text:
For those not familiar with the phrase, "Big Data" is used to describe the acquisition, storage and analysis of large quantities of data. The search giant Google was one of the pioneers in this area and it is developed into an industry worth billions of dollars. Big Data and its uses also raise ethical concerns.
One common use of Big Data is to analyse customer data so as to make predictions that would be useful in conducting targeted ad campaigns. Perhaps the most infamous example of this is Target's pregnancy targeting. This Big Data adventure was a model of inductive reasoning. First, an analysis was conducted of Target customers who had signed up for Target's new baby registry. The purchasing history of these women was analysed to find patterns of buying that corresponded to each stage of pregnancy. For example, pregnant women were found to often buy lots of unscented lotion at the start of the second trimester. Once the analysis revealed the buying patterns of pregnant women, Target then applied this information to the buying patterns of women customers. Oversimplifying things, they were essentially using an argument by analogy: inferring that hat women not known to be pregnant who had X,Y, and Z patterns were probably pregnant because women known to be pregnant had X,Y, and Z buying patterns. The women who were tagged as probably pregnant were then subject to targeted ads for baby products and this proved to be a winner for Target, other than some public relations issues.
One interesting aspect of this method is that it does not follow the usual model of predicting a person's future buying behavior from his/her past buying behavior. An example of predicting future buying behavior based on past behavior would be predicting that I would buy Gatorade the next time I went grocery shopping because I have been bought it consistently in the past. The analysis used by Target and other companies differs from this model by making inferences about the future behavior of customers based on their similarity to customers whose past buying behavior is known. For example, a store might see shifts in someone's buying behavior that matches other data from people starting to get into fitness and thus predict the person was getting into fitness. The store might then send the person (and others like her) targeted ads featuring Gatorade coupons because their models show that such people buy more Gatorade.
This method also has an interesting Sherlock Holmes aspect to it. The fictional detective was able to use inductive logic (although he was presented as deducing) to make impressive inferences from seemingly innocuousness bits of information. Big Data can do this in reality and make reliable inferences based on what appears to be irrelevant information. For example, likely voting behavior might be inferred from factors such as one's preferred beverage.
Naturally, Big Data can be used to sell a wide variety of products, including politicians and ideology. It also has non-commercial applications, such a law enforcement and political uses. As such, it is hardly surprising that companies and agencies are busily gathering and analyzing data at a relentless and ever growing pace. This certainly is cause for concern.
One ethical concern is that the use of Big Data can impact the outcome of elections. For example, analyzing massive amounts of data information can be acquired that would allow ads to be effectively crafted and targeted. Given that Big Data is expensive, the data advantage would tend to go to the side with the most money, thus increasing the influence of money on the outcome of elections. Naturally, the influence of money on elections is already a moral concern. While more spending does not assure victory, there is a clear connection between spending and success. To use but one obvious example, Mitt Romney was able to beta his Republican competitors in part by being able to outlast them financially and outspend them.
In any case, Big Data adds yet another tool and expense to political campaigning, thus making it more costly for people to run for office. This, in turn, means that those running for office will need even more money than before, thus making money an even greater factor than in the past. This, obviously enough, increases the ability of those with more money to influence the candidates and the issues.
On the face of it, it would seem unreasonable to require that campaigns go without Big Data. After all, it could be argued that this would be tantamount to demanding that campaigns operate in ignorance. However, the concerns about big money buying Big Data to influence elections could be addressed by campaign finance reform, which would be another ethical issue.
Perhaps the biggest ethical concern about Big Data is the matter of privacy. First, there is the ethical worry that much of the data used in Big Data is gathered without people knowing how the data will be used (and perhaps that it is even being gathered). For example, the customers at Target seemed to be unaware that Target was gathering such data about them to be analyzed and used to target ads.
While people might know that information is being collected about them, knowing this and knowing that the data will be analyzed for various purposes are two different things. As such, it can be argued that private data is being gathered without proper informed consent and this is morally wrong.
The obvious solution is for data collectors to make it clear about what the data will be used for, thus allowing people to make an informed choice regarding their private information. Of course, one problem that will remain is that it is rather difficult to know what sort of inferences can be made from seemingly innocuous data. As such, people might think that they are not providing any private data when they are, in fact, handing over data that can be used to make inferences about private matters.
If a business claims that they would be harmed because people would not hand over such information if they knew what it would be used for, the obvious reply is that this hardly gives them the right to deceive to get what they want. However, I do not think that businesses have much to worry about—Facebook has shown that many people are quite willing to hand over private information for little or nothing in return.
A second and perhaps the most important moral concern is that Big Data provides companies and others with the means of making inferences about people that go beyond the available data and into what might be regarded as the private realm. While this sort of reasoning is classic induction, Big Data changes the game because of the massive amount of data and processing power available to make these inferences, such as whether women are pregnant or not. In short, the analysis of seemingly innocuous data can yield inferences about information that people would tend to regard as private—or at the very least, information they would not think would be appropriate for a company to know.
One obvious counter to this is to argue that privacy rights are not being violated. After all, as long as the data used does not violate the privacy of individuals, then the inferences made from this data cannot be regarded as violating people's privacy, even if the inferences are about matters that people would regard as private (such as pregnancy). To use an analogy, if I were to spy on someone and learn from thus that she was an alcoholic, then I would be violating her privacy. However, if I inferred that she is an alcoholic from publically available information, then I might know something private about her, but I have not violated her privacy.
This counter is certainly appealing. After all, there does seem to be a meaningful and relevant distinction between directly getting private information by violating privacy and inferring private information using public (or at least legitimately provided) data. To use an analogy, if I get the secret ingredient in someone's prize recipe by sneaking a look at the recipe, then I have acted wrongly. However, if I infer the secret ingredient by tasting the food when I am invited to dinner, then I have not acted wrongly.
A reasonable reply to this counter is that while there is a difference between making an inference that yields private data and getting the data directly, there is also the matter of intent. It is, for example, one thing to infer the secret ingredient simply by tasting it, but it is quite another to arrange to get invited to dinner specifically so I can get that secret ingredient by tasting the food. To use another example, it is one thing to infer that someone is an alcoholic, but quite another to systematically gather public data in order to determine whether or not she is an alcoholic. In the case of Big Data, there is clearly intent to infer data that customers have not already voluntarily provided. After all, if the data had been provided, there would be no need to undertake an analysis in order to get the desired information. Thus, while the means do not involve a direct violation of privacy rights, they do involve an indirect violation—at least in cases in which the data is private (or at least intended to be private).
The solution, which would probably be rather problematic to implement, would involve setting restrictions on what sort of inferences can be made from the data on the grounds that people have a right to keep that information private, even if the means used to acquire it did not involve any direct violations of privacy rights.


text:
Friday, 06 April 2012 07:03 AM EDT
Billionaire investor George Soros and insurance executive Peter Lewis - who together have donated more than $50 million to Democratic political groups since 2004 - are among scores of donors close to the Obama campaign who remain on the sidelines as PACs that can receive unlimited donations seek to load up before the November election.
Their reluctance helps explain why Priorities USA Action, the Super PAC that supports Obama, has struggled to keep fundraising pace with rival Republican groups that have already spent tens of millions on the presidential race.
Many of the Democratic donors are alarmed that PACs, or political action committees, have been focused almost exclusively on spending tens of millions of dollars on ads to attack presidential candidates.
Nearly all of that spending has been by Republican-backed groups in the bitter race for that party's nomination - most of it by Restore Our Future, a PAC that supports likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney and has overwhelmed rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich with negative ads.
Obama, who opposed a 2010 Supreme Court decision lifting donation limits on PACs that operate independently from campaigns, was reluctant to embrace such groups. He changed course after seeing the cash being amassed on the Republican side and impact of the pro-Romney group's ads.
But many wealthy Democrats who would be potential donors to the pro-Obama PAC - including Lewis, chairman of the insurance giant Progressive Corp. - are turned off by the tactics of PACs in the presidential race.
"The Super PACs are nearly all about advertising, and he is loathe to contribute toward that," said Lewis adviser Jennifer Frutchy. "He is not currently planning to contribute to any Super PACs, congressional or presidential."
Lewis has contributed $5,000 to Obama's re-election campaign and $30,800 to Obama's joint fund with the Democratic National Committee, the maximum amounts allowed for an individual.
He has also given $200,000 to American Bridge, a Super PAC that is largely focused on opposition research, not advertising.
Soros spokesman Michael Vachon said the financier is "not focused" on this presidential election. Soros plans to donate to Obama and congressional campaigns but is undecided about giving to Super PACs, Vachon said.
"Like many people, he's alarmed by the (Supreme Court) decision and the growing role that money is playing in the election," Vachon said.
Last year, Soros gave $100,000 to Majority PAC, which helps Democratic Senate candidates, and $75,000 to House Majority PAC, which focuses on putting Democrats in the House of Representatives.
In the 2004 elections, Soros was the biggest donor to the Super PACs' predecessors, so-called "527" groups. The tax-exempt organizations were forbidden from "expressly advocating" for the election or defeat of specific candidates.
Such groups typically focused on registering Americans to vote and encouraging them to turn out for elections, said campaign finance specialist Anthony Corrado, a political science professor at Colby College in Maine.
"One of the problems with the Super PAC strategy is that it is largely a vehicle for financing negative advertising, and many donors don't want to invest into that type of activity," Corrado said.
"That individuals who are identified as major donors to progressive causes are reluctant to give to Super PACs is an indication of the challenges that Priorities USA faces in terms of competing with the Super PACs that will oppose them."
Obama's campaign still has a significant fundraising advantage over Romney's: The president has raised $120 million for his campaign and nearly $129 million for the fund used jointly by him and the Democratic National Committee.
But Restore Our Future and other Republican PACs could help Romney close that funding gap - and drive what most everyone involved expects to be a nasty ad war leading up to the Nov. 6 election.
The pro-Romney PAC had raised nearly $43 million by the end of February - and spent $40 million on ads, almost all of them attacking Santorum or Gingrich.
Priorities USA, the pro-Obama PAC, had raised about $10 million together with its nonprofit arm by the end of February, according to senior adviser Bill Burton.
Because of the Obama campaign's success in fundraising - it collected $750 million in the 2008 campaign - and the president's reluctance to accept Super PACs, even some of those on the Obama campaign's finance committee have not donated to Priorities USA.
Only nine of Obama's more than 400 "bundlers" - those who have rounded up at least $50,000 for the president's campaign - have given to Priorities USA, according to a Reuters analysis of Federal Election Commission filings.
At Priorities USA, Burton acknowledges that ideological concerns routinely come up in conversations with potential Democratic donors to the PAC.
"It is in the cocktail of issues that are obstacles to this Super PAC," Burton said.
Conservative activists, such as former George W. Bush presidential adviser Karl Rove, embraced Super PACs from the start, giving Republicans a head start in organizing a massive effort to unseat Obama and hold or win seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Beyond Restore Our Future, Romney's campaign will get the benefit of millions to be spent by groups overseen by prominent Republicans such as billionaire oil magnates David and Charles Koch, whose money helped fuel the conservative Tea Party movement in 2010, and Rove, whose American Crossroads group has said it plans to spend more than $250 million on the 2012 presidential and congressional races.
The billionaires bankrolling Republican presidential Super PACs - Las Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and investor Harold Simmons - have also indicated plans to help Romney.
On the Democratic side, the organization so far is much less unified and deep-pocketed.
Last month, the pro-Obama Priorities USA, Majority PAC and House Majority PAC created a single fundraising organization dubbed Unity 2012.
Members said the move was in part to ease donors' frustration with being prodded by multiple outside groups, giving them a single place to direct their checks. But for now the entity appears to be nothing more than a joint bank account as the PACs are still negotiating whether and how they may go beyond the shared account and help each other raise money.
On their own, as of the end of February, the Senate-focused Majority PAC had raised $2.5 million and House Majority PAC had raised $3 million.
People familiar with the state of Democratic fundraising say more and more donors are accepting the importance of resisting Republican Super PACs in the congressional races. Democrats lost a House majority in 2010 and are trying to make gains there while protecting a narrow majority in the Senate.
"Where you're going to see the biggest movement is the Senate Super PAC," said Heather Podesta, a Democratic lobbyist and influential fundraiser.
"While the giving looks flat at this point, it will rise exponentially. ... Democrats have been reluctant to adapt to the changes, but they are turning the corner."
© 2023 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.
Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
See the services we offer and the vision that informs them.
Insights to help you do what you do better, faster and more profitably.
Providing innovative digital services, business solutions and design-led experiences for clients.
Keep tabs on how and why we're leading the marketplace.
Expertise that drives results.
Learn more about the value our work brings to our clients and their customers.


text:
11.30.09Gemini version available ♊
Links 30/11/2009: KDE 4.4 Preview, VirtualBox 3.1 Released
- GNU/Linux
- Free Software/Open Source
- Leftovers
- Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day
One More Turkey? 'Fired for Using Linux'
It's still not uncommon to find sites that don't work with Firefox, Slashdot blogger Barbara Hudson told LinuxInsider.
"My first response is to try with Opera; sometimes it works," she said. "After that, I boot my laptop into Windows, do the updates that have accumulated in the six months since the last time I booted Windows, then go to the site."
Linux rescues a failing hard drive
Over Thanksgiving, I had to deal with a Windows XP laptop, belonging to a relative, that blue screened during startup. Normal startup failed, as did safe mode, safe mode with command prompt and Last Known Good.
The first question that always needs to be answered in these situations is whether the problem is hardware or software. To that end, I booted the computer using my favorite rescue disc, the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (UBCD4WIN).
The CD started, from the main menu, I chose to run UBCD4WIN, but it eventually hung on a totally blank screen.
I do travel with a copy of Linux on a USB flash drive, but the computer was too old to boot off a USB connected device.
So I removed the hard drive from the laptop and took it home. That the hard drive rattled when shaken did not make me optimistic.
Ubuntu, Google, and the Future of Linux. And rsync too.
Chrome OS is a cloud-based application delivery platform, built for a very specific purpose, namely those little netbooks. Your data and the heart of the applications in Chrome OS live in Google's cloud. A lot of people will be very happy with that. There are, however, countless other applications that aren't suited to the cloud-based model. Applications that can only realistically live on the desktop (at least for the foreseeable future). Desktop Linux, and Ubuntu by extension, will continue to thrive there and to evolve into something even greater than what it is today. Chrome competes with Microsoft where Microsoft is, er, softest. The cloud.
Google chart shows which netbooks run Chrome OS best
The chart details which systems have been "officially" tested by developers and reveals what hardware works and what doesn't. Several models are listed, but I've simplified things a bit. Listed below are models on which everything works – 802.11 wireless, ethernet, touchpad, and suspend/resume.
Make my OS Faster
Google certainly has the clout to market this OS to the masses, and brand recognition that won't make people run for the hills. It's still Linux, but people won't know about it, and therefore won't be scared of trying it. Could chrome be the first user friendly, mainstream Linux distro tailored towards non-geeks using legacy hardware?
It's certainly interesting. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the OS to see if it will follow the same high quality design as most other Google products. I'm also very curious as to how it will be received by mainstream, non-technical population.
Chrome OS Gains Open Source Home
Kernel Space
AMD R600/700 DRM Interrupts Support Pushed
One of the underlying features that has been lacking from the ATI R600/700 DRM / kernel mode-setting driver on Linux has been support for interrupts, which is needed for the sync-to-vblank operation and other important areas.
Photo Compositing with The GIMP: Part 1
Basing from my previous GIMP article titled Creating Pseudo-3D Imagery with GIMP, you learned how to do some basic selection manipulation, gradient application, faking Depth of Field, etc. In line with that, I'm following it with a new article very much related to the concepts discussed therein but we'll raise the bar a bit by having a glimpse on compositing, where we'll use an existing image or photograph and later add in our 2-dimensional element seamlessly with the said picture.
Photo Compositing with The GIMP: Part 2
Expanding A Root-FS
Create Mega Android Playlists from PC
Desktop Environments
GNOME Community Announces Dates GUADEC 2010
The GNOME Foundation has announced its annual conference, GUADEC, will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, July 24-30, 2010. More than 500 from the GNOME community are expected to attended the event and come together to discuss the future of the popular desktop for Linux.
GNOME's Guadec 2010 Hosted at The Hague
KDE 4.4 dev: What's new?
I have managed to find some time to cover the recent changes in the development version of KDE 4.4. The number of changes is not impressive but they are interesting enough to write an article.
To my great surprise, the whole thing works fast and the system is responsive. I haven't encountered a single crash when playing with KDE 4.4 r1055000. This makes my hope that the next release of my favorite desktop envoronment will be a great success.
Mandriva Linux 2010 GNOME – Solid and Sweet
After running Mandriva Linux 2010 GNOME for a couple of days, I could say, Mandriva Linux 2010 GNOME edition is as stable as its predecessors with newer versions of popular software and makes a great desktop experience.
New Releases
Release: Debris Linux 2.0 Final
After a long time of development, we finally present Debris Linux 2.0.
Macpup Foxy 3
Macpup Foxy 3.0 is the latest from the Macpup team. Macpup Foxy 3.0 is based on puppylinux 4.31.1 (k22.214.171.124) a bug fix version by Ttuuxxx. It also includes all the updates from the 4.3.1 servicepack.Fox 3 has all the apps from 4.3 plus Firefox (updated to 3.5.4) and Gimp 2.6.3. Fox 3 also Has Dbus 1.2.16 & Sakura 1.2.3 compiled and installed from source. The Enlightenment e17 window manager version .062 was also compiled and installed from source.You can also use jwm. Use the exit menu to change window managers, In e17 that is the exit icon on the desktop. Please note that not all the options in the e17 system shutdown menu work with puppy linux. That is why the exit menu was added.
Musix 2.0
Red Hat Family
5 Fun things in Fedora 12 (Video)
I recently got a Kodak zi8 video recorder. It works great in Fedora 12 so I was inspired to create a 15-minute video highlighting five fun things in Fedora 12.
RedHawk Linux 5.4 Advances Real-Time Functionality and Performance
Concurrent (Nasdaq: CCUR), a leading provider of time-critical Linux® operating systems, integrated software and computer solutions for mission-critical applications, today announced RedHawk Linux 5.4, a new version of its popular real-time operating system. RedHawk Linux is widely used in time-critical applications in simulation and training, data acquisition, imaging, financial services and process control. RedHawk guarantees that a user-level application can respond to an external event in less than 15 microseconds on certified platforms.
Real-time Linux distro boosts multiprocessor support
Concurrent has revised its Red Hat-based real-time Linux distribution, adding support for Intel Nehalem and AMD Opteron processors with up to 48 cores, among other enhancements. RedHawk Linux 5.4 also improves NUMA performance and provides enhanced Nvidia drivers that support Nvidia's "Cuda" parallel computing technology, says the company.
rPath Expands Operating System Coverage with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5
rPath, an innovator in automating application deployment and maintenance, today announced a management solution for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux(R) operating system. The move expands the rPath release automation platform beyond operating systems such as Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise and Ubuntu to include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5. This provides Red Hat customers a solution for low-overhead, compliant system provisioning and maintenance across physical, virtual and cloud environments.
Debian Family
Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 170
Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #170 for the week November 22nd – November 28th, 2009. In this issue we cover: Jono Bacon: Introducing Lernid, Mackenzie Morgan Interview, New Developers, LoCo News: Maryland, Massachusetts, Chile & Nicaragua, Ubuntu Forums Tutorial of the Week, The Planet: Laura Czajkowski, Andres Rodriguez, Amber Graner, & Harald Sitter, Full Circle Magazine #31
My 14 Days With Ubuntu
I can't believe it has been two weeks already that I've used Ubuntu Linux exclusively. If I had to sum up the experience 100x100ubuntuin one word, that word would be "satisfying." And my regular readers/listeners know that I can't sum anything up in one word, so I will use this format to provide a complete synopsis of my Ubuntu thoughts.
Will I continue to use Ubuntu? Absolutely, as my primary laptop? Will I give up my Windows PC? Not until all the support that I give lies only in Linux, which unfortunately won't be any time soon.
Linux Mint 8 (Helena) Released
So far I have only installed Linux Mint 8 on my two HP 2133 Mini-Notes – but they are probably two of the most difficult systems. I will add a short note here once I have it installed on all of the other systems, with notes and comments as necessary.
By the way, I have already confirmed that Linux Mint 8 does not have the irritating 60-second delay on Logout/Reboot/Shutdown (Hooray!).
HMI PCs move to the Atom
Kontron has enhanced its family of thin-client HMI (human-machine interface) devices. The fanless "Micro Client IIA" devices feature touchscreen displays from seven to 15 inches, CompactFlash storage, and 1.6GHz Intel Atom processors, the company says.
Google Phone: What's it gonna be?
Rumors of a 'Google phone' are almost as frequent as those of an Apple iTablet, but the search giant may indeed release some form of hardware platform in January.
Despite blog speculation, and even 'leaked photos', of full-blown Google smartphones, it is unlikely that the company will compete with its own licensees. Instead, we would expect it to release a series of reference designs that can be used, in particular, by low end or white label suppliers, to extend Android's reach – and that of Google's web services – beyond the smartphone.
Nokia ditching Symbian for Maemo?
The world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia is reportedly contemplating of moving all its N-series devices to open source Linux-based Maemo 5 platform from the current Symbian platform by 2012. But is it a good idea?
Nokia "not prepared" for smartphone onslaught; could sell its handset business
In an interview published this morning in the German magazine Wirtschaftwoche, Mr. Vanjoki, who is also Nokia's head of marketing, admits too that his company needs to work harder to improve its mobile Internet products if it is to to stay in contention with the likes of Apple, Google and Research in Motion – the manufacturer of the increasingly popular Blackberry PDAs.
Nokia plans one Linux phone next year -source
First look at Kubuntu Netbook Edition 9.10 Technology Preview and the KDE Plasma-Netbook 4.4 interface
By now almost anyone who keeps up with Ubuntu knows about the Ubuntu Netbook Edition (formerly Ubuntu Netbook Remix). What many people are not aware of is that there is now a Kubuntu Netbook Edition and an Ubuntu Moblin Remix in development as well. By the time Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" is released next April netbook users will have three Ubuntu variants customized for their smaller systems. Development versions of the forthcoming Kubuntu and Moblin variants were released simultaneously with Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" in September. This week we take a look at the Kubuntu Netbook Edition 9.10 Technology Preview. Since the name of the release is more than a mouthful I'll refer to it as KNE from here on.
Lenovo IdeaPad S12
Price: 276
Tech Specs:
OS: Ubuntu for Netbooks Remix
CPU: Intel Atom (1.6GHz)
Dimensions: 292mm x 216mm x 22-28.9mm
Relaxing the netbook laws
Meanwhile, Acer has given us a return to Linux on the netbook.
Free Software/Open Source
What Will We Use on June 30, 2011?
customer: I upgraded from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate. When I did, Microsoft Mail program disappeared. I called Microsoft who told me to do this and that to bring it back but it still is not there. Do you have any suggestions for me?
manager: That's Microsoft for you.
customer: Is there a separate Microsoft product I can buy to bring back Microsoft Mail?
manger: No. Sorry. I don't carry anything like that. Sorry I can not help.
ble: Mind if I make a suggestion?
(exit stage left store manager)
customer: Sure.
ble: I am writing down a website were you can get a free mail program called "Thunderbird."
customer: Yes! I have heard of that. I use Firefox too. I do not know why I never thought to use Thunderbird for my mail.
Announcement: VirtualBox 3.1 released
Today Sun released VirtualBox 3.1, a major update introducing the following major new features:
* Teleportation (aka live migration); migrate a live VM session from one host to another
VirtualBox 3.1.0 arrives, adds teleportation support
More details about the release can be found in the Change Log. VirtualBox 3.1.0 is available to download for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris. VirtualBox is released under version 2 of the GNU General Public License (GPLv2) and VirtualBox binaries are released under the VirtualBox Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL) licence.
I am the very model of an open source sensational
Latest Open-Xchange Makes Webmail and Social Network Integration Easy
Open-Xchange, a leading provider of open source groupware, today announced enhancements that simplify the aggregation of e-mail and contact information, giving users access to their data anywhere, anytime and with any device.
Orange launches open source NFC application developer toolkit
Mobile network operator Orange has developed an NFC Application Developer Toolkit and made it available as open source software. IzyNFC is designed to enable the development of mobile NFC applications based on a SIM-centric architecture and Java platform.
Terracotta Acquires Quartz Job Scheduler
Java clustering infrastructure provider Terracotta has acquired the popular Quartz open-source job-scheduling software, filling a gap in its ability to support scaleout in virtualized environments.
Open-Source's HighTower Announces New Hires
Chicago-based HighTowers, an advisor-owned financial services firm described by company officials as serving "high net worth clients," reportedly announced that it has "deepened" its open-source platform and services with the addition of new international capabilities and advisory talent.
Ten Top Tips For A Successful Website
The range of options has grown dramatically in recent years, and the relative merits of Software as a Service, Open Source and proprietary solutions can be difficult to understand. While it is tempting – especially in the recession – to buy purely based on cost, businesses should be cautious of low price points and consider the long term implications of an e-commerce solution.
Mozilla Sea Monkey
SeaMonkey is available for free download for all platforms, namely Windows, Mac and Linux. As it is built on the open source Mozilla Gecko rendering engine – the same one as used in Firefox, Camino and other browsers released by the Mozilla team – SeaMonkey renders pages in the same manner in which Firefox does. Let's take a look at each of the components of SeaMonkey.
Hosted Version of the Drupal CMS is Taking Shape
As a hosted version of one of the most popular open source content management systems, Drupal Gardens promises to speed up how quickly content owners can produce useful sites, and more. Many newspapers and other types of sites are switching to Drupal, and a cloud-based Drupal service could also help facilitate workers contributing content from distributed remote locations. According to Rodrigues' post, Dries Buytaert refers to the project's promise as "design to online in hours."
Alert: What's Coming for Open Source CMS in December 2009
In late November, the Japanese version of Movable Type 5 (news, site) was released. The rest of the world's Movable Type 5 is expected in early December.
rSmart Adds Support for Open Source Kuali Financial System
rSmart, which develops open source applications for the education sector, has launched a new professional services offering to support the Kuali Financial System (KFS). KFS was launched earlier this year by the Kuali Foundation, with new deployments at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins; the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA; and San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA. The latter two institutions are also the first two customers for the new service offering.
Altitude Software and Digium Partner to Deliver Advanced Contact Center Applications Suite over Leading IP Communications Platform
Digium® Inc., the Asterisk® Company, and Altitude Software, the leading independent contact center solutions vendor, today announced Altitude Software as a new Digium Premier Solutions Partner. The agreement marks a major addition to the growing portfolio of advanced business solutions running on top of the Asterisk open source telephony platform and Digium's telephony gateway cards.
Linux: Freedom or Freakdom?
What I found was a man who is profoundly dedicated to a cause. RMS is the type of person you see on TV, mostly in shows about lawyers and crime-fighting who give the long, inspiring and fictitious* speeches in the courtroom spouting dialog about freedom, what it means to be free and our Founding Fathers' original purpose.
Rafael Martín Espada, CIO, Government of Extremadura. Spain Says Open Source Is Critical For Development
The use of open source software is fundamental to a sustainable and technologically independent development, says Rafael Martín Espada, Director General of ICT, regional government of Extremadura.
"We have a long list of recommendations that we are willing to share with all administrations that are considering open source", Espada said last week Thursday at a seminar in Brussels.
The region for instance advises to take fiscal measures to promote the creation of open source business. "Make its adoption a priority for public administrations. Use open source when you are organising electronic polls, stress its use in your development strategy and build demo centres to increase the trust in this type of software."
Gov targets boozers as Manc ID card scheme launches
And it does seem odd that the government has been reduced to encouraging youngsters to sign up for the ID card, so that they can continue to binge drink. Then again, this is the same government that brought in round the clock drinking, so they can't be all bad.
Intellectual Monopolies/Copyrights
More ACTA Leaks; Still Looking Really Bad
Yet again, despite all the secrecy and bogus claims of "national security," the details behind what's being proposed in ACTA have leaked, and they don't look good at all. It's basically an attempt to force the worst of the DMCA on much of the rest of the world, with a few carefully chosen modifications. While there are lots of issues, it's worth noting the most basic of all, found in the first paragraph that contains the "general obligations" of participating countries.
EU ACTA Analysis Leaks: Confirms Plans For Global DMCA, Encourage 3 Strikes Model
The European Commission analysis of ACTA's Internet chapter has leaked, indicating that the U.S. is seeking to push laws that extend beyond the WIPO Internet treaties and beyond current European Union law (the EC posted the existence of the document last week but refused to make it publicly available). The document contains detailed comments on the U.S. proposal, confirming the U.S. desire to promote a three-strikes and you're out policy, a Global DMCA, harmonized contributory copyright infringement rules, and the establishment of an international notice-and-takedown policy.
One Misguided Tweet Is 'Indisputable' Evidence That Piracy Harms Movies?
From this, Captain Kibble alerts us to an accurately described "rant" at ScreenRants.com about how this is "indisputable" evidence that piracy harms movies. The basis of that claim? Reese's heat of the moment claim that this could impact the making of a sequel. According to the ScreenRants folks, this suggests it's a fact that movie piracy is harming movies. Of course, there's no actual evidence that there is any decreased interest in making a Zombieland sequel. In fact, since the highest grossing movies almost always correlate to the most shared movies online, it seems that being a top pirated movie also likely has extremely high correlation with movies that get sequels.
Mininova pulls in its shell, but is it down for the count?
I keep reading about the big brother of copyrighted content going all gun ho on doing whatever it can to shut down torrent web sites. The latest victim is the www.mininova.org torrent site which has been forced to limit itself to content distribution serviced according to a recent court ruling.
Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day
Michael Shaw, community reporter for Assigment Zero 07 (2007)
Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.


text:
Business marketing is a very important part of any business that wants to stir the attention of the right customers who would someday utilize the products or services of a company. A proper sales pitch is the core of any marketing portfolio because it brings in new customers and makes the old ones stay. One of the many purposes of business marketing is to make the customers feel that they have spent their money on a good investment, namely, your product.
The first thing that an entrepreneur should do when marketing his business is to create a meaningful company statement that can make an impact on its potential clients. Your company statement should target your potential customers' situations so they'll find it easy to relate to your company. This will also instill confidence in them since they now feel that they can trust your company and its products.
Customers are becoming very wise because of the number of competitions in the market to choose from. Creating a quality sales pitch will lend class, integrity and value to your products. So it is important that your pitch is the exact duplicate of what your company stands for and who is it functioning for. A weak sales pitch will not capture any attention and will only be a waste of money and effort.
The key to successfully market your business is to know how to highlight the advantages that your customers can benefit from your company. You need to place your customers in every angle of your sales pitch so they would feel they're given importance. Not only should the sales pitch provide the benefits of the product but it should also describe how it can solve specific problems of the customers. To make an effective sales pitch, make it more about your customers and less about the product.


text:
There were more cameras and reporters and the whole shebang for Jeremy Lin's introduction at the Warriors' facility today than at any Warriors event since… umm… probably Media Day last October.
And if I subtract any event that did not include free food, then I'd say this was the biggest gathering of assorted media since Don Nelson's hiring in August 2006.
There were probably five times more media representatives at W's HQ today than were on draft night, when they picked 6th overall.
Pretty powerful showing for an undrafted point guard from Harvard. But obviously, Lin"s from Palo Alto High, and he's also Asian-American, in a market that is rumored to have a few Asian-Americans walking around and buying tickets and clicking on stories and blogging and etc.
Overall, Lin was poised, confident, and, as usual, not particularly in love with speaking as a role model for the Asian-American culture–which, believe me, I understand.
He just wants to play ball.
He also made it clear that he expects to earn a rotation role right away, backing up Stephen Curry.
I don't know about that–especially with Lin's shaky jumper–but just standing next to him, I can tell you that he's certainly big enough and rangy enough to cover a lot of ground.
If he can play the angles, and muscle past the quicker guys on the dribble… Lin has a shot at this. I wouldn't expect him to be the Warriors' back-up point guard right away, but I'm not ruling out some kind of role this season.
I also think it's clear that,even if this wasn't directly ordered by the incoming owners, it was done with Larry Riley believing it was what Joe Lacob and Peter Guber wanted.
That the Warriors didn't offer a summer league spot to Lin… and weren't in on him until a few days ago… and then suddenly offered him a 2-year, partially guaranteed deal days after the sale was announced…
Well, that has NEW OWNERS MAKING A SPLASH stamped all over it. (With the added benefit of not costing very much.)
I didn't tape Lin's session with the TV cameras, but there were some highlights form it…
* He made it clear that he thinks he can make an impact right away.
"From my point of view, I'm ready to go," Lin said. "I'm ready to play. I'm thankful the Warriors are giving me that opportunity."
* He thinks the best model for the way his game could develop is Phoenix 6th man Goran Dragic, especially the way Dragic attacks the rim in the pick-and-roll.
"Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we're both effective and know how to play the game," Lin said.
Dragic is a crafty, daredevil player who happens to back-up Steve Nash, whom some people believe is Curry's greatest role model.
That is a smart comparison. By a smart guy.
* How does he describe his game? "I'm a playmaker," Lin said. "I'm always attacking the rim and have somewhat of a reckless style. I try to be everywhere at once."
* Said that his performance matched against John Wall in the summer league was definitely the event that raised his NBA stock. Lin scored 13 points, attacked the rim, and held his own against the No. 1 pick throughout the game.
And said he was thankful to the Mavericks for putting him on their summer league team.
"I knew all along I could play with (NBA players)," Lin said. "I'm thankful to Donnie Nelson. He was the only one who gave me a chance to get on a summer league roster."
Now here's the transcript from the print-media gaggle…
—JEREMY LIN, some questions and answered edited for length/
-Q: I know you've had some media attention, but when you get a group like this, does it sort of amaze you?
-LIN: I don't think I've ever been a part of something like this before. This is unbelievable. Words can't really express my feelings right now and how happy I am and how grateful I am. This is crazy.
-Q: Why didn't you play for the Warriors' summer league team?
-LIN: They didn't… they were already full.
-Q: When was the Warriors' first contact with you about signing?
-LIN: I heard from my agent yesterday around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. We hadn't made a decision yet. I hadn't really heard anything about that because I told my agent I didn't want to hear anything until it was final.
He told me they had been talking for a few days.
-Q: So the Warriors hadn't been on you for that long…
-LIN: No, no. I think it was all within the last week.
-Q: How aware were you of other teams being interested?
-LIN: There was a lot of stuff on the internet and I was reading that for the first time…
-Q: What have the Warriors told you about your possible role? Have they said you're competing for a back-up spot?
-LIN: I think they want me to come in and compete, yeah, for a back-up position. I think there's a need for guards right now.
-Q: Minutes right away?
-LIN: It just depends on how I develop, how I perform. It could be… it's all based on my performance. It's tough to say right now without me having been through any training camp or anything.
-Q: Do you feel like you're ready to play point guard in the NBA?
-LIN: I feel like I'm ready to play and I feel like my game is very suitable for the NBA style, because I'm a slasher and there's a lot of pick-and-rolls.
-Q: What was your approach to playing against Wall in the summer league?
-LIN: My approach to that game was no different than any other game. It was just to play basketball and to stay true to my game and what I do best and not to go outside of myself.
-Q: Do you think you can keep up with NBA point guards defensively, especially the smaller, quicker ones?
-LIN: Yeah, I think being 6-4 with shoes and a pretty decent wingspan, I think I'll be all right.
-Q: Was Dallas involved trying to sign you?
-LIN: Yeah.
-Q: How tough a call was that for you to not pick Dallas knowing that Donnie was the one who gave you the shot?
-LIN: Donnie took care of me. He really took care of me. He really, really did. I'm not just saying that. And I'm really thankful to him. I actually am going to call him right after this.
It was tough, obviously, because I was there for 10 days before the summer league training. And I had met with Donnie in Portsmouth back in March or April. That was a tough decision.
I'm very thankful. But at the same time, I couldn't pass on this opportunity.
-Q: Because this is home, or because there's a possible role here… or all of that?
-LIN: Just everything. All of the factors combined, this was the best situation for me.
-Q: When you say Donnie took care of you…
-LIN: He let me go out there a week early. He invited me to his lake house for July 4th festivities. He scheduled some media stuff for me. He went out of his way to take care of me.
-Q: Did you go to the lake house?
-LIN: Yeah I went… It was me, Omar Samhan (and a few other players).
-Q: You think Donnie Nelson saw something in you?
-LIN: He has a different type of vision than most people do. I think he saw something inside of me or my game at Portsmouth that he fell in love with. He's been saying consistently that he thought I need some time to develop before I was NBA-ready, but he saw potential in me. So I'm very thankful to him for that.
-Q: Who have you talked to with the Warriors' organization?
-LIN: Today, just the people who are here right now. And I talked to Larry Riley on the phone last night.
-Q: Some people don't like or don't do so well playing at home because there's so much pressure and attention. Maybe there's more pressure for you here and expecting things right away?
-LIN: I'm not really worried about that right now. I'm just going to play my game and see where that takes me. And I'm not worried about filling shoes or meeting other people's expectations. That's never how I've approached the game.
-Q: Was there a thought that you'd go to the D-League this year?
-LIN: During the process? Yeah, during the process you think about all the potential options. Overseas, D-League, NBA… There were times when that crossed my mind absolutely.
-Q: And now, are you thinking no way for the D-League or is that still maybe a possibility?
-LIN: It's always a possibility if you don't play well. It's always a possibility that you could get cut, waived, if you dont play well.
But that's not the attitude that I'm going to come into training camp with. I'm going to come in to ready to compete, ready to fight for my time, for my spot on the team.
-Q: You've said going back to high school that you think of yourself as a basketball player more than as an "Asian-American player." But because you're here and the fan base has so many Asian-Americans, do you understand how much impact you'll have?
-LIN: I don't think I fully understand it yet, but I think I will later on. I'm getting a glimpse of it right now.
-Q: There are some stories that mention some slurs that you had to endure when you played at Harvard. How bad was that?
-LIN: It was bad the first couple times. But I just learned to block it out. It taught me a lot. It just made me a better player, just mentally stronger.
-Q: Did it stop?
-LIN: Uhh, no.
-Q: Do you expect it to continue at the pro level?
-LIN: Yeah.
-Q: The Warriors have just been sold, as I'm sure you know. What do you think about that and that you might be the first personnel move that involved the new owners?
-LIN: Well, I'm very thankful to the new ownership for giving me this opportunity. I know that this wouldn't have happened without their approval.
In my opinion, I think they're doing a great job.
-Q: Have you talked to either of them?
-LIN: I haven't personally talked to them, but my agent has and I've heard stuff that they've said to my agent.
-Q: It's possible that they asked for this…
-LIN: It's possible. That's something that you'd probably have to ask my agent.
-Q: What part of your game do you need to work on?
-LIN: My jumpshot. Just developing a consistent jumpshot out to the three-point line. That's what I'm going to focus on the most up until training camp.
-Q: Toby Gerhart ran into some stereotypes about being a white running back. Have you run into any of those things or talked to people about it?
-LIN: I actually roomed with Omar Samhan from St. Mary's. He was on Dallas with me. And we have very, very similar stories. Not really recruited out of high school and went on to have a pretty good college career and now we're back in that underdog role.
So I got to talk to him a lot and he's been real supportive. It's nice to have someone to relate to.
-Q: How about the Ivy League stereotypes?
-LIN: I feel like an Asian from Harvard… if you think about that, you're not going to think, 'Oh, a player in the NBA.' I understand that. That's just the way it is.
There haven't been that many Asian-Americans. There haven't been that many Ivy Leaguers. So… I understand that. But I'm hoping I'm breaking the stereotypes.
-Q: What was the situation when you were coming out of high school with the local schools?
-LIN: They were… the Pac-10 schools wanted me to walk-on. The Ivy League schools, Harvard and Brown, were the two ones that really wanted me to go there and play for them. I was deciding mainly between those two conferences.
I didn't really want to walk-on. I wanted to go somewhere the team wanted me. Not somewhere I'd have to go and potentially not have a spot on the team.
-Q: Before you played Wall, who was the most pointed guard you'd gone up against?
-LIN: I played Tywon Lawson in high school in AAU and also at Portsmouth. He's always been a handful.
-Q: Do you mind if I ask what your GPA at Harvard was?
-LIN: My GPA was not a 4.2. That's been the rumor. It's not even possible. My friends have been absolutely killing me about that. I had a 3.1 at Harvard.


text:
Fantasy football: Fantasy studs coming from out of nowhere
If I wrote at the beginning of the year that receivers Victor Cruz (NYG) and Jordy Nelson (GB) would have more fantasy points 12 weeks into the season than Greg Jennings (GB), you probably would have called me crazy.
If I told you that rookie AJ Green (CIN) would edge Roddy White (ATL) in points and backup Michael Bush (OAK) and Marshawn Lynch (SEA) would be among the top 11 fantasy running backs this season, you probably would think I was making some kind of reference to the Purple Drank.
But, after Week 12, all those things I mentioned are true, my friend. True.
The last four weeks Lynch has made me look like a fool for having him as a Purple Drank list mainstay, Bush might as well be Darren McFadden with his fantasy totals, Green has been fairly consistent in a very inconsistent year of fantasy football, Cruz has made some Hakeem Nicks (NYG) owners — read: this columnist — vow to never draft Nicks again.
Nelson has been more bust than boom, which has helped owners keep him in the starting lineup.
I haven't even mentioned Beanie Wells' (ARI) explosive 228-yard game last Sunday that now puts him in the top-10 fantasy backs in the league. This after scoring in the low single-digits four of the last five weeks prior to the St. Louis Rams game.
Folks, this is our new reality in fantasy football. A reality where I'm speaking kindly of both Wells and Lynch in the same column where I'd tend to crack jokes about their ineffectiveness.
Few things about fantasy football this year has been explainable for more than week, other than the reality that eight of this season's top 10 fantasy players are quarterbacks — including all of the top five scorers.
And this is in standard leagues, folks. Never mind leagues where QBs are awarded six points for TDs.
Of course, we've also seen Chris Johnson (TEN) finally look like himself, although still a slower version despite running for 190 yards. A few other backs, including Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC) and Arian Foster (HOU) are playing at a high level, but if you take a look at most of the top scorers from last week at any position other than quarterback, you'll be asking yourself just where some of these guys have come from.
Can't Wait! Waiver Wire Pickups
This week's top scorer could be on this very list. And if not, they could still end up scoring many more points than your top fantasy option at a given position.
But I'm not bitter. Nope. Not bitter at all.
Dan Orlovsky is taking over the QB position in Indianapolis, so may be worth a flyer. Either him or Jake Delhomme, who was signed Tuesday by the Houston Texans. Yep, they're that desperate. Kyle Orton could start this week, so he might be a decent pickup going against Chicago.
QB: Dan Orlovsky (IND), Kyle Orton (KC)
RB: Roy Helu (WSH), Maurice Morris (DET) — solid pickup if Kevin Smith can't go
WR: Jason Avant (PHI), Jordan Norwood (CLE)
Breakin' Bread List
You see what Tom Brady did against the Philadelphia Eagles last week? Now imagine New England going up against a team much worse than the Eagles.
Yep, Brady's going to throw for a lot of touchdowns.
By the way, expect a complete wild card in the Breakin' Bread List this week.
I've lost complete confidence with most of my picks not named Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
QB: Tom Brady (NE) vs. Indianapolis, Aaron Rodgers (GB) at New York Giants
RB: Ray Rice (BAL) at Cleveland, Chris Johnson (TEN) at Buffalo, Marshawn Lynch (SEA) vs. Philadelphia
WR: Calvin Johnson (DET) at New Orleans
The Purple Drank list — presented by Bob Costas
Bob Costas' rant on Stevie Johnson's (BUF) TD celebration mocking Plaxico Burress stole Johnson's thunder among Purple Drank list presenter candidates.
It was bad enough Burress ended up showing up Johnson by making more meaningful catches later in the game, but then Johnson forgot how to catch the ball late when Buffalo still had a chance to win.
At least Johnson didn't blame God this time, so there's that.
Johnson was still on his way to being this week's presenter until Costas opened his mouth on Football Night in American. Costas seems to have forgotten that showmanship has always been a part of football.
You think when coaches would say things like "these are basically the plays we'll be running, try and stop us" wasn't bragging? Not to mention, TD celebrations are fun.
I don't get the impression Costas likes to have fun, which makes him Purple Drankalicious. I just hope Costas doesn't hurt himself if he ever falls off his high horse.
QB: Blaine Gabbert (JAC) vs. San Diego, Caleb Hanie (CHI) vs. Kansas City
RB: CJ Spiller (BUF) vs. Tennessee, Donald Brown (IND) at New England
WR: Roy Williams (CHI) vs. Kansas City, Louis Murphy (OAK) at Miami
Don't sleep on my sleepers
QB: TJ Yates (HOU) vs. Atlanta, Kevin Kolb (ARI) vs. Dallas
RB: Marion Barber vs. Kansas City, Kendall Hunter (SF) vs. St. Louis
WR: Jon Baldwin (KC) at Chicago, Brandon LaFell (CAR) at Tampa Bay
Joey Baskerville writes his column every Wednesday. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or @jmark79 on Twitter.


text:
Glackens, William James
Glackens, William James, 1870–1938, American landscape and genre painter and illustrator, b. Philadelphia. An illustrator for Philadelphia and New York City newspapers and magazines for many years, Glackens first exhibited his paintings with the Eight and achieved fame as a brilliant painter of the contemporary scene. In his early works he used a dark palette. After staying in Paris, he adapted the technique of the French impressionist school and turned to a brighter range of colors. He was particularly influenced by Renoir. Parade, Washington Square (Whitney Mus., New York City), and Nude with Apple (Brooklyn Mus., New York) are characteristic of his later work. He is well represented in the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, and other leading American collections.
See I. Glackens, William Glackens and the Ashcan Group (1957).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: American and Canadian Art: Biographies


text:
Billy Donovan: The Spread Pick & Roll Offense
- Learn everything you need to know about the pick and roll offense from back-to-back National Champion coach Billy Donovan
- On-court demonstration showing all aspects of the pick and roll
- Advice for countering defensive adjustments against the pick and roll
Coach Billy Donovan has mastered the pick and roll offense, which has led to back-to-back NCAA championships and has begun to duplicate itself in hundreds of gyms across the country.
He begins by exploring the philosophy and building of this effective attack, starting with the flat pick and roll by a post player at the top of the key. He teaches the flat option 5-on-0, then shows it in action 5-on-5. Multiple opportunities to score come from this one concept in the half court. Major teaching points in the offense include: reads, slipping, spacing and screening angles. Real game situations are presented to help coaches anticipate their opponent's strategies when playing the pick and roll offense. Donovan has discovered three main ways the pick and roll is defended in college, and instructs the offense how to counter every move, including the switch and double team trap. When attacking the defensive 'show,' Donovan teaches the slip or ball reversal. This offense forces the defense to get back in transition and match up quickly, constantly close out and contain penetration. Every defensive adjustment to the pick and roll can be countered by the pick and roll.
62 minutes. 2007.


text:
Should Baseball Let More Teams Into the Playoffs?
Is expanding the post season a good thing? Or simply too much of one?
Is expanding the post season a good thing? Or simply too much of one?
Every week, our panel of sports fans discusses a topic of the moment. For today's conversation, Patrick Hruby (writer, ESPN and The Atlantic), Hampton Stevens (writer, ESPN and The Atlantic), Jake Simpson, (writer, The Atlantic), and Emma Carmichael (writer, Deadspin) question whether expanding the baseball post-season would be a good idea.
Hey, guys,
October is nearly upon us. Wild-card races in both the National and American Leagues have been suspenseful, thrilling and down-to-the-wire—or perhaps dreadful, sickening, and down-to-the-final-Pepcid AC, if you're a Boston and/or Atlanta backer. The Moneyball film is actually pretty decent, and better yet, didn't get completely waxed by cartoon lions and trained dolphins at the box office.
In short, it's a great time to be a baseball fan. Now this: As part of a new collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball reportedly may add two wild-card teams and a one-game playoff in each league to determine which of the wild cards advances, a system that could be in place as early as next season.
Question is, is expanding the postseason a good thing? Or simply too much of one?
On one side, there's the same argument often used against instituting a Division I college football playoff—specifically, that making the postseason more inclusive renders the regular season less important. In campus pigskin, we're told, every game is a playoff game, because one loss can all but dash a team's chances of reaching the BCS title contest. (Unless you're TCU, in which case, good luck in what's left of the Big East!) Moreover, a bigger playoff pool increases the odds of fluky results. Invite too many teams to the postseason party, and coronations become crapshoots, in which the best teams seldom win (see the NCAA men's basketball tournament), the hot teams make a mockery of seeding (see the NFL) and literally anything can happen, and often does, except for the Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets drinking beer out of the Stanley Cup (see the NHL).
On the other side of the debate, there's, whee! More teams means more fun! In 1995, people grumbled when baseball introduced the wild card and divisional playoff format in 1995; today, everyone loves it. In 1985, people grumbled when March Madness expanded from 32 to 64 teams; in the here and now, is there a single more exciting event on the annual sports calendar? Build a bigger VIP lounge, and more people have a chance to feel special; add playoff teams, and more fans have a reason to care, gamble and tune in.
Of course, that's the deus ex machina: playoff expansion is always, always driven by the desire to make it rain with television rights fees. Which makes postseason creep inevitable. Still, it's worth discussing. Hampton, where do you stand? Are you for spreadin' the playoff wealth around? Or, by allowing more teams behind the postseason's velvet rope, are we—Fox News voice—punishing regular-season success and excellence?
As you know, Patrick, I may be of a liberal/libertarian political bent, but when it comes to sports I'm usually to the right of Goldwater. A part of me does hate to see baseball destroying all the things that make it unique. Interleague play, for instance. To me, it's been a big, fat flop. Save for the few series played by natural rivals, like the A's versus Giants, or Mets and Yankees—series that matter to fans far more to players—mixing the leagues during the regular season has done nothing but destroy some of the game's mystique and create a few weekends of games that are only half as important in the standings.
That same Paleo-con part of me objects to the ever-growing pressure for more postseason play in all sports. It smacks of something impatient and almost childish in our culture—something which rewards the hot streak over perseverance. Do you know what NASCAR used to do before instituting their Chase for the Sprint Cup? The same thing IndyCar still does: At the end of the season, the driver with the most points is declared the champ. No playoffs or play-ins or wildcard games. None of that rigmarole.There is undeniably a certain stark elegance to that, and it truly would be shame to see baseball go the way of the NBA and NHL, for instance, where making the playoffs doesn't mean you are one of the best teams. It just means you aren't one of the worst.
That said, I'll contradict myself. (Sports are large they contain multitudes.) Sure. Let's do it. Let's add a few wildcard teams—not that Selig and company are waiting for anyone's approval. Okay, so it will detract just a smidgeon from baseball's rich tradition of having a rich tradition. Big deal. Adding wildcard teams couldn't be any worse than Interleague play. Or, for that matter, the unmitigated evil of a designated hitter. (Stop me before I turn into George Will.) As for the value of the regular season, that's strictly in the eye of the beholder. If you follow Auburn, for instance, the existence of a college football playoff isn't likely to change your passion for beating Alabama. Ditto for the Yankees and Red Sox, or a Cubs and Cardinals series in June. If Chicago happens to theoretically still be in playoff contention during that series—despite being 20 games out of first—who gets hurt?
My only concern is seeding and format. The team that won their division has to have a marked advantage over a club that snuck in the backdoor late. Jake, assuming you're down with the new set-up, what do you think is the best way to make it happen?
Oh wait, I see you've asked me a question. I'm still recovering from the wildest night of regular season MLB action I've ever seen, a night so scillintating it cause ESPN's Tim Kurkjian to gush, "This is why baseball is the greatest sport ever invented!" before briefly bursting into flame. For the uninitiated, the Braves and Red Sox both blew mammoth wild card leads this month, and both hapless clubs completed their collapses in the most gut-churning way possible on Wednesday. Needing a win to force a one-game playoff with the Cardinals, Atlanta blew a ninth-inning lead and lost 4-3 in 13 innings, sending them to an early offseason of Waffle House meals and afternoon tee times. And that was just the appetizer. At 10PM, the Rays were down 7-0 to the Yankees, while Boston was in a rain delay in Baltimore clinging to a one-run lead. Thenthis happened. Andthis. Andthis. And finally this.
When the dust settled, the Rays and Cardinals were improbable wild card winners while Boston and Atlanta fans had to swallow their teams' twins collapses. And if there had been a second wild card team coming out of each league, none of this drama would have happened.
Am I on board with changing the postseason, Hampton? Absolutely not. Fewer teams is obviously not an option (inane articles like this one notwithstanding), and adding another team would mess up what I call the power of 2 rule. The most egalitarian postseason system is one where every team plays the same number of rounds and the division winners are rewarded with home-field advantage. That's exactly what we have in baseball, and adding a second wild card in each league would necessitate a "play-in" game that would boost TV ratings but screw up the competitive balance of the playoffs. Unlike the U.S. government, baseball has actually found the perfect system for its postseason, as evidenced by the thrilling end to the regular season. It would be a shame if the MLB screwed it up in the name of revenue.
Emma, are you with me? Or did Boston's collapse leave you pining for that second wild card spot?
Hey guys,
Like Jake, I get the benefit of responding to this thread after having witnessing Wednesday night's insanity—and while it didn't change my basic opinion, it did momentarily convince me of two totally conflicting conclusions: First of all, the system in place is perfect and wonderful and nothing should change because October is always this magical. And second, the system in place is evil and malicious and it punishes good people (Red Sox players and fans, obviously) almost indiscriminately. (Though some might say we deserve this pain, and they might be correct.)
Patrick, I like how you posed this question—that an expanded playoff in the MLB could either be "a good thing" or "too much of one." For biased fans, it would be a very good thing to have an additional Wild Card spot in the postseason—but only some years. I would have felt pretty good about having an additional Wild Card spot this year, for example. But Wednesday's action was just as thrilling as it was painful for me to watch (and I do recommend, if you haven't already, that youwatch and listen to it all at once), and there was just enough of it. Any more of that might have sent Kurkjian into orbit before he burst into flames.
As it currently exists, the length of the MLB postseason has always felt perfect to me. It's October, and nothing more. But sports fans tend to be amenable to change, especially if the change only means more of something that they already enjoy. And baseball fans, especially, are a vulnerable group: A good portion of the sport's romanticism and fans' nostalgia got washed away with the steroids era. So if the MLB goes through with the expanded field in 2012—and because this is about money, it's safe to assume it will—then I'm guessing the only people who will notice are those whose teams barely missed the second Wild Card slot.
Based on how I'm feeling today, it's probably best to limit the extent of that kind of pain as much as we can.


text:
Looking for the perfect gloves for wicket keeping in Marshall Islands? If yes then you should rely on Formative Sports. We are the reputed Wicket Keeping Gloves Manufacturers in Marshall Islands that utilizations top notch materials for making it tough and durable. We have a selective range of Gloves that are utilized while wicket keeping.
We have these gloves accessible in different sizes, plans, thickness and rich quality. Wicket Keeping Gloves help to shield your hand from getting injured from the ball while performing on the field or off while playing cricket. We likewise have custom Wicket Keeping Gloves that are planned by the client's inclinations.
We are pleased to introduce ourselves as the top Custom Wicket Keeping Gloves Wholesale Suppliers in Marshall Islands that offers custom-made services at the most attractive rates. You can choose from the different sizes available with us as per suitability. These are sturdy and highly durable in nature.
Formative Sports is the leading manufacturers of sports uniforms which uses latest and modern technology for customised printing of uniforms and jerseys.


text:
Story by
Alex Wilhelm
Alex Wilhelm is a San Francisco-based writer. You can find Alex on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can reach Alex via email at [email protected] Alex Wilhelm is a San Francisco-based writer. You can find Alex on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can reach Alex via email at [email protected]
Today Facebook reported its first quarter earnings, including revenue of $1.46 billion and earnings per share of $0.12. Analysts had expected Facebook to have revenue of $1.44 billion, and earnings per share of $0.13.
The company's net income for the period on a GAAP basis totaled $219 million, and $312 on a non-GAAP basis. Ad revenue as a whole for the firm was up 43% from the year prior. Non-ad income for Facebook totaled $213 million in the quarter. The closeness of that figure to the company's GAAP net income is worth noting.
As Facebook increasingly looks to grow its mobile revenue, the percentage of its top line that comes from on-the-go usage is a leading indicator for the firm in the quarter. Facebook reported that $375 million of its advertising revenue came from mobile. This is higher than the $360 million analysts had expected.
That $15 besting of expectations represents a slim 4.2% beat of street estimates. Here's Facebook's quarter in perspective, courtesy of the company:
As a percentage of its total advertising top line, Facebook's mobile revenue accounts for 30%. In the last quarter of 2012 – the most recent sequential quarter – Facebook saw $306 million in mobile advertising revenue, which came to 23% of its total ad sales.
Facebook reported that its daily active users for the quarter totaled 665 million. Its monthly active users totaled 1.11 billion. Those figures are up from the previous quarter's tally. Monthly mobile active users, perhaps the company's new key engagement metric, were 751 million in March, up a strong 54% year over year.
In regular trading, Facebook was down a fraction, in keeping with the markets at large and the technology sector. Following the announcement of its earnings, the company is down another percent.
Facebook's miss on its non-GAAP earnings per share is somewhat troubling, given that the firm managed to beat expectations on mobile ad income, but failed to turn that revenue into profit. The non-GAAP figure represents a 14% miss. On a GAAP basis, Facebook earned $0.09 per share. The company has continued employee stock costs remaining from its IPO.
Finally, Facebook's operating margin – on a GAAP basis – was 26% for the quarter. That figure was 36% a year ago. In its most recent seeuqntial quarter, the company's operating margin on a GAAP basis was 33%.
Taken together, Facebook has shown that it can earn money on mobile devices, but not that it is yet able to turn its expanding revenues into growing profits.
Top Image Credit: Emmanuel Huybrechts
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.


text:
Some time ago I traveled into the future and read about temporal paradoxes in Doctor Who. To my horror, I realized the blog was written by me! So without missing a trick, I copied and pasted the text into a Word document, copied that document to my flash drive, grabbed my vortex manipulator and popped back into this Wednesday and pasted the text into a blog.
Whew! I'm pretty sure this is a predestination paradox, or maybe an ontological paradox. I mean when did I write this thing in the first place? What do I mean by first? Anyway, The Doctor has dealt with a lot more of these things than me. Here are five of the best.
The question of an ontological paradox is all about determining how something existed in the first place. In "Smith & Jones" the Doctor says you should never cross your own personal timeline, "except for cheap tricks." In the most recent season finale, this cheap trick saves the day. The Doctor is trapped in the Pandorica, which can only be opened from the outside by his sonic screwdriver. Where is the sonic screwdriver? Why, it's in Amy's pocket of course! And in the future, Amy is in the Pandorica. How did Amy get there?
Well, the Doctor put her in there, after Rory opened the Pandorica with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The Doctor got his sonic screwdriver from Amy's pocket because he had Rory put it there in the past. So, how did the Doctor originally escape the Pandoria then? Rory let him out, right? But Rory couldn't have let him out if it weren't for the Doctor already being out to begin with! So where did the sonic screwdriver come from? As the adult Amy says to little kid-Amy, "Okay kid, this is where it gets complicated…"
Because the Doctor is like, totally morbid or something, he agrees to take Rose back in time to witness her father's accidental death in 1987. Though the Doctor supposedly just wants to give her a chance to be with him in his final moments (also creepy) Rose ends up rescuing her father, and nearly causing the universe to collapse. While Pete Tyler eventually makes the right call and sacrifices himself for the sake of the universe, Rose is still able to be with him in his final minutes of life.
She then, retroactively remembers her mother telling her the story of a strange woman who held her father as he died. In addition to this retroactive memory paradox, there is the notion that the adult Rose imprints herself onto a toddler version of Mickey Smith, who as a result eventually becomes obsessed with her when he becomes an adult. So, did Rose really change history, or was she always meant to go back and be the woman who was there with her father? Does infant Rose remember being touched by her adult self? Does she remember being held by The Doctor? Is that why she trusts him so much? Of all the crossing-of-personal time-line stories, this one certainly raises more questions than provides answers.
In the midst of vampires from the future, undercover World War II-era Russians, cipher machines, and an ancient foe, the Doctor's companion, Ace, is faced with a kind of opposite of the grandfather paradox. Unlike "Father's Day," where Rose's actions nearly destroy the universe, this paradox creates Ace's very existence. Because Ace frantically sends her grandmother and the infant version of her mother, Audrey, to live in London, she ensures their safety from Fenric and the crazy future-vampires attacking her and the Doctor.
This presents a closed-loop or predestination paradox, as Ace was always destined to save the infant version of her mother in order to ensure her own birth. The great thing is though, Ace doesn't even know these people are her grandmother and mother when she puts them in a truck and instructs them to drive. She's just doing it out of pure human compassion.
Finally! The Doctor reveals to us how all this paradox stuff works with technical terms like "Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey-stuff"! And this one looks like another ontological, or as Heinlein would call it—a "bootstraps paradox." Anyway, the entire episode revolves around a transcript of a conversation between Sally Sparrow and the Doctor via hidden DVD extras. A future version of the the Doctor has an entire copy of the transcript which basically explains how everyone is going to get out of this whole Weeping Angels problem.
And yet, the Doctor doesn't get the complete transcript and the whole lowdown on what happens until the end of the episode when Sally gives it to an earlier version of him. For the Doctor at this point, none of this has happened, and yet he is the author of half of the transcript via the DVD extras which he ends up creating. But he only knows to create those because of the complete transcript Sally gives to him, and she only knew about the transcript from the Doctor, who only knew about it from her…jeez. Forget about not blinking, my head is spinning…
This episode presents another closed-loop paradox, with a bit of a twist. Combining various elements of great time-travel stories, the Doctor, Romana, and their 20th century friend Duggan, in the final moments of the episode, are tasked with preventing all of history from being changed. As it turns out, the origin of all life on Earth can be attributed to Jaggaroth spacecraft exploding in low orbit, thus providing various amino acids with the right amount of radiation that caused them to form into proteins.
Now, the villainous Scaroth wants to prevent this explosion from happening, and save his people. Luckily, via TARDIS, the Doctor, Romana and Duggan show up to stand between Scaroth and the Jaggaroth ship. Duggan heroically punches out the one-eyed Scaroth, thus keeping history on course. Indicating this paradox has always existed, the Doctor remarks "that was probably the most important punch in history!" The bumbling Duggan becomes in a roundabout way, the reason for everyone's existence on Earth, even though he's from the future. So what existed first? Duggan's punch or the explosion?
What about the Doctor's presence in Paris to begin with? If he hadn't been there, the Scaroth's plot would have never been uncovered, and Duggan would have never started hanging out with our favorite Time Lord and Time Lady. So, was it the Doctor, in a roundabout way, the reason for the evolution of life on Earth just because he was on holiday in Paris in the 20th century?
But wait, how could there be a Paris of the 20th century without life on Earth evolving in the first place? It can be argued that the Scaroth's splintering into Earth's future always happened, and Duggan, the Doctor and Romana are there, in the first scene of the episode, just a little to the left and off camera. Or something.
There are of course more paradoxes in Doctor Who, so if I missed your favorite, I'm sorry. But keep in mind; I don't actually know who wrote this to begin with, as I just copied it from my future self…


text:
Like artsy babes? Like people fetishizing breastfeeding? Well, Liv Sage (livsage on Patreon) is the perfect woman for youse. Just check out the pictures below to see what kinda content can she offer.
Check out the dedicated NudoStar forum thread as well, don't be shy!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livsage
OnlyFans: LINK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmallwoman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/asmallwoman


text:
Monday, November 21, 2011
8 comments:
Where did all the M & M's go I ask as I sit here popping one peanut M & M, right after the other into my mouth.ReplyDelete
The applique looks very interesting.
Looks amazingly like my sofa! And the wip and tv remote are there too! The only difference is that I have empty tea cups instead of m&m's next to me :) Oh and a cat to keep me company and a dog at my feet, but maybe you have those too?ReplyDelete
Looks like the M&Ms have been hit hard, very hard (my favorite sewing time snack :)ReplyDelete
Block looks great! Isn't it wonderful that M&M's don't melt in your hands!ReplyDelete
Beckie in Brentwood, TN
Looks like the most perfect spot to be :) Enjoy!!!ReplyDelete
Lovely Project! Sewing & Chocolate, such a good combination.ReplyDelete
The MOST important thing is the M&Ms! :-)ReplyDelete
Perfect! Melt in your mouth, but not on your hands! :)ReplyDelete


text:
You might have seen this already, but honestly: We've yet to see one play encapsulate a team's season more accurately than this Zach Randolph "possession" right here.
We've actually watched this a few times and find it mesmerizing. Knicks basketball: Destined to be like this for the next five years ... at least!
Never, ever fire Isiah. We beg of you.
Z-Bo Being Z-Bo [Posting And Toasting]


text:
I have concluded that anyone making accusations of "scientism" is just being dishonest. The term is usually used inappropriately, as a straw man, and in an attempt to claim "other ways of knowing" which are preferable to science. (But in a cowardly way, by attempting to discredit the science and not providing support for this "other way").
But this is really stretching the strawmannery of "scientism." It's part of a BioLogos infographic portraying "America's View on Evolution and Creationism." It blatantly presents "scientism" as the only alternative to creationist ideas (theistic evolution, intelligent design and creationism) (See the original inforgraphic at Infographic: America's View on Evolution and Creationism in Christianity Today or click here for full graphic).) You get the message – if your beliefs don't rely on the magical thinking of "other ways of knowing" you are guilty of "scientism" – which is a bad thing.
Modern science relies on evidence and reason. It tests and validates its ideas and theories against reality. There is plenty of room for speculation but it's very much reality driven. So far no scientific theories incorporate gods, angels, leprechauns or fairies. But that is not to say they are excluded – just that so far there is no evidence or need for such entities. If, and when, the evidence arrives we will happily include such ideas. (Just don't go holding your breath).
But according to this infographic modern science is guilty of "scientism."
Well, if that's how you want to define "scientism" I am happy to be declared guilty. But you can't use that as a term of derision.


text:
Join us a Freeside next Thursday for an Introduction to Arduino Class. The class will be aimed at the basics of Arduino Programming, so some programming experience in any environment would be preferred, but is by no means necessarry. We will even have a limited number of Arduinos and Computers, however if you have the ability, please bring your own laptop and Arduino to work with.
Location: Freeside Atlanta
Time: 7:30 - 10:00 pm
E-Mail: email@example.com
What is Freeside?
Freeside is a Georgia nonprofit corporation, organized to develop a community of coders, makers, artists, and researchers in order to promote collaboration and community outreach. Learn more »
Intorduction to Arduino Class
By Scott McGraw on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
The Space »
3043 Commerce Way
Atlanta, GA 30354
Google Maps
More about the space
Atlanta, GA 30354
Google Maps
More about the space
Upcoming Events
Friends of Freeside
Blog Archive
- ► 2014 (12)
- ► 2013 (27)
- ▼ 2012 (35)
- ► 2011 (13)
- ► 2010 (50)


text:
A natural-coloured filling material can be used for minor repairs to front teeth like chipped or broken tooth corners.
Alternatively a veneer can make a chipped tooth look intact again. The porcelain covers the whole of the front of the tooth with a thicker section replacing the broken part.
Crowns may be necessary when larger proportions of teeth are broken that cannot be repaired by bonding a natural colour 'composite' material or by means of porcelain veneers.


text:
Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CRASSH, The University of Cambridge)
Publication Date2018-09-27
The State Library of New South Wales
MetadataShow full item record
Unknown author Napoleon-street [digital image]. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/282295
File Number: FL1096345
The third pandemic of plague (in its bubonic and pneumonic clinical forms) struck the globe between 1894 and 1959. As Yersinia pestis spread from country to country and from continent to continent, it left behind it not only a trail of death and devastation, but also a vast visual archive. It was the first time that plague would reach and establish itself in all inhabited continents. But it was also the first time that any epidemic would be photographed. As plague spread from harbour to harbour, and amongst cities, towns and villages, so did photographs of the pandemic through reproductions in the daily and illustrated press. Rather than forming a homogeneous or linear visual narrative, these photographic documents provided diverse perspectives on the pandemic, which, more often than not, were not simply different from region to region, but in fact conflicting within any single locus of infection. Moreover this photographic production came to establish a new field of vision, what we may call "epidemic photography" which continues to inform the way in which we see, depict and imagine epidemics and their social, economic, and political impact in the age of Global Health.
Australia witnessed numerous plague outbreaks between 1900 and 1925. Sydney was first visited by the disease in January 1900 leading to the application of intrusive epidemic control measures (disinfection, quarantine, isolation). Especially affected by these were The Rocks and their wharves which were subjected to quarantine, resumption and demolition (with photographs in this collection capturing this process). The epidemic also led to ground-breaking research in the transmission pathway of the disease. Led by John Ashburton Thompson, this research contributed significantly to our understanding of the role of rats and their fleas in the transmission of the disease.
Plague, Australia, Sydney
Spatial Coverage
Australia, Sydney
Temporal Coverage
Host Item: Views taken during Cleansing Operations, Quarantine Area, Sydney, 1900, Vol. I / under the supervision of Mr George McCredie, F.I.A., N.S.W.
The database "Photographs of the Third Plague Pandemic" was funded by an European Research Council Starting Grant (under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme/ERC grant agreement no 336564) for the project Visual Representations of the Third Plague Pandemic, led by Dr Christos Lynteris (PI); The Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CRASSH) of the University of Cambridge (2013-2018). The project would like to thank its postdoctoral researchers, Drs Lukas Engelmann, Nicholas H. A. Evans, Maurits Meerwijk, Branwyn Poleykett and Abhjit Sarkar, and its administrators Mss Teresa Abaurrea, Emma Hacking and Samantha Peel for their contribution to this database.
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.29659
All Rights Reserved
Licence URL: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Vitamin K
Other name(s):
antihemorrhagic factor, menadiol, menadione (vitamin K-3), menaquinone (vitamin K-2), methylphytyl naphthoquinone, phylloquinone (vitamin K-1), phytonadione
General description
Vitamin K, one of the fat-soluble vitamins, is involved in promoting blood clotting.
The major source of vitamin K, phylloquinone, is found in green plants. Another form of vitamin K, menaquinone, is produced by bacteria living in the intestine. Menadione, the synthetic form of vitamin K, is the most potent, with twice the activity of phylloquinone. However, some experts say that humans may not absorb as much of this bacterial-produced vitamin K as previously thought.
Vitamin K is necessary for the normal coagulation, or clotting, of blood. Warfarin, a chemical used in rat and mouse poison, has been adapted for medical purposes because it blocks the effects of vitamin K. This allows the physician to prevent abnormal blood clots and treat conditions like phlebitis (clots in the inflamed veins in the legs) and pulmonary emboli (blood clots). Excessive warfarin may cause spontaneous bleeding that can result in stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, and death.
Medically valid uses
Vitamin K is used in the prevention and treatment of certain coagulation (clotting) disorders. Vitamin K is also used to prevent hemorrhagic disease (severe bleeding) in newborns.
Vitamin K may be used therapeutically in cases of prolonged intravenous feeding and in situations in which exposure to antibiotics has killed vitamin K-producing bacteria in the intestines.
Unsubstantiated claims
Please note that this section reports on claims that have NOT yet been substantiated through scientific studies.
Research is being done to observe the effect of vitamin K on osteoporosis and bone health. Vitamin K is also being studied for its possible benefits in protecting against cancer.
Recommended intake
As indicated below, vitamin K is measured in micrograms (mcg). Information is not currently supplied in International Units. The RDA is the Recommended Dietary Allowance.
Infants (0 to 6 months)
5 mcg
Infants (6 months to 1 year)
10 mcg
Children (1 to 3 years)
15 mcg
Children (4 to 6 years)
20 mcg
Children (7 to 10 years)
30 mcg
Youth (11 to 14 years)
45 mcg
Boys (15 to 18 years)
65 mcg
Girls (15 to 18 years)
55 mcg
Men (19 to 24 years)
70 mcg
Women (19 to 24 years)
60 mcg
Men (25 + years)
80 mcg
Women (25 + years)
65 mcg
Pregnant women
65 mcg
Breastfeeding women
65 mcg
A normal diet supplies adequate amounts of vitamin K. Although vitamin K is not dispensed as a nutritional supplement, small amounts are available in some multivitamins, or it is available by prescription.
Food source
Nutrient content per 100 grams
Cheddar cheese
22,220 mcg
Brussels sprouts
1,499 mcg
Green tea
711 mcg
Turnip greens
649.9 mcg
488 mcg
333 mcg
299.9 mcg
277 mcg
249 mcg
199.9 mcg
Vitamin K is stable at room temperature and therefore does not need to be refrigerated. It is not destroyed by cooking. However, light can cause some loss of activity; therefore, foods containing vitamin K should be stored in light-resistant containers.
An increased need for vitamin K may result from various malabsorption syndromes in which steatorrhea (excess fat in the stool) occurs. These syndromes include lactose intolerance, tropical and non-tropical sprue, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, and conditions that lead to a pancreatectomy (surgical removal of part or the entire pancreas).
Obstruction of the bile ducts, liver disease such as cirrhosis, and long-term treatment with antibiotics also increase the need for vitamin K.
Newborn infants need vitamin K. (All newborns are given a vitamin K injection within a few hours of birth. Without vitamin K, approximately 1 in 100 to 1,000 infants may experience some bleeding problems before their own vitamin K activity is high enough.) Premature infants, in particular, may be deficient in vitamin K.
Long-term treatment with antibiotics may lead to a need for vitamin K supplements.
Although vitamin K deficiencies are rare, signs of deficiency would include spontaneous bleeding or problems with blood clotting.
Side effects, toxicity, and interactions
The normal diet contains insufficient vitamin K to cause side effects. However, people who take Coumadin (warfarin sodium) for blood thinning should discuss their dietary intake with their physicians. Any change of diet that increases intake of vitamin K could counteract the effects of the Coumadin.
Vitamin K supplements should only be taken when prescribed by a physician.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should consult a physician before taking any vitamin supplements.
Vitamin K interferes with the blood-thinning properties of warfarin (Coumadin).
Additional information
Click here for a list of reputable websites with general information on


text:
Today's News: Our Take - Exclusive: The World Premiere of a "Noble" Endeavor from the Fringe Family
How delightful! John Noble is back in our lives in a grand way as the star of Friend, a beautifully emotional short film teeming with the Fringe DNA. "My daughter Jessie approached me with the script and I fell in love with the story, the message, and the character," says Noble, who then proudly showed his daughter's script "to my Fringe family...and suddenly we had a small crew of offering themselves to get this film made!"
The "labor of love," as Noble calls it, was filmed over a weekend break in Vancouver (at both Noble's home and Stanley Park) while the beloved Fox sci-fi drama was wrapping its series finale. So you'd think everyone involved with that massive episode would have preferred the time off. Not exactly.
"The amazing thing about Friend was our entire production team was made up of Fringe crew. That's what made it such a unique and personal project," recounts Noble. "Our director was Fringe director of photography David Geddes; our editor was Ari Margolis, who created Fringe's wonderful online trailers; and our original music was composed by Jeremy Little, who contributed that wonderful cover of "If I Only Had A Brain" heard in 'The Firefly' episode from Season 3." In addition, the actor says that "the cameramen, grips, lighting, sound, catering, script supervisor, makeup, hair, wardrobe, props - they all came from the Fringe family and brought this project to life. Jasika Nicole even designed and handmade the paper flowers used in the film. It was a family project in every sense."
Telling the story of a man dealing with grief in a manner even Walter Bishop would admire, Noble has no doubt that the short - which also features a final-moments appearance by Penny Noble, his wife of 40 years - "will be considered cryptic by some...there is a lot to this little film and I look forward to sharing it with Fringe fans who appreciate the mysterious side of life."
So without further ado, TV Guide Magazine proudly presents the world premiere of Friend. Enjoy and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!
View original Exclusive: The World Premiere of a "Noble" Endeavor from the Fringe Family at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com