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Microsoft pulled back much of the scaffolding and secrecy surrounding Windows 8 today at Mobile World Congress. I've been using the Windows 8 beta (download), officially known as the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, for the past week, and it's by far the most integrated and capable operating system Microsoft has ever put out. The question is, will enough people care?
There's a phenomenal amount of change here to discuss, but if you're looking for a quick summary: Windows 8 is a breeze to use. It's tricked out with social networking and synchronization, it's robust enough to handle Photoshop, it gracefully moves from touch to keyboard and mouse, and it's got some top-notch security.
Despite what Microsoft is calling strong interest from hardware manufacturers and developers, however, its impact is still uncertain at best.
Tour the first Windows 8 beta (screenshots)See all photos
Windows 8's predecessor could be summarized in six words: Windows 7 is Vista done right. Windows 8 is a much harder sell for reasons intrinsic to Microsoft itself, its hardware partners, and the whims of consumers.
First, when Windows 8 launches it will be the most ambitious operating system ever, with a workflow that's easy once you learn it, but not necessarily obvious at first blush. Second, more of your Windows 8 experience will be dependent on your hardware than ever before, because it will work on both actual PCs--i.e., desktops and laptops--and tablets.
Last, and this is the one that won't be resolved until Windows 8 starts shipping to consumers in the second half of this year, there's no strong evidence that Windows 8 is what consumers want next. Do people want tablets that aren't made by Apple? Is the tablet more like a larger smartphone, or a thinner laptop? Is there interest in one operating system that offers both casual touch and robust power modes?
Logging on
Windows 8 offers some great log-on options. You can choose to create a local account, but the OS becomes infinitely more useful when you use a Microsoft account. You'll be able to synchronize to it your Windows 8 settings, including Internet Explorer history. This means that when you log in to any other Windows 8 machine with that account, your data will sync, including background settings, address book, other accounts like Facebook and Twitter, e-mail, and instant messaging.
App syncing is planned for the Windows Store, too, while the SkyDrive integration can be used for syncing files.
Beyond sync, once you've logged on for the first time you can change your log-in scheme to a PIN or a picture log-in. The picture log-in is quite cool, and lets you set a photo as your log-in background. You can then customize a quick series of drawings on the picture, made up of a line, a circle, and a dot, to log you in.
I was able to choose my photo log-in from my Facebook photos, which I had synced using the native Photos app that comes with Windows 8. The process was easy, and the photo picker tool in Settings connected through the Photos app to provide access to my Facebook account.
In drawing my log-in on the photo, there were times when it worked on the first attempt, and other times that required multiple attempts. This appears to be more related to the hardware than anything else.
A killer feature that's missing is facial recognition log-ins. The better of these apps have been proven resistant to printed photo hacking, and it would extremely useful to have a Webcam recognize your face and log you in without having to physically touch the computer. At least nobody else has this integrated into the operating system yet, but since third parties like KeyLemon and FastAccess have been working on their versions for a while, expect it to arrive in with the big players sooner rather than later.
Navigating Windows 8: Touch
You can navigate around Windows 8 in two ways, and they work well enough that you can use them simultaneously--assuming you're into that kind of torture.
As we've all seen, Windows 8 is highly grope-able. It wants you to touch it, and frankly touch is the easiest way to get around. Unfortunately, at this point the Windows 8 beta doesn't come with a quick tutorial, and although the workflow is easy, it's not necessarily obvious.
Windows 8 is all about the edges of the screen. You swipe in from the right edge to reveal the Windows 8 charms. These include the instantly recognizable Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings. The Start button returns you to the Start screen, which is what you see after you log in and where Microsoft expects most of your activity to take place. Once you've launched at least one app, you can swipe in from the left edge to return to the last-open app.
You can also perform a U-turn from the left edge. Swipe in a little bit, then swipe back to the edge, and instead of pulling forward the last app you used, you'll get a sidebar of thumbnails of your last six apps. At the bottom-left corner of the thumbnail bar is a thumbnail of the Start screen, providing another way to return "home." So yes, the familiar Start "button" is hidden, but no, it's not hard to get to. It takes about the same effort to get to the Start screen from either edge.
One of Windows 7's better interface features was a split-screen view that you could initiate just by dragging one program's Title Bar to the left or right side of the screen. This has been updated for Windows 8. When you drag an app from the left edge, if you drag it slowly and hold it near either the left or right edge, a vertical separation bar will appear. Once the bar shows up, release the app and it will "snap" to the edge. The screen will be split, with one-third for the app you just dragged over, and two-thirds for the previous app.
Tiles, Microsoft's term for its app icons, are arranged in groups. A long press on a tile will select it, and you can change its position or group from there. You can also pinch to zoom out and get a global view of your groups, or create custom groups by dragging a tile to the right edge and releasing it.
Where the left and right edges are global, the top and bottom edges are for the apps themselves. In Internet Explorer, for example, this means that your location bar is at the bottom, and your tabs are up top. On the Start screen, you can get a list view of all your apps. In Mail, you can set up accounts--including non-Microsoft ones like Gmail, create folders, sync and more.
This worked well in almost all cases. The only one that caused me problems was the Calendar, where about half the time swiping from the left moved me back a day instead of pulling me into my previous app. Again, this could easily be a factor of the demo device Microsoft lent me, a Samsung tablet currently available in stores with Windows 7.
The Desktop tile will jump you directly into a Windows 7-style desktop, complete with Recycle Bin, traditional Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, and taskbar. A keyboard icon next to the system tray forces the Windows 8 soft keyboard to appear, with options for splitting it for vertical orientation, or using a stylus for handwriting recognition. The side edges still work here, though, and it's much more responsive to touch than Windows 7. I was actually quite impressed how even on the older demo hardware that Microsoft lent me, the desktop mode of Windows 8 was incredibly accurate.
Of course, Windows 8's desktop mode is really for easing the transition to the Metro interface. More on that below in the Features section.
Navigating Windows 8: Keyboard and mouse
Because Windows 8 is intended as unified system for both PC and tablet, it works as well with a keyboard and mouse as it does with touch. As with seemingly everything in Windows 8, this too serves two masters. Sure, it gives you the precision required for Photoshop editing or navigating a spreadsheet's cells, but it's also Microsoft waving a big flag that proclaims Windows 8's usefulness. You get touch, mouse-like precision, and keyboard hot keys in Windows 8, Microsoft is saying. If the company could give you a way to interface with the OS via Morse code, that would be in here, too.
Not only do hot keys work, but from what I can tell, all the major hot keys in Windows 7 perform the same functions in Windows 8, as well as some new ones. These include Win+Print Screen to take a screenshot, which then gets automatically saved to your Photos app, or using the Windows key to switch between the Start screen and your last-used app.
One of the best keyboard functions is that you can pull up an app from the Start screen just by beginning to type. It's ridiculously simple and effective: type "ma" when on the Start screen, and a list of apps with "ma" in their name appear in the center of the screen, but on the right you can flip from Apps to Settings to Files that have the same "ma" string.
Not much will happen when you first connect a mouse to Windows 8. As soon as you move the mouse, though, a scroll bar will appear along the bottom edge of the Start screen. You can then use the scroll bar to navigate through your groups, or you can use the scroll wheel for that--so the vertical motion is interpreted by Windows 8 as a horizontal scroll.
Move the mouse to the lower-left corner to reveal your Start screen, or the upper-left corner for your most recently visited app. If you then move the mouse alongside the left edge, it will reveal your other most recently used apps.
The mouse has been enabled for apps, too. So in Internet Explorer, for example, a back navigation arrow appears on the left, and a forward nav arrow appears on the right edge. Mouse to the lower-right corner to see the navigation charms, and then mouse up along the edge to use them.
Right-clicking reveals the "app edges," the app-specific options from the top and bottom screen edges, while a button denoted by a magnifying glass on the far right of the scroll bar zooms you in and out of your groups.
If you're on the lock screen, you click and drag it up to reveal the password dialog. It may sound like a lot that's different from the touch workflow, but it's actually quite simple. You can even use the mouse for your picture log-in.
It's impressive how well Microsoft has been able to replicate the touch workflow with the mouse and keyboard. I don't think we've ever seen the two integrated quite like this before. The multiple ways to interface with the interface also will go a long way toward convincing previous Windows owners and perhaps even skeptics that Windows 8 is all that and a bag of chips. Most importantly, though, both work well with your apps.
From social and security to sync, Windows 8 lives on the cusp of what's expected from a modern operating system. And if it's nothing else, Windows 8 is integrated.
Windows 8 is quite the social butterfly. Not only can it shmooze with the best of them, it actually may be the best. If you're looking for an integrated social experience, Windows 8 comes very close to having it all. Unlike iOS, which requires you to dive into apps as if they were buckets of specific information, Windows 8 is broad and expansive. Start screen tiles are natively integrated with your apps; it is impossible to decouple them, and I can't see a reason for why would you want to.
Tiles surface information as it comes in, not unlike peering through a window. See what Microsoft did there? So the Mail app previews recent e-mails; the Calendar app shows your next appointment. You can also set this information to surface on your lock screen, although the version of the beta I tested could only surface detailed previews from the Calendar.
Contacts from multiple sources are integrated, too, in the People app. When it recognizes the same contact from different networks, it merges them. I found most merged without fail, although there were some oddities. Physical addresses appear with a link to Bing Maps for quick lookups, and accounts that are added to one app--such as People--cross over to other related apps, like Messaging.
Search is global, and includes data from all your apps that have activated the search hooks. Of course, this being Windows, you can easily tweak those settings.
Although the Windows Store wasn't open at the time this First Take was written, Microsoft has said that Windows 8 will sync apps through the Store. There's also a Live SDK that developers can use to hook into the single sign-on, and the aforementioned SkyDrive for file sync. So as your apps are integrated with each other and Windows 8 as a whole, they are also syncable. Use your Microsoft log-in on any Windows 8 computer, and instantly your apps, settings, files, and browser history will get pulled down.
The beta of Internet Explorer 10 continues on the path dictated by IE 9. IE 9 and 10 are the most standards-compliant versions of Internet Explorer yet, as well as recognized by several sources as extremely good at blocking malware and phishing.
There's also stuff you're likely to never encounter that's protecting you, like Trusted Boot for double-checking system integrity and SmartScreen to protect you from phishing and malware. There are features like XBox Game and XBox Companion apps for pulling XBox content into Windows 8; a new Refresh option that will re-install Windows 8 without deleting your data; and multiple monitor support for showing Start on one screen and the desktop on the other.
Some people may find it jarring that most of the Windows utilities appear in the Windows 8 desktop screen, even when you launch them from the Start screen. Still, Microsoft has made some effort to make them more accessible. The Task Manager, for example, has been redecorated with colors, charts, and tabs.
As far as default features are concerned, though, Windows 8 beta presents a solid baseline of apps and functionality to get you started. Don't be surprised if hardware manufacturers are allowed to insert their own preferred apps by the time that Windows 8 ships in the second half of this year.
One important aspect of Windows 8 that I haven't gone in-depth on yet is that it feels quick. You swipe and you're there. Tap and you're there. Mousing around feels just as zippy, and there's a speed and responsiveness to Windows 8 that no other version of Windows has ever had. If there's a third pillar supporting this massive overhaul alongside the integration and the touch interface, it's that Windows 8 zooms.
All of which is even more impressive considering that my demo hardware was a Samsung tablet designed for Windows 7. Shutdown times weren't impressive, taking around a minute. Boot up was blazing, though, taking between 10 and 13 seconds to get to the log-in screen over three cold boots. From the log-in screen to the Start screen took under 3 seconds in each of three cold boots.
Microsoft has said that Windows 8 is designed to sip on battery life. We didn't get the opportunity to benchmark precisely how accurate that claim is, but after heavy daily use for six days straight, I only had to plug in this older-model tablet once a day. It also was good about keeping a charge when unplugged and not in use, something that has not been true of many tablets currently on the market.
It would be beyond shocking if Windows 8 landed like Vista did. This is a tight consumer experience, with features both new and familiar, and in a refreshingly different package. Hardware makers are on-board, Microsoft says developers are investing heavily in it, and it's earning its buzz because there's nothing quite like it out there.
Businesses will probably eat it up, as will some early adopters and, of course, the Windows die-hards. But will it take off with the average consumer? Microsoft has ceded a lot of ground to Apple on the tablet, and even some of my colleagues at CNET are surprised when jumping from Metro to desktop screens. Perhaps most damning of all, very few people are able to understand the concept of the edges without a 10-second tutorial. It's not much, but it's enough that if it goes unaddressed, people will abandon Windows 8.
I think there's room for a third player in the tablet game, and Google has left the door open for a good fight over the No. 2 slot. But I also think that approaching Windows 8 as a larger smartphone, as many people have been doing with tablets, will lead to frustration. It's decidedly not that.
Windows 8 is an attempt to unify the desktop and the tablet. Microsoft has nailed the operating system, given that it didn't have much choice if it wanted to compete in the tablet space. Too much of Windows 8's fate resides on partnerships, though. It depends on hardware, affordability, how closely the pitch to consumers matches the reality of adoption, and, frankly, what Apple does. Ultimately, Microsoft has control over only one of those, and it's only partial control at that.
There's a long, narrow road ahead for Windows 8. It could be the next big thing, but there's not much room for missteps.


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OAKLAND — A woman was found stabbed to death on a West Oakland street early Thursday, police said.
Police were trying to identify the woman, whose body was found at the intersection of 24th and Chestnut streets about 3:44 a.m. by a passing motorist. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide investigators were called to the scene.
It was not known if the woman was killed where she was found or somewhere else and left there by her attacker.
No motive has been determined and no arrests made, police said.
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.
Check back for updates.

subset: commoncrawl


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Google's Android OS currently dominates the smart phone market in a way that should scare anyone who's paying attention. After all, this dominance has come in huge leaps over a very short period of time. And it has happened in a market in which industry darling Apple previous reigned supreme with its iPhone. According to the most recent market share stats (which I discussed in today's Short Takes), Android smart phones outsold the iPhone by over 2 to 1 in the most recent quarter. And the gap is only widening. How the heck could Android have beaten back the iPhone so quickly and so easily?
I think Google's cheating.
This notion has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while. It came to a head most recently when Google (hypocritically) complained about Microsoft joining a cabal of other companies to protect mobile patents. I blogged about this episode and then, based on a lot of feedback from readers and on Twitter, later wrote a news story spelling out my argument for why I felt Google wasn't just wrong, but that Google needed to be investigated for dumping Android in the market illegally.
Coincidentally, the FTC is indeed investigating Google for Android-related antitrust issues. Good. But I think this investigation needs to go further than potentially illegal mobile OS/search service bundling. I think the federal government needs to investigate Google for the reasons I outlined previously: It is dumping Android in the market in a manner that I feel is illegal, and certainly as bad as anything Microsoft did previous to its US antitrust trial. And it needs to be stopped.
The interesting thing here is that I can see signs that this suddenly dominant platform is cracking at the edges. It's not just the FTC investigation. It's the multiple mobile industry lawsuits, most of which are aimed at Google's partners for now, but are sure to impact Google directly too. It can be seen in Google's crazy outspoken criticism of Microsoft and others, and its bizarre exclamation that maybe it, too, should purchase some bogus mobile patents and lord them over others.
I see shakiness there. Something that maybe won't have the permanence of, say, the Windows compatible PC, which spent 20+ years at the top of the market (and still shows no sign of slowing down).
I mentioned this notion yesterday on Windows Weekly and received a strange and somewhat belligerent retort from Leo, who had responded in this fashion to another Google complaint I made previously. And yes, it is laughable on the face of things to claim that the ever-growing market leader is heading for a fall. Unless of course you understand the point I'm trying to make.
Every time Leo and I disagree, I receive a number of concerned emails from listeners, worried that we've somehow crossed a line and that Leo and I don't like each other anymore. That's silly: I love the guy and I value his opinion. But one of these emails made me think I needed to explain this a bit better than perhaps I did on the show. It came from a Jeff M. and went like this:
I was listening to yesterday's (8/11) Windows Weekly and heard Leo Laporte call you out for describing Android as "shaky." I'm an Android user, but I agree with the shakiness sentiment.
Here's what I think is going on from my personal observations: People don't buy Android phones because they are in love with the OS or the surrounding ecosystem, they just want a great phone on their carrier. Once they are done with their current phone, they want another great phone. They aren't married to the OS. For an iPhone user, there is almost no question what their next phone will be. This makes Android users kind of a swing vote. This disposition towards Android supports the idea that despite current dominance, it can be drained dramatically in a 2-3 year period of time (b/c carrier's 2 year plans).
Does this match your observations as well?
I responded like so:
Yes, though I was going in a different direction with this, in that I feel Android has found great success through a circle of interconnecting factors, all of which are non-sustainable.
First, Google gives it away. It does this because it can and because its huge expenses related to developing Android can be paid back implicitly through more people using search and its other ad-supported services on the devices. But Google is not paying for the intellectual property of others that it's using in Android; and it is infringing on other companies' patented technologies.
Second, Android has attracted a much wider than usual licensee base from hardware makers because it's free. So there are a tremendous number of Android devices, all going out through every single wireless carrier. These hardware makers are always trying to one-up the others, so new devices come out all the time and there is a hyper-competitive market just for Android phones. This creates a further unrealistic "capabilities vs. price" situation in just that part of the market.
Because there are so many Android devices, and because one of them is usually the single best phone at any given wireless carrier, more people buy these kinds of phones. I agree with you that it has nothing to do with Android per se, only that this is what the employees are pushing to customers. But the entire situation is all artificially propped up for the reasons stated above. I do not believe this can continue for much longer. The crazy over-commoditization of the Android market is a death spiral. And yes, that sounds like a nutso thing to say in this age where Android dominates the smart phone landscape. I know. I still believe it to be true.
So we'll see what happens.
With regards to Leo, I think the thing that bothered me about the defensiveness was that he took this argument as, a) as some kind of personal attack (Leo uses Android, Paul disses Android, and thus Paul is implicitly dissing Leo, which was not the case at all) and that, b) he tied this opinion to Windows Phone (Android is on a precipice, so Windows Phone has Google right where it wants it). That was not where I was coming from at all. This issue has nothing to do with Leo or Windows Phone, the latter of which certainly has its own issues. It was simply an isolated commentary about Android, which I feel has legitimacy issues that are just now finally starting to be addressed in court and with the federal government.
I wish Windows Phone was doing better in the market; it deserves that. But this is about Android. And I think Google's cheating.


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Big data — the term itself is overwhelming, yet it doesn't capture the transformation that data is beginning to drive in organizations today. Data is a digital raw material that companies have been accumulating for years at great expense but suboptimal purposes. Now smart organizations are focusing away from simply amassing ever-larger quantities of homogeneous data to acting on and creating value from wide varieties of data in real time.
Through processing and fusing all available data, data is at last creating an accurate platform for decisions and measurable advantages for businesses: reducing market risk, honing predictive analysis and speeding improvements in processes. The "big" in big data really means the value data can now deliver to the bottom line.
The fact that data is getting bigger, faster and more complex also means it can more closely mirror reality. Social media and smart phones provide live intelligence on events as they happen. Sensors are sending data continuously and beyond their original, usually narrow purposes, creating a second World Wide Web. And this ability to monitor an increasingly accurate picture of the world has just begun: smart sensors are projected to grow to 2.8 trillion devices from 65 million in 2013, according to Susan Eustis, president of WinterGreen Research.
Fusing stored and streaming data sources to create a more complete view of the conditions affecting an organization is hard. Knowing what to do with the insights created could be even harder. But this is exactly where big data is beginning to create value and shake up staid businesses. A recent Gartner survey of business leaders found of those who have deployed big data technologies, 42 percent are developing new products and business models, and 23 percent are monetizing information directly.
Prepare for Big Decisions
The best business manager predicts the future, introducing products and services to exploit new opportunities, overcoming the challenges that restrict that execution, and out-thinking the competition.
In the past, data has forced organizations to focus on history, on areas where data was aggregated. As streaming data sources are combined with stored data, the use of data shifts away from historical collection and analysis to exploiting all relevant data to gain competitive advantages. Decisions are based on present conditions, informed by the past, made by those closest to and most responsible for new products and other business initiatives.
Similarly, organizations are discovering that just accumulating more of the same data won't substantially improve the decisions they are making. Combining stored data with new, real-time information sources to create more complete and up-to-date views of opportunities and risks will change how predictions are made about businesses and markets, what products and services to offer, to whom, and when to change those products and services.
Technology now exists to do just that, to continuously improve business processes, and change the purpose of data from historical enumeration to real-time predictive, actionable intelligence correlated in space and time.
With these new technologies in place, businesses will continually have to face reality, whether they like it or not. But they will also have greater capacity to act on that reality: to respond to customer sentiment and choices as they happen; to monitor assets in real time; to equip employees and partners with the information they need in the moment. Assessing opportunities and risks faster and more completely, and making decisions about them more quickly, drives business value. And the ability to measure the effects of decisions and actions in real time will also change the metrics of profitability, growth and other measures of those advantages.
Shopping patterns in a mall, soybeans growing in a field, the flow of oil from wells, electricity moving along a grid — these processes can now be seen and analyzed as they occur. Insights change as reality changes, remodeling based on new conditions, while built on, and adding value to relevant historical information. And more important, new classes of applications and services using this live intelligence will ensure that data previously thrown away or never used is continuously acted upon and monetized.
An Era of Insights and Actions
When operating in an environment of live intelligence, employees will respond more quickly to problems and opportunities, and customers will respond more quickly to new products and services.
In fact, first responders provide one way to see the potential of this live intelligence. First responders deal with life and death on deadlines imposed by the unfurling of disasters and crises. Their actions have immediate effects on whether people are saved, property is destroyed or bad actors are thwarted.
Emergency response teams could benefit from Twitter feeds, live video and pictures from the scene, cell signals, location data on emergency medical staff and equipment, Doppler radar, near-live satellite feeds and historical data (to name a few). If anyone on the response team had to analyze these data streams separately, he or she would be overwhelmed. But by fusing the data, only the most relevant and accurate information needed to make decisions at that time could be delivered to each responder.
Similarly, an energy provider might receive phone calls about power outages with conflicting information on the location of an "explosion." If the power company was combining the location data of social-media streams with grid-sensor data, employees could better manage not only outages, but also deployment of assets, emergency alerts, customer relations and more.
Every organization will have their own responders through this technology: the individuals who can act with the changing realities of business and markets. Many of the insights generated and verified by live and multiple data sources will be counterintuitive and contradict assumptions previously made — even those made by C-level executives. That's the point. Those organizations that let the reality of business drive execution will see change not as a threat but as an opportunity.
Those Who Act First Will Reap Greatest Rewards
The world is changing, but now businesses can see and act on those changes as they are happening and better predict the changes to come. The earth is being instrumented with millions of smartphones and new sensors every day. These devices are continually reporting weather, temperature, social climate, speeds of cars, trucks, planes and even the locations of cartons of milk and crates of eggs.
Measuring change is one thing; taking advantage of it is another. Transforming this cascade of dissimilar data into actionable intelligence will take not only new tools and technologies, but also visionary leaders to employ them. Those who act first will have an unrecoverable lead on the next twenty years of progress and growth in their markets.
At the same time, big data technologies are driving a democratization of information and changing business culture. Insights from data are going to the people who ask the best questions, have problems they want solved, look at the different areas of information they need, and come up with better ideas based on the clearer reality they are seeing.
The paradox, and value, of data is that as it gets bigger, faster and more varied, the information delivered to us can get more relevant and precise. The raw material, data, that creates this intelligence will increasingly be like any raw material, subsumed by the whole, largely unseen by the end user. As this happens, the purpose of data will change from accumulation to action, from storage to value. That's good – because there's a lot of it.
John Slitz is CEO of SpaceCurve.


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The searing heat waves that blanketed the nation earlier this summer sent temperatures soaring well above 110°F in parts of the U.S., but that's nowhere close to the hottest temperature on record — an almost unimaginable 136.4° F, taken on September 13, 1922, in the Sahara Desert at El Azizia, Libya. That's what the Guinness Book of World Records says, and if you don't trust a source that feels the need to document the world's fastest toilet or the world's largest collection of traffic cones, it's what the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says as well.
Or that's what they said until now. But after an intensive investigation by a group of forensic meteorologists, the WMO has officially declared the Libyan record as dead as Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles. The former runnerup — a July 10, 1913 reading of 134°F at the inaptly named Greenland Ranch, in Death Valley, Calif., — is now the official champ.
Death Valley, California.
Credit: Xavier de Jauréguiberry/flickr
Among weather fanatics, the Libyan record had always seemed a bit dubious. Christopher Burt, for example, a weather historian at the Weather Underground blog, wrote in 2010 that "This figure has been controversial since it first appeared in publications of climate data . . . and reprinted in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1924."
El Azizia is suspiciously too close to the moderating influence of the Mediterranean Sea to reach that kind of temperature, critics said, and other nearby weather stations had readings more than 18° cooler on that same day.
That's just one link in the chain of damning evidence. The WMO investigators, hailing from nine countries, including Libya, Italy and the U.S., also cited a thermometer that was already considered obsolete in 1922, an inexperienced observer, and temperatures before and after that fateful day were much lower — and matched readings at nearby stations much more closely.
"When we compared [the] observations to surrounding areas and to other measurements made before and after the 1922 reading, they simply didn't match up," Arizona State University meteorlogist Randy Cerveny said in a press release. Ceverny is also the official Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes for the WMO.
The investigation began in 2010, but it was interrupted by the Libyan revolution. According to the WMO, Libyan meteorologist Khalid El Fadli, an official of the Gaddafi regime, had to drop out of sight for eight months for his own safety. After the violence was over, he joined the new government and the investigation resumed. It eventually concluded in time for the new champ to be announced 90 years to the day after the bogus record was ostensibly made.
This reshuffling of records doesn't mean a lot in terms of climate science: even in a warming world, the mercury isn't likely to hit 134° again any time soon. Nevertheless, global warming is making extreme heat waves more common, and new temperature records are being set at an ominous rate. The Death Valley record may be absurdly higher than normal. But the definition of "normal" seems to be ratcheting upward all the time.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story contained a photo of Death Valley that did not, in fact, depict that location. The error has been corrected. Thank you to all who tweeted us for catching that!
Related Coverage:
Hansen Study: Extreme Weather Tied to Climate Change
Updated Statistics Show the "Normal" U.S. Climate is Getting Warmer
2012 Temperatures: Which States Led the Nation


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 (Uncorrected Originals
 of the gallery above.)
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The images below are my original reference JPEG which were taken alongside true digital negatives in Canon RAW format. WARNING: They may be fuzzy, highly-unflattering, dark, unbalanced, or even, more color-friendly than their larger cousins. These JPEGs and their RAW versions share the same file name, so you can cross-reference the two between folders. Note that these photos are typically from 1-4 megabytes, thus may be unsuitable for drastic cropping or large scale prints--in this case, please refer to the other folder, or contact the photographer for digital negatives. If these are more to your liking than their corrected counterparts, you may alter and change these photos to suit you in the ordering process, or download them directly.


text: Survive in the epic battle of Monster Trucks and see if you can be the last one standing. You have to destroy your opponents before they damage your car. You can get help from awesome power ups that will pop up in the arena from time to time. Between levels you can repair your car, upgrade it and even buy a new and better one. You can also use your points to buy additional upgrades for your game, making you able to use turbo power or drop mines. Have a lot of fun!


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Both men and women notch top five overall finishes
CULLOWHEE, N.C. (March 23, 2013) – The ETSU men's and women's track & field teams wrapped up competition on Saturday at the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic, complete with a third-place finish for the women and a fifth-place finish for the men on the final day of play at the Western Carolina Catamount Athletic Complex.
"We had another good day of competition with numerous top three finishers and quite a few personal bests," said Director of ETSU Track & Field/Cross Country George Watts. "We must continue to elevate our competitiveness and reap the benefits of our training."
Following a solid start to the Catamount Classic on Friday, the ETSU women carried the momentum over to day two where they turned in solid scores again. In the 5000m run, freshman Jessica Palmer (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) achieved a personal best time of 18:29.64 and a second-place finish, while sophomore Nicole Alexander (Rock Hill, S.C.) added first and third-place showings in the 100m and 400m hurdles with times of 14.82 and 1:05.80, respectively. In addition, junior Scotti Sampair (Forest Lake, Minn.) recorded a 5.15m leap in the long jump which placed second and added vital points to keep women in the top three overall.
After sending out only a few competitors on day one, the men rounded out nicely on day two en route to a fifth-place finish. Multiple collegiate and outdoor bests were set, featuring a collegiate best time of 15:20.64 by junior Sean Duffy (Jonesborough, Tenn.) in the 5000m run. Senior Michael Lockhart (Nassau, Bahamas) was able to pace the field with an outdoor best mark of 7.05m in the long jump. In the hammer throw, juniors Justin Harris (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Richie Lovell (Orlando, Fla) each notched collegiate bests and top-10 finishes with tosses of 43.96m and 38.40m, respectively.
"We had some nice wins from Michael [Lockhart] and Nicole [Alexander] today," said Watts. "We also had excellent improvement from all the event groups."
ETSU ended the Catamount Classic with dual top-five finshes with the women placing third overall with 66 points, while the men bounced back with a fifth-place finish and 47 points.
The Bucs will return to action next weekend when they head to Raleigh, N.C. to compete in the Raleigh Relays at the Paul Derr Track & Field facility located on the North Carolina State campus March 29-30.
Michael Lockhart – long jump – 7.05m (OB) – 1st place, 100m – 11.20 – 8th place
Trey Johnson – 400mH – 55.78 – 2nd place
Chris Winkle – pole vault – 4.40m – 3rd place
Sean Duffy – 5000m – 15:20.64 (CB) – 3rd place
Justin Harris – hammer throw – 43.96m (CB) – 6th place
James Miller – 1500m – 4:07.03 (CB) – 7th place
Avery Hall – 400m – 50.14 (OB) – 8th place
Briar Pierce – 110mH – 15.82 – 8th place, 400mH – 58.98 (CB) – 9th place
Richie Lovell – hammer throw – 38.40m (CB) – 9th place
Nicole Alexander – 100mH – 14.82 – 1st place, 400mH – 1:05.80 – 3rd place
Jessica Palmer – 5000m – 18:29.64 (CB) – 2nd place
Scotti Sampair – long jump – 5.15m – 2nd place
Ashley Kessler – pole vault – 3.35m – 5th place
Tyesha Jones – hammer throw – 37.24m – 8th place
ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for "Buc Updates." Click here to sign up today!
For more information on Buccaneer athletics, visit ETSUBucs.com.


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Brain Game: Math Square #76
By BY
Welcome to Math Square #76, with Orson Bean! Brett Somers! Charles Nelson Reilly! No, wait, that's Match Game '76. Never mind. But enjoy today's Brain Game anyway.
The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this main grid (the red square). Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations work both across and down.
Here is my SOLUTION.
NOTE: These puzzles rarely (but occasionally) have alternate solutions that fit the rules. If you find one of these, first make sure that you've followed the instructions to the letter, then pat yourself on the back (and feel free to share it with us in the comments).


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So if you think it's proper for prison guards to call African-American inmates "niggers" and gay prisoners "fags," then this story may not be for you. If, however, you think that prisoners deserve to be treated as human beings while they pay what the old movies call "their debt to society" — that they still have some rights despite being deprived of their freedom — then please read on.
Complaints about harassment on racial and sexual-orientation grounds within Maine's public institutions would normally get a hearing before the Maine Human Rights Commission. An inmate at the Maine State Prison, Jonathan Dix, recently made such a complaint. He accused guards of allowing him to be called a "monkey" and "dirty nigger."
Commission executive director Patricia Ryan and chief attorney John Gause wanted to accept Dix's case and others like it. But for six years their gubernatorially appointed citizen commissioners, including a former prison warden, Paul Vestal — who is now the commission chairman — have blocked all inmate harassment complaints from being heard. In doing so, they have lessened prisoners' remedies against a variety of crimes such as demands for sexual favors or threats of racial violence or gay-bashing. Such misdeeds are not unknown in prison settings.
At their August 10 meeting, rejecting Ryan's and Gause's argument, the commissioners voted to continue to block inmate complaints. In their discussion, Vestal and Commissioner Kenneth Fredette overtly expressed prejudice against prisoners. Vestal dismissed their complaints wholesale because, he suggested, as a class of people inmates are too untrustworthy for their claims to be taken seriously.
Before 2003, prisoner human-rights complaints had been treated like those coming from any other government agency or business in Maine. But that year the commissioners accepted an argument from the attorney general's office, then headed by Steve Rowe — who is now running for governor — that they should take away this human-rights-law avenue of redress from both state prisoners and county-jail inmates (though many of the latter haven't even been convicted of a crime and, while awaiting trial, are presumed innocent).
Rowe's office relied mainly on a 2002 opinion by a now-retired Maine Superior Court judge, John Atwood, a former district attorney, state commissioner of public safety, and current member of the state prison's secretive Board of Visitors, whose chairman recently admitted the board had not been living up to its mandate to report on prison conditions (see "Secret, Co-opted, and Unaccountable" by Lance Tapley, August 13).
This year Ryan and Gause's pitch to their commissioners was that other court decisions, including those of Maine's and Vermont's highest courts, had trumped Atwood's ruling. Their argument, if successful, would have restored a hearing before the commission to a broad swath of people — gays, African Americans, women, Native Americans, and other often-discriminated-against people who happen to be prisoners. The complaints had kept coming in. "We were getting concerned about some of these prison and jail cases stacking up," Ryan said in an interview.
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Blue Flowers in Vase Papercut by Julie Marabelle
Julie Marabelle of Famille Summerbelle is a French artist who has taken her background in visual arts and theater design to new heights. Known for her intricate papercuts, she has been commissioned on various projects to design maps of major cities. These dimensional flower papercut prints are sure to be a hit in your home.
Product Details:
- Original art print by Julie Marabelle of Famille Summerbelle
- Printing on Moab Lasal Photo Matte (bright white paper with a smooth, matte surface)
- Please allow 2-3 weeks for your delivery
- All prints are made to order and non-returnable
- U.S. Continental shipping only
- Free shipping
- Made in the U.S.
Frame Details:
- Wood or metal frames in your choice of finish
- UV-shielding plexiglass, which protects against about 89% of UV rays and 92% of light transmission
- Optional: matted, custom cut acid-free 4-ply white mat with beveled edges
- Protective paperback finish (wood frames only)
- Wall bumpers
- Hanging hardware + nails
Optional Mat Details:
- Print size: 8" x 10"; interior frame size: 11" x 13"
- Print size: 11" x 14"; interior frame size: 16" x 19"
Free shipping
U.S. Continental deliveries only
(Alaska, Hawaii + international shipping upon request)
All prints are made to order and non-returnable


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(CNN) -- A CNN analysis of four common brands of Christmas lights shows levels of lead experts say are high enough to be dangerous to children.
Lead is used to help prevent the cracking or crumbling of Christmas light wiring insulation.
Manufacturers do not hide the fact that lead is part of the PVC insulation that insulates Christmas light wiring. Lead is used legally to stabilize polyvinyl chloride so it does not crack or crumble with age. The lead also acts as a fire retardant.
But the levels of surface lead surprised Dr. Leo Trasande, a specialist in children's environmental health at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"There is no level at which lead exposure is safe," Dr. Trasande said. "Even at one microgram/deciliter -- the lowest level in a person's blood stream that we can detect -- that level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children."
CNN's "American Morning" purchased samples of four common brands of Christmas lights and asked an independent New Jersey-based testing organization, Quantex Laboratories, to check for surface lead. Quantex analyzed three strings of lights from each brand.
The lab followed the Consumer Product Safety Commission's standard wipe test for lead in polyvinyl chloride products, including mini blinds and toys, to see how much lead in the cords' PVC coating would come off on someone's hands.
"You don't realize there's lead in it, you eat a cookie, you eat something without washing your hands, that exposure builds up in your body over time," said Dr. James Menoutis, who runs the lab at Quantex.
In the four brands of lights tested, Quantex found surface lead levels far exceeding the CPSC's recommended children's limit of 15 micrograms.
Wal-Mart brand lights had the highest levels of surface lead, with levels ranging from 86.6 to 132.7 micrograms. GE lights showed surface lead levels from 68 to 109.1 micrograms. Sylvania had surface lead levels from 59 to 70.3 micrograms. Levels of surface lead in the lights made by Philips ranged from a low of 3.2 -- well under the 15 microgram limit -- to 107.2 in another sample.
For Trasande, the high levels of surface lead in the lights are a real concern.
"I wouldn't needlessly expose [children] to a lead-based hazard that could have significant lifelong consequences for that child's cognitive capacity or their attention or other health problems," Trasande said. He recommended leaving lights off trees entirely.
In written statements, the four companies whose lights were tested all expressed concern about safety.
"The special coating around electrical wires on the light sets is necessary to pass the stringent UL safety and quality regulations," Wal-Mart wrote. "We are in full compliance with UL regulations which set the standards for electrical coatings."
Sylvania said its lights are "tested rigorously for safety and have been used safely by millions of Americans for many years."
"Holiday lights are electrical appliances. We encourage consumers to exercise common sense by keeping holiday lights and other electrical products away from the hands and mouths of children," the company wrote.
"We can make a fairly obvious common sense observation: Lights are not toys, should not be handled by children, and are not subject to the same standards for lead," wrote GE. "The CPSC guidelines you refer to are for products that would regularly be handled by children."
Philips pointed out that while the CPSC swipe test "is not a mandated measurement for our industry (it is a test to be applied to children's items and not electrical products), Philips takes matters concerning lead content very seriously. As such, the company and the industry are currently working on technologies to reduce the amount of lead in these products."
The Consumer Product Safety Commission insists Christmas lights do not pose an elevated danger of lead exposure to children. A spokeswoman vigorously criticized the CNN tests, saying that using the CPSC's methods for testing lead on blinds and toys "is like comparing apples to oranges and is rotten to the core."
But in a prior interview, not a response to CNN's tests, the Consumer Product Safety Commission advised children should still keep away from lights because they are electrical products, not toys.
"There are plenty of other things kids can do to help decorate the tree," said Julie Vallese, the CPSC spokesperson. "Lights are something that should be the responsibility of the parent."
Underwriters Laboratories, which inspects tree lights for electrical and fire hazards, said there are substitutes for lead in the insulation, such as calcium and zinc, but those options would be more expensive to manufacture.
So what's the best way to minimize lead exposure from Christmas lights? Experts say only adults should handle the lights. Wear gloves. The lights should be hung out of children's reach. And follow the instructions on the box: "Wash hands after use." E-mail to a friend
All About U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission


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Skype releases beta version 5.5 for Mac with improved UI and call quality
Skype just announcedthe latest beta for Mac with version 5.5. The release includes a number of improvements including an upgraded call UI, and an option to accept a call with video enabled or disabled. Other enhancements include optimizations to stabilization and call quality.
Today, we're pleased to announce an update to Skype for Mac with the launch of Skype 5.5 for Mac Beta… We have improved the discoverability of Call UI like Windows and iOS that users can easily mute, send video, share screen, send file and add people during a call.
As always, you can download the latest version, Skype 5.5 for Mac, from Skype's website.


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THE ALLROUNDER The Aix² is a lightweight, uncomplicated and comfortable all-round harness with high-quality foam protector and high seating comfort. WHO IS IT FOR? For students, beginners and pilots, who prefer a seated flying position, as well as for passengers in tandem flying. CHARACTERISTICS The high seating comfort of the Aix2 is supported by the easy-to-reach adjustment belts for the backrest as well as the chest and leg straps - an adjustment of the seating position is possible even in flight without great distraction. Thanks to the high quality materials and despite the 17 cm thick foam protector Aix 2 is a lightweight (between 3.0 kg and 3.6 kg depending on size, including protector and carabiner). Visit Icaro Website
THE HIKE & FLY REVERSIBLE HARNESSThe APUS light is a reversible lightweight harness for hike & fly, leisure flying, thermal flying, ground handling or soaring at the dunes. It is the even lighter successor of our harness APUS. It meets the highest safety standards in conjunction with its EN / LTF type-approved airbag protector.
THE CHARACTERISTICSIn combination with the airbag protector, the APUS light is a high value EN/LTF-certified reversible harness with minimum weight. The APUS light offers enough storage space for larger gliders. Various adjustment options help to accommodate the harness perfectly to your body. The control with weight shift is just as easy, as is the accelerated flight on full speed bar. Even long-lasting thermal flights are comfortable and enjoyable.
WHO IS IT FOR:For pilots who want to have as little weight in their mountain tours on the back. For those who want to decide independently how much passive protector security they need. The Apus Light is a light weight harness for hike & fly, bivouac, thermal flying, ground handling and soaring on the dune.
Visit Icaro Website
IT'S ALL ABOUT STYLEThe Aquila is our dedicated freestyle glider. Based on our best thermal profile we were able to combine two worlds: The agility, speed and dynamics of an acro wing and the thermal and handling abilities of a high-performance xc glider.
WHO IT'S FOR:The Aquila is designed for all pilots with an intermediate skill level, being into real flying. With it's collapse resistance and high passive safety, the glider is easy to control and can be handled under difficult conditions. Yet it's agility and performance will thrill even the most skilled pilots.
THE PASSENGER HARNESSA compact passenger harness with a special airbag built robustly and equipped with an easy handling
A MILESTONEAfter 2 years of developing, innumerable prototypes and based on the architecture of the GRAVIS, the BUTEO XC will be a game changer within the paragliding industry. We have been able to incorporate MID EN-B safety with astonishing HIGH level EN-C performance. We truly believe, this glider is going to influence the paragliding world sustainably. Entirely made out of light materials, this glider weighs 222gram/m² only. The BUTEO XC has 82 supporting ribs, with additional 80 mini ribs along the leading edge. This results into 162 effectively working LE ribs, which is normally a design feature on EN-D gliders.
Icaro Comfortpack
Luxurious, ergonomic paraglider backpack from ICARO paragliders. Available in two sizes.
Icaro Concertina BagThe concertina bag is used for glider preservation and simplifies the packing process. It protects against abrasion, soiling and direct contact with the ground.
A NEW ERA WITHIN THE EN-A SEGMENT The Falco is the result of the combination and evolution of several significant components, that Icaro has developed over the last few years. Leading to a glider with extraordinary performance for its class. We have been focusing on the perfect interaction of feedback between pilot and wing. Excellent take off behaviours, absolutely intuitive canopy control and rock solid stability even on full bar insure a safe and reliable feeling from the start. WHO IT IS FOR The Falco was designed for all pilots looking for the ultimate flying pleasure and fun in the air, while having a safe and exceptionally well performing wing within the EN classification A. The Falco is certainly one of the best choices for beginner pilots. THE CHARACTERISTICS The Falco is equipped with very modern design features such as Shark-Nose and only 2 main lines per line level. In combination with a light material mix, the glider takes off perfectly in all kinds of conditions. A well balanced mixture between aspect ratio and canopy curve ensures a smooth and very damped ride through turbulences. Equipped with the additional Leading-Edge Mini-Ribs, the Falco shines when you push on the speed bar. The excellent glide ratio is outstanding within its class. The most important criteria though, is the handling, which has been tweaked to perfection during numerous development stages. Despite very dampened roll and pitch behaviour, we still managed to achieve precise handling, allowing for a tight and flat turning. The brake pressure progressively increases for optimized thermal flying. Regardless if you are a beginner or pilot of many years experience, the Falco provides the best of both worlds, pleasure in flight and highest safety standards.
Icaro Fast Packing Bag
- Cord-system for an easy and fast closing
- Cord and fastening clip
- Riser pocketv
- Compression band
- Two inner pockets
- Shaped shoulder straps
- Weighs only 350g
- High quality material and manufacture
- Size: one size
- Colour: black-grey with the ICARO-Edelweiss log
THE HEART OF THE B-CLASSThe Gravis combines efficient performance and precision with the highest safety characteristics. It's a cross-country glider with a distinctive characteristic in thermic conditions. It flies right in the middle of the EN-B category.
SAFETY FROM THE BEGINNING The LARUS has replaced the Energy SP harness. The integrated spiral-spring pre-fills the airbag which provides excellent protection right from the first take off steps. The size M weighs 3.8kg only and we managed to make the harness overall more comfortable, lighter and even more secure. WHO IS IT FOR For all-rounder and leisure pilots who prefer a compact air bag harness which provides a functional protector right from the start. THE CHARACTERISTICS A very comfortable harness which enables a stable flight position due to its sophisticated geometry. Especially designed buckles allow to change the seating position easily on the ground as well as during the flight. Several smart details have been implemented such as the magnet holders for the Speed-Bar or an internal pocket for the Camel-Bag. For transportation the airbag protector can be compressed. Before the start it will fill itself with air and will provide protection right from the beginning. Optionally a side protector can be mounted between the seating board and the lateral pelvic area.
Paragliding light-weight rescue parachutes in two sizeMain characteristics of the LITE rescue systems:
- small pack size
- low weight
- amazing sink rates
- certified surface area.
- LITE 105 for maximal load of 100 kg
- LITE 120 for maximal load of 120 kg
TANDEM PILOT HARNESSThe practical and compact tandem pilot harness LOXIA was built to match our new tandem glider PARUS and the passenger harness BATIS perfectly.
THE TRUSTWORTHY CLIMBEROur new basic intermediate Pandion succeeds our Instinct TE with a completely new concept – rich and comfortable flight feeling according to the latest technology. The Pandion allows fast progress at developing flying skills without having to make compromises as far as safety is concerned.
FUN IN PAIRSParus is our brand new tandem glider which will give you real pleasure when flying in pairs. It is available in two sizes 35.5 m² and 41.5 m². The glider is equipped with the latest light-weight, high-tech materials from Skytex.
THE RIGHT STARTThe Pica is our new EN A glider. We wanted to build a glider that would accompany you, during your formative years, while learning to paraglide. Easy launches, passive safety, great handling, refined finish, big speed range and low stall speeds all contribute to those first big XC flights or cloud base adventures. Launches are straight forward with almost no tendency to over shoot. The inherent safety features in the wing guarantee stress free flights.
Icaro Pro Handle
Our newly developed steering handles "pro handle" are made of a neoprene pillow and an Aluminium-stick-mounting.
The ICARO speed bar is the most up to date speed system on the market. Light, robust, functional and easy to handle.
THE CROSS RESCUEThe square shaped rescue is manufactured with a highly specialized parachute fabric. SQUARE means the perfect balance in between light textiles and safety.
The ICARO Tandem spreader is currently the slimmest, lightest (480g) and most robust spreader on the market. The perfect addition to your tandem equipment.
Icaro WindsockNever leave home without a windsock. These are perfect for launch or landing zones.
SAFETY AND VERSATILITYThe XEMA reversible harness has replaced the Energy Cross harness. The integrated spiral-spring pre-fills the airbag which provides excellent protection right from the first take off steps. We have been able to optimize the wearing comfort of the Rucksack and managed to make the harness overall more comfortable and lighter.
WHO IS IT FOR?For everyone who wants to combine advanced airbag technology with little weight, excellent carrying comfort and comfortable flying. The XEMA is suitable for several kinds of pilots: from leisure to cross country pilots.
CHARACTERISTICSThe XEMA is a reversible lightweight harness that does not accept any compromises in safety, storage space and comfort. Standard- and light gliders up to size L can fit nicely into the XEMA. The airbag is pre-filled before the start due to a form stable Nitinol frame. The size of the rescue pocket is adjustable by using a zip which enables you to adapt the rescue pocket to your rescue. Especially designed buckles allow to change the seating position easily on the ground as well as during the flight. Several smart details such as the bungee rope for the Speed-Bar or an internal pocket for the Camel-Bag have been implemented. Optionally the LIGHTSHIELD back protector can be mounted to protect the upper back part.
Visit Icaro Website
THE LEGENDARY ACRO-WING We developed a product compass so you can easily see which of our gliders suits you best: STYLE YOUR INFINITY The NIKITA 5 is the fifth generation constructed and developed from the Know-How of our professionals. Precision and clarity is the motto. This Acro wing fulfils all your requirements.


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Raymond Fouquet Memorial & other rides …
December 28, 2013 § 5 Comments
December 29: On what would have been Raymond's 93rd birthday, Velo Club La Grange invites everyone to join them on a memorial pedal along the famous Nichols Canyon route. This is one of the iconic rides in Southern California, and was started by Fouquet, a French immigrant, waiter, restaurateur, and passionate cyclist. Riders meet at the traditional meeting place on the corner of Westwood Boulevard and La Grange Avenue. Please meet by 7:45 AM. The ride will be a "No Drop" pace led by Marco Fantone. VCLG asks that you obey traffic laws and be courteous to motorists, even the ones who are obviously trying to kill you. The ride is about 30 miles long and ends at Peet's Coffee in Brentwood, so you can also park there, as it is about three miles to the start in Westwood. Estimated end time is 10:00 AM. All La Grange members are encouraged to wear their current kits in honor of Raymond's memory, and other area riders are also encouraged to wear their club colors, as Raymond's life was all about supporting Southern California amateur bicycle racing.
December 29: Tour of Palos Verdes. This will be a moderately paced wankalong leaving the Malaga Cove fountains at 7:30 AM sharp for a more easily paced loop around the PV Peninsula. Everyone is invited, and like all good rides this one ends at a coffee shop, also in Malaga Cove. There's plenty of parking if you're driving. The route will follow the Donut Ride, but at a pace where you're not hocking up a lung.
Jan 1: South Bay Holiday Ride. This ride goes off at promptly at 7:59:18 from the Center of the Known Universe, a/k/a CotKU, a/k/a Manhattan Beach Starbucks by the pier. It is a complete fredfest, and when the weather is good, which it will likely be on Wednesday, the ride can attract well over 200 alleged cyclists, all of whom will be surging and charging to get to the front so that they can promptly slow down. The festivities start on Mandeville Canyon Road, where the massive gaggle, which will have already shed a hundred riders up San Vicente, will lose another 175 or so riders as the pace hits warp speed up this 6-mile climb. So, if you're reading this carefully, yes, you got it right. It's an all-day pedal (70+ from PV) so that you can do an 18-minute effort with some very fast riders. The rest of the time you'll be terrified for your life trying to avoid the tandems, in-line skaters, racquetball players, and freddies who are trying out their $15k Christmas rig for the very first time.
Jan. 1: North County Holiday Ride. This ride goes off not-so-promptly at 8:00 AM or 8:05 AM, leaving from RIDE Cyclery in Encinitas. What began as a friendly, welcoming way to get people to enjoy a holiday pedal together — modeled after the South Bay ride of the same name — has become a kind of low-watermark in vicious brutality. The ride eases along for about 20 minutes, and can have pretty big numbers depending on the weather, but as soon as the group hits the San Dieguitos climb, well, the effluent meets the rotating blades. This ride is not for the meek, the weak, or the fragile of ego, because your legs will get torn off and your sense of self-worth will be completely destroyed. Expect to spend a lot of time by yourself, wondering why you drove 100 miles at 5:00 AM to pedal, lost and broken, amidst the endless rollers of North County hell. The ride climbs up Lake Hodges, which invariably reduces the already reduced gathering into a final selection of ten or fifteen of the true strongmen and strong women of SoCal cycling. Make it to the top of this bad boy with the leaders and you'll be rubbing shoulders with Tinstman, Rogers, Dahl, MMX, and a handful of other bloodthirsty warriors. The ride is quick and short; 60 miles finished by a graveside service.
Jan 1: Long Beach NYD Ride. If you've never ridden with 10,000 other freddies, this is your chance. A wilder, crazier, more reckless, bizarre, dangerous, flailing group of whackadoodles hasn't gathered in one place since the last full session of Congress. It's a hundred miles and the pace starts hot, shedding the freddies, until only the strong freddies are left. The ride goes south from Long Beach; check the ride route here. The ride finishes in San Diego, so you should be prepared to either ride 100 miles back, or have someone waiting to pick you up, or have money for a motel room, or belly up to the bar and start drinking. Enjoy, and stay alive, or at least in one piece.
§ 5 Responses to Raymond Fouquet Memorial & other rides …
I wish we had this kind of fun on the East Coast.
Yep. Would like to ride with Sam Wall but that SOB moved to N.C.
I'll be there in 1987 kit. Only one I can find.


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I have listed a new property at 3625 144 AVE in Edmonton.
Your search ends here! Beautiful 3 bedrooms and double attached garage home located in a quiet community. As you enter you will be impressed by a nice size living room with hardwood floor, further you will see a beautiful modern kitchen with stainles steel appliances. The main floor also has a half bath. The upstairs has 3 nice size bedrooms with a full bath. Master bedroom boasts an en suite and a walk-in closet. This home completes with a double attached garage. Located in a quiet area close to all amenities. A Must See.


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Monday, December 26, 2011
handmade gifts 2011: flower crown for Audrey
As sported by my two stunt models on a rainy, gloomy day. I've seen some really, really beautiful felt flower crowns around the web (like here and esssspecially here), so I've been itching to try my hand at one. I didn't get it exactly right. The red flower is a bit too large, but I didn't realize this until after I started looking at the photos. I had flower blindness. Too many late nights. Robyn, maybe you could take some judicious trims here and there. But. Overall, I love the colors and variety and I hope a certain purple-loving wood fairy will enjoy it.
There're about a million online felt flower tutorials at your fingertips if you would like to try something like this. I started with the red flower that is actually from an excellent paper flower tutorial over at A Little Hut. I stiffened the felt with Stiffen Quick. I also used this one for the large purple flower, and then just messed around with what tools I had on hand for the other flower shapes, creating cones with poms in the middle and rosettes like these. It's really fun to see what kinds of shapes you can come up with. Wool felt is pretty versatile. I love it so.
The base of the crown is two layers of purple grosgrain ribbon that I used to sandwich the smaller maroon grosgrain ties on either end. I attached the flowers and leaves to the ribbon first with fabric glue, then hand stitched them to reinforce.
I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did. It was lovely. This year we were at home, so that's always magical when you don't have to travel and you can sit around your very own sparkly tree on your very own comfy couch and watch your sleepy-eyed kids have a ball. Since it fell on a Sunday this year, we let the girls see what Santa brought when they woke up. (Santa Claus brings one gift for each and it is not wrapped and ready to play with under the tree.) The rest waited until after worship, when we had a tasty brunch and took our time opening each other's gifts and just enjoying being together. Sigh. It's always such a letdown when it's over.
13 comments:
I always hate it when Christmas is over too! I used to cry every year when I was a kid and then I read a (often disputed) Dr. Suess quote that said, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Have a wonderful new year.ReplyDelete
That flower crown is most awesome, big red flower and all! Those colors are gorgeous.ReplyDelete
So, so pretty! I pinned this!ReplyDelete
Lovely, lovely, lovely! Not a bit of that "too big" silliness.ReplyDelete
What kind of felt did you use???
Hey, y'all. Thanks so much!ReplyDelete
Victoria, disputed or no, a very good saying to live by.
Eve, wool blend and wool felt. You can read more about what I use on my FAQ page.
This is beautiful and I can't wait to make one for a special little girl I know!ReplyDelete
such an inspiration. have you ever heard of the english series of dryad pamphlets? #128 is felt flowers and it changed my life. if you google it all the images are of my humble efforts in that direction. do everything you can to get yourself a copy of this vintage book. or we could swap, a xerox of mine for your six geese a laying christmas ornament (which i breathlessly await).ReplyDelete
FYI, the story of dryad:Delete
Hey, Jeannette, thanks for letting me know about Dryad. That's really cool. I hadn't heard of them. I do love making felt flowers and hope to get back to it at some point. Thanks re: six geese a laying. I still need to release #2, 3, 4, and 5 before I tackle that one. :-) Have a lovely day!Delete
you too, miss larissa. your work gives me such pleasure.Delete
Why on earth do you send me follow ups when I don't want?!Delete
Mignonnie, sorry you are getting unwanted notifications. I don't send them! Blogger does, automatically. You need to turn off your comment notifications in blogger/google. Have a lovely day.Delete
Hello. Enough about me. Let's hear from you! If you post a question, I answer with a reply comment, so be sure to click the 'notify me' box as you post your question to receive the answer via email. Thanks!


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Becky Marsh figures she's slept an average of two hours a night since the Pyeongchang Olympics started.
The diehard Olympics enthusiast from Spruce Grove, Alta., watches the Games daily from the time they start airing live in late afternoon until the wee hours of the morning, when she pulls the couch right in front of the TV and turns the volume down so she doesn't wake up her husband or three kids.
"I nap on the couch for about 10-minute periods and literally watch the Olympics all night long," says Marsh, who works from home.
"I have not missed an event, I have not missed a medal, I have seen them all. I know the channels and I flip back and forth, back and forth, back and forth so that I do not miss one live."
With Korean Standard Time over a dozen hours ahead of this country's times zones (in Alberta, it's a 16-hour time difference), Olympics junkies in Canada have to stay up late or get up at the crack of dawn to catch events live.
Citing data from ratings tracker Numeris, the CBC said Monday that almost two-thirds of all Canadians (65 per cent) have tuned in to CBC/Radio-Canada's coverage of PyeongChang 2018, with a total of 23.4 million in Canada watching at least part of broadcasts across all English and French television network partners and digital streaming simulcasts on the CBC's Olympics websites and its apps. The data was from Feb. 7-11.
For some, like Marsh, it's a labour of love.
The 33-year-old says she's watched every Games since she was a toddler and buys official Olympic clothing for her family to wear during the competition.
"It's not the same getting it second-hand. It's fantastic to watch them live and achieve their goals that they've worked so hard for," she says, noting she played the Paralympic sport goalball for Team Canada for three years and knows the work and dedication that goes into such training.
"I think they're amazing and I cheer like a fool, even if it's three in the morning and I wake up my whole house, knowing that even if they're half a world away and they can't hear me, that I'm probably the loudest person cheering in the whole world."
Lauren Simpson of Toronto is also a lifelong Olympics fan who has been juggling the odd Games hours with her day job and motherhood.
"It doesn't matter the time, I watch every single event," says the 51-year-old activities co-ordinator at a long-term care home.
"When it's something that I love, I am more than happy and willing to wake up at whatever ridiculous time to see it live, because I don't want to hear, 'Oh, did you hear how this person did' or 'Yay, we won another medal.' I really do prefer the experience watching it, whenever possible, live."
On Sunday night and early Monday morning, Simpson had an added reason to tune in live: Her niece, Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., won the gold medal in the team figure skating competition.
"I'm a little bit tired but it's an elated tired," says Simpson, noting she functions well on four or five hours of sleep.
"It's such a short price to pay for being proud of Canada in everything that they do and their accomplishments. When a flag gets hoisted and I see someone winning a medal and they get to stand on that podium in front of thousands in person and millions on TV, there mustn't be a better feeling in the world.
"It does sometimes bring me to tears, just the experience of watching them take it all in."
Shireen Jeejeebhoy of Toronto is equally enthusiastic about the Games but is feeling the fatigue, noting "the odd hours are just really confusing and tiring."
"The weird time zone differences kind of blur all of the events together and makes it difficult to know what day you're in," says the 55-year-old writer and photographer.
"I set my alarm for the opening ceremony so I wouldn't miss anything…. I tried to do that the next day, do the same thing, but it's very, very tiring to do that.
"So instead I seem to be staying up much later, like midnight, 1 a.m."
Still, it's worth it, adds Jeejeebhoy: "There's an excitement and fear and thrill about watching live TV that you don't get watching tape-delayed or packaged."
Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press


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That's right folks! As of today, this blog has moved over to the AGU Blogosphere! So, head over to check out my new digs and update your bookmarks and RSS feeds While you're there, take a look at the other excellent blogs that are part of the network.
I'll keep cross-posting here for a little while to give you a little time to make the switch, but pretty soon this version of the blog will be retired.


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Commuters eagerly awaiting the debut of a Brighton commuter rail station, courtesy of New Balance, will have to wait a while longer.
The Boston Landing commuter rail station — originally scheduled to open this year — is now expected to open in 2016, as developers have realized the planning process and construction work will require more time than originally expected.
For residents and business owners in the neighborhood eager for new public transportation options, the new expected completion date is a letdown. But the protracted timeline also illustrates some of the potential inconveniences of the state's new push for public-private partnerships: When private companies foot the bill for major infrastructure projects, the state may find itself beholden to their timeline.
The commuter rail station, on the Worcester-Framingham line, is estimated to cost $14 million to $16 million and is financed by New Boston Landing LLC, New Balance's development company. It would provide service to the shoe company's scores of employees, as well as direct access to the company's planned Boston Landing development, a complex of restaurants, shops, a hotel, and athletic facilities under construction.
Additionally, the station is viewed as an act of goodwill to New Balance's neighbors, providing the lone commuter rail station between the Fenway and Newton.
Two years ago, New Balance spokeswoman Amy Dow said construction of the station was anticipated to conclude in 2014. At a meeting of the state Department of Transportation board's finance committee last year, the expected opening date changed to mid- to-late 2015. Now, Dow says, fall 2016 has become the new completion date, after engineers and construction experts ironed out the scope and details of the project.
"We were probably a little aggressive coming out the gate, as there are a lot of moving parts to the commuter rail station project and process," Dow said in an e-mail.
New Boston Landing's contract with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shows an estimated completion date of July 2016, although the document states that the company donating the station "shall have the right to reasonably adjust or extend the dates set forth . . . for completion."
MassDOT spokesman Mike Verseckes said the project is now adhering to the schedule outlined in that agreement. Even so, the agency has little recourse if construction runs longer, he said. After all, the state's not paying for it, so the timeline is out of its hands.
"Even if it was behind schedule, there aren't any financial penalties because the private entity has agreed to foot that bill," Verseckes said.
News of the station's later opening date is further disappointment for residents who have also hoped for a rail station near Allston Village; MassDOT officials said last week they have no immediate plans to make that project a reality.
Ali Carter, executive director of Brighton Main Streets, said community members have been anxiously awaiting the station's debut. Some hope to commute in from the western suburbs, and others envision using the trains for quick access to jobs in the Financial District. Locals wish the station would open sooner, but have also been pleased with New Balance's efforts to seek feedback from the community.
"As much as everyone wants everything to be up and running soon," Carter said, "New Balance is doing everything right in getting community feedback. . . . I think that actually goes a long way to people being patient with them."
It is an issue that the state could encounter more frequently in the future, as the Transportation Department considers other opportunities for public-private partnerships.
One year ago, the Transportation Department launched a commission to help usher in more partnerships with the private sector. Now, that commission is mulling the idea of enlisting a private company to build a new bridge to Cape Cod, where the developer could potentially charge tolls and collect the revenue.
Steve Poftak, executive director of Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard's Kennedy School, said that in a project like Boston Landing, where a private company is ultimately paying the bill, it can be difficult to negotiate financial penalties for late construction.
"In this project, there's not a huge impact caused by this delay," Poftak said. "It's inconvenient to people, but it doesn't critically impact infrastructure in any way. To make the deal happen, you wouldn't build in some sort of punitive risk package. Then the private entity wouldn't want to make the deal."
But if the state embarks on public-private partnerships related to higher-stakes infrastructure projects — affecting roads, bridges, or tracks already used by commuters — it would be necessary for state officials to take a harder look at negotiating for financial penalties, even if it is not the state paying for the project.
"When you don't make it economically compelling to get the project done on schedule, than it's less pressing for them to finish when they say they will," Poftak said.
Martine Powers can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @martinepowers.


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Americans fall short despite Howard's massive effort
SALVADOR, Brazil At the end, the Americans fell to the grass because they had nothing left. They somehow had made it this far, to the Round of 16.
Spent after a 2-1 loss to Belgium on Tuesday, after 120 minutes, the U.S. players finally got up and exchanged jerseys. This was a game to remember, in so many imperfect ways.
When Julian Green scored in the 107th minute, the Americans had hope, but simply ran out of time. Once again they were eliminated in extra time of the World Cup.
From the start, it was clear. If the Americans were to beat Belgium and its galaxy of young stars, Tim Howard would have to be the best player on the field. Through 90 minutes, he was just that as the Americans forced Belgium into extra time after a scoreless tie.
"It's heartbreaking," said an emotional Howard after the game. "I don't think we could give anymore. It's heartbreaking. It hurts."
After all those shots, "(The) levee is going to break at some point," he said.
"Obviously, it's a bummer," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "We were so close. I think we can all be very proud of this team. What they've done the past couple of weeks has been unbelievable, outstanding. They pushed Belgium to the limit ... it could have gone either way and this is how these knockout games are.
"At the end, you need a little bit of luck, that it's going your way," he added. "Today, we didn't have that."
At the end of the game after 16 saves, Howard was named Man of the Match, in a performance that will be remembered as one of the best by a U.S. keeper. Belgium had 38 attempts on goal, the U.S. had 15.
In Salvador, the city of salvation, Howard almost single-handedly saved the day for the Americans. With 104 international appearances and 55 wins, both U.S. records for his position, Howard's legacy is secure. A trip to the quarterfinals would have boosted it considerably. But his 16 saves and impossible leap
s and tips over the post, did the same.
"We know how important Tim is to us," Klinsmann said. "He's done a tremendous job keeping us in that game on many occasions. He was just doing his job. Everybody on the field gave everything they had. You just need a little bit of luck and we didn't have that today. But I think everybody can be proud of their team."
Howard also praised the Belgians, saying they were "fantastic."
"The dream falls short, but this is an incredible group," Howard, 35, said of his teammates. "I will never forget this night."
In the opening minute, Howard made his first save of the day on a challenge from Divock Origi. And so it went during a frenetic game which was riveting until the final second. Finally, in the 93rd minute, Belgium broke through as Kevin DeBruyne found a pocket, past Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez, and squeezed it inside Howard's right-hand post for the goal.
Belgium then poured it on in the 106th minute when Romelu Lukaku, still fuming for not getting the start, took out his frustration on the ball with a close-range goal. Belgium went ahead 2-0, and the Americans' hopes dimmed. The Americans had hoped to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, but on this day, the better team won. Belgium, considered a dark horse at the start of the tournament, will play Argentina, and Lionel Messi, on Saturday in Brasilia.
Though the Americans will leave Brazil disappointed, failing to capitalize on the enormous interest back home, few expected the Americans to get this far, to still be alive after the Group of Death.
To his credit, coach Jurgen Klinsmann seemingly pushed the right buttons. When he brought Green onto the roster, and kept Landon Donovan home, he was widely criticized. But in extra time, he looked like a genius.
Klinsmann never met a lineup he didn't want to jumble and Tuesday's was no exception. Geoff Cameron and Gonzalez were both in the starting lineup, and defensive specialist Kyle Beckerman sat his first game. Jozy Altidore, and his strained left hamstring, was deemed fit to play but did not see action.
In the first half, the Americans lost their best fullback, Fabian Johnson, who went out with a strained hamstring. DeAndre Yedlin, all of 20 and once a long shot to make the roster, found himself battling against mega-star Eden Hazard.
The Red Devils are full of stars from big clubs around the world, from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City to Bayern Munich to Chelsea. The U.S. has a decidedly lower profile. The team's best field players Tuesday: One is in between contracts and last played for Puebla in Mexico (DaMarcus Beasley). Another plays for Sporting Kansas City (Matt Besler).
On paper, and in the number of zeros on their paychecks, the Americans were overmatched.
According to Transfermarkt — a site that estimates what players' values would be on the transfer market — Belgium's roster was the sixth-highest in the World Cup, the U.S. just 26th.
Argentina 1, Switzerland 0
Angel di Maria scores in the 118th minute to give Argentina a victory against Switzerland and a quarterfinal berth. Story, 3C


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In a website release earlier this year, NOAA proudly announced the extensive involvement of its officers in IPCC as lead authors, review authors and even the co-chair of IPCC WG1,
Susan Solomon, a senior scientist of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., is co-chair of Working Group 1 (WG1), the Physical Science Basis. Nine of the lead and review authors are from NOAA and 20 of the model runs were done by the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J. Lead authors are nominated by their governments.
NOAA authors and IPCC review editors for WG1 include Thomas Peterson, David Easterling, Thomas Karl, Sidney Levitus, Mark Eakin, Matthew Menne of the NOAA Satellite and Information Service; and Venkatachala. Ramaswamy, David Fahey, Ronald Stouffer, Isaac Held, Jim Butler , Paul Ginoux, John Ogren , Chet Koblinsky, Dian Seidel, Robert Webb, Randy Dole, Martin Hoerling of the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and Arun Kumar of the NOAA National Weather Service.
In addition, a cadre of NOAA scientists from the laboratories and programs, including the joint and cooperative institutes, served as contributors and government reviewers of the final report, which is a state of the science based upon published peer-review literature.
Referring to this story, I submitted an FOI request to NOAA about a month ago for the review comments (now online at IPCC) and the review editors comments, reported at CA here. Here is an excerpt:
I request that a copy of any NOAA records (documents, memoranda, review comments, reports, internal and external correspondence or mail including e-mail correspondence and attachments to or from NOAA employees) be provided to me on the following subjects:
(1) review comments on (a) the Second Order Draft and (b) the Final Draft of the Fourth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I, including, but not limited to, all expert, government and review editor comments;
(2) all annotated responses to such comments by Chapter Lead Authors.
I noted that all my email correspondence with Susan Solomon and Martin Manning had been with their noaa.gov email address.
A.R. Ravishankara, Director, Chemical Sciences Division, Earth Systems Research Laboratory/NOAA (where Susan Solomon and Martin Manning work) has now replied as follows:
"You have asked for copies of NOAA records concerning review comments on the second order draft and the final draft of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC Working Group 1. In addition, you have asked for all annotated responses to such comments by chapter authors.
After reviewing our files. we have determined that we have no NOAA records responsive to your request. If records exist that are responsive to you request, they would be records of the IPCC and as such can be requested from the IPCC…"
Their strategy is a little different than Phil Jones, who claimed that his records were "exempt". NOAA did not avail itself of any of the possible exemptions for the request – it denied that it had any records whatever. In many FOI regimes, email messages are producible. I don't know the American law but I imagine it's not dissimilar from Canadian FOI law where, for example, the University of Victoria's policy specifically says that "E-mail messages created on University computer equipment and transmitted using the University's e-mail system are University records." If there is no similar policy at NOAA, I'd be shocked.
A guide to FOI from senior officials says that "most records in the possession of an agency are "agency records" within the meaning of FOIA.
The 1996 FOIA amendments affirm the general policy that any record, regardless of the form in which it is stored, that is in the possession and control of a Federal agency is usually considered to be an agency record under the FOIA. Although the FOIA occasionally uses terms other than record,' including information' and matter,' the definition of record' made by the 1996 amendments should leave no doubt about the breadth of the policy or the interchangability of terms
A document that does not qualify as an agency record' may be denied because only agency records are available under the FOIA. Personal notes of agency employees may be denied on this basis. However, most records in the possession of an agency are agency records' within the meaning of the FOIA.
What NOAA is arguing, among other things, is that email to and from NOAA employees on NOAA computers about IPCC review comments is the property of IPCC, rather than NOAA. Suppose that this established a precedent. Let's say that NOAA employees decided to act as reviewers of pornographic videos sent to them by the International Pornography Council and they were caught. Could they argue that the videos on NOAA computers were records of the International Pornography Council and outside the disciplinary scope of NOAA? Of course not. Or think of this another way: if the emails on NOAA computers are IPCC property, then IPCC should be able to exert control over the emails. If IPCC told NOAA to delete all correspondence involving them, would NOAA be obligated to follow their instructions? I doubt it. I can't imagine a court finding that records on NOAA computers were not NOAA records.
Now the issue has, for the most part, become somewhat moot with the IPCC release of the review comments and responses (although the review editor comments, included in my request to NOAA, are still not online.) As a Canadian, it's hard for me to take much umbrage at NOAA's actions and I'm surprised to some extent at having standing. Nonetheless, this sort of action by a government agency is annoying (but it's bad policy to be annoyed because you have to expect a run-around from government officials.) I presume that Americans who submitted similar requests will get similar replies. It appears that there is an appeal provision and I'll probably avail myself of that facility.
The three monkeys? See no records, hear no records, got no records.


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'Fast & Furious': The EW Cover
The day was June 22, 2001. George W. Bush was midway through the first year of his presidency. TNT had just reinvented itself with the slogan "We Know Drama." Annoying suburban children across this country were thrilling to the pop-punk sounds of Blink-182's latest album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. And a movie called The Fast and the Furious was hitting theaters, opening the same weekend as Dr. Dolittle 2. It was teen-dreamboat Paul Walker's first starring role. It more or less invented the idea of Vin Diesel, Action Star. And it launched one of the most surprising and durable franchises in modern Hollywood — which looks poised to have its biggest moment yet with Fast & Furious 6, opening Memorial Day.
In this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly, we explore how, over the course of six films that initially seemed only tenuously linked together, Fast built up one of the most diverse casts around. (From the very first film, says Walker, "We had the Asian guys, the Latino club. We had Vin: What is he?") But if the franchise's casting has been progressive, its thrills have been cheerfully old-school: In a sea of superheroes fighting digital monsters using digital superpowers on digital backlots, the Fast series is a proudly retrograde action movie. Director Justin Lin, who's steered the franchise since Tokyo Drift, prefers practical effects whenever possible: "The best visual effects are the ones where you can't tell, where nobody knows that they exist."
Lin was key in navigating Fast toward its current VIP spot on the summer movie calendar. On the set of Tokyo Drift, he talked to Diesel about turning the franchise into a saga. (Lin cites an unlikely inspiration for the Fast series' sprawling mythology. Hint: Thank you for being a friend.) Diesel came on as a producer with the cast-reunion episode Fast & Furious, and he's already looking ahead to a third Fast & Furious trilogy. When asked about Fast 6, he says, "When this film comes out, quite frankly, there's gonna be some real Oscar watch." You heard it here first, Breznican!
For more on Fast & Furious, including a complete guide to all six films, pick up this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday, May 10th.