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The return of Beast Mode. A division title on the line. Possible home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Those are the intriguing story lines of the juiciest matchup of the NFL's final week of the regular season. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks square off in a Sunday night showdown that will have a postseason feel.
The 49ers (12-3) travel to Seattle to take on Russell Wilson and the Seahawks (11-4), with the winner capturing the NFC West. San Francisco would clinch home-field advantage throughout by winning, while Seattle could host until the Super Bowl with a victory and losses by both Green Bay and New Orleans.
"We know this is going to be a hostile environment, 'Sunday Night Football,' so, can't wait for it," 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said.
The loser would enter the playoffs with an NFC wild-card berth.
"It's a very special week for us," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "It's the last week of the season, playing for everything, for a division and all that. We're very fortunate to be in that situation. It is what we aim for. It's always what we look toward and we always wonder if the chance to do something like this is going to happen at home or on the road.
"We're thrilled we'll be here."
CenturyLink Field will have a familiar face coming back "home" in running back Marshawn Lynch, who re-signed with Seattle on Monday after injuries to Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny left a void in the Seahawks' backfield.
"It's a great feeling to be back," Lynch said in a 15-second news conference.
Never one to be chatty off the field, Lynch made his marks — literally — with his tough, physical "Beast Mode" style of running. The 33-year-old Lynch hasn't played since midway through last season with Oakland, but is expected to play for Seattle on Sunday in the team's biggest game of the season.
"Only one person can pull this off and that's No. 24," linebacker K.J. Wright said of Lynch, who played for the Seahawks from 2010-15. "Back in the building, it feels good. When I heard the news I was like, 'Perfect.' He's just the ultimate teammate, cool dude, just ballin'. I'm glad to have him back."
GREEN BAY (12-3) at DETROIT (3-11-1)
The Packers will certainly keep an eye on the 49ers-Seahawks game, especially if they beat the lowly Lions and clinch a first-round bye. Aaron Rodgers and Co. would also wrap up home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs if San Francisco loses.
Rodgers will also be going for an individual milestone. He needs 321 yards passing to become the sixth player in NFL history with eight seasons of at 4,000.
Meanwhile, the Lions have lost eight straight games, the team's longest skid since finishing the 2012 season with eight consecutive losses. Detroit is 0-7 since losing quarterback Matthew Stafford and would finish with the second-worst record in the NFL with a loss and a win by Washington over Dallas.
NEW ORLEANS (12-3) at CAROLINA (5-10)
Drew Brees and the Saints are another team whose playoff travel plans could be affected by the game on Sunday night. New Orleans can clinch home-field advantage in the NFC with a win and losses or ties by either San Francisco or Green Bay. The Saints could also do it with a tie and losses by both the 49ers and Packers.
Speaking of Brees, he has completed an NFL-high 75.3% of his passes this season, which puts him on pace to eclipse his single-season record 74.4% from last year. He also enters as the career leader in yards passing with 77,163, and TD passes with 544 — five ahead of New England's Tom Brady.
The Panthers, who'll be looking for a new coach after Ron Rivera was fired, have lost seven straight and turn again to rookie quarterback Will Grier to make his second NFL start. Christian McCaffery, whose 109 receptions are an NFL record for a running back, needs 67 yards receiving to become only the third player in league history with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.
PHILADELPHIA (8-7) at NEW YORK GIANTS (4-11)
The soaring Eagles have won three straight and can clinch the NFC East with a win over the division-rival Giants.
Philadelphia has beaten New York six consecutive times, and 10 of 11, so it would make sense for the Eagles to be confident about their chances. Philly could still win the division with a loss — as long as Dallas also loses at home to Washington.
The Giants have won their last two, with rookie Daniel Jones coming off a game in which he threw a career-best five touchdowns in an overtime win over the Redskins. Jones' 23 TD passes are a franchise record for a rookie despite him playing in only 12 games.
WASHINGTON (3-12) at DALLAS (7-8)
The Cowboys whiffed on a chance to control their playoff scenario with their clunker at Philadelphia. Dallas now needs to beat the Redskins at home — and hope the Eagles stumble on the road against the New York Giants.
Coach Jason Garrett enters the game with his future with the Cowboys uncertain after a 3-0 start with big expectations was overshadowed by a 4-8 stretch that featured two three-game skids.
Dallas has won eight of its last 10 against the Redskins, who will have Case Keenum at quarterback after Dwayne Haskins was hurt last week. Keenum hasn't started since sustaining a concussion on Oct. 24 at Minnesota.
TENNESSEE (8-7) at HOUSTON (10-5)
The Texans have already wrapped up the AFC South, winning the division for the fourth time in five games. But they'll take on a Titans team trying to earn a second playoff berth in three seasons.
Tennessee is in if it wins — and would ensure the team's fourth straight winning season, its longest stretch since 1987-93 when the franchise was in Houston. The Titans, who have lost seven consecutive games at the Texans, could still make the postseason with a loss, but would also need Pittsburgh to lose and Indianapolis lose or tie.
A win for Deshaun Watson and the Texans would give them consecutive 11-victory seasons for the first time in franchise history.
PITTSBURGH (8-7) at BALTIMORE (13-2)
The Ravens have already clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC and will rest several starters, including quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram.
That will put their franchise-best 11-game winning streak in jeopardy against a Steelers team still in the playoff hunt.
Pittsburgh, which will start Devlin "Duck" Hodges for the fifth straight game, has a few postseason scenarios, but the easiest has them beating the Ravens and having Tennessee lose at Houston. If they make it, the Steelers would become only the 15th team since 1970 to reach the playoffs after opening a season 1-4.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-10) at KANSAS CITY (11-4)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs can still earn the AFC's No. 2 overall seed and a first-round playoff bye with a victory over the Chargers and a loss by New England to the Dolphins.
Kansas City, which has won four straight AFC West titles, is 10-1 in its last 11 against Los Angeles, the lone loss coming last season at Arrowhead Stadium.
There could be some extra motivation for the Chargers, who might have Philip Rivers under center for the final time. His contract expires after the season and he's having arguably the worst year of his career with 24 turnovers, including 18 interceptions that tie him for second most in the NFL.
MIAMI (4-11) at NEW ENGLAND (12-3)
Tom Brady and the Patriots have already clinched the AFC East for the 11th straight season, and a win over the division-rival Dolphins would give them a first-round playoff bye for the 10th year in a row.
A victory would also give New England eight 13-win seasons, one behind San Francisco in NFL history. But, wait ... there's more. The Patriots have a chance to sweep their division opponents (Dolphins, Bills and Jets) for the third time, joining the 2007 and '12 squads.
If you're looking for some intrigue in this one, there's maybe this: New England's top-ranked defense hasn't allowed a 300-yard passer in 24 straight games, but could be tested by Miami's Ryan Fitzpatrick. Last week, Fitzpatrick joined Dan Marino as the only players in franchise history to throw for 400 yards and four touchdowns in a game.
OAKLAND (7-8) at DENVER (6-9)
Jon Gruden's guys still have a long-shot chance at making the playoffs. No, really, they do. But the Raiders need a ton of help to make it to the postseason for the second time since 2002.
First off, Oakland needs to beat Denver, of course. Then the Raiders need losses by Tennessee and Pittsburgh; a victory by Indianapolis; and at least one win by New England, Chicago, Detroit or the Chargers.
Whew. Got at all that?
The Broncos' best defense — well, other than Von Miller — might be the weather. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has lost nine straight when the temperature is 50 degrees or below. The forecast in Denver on Sunday is expected to be a high of 36 degrees.
ARIZONA (5-9-1) at LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-7)
So long, Coliseum.
The Rams wrap up a disappointing season, playing their final game at the 96-year-old stadium before moving into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood next season.
The Rams are looking to secure a third consecutive winning season for the first time since 1999-2001 when the franchise was in St. Louis. But this one would be hollow considering the Rams were in the Super Bowl a year ago.
Arizona could be without rookie quarterback Kyler Murray (hamstring injury). The Cardinals will also have to contend with some matchup history: Rams coach Sean McVay has never lost to Arizona, going 5-0, and Los Angeles has scored at least 31 points and allowed no more than 16 in each of those games — which is unmatched in any five-game rivalry stretch in NFL history.
CHICAGO (7-8) at MINNESOTA (10-5)
The Vikings are locked into the sixth seed in the NFC after clinching a playoff berth for the third time in six seasons under coach Mike Zimmer.
Minnesota could reach some rare territory with a win, which would get the Vikings to 11 for just the fourth time in the last 19 seasons.
The Bears had a big-time letdown a year after winning the NFC North at 12-4, and will miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. Despite that, Matt Nagy (19-12) can pass George Halas for the most wins by a Bears coach in his first two seasons with a victory Sunday.
NEW YORK JETS (6-9) at BUFFALO (10-5)
These teams finish the regular season together after beginning it together, with the Bills rallying from a 16-0 third-quarter deficit to win 17-16 in Week 1.
Buffalo has already clinched a playoff spot and coach Sean McDermott has said the starters will play, but they might not finish this one. A victory would give the Bills their most wins in a season since going 11-5 in 1999.
The revenge-minded Jets need a victory to avoid setting a franchise-worst streak of fourth straight seasons with double-digit losses. One side note: Sam Darnold's 35 TD passes are two shy of Joe Namath's franchise record for the most in a player's first two seasons.
INDIANAPOLIS (7-8) at JACKSONVILLE (5-10)
Jacoby Brissett and the Colts need a win to avoid their second losing season in three years. It appeared a lock just a few weeks ago, but Indianapolis lost four straight until beating Carolina last week.
The Colts have defeated the Jaguars in two of the last three meetings, but Jacksonville has won four straight at home against Indianapolis.
Jacksonville, which is likely in for big changes in the offseason, has lost six of its last seven — all by double digits.
CLEVELAND (6-9) at CINCINNATI (1-14)
The season began with huge expectations for Baker Mayfield and the Browns, but will finish in bitter disappointment as Cleveland extends the NFL's longest current postseason drought to 17 years.
The spotlight is on coach Freddie Kitchens, who could be done after just one season — and a loss to the lowly Bengals could seal his fate.
The Bengals have already clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in April, but could also make some dubious franchise history. A loss would leave Cincinnati with the worst record in the team's 52 years, surpassing the 2002 squad under Dick LeBeau that went 2-14.
ATLANTA (6-9) at TAMPA BAY (7-8)
A matchup of AFC South also-rans could quickly develop into a passing game clinic, with the Buccaneers ranking first in the NFL in yards passing and the Falcons third.
Not only that: The Falcons' Matt Ryan and Buccaneers' Jameis Winston are the only players with at least 10 300-yard passing games this season.
It has been a strange year for Winston, who leads the NFL with 4,908 yards passing and needs just 92 to become the first 5,000-yard passer in franchise history. His 31 TD throws are a single-season team record, but Winston also leads the league with an eye-popping 28 interceptions. Tampa Bay will have to make a tough decision in the offseason on Winston, who's due to become a free agent.
The Falcons announced Friday that coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff would be returning next season.
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


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After the mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz. of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a federal judge and other bystanders, President Obama gave one of those unite-the-divide speeches that give journalists leg thrills. We need to "sharpen our instincts for empathy," he said.
He lamented political finger-pointing: "It's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." The initial speculation was that conservatives were responsible for the Tucson horror. Even after this proved to be false, the attacks were relentless, with a barrage of media reports on the alleged excesses and mean-spiritedness of the Tea Party and all things right of center.
On Labor Day, Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. was in Detroit addressing a rally starring the president. Hoffa told Obama there was a "war on workers," and the unions were Obama's "army." He said: "We are ready to march. Let's take these sons of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong." Obama then showed up and said that voters would be looking for "straight shooters." The rhetoric was just fine by him.
The same media that mercilessly attacked conservatives after the Giffords shooting couldn't ignore this, you say? True, the venue was too high profile: a union leader at an Obama rally on Labor Day. While ABC, CBS and NBC were compelled to notice, there was virtually no outrage. Indeed, The Washington Post and The New York Times skipped right over it.
So much for "all the news that's fit to print."
Were a conservative -- Perry, Palin, Bachmann -- to talk in martial terms about "taking out" the opponent, the media headlines would immediately scream "Conservatives Threaten President." Minutes later, there would be calls on the Justice Department to investigate this physical threat.
But leftists can use these terms at will. A month ago, Politico reported on an anonymous Democratic strategist with White House ties declaring, "Unless things change and Obama can run on accomplishments, he will have to kill Romney." ABC, CBS and NBC skipped that one. The Post and the Times stepped over it, too.
On Aug. 22, at a Congressional Black Caucus event in Miami, Congressman Andre Carson, D-Ind., said, "Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens...Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party would love to see you and me...hanging on a tree."
Carson clearly didn't think about talking "in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." But ABC, CBS and NBC all skipped that one, too, as did the Post. The New York Times ran a brief item on how Rep. Allen West was thinking about quitting the Black Caucus over Carson's remarks.
NPR noticed this tape on Aug. 24 and played it on the afternoon show "Talk of the Nation." Political director Ken Rudin said "Listeners should know that we talked about whether to air this tape or not. But if a Republican had said something like this, you know, something outrageous like this, we would of course say it, use it, because it just shows the extremes that people have gone to."
Good for Rudin. But he was the exception. Most media outlets ignored these extreme comments without blinking, or had a discussion that ended with the order "Spike it."
Normally, an expose of alleged conservative rhetorical excess is followed by the pressure to apologize. In Hoffa's case, however, there's been none. Not only that, but when asked, Democratic Party Chairman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz flat-out rejected the notion. "I know you'd like to focus on language, that's not what the American people are focused on," she told Fox News.
This is especially rich, since Wasserman-Schultz is a close friend of Giffords and made the rounds of TV interviews in January to discuss the dangerous talk in (conservative) politics. She told Katie Couric on CBS the first thing her daughter asked her was "Mommy, are you going to get shot?" She claimed her little girl worried that "'Mommy, Florida's going to pass an immigration law like Arizona and then people are going to be mad at you.' You know, they're paying attention. The civil discourse is very important because it's not just -- it's not just adults that -- that this permeates. It's our children."
If the networks had any interest in fairness or balance, they'd be asking the Democratic National Committee chair to denounce the harsh language. So what's worse, the hypocrisy of Obama and Co.? Or the aid and comfort provided by the "news" media when they ignore that hypocrisy?

subset: commoncrawl


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How to Upgrade Seats with the TMI Products Sport XR
Improve driving comfort and interior appearance with TMI's Sport XR seating
As much as we love to drive our vintage Mustangs, it is a well-known fact that a drive of any distance starts to get the backside burning. A vintage Mustang can certainly be made more comfortable; just give the Internet a quick search and you'll see plenty of owners upgrading to late-model Mustang seats or even aftermarket performance seating. Sometimes you can find a deal on used Mustang seats, but generally aftermarket seats are going to run several hundreds of dollars, not including the required mounting brackets.
TMI Products has offered concours quality interior parts, including upholstery kits, headliners, door panels, and more, for over 20 years. Their Sport upholstery line, introduced several years ago, was TMI's first salvo in upgrading the vintage Mustang's interior with an eye towards extended driving comfort while retaining a stock appearance. The Sport seat upholstery and matching foam (with enhanced bolsters) offered firmer seating that supported the back and thighs while the bolsters enhanced spirited driving for track days (or that favorite highway on-ramp). The Sport line sold well and expanded to door panels, package trays, and add-on consoles for the Mustang.
Recently, TMI has added to the Sport series with their new Sport X and Sport XR upholstery, which debuted at the 2013 SEMA show and will be available by the time you read this from any TMI dealer. The Sport X upholstery and foam series includes more aggressive bolstering in stock-appearing sew patterns, and is available in all stock Mustang interior vinyl colors with French seam contrast stitching instead of the stock Sport upholstery's OE piping. Matching door panels are available in the Sport R line as well. The Sport XR takes the Sport X up a notch to something a bit sportier in appearance, yet still uses the stock Mustang seat frames (like all Sport-based TMI kits). The Sport XR updates include unisuede inserts, stainless styling rings down the middle of the sew pattern (in bright or black stainless) with contrast color behind the rings, and optional custom vinyl colors and patterns like perforated, carbon fiber look, and more. Even leather is available for those wanting the best.
Taking your stock interior up a notch for comfort and style is simply a matter of contacting TMI and discussing the various trim options and colors and then waiting for the big brown truck to show up at your door with your new interior. The foam and upholstery install with hog rings like a stock seat upholstery kit, so installation is certainly a DIY-affair.
The '65 Mustang seen here has an aging stock black interior that severely detracts from the lightly restomodded exterior's looks. Owner Brian Stilwell first considered replacing the interior with the stock upholstery, or even upgrading to the Mustang's Interior Décor group with Pony seats and door panels, but like the exterior, Brian wanted to customize it without losing the instantly recognizable classic looks. Upon seeing photos of TMI's new Sport X and Sport XR interior products, Brian knew exactly how to take his interior to the next level with new upholstery, door panels, and even one of TMI's new Sport consoles. Brian ordered TMI's Sport XR upholstery in black vinyl/unisuede with a center contrast stripe to match his Mustang's Poppy Red exterior color and we tagged along, camera in hand, to see how easy it can be to go from worn and torn to fresh and firm. The results speak for themselves!
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A new study has found that more than two-thirds of healthy American adults have been infected with at least one strain of human papillomavirus (HPV), but a "delicate balancing" act across 109 different strains frequently renders the sexually-transmitted disease dormant and harmless.
The study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center sampled DNA from 103 men and women, and found at least one strain of the virus in 69% of the subjects. Nearly 4% had one of two strains known to cause cervical cancer, throat cancer and genital warts.
The researchers also found that the various strains tend to interact and offset symptoms in a balancing act reminiscent of a bacterial environment.
"Our study offers initial and broad evidence of a seemingly 'normal' HPV viral biome in people that does not necessarily cause disease and that could very well mimic the highly varied bacterial environment in the body, or microbiome, which is key to maintaining good health," said lead researcher Zhiheng Pei.
This article was written by Dan Kedmey and originally appeared on Time.com.


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Sunday, December 5, 2010
What's Wrong With This Picture? Travels in Southern California
In my high school days, I ran cross country, and we trained in the foothills and across the alluvial fans at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains beneath Cucamonga and Ontario Peaks (8,859 and 8,693 feet respectively). I liked exploring the chaparral country, especially after the spring rains, and in those days, the fans were undeveloped. They were considered sort of a wasteland, too rocky to grow citrus or graze cows, as was done in the flatter valleys below.
It was quite a shock, then, to visit some relatives who lived in one of the newer developments, tucked right up against the mountains. In many third-world countries, people live in the marginal environments in shanties. In Southern California, they live in two story mansions.
So here are my questions for the day: How many natural hazards can people in the developments above, at the base of the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, reasonably expect to experience at some point in their lives? What is the geological cost of living in beautiful Southern California? And how many of these hazards are spelled out in the mortgage papers these folks sign?
8 comments:
- Cian said...
I wonder about those questions up here in the San Francisco Bay area, too. While searching for a parking space in the pouring rain tonight, I saw a bunch of cars parked on the edge of a highly eroded grassy drop-off on a hillside and thought "are you kidding?!" I think part of the challenge is that, with a little knowledge, you suddenly see hazards everywhere. Most folks just assume "they wouldn't let us live here if it wasn't safe!"
- December 6, 2010 at 12:37 AM
- biobabbler said...
So true. On a (for me very rare) fire assignment when Idaho and Montana were burning up, public response to their house burning up was highly varied. My favorite was a man who said, well, if you live out in the forest, you might lose it all. That's the way it is. That was refreshing vs. being mad a firefighters who weren't willing to die for your furniture. (ps fire, flood, earthquake potential?)
- December 6, 2010 at 7:36 AM
At the base of the mountains, they're close to a fault (the Sierra Madre fault?). They're also at risk for wildfires, debris flows, landslides and wild critters moving into their yards.
That last might not sound bad -- "Look everybody, there's a bear using our jacuzzi! How cute!" But the reality includes coyotes eating your pets, skunks spraying under your house, rattlesnakes on your front porch and disease carrying insects.
However, let's put this in perspective. There's no place that has no natural hazards. As I tell my students: If you don't like earthquakes, you can move to North Dakota or Florida (the states with the fewest 'quakes). You'll have blizzards or hurricanes (and rednecks) instead!
- December 6, 2010 at 9:51 AM
- Gaelyn said...
Many people are totally ignorant of the potential for all the above mentioned "natural disasters" when buying a house. Offers a great view right?
- December 6, 2010 at 10:15 AM
I am really thinking that all you need to know to sell real estate is that people want to hear the words, "Great view." Then they're sold, and there never is any forethought to the potential downside to that great view.
Up here, it's flat as a pancake, so the only 'great view' is to have riverfront property. And that was fine until we started having all these floods 15 years ago. Now the city is buying these people's property and putting up dikes, and the only thing they want to do is complain that they aren't getting enough for their house. (Like anyone else is going to buy it knowing the flood hazard now.)
- December 7, 2010 at 5:31 AM
- Heather H. said...
That's so true. Even up here in Canada people are often too concerned about their view and are really ignorant when it comes to potential landslides and other downsides. A house on a steep terrain can have a beautiful view of the mountains with no other houses in sight, but the bill for the geologists...Up here you also have to worry about the snowstorms in winter, so people have to be sure they've got a good roof!
- December 8, 2010 at 5:21 AM
- trav4adventures said...
I believe your last question, "And how many of these hazards are spelled out in the mortgage papers these folks sign?" is a very important one. Yes, earthquakes are one thing, but mudslides and fires are also hazards for these areas. Look at all the McMansions built in the foothills of Arcadia. Aye! I remember all the times the San Gabriels burned while I was a kid growing up, yet builders continue to build homes on them.
- December 26, 2010 at 6:00 AM
- Malcolm V L said...
What about building entire cities on a Holocene delta of silt/clay/loam that has an extreme rating in terms of liquefaction potential. Sure they pound the sediments down, but these west coast cities are going to see property values plummet once that megathrust snaps loose.
I'd rather take my chances living in the foothills, where I can make a lot of visual assessments of landslide tracks and read up on underlying geology, and find the sweet spot. Otherwise its glacial uplands FTW!
- January 1, 2011 at 12:52 PM


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Millions gathering worldwide to ring in new year
ADELAIDE, Australia — Multicolored starbusts and gigantic sparklers lit the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour in a dazzling fireworks show witnessed by 1.5 million enthusiastic spectators who camped out all day to ring in the new year.
Sydney touted its claim to be the New Year's Eve capital of the world with a spectacular display over the iconic Harbour Bridge using 7 tons of fireworks, its largest since 2000.
"Stunning, beautiful," said Cinthya Romo, 32, a Sydney-based interpreter from Chile who watched the 12-minute fireworks show from the Opera House.
As the clock ticked closer to 2011, cities across Asia readied for midnight events ranging from traditional prayers in Japan to a massive pyrotechnic display in the shape of a dragon in Taiwan. Europeans were looking forward to celebrations that could help them forget their economic worries.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered along Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor to watch fireworks explode from the roofs of 10 of the city's most famous buildings. Shoppers bustled among the glittering malls and hotels on both sides of the harbor as they waited for the midnight countdown in a night of cool, clear weather.
At Japan's Zojoji temple in central Tokyo, founded in 1393, monks chanted as thousands packed in to count down until midnight. Revelers released a mass of silver balloons carrying notes with their hopes for the future, as the temple's giant 15-ton bell rang in the background.
A few hours earlier, New Zealand and many South Pacific island nations were first to see in new year.
New Zealanders sang and danced their way into 2011, with firework displays and sold-out concerts entertaining revelers. In the biggest city, Auckland, explosions of red, gold and white burst over the Sky Tower while tens of thousands shouted, danced and sang in the streets below.
In New York City, nearly a million revelers were expected to cram into the streets around Times Square to watch the traditional midnight ball drop. The 20-inch snowstorm that blanketed the city will be just a memory thanks to work crews and warmer temperatures.
This year marks the first time Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, officially celebrates the new year with a countdown blowout, complete with a light show and foreign DJs in front of the city's elegant French colonial-style opera house.
Vietnamese typically save their biggest celebrations for Tet, the lunar new year that begins on Feb. 3. But in recent years, the Western influence has started seeping into Vietnamese culture among teens, who have no memory of war or poverty and are eager to find a new reason to party in the communist country.
At midnight in Taipei, Taiwan, fireworks formed a spiraling dragon climbing up the city's tallest skyscraper.
In the Philippines, powerful firecrackers have injured at least 245 people in recent days and Health Secretary Enrique Ona urged safety during Friday's celebrations, saying he feared up to 1,000 injuries.
Many Filipinos, influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year's celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding huge firecrackers sometimes bigger than dynamite sticks to welcome the new year.
In Europe, many people will be partying simply to forget their economic woes after a year that saw Greece and Ireland needing financial bailouts and others, such as Spain and Portugal, battling speculation that they will need similar aid.
In London, thousands will witness a musical and firework display at the 135-meter high London Eye, located on the southern banks of the Thames River. The Eye, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, lies almost opposite the Big Ben clock tower at Parliament that will chime in 2011.
If not at home or at private parties, Spaniards traditionally gather in their main town squares to eat 12 grapes one by one as the bell in the square marks the countdown to 2011.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her New Year message that Europe is dealing with a major test and must strengthen the euro, even as she celebrated Germany's emergence from the economic crisis, powered by strong exports.
Merkel said in her televised message being broadcast Friday that "it was a good year for Germany."


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Starting to run? Don't just set goals, achieve them
If anybody knows how to achieve their goals, it's a man who rowed across the Atlantic and attempted the North West Passage in the Canadian Arctic
Paul Gleeson: main, rowing into Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Passage and, above, arriving home after rowing the Atlantic. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Setting and achieving goals are two very different activities and the difference between the two can often come down to small details and understanding your authentic motivation to achieve your goals. So, with that in mind, here's a few points to consider as you ponder your hopes and dreams for 2014.
Be clear on your authentic "why?"
Ask yourself why you want to accomplish the goals you are considering. Understanding motivation is a powerful but under-rated tool when it comes to achieving goals. It might take some time but this can be an absolute game changer.
I know from experience that genuine authentic motivation can be absolute rocket fuel for the goals you want to achieve. Personal motivation was the main reason I managed to row across the Atlantic Ocean a few years ago.
Free up space
If your new goal will require five hours a week of your time but you don't currently have this time to spare, then you should take something off your plate before embarking on your new quest.
Don't be mad
Albert Einstein defined madness as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. If you find yourself setting a goal you previously set multiple times before but have never achieved, ask yourself is it something you really want. If it is, then take some time to consider what has got in the way of achieving it in the past and how you can overcome this. Perhaps a fresh approach is needed.
See and feel it
Having the ability to visualise your goal and what it will feel like to achieve is very powerful. There are a variety of techniques that can be employed here but simply put, if your goal is meaningful, then you should be able to see yourself achieving it and you should also have some emotion around what it will feel like when you accomplish this.
Prepare for challenges
The likelihood is you will encounter some challenges and setbacks along the way. Take the time to consider these in advance and how you can deal with them. For example, a client of mine recently decided that she wanted to make time in her life to regain her health and fitness.
We focused on equipping her with some techniques that would not only support her getting started but, more importantly, would also enable her maintain her new activity when challenges arose from other sources, particularly her work.
Activity is key
Be very clear on what activity is required to achieve your goal. If a business owner says they want to grow their profits by 20 per cent in the next 12 months, they need to be very clear on what specific activities are required on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to make this happen. The more clarity you have here, the easier it will be to manage your time, eliminate distractions and ultimately achieve your goal.
If you require certain resources to help you achieve your goal, identify these up front and make sure you have them in place.
Habits and rituals
If you can make your required activity a habit and incorporate it into your daily and weekly routine, then you will stack the odds enormously in your favour. By making it part of your routine, you will also, over time, remove the need for discipline and will power. If your activity requires monumental amounts of will power and discipline, this will be very difficult to sustain. So if needs be, start small and build on this.
Be brave
Tell friends and family about your goal. When you put your goals and dreams out there, the world does conspire to help you achieve them. This might sound a tad "fluffy" but I know from experience it works. Telling others about your goals may require some courage but it might also add a little pressure and accountability which can be very helpful and very healthy when it comes to achieving goals.
Fear of failure
There is nothing wrong with being afraid of failure, but don't allow it to stop you from pursuing your goal(s). During the summer, along with three team mates, I attempted to row through the North West Passage in the Canadian Arctic. Despite our best efforts, we didn't make it across the whole way.Ultimately Mother Nature was just too powerful and she didn't allow us to pass on this occasion.
The reality of life is that we won't always get the outcomes we set out for. In this instance, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life, despite the final destination.
Being clear on your authentic motivation, understanding how you work and being courageous will go a long way towards achieving your goals and, in the process, making 2014 an incredible year. Good luck.


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The original item was published from 9/21/2012 9:46:00 AM to 9/21/2012 9:47:39 AM.
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Posted on: September 21, 2012
The Riley County Health Department is hosting an Okt - FLU - berfest on October 11th from 5-7 pm.
Festival Flyer...
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Illegal outdoor burn scorches 60 acres near Manhattan
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The Treasurer's Office will have reduced hours April 3-14 during remodeling
Posted on: March 27, 2023
Gloria Loberg - March Employee of the Month
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Wildfire near HWY 177 threatens homes in SE Riley County
Posted on: March 21, 2023
Some Planning & Development Fees Set to Increase
Posted on: March 17, 2023
Two wildfires threaten Riley County during high winds
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Out-of-control prescribed burn threatens homes in SE Riley County
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Riley County Property Valuations Arriving in the Mail Soon
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Public meeting in Keats to discuss updates to sanitary sewer system
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New Brush Truck now in service at RCFD#1 Konza Valley Station
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21st Judicial Drug Court Holds First Graduation Ceremony
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Riley County Commission Meetings to be held at the small cities
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Legal Time Trend Publication
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Making Good Use of Discarded Materials at Household Hazardous Waste
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Change in Valuation Notices - Mailing in February
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2023 Swearing-In Ceremony
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Don't throw old medications in the trash
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9/28/2022 Tractor Fire in No. Riley County
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Severe Storms Cause Damage in Riley County
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Riley County Employees to Receive Mid-Year Pay Increase
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HP Touchsmart TX2 Laptop is a 12-inch Multitouch Wonder [Multitouch]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OKw4Pvy-0Jc/hp-touchsmart-tx2-laptop-is-a-12+inch-multitouch-wonder
HP's Touchsmart tx2 is awesome because its the first consumer-oriented convertible notebook to feature a multitouch technology built into the display. The 12.1-inch screen uses a capacitive touchpanel that can track two points simultaneously, operates with fingers or a stylus, and comes with the Mediasmart 2.0 interface customized for the notebook. While Dell's oft-mentioned Latitude XT came out last year with the multitouch power to simultaneously track all five fingers, the feature was kept dormant until the middle of 2008 and lacks any realy mainstream software to take advantage of the tech.
The Mediasmart 2.0 software lets you watch movies, look at photos, play music, listen to radio and watch TV on demand. HP is partnering with MTV networks to bring IPTV content in from MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. On the hardware side, you can carry out a variety of gestures on the tx2 including select, drag, double tap, pinch, zoom, arc, rotate and flick. In addition to working with the MediaSmart software, the multitouch gestures will also work with a variety of Windows software out of the box including Microsoft Office, most internet browsers, and most photo applications.
In addition to the 1200x800 multitouch capability, the 4.5-pound tx2 has 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD (5400 RPM), Bluetooth, integrated webcam, 8x DVD burner, VGA out and a digital pen.
As far as Windows 7 Beta compatibility goes, the tx2 currently will not work with the new OS, but HP says they are working with Microsoft and they can't comment on unreleased products. The HP Touchsmart tx2 is available for pre-order beginning today over at HP, starting at $1150. It will begin shipping at the end! of Nove mber. [HP]
HP Brings Multi-touch Innovation to Consumer Notebooks
Powerful multimedia software puts digital content at people's fingertips
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 19, 2008 – HP today announced the industry's first convertible notebook PC with multi-touch technology designed specifically for consumers.
Building upon the touch innovation HP developed for its TouchSmart desktop PCs, the HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC was developed for people on the go who value having their digital content at their fingertips – literally.
The enhanced HP MediaSmart digital entertainment software suite on the tx2 allows users to more naturally select, organize and manipulate digital files such as photos, music, video and web content by simply touching the screen.
"Breezing through websites and enjoying photos or video at the tap, whisk or flick of a finger is an entirely new way to enjoy digital content on a notebook PC," said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. "With the introduction of the TouchSmart tx2, HP is providing users an easier, more natural way to interact with their PCs, and furthering touch innovation."
The tx2 is the latest result of HP's 25 years of touch technology experience, which began with the introduction of the HP-150, a touch screen PC that was well ahead of its time, in 1983.
Digital media powerhouse
The tx2 gives customers the choice to set aside the keyboard and mouse in favor of a more natural user interface – the fingertip.
HP's multi-touch display delivers quick and easy access to information, entertainment and other social media. The tx2 recognizes simultaneous input from more than one finger using "capacitive multi-touch technology," which enables the use of gestures such as pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag, and single and double tap.
The ! converti ble design with a twist hinge allows consumers to enjoy the TouchSmart in three modes: PC, display and tablet. With a rechargeable digital ink pen, users can turn the tx2 into a tablet PC to write, sketch, draw, take notes or graph right onto the screen – and then automatically convert handwriting into typed text.
Starting at less than 4.5 pounds, the tx2 possesses a 12.1-inch diagonal BrightView LED display and an HP Imprint "Reaction" design.
The tx2 notebook's HP MediaSmart software lets customers enjoy photos, listen to music and watch Internet(1) TV or movies in high-definition.(2) The software is optimized for multi-touch input while also making it simple to search digital content.
In an effort to provide consumers with rich content through the Internet, HP has expanded its partnership with MTV Networks (MTVN) by offering video content from 10 television channels and online brands within MediaSmart's TV module.
Beginning in December, users can enjoy all the best content from Nickelodeon, the No. 1 entertainment brand for kids; MTV, the premier destination for music and youth culture programming; and COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network and the No. 1 network in primetime for men ages 18 to 24. MTVN also plans to make content from Atom, CMT, GameTrailers, Logo, Spike, The N and VH1 available within MediaSmart's TV module.
The MediaSmart software was first brought to HP HDX notebook PCs in September, using the interface first popularized on HP TouchSmart PCs. HP plans to include the software in the tx2 and all future HP consumer notebook PCs.
Powered by the AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor or AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor(3) and built on Windows® Vista Home Premium, the tx2 will be made available worldwide in an array of configure-to-order options.
Additional features, accessories and service
The HP TouchSmart tx2 series is ENERGY STAR® qualified and EPEAT™ Silver registered. Mercury-free LED displa! y panels are included on the tx2 as part of HP's ongoing commitment to reduce its impact on the environment.
The HP tx Series Notebook Stand elevates the tx2, enhancing its usability while stationary, including making it possible to put the PC in an upright position for full interactivity with the touch screen.
HP Webcam with Integrated Microphones allows users to see brighter, cleaner images when chatting over an Internet(1) connection.
The tx2 offers access to a variety of self-help tools built in and online. It also is supported by HP Total Care, which enables consumers to reach support agents 24/7 by phone, email or real-time chat.
Pricing and availability
The HP TouchSmart tx2 is available for ordering today in the United States at www.hpdirect.com with a starting U.S. price of $1,149. (4) More information about the tx2 is available at www.hp.com/go/touchsmarttx2.
HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC
• Experience intuitive, two-finger control of entertainment within HP
• Enjoy music, photos, movies and TV programs within HP MediaSmart.
• Get fast, direct access to an HP tx2 Support Specialist @ 866.408.5408
(U.S. only).
• Twist the display up to 180° to share content and watch films — or fold it
flat for writing.
• Surf the Web(15) and use applications intuitively by touching the screen
with a finger.
• True Tablet PC: Write, draw and erase accurately with the included pen.
• Simplify your password management with the optional integrated
fingerprint reader.
• Engage in live video chat using the HP Webcam(15) and
integrated microphone.
• Enjoy the ultimate audio entertainment experience with SRS Premium
* All disclaimers shown on the bottom of page 2.
• AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-64 (2.1 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL! -62 (2.0 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-74 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz, 1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-84 (2.3GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate(1) (2) OR,
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium(1) (2)OR,
Genuine Windows Vista® Business(1) (2)
• 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800), Integrated touch-screen, Convertible display
• ATI Radeon™ HD 3200(9) available
• Up to 8GB DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (2 SODIMM; 64-bit OS)
• 160/250/320/400G/500B(8) 5400 rpm SATA
• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support(10) (11) OR,
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support(10) (11) (12)
• 802.11b/g WLAN OR,
802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth(15) OR,
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN(14) OR,
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth(14) (15)
HP's innovative notebook PC designs truly integrate fashion and technology. High-gloss HP
Imprint finish encases the elegant forms and is more durable than traditional painted
surfaces. The tx2 Reaction Imprint reveals an energized pattern inspired by the circular
elements found in audio equipment. HP notebooks have won coveted International Red
Dot and iF material awards.
Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos,
music, games(25) and Internet TV(15) at the touch of a button. Built-in demos show you how
to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-! and-drop functionality – and much
more. Dual headphone jacks enable you to share films and music without disturbing
others. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects a snap! And the included
HP Mini Remote Control can be stored in the ExpressCard slot. It's time to play!
• One-year limited hardware and software warranty with 24/7 phone support with
numerous extended service plan options
• Toll-free phone support during warranty @ 1.800.HPINVENT (1.800.474.6836) in the
U.S. and Canada; online support for the life of the product by clicking on the "?" icon
• Easy-to-use dashboard for system diagnostics and updates with preinstalled HP Advisor
For those whose active lives demand a device for note capture, entertainment,
communication and robust computing that's easy to carry everywhere, the HP TouchSmart
tx2 Notebook PC delivers. The tx2 combines powerful ultra-powerful computing with Tablet
PC capabilities and entertainment features in an attractive design light enough to go
anywhere. With multi-touch support within HP MediaSmart, it is the first notebook PC for
consumers that enables the use of two fingers to navigate HP's entertainment applications.
HP has developed a specific set of gestures to help you get the most from your TouchSmart
• SINGLE, DOUBLE TAP: Select objects by touching them once (single tap), or double tap
to open objects/programs.
• FLICK: Scroll or pan within an application either horizontally or vertically. For example,
in MediaSmart Photo, flick your finger to the left on the display and the inertia from your
flick will move the photos leftward, just as if you pushed a piece of paper to the left on a
• PRESS & DRAG: Touch an object on the display and hold and drag it to the desired
• ARC: Allows you to move tracks to/from playlists without having to make a straight line. • PINCH: Touch an object on the display once to select the item then place 2 fingers on
opposite corners of the object, then move them closer together to decrease the object's
size or to zoom out. Move fingers away from one another to enlarge the object or to
zoom in.
• ROTATE: Rotate photos by touching the object once to select the item then use 2 fingers
on opposite corners of the image and rotate the image either clockwise or
• LAUNCH MEDIASMART: Touch the screen with two fingers together and write the letter
m on the display to launch the MediaSmart Smart Menu.
• ENERGY STAR® qualified to conserve energy
• EPEAT SILVER registered
• Recyclable box for less waste
• Exclusive use of EPA SmartWay carriers for reduced transportation-related emissions.
• Replaceable battery for longer life span
• Free recycling for your old computer hardware**
Please recycle your computer hardware and printing supplies. HP recycling services make
responsible disposal easy. Visit www.hp.com/go/ecohighlights for more information. **
Shipping charges apply.
Digital ink pen
Exclusive HP Reaction Imprint finish
HP Mini Remote Control
HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC
HP recommends Windows Vista® Home Premium.


text:
A MOTU (Master of the Universe) Q&A session will be held on Friday, November 16th, 12:00 UTC, in #ubuntu-classroom on irc.freenode.net.
Thanks to 23meg for posting this announcement in the Packaging and Compiling Programs section on UF. The Agenda:
- MOTU processes, how to get involved, Ubuntu Development process
- packaging


text:
Toothed whalesMichel C. Milinkovitch and Olivier Lambert
This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.
The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.
You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.
For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.close box
Extant odontocetes catch individual prey: fish, cephalopods (e.g., ziphiids and physeterids mainly eat squids in abyssal waters), and small crustaceans, but also marine mammals (e.g., some killer whale populations mainly feed on pinnipeds). Their feeding behavior is greatly helped by their echolocation abilities (cf. below).
Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
Physeteroidea (Physeteridae and Kogiidae)
The highly-derived morphology of their skull (related to the development of the spermaceti organ) leads to important difficulties in the establishment of the polarity of some characters. Some molecular studies based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (Milinkovitch et al. 1993; Milinkovitch et al. 1994) suggest that Physeteroidea are more closely related to mysticetes than they are to other odontocetes. However, other molecular data (e.g., Nikaido et al. 1999; Gatesy et al. 1999) support the monophyly of toothed whales (Odontoceti). Recent analyses (Cassens et al. 2000) indicate that there is conflicting signal between the nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA data. Whether this conflict is due to differential lineage sorting or to misleading signal from one or several data set(s) remains to be investigated.
Furthermore, the monophyly of toothed whales is supported by derived morphological character states such as: maxillae covering the supraorbital region, single blowhole, development of a melon, development of proximal sacs (Heyning, 1989), most of the lateral side of the periotic detached from the squamosal except for a small area near the hiatus epitympanicus (Luo and Gingerich, 1999). A sister-group relationship between sperm and baleen whale would prompt reappraisal of morphological transformations in cetaceans (Milinkovitch, 1995).
Note that some morphological analyses have placed the Physeteroidea as the sister-group to the Ziphiidae in a clade Physeterida characterized by (among others):
- The development of a large posterior process of the tympanic (Muizon, 1990);
- An extreme reduction of the tuberculum of the malleus (Muizon, 1990);
- An enlarged, subspherical, and fused (to periotic) accessory ossicle of the periotic (Fordyce, 1994).
The special case of the so-called "river dolphins"
While most of the 83 recognized extant species of cetaceans are exclusively marine, several species live sporadically or exclusively in fresh water. Some of them (e.g., beluga, Tucuxi, Irrawaddy dolphin, finless porpoise) are well characterized phylogenetically, i.e., they belong to the superfamily Delphinoidea (see, e.g., Heyning, 1989; LeDuc et al., 1999). On the other hand, the taxonomic relationships of the so-called "river dolphins" have been in a state of confusion for more than a century. These include three exclusively riverine species:
- The blind river-dolphin, or "susu" (Platanista gangetica) living in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river systems on the Indian sub-continent;
- The Yangtze river-dolphin, or "baiji" (Lipotes vexillifer) which lives in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze river in China, and
- The Amazon river-dolphin, or "boto" (Inia geoffrensis) which is largely distributed in northern South America in the Orinoco and Amazon River systems, and the upper Rio Madeira drainage.
The fourth species classified as a "river dolphin" is the La Plata dolphin, or "franciscana" (Pontoporia blainvillei). It is found not only in estuaries but also in coastal waters of eastern South America from 19°S (Brazil) to 42°S (Argentina).
All "river dolphins" show a peculiar morphology with a characteristic long and narrow rostrum, a low triangular dorsal fin, broad and visibly fingered flippers, and a flexible neck. Their eyes have also been reduced to various degrees (Pilleri 1974; the susu even lacks eye lenses and is virtually blind) while echolocation abilities seem more refined than in other cetaceans. In addition, shared skull characters led most authors to classify them into a monophyletic group, either in the family Platanistidae or in the superfamily Platanistoidea (sensu lato, Flower 1869; Cozzuol 1985). However, these diagnosing characters could be ancestral (Rice 1998; Messenger 1994), hence phylogenetically uninformative, or prone to convergence (because adaptive to living in turbid waters). While the monophyly of the group was usually not questioned, many morphological analyses emphasized the substantial divergence among the four species (e.g., Kasuya 1973; Zhou et al. 1979), and this eventually led to the classification of the four genera in four monotypic families (Pilleri 1980; Zhou 1982).
Morphological idiosyncrasies as well as the separation of the four species on three subcontinents have created taxonomic disagreement among morphologists with continuing debate regarding the reality of a river dolphin clade and the position(s) of "river dolphins" within the phylogeny of whales. Gray (1863) first challenged the monophyly of "river dolphins" and was followed by other authors who included the fransiscana within delphinids (Kellogg 1928; Miller 1923). Only recently, morphologists revisited Gray's hypothesis. Heyning (1989) recognized a clade including the boto, fransiscana, and baiji . On the other hand, de Muizon (1985;1994), as well as Messenger and McGuire (1998), defined the Delphinida clade, grouping the baiji with the monophyletic [boto , fransiscana , Delphinoidea]. Morphological characters supporting the Delphinida are:
- Acquisition of a lateral lamina on palatine, virtual loss of posterior region of lateral lamina of pterygoid, excavation of postero-dorsal region of involucrum of tympanic (Muizon, 1988);
- Evolution of a vestibular sac (Heyning, 1989);
- Loss of anterior bullar facet on periotic (Fordyce, 1994);
Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences (from mitochondrial and nuclear genes) confirmed that extant river dolphins are not monophyletic (Cassens et al. 2000; Hamilton et al. 2001) and suggest that they are relict species whose adaptation to riverine habitats incidentally ensured their survival against major environmental changes in the marine ecosystem or the emergence of Delphinidae (Cassens et al. 2000). This work (Cassens et al. 2000) based on nucleotide sequence analyses (cytochrome b, partial 12S rDNA and partial 16S rDNA) and others (Nikaido et al. 2001) based on the analysis of SINE retropositions also support the monophyly of Delphinida.
The restricted family Platanistidae (including the extant Platanista and several Miocene marine relatives) is placed in recent molecular studies as the sister-group of Delphinida , Ziphiidae (Cassens et al. 2000; Hamilton et al. 2001), a result which is not consistent with the main recent morphological studies, that maintain the superfamily Platanistoidea (including Platanistidae and two fossil families Squalodontidae and Squalodelphinidae) as sister-group of the Delphinida , Eurhinodelphinoidea (Muizon 1991) or as sister-group of all the extant odontocete families, including the Physeteroidea (Fordyce 1994).
Discussion of some problematic extinct groups
Several fossil groups of odontocetes (e.g., Agorophiidae, Squalodontidae, Eurhinodelphinidae, and Kentriodontidae) are still taxonomically problematic; it is very likely that some of them form paraphyletic groups.
- The poorly known Late Oligocene Agorophiidae probably form a grade in which all the primitive heterodont odontocetes retaining intertemporal dorsal exposition of the parietals (a primitive character which places them as a morphological link between archaeocetes and Squalodontidae; Rothausen, 1968) have been grouped (e.g., Agorophius, Archaeodelphis and Xenorophus; reviewed in Fordyce, 1981). A new family Simocetidae was recently proposed for the agorophid-like dolphin Simocetus, from the Oligocene of the Eastern North Pacific, indicating a more important morphological diversity among these archaic odontocetes (Fordyce, 2002).
- The family Squalodontidae has long been recognized as very basal among odontocetes. This Late Oligocene to Late Miocene taxon is characterized by primitive heterodont teeth. However, some derived characters of the scapula suggest phylogenetic affinities with Platanistidae and Early Miocene Squalodelphinidae (Muizon, 1987; Fordyce, 1994). The family Dalpiazinidae, including the small and nearly homodont early Miocene Dalpiazina ombonii, has been loosely attached to squalodontids (Muizon, 1991). The monogeneric heterodont family Waipatiidae, known for now from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand is either related to the clade (Platanistidae , Squalodelphinidae) (Fordyce, 1994), to the clade (Eurhinodelphinidae , Ziphiidae) (Lambert, 2005), or basal to crown-Cetacea (Geisler & Sanders, 2003).
- Eurhinodelphinidae is a family of small- to moderate-size Late Oligocene to Miocene long-snouted odontocetes, including, among others, the genera Eurhinodelphis, Schizodelphis, Ziphiodelphis and Xiphiacetus. The only clear synapomorphy for the family is the edentulous premaxillae that extent far beyond the maxillae, getting the rostrum longer than the mandible. This specialized morphology of the feeding apparatus, combined with retention of a long neck, might suggest that these dolphins occupied a coastal or even estuarine habitat (Lambert, 2005a). Nevertheless, several species are known from both sides of the North Atlantic, a feature that contrasts with the seemingly endemic distribution of other species. Interestingly, members of the family where found in fresh water deposits from the Late Oligocene of southern Australia (Fordyce, 1983). Among other hypotheses, Eurhinodelphinidae have been phylogenetically located as the sister-group to Delphinida (Muizon, 1990; Fordyce, 1994). However, several similarities with beaked whales (Ziphiidae) (with respect to the morphology of the face, palate, and ear bones) suggest closer relationships with the latter (Lambert, 2005b). Muizon (1988) positioned the Italian Miocene long-beaked dolphin genus Eoplatanista (family Eoplatanistidae) as sister-group of the eurhinodelphinids and relationships within the family are investigated in Lambert (2005a).
- Kentriodontidae is a Late Oligocene to Late Miocene paraphyletic family whose ecological diversity has previously been underestimated (e.g., recently described large members of the family from the east coast of North America, Dawson, 1996a, b, long-snouted species from Portugal, Lambert et al. 2005), and from which extant delphinoids probably evolved. These archaic dolphins with numerous teeth were fish-eaters, like extant true dolphins. Similarities of the basicranium and sinus fossae with extant taxa indicate that kentriodontids already used echolocation for navigation and finding preys (Ichishima et al. 1994). The diagnosis of the family lacks well-defined synapomorphies, while the definition of the three known subfamilies Kentriodontinae (e.g., Delphinodon, the relatively cosmopolitan Kentriodon, Macrokentriodon, Rudicetus, Tagicetus), Pithanodelphininae (Atocetus, Pithanodelphis), and Lophocetinae (e.g., Hadrodelphis, Lophocetus) is somewhat better supported (discussion in Muizon, 1988; Ichishima et al. 1994; Dawson, 1996a,b; Bianucci, 2001; Lambert et al. 2005).
Bianucci, G. 2001. A new genus of kentriodontid (Cetacea: Odontoceti) from the Miocene of South Italy. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 21(3): 573-577.
Cassens, I., Vicario, S., Waddell, V. G., Balchowsky, H., Van Belle, D., Ding, W., Chen, F., Mohan, R. S. L., Simoes-Lopes, P. C., Bastida, R., Meyer, A., Stanhope, M. J., and Milinkovitch, M. C. 2000. Independant adaptation to riverine habitats allowed survival of ancient cetacean lineages. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97 (21): 11343-11347.
Cozzuol, M. A. 1985. Investigations on Cetacea 7: 39-53.
Cranford, T. W., M. Amundin, and K. S. Norris. 1996. Functional morphology and homology in the odontocete nasal complex: Implications for sound generation. Journal of Morphology 228:223-285.
Dawson, S. D. 1996a. A description of the skull and postcrania of Hadrodelphis calvertense Kellogg 1966, and its position within the Kentriodontidae (Cetacea; Delphinoidea). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16 (1): 125-134.
Dawson, S. D. 1996b. A new kentriodontid dolphin (Cetacea; Delphinoidea) from the Middle Miocene Choptank Formation, Maryland. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16 (1): 135-140.
Flower, W. F. 1869. Transactions of the Zoological Society, London 6: 87-116.
Fordyce, R. E. 1981. Systematics of the odontocete whale Agorophius pygmaeus and the family Agorophiidae (Mammalia: Cetacea). Journal of Paleontology 55(5): 1028-1045.
Fordyce, R. E. 1983. Rhabdosteid dolphins (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Middle Miocene, Lake Frome area, South Australia. Alcheringa 7:27-40.
Fordyce, R. E. 1994. Waipatia maerewhenua, new genus and new species (Waipatiidae, new family), an archaic late Oligocene dolphin from New Zealand. In : A. Berta and T. A. Deméré (eds.). Contributions in marine mammal paleontology honoring Whitmore, F.C. Jr. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History 29 :147-178.
Fordyce, R. E. 2002. Simocetus rayi (Odontoceti: Simocetidae) (new species, new genus, new family), a bizarre new archaic Oligocene dolphin from the eastern North Pacific. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 93: 185-222.
Gatesy, J., Milinkovitch, M. C., Waddell, V. and Stanhope, M. 1999. Stability of Cladistic Relationships between Cetacea and Higher Level Artiodactyl Taxa. Systematic Biology 48: 6-20.
Gray, J. E. 1863. Proceedings of the Zoological Society (London) 31: 197-202.
Hamilton, H., Caballero, S., Collins, A. G., and Brownell, R. L. Jr 2001. Evolution of river dolphins. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 268: 549-556.
Heyning, J. E. 1989. Comparative facial anatomy of beaked whales (Ziphiidae) and a systematic revision among the families of extant Odontoceti. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Contributions in Science 405:1-64.
Ichishima, H., Barnes, L. G., Fordyce, R. E., Kimura, M., and Bohaska, D. J. 1994. A review of kentriodontine dolphins (Cetacea; Delphinoidea; Kentriodontidae): systematics and biogeography. The Island Arc 3: 486-492.
Kasuya, T. 1973. Systematic consideration of recent toothed whales based on the morphology of tympano-periotic bone. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute, Tokyo 25: 1-103.
Kellogg, R. 1928. The history of whales - their adaptation to life in the water. The Quarterly Review of Biology 3: 29-76, 174-208.
Lambert, O., 2005a. Review of the Miocene long-snouted dolphin Priscodelphinus cristatus du Bus, 1872 (Cetacea, Odontoceti) and phylogeny among eurhinodelphinids. Bulletin de lInstitut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 75: 211-235.
Lambert, O., 2005b. Phylogenetic affinities of the long-snouted dolphin Eurhinodelphis (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Miocene of Antwerp. Palaeontology, 48 (3): 653-679.
Lambert, O., Estevens, M., and Smith, R., 2005. A new kentriodontine dolphin from the Middle Miocene of Portugal. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 50 (2): 239-248.
LeDuc, R. G., W. F. Perrin, and A. E. Dizon. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships among the delphinid cetaceans based on full cytochrome B sequences. Marine Mammal Science 15:619-648.
Luo, Z. & Gingerich, P. D. 1999. Terrestrial Mesonychia to aquatic Cetacea: transformation of the basicranium and evolution of hearing in whales. Papers on Paleontology, 31: 98 p.
Messenger, S. L. 1994. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History 29: 125-133.
Messenger, S. L. and J. A. McGuire. 1998. Morphology, molecules, and the phylogenetics of cetaceans. Systematic Biology 47:90-124.
Milinkovitch, M. C. 1995. Molecular phylogeny of cetaceans prompts revision of morphological transformations. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 10:328-334.
Milinkovitch, M. C., Ortí, G. and A. Meyer. Revised phylogeny of whales suggested by mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences.Nature, 361: 346-348 (1993).
Milinkovitch, M. C., A. Meyer, and J. R. Powell. 1994. Phylogeny of all major groups of cetaceans based on DNA sequences from three mitochondrial genes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 11:939-948.
Muizon, C. de 1985. Nouvelles données sur le diphylétisme des Dauphins de rivière (Odontoceti, Cetacea, Mammalia). C. r. hebd. Seanc. Acad. Sci., Paris, 301: 359-361.
Muizon, C. de 1987. The affinities of Notocetus vanbenedeni, an Early Miocene platanistoid (Cetacea Mammalia) from Patagonia, southern Argentina. American Museum Novitates 2904: 1-27.
Muizon, C. de 1988. Les relations phylogénétiques des Delphinida. Annales de Paléontologie 74 (4): 159-227.
Muizon, C. de 1991. A new Ziphiidae (Cetacea) from the Early Miocene of Washington State (USA) and phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of odontocetes. Bulletin du Muséum National dHistoire Naturelle, Paris 4 C, (3-4): 279-326.
Muizon, C. de 1994. Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History 29: 135-146.
Nikaido M., A.P. Rooney, and N. Okada. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships among cetartiodactyls based on insertions of short and long interpersed elements: Hippopotamuses are the closest extant relatives of whales. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, pp. 1026110266.
Nikaido, M., Matsuno, F., Hamilton, H., Brownel, R. L. Jr, Cao, Y., Ding, W., Zuoyan, Z., Shedlock, A. M., Fordyce, R. E., Hasegawa, M., and Okada, N. 2001. Retroposon analysis of major cetacean lineages: the monophyly of toothed whales and the paraphyly of river dolphins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 98 (13): 7384-7389.
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Pilleri, G. and Gihr, M. 1980. Investigations on Cetacea 11: 33-36.
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Rothausen, K. 1968. Die systematische Stellungsder europaischen Squalodontidae (Odontoceti, Mammalia). Palaeontologische Zeischrift 42: 83-104.
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Zhou, K., Qian, W., and Li, Y. 1979. Acta Zoologica Sinica 25: 58-74.
Information on the Internet
- The Firecracker Whale. A Compilation of Available Information on Kogia breviceps, the Pygmy Sperm Whale.
- The Twists in the Narwhal's Horn. Alaska Science Forum.
- Charlotte, The Vermont Whale. Website about a fossil beluga whale. University of Vermont.
- Saint Lawrence Belugas Program. Université de Montréal.
- The Dolphin Institute.
- Talamanca Dolphin Foundation.
- Dolphins: Oracles of the Sea. ThinkQuest Library.
- Dolphins. Hawaii's Marine Wildlife. Earthtrust, Kailua, Hawaii.
- Dolphins Around the World.
- Fundacion Orca Patagonia - Antártida. Observation program and study of behavior of orcas in the wild.
- OrcaLab. Long-term study of orcas in British Columbia, Canada.
- Killer Whale Biology. Eric Poncelet.
- Porpoise Science and Conservation.
About This Page
Michel C. Milinkovitch
Genetics & Evolution, University of Geneva
Olivier Lambert
Royal Institute of Natural Sciences (Belgium)
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Michel C. Milinkovitch at
Page copyright © 2012 Michel C. Milinkovitch and
All Rights Reserved.
- Content changed 30 January 2012
Citing this page:
Milinkovitch, Michel C. and Olivier Lambert. 2012. Odontoceti. Toothed whales. Version 30 January 2012 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Odontoceti/16025/2012.01.30 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/


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Using WebLogic Server Clusters
WebLogic Server clusters implement two key features: load balancing and failover. The following sections provide information that helps architects and administrators configure a cluster that meets the needs of a particular Web application:
WebLogic Server instances in a cluster communicate with one another using two basic network technologies:
The way in which WebLogic Server uses IP multicast and socket communication affects the way you configure your cluster.
IP multicast is a simple broadcast technology that enables multiple applications to "subscribe" to a given IP address and port number and listen for messages. A multicast address is an IP address in the range from 220.127.116.11 to 18.104.22.168.
IP multicast broadcasts messages to applications, but it does not guarantee that messages are actually received. If an application's local multicast buffer is full, new multicast messages cannot be written to the buffer and the application is not notified when messages are "dropped." Because of this limitation, WebLogic Server instances allow for the possibility that they may occasionally miss messages that were broadcast over IP multicast.
WebLogic Server uses IP multicast for all one-to-many communications among server instances in a cluster. This communication includes:
Because multicast communications control critical functions related to detecting failures and maintaining the cluster-wide JNDI tree (described in Cluster-Wide JNDI Naming Service) it is important that neither the cluster configuration nor the network topology interfere with multicast communications. The sections that follow provide guidelines for avoiding problems with multicast communication in a cluster.
In many deployments, clustered server instances reside within a single subnet, ensuring multicast messages are reliably transmitted. However, you may want to distribute a WebLogic Server cluster across multiple subnets in a Wide Area Network (WAN) to increase redundancy, or to distribute clustered server instances over a larger geographical area.
If you choose to distribute a cluster over a WAN (or across multiple subnets), plan and configure your network topology to ensure that multicast messages are reliably transmitted to all server instances in the cluster. Specifically, your network must meet the following requirements:
Note: Distributing a WebLogic Server cluster over a WAN may require network facilities in addition to the multicast requirements described above. For example, you may want to configure load balancing hardware to ensure that client requests are directed to server instances in the most efficient manner (to avoid unnecessary network hops).
Although it may be possible to tunnel multicast traffic through a firewall, this practice is not recommended for WebLogic Server clusters. Treat each WebLogic Server cluster as a logical unit that provides one or more distinct services to clients of a Web application. Do not split this logical unit between different security zones. Furthermore, any technologies that potentially delay or interrupt IP traffic can disrupt a WebLogic Server cluster by generating false failures due to missed heartbeats.
Although multiple WebLogic Server clusters can share a single IP multicast address and port, other applications should not broadcast or subscribe to the multicast address and port used by your cluster or clusters. That is, if the machine or machines that host your cluster also host other applications that use multicast communications, make sure that those applications use a different multicast address and port than the cluster does.
Sharing the cluster multicast address with other applications forces clustered server instances to process unnecessary messages, introducing overhead. Sharing a multicast address may also overload the IP multicast buffer and delay transmission of WebLogic Server heartbeat messages. Such delays can result in a WebLogic Server instance being marked as failed, simply because its heartbeat messages were not received in a timely manner.
For these reasons, assign a dedicated multicast address for use by WebLogic Server clusters, and ensure that the address can support the broadcast traffic of all clusters that use the address.
If server instances in a cluster do not process incoming messages on a timely basis, increased network traffic, including NAK messages and heartbeat re-transmissions, can result. The repeated transmission of multicast packets on a network is referred to as a multicast storm, and can stress the network and attached stations, potentially causing end-stations to hang or fail. Increasing the size of the multicast buffers can improve the rate at which announcements are transmitted and received, and prevent multicast storms. See Configure Multicast Buffer Size.
IP sockets provide a simple, high-performance mechanism for transferring messages and data between two applications. Clustered WebLogic Server instances use IP sockets for:
Note: The use of IP sockets in WebLogic Server extends beyond the cluster scenario—all RMI communication takes place using sockets, for example, when a remote Java client application accesses a remote object.
Proper socket configuration is crucial to the performance of a WebLogic Server cluster. Two factors determine the efficiency of socket communications in WebLogic Server:
Although the pure-Java implementation of socket reader threads is a reliable and portable method of peer-to-peer communication, it does not provide the best performance for heavy-duty socket usage in a WebLogic Server cluster. With pure-Java socket readers, threads must actively poll all opened sockets to determine if they contain data to read. In other words, socket reader threads are always "busy" polling sockets, even if the sockets have no data to read. This unnecessary overhead can reduce performance.
The performance issue is magnified when a server instance has more open sockets than it has socket reader threads—each reader thread must poll more than one open socket. When the socket reader encounters an inactive socket, it waits for a timeout before servicing another. During this timeout period, an active socket may go unread while the socket reader polls inactive sockets, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 2-1 Pure-Java Socket Reader Threads Poll Inactive Sockets
For best socket performance, configure the WebLogic Server host machine to use the native socket reader implementation for your operating system, rather than the pure-Java implementation. Native socket readers use far more efficient techniques to determine if there is data to read on a socket. With a native socket reader implementation, reader threads do not need to poll inactive sockets—they service only active sockets, and they are immediately notified (via an interrupt) when a given socket becomes active.
Note: Applets cannot use native socket reader implementations, and therefore have limited efficiency in socket communication.
For instructions on how to configure the WebLogic Server host machine to use the native socket reader implementation for your operating system, see Configure Native IP Sockets Readers on Machines that Host Server Instances.
If you do use the pure-Java socket reader implementation, you can still improve the performance of socket communication by configuring the proper number of socket reader threads for each server instance. For best performance, the number of socket reader threads in WebLogic Server should equal the potential maximum number of opened sockets. This configuration avoids the situation in which a reader thread must service multiple sockets, and ensures that socket data is read immediately.
To determine the proper number of reader threads for server instances in your cluster, see the following section, Determining Potential Socket Usage.
For instructions on how to configure socket reader threads, see Set the Number of Reader Threads on Machines that Host Server Instances.
Each WebLogic Server instance can potentially open a socket for every other server instance in the cluster. However, the actual maximum number of sockets used at a given time depends on the configuration of your cluster. In practice, clustered systems generally do not open a socket for every other server instance, because objects are deployed homogeneously—to each server instance in the cluster.
If your cluster uses in-memory HTTP session state replication, and you deploy objects homogeneously, each server instance potentially opens a maximum of only two sockets, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 2-2 Homogeneous Deployment Minimizes Socket Requirements
The two sockets in this example are used to replicate HTTP session states between primary and secondary server instances. Sockets are not required for accessing clustered objects, due to the collocation optimizations that WebLogic Server uses to access those objects. (These optimizations are described in Optimization for Collocated Objects.) In this configuration, the default socket reader thread configuration is sufficient.
Deployment of "pinned" services—services that are active on only one server instance at a time—can increase socket usage, because server instances may need to open additional sockets to access the pinned object. (This potential can only be released if a remote server instance actually accesses the pinned object.) The following figure shows the potential effect of deploying a non-clustered RMI object to Server A.
Figure 2-3 Non-Clustered Objects Increase Potential Socket Requirements
In this example, each server instance can potentially open a maximum of three sockets at a given time, to accommodate HTTP session state replication and to access the pinned RMI object on Server A.
Note: Additional sockets may also be required for servlet clusters in a multi-tier cluster architecture, as described in Configuration Notes for Multi-Tier Architecture.
Clients of a cluster use the Java implementation of socket reader threads.
In WebLogic Server 8.1, you can configure server affinity load balancing algorithms that reduce the number of IP sockets opened by a Java client application. A client accessing multiple objects on a server instance will use a single socket. If an object fails, the client will failover to a server instance to which it already has an open socket, if possible. In 7.0, under some circumstances, a client might open a socket to each server instance in a cluster.
For best performance, configure enough socket reader threads in the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that runs the client. For instructions, see Set the Number of Reader Threads on Client Machines.
Clients of a non-clustered WebLogic Server server instance access objects and services by using a JNDI-compliant naming service. The JNDI naming service contains a list of the public services that the server instance offers, organized in a tree structure. A WebLogic Server instance offers a new service by binding into the JNDI tree a name that represents the service. Clients obtain the service by connecting to the server instance and looking up the bound name of the service.
Server instances in a cluster utilize a cluster-wide JNDI tree. A cluster-wide JNDI tree is similar to a single server instance JNDI tree, insofar as the tree contains a list of available services. In addition to storing the names of local services, however, the cluster-wide JNDI tree stores the services offered by clustered objects (EJBs and RMI classes) from other server instances in the cluster.
Each WebLogic Server instance in a cluster creates and maintains a local copy of the logical cluster-wide JNDI tree. The follow sections describe how the cluster-wide JNDI tree is maintained, and how to avoid naming conflicts that can occur in a clustered environment.
Warning: Do not use the cluster-wide JNDI tree as a persistence or caching mechanism for application data. Although WebLogic Server replicates a clustered server instance's JNDI entries to other server instances in the cluster, those entries are removed from the cluster if the original instance fails. Also, storing large objects within the JNDI tree can overload multicast traffic and interfere with the normal operation of a cluster.
Each WebLogic Server in a cluster builds and maintains its own local copy of the cluster-wide JNDI tree, which lists the services offered by all members of the cluster. Creation of a cluster-wide JNDI tree begins with the local JNDI tree bindings of each server instance. As a server instance boots (or as new services are dynamically deployed to a running server instance), the server instance first binds the implementations of those services to the local JNDI tree. The implementation is bound into the JNDI tree only if no other service of the same name exists.
Note: When you start a Managed Server in a cluster, the server instance identifies other running server instances in the cluster by listening for heartbeats, after a warm-up period specified by the
MemberWarmupTimeoutSeconds parameter in
ClusterMBean. The default warm-up period is 30 seconds.
Once the server instance successfully binds a service into the local JNDI tree, additional steps are performed for clustered objects that use replica-aware stubs. After binding the clustered object's implementation into the local JNDI tree, the server instance sends the object's stub to other members of the cluster. Other members of the cluster monitor the multicast address to detect when remote server instances offer new services.
The following figure shows a snapshot of the JNDI binding process.
Figure 2-4 Server A Binds an Object in its JNDI Tree, then Multicasts Object Availability
In the previous figure, Server A has successfully bound an implementation of clustered Object X into its local JNDI tree. Because Object X is clustered, it offers this service to all other members of the cluster. Server C is still in the process of binding an implementation of Object X.
Other server instances in the cluster listening to the multicast address note that Server A offers a new service for clustered object, X. These server instances update their local JNDI trees to include the new service.
Updating the local JNDI bindings occurs in one of two ways:
In this manner, each server instance in the cluster creates its own copy of a cluster-wide JNDI tree. The same process would be used when Server C announces that Object X has been bound into its local JNDI tree. After all broadcast messages are received, each server instance in the cluster would have identical local JNDI trees that indicate the availability of the object on Servers A and C, as shown below.
Figure 2-5 Each Server's JNDI Tree is the Same after Multicast Messages are Received
Note: In an actual cluster, Object X would be deployed homogeneously, and an implementation which can invoke the object would be available on all four server instances.
Simple JNDI naming conflicts occur when a server instance attempts to bind a non-clustered service that uses the same name as a non-clustered service already bound in the JNDI tree. Cluster-level JNDI conflicts occur when a server instance attempts to bind a clustered object that uses the name of a non-clustered object already bound in the JNDI tree.
WebLogic Server detects simple naming conflicts (of non-clustered services) when those services are bound to the local JNDI tree. Cluster-level JNDI conflicts may occur when new services are advertised over multicast. For example, if you deploy a pinned RMI object on one server instance in the cluster, you cannot deploy a replica-aware version of the same object on another server instance.
If two server instances in a cluster attempt to bind different clustered objects using the same name, both will succeed in binding the object locally. However, each server instance will refuse to bind the other server instance's replica-aware stub in to the JNDI tree, due to the JNDI naming conflict. A conflict of this type would remain until one of the two server instances was shut down, or until one of the server instances undeployed the clustered object. This same conflict could also occur if both server instances attempt to deploy a pinned object with the same name.
To avoid cluster-level JNDI conflicts, you must homogeneously deploy all replica-aware objects to all WebLogic Server instances in a cluster. Having unbalanced deployments across WebLogic Server instances increases the chance of JNDI naming conflicts during startup or redeployment. It can also lead to unbalanced processing loads in the cluster.
If you must pin specific RMI objects or EJBs to individual server instances, do not replicate the object's bindings across the cluster.
When a clustered object is removed (undeployed from a server instance), updates to the JNDI tree are handled similarly to the updates performed when new services are added. The server instance on which the service was undeployed broadcasts a message indicating that it no longer provides the service. Again, other server instances in the cluster that observe the multicast message update their local copies of the JNDI tree to indicate that the service is no longer available on the server instance that undeployed the object.
Once the client has obtained a replica-aware stub, the server instances in the cluster may continue adding and removing host servers for the clustered objects. As the information in the JNDI tree changes, the client's stub may also be updated. Subsequent RMI requests contain update information as necessary to ensure that the client stub remains up-to-date.
Clients that connect to a WebLogic Server cluster and look up a clustered object obtain a replica-aware stub for the object. This stub contains the list of available server instances that host implementations of the object. The stub also contains the load balancing logic for distributing the load among its host servers.
For more information about replica-aware stubs for EJBs and RMI classes, see Replication and Failover for EJBs and RMIs.
For a more detailed discussion of how WebLogic JNDI is implemented in a clustered environment and how to make your own objects available to JNDI clients, see Using WebLogic JNDI in a Clustered Environment in Programming WebLogic JNDI.


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Taking On Michael Frayn's 'Noises Off'
In British playwright Michael Frayn's comedy Noises Off, a hapless troupe of actors descend into chaos as they produce and perform a fictional play. The 1982 script—which switches the audience's point of view from onstage to offstage between acts—is notoriously hard to pull off: each actor must play an actor and that actor's role, and split-second timing and elaborate choreography are essential to the humor.
"We made our name doing edgy British comedy," says Isaac Lamb of Third Rail, the Portland company reviving the play this month. "There's nothing edgy about the content of Noises Off, but the technical demands are huge."
"Farce is a machine," Lamb says of the play's exits, entrances, and prop swaps. "The actors have to work like interlocking gears. If you don't pull it off with total precision, the joke falls apart completely."
Here's a look at about 20 seconds of action for four actors (and three props).
START: Actor A, standing "onstage," grabs two plates of sardines and speaks three lines. Meanwhile, Actor B and Actor C conduct a silent conversation "offstage."
STEP 1: Actor A goes to the stage's window (through which he can see offstage, and be seen by the real-life audience) and witnesses Actor B giving flowers to Actor C.
STEP 2: Actor A leaves the "onstage" area. Actor B climbs a backstage staircase, grabbing a fireman's ax on the way. Actor C stays where he is and delivers a line.
STEP 3: Actor A advances menacingly upon Actor C. Actor B hands the ax to another actor (D), picks up another prop, and goes "onstage" and delivers a line. Meanwhile, that other actor has carried the ax across the "offstage" area.
STEP 4: Actor C gives the flowers to Actor A, picks up another prop, and goes "onstage" and delivers a line. Actor A trades the flowers for the ax and begins lying in wait to attack Actor C when he returns. Actor B returns and sees Actor A with the ax.