking on the Business and Finance Plaza building opened up a new window that presented the user with articles from Inc. magazine, business-themed discussion boards, and stock quotes. Other buildings focused on games and entertainment, shopping, learning (with encyclopedia access), and Apple product support.
At launch, the service cost $8.95 a month, which included two free hours of access time. Additional access charges were $7.95 an hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and $4.95 an hour otherwise. While such prices seem high today, they were similar to other online services at the time. (Flat-rate ISPs made this pricing structure obsolete soon afterward, however.)
It's worth noting that in a time before the endless firehose of Web-based information we find ourselves inundated with today, most eWorld users could get by using the service for only a handful of hours a month—they'd mostly check email a few minutes at a time, read forum messages, and maybe download a file. Even so, eWorld's access prices drastically limited demand for the service.
Trouble in eWorld
From its start in June 1994, eWorld suffered from an obvious lack of marketing and promotion from Apple. Print ads for the service were few and far between, and due to the lengthy time it took to make changes in Apple manufacturing processes, nearly a whole year passed before Apple bundled the eWorld software with all new Macs.
On top of those problems, the consumer Internet hit in a big way in 1994, becoming the subject of numerous media reports and stealing the spotlight from traditional centralized online services.
On its first birthday, Apple announced that eWorld had attracted 90,000 members. At the time, AOL measured its subscribers in the millions. To expand its reach, Apple planned a Windows client, but it never materialized. That limited potential eWorld subscribers to Mac and Newton owners, who formed a small minority of the computer using population in the mid-1990s.
Apple introduced an Internet On-Ramp (per the city interface metaphor, users accessed it by clicking on a cartoon road,) in 1995 that allowed eWorld users access to Internet newsgroups, FTP sites, mailing lists, and the Web. It was a competitive move forced by the rise of the Internet; other online services began to transition to Internet gateways around the same time.
eWorld membership continued to rise slowly throughout 1995 as its client software—included with new Macs—introduced a new audience to the service.Behind the scenes, Apple began planning a future transition to an ISP model to maintain viability. But just when times were looking a little better, the bottom fell out.
The end of eWorld
During the last few months of 1995, it became apparent within Apple that the company would post staggering losses at the end of the quarter (around $700 million), which devastated company morale and spooked investors. Cuts had to be made, and services like eWorld, which were tangential to Apple's primary mission of selling profitable hardware, had to go.
In March of 1996, news of the losses hit, and Apple announced that eWorld would close on the 31st of that month.
Many subscribers reacted frantically at the upcoming loss of their "electronic city," and for good reason. eWorld's numbers were never stunning, but they were enough to foster a healthy and devoted online community. Many met lifelong friends, future colleagues, and even spouses on the service.
When online communities close down, the people and cultures that formed there tend to split up and flow from one place to another, comingling with other online cultures in much the same way refugees fled ancient cities in the wake of natural disasters and enemy invasion.
In that way, the death of eWorld sparked the birth of a dozen other minor communities—mostly on the Web. But one new service welcomed eWorld expatriots above all others.
During the last month of eWorld's run, a handful of former Apple eWorld employees announced a Web-based service called Talk City that would host chat rooms and discussion boards similar to Apple's. They also announced the hiring of eWorld's loyal community moderators, which cemented the link between the two communities.
At the end of its 22-month lifespan, eWorld boasted only 147,500 subscribers—a paltry sum compared to the 3.5 million accrued by multiplatform AOL. But for those who forged real, lasting relationships on eWorld, the service was never about numbers. It was about family and community. In that sense, the living legacy of eWorld continues to this day.
Editor's note: eWorld subscriber numbers according to Apple Confidential 2.0 by Owen W. Linzmayer.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've been told some of my photographs look like postcards. I don't think that is a good thing when they tell me but I don't mind. I like postcards.
Another view from the National Road- along Route 40. Have you ever seen a Cambridge Glass Turkey?
Cambridge is best known for Cambridge Glass
and the museum The National Museum of Cambridge Glass is located on 9th Street in Cambridge, Ohio.
Open April thru December
Wednesday – Saturday 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday: Noon – 4:00 pm
Closed Easter & July 4th
Additional appointments or tour groups by appointment.


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Apolo Ohno has already earned the title of most-decorated U.S. winter Olympian and he is currently on a quest to become the most-decorated Dancing with the Stars contestant. The eight-time Olympic speedskating medalist won his first mirror ball trophy on Season 4 of the hit television series and more than five years later he has returned for Season 15, the series' first all-star season.
Improving on his score each week, Ohno has made it through to the fourth week of the season, along with Season 8 champion and Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and seven other all-stars. Team USA fans submitted their questions for Ohno via Facebook and Twitter, and he took the time to answer them in the midst of his intense dancing schedule.
The live performance shows air Monday nights on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, with results shows airing Tuesday nights. Fans can vote for Ohno online or by calling 1-800-868-3407.
TeamUSA.org asks: How is your next dance coming?
My dance partner, Karina [Smirnoff], she can dance every single other form of dance except for hip hop. And our dance is hip hop this week. It should be interesting.
TeamUSA.org asks: Last week they threw in a new twist where contestants chose which dance other couples would do for this week. Will hip hop hurt or help you?
We had a friend come in and show her what hip hop is all about. Personally I think our routine is going to be amazing. It'll be one of our better ones, for sure. We're doing stuff that they've never seen on the show in the past 15 seasons. That's the important part.
@LACarverRX on Twitter asks: Would you ever consider becoming a professional dancer and giving up skating?
No. Ballroom dancing, no. But if you mean like the Jabbawockeez – I'm really close to some of the guys from the Jabbawockeez group who perform in Vegas, I think that would be amazing. They get to perform every night of the week for millions of people all around the world. Would I give skating up? If you asked this 10 years ago, no, there's nothing you could have done to take me away from my Olympic dream.
@BSonTwit on Twitter asks: Do you plan to compete in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games?
I think it's always a possibility. It's at the back of my mind; it's definitely not the forefront. I love the Olympic Games; it's shown me so many valuable life lessons about myself, about my character. It helped me use my strength from all of my ups and downs in my journey to becoming an Olympic champion. I miss it but we'll see when that gets closer. 2014 and 2018, they're both not out of the question.
TeamUSA.org asks: If you decide to commit to training for the 2014 Olympic team, when would you return to training on the ice?
January. There's no set time. Realistically I should have been on the ice a year ago, but I've seen crazier things happen.
@Mars788 on Twitter asks: Do you have any advice for someone working towards a goal?
If it's a long-term goal, I think to keep in mind that small progress along the way and small steps and small goals towards reaching the ultimate larger perspective is very important in keeping you hungry, keeping it fresh, keeping it fun; and also to be relentless in your pursuit. As human beings, whatever path that we're going down, we have no way of knowing what the result's going to be. Same thing on Dancing with the Stars, I don't know what the scores the judges give are going to be or how many people at home are gonna vote for me. I can't really control that, the only thing I can control is how hard you work, how many hours you put in or how dedicated you are to your task.
The ultimate satisfaction comes from within when one person is able to say, "I have left nothing on the table, I have zero regrets about what I've done in preparation for this and I can walk away regardless of whatever placement that I had with my head still held very high, proud, I feel strong, and I feel satisfied that I left nothing out there to chance." There's no worse feeling in the world than someone saying, "I wish I could have trained harder, I should have trained harder, I should have gotten more sleep, I could have, I would have, but I didn't." That's a major issue.
I've won races before when I wasn't satisfied because I didn't do what I need to do. And there's been races where I didn't win but the process was so gratifying that it really enhanced my overall perspective of what I was doing. So it's a very difficult perspective to have on a sport or a goal because ultimately we want to win, we want to be the champions, we want to have the gold medal. We want to have these things in our life but at the end of the day they're not completely up to us. That's why I say focus on the process more and enjoy the process more. When the result is there, sometimes that result can only last a very limited amount of time – the Olympic Games, for example. Those four years of hard work, dedication and labor, it boils down to a race that lasts 40 seconds long, and standing on the podium may be another two minutes. You can't compile four or eight years of your life into that two minutes.
For me, when I think back on my career and think back on the things that I miss the most and the things that I gained, it was those four years when I was dedicated, when nobody else wanted to go outside and train, when it was me against myself, head-to-head battling. That's what reveals the true nature of a champion – what he does behind closed doors, what he does when the curtain is open. And having that consistency is an amazing, gratifying feeling.
Celia B. on Facebook asks: How does dancing compare with training for the Olympic Games?
I don't think that from a physical perspective you can compare the two. Obviously training for the Olympic Games in any sport requires a tremendous amount of physical activity and preparation but what it does do is it teaches you and your mind how to adapt to different thing. Let's be honest here – the rhinestone, glitter, sequin outfits I have to wear are pretty outrageous. So if I can look like I'm confident in that, I can look like I'm confident on the ice if there's a blade problem.
Judy N. on Facebook asks: What do you hope to be doing five years from now?
Five years from now I still see myself within the Olympic space, within the entertainment space, still running the three businesses that I'm involved with, focusing heavily on the Apolo Anton Ohno Foundation and philanthropic idealism and moving forward with all of the travel and ideas that I've always wanted to have in terms of helping give back to kids who are in need both in our country and overseas.
Andrea B. on Facebook said: I enjoyed watching you dance the quickstep. Your footwork in that dance is so fast, precise and artistically performed. Which dance style is your favorite?
I like the more aggressive dances like paso [doble], like tango; samba is cool; freestyle is amazing. And honestly our hip hop routine has so much style, it's so much fun, has so much personality. I like syncopated dances, so when we're right next to each other and we're doing the same thing, I think those look really, really cool.
Andrea B. on Facebook asks: Were you more nervous in your Olympic debut or Dancing with the Stars debut?
In my Olympic debut, I had raced against the same group of guys and I was doing something I had done all my life. Although I was nervous, it wasn't something that was completely unfamiliar. In my dancing debut, I was dancing to "Let's Hear It for the Boy" to the cha-cha, doing questionable arm movements. It was very, very weird. I can probably say that I was more nervous for this show than I was for any Olympic race.
Liz M. on Facebook asks: If you could win a gold medal in any other sport, which sport would it be?
I would be the Usain Bolt of track and field, the dominant 100- and 200-meter champ. I think that's an amazing race to watch. It's like the highlight of the Games and the race is like 9.5 seconds long.
Marie L. on Facebook asks: What kind of music do you like to listen to and who are your favorite artists?
I love hip hop and house music, sometimes R&B. It depends on what mood I'm in but everything from Usher to Pitbull to Dr. Dre, DJ Tiesto. I listen to everything you hear in a club, everything you hear on the radio and some underground stuff too. It depends on what mood I'm trying to get in to. I use music as an emotional changer. If I go to the gym, I listen to something that's a little more hard, a little more upbeat. If I'm cruising around and relaxing, I'll listen to something different. Going out, house music's going on.
Maura C. on Facebook asks: What does it mean to you to be the most-decorated U.S. winter Olympian?
It's extremely humbling. When I first started competing for short track, I didn't know if I was going to make an Olympic team. I did this sport because I loved it, because I had fun. I set small goals along the way, I stayed focused, I tried to work harder than anybody else, and I really dedicated myself to a level that I believed no one else was willing to take themselves to. All of the names and branding, it's great but at the end of the day, I'm very lucky and blessed to have had such an incredible career and stay healthy along the way.
TeamUSA.org asks: What would fans be most surprised to learn about you?
How goofy I really am. I love to make people laugh, and it's hard to show through interviews but those who know me and are close to me – we're always laughing and having fun, always.


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Westham Livepool Genoa Roma
Football Predictions - Mdundo Alt
LyricsThis is Football weekly, where you get the latest in the world of football. I am Ayomide Sotubo.
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Opening Prayer
Glory Be …
Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:12-16)
God of Light, as young Thomas tutored his sisters, and later, taught university students, guide me to show my faith in both my words and lived example.
Concluding Prayer
Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.


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In 2007, Florida resident Michele Haddad was involved in a motorcycle accident with a drunk driver. She incurred a spinal cord injury that led to quadriplegia, and lived at home until she lost her caregiver and Medicaid informed her that she would only qualify for the services she needed if she spent 60 days in an institution. Aside from making absolutely no sense, as often seems to be the case with Medicaid bureaucracy, this barrier to accessing care was also highly discriminatory.
Haddad sued, arguing that she would suffer 'irreparable harm' by being compelled to enter a nursing home, and the court agreed. The State of Florida was ordered to provide her with the community-based services she requested and was entitled to. Haddad will be getting a caregiver and staying at home, and we can chalk down another victory for disability rights. This is huge and I am really pleased by the positive outcome in this case. Haddad wanted to stay at home, she should have been allowed to stay at home, and it is heartening to read that the court ruled on the side of justice, bodily autonomy, and independence in this case.
The United States Government was also involved in the case, arguing on Haddad's side. The Justice Department is currently fighting several discrimination cases, many of which build on the landmark Olmstead vs L. C. case that cleared the courts 11 years ago. Speaking about the Haddad case, Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said:
In the Olmstead case, the court recognized that the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities stigmatizes those individuals as unworthy of participation in community life. By supporting Ms. Haddad in this case, we seek to ensure that individuals with disabilities can receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate, where they can participate in their communities, interact with individuals who do not have disabilities, and make their own day to day choices. (source)
I'm excited to learn that the Department of Justice is cracking down on discrimination and is specifically selecting cases that will promote full integration into society for people with disabilities. As I discussed a few weeks ago, passing antidiscrimination laws and winning victories in court isn't enough to put a stop to discrimination and ableism, or to the social attitudes that allow for the dehumanisation and abuse of people with disabilities, but these cases do make a difference, and the direct involvement of the government shows that there is a genuine desire to address disability discrimination and to fight it.
Forced institutionalisation, as almost happened to Michele Haddad, has a long and very sordid history in this country. A common problem that I encounter in discussions about it is that it is not always recognised as such. The Haddad case seems fairly clear-cut: She clearly stated that she wanted to stay at home and she was told that she would lose services if she didn't enter an institution. That sounds forced to me, and it sounded forced to the court, and most of the people discussing the case seem to agree.
But other cases are less clear. A lot of people with disabilities are not provided with information they could use to make choices independently. They are pressured by family members or care providers. Someone in a situation similar to Haddad's might not be aware that home care was an option. All it would take is being whisked into an institution from the time of an accident and deprived of access to information suggesting that there are alternate modes of care. We see the same thing with decisions about medical care, where people aren't provided with information and options, but simply told what to do.
'Forced' is a slippery word and it is not uncommon for people who want to deny that forced institutionalisation happens to find ways to weasel out of confronting it. After all, if you don't say the word, it's not happening, right? This persistent denial is one of the things that makes it so difficult for us to confront the real-world consequences of ableism. If we can't get people to talk about the fact that forced institutionalisation happens, we can't get people to talk about why it happens and we can't get people to fight it.
Forced institutionalisation is not the only denial of rights and autonomy to people with disabilities that people think of as a thing of the past and believe doesn't need to be addressed, countered, or fought any more. As a result, when we attempt to have conversations about these very real, very structural, and very present issues, we meet rhetoric like 'oh, well, that doesn't happen anymore, right? It sure was sad when it did, though.'
Michele Haddad, and thousands of people with disabilities all over the world, can personally testify that forced institutionalisation is not a thing of the past; here in California, for example, disabled activists are currently protesting cuts to In Home Support Services, a program that is vital for people receiving home care. Those funding cuts will result in institutionalisation for people currently receiving IHSS services.


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Their "free" dirt was mostly clay.
A set of suitcase weights on that empty front weight rack and a set of tire chains on the rear wheels would improve that situation immensely.
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Clinton Portis -- Tight Pants Don't Make You Gay ... They Make You Fashionable
Clinton Portis Tight Pants Don't Make You Gay They Make You Fashionable
Skinny jeans don't dictate sexual orientation ... so says ex-NFL running back Clinton Portis who tells TMZ Sports he's already prepping for a wave of homophobic hate over his extremely tight pants.
The former Washington Redskins superstar rocked his new look during an appearance on the NFL Network last week ... and people instantly went to Twitter to deliver the gay jokes, such as:
-- "Clinton Portis dressing like he heading to the local gay bar & sh*t!!"
-- "Clinton Portis pants on nfl am gay as sh*t."
-- "Is Clinton portis Gay cause what he have on is wow Lmbo"
But Clinton tells TMZ Sports it doesn't bother him ... saying, ""People are really judgmental. They'll make comments, but I'm comfortable with myself. I know I like girls. I felt good about the outfit."
Portis -- who notes he bought the entire outfit at Zara for $300 (including the shoes) -- says, "People say 'I can't believe you wore that.' Give them some time and everyone will be wearing it."


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Bayer didn't "invent" aspirin. Mother Nature did, sorta.
Today, most people think of aspirin as a harmless wonder drug – able to stop pain, fever and even prevent heart attack and stroke, without risk.
Not true. History proves it…
Thousands of years ago, humans witnessed injured bears (not the Chicago Bears) gnawing on the bark of white willow trees. Some dude – probably an earlier rendition of The People's Chemist – assumed that it was done to relieve pain.
After a long night of drinking away his frustrations with people who talk more than they think, he decided to test his theory. Hungover, the young chemist made a tea from the bark. It tasted like shit. But, almost instantly, his discomfort melted away.
Despite his gluttonous indulgence, the crushing pressure on his head was released. It was like cheating and winning. White willow bark became the official pain reliever not only for bears, but also for many other party-goers astute enough to follow his lead…
Hippocrates Shuns Food
Greek physician Hippocrates heard about white willow bark…This is same guy that nerdy nutritionists today quote as saying, "let food be your medicine and medicine be your food."
Well, thank God he started taking tips from chemists. Drugs are more fun than food and far more interesting. Eventually, the doctor put the real medicine to use, and it worked – drugs like white willow bark are much more reliable than a fucking apple when you need relief. It's rumored that Hippocrates later said, "Chemists are awesome tutors and fun to party with."
As time past, Big Pharma got excited about the pain killer. This laid the groundwork for the eventual isolation and synthesis of a molecule known as salicylic acid – one of many ingredients found in white willow bark.
To their distress, the industry couldn't market the natural ingredient as their own. (You can't patent Mother Nature, yet.) In order to have a monopoly, they had to alter it a bit. Chemist Carl R. Gerhardt was the first to do so in 1853.
Bayer Steals From Mother Nature
Starting with the parent compound, Gerhardt performed a series of laboratory reactions. This yielded a molecular cousin. The newly devised willow bark-fake was named ASA (acetyl-salicylic acid). It marked one of the earliest and most profitable thefts from Mother Nature. Bayer trademarked it as "Aspirin" in 1889. Some say the name was derived from St. Aspirinius, a Neapolitan bishop who was the patron saint against headaches.
As aspirin popularity grew, the inherent risks surfaced. (So much for being a saint…) The small molecular change made for big dangers.
Why Aspirin is so Damn Risky
Like deflating a tire, aspirin depletes the body of life-saving nutrients. These include folic acid, iron, potassium, sodium and vitamin C. Symptoms associated with such depletion include: anemia, birth defects, heart disease, elevated homocysteine (a risk factor for heart disease), headache, depression, fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, diarrhea, shortness of breath, pale skin and suppression of the immune system.
Internal bleeding is one of the biggest risks. Studies show that aspirin users die sooner compared to those not taking it.
Body Count Increasing Among Aspirin Users
Each year, a grossly underestimated 7600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations occur in the United States from use of aspirin and other NSAIDS like Motrin, Aleve, and Celebrex. But, the FDA states that only about 10% of deaths caused by NSAIDS are reported.
Doctors aren't willing to acknowledge aspirin as the deadly culprit. Death by the drug is usually attributed to the victim being either too damn sick or too damn old. Therefore, the body count is much higher than we are told.
In 1986, Dr. Otis R. Bowen, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, issued a warning reminding parents that children and teen-agers with flu symptoms "should not be given aspirin." Using it for the flu or Chicken Pox, aspirin puts users at risk for Reyes Syndrome, a disorder that causes organs to shut down, and large amounts of bloody, watery liquid to accumulate in the lungs.
In 2009, historian and researcher Dr. Karen Starko showed that mortality rates were increased during the 1918 flu epidemic due to aspirin use! At the time, massive amounts of the drug were purchased by the military and given to soldiers. The "always pharmaceutically compliant" Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggested a dose of 1,000 milligrams every three hours. That's the equivalent of almost 25 standard 325-milligram aspirin tablets in 24 hours – twice the daily dosage generally considered safe today! Minus the overdose, it's predicted that death rates wouldn't have been so tragically high.
Identifying Aspirin Actions Gets Nobel Prize
It was pharmacologist John Vane who discovered the good and bad actions of aspirin. On one hand, he found that it blocks the production of an enzyme known as COX (cycloxygenase). Downstream, this prevents inflammation, swelling, pain and fever. But, he elucidated a risky trade off.
Aspirin also stifles the formation of healing compounds. Crucial for physiological support, they protect the stomach from damage by hydrochloric acid, maintain kidney function and stop internal bleeding. Vane won the Nobel Prize for his work.
Bayer wasn't concerned about the findings…Or they ignored Nobel Prize winning science.
Expanding their market reach, they pushed "baby" aspirin to protect against heart attack and stroke. But, the "little bit" is still harmful. Writing for The New York Times, Dr. Neena S. Abraham said, "If your physician has suggested you take aspirin to reduce your risk of heart disease, it is important to remember that even small doses of daily aspirin — including "baby aspirin," at a dose of 81 milligrams daily — can increase your risk of ulcers and bleeding."
…buffered or enteric-coated aspirin won't protect you.
Judith P. Kelly of the Slone Epidemiology Unit at the Boston University School of Medicine warned that "all forms of aspirin carry risk." Protective covering or not, it still paralyzes the production of physiologically-important compounds in our body.
Safe Alternatives
White willow bark doesn't contain ASA or "aspirin." Therefore, it won't accidentally kill you.
By: Shane Ellison, MS


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St. Patrick's Day memories tend to be a little fuzzy.
When it comes to the Irish food most of us are exposed to, it wouldn't be totally out of line to say that it might be better not to quite have your wits about you.
But there are some different ways to approach the holiday: Making sure the food is of the highest quality and doing something a little different with the old standbys.
'For me, personally, I prefer the twist,' says Kevin Kidd, executive chef at Alfalfa's Market in Boulder, Colo.
A dish the store will be serving for the holiday is Irish-American corned beef hash – traditional – with Southwestern seasoning and accompaniments – the twist.
It's a breakfast of the hash served with jalapenos and avocados with a fried egg on top. The corn beef itself is a cut above. It's corned, a.k.a cured, in house by soaking grassfed brisket in brine and spices for 10 days. Celery salt takes the place of the sodium nitrite common in most commercial corned beef. Spices in the cure are dried chile, mustard seed and coriander, among others.
Kidd says the Southwestern idea has its origins from his experience working at Chatauqua Dining Hall several years ago. Patrons would request the addition of chilies and other Latin accompaniments with the hash.
'People would modify it that way all the time,' he says. 'So, we started doing it on our own.'
The store also will offer a more traditional sliced iteration of the corned beef, but with a sweet and sour red cabbage salad to go with.
In addition, Alfalfa's will be offering housemade Irish soda bread, which needs only some luscious Irish butter or homemade jam.
If corned beef is not your style, try curing salmon – a protein more traditional on the Emerald Isle than beef is. The curing, akin to the way gravlax is made, typically uses salt, sugar and spices such as mustard or coriander, along with Irish whiskey or Guinness. Unlike the beef, it only takes 24 to 72 hours, plenty of time to have some marvelous salmon ready for slicing before the holiday. For safety's sake, it's best to use sushi grade salmon or salmon that has been commercially frozen. That's because salmon sometimes contains parasites, which are killed by freezing.
Slice the salmon thinly. Garnish with fresh dill and serve on soda bread with clotted cream or creme fraiche. For breakfast, serve it with Irish Breakfast tea. For later in the day, choose the same alcohol as that used in the curing medium. No green beer permitted.
With cured salmon or a well-made hash, the food will be enough to leave a clear memory, even if you overindulge on the beverage side.
ALFALFA'S MARKET CORNED BEEFFor the brine:
1 gallon water2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup beet juice for color
3 garlic cloves minced5 pounds grassfed beef brisket
2 tablespoons pickling spiceFor traditional corned beef and cabbage:
2 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 potatoes, cut into quarters1 onion, quartered
3 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
1/2 head green cabbage, quartered
Combine all seasonings in pot and simmer. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until completely chilled. Put brisket in brine for 7-10 days. Brine in plastic container. After brine is finished, remove meat and rinse thoroughly under cool water.
In a large pot, Add rinsed brisket and carrots, onions, potatoes and celery. Add enough water to just cover the brisket. Cook on stove top, simmering for 2 to 21/2 hours. Add the cabbage and cook for another 11/2 to 2 hours until tender. Replenish water if level gets too low. Remove brisket from cooking liquid and let cool. Serve brisket sliced with the leftover vegetables and horseradish.
(Recipe courtesy Kevin Kidd, Alfalfa's Market)
Serves 4.For the hash:1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound russet potato, diced and par cooked
2 teaspoons blackening spice1 1/2 pounds corned feef, cooked and diced
2 poblano peppers, diced1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced2 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced1 (12-ounce) can roasted green chiles
1 red onion, diced1 yellow onion, diced
To finish the dish:8 sprigs cilantro
2 avocados, sliced8 eggsSalt and pepper to taste
2 limes, cut into wedges2 tablespoons sour cream
Fried jalapenos, optionalIn a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes, browning on all sides. Season with salt and pepper and blackening spice.
Add onions and peppers and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add corned beef and brown. Add canned green chiles until heated through. Adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside.
In separate pan, cook eggs to desired doneness (I recommend over-easy). Season with salt and pepper.
Plate hash, with 2 eggs on top and garnish with sliced avocado, fried jalapenos, if desired, lime and sour cream.
(Recipe courtesy Kevin Kidd, Alfalfa's Market, Boulder, Colo.)
IRISH WHISKEY CURED SALMON 2 pounds salmon fillet or steel head (cut in 2 equal size pieces)
1/2 cup kosher salt1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted and cracked coriander seed
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
lemon1/4 cup Irish whiskey1/2 cup chopped fennel fronds (may substitute dill)
Lay the two sides of salmon out, skin side down. Combine salt and sugar and sprinkle generously over salmon. Sprinkle with coriander and black pepper. Drizzle Irish Whiskey over salmon. Using a micro grater, grate lemon peel over both sides of salmon and sprinkle with chopped fennel.
Lay one side of salmon over the other to form a sandwich pressing lightly, skin side out. Wrap firmly in plastic wrap and place a weight on top (1 pound can will work) and refrigerate 2 days.
Unwrap separate sides and rinse under cold running water. Pat salmon dry.
Thinly slice salmon and place atop brown bread.
Drizzle a little clotted cream on each canape.
(Recipe courtesy Chef Peter X. Kelly, CBS New York viacbslocal.com)


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Well, I've hurt Shahrukh by not doing a full real Shahrukh Month celebration, and now he is posting posters right after I get off twitter and go to work. I'm sorry Shahrukh!!!! I still love you! Anyway, I will try to make up for it by giving this poster it's very own post.
First poster:
Second Poster:
Well, I am feeling a little better. Especially with the first poster. Anushka looks nicely de-glammed and seems to have some kind of physical abnormality which would make an interesting pairing with Shahrukh's dwarfism. Most importantly, Shahrukh's costume is age appropriate and so is his face. If he turns out to be a nice college professor who happens to be a dwarf, I will be very happy.
Second poster, hmm. A little worrisome. Great image, but I don't like the youthful worshipful look on Shahrukh's face, makes me worried he is playing young again. Plus sneakers. But I do like that the first one clearly has Anushka and Shahrukh as good friends and equals, while the second is selling the fantasy woman. It's so obvious that it seems like the filmmakers must see this too, right? The difference between the two relationships and which one should be the end-game?
Random thought that occurred to me, is it possible the Kat section actually takes place before the Anushka one? Like, back in India Shahrukh was a young fanboy, and then something happened which brought him to America and sent him to university and stuff? This is really reaching, but would it be possible that Anushka is his and Kat's daughter? No, that is too unlikely. Far more likely is that the film takes place partly in America with Shahrukh and Anushka bonding, and partly in India and other places with him chasing the dream of Kat.


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The Tall Jalul Excavation Series reports the seasonal findings of the excavations at Tall Jalul and vicinity, conducted by a consortium of colleges and universities which is principally sponsored by Andrews University. Tall Jalul is located 5 km east of the modern Jordanian town of Madaba. Preliminary research indicates an occupational history that runs from the Early Bronze Age to the Iron II/Persian period.
Titles in the Tall Jalul Publication Series:
The 1992-2011 Seasons at Tall Jalul.


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Yes folks, it's another installment of my never-ending cravings for chocolate and peanut butter. I couldn't help myself. It's been too long. In previous posts I've rambled on about my childhood adoration of Drake's Funny Bones. Waxy chocolate coating aside, it's a binge-inducing pop in your mouth of chocolate cake and creamy peanut butter filling. Though I'm really fond of my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes interpretation, I think I finally nailed it with this layer cake.
Years ago there was a popular chocolate and peanut butter pastry that I used to sell at my shop. I called it a peanut butter mousse bomb: a fist sized ball of creamy peanut butter mousse with a piece of chocolate cake on the bottom and a covering of bittersweet chocolate ganache. From time to time I'd also piece together a layer cake version, using extra chocolate cakes from my rolling racks and the giant bowl of ganache that I always had on hand. It's easy to be spontaneous and creative when you've got lots of excess cake components around all the time, but the stiff price I paid was never really knowing exactly what my food costs were. I'll just assume I made the money back.
To turn that creation into a structured recipe for a single cake, I finally did the math and cut down my big batch chocolate cake recipe to fit a 9-inch pan and also figured out the correct volume of peanut butter filling. What makes this fluffy peanut butter cream so amazing is the cream cheese. Plain sweetened peanut butter often lacks a certain something, and the slight tang of the cheese fills out the flavor perfectly. Combined with the moist chocolate cake and luxurious peanut butter-chocolate ganache, this is an uber rich, super tall cake that will have everyone swooning. Until next time, chocolate-peanut butter fans...
About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com. Follow Yvonne on Twitter.


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Click on thumbnails to view larger images


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It's been less than two weeks since the death of Steve Jobs, and some pundits are already asking what will happen to his company without his iron fist on the helm. A quick web search shows that dozens of publications, from Forbes to the Huffington Post, have published articles titled "Can Apple Survive without Steve Jobs?" or some variation thereof.
I think the company will, indeed, survive. Whether it will continue to be as wildly successful as it's been under Jobs for the last several years, whether it will be able to hold on to its status as an object of cult-like reverence without its charismatic leader, whether it will devolve into "just another tech company," turning out ho-hum products without Jobs to provide the vision and crack the whip — that's anybody's guess.
End of an era
Even most of us who aren't fans of Apple or Jobs mourn what his death represents — the beginning of the end of an era, the first passing among the members of a very special club that includes Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and perhaps others such as Steve Ballmer, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell.
I know I've left people out; this list isn't meant to be comprehensive. You know who I'm talking about: the pioneers of the personal computing age. Many of them were born in the 1950s. Jobs and Gates were both born the same year I was, so the realization that they've begun to shuffle off this mortal coil hits home pretty personally.
At the same time that they're reflecting on those aspects, though, Apple's competitors likely can't help seeing this as a potential opportunity. If the company falters without Jobs, what company will move in to take its place at the top of the technology heap? Does Microsoft want to be the next Apple?
Who wouldn't — if that means a ranking of number one in market capitalization, along with the second-highest brand rating in the world (AAA, second only to Google's AAA+) and includes being a darling of most of the media?
But if that means emulating Apple in other ways, I wish Microsoft wouldn't try.
You can't emulate innovation
Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but don't forget the other old saying: flattery will get you nowhere. It's obvious that Apple has done something very right, to come from the brink of bankruptcy in 1997 (before being bailed out by Microsoft) to the position it occupies in today's business world. Naturally other companies, including Microsoft, want to copy the formula.
The problem is that success is an art, not a science. The same strategy that works beautifully for one person or one company can result in dismal failure for another. Just ask any chess player who has lost a game playing the same gambit used by a grandmaster to sail to victory.
Frankly, I don't think Microsoft can get away with the attitude or actions that Apple has. Think about Apple's anti-Vista ad campaign. If Microsoft had come back with the same sort of commercials, denigrating OS X in the same way, few people would have thought it was funny. They would have been accused of negative advertising and mudslinging. Likewise, if Microsoft raided someone's home to look for one of their prototypes that a careless employee lost, the company would be (justifiably) castigated by its customers.
It is characteristic of any group that follows a charismatic leader to discount or not even be able to see his (or his company's) flaws. Steve Jobs was extremely talented in the arts of presentation and persuasion.
I once heard it said of best-selling author Stephen King that he could "regurgitate the contents of the New York City telephone directory onto paper and make it compelling enough to make the New York Times list."
The other Steve had a similar capability when it came to selling Apple's products, services, and ideas. (I'm not saying Apple didn't have some compelling products; I'm just saying that once you really dig in to the feature set and functionalities, some of them aren't quite as "magical and revolutionary" as Jobs made them seem.)
Now that Steve Jobs is gone, even Apple might not be able to get away with what it routinely has in the past. Microsoft, lacking a cult figure to begin with, doesn't have a chance of pulling it off. So don't even think about getting all arrogant and elitist on us, please.
Don't copy the wrong things
Maybe I wouldn't worry about that happening if I hadn't lately been watching Microsoft copy so many of the little things that Apple has done — and instead of taking the basic ideas and improving on them, doing them the same (infuriating) way Apple did them.
The App Store is a case in point. A "place" where users can easily find and download applications is a great idea. The way Apple implemented it isn't. The lock-down that requires you to buy from them and nowhere else is both a control-freak maneuver and an insult to the intelligence of customers ("you're too stupid to be trusted to install apps that aren't spoon-fed to you by us"). The 30% of profits that developers have to pay to sell their apps through the App Store is akin to a confiscatory tax.
Unfortunately, according to most rumors Microsoft plans to do the same (at least for Metro style apps, and it's highly likely that the plan is to eventually phase out the "classic" kind). This is just one of the "little" ways in which Microsoft has been copying all the wrong things (in my opinion) from Apple lately.
Another way in which Microsoft seems to be (although half-heartedly, thank goodness) trying to emulate Apple is in the latter's well-known penchant for secrecy surrounding its upcoming products, events, and plans. We've seen that with the refusal to provide a road map for the TMG and UAG products, leading customers and consultants who support those products to worry and wonder what their futures might be.
We've seen it with the lack of agenda details or speaker information for the BUILD conference last month, leaving some developers mystified as to whether it would be worth the $1,599 entry fee. In the latter case, this didn't seem to hurt sales; the conference sold out.
However, I don't think the new trend toward secrecy is doing the company's reputation any good. As Mary Jo Foley pointed out in a recent blog post, there now appears to be a policy of not commenting or clarifying information (or misinformation) that's being disseminated about Windows 8 — and that's causing a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt).
The aura of secrecy is another of those things that Apple was able to get away with because Jobs was a master magician who could build suspense. For most entities, though, it just makes people mad.
Learn from the good, let go of the bad
Is Microsoft's customer base and relationship with the media so different from Apple's that none of the latter's strategies and tactics can be adapted effectively? I wouldn't say that. I think there are definitely lessons that Microsoft could learn from Steve Jobs and Apple. In fact, I think some of the most important things are covered in Guy Kawasaki's article, "What I Learned from Steve Jobs," that was published on CNET a few days after Jobs' death.
In particular, I find item numbers 1 and 2 interesting ("Experts are clueless" and "Customers cannot tell you what they need."). I think Microsoft spends a lot of time listening to the "experts" (Gartner, Forrester, et al.).
It's certainly tempting to put a lot of stock into what the research companies say when they're telling you what you want to hear, such as Gartner's prediction in April of this year that Windows Phone will outsell the iPhone by 2015). But it's important to remember that such predictions fluctuate wildly.
In October 2010, it was reported that Gartner was saying Microsoft's share of the mobile market would decline to 3.9% by 2014. Sure, Gartner said the change was based on Microsoft's partnership with Nokia, but that just underlines the fact that there will always be "new developments" that can render an expert's opinion, at any given point in time, completely wrong.
And while Gartner claims that their "hit rate with predictions remains very high," I've not been able to find any hard statistics showing what that percentage is. (Note that I'm using Gartner only as an example here; the same is true of other similar firms. No one can predict the future accurately; just ask anybody who's ever lost a bundle in the stock market or at the horse races.)
I've often given Microsoft kudos for listening to their customers, but Kawasaki's second point just might be the differentiating factor that explains why Apple has surged ahead of Microsoft, both in market cap and in public opinion. I think it's true that today's consumers don't know what they need (or want) until you show it to them. What they think they want is based on mostly minor changes to what they already have. Apple made a big splash by giving them something (the iPhone) that they had never even considered.
Taking a chance
In the past, Microsoft has mostly played it safe. Windows Mobile was a tiny version of the Windows desktop. Windows 7, while dramatically more functional and prettier, is still very similar in basic concept and usage to Windows 95.
Microsoft — especially Microsoft Research — does come up with innovative, outside-the-box ideas. The Courier tablet was one, and when the company killed it (or appeared to), that seemed to confirm the growing public opinion that the company had gotten old and stodgy and was becoming not the next Apple, but the next IBM.
With the design of Windows Phone 7 and now Windows 8, though, we're seeing a change in that "safety first" philosophy. We're seeing something that's really different. So far, Microsoft has gotten both praise and damnation for that. The question is whether the public at large will embrace that change or reject it.
The same kids who swoon over the latest tight, low-rider, hip-hugger jeans and midriff-baring tank top when it's worn by a pop star will absolutely hate it when it's worn by their own moms. Has Windows become so much a part of the family that customers won't be able to accept it in a radical new outfit? I think they can make it work — if they do it right. And to me, that means carving out their own new road. If they just try to follow in Apple's tracks, they may find themselves stuck in those ruts.
Also read:
- DirectAccess with Microsoft UAG: A Smart Way to Start Using IPv6
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It was coming, and now it has come. After months of rumors, meetings with Sir Alex, and David Gill hints, Paul Scholes has finally called time on an illustrious career at the top.
As shy as he was brilliant, Paul Scholes lit up the English game for seventeen glorious years. Part of the "class of '92," (which also included Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville) Scholes broke into the first team in 1994, scoring twice against Port Vale in the League Cup.
Known for his blaster of a shot, terrific vision and unassuming personality, Paul Scholes has come to define Manchester United for the last fifteen years. Noticeable on the pitch due to his ginger hair, Paul Scholes has been a master of the long ball, a consistent player with a rocket of a shot, though not the world's greatest tackler…
Ask any United fan to list their favorite Paul Scholes moments, and you'd likely be conversing for hours. The blasters against Bradford, Aston Villa and Barcelona were brilliant, the late header against City even better. For years, Paul Scholes has been the only English player of his kind, the only one able to spot an eighty yard pass, the only one always a threat around the edge of the penalty box.
Scholes is one of the only players who has managed to carve out a career on the finest footballing stage, yet managed to avoid the temptations and pitfalls that come with the celebrity lifestyle. While teammates like Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs spent nights frolicking with prostitutes and TV models, Scholes stayed home with the kids, ever the role model, ever the man to look up to.
Perhaps the reason for England's lack of success over the years has been a dearth of players of the caliber of Paul Scholes. Lampard and Gerrard have both had their moments, but total inflexibility has inhibited their progress, while maestros like Hoddle, and in particular Le Tissier, have lacked the mettle and the desire to make it at the top.
As indicated in the title, there is only one Paul Scholes, and as long as that statement remains true, English international football will remain very much second best .


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Italian Stallion
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Keeper of the Sacred Block Coefficient
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Old-School Heel
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QuotedOriginally posted by Swamphen
Yugoslavia - 2 factories
The Chosen One
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Forum Software: Burning Board® Lite 2.1.2 pl 1, developed by WoltLab® GmbH


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What is a product video? In the last five years, product videos have become increasingly popular. But what are they exactly? These are videos which promote a given product, but are much shorter than infomercials, while still showing off its benefits. Retailers like L.L. Bean®, for example, who are traditionally mail order companies, are the main beneficiaries. Here is a link to their hunting boots video, which is effective, not only because it is everything a product video should be, but also because it summarizes the values that continue to shape L.L. Bean® as a company.
Other younger retailers, such as Vat19.com, do not have the tradition that L.L.Bean® enjoys, and yet have been able to appeal to the public through their product video by using a more relaxed and still creative "what you see is what you get" kind of approach and maximizing the goods at hand. There is a product video for almost every product sold by the retailer.
Vat19.com's videos The World's Largest Gummy Bear and The World's Largest Gummy Worm are examples of this method, which reflects every gummy lover's dream.
Other videos by Vat19.com clearly appeal to the younger generation, more specifically, a generation that attended college during the time of SNL skits such as Mike Myer's Sprockets, as is the case of Das Beer Boot Music Video.


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Vintage Printage Giveaway Winner!
First, I want to say a HUGE thank you to Vintage Printage for the awesome giveaway! These cell phone cases are so cute and great quality!Without further ado,the winner of the custom Vintage Printage cell phone case is…
Stephanie and Hans Petrich who said….
Congrats! You are going to LOVE your cell phone case!Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be chosen!If you didn't win, but still want a case…I am pretty sure today is the last day at Vintage Printage to use code CITGIVES for 10% off!Thanks again to all who entered and to Vintage Printage!Enjoy your case!


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Different Business Models
Over the last few weeks I've received a couple of angry emails.
Here's a sample:
"I have to PAY to play the next episode?
No Thanks. No Thanks.
I'm not going to tell you guys you suck now or anything, I understand, you need money to do what you gotta do… But I think you went about it the wrong way, and you aren't getting my money.
It's not even entirely because I'm not convinced episode 2 isn't worth money. It's because I feel like I've been hijacked.
Kingdom of Loathing is the only other online web based rpg I play, and they've probably got 50 bucks out of me over the course of my playing, why? because they didn't create necessary plot content and then force me to pay for it. They just have cool things that are optional to pay for. I'm down with that."
Kingdom of Loathing
I get asked about Kingdom of Loathing (KoL) with some regularity: Have I ever played it? What do I think of it?
The truth is I have played it, but only for a short period of time. I thought it was really cool, and I was impressed with the depth it has. It's amazing how much there is to do in there.
Forumwarz has a lot in common with KoL. They're both browser-based role playing games. They both are parodies of the genre. While it can be said that they are our "competition," I never think of them like that.
When Jick and Mr. Skullhead created KoL, they paved the way for games like Forumwarz and we're grateful to them. And while KoL wasn't in my mind during the design stages of Forumwarz (the games I was influenced by were Jones in the Fast Lane, Superhero League of Hoboken and World of Warcraft. Jalapeno was influenced by Shadowrun and the Monkey Island series), we certainly took KoL into consideration when trying to figure out a sustainable business model.
I think that having another parody browser-based RPG does something to legitimize the market. There's no reason why players can't play both. Or one might appeal to a certain kind of players while the other appeals to another. Additionally, we can look to each other for inspiration or ideas. I've corresponded with Jick a few times — he's a really nice guy. He plays Forumwarz and even bought Episode 2!
I'm not out to steal players from KoL or "best" the game on any level. I'm out to create the best game I possibly can, and I'm sure they are too.
Business Philosophies
Every time I have received an email like the one at the top of this post, it has been from a KoL player. They are the ones who object the most to us charging for content.
I think I understand why. In the KoL world, things are not done that way. Longtime players of that game have accepted this as a basic truth, and it almost seems to offend them that anyone would even consider doing something different. This is what we have to deal with when entering the market years later.
If anyone feels "hijacked", I'm terribly sorry, but it has always been our plan to charge for Episode 2. We've been talking about it publicly since February. There have been countless threads on Flamebate and blog postings about it. I really think the people who have taken the most offense are those who just assumed we'd do things exactly like KoL.
The Forumwarz business model is different. Note that I'm not saying "better" here, just different. We are more like the shareware model of games, where you play the first episode free, then pay if you enjoyed it and want to continue playing. Really what we're doing is nothing new, it's just being applied to a new medium.
Is our method a mistake, like the person's email says? So far, I'm delighted to say things are going great. It is far too early to make long-term predictions since the new episode hasn't even been out a week, but the future looks bright at this point.
We are experimenting here. If it continues to succeed we will keep it up. If it fails, we will look into other methods of sustainability. I don't want to put words into the KoL's team mouth, because maybe they've decided to never, ever charge for content, but I'm sure they're at least observing how this is going to pan out for us. This is the way businesses function: they try new things, see how the market reacts to it, then adjust based on their reactions.
Ultimately, I've always said that it's your money to spend as you choose. We are delivering a product that I think is worth $9.99. If you don't think it's worth it, that's cool. Plenty of other people do. Also, there are other games you can choose to play instead that have different business models. No matter what happens, as a consumer you're going to have some awesome games around to play.
26 Responses
Don't let these children get you down Evil Trout.
It's not just a problem of having to pay, it's a problem of HOW to pay. You only accept PayPal – why not also take money orders like KoL? I don't have a credit card nor do I have a PayPal account. So I have no way of paying for Episode 2. I will pay for it, but it has to be through some other means.
@Techokami Money orders eh? I didn't even think of accepting those. I'll look into it.
One of the reasons many KoL players complain about the price is because most of them are still young, hence why you get IP banned if you post several images of pancakes on the KoL forums. (It doesn't make sense, but it happened to me.)
forumwarz is just like any other shareware game. Shareware is a fine business model.
You get the first episode/chapter free, then pay for the rest.
It's annoying, granted. But it works.
PS i'm pretty sure the only people complaining are spoiled kids. let's make "hurr durr i don't want to pay for internet game when i can pirate everything else for free" posts bannable.
Dude, much respect, but I dig the free flow of idea on the forums. Yeah, even the terrible ones.
I hope it has gone really well for y'all, I have spent as much for far less fun and content many times. Your game is way better than anything on XBLA for a comparable price. In fact, it tops many things that cost far more.
@cheapskates, How long does it take to earn $10? I'm pretty sure I could get it in a week when I was 8. I know the paypal thing can be tricky for people whose parents object to the game, but visa giftcards are a slightly pricier workaround.
I understand that we are accustomed to fun being free lately, but I believe in rewarding content creators. This is particularly true when we can reward those creators directly, without paying for the overhead of publishers and their legal teams. A business model in which creators self-publish GREAT content deserve our dollars and, more importantly, our respect.
Meh, if the KoL folks want to throw money at something optional, you could always write up a BP store that sells complete moar files, or equipment your class can use but not buy, or equipment that unbalances the competitive aspects of the game at the price of putting people in a cheater/donator bracket (though this latter would probably see lots of resistance from all fronts).
Regarding pay-to-play story, well, nothing against KoL but I think the FW story arc is a bit more interactive and interesting (you know, having actual choices in lieu of purely "ok first I click here, then I click here, then I go there" in order to complete the story…)
There's good reason to try out this particular model and there is still plenty with which the CZ crew can experiment to monetize things and still make whiny bitches happy.
That's cool if Forumwarz wants to follow a shareware model. But that means that I didn't just buy Episode 2, but I bought the rest of the game, right? Because like Tubsweetie stated, the Shareware model is to put out an introductory piece of the software for free, then let the player pay for the rest of the game if he/she likes it. I've not finished it yet, but I'm assuming Episode 2 is not the rest of the game.
@Papa Zito: If Ep3 is as big as Ep2, then it'd be akin to buying the whole game when you get Ep2, and buying an expansion pack when you get Ep3.
Wow, I not only should be on the design team, I should be on the marketing team.
ET: Honorary CZ membership now?
I have a hard time buying that argument, Dope. There is a precedent for buying expansion packs in a Shareware model, but expansion packs are typically small add-ons that go for a fraction of the main software's price. If Ep3 is as big as Ep2, then it wouldn't be an expansion pack.
What I'm getting at is that the Shareware concept basically fails online because the product is far more fluid than in traditional software. I can download a shareware copy of Winzip and get certain core functionality, then buy the rest of the functionality if I choose to. If a major change (e.g. Episode 3) were to happen, they'd just release a new version of the software.
I guess what I'd personally like to see is the business model be put on the site and displayed to users when they sign up and in the FAQ so that there aren't any misconceptions. Saying the game is free isn't really true since you have to pay to continue to play. Saying it's Shareware isn't really true either because it doesn't follow that model. Saying "we give you the first episode free, but every episode afterward must be purchased" would be much more clear.
Disclaimer: I'm an old-school KoL player, and I've donated there. But I have also paid for episode 2, and I would pay for episode 3. I have absolutely nothing against the business model that CZ has adopted, I just don't understand why it's not spelled out.
My guess: because it's an experiment to the tune of "how do we best monetize this game while pissing off the smallest number of people?"
I have paid alot on kol for additional content. It is not mandatory but I'd feel that I'd be missing out without it. I look at it just like this. I didn't need to buy episode 2 for any reason, and could have enjoyed a bunch of new content for free if I hadn't.. but I did pay for some additional content and I'm happy with what I got.
You know what? If this kind of FUCK YOU I WON'T PAY drama continues, you could set up a special method of getting free Brownie Points: Method F (for Free). Method F involves setting up an appointment with the ForumWarz staff. On the appointed date, the person who wants free Brownie Points signs a wavier and has unpleasant and embarrassing things done to him (and is instructed to do variously stupid and dangerous things) by the fine people of Crotch Zombie for an extended period of time. The signed agreement allows this all to be filmed and put online. At the end, the poor schmo gets what he deserves – a single brownie point. And also a special E-Peen. If he returns for more, his treatment will be worse than last time, and if he manages to get Episode 2 entirely using Brownie Points earned in this way, he'll get a really special E-Peen.
One thing I'd like to point out is, compared to early KoL, Forumwarz has added a hell of a lot more content. Not just new forums, but things like incit, and some of the special episode two stuff. Also, donating the tenbux to forumwarz for episode 2 gets you waaaaay more than buying a Mr. A.
Also, if you're going to compare Forumwarz to shareware, it's more like getting part one for free, and buying the sequels, I guess.
Oh, sorry for double posting, but you should also be aware that the vast majority of people posting in the whine thread on KoL don't play or donate to that game, either.
I'd love to pay for EP2, but there should be more payment options. I use alertpay, and forumwarz doesn't offer it as a form of payment…
Isn't KOL the same game where there's a new item every month you can buy for $10? A one-time fee for episode 2 is way cheaper than that, not that you really need to pay in either case. Both games have ways that you can get the paid content for free. Both games need and get revenue from players, so I just don't see that there's a big difference.
I was happy to donate during Episode 1 to reward some guys that made a neat game. Donations happened to give BP, but that wasn't the focus of my donation.
I wasn't stoked about paying for Episode 2. I'd already supported CZ by sending money when it wasn't required. I can understand the business model, but the difference between accepting/rewarding donations and asking for payment is large in my mind. While I haven't played KoL in years and didn't send them money, they ride the line between paying for content and rewarding donations, and it seems to work well for them.
Overall, I was satisfied with what I got for donating, but would have been greatly unsatisfied with Ep. 2 if I'd paid for it (thanks for free BP, flamebaters!). While I understand the episode being short, it didn't live up to my expectations from what Crotch Zombie had said at the end of Episode 1. There is no multiclassing, and no real choice in the plot. You don't get to pick sides at all. Alignment still serves no function as far as I can see.
But that's mostly design choices, and while I'm not pleased with them I can understand them. Far more serious is that ET chose to take a buggy game with terrible balance out of beta. I honestly can't comprehend this decision. When Episode 2 came out, Internet Explorer users were locked out of the game and unable to advance…even some who hadn't purchased Episode 2 yet. How was this not found in beta?
At least that problem was worked around pretty quickly, unlike another game-breaking bug. Another player told me about how he hadn't ever talked to DirtyCop in Episode 1, and his game was completely stuck at the start of Episode 2. This issue was fixed for new players to the game, but not old members. I was also told that this issue WAS found in beta, but Evil Trout chose to release the game without properly fixing it.
As for balance, every class with the probable exception of permanoob plays nearly identically at higher levels now. During Episode 2, there is little strategy to beating forums. What you do in combat matters far, far less than what level you are in comparison to the forum you're attacking.
So yeah, I'm disappointed with Episode 2. I feel like it wasn't up to Episode 1's standards and it lowered my opinion of the game and of Crotch Zombie as a company due to what looks like a horribly rushed release. I don't expect much out of Episode 3 and I probably won't be sending any donations OR payment in the future.
One major difference between KoL and FW is the fact that KoL has a player economy and FW does not. So there are plenty of non-monetary ways for people to get Mr. Accessories beyond "community participation" essentially. In FW where there is no player economy allowing one to purchase BP non-monetarily. Were there to be a player economy that allowed people to purchase BP from other players in exchange for example .moar files for I imagine the people who don't want to pay for Ep2 would be happier. Also, I loved Ep2 and pretty much all of the changes that came with it.
@S, I admit you have a lot of valid criticisms.
I feel bad about not delivering on the hybrid classes. To be honest, it just slipped through the cracks — I totally forgot it was mentioned at the end of E1 and by the time I was reminded we were three weeks from launch and it was far too late. I promise we will deliver it when we can though, and it will almost certainly be free content.
As for the alignment stuff, that didn't quite work out as planned. Literally the first mission we wrote was the one in E2 that involved alignment, and it looked like we were going to do it more often, but we dropped the ball there, I admit it.
Regarding the IE problems, would you believe there were 50 people involved in the Beta, and not a single one reported them? I work on a Mac and it's incredibly hard to test using Internet Explorer, but it looks like just out of random chance none of our beta users used anything other than Firefox. This is reflected in our site stats: over 70% of our users use Firefox. Having said that, once the problems were isolated they were fixed very quickly. They lasted maybe two days?
Secondly, the Drrtycop is even more of a rare issue: it is VERY difficult to beat Episode 1 without encountering her unless you really know what you are doing. I didn't even know it was possible until months after we launched. It did come up in Beta, and we came up with a fix for existing users. That seemed like enough. After all, how else would we restructure Episode 2 to work without her? She's pretty key to that opening sequence! Exactly one user has reported that being an issue, and they were promptly fixed.
No matter how much QA you do, things will always slip through. We can't catch everything: it's much more important that we fix things quickly. You might think we rushed things, but trust me that the last week in the Beta, there were almost no issues reported.
Regarding the "horrible" balance you mentioned: do you have any specifics? If things are out of whack we really need you players to let us know so we can fix them properly. Please report things, giving as much detail as possible.
We're doing our best here: we're committed to making the game better constantly.
P.S. Why the anonymity?
Hey, just coming in to say I think you guys did a great job with episode 2. Haven't beaten it yet because I've spent a lot of time dicking around farming forum for .moars, but what I've seen I really like.
As for the :tenbux:, I cannot recall buying anything in an online game (barring a couple MMO subscriptions from way back (Pre-WoW)), but I rushed at the opportunity to buy ep. 2 preorder, and I think it was a great deal, although I probably wouldn't pay 20$ for it. Yeah, having to go through paypal is shitty, so you guys should seriously try to get another way because a lot of people hate paypal.
As far as game balance issues ET the most obvious one is that flezz is going to be hyper-inflated with the amount coming into the game right now. If you are planning on allowing people to buy and sell .moar files you are going to have to make flezz more rare, and or initiate some more flezz sinks. Otherwise there are going to be a lot of .moar pieces going for as much or more than the most expensive pieces of equipment if people sell them at all. Its also rendered the "Lottery Winner" cheat kind of pointless since you can easily make more than that in one day's deliveries.
There are only a few problems I've had with Episode 2. Overall I've greatly enjoyed Episode 2.
One problem I've noticed is dealing with multiples of the same moar file. When selling in the ppwn shoppe, all of the character's inventory is listed in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, this results in scattered items and having to scroll past healing items and unequipped equipment. It would be nice if items were first grouped by type and then ordered alphabetically. An item's stats should also be visible when the mouse is hovered over the item's image.
Personally, I would like to see the plum computers play a larger role. Idea: Eliminate forum visit roll over and instead have the player's equipped computer determine the number of visits. For example, the obsolete computer would generate one forum visit every six hours–and can save a total of four; the iPrune would generate one forum visit every three hours; etc. This allows the introduction of an array of electronic devices that would have unique characteristics when equipped. For example, a pPDA (Plum Portable Deskmop Accessory) could generate two visits an hour but could only hold a maximum of four visits. After four visits have been generated, the visits must be used. The pPDA's battery will have been exhausted and would need to be recharged. It would then remain unusable for the rest of the day. To avoid abuse, unequipping one computer item results in the object being powered down and all generated/saved visits on that item are lost.
Also lol @ KoL fantards
srsly, Forumwarz is nothing like KoL. It's an entirely different game. I'm sure episode two would have been free if they had gone with the ugly art style that KoL has. However, they went with a professional artist. This artist isn't just scribbling stick figures on the back of a napkin during a lunch break from their job as cashier at Burger King. Which means FW doesn't look like shit. Looking good comes at a price, that price is $10.
I have a question, ET.
How well did the economy of the game work before you introduced Episode 2? Were you selling enough Brownie Points to cover your costs and earn enough of a profit for it to be worth your while creating the game?
There are plenty of people who pay $10 a month (or much more) to KoL without much of a benefit. In KoL, it's often referred to as "donating" as the idea is that people are doing it to support the game rather than to "buy" more content – the items you get for your money aren't particularly powerful and can't be used in "Hardcore" (the most competitive form of play).
Plenty of these players wouldn't donate so much if they HAD to donate or if there was content that was locked away from non-donators. This is why the economy of KoL works so well the way it has been set up.
If the economy of Forum Warz could never break even like this and could never work this way, then I see why you have to charge for Episode Two.
If it could work that way, I would urge you to consider making the content free and allowing donation to the game to be optional. You might find that people are more inclined to put their hands in their pockets when you put less pressure on them to do so…
I play both Forumwarz and KoL and enjoy both. It is important to consider that Forumwarz is much more image-heavy than KoL is, and as such requires more money for using them legally and for bandwidth costs. (Jick draws all of KoL's images, so that's less that Asymmetric would have to pay in royalty fees.)
I have yet to buy Episode 2, but I perfectly understand the reason for charging and plan to pony up the $10 for it soon.