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Project: Visual Machine Learning with Yellowbrick
In this project, we'll explore how to evaluate the performance of a random forest classifier from the
scikit-learn library on the Poker Hand dataset using visual diagnostic tools from
Scikit-Yellowbrick. With an emphasis on visual steering of our analysis, we will cover the following topics in our machine learning workflow:
- Feature analysis
- Feature importance
- Algorithm selection
- Model evaluation using regression
- Cross-validation
- Hyperparameter tuning
Duration (mins)
Task List
We will cover the following tasks in 48 minutes:
Introduction to the Project and Dataset
We will understand the Rhyme interface and our learning environment. You will be provided with a cloud desktop with Jupyter Notebooks and all the software you will need to complete the project. Jupyter Notebooks are very popular with Data Science and Machine Learning Engineers as one can write code in cells and use other cells for documentation.
We'll also learn about the Poker Hand dataset from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. The premise is that given some features of a hand of cards in a poker game, we should be able to predict the type of hand.
Next, we read the data from disk into a
Pandas dataframe.
Separate the Data into Features and Targets
In this task, we will first manually label the columns and classes based on the dataset description from the UCI Repository.
Finally, we'll separate the data into features X and targets y for further analysis.
Evaluating Class Balance
A very common question during model evaluation is, "Why isn't the model I've picked predictive?". After completing this task, you will have a good answer to this question. The idea centers on the imbalance between classes within your data. We will also learn best practices to accommodate for such imbalances such that they do not adversely affect model performance.
Up-sampling from Minority Classes
As a result of severe class imbalances, we'll use
Pandas to convert these rare classes into a single class that includes Flush or better.
Training a Random Forests Classifier
Now we'll partition our poker hand data into training and test splits, so that we evaluate our fitted model on data that it wasn't trained on. This will allow us to see how well our random forests model is balancing the bias/variance trade-off.
Classification Accuracy
In this short task, we will compute the classification accuracy score of our random forests model on the test data.
ROC Curve and AUC
Now that our model is fitted, we evaluate its performance using some of Yellowbrick's visualizers for classification. With Yellowbrick's implementation of ROCAUC we can evaluate a multi-class classifier. Yellowbrick does this by plotting the ROCAUC curve for each class as though it were it's own binary classifier, all on one plot.
Classification Report Heatmap
The classification report displays the precision, recall, and F1 scores for the model. In order to support easier interpretation and problem detection, Yellowbrick's implementation of
ClassificationReport integrates numerical scores with a color-coded heatmap.
The classification report shows a representation of the main classification metrics on a per-class basis. This gives a deeper intuition of the classifier behavior over global accuracy which can mask functional weaknesses in one class of a multiclass problem.
Class Prediction Error
The Yellowbrick Class Prediction Error chart shows the support for each class in the fitted classification model displayed as a stacked bar. Each bar is segmented to show the distribution of predicted classes for each class. It is initialized with a fitted model and generates a class prediction error chart on draw. For my part, I find
ClassPredictionError a convenient and easier-to-interpret alternative to the standard confusion matrix.
About the Host (Snehan Kekre)
Snehan Kekre is a Machine Learning and Data Science Instructor at Coursera. He studied Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at Minerva Schools at KGI, based in San Francisco. His interests include AI safety, EdTech, and instructional design. He recognizes that building a deep, technical understanding of machine learning and AI among students and engineers is necessary in order to grow the AI safety community. This passion drives him to design hands-on, project-based machine learning courses on Rhyme.


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Dear k-force,
Thank you very much for your comments, it is comments and suggestion like yours that allow us to keep on improving this site. We have taken note and added your suggestion (which is an excellent one) to our "to-do" list. Since ours is a HUGE to-do list, it will take us some time to have this done but be sure we will get to it
Again thanks you for your suggestion.

subset: commoncrawl


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Firstly, I have a long term target and I'm training towards that target. We all have our own targets whether it's running or not. My training hasn't changed a great deal apart from the weekend back to back long runs. I'm still training with my club mates on a Monday (long reps) and a Thursday (track work) and fitting in some short easy runs in between. This hasn't changed for a long time (barring injury breaks :o( ). That's the bread and butter for regular races. What makes the difference and takes it to the next level is the steady build up of the back to back long weekend runs and some regular core work. Time on feet rather than distance is key. It seems to be a constant battle to try and explain this over and over. I run and train because I love what I do and I have things I want to achieve. Selfish? Probably, but running is selfish.
If you have a personal target, in my opinion you need to focus on it and achieve it no matter what. Friends and family understand that and their support is invaluable. Yes, it may irk some people now and again but in the end if and when I complete my first ultra I can say I have achieved something and worked hard to do so.
Enough of the serious stuff. I have a couple of fell races coming up and have also entered the Allendale challenge at the beginning of April as a perfectly timed training run. Looking forward to a Lakeland 50 recce in 2 weeks time with a few experienced ultra runners, should be good fun.
11 weeks to go until the Highland Fling and I'm feeling in good shape. 11 weeks doesn't sound too long at all!
|Highland Fling elevation profile


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DLF launches 'Living made easy for children' at NAIDEX
28th April 2009
Today sees the launch of an innovative new advice and information website on equipment for children and young people with disabilities from national charity the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) at NAIDEX 2009 in Birmingham. Visitors to the show can find out more about 'Living made easy for children' (http://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/children/) at the DLF Information Point or during the daily seminars on the website in the Kidequip area.
'Living made easy for children' builds on the success of DLF's leading website 'Living made easy', and makes freely available on the internet for the very first time the advice and information on children's equipment that DLF has built up over its long history. The aim of the website is to eventually bring together information on every product for children and young people with disabilities into one place, helping parents and carers and healthcare professionals such as paediatric occupational therapists to easily compare products and make informed decisions about what might help them. All the advice and information has been created by DLF's team of expert occupational therapists so that visitors can get as much information as they need before contacting a supplier.
Chris Shaw, DLF's Chief Executive, explains "Parents of children and young people with disabilities find it extremely hard to get information that can help their child." A survey carried out by DLF two years ago showed that only 13% of parents said that all equipment was supplied by Social Services, with 84% purchasing products. 73% said they didn't find it easy to get information on equipment. Parents commented that finding information was "a nightmare" and that "nobody seems to want to help you find the best or right thing for your child". One person pointed out that it was "difficult to find information because it is time consuming and takes some searching and research. Also hard to find reviews to see whether information obtained may be appropriate for our needs". Another stated that they "Have no way of knowing if we've found all possibilities for any type of equipment, so difficult to make properly informed choice - vital given cost of specialist equipment".
Shaw continues "The need for a website like 'Living made easy for children' was obvious and we were delighted that the Department for Children, Schools and Families agreed to fund its development. The site has been extensively tested with users before launch so we hope that the service will really assist people in finding the help, information and equipment they need."
'Living made easy for children' contains a number of innovative features that have proven popular with those involved in testing the website. For example, DLF's star rating system rates products based on things like whether suppliers have provided prices for the product and whether they have signed up to certain industry Codes of Conduct, helping people find products from reputable suppliers who are transparent about their pricing more easily. Users can also review products themselves, can discuss products with other parents or ask for specific advice from one of the DLF's occupational therapists in the website's forum.
Comments from users who have seen the website include:
"It's great to have all the information for children's equipment in one easily accessible place. There is such a lot of information on all the equipment and suppliers." – Julia Weldon, Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Westminster Children with Disabilities Team
'Living made easy for children' is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Companies sponsoring the website include Nottingham Rehab Supplies, Theraposture and Kingkraft.
Further information and images
Please contact Hugh Dobie, Marketing Officer, Disabled Living Foundation on tel 020 7289 6111 ext 211 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Notes for editors
DLF is the UK's leading source of expert information, advice and training on independent living for older or disabled people. We want every older or disabled person to have the impartial information and expert advice they need to make choices about their daily lives – and front-line staff to be well trained and well informed.
DLF's information is disseminated through a wide range of services. Members of the public can obtain advice from DLF's Helpline service, which responds to up to 25,000 enquiries a year, or try products out at its Equipment Demonstration Centre in London, one of the largest in the UK.
DLF also provides a range of online services at www.dlf.org.uk, including:
- 'Living made easy', (www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk), an impartial advice and information website about daily living equipment.
- Free factsheets giving advice on a wide range of topics about disability and mobility products and choosing equipment for older and disabled people.
- AskSARA, (www.asksara.org.uk), an online advice tool that guides people to appropriate useful advice and information on products that can help them.
Healthcare professionals benefit from DLF Data, the UK's only comprehensive and up-to-date database of daily living equipment and assistive technology and an extensive Training Programme including a variety of bespoke courses. They also attend the DLF Moving & Handling People conference, an annual event in 3 parts comprising an exhibition, practical workshops and plenary sessions.


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Sandwich Kiwanis Spring Party
Add to my Calendar Get DirectionsPrint This Event
Last year was so much fun we're doing it again!!The Sandwich Kiwanis Club is celebrating over 40 years of community service to Sandwich and Cape Cod children. In that time, we have given out over $1 Million in grants to orginizations around the Cape. Come join us for a BIG PARTY at the PILOT HOUSE with a GREAT LIVE BAND and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Dance the night away and celebrate with us! ONLY $25 PER TICKET!. PLEASE SHARE and help spread the word!!!!
- Start:March 29, 2019 Time: 7:00 PM
- End:March 29, 2019 Time: 11:59 PM
- Where:Lounge, 14 Gallo Road, Sandwich, Massachusetts, United States, 02563
- Phone:N/A
- Event Type: Education
- Ticket Price:N/A


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Meet A Mom
Meet Nicholas! Nicholas and other children with NGLY1 need your help!
Meet Nicholas! Nicholas and other children with NGLY1 need your help!
Meet a Mom: Meet Annie!
Meet Annie! One of the Bergen North Moms Shares a little bit about herself, what she loves about Bergen County, and some causes that are close to her heart.
Meet a Mom: Meet Chelsea!
Meet Chelsea! This Bergen County Momma of two, is the Owner of Market House Shop Local in Westwood. Bergen North Moms have fallen in love with this store and we are sure you will too!
Meet Jellyn!
We were introduced to this beautiful Bergen County Mom of two through a networking event that we were hosting. We were absolutely floored by her ambitious spirit, and drive. We are so proud to feature this incredible woman who was launching her business at 9 months...
Meet A Mom: Meet Lauren!
Meet Lauren! This Bergen County Mom of two is also a Mac and Mia stylist! Check out her favorite shops, dinner spots, and what she loves about our area in her interview! Can you...
Meet Cassie!
Meet Cassie! This incredibly talented mother of two, is the co-business owner of Giella Barbara Photography based out of Allendale and opening a new studio space in Midland Park NJ. From the beautiful photos of her gorgeous family,...
Meet A Mom: Meet Jen!
We were so thrilled to catch up with Jen Higgins! Jen is a Bergen County native, mother of two small children and very cool lifestyle blogger.
Former ESPN Anchor Lisa Kerney On Raising An Athlete
Whether you were an athlete growing up or had two left feet, most of us would love our children to have success with sports, and have fun while doing it.
Meet Sheena!
We are so humbled to have met such and incredibly strong and courageous Bergen County Mother, Attorney and Business Owner. Read about Sheena's strength and feel inspired by her story in this interview.
Meet Melissa!
This Bergen County Native and mom of three, has recently launched Melissa Strauss Interiors, and interior design company. Melissa's creativity and sense of style on any budget is what initially peaked our interest. However, it is her infectious smile and wit that showed us how truly special this Bergen North Mom and her business really are!
Meet Liza!
Meet Liza! This Bergen County Mom of Three, is a lifestyle and fashion blogger whose positivity, photos on instagram and blog posts are constantly inspiring us.


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In the world of electronic money, Bitcoin has emerged as the mainstream means of payment, and with its unsurpassed advantages such as decentralization and low transaction fees, it is accepted by more and more stores. This decentralized digital currency goes directly from person to person without going through banks or clearinghouses, which leads to its low fees. As beneficial and user-friendly Bitcoin is, it becomes the favorable target for hackers. These chaps can tap into many channels to steal users' coins. What is worse, the stolen coins are irretrievable because of its anonymity and timeliness. Typically, users store keys in their computers and transact. In light of it, hackers' tricks are as following:
Storing keys in a secure hardware device is the trend of designing Bitcoin wallets. This kind of wallets only functions when signature is needed during transaction; otherwise the wallet is offline and won't be connected to the Internet devices, which can effectively isolate hackers from Bitcoin keys.
We have launched a Bitcoin wallet called BCSE (Bitcoin Secure Element) based on our extensive experiences with chip firmware and cryptographic algorithms. The BCSE uses a cryptography chip to perform Bitcoin's signature algorithm (ECDSA) and functions as a virtual wallet. This chip can be embedded into smart cards or any devices.
This chip has passed Common Criteria EAL 5+ International Security Certification, ensuring the security of the storage space. It also provides multiple secure authentication mechanisms and allows users to set their favorable security level. The APDU command specification and Host libraries are opened to the public for wallet software integration. Currently, customized Bitcoin-Core and Multibit are available for BCSE users and wallet developers. The following video demonstrates the BCSE is used with Bitcoin-Core to sign a transaction.


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Take a moment to think about how businesses were run 10 or 20 years ago. If there was a team meeting, every member of the team would have to be in the same room. If a signature was needed from a client, someone would have to be sent to their offices to get the document signed. And if there was a need to collaborate with colleagues in foreign countries, people would buy a plane ticket and head overseas.
Can you imagine how far behind businesses would be if they were still running day-to-day operations in this manner and business rivals were actively embracing the Internet, digital solutions, new technologies and all the possibilities these innovations have to offer?
This is the case for many businesses today, particularly when it comes to their IT systems. Just because your IT infrastructure was "state-of-the-art" when you bought it, does not mean that it still is today.
In fact, legacy technology might just be holding your business hostage with IT teams and business executives doing just enough to keep everything up and running. The problem with this approach is that it takes up valuable time and prevents businesses from leveraging the IT infrastructure and support systems required to meet their evolving needs. Here are a few ways to take your legacy IT into the future.
Replace the system: Updating legacy systems doesn't necessarily mean ripping out an old system and replacing it with something new. This is true especially when you're substituting a sprawling system that has evolved over decades with a customisable software package designed to meet legacy needs. If legacy technology is causing your company to lose ground, is costing you too much or you can't find trained staff to maintain it, you might need to replace it.
Enlist the help of a software provider: By working with a partner, you'll decrease your IT department's involvement in software development. It will also provide you with comprehensive functionality immediately. The right partner will understand the complexities of your situation and provide you with the solutions you need to meet your most pressing needs.
Update functionality: As a simple example, many legacy systems lack a service-oriented architecture, which makes them ill-suited for a world of apps and APIs. When your legacy IT systems lack the features and functionality you need to keep up with your competitors, your company won't be able to roll out the programmes and platforms required to address major business challenges.
According to Computer Weekly, nine out of 10 IT decision-makers say that legacy systems are preventing them from leveraging the digital tools and solutions they need to boost their productivity and become more efficient. Some 44% of large businesses say that their outdated systems have a negative impact on most of their projects.
Internet Solutions has remained steadily at the forefront of technological innovation since 1993. As a result, we can deliver exceptional solutions to the market that are flexible, efficient and secure. We can provide your business with complete end-to-end solutions that will boost the efficiency of your departments. There's no reason to keep legacy systems. Together, let's continue to be forward-thinking and push the boundaries of your capabilities.
Want to find out if your IT solutions are holding you back? Check out this Symptom Checker to help you recognise if your IT workloads are being mismanaged.
Read more blogs below


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Gabriella Baron, Italy
Comprehensive Institute of Marostica
Subject and Grade Taught:
Secondary school level the age of the students is between eleven and thirteen.
Years Teaching:
Years in Amgen Teach community:
Participation in Amgen Teach programme:
national training and DLA
"The methodology IBSE goes deep and makes students discover that the motivation to learn comes from the satisfaction of having learned and understood something significantly.
I applied this methodology in first and second class. The results were better in first class because the pupils are left to drive to this new approach to science. The boys are put into play, have begun to do with interest and commitment, they have not waited for just the targets of the teacher.
In the second class they have struggled to be protagonists of their knowledge. The curiosity has grown with time.
In class before I made investigations in particular on how to find the exact middle of a bottle without using any instrument but only a marker. The students divided into groups responded first individually and then compared their answers by choosing one to experience.
Conduct a scientific investigation requires that students take possession of many skills. The ability to observe, to ask questions, make predictions, to design surveys, to analyze data and to support claims with experimental evidence.
n inquiry-based learning the development of understanding stems from curiosity about a phenomenon or event that is new to the learners and raises questions that grab their attention. Inquiry leads to knowledge of the particular objects or phenomena investigated, but more importantly, it helps to build broad concepts that have wide explanatory power. It also engenders reflection on the thinking processes and learning strategies that are necessary for continued learning throughout life.
In order to gain access to students' thinking, it is useful to express questions in terms of what students think. The 'Open' questions, asking for students to respond in their own words are also more likely to elicit information about what they know and understand than questions where students choose between given answers. These are open to guessing and clues given by the words used in the options.
The students observe a real world object or a phenomenon and experiment with it. Pupils argue and reason, pooling and discussing their ideas and results, and building on their knowledge. Activities are organized in sequence for learning in stages. Continuity of activities and teaching methods throughout the entire period of schooling.
At the local level, scientific partners support class work by making their skills and knowledge available. Teachers are key players in the renewal of science education. Being part of a network allows them to improve the quality of their teaching and supports their motivation.
Inquiry-based science learning sees students learning through inquiry, using skills employed by scientists such as raising questions, collecting data, reasoning, reviewing evidence, drawing conclusions and discussing results. When students learn through inquiry they can develop scientific knowledge and they can also learn about inquiry, including the processes of science and how to construct reliable, valid and accurate investigations.
A student's understanding about inquiry is more difficult to assess than other areas of the curriculum, due to both its practical nature and the importance of thinking and reasoning processes.
I must bring students to deeply understand what they are learning, and not simply learn to repeat content and information. In using this methodology continuously students learn a method and apply it with more confidence.
I think is very important inductive thinking and making hypothesis; constucting explanotory models from evidence. Designing and understanding experiments deductive thinking with markig a model.
I teach math and science in middle School in Italy (age 11-13). I am member of the program Science Inquirendo Discere SID ( Veneto) that aims at implementing and improving the inquiry Based Science Education in Italy in collaborative effort by the National Association of Natural Science Teachers (ANISN) and Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
In our SID workgroup the teachers who attended the training become trainers for new colleagues by presenting the activities. I contributed to the training of primary school teachers with activities entitled Arctic and Antarctica. I created a new topic on the balance both teachers of primary and secondary schools.
I think I will participate in the next DLA because I participated in previous events and I found them interesting and full of new ideas. These activities are some good opportunities to share materials and opinions."


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The new Soul Sacrifice game, Soul Sacrifice Delta, is now less than a week away from releasing in both the NA and EU territories. The game will launch on May 13 in NA and May 14 in EU. The game has a variety of new monsters, areas, stories and features, most notably the addition of a grim faction.
Don't forget to pick the game up when it releases next week. For now, you can check out the Soul Sacrifice Delta page for more info on the game before it releases.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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10/15/17 Volume 1 Issue 4
Best You Guru
Are you up for the challenges of personal achievement?
Our inherent belief system is naturally programmed to believe we are safe if we are presently comfortable and perceived as safe. 10,000 years ago, this was most likely a safe assumption. Today this does not hold true. The threats today are not the same as there were 10,000 years ago. If you want to live to your potential toady you must examine your belief system.
Our safety reflex perceives information and acts accordingly. While this may protect us, it will often limit us. The adaptation of an outdated belief system has killed many dreams and filled graveyards with unused potential. Living 10,000 years ago required a different belief system. Our lives were much different and our goals were much different. 10,000 years ago, there was not much need in for a more challenging career, financial security, or the majority of the goals found in contemporary life. The natural self-protective mechanisms meant to protect us now instinctively limit us. Biological instincts have not kept up with societal demands. We must analyze our belief system to ensure it is current with societal demands and our personal goals.
Challenging your belief system requires tremendous courage. This requires courage. A courage requiring you to open your mind and belief systems to the potential of your personal achievement. We are quick to limit but slow to open our minds to personal greatness. Every conscious decision you make is based upon your belief system. Analyzing your belief system begins with asking yourself why you believe what you believe. This requires a courageous and open mind. Determine if the belief is relevant and important to your achievement. Keep the belief if you find it important to your achievement goals. Eliminate or change this belief. Your belief system must be modified to emulate your goals. A belief not relevant to your goals only hinders or prevents you living to your potential. Understanding your belief system and willingness to change is critical to your personal achievement.
You have a choice to defend and fight for your dreams or defend and fight for an outdated belief system.
Action Step: Each day for the next 30 days write down a belief you are willing to challenge. At the end of the 30 days look back and determine which values help you achieve your goals. Remove those that do not help because they hinder. There is no neutral in life. You are either moving closer to your goals or further away.
Next Achievement by Design Workshop will be held in Jacksonville, FL on 10/26/17 visit www.BestYouGuru.com for more information.
"Best You Guru" and "Best You" are Trademarks


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Wilder & Davis – Luthiers.
My violin needed a substantial amount of work recently, including re-repairing an old bass bar crack that had opened up, a new button and neck, new bass bar, and a lot of other issues that were becoming unmanageable and needed to be properly repaired. I've dealt with Wilder & Davis in Montreal for years (they also have a shop in Banff), and as much as sending your violin away to anybody for repairs is a terrifying experience, I knew that they would do good work. Charles Arsenault did the work on my violin, and the results were really terrific – it came back in much better condition. Although the sound took a few months to get back to normal, my violin is operating as well or better than ever. If you need a full service violin dealership, check out Wilder & Davis here. And if you want to check out some of Charles work, check out the incredible repair he did to this Gagliano here. Be warned though, looking at this instrument in pieces is not for the faint of heart… I have played this instrument after the repair – sounded fantastic!!! Wilder & Davis also have one of my favourite bow makers on staff – André Lavoye. I own one of his bows, and I also had him make a new frog and screw for my beautiful F.X. Tourte to replace the original ivory (which doesn't travel well). You can see it under the my instruments tab.
Garth Lee – Luthier.
Garth makes fantastic violins, violas, and cellos. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if his closest relatives were trees. His innate understanding of wood and woodworking is almost spooky, and his workmanship is as fine as there is in this world. I've played on many of his instruments, but was lucky enough to borrow one for an extended period of time when my violin was in the shop for extensive repairs. If you're looking for really fine new instruments that have a lot to offer and will develop over time, check out his website here. It's a simple website that doesn't have a lot of pictures, but worth looking at.
Judy Bandsmer – Photographer.
I also get asked a lot about the photography on this website. Judy Bandsmer lives in Victoria, BC, and she is a real artist with a camera. Full disclosure here – Judy is my cousin, but that does not make this a cheap advertisement for a family member. As you can see from the picture, she is very creative, and her work has been featured in several magazines, and won national awards. Check out her website at www.paintbrushphotography.com for some beautiful examples of her portraiture and art.
Joe Dudych – Recording Engineer.
If you listen to my Ysaye CD, I hope you hear a great sound and some good violin playing. What you won't hear are all the technical details that are part of recording, including mixing, microphone placement, and yes – a few miraculous edits. Making a great recording involves two distinct parts: great playing, and great recording. Joe has lived up to his end of things for me, and many others. Check out Joe Dudych Recording Services website at www.joedudych.com.


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Robson's work uses recycled materials to such an extent that she now enjoys receiving junk mail because it gives her new material to create her work. "The language and costly graphic devices and fancy printing used in junk mail gives it a persuasive, positive and personal flavor, making it great fodder for my work. My practice is ultimately about recognizing and embracing new possibilities and encouraging others to do the same," she writes in her artist's statement.
Some of her more memorable pieces involve plastic bottles carved, cut and twisted into romantic, unrecognizable forms. Like the best artists working with recycled materials, Robson makes the trash she works with a thing of beauty and mystery.


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Oakland's Role as a Cannabis Capital Revealed at Outside Lands
Oakland-based Jetty Extracts and other local purveyors thrived in the festival's Grass Lands.
Images: Kristan Lawson
At Outside Lands last weekend, Oakland sustained its blazing reputation as a cannabis capital, as many of the 28 vendors represented throughout the three-day music fest's innovative Grass Lands section were based in Oakland and/or have strong Oakland links.
This year's Outside Lands was the nation's first-ever locally permitted, state-licensed major music event to allow cannabis sales and consumption on the premises. Although Grass Lands actually debuted at Outside Lands last year, that first installation focused only on cannabis "education" and "celebration" — not actual consumption. Things were markedly different this year:
Featured at Grass Lands 2019 were Oakland-based Kiva Confections and Oakland-based Jetty Extracts (which an investment firm sought to acquire last year for some $30 million), among others. Oakland-based Sublime Canna was debuting Dosies, its new cara cara orange-flavored, sugar-coated, Tic Tac-sized, cannabis-infused mints. (A new partnership was announced this week by which Kiva now handles Jetty's sales and distribution.)
Also represented were cannabis-delivery companies Bloom Farms and Eaze, both of which service Oakland.
Kiva co-founder Kristi Knoblich Palmer told SFist that her company's marijuana-infused chocolate-treat booth was Grass Lands' top seller on the festival's first two days.
Signed last year by Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Bill 2020 permits local jurisdictions to grant permissions for the temporary licensing of events to allow cannabis sales and consumption for adults.
Attendees at 2019's Grass Lands enjoyed smokes, snacks, Lagunitas' alcohol-free Hi-Fi Hops "beer," and more — including an array of live bands.
Next year's Outside Lands is set for August 7 - 9, 2020.


text: BIRTHDAY SUITS and LOST BALLOONSwith LUTHERAN HEAT and THE CULT OF LIP Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at 8:00pm$10.00 advance$12.00door18+Venue: First Avenue7th St Entry https://www.facebook.com/events/247501882419505Info TabsPerformersPerformer: BIRTHDAY SUITS FACEBOOKTWITTERTUMBLRYOUTUBESince their debut in 2005, the Minneapolis-based duo of Matthew Kazama and Hideo Takahashi has excelled at tossing elements of late-'90s mathcore and classic Reagan-era punk against the wall with disarming power and impressively fresh results. Their 2010 release, Minnesota: Mouth To Mouth (Nice and Neat Records), sticks to that formula, but with a smidge more spit-polish shining up their succinct sense of melody. Birthday Suits' biggest asset remains the way their blurry-but-brilliant mix of sharp edges and curvy hooks matches up neatly with their dark-humored lyrics and stage presence that feels as gleeful as it does dangerous. Read more about BIRTHDAY SUITS LOST BALLOONS DIRTNAPALIEN SNATCHBANDCAMPDISCOGSLost Balloons are Jeff Burke (Radioactivity, Marked Men, etc etc) and Yusuke Okada (of Japan's incredible Suspicious Beasts). Hey Summer (2017) is their 2nd album, following 2015's self-titled debut on German's Alien Snatch Records. (one of the few Marked Men-related records of recent years that Dirtnap DIDN'T put out!) The 2 play all the instruments (although there is a live lineup as well) and split singing/songwriting duties. Hey Summer works fantastically well as an ALBUM, meant to be listened to from start-to-finish. Read more about LOST BALLOONS Special GuestsSpecial Guests: LUTHERAN HEAT FACEBOOKBANDCAMPSOUNDCLOUDDISCOGSAfter the Young Pretenders rode off into the sunset, Sara said "What?! That's bullshit! You can't quit!" So she grabbed a guitar, recruited Annie (AKA The Coolest Drummer In Town) and the rest is history...then the coolest drummer realized the rest of us were idiots and moved to Seattle. Then a new drummer, Justin joined (who also thinks the rest of us are idiots), now the rest is history. Garth Blomberg: guitar/vocals/beard related dutiesSara Pette: guitar/vocals/treasurer/band dadMatt Engelstad: bass guitar/vocals/nonsenseJustin Nelles: drums/more nonsense/drumbs Read more about LUTHERAN HEAT THE CULT OF LIP TUMBLRFACEBOOKTWITTERBANDCAMPLoud guitars and woozy vocals from a band of planchette people. Loosely formed in 2009, 12 members, 7 years and 4 EPs under an alias later, the Cult of Lip is fully active as of 2016. [previously known as VATS from 2009-2015] Read more about THE CULT OF LIP


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- 100% natural ingredients, 30% zinc oxide. No chemicals, no alcohol, no perfumes, no parabens, Gluten-Free, and hypoallergenic.
- Used in hospital neonatal units and many pediatricians hand out samples, plus medical professionals have endorsed this cream.
- Perfect for the whole family! Excellent for eczema, baby drool rash (from teething), bug bites, Poison Oak and Poison Ivy, cold sores, itchy dry skin, dry cracked hands and feet, heat rashes, other types of skin rashes
- MSRP: $7.99 (2 oz.); $12.99 (4 oz.); Amazon
- 8 oz. Target exclusive, in-store and online - $19.95
Friday, October 26, 2018
3 Top Picks for a Baby Shower Gift Basket
10 comments:
I always struggle with presents for newborns these days now that I am not a mother of any babies anymore. These are some great and practical toys that any new mom would love.ReplyDelete
They come up with some really great things for the little ones and for us too.ReplyDelete
I know your kids are goofballs. I like that.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. ♥
I am in love with that teething ring. I think any mom would be happy to get this for her little one. It's so cute!ReplyDelete
That diaper rash cream is the best gift you could ever give a mom! When you have babies, a GOOD cream is essential.ReplyDelete
Looks like grandma is getting the newest addition all ready, huh? :) Sadly, there aren't any babies on the horizon for our family right now, but when that happens, I think any of these products you have featured will make for an excellent baby gift!ReplyDelete
A good cream is the win, that one doesn't ship to Canada, hmph. Not that any are on the horizon here. That first one the cats would never let be hahaha baby would have to fight them for it. Never even knew you were going to be a grandma again, did I miss that or forget it? Congrats to her and you! Goofball is much more fun.ReplyDelete
I havent been to a baby shower in a long time but these look great and like ideal gifts to give! So much fun celebrating a new baby! - jeanineReplyDelete
I love baby toys. I love babies too! These certainly look like fun!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 31, 2018 at 9:48 AM
Dear Pat Hatt.... Baby Butz cream need to ship to Canada...It's MADE in Canada and available at all the large pharmacy and grocery chains!ReplyDelete
Dear Pat Hatt...Baby Butz cream doesn't need to ship to Canada. It's made in Canada and available in all the large pharmacy and grocery chains!ReplyDelete


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The traditional Chinese recipe calls for sesame paste or tahini to make this delicious spinach salad. But a foodie's the natural resourcefulness led my hand to the bottle of peanut butter when there isn't any tahini in my pantry. And guess what? It's irresistible!
Just blanch the spinach, mix it with the peanut butter, or sesame tahini paste, minced garlic and a pinch of salt, you are done; or you can pour the hot oil over the garlic to bring out even more flavor. The few goji berries in the photo were a last minute throw-in only because I wasn't sure what else to do with them. I've soaked them hours earlier for a soup, then I changed my mind. Women are allowed to changed their mind! In fact the sweet hint of the goji berries was lovely and they looked totally enticing! Feel free to in a few slices of carrot and some bean sprouts to make it a delicious traffic-stopper.
If the taste of raw garlic is too strong for you, saute the garlic in a bit of oil to tone it down before mixing, or leave the garlic out completely as I do sometimes. Also try to use a natural peanut butter without emulsifier added. Natural peanut butter is easier to mix with the vegetable and generally tastes better.
Preparation: 10 minutes
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 goji berries (optional)
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heap tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
Blanch spinach in boiling water, cool and drain. Mix spinach, vinegar, peanut butter and goji berries; put on a serving plate; sprinkle minced garlic on top. Heat the oil and pour over the garlic. Mix and serve.
If the peanut butter is not salted at all, salt to taste before serving.
To try the traditional recipe, replace peanut butter with sesame paste or tahini.


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The role of attention
Kim Nataraja
"In order to enter into this holy and mysterious communion with the Word of God dwelling within us, we must first have the courage to become more and more silent ... a silence where we have to listen, to concentrate, to attend". (Word into Silence)
John Main here draws to our notice the role of deep listening, of sustained attention. One-pointed focused attention has a strong effect on the way our brain functions, the way our brain allows us to receive and to tune into different levels of reality. Dr Shanida Nataraja explains in her book 'The Blissful Brain' Neuroscience and proof of the power of meditation' that there are two sides to our brain and switching between the two is facilitated by the power of attention:
"The left hemisphere houses the neural circuitry that deals with language and ... the intellectual functioning of the human mind (i.e. our ego). During meditation,through the focusing of attention, the practitioner accesses the functioning of the right hemisphere... Experiments suggest that the right hemisphere captures a much more truthful representation of an experience. Our left hemisphere has a tendency to filter our experiences, so that they fit into our established perception of ourselves and the world. Experiences that fit our worldview and "boost our ego" are captured, whereas those that challenge our worldview and "undermine our ego" are ignored. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, captures the whole experience and therefore, during meditation, when the practitioner has access to the right hemisphere, often long-forgotten memories can surface in full Technicolor or solutions to unsolved problems or dilemmas can emerge. Meditation therefore provides the practitioner with a method through which to switch between the two modes of thinking and perceiving conferred by the two hemispheres."
This switching between different modes of perception, which affords a more complete picture of who we are, leads to deeper self-knowledge. Only by truly knowing ourselves, by letting go of the filters with which we view reality, can we glimpse Ultimate Reality.
John Main stresses the importance of this:
"Most of us have to get into touch with ourselves first, to get into a full relationship with ourselves before we can turn openly to our relationship with God. Putting this another way, we can say that we have first to find, expand, and experience our own capacity for peace, for serenity, and for harmony before we can begin to appreciate" (Word into Silence).
Heavenly Father, open our hearts to the silent presence of the Spirit of your Son. Lead us into that mysterious silence where your love is revealed to all who call. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
BY Saint Teresa of Ávila
"It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves."
By Laurence Freeman OSB
May this Community be a true spiritual home for the seeker, a friend for the lonely, a guide for the confused.
May those who pray here be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve all who come and to receive them as Christ himself. In the silence of this retreat may all the suffering, violence and confusion of the world encounter the Power that will console, renew and uplift the human spirit.
May this silence be a power to open the hearts of men and women to the vision of God, and so to each other, in love and peace, justice and human dignity.
May the beauty of the Divine Life fill this Community and the hearts of all who pray here with joyful hope.
May all who come here, weighed down by the problems of humanity, leave, giving thanks for the wonder of human life. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.


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For my CamPosted: March 15, 2013 Filed under: parenting, Photos | Tags: family, nablomapo, parenting, poetry 2 Comments
I have been thinking a lot about my firstborn baby, my little Cam, lately. I am not ready to talk about why just yet but, I'll just say that he is his own little unique person and I struggle to understand the best ways to be his mom sometimes. I've posted this poem over at my other blog, but I want to post it here, too.
Little boy,
there is no difference in the anger that bubbles in your small chest
and what burns like fire in mine.
We are the same
made helpless
awash in emotion
and I'm in charge
so I should know better.
I worry a lot about your soul
Where it came from
and how to keep it pure.
I am trying so hard to keep my hands away from you,
to end the way our souls have been broken.
What a different word we'd live in, maybe,
if there was some other way
if pain wasn't bragged on
if we'd look somewhere else.
your grandmother is wrong.
Your mother is wrong.
This maze we fall into is confounding.
DisciplinePosted: June 25, 2012 Filed under: parenting | Tags: boundaries, children, discipline, family, parenting 3 Comments
I've been working to get better at disciplining the kids. Before I had kids, everyone told me they saw me as being a "nice" mom — too nice to be mean when I had to be. I always argued against that. I hate seeing ill-mannered kids! I would not take any crap! I would be fearsome!
Yeah – no. Cameron and Grace aren't…bad. But I know that I need to be more firm with them. I need to establish good habits so that they know how to speak to me, how to speak to other adults and…um…not act a damn fool and embarrass me in public. Ahem.
I think that I am, by nature a gentle person, so it's hard to be firm. I also have hippie tendencies, so I don't wanna harsh anyone's buzz or squish my precious little angels' dreams. I want them to be happy – but within normal boundaries.
My kids are incredibly bright and incredibly stubborn. Whatever they want, I want them to have because I love them. Also, they sometimes convince me that they need it, so powerful is their whining and crying. It feels unnatural for me to assert myself with them. But I have to. They need to understand that I'm not Lisa, the lady who they debate with. I'm the mommy. What I say goes. I run this.
I'd love to say that I have come up with a solution. That I now know the perfect way to discipline my kids without being too overbearing or too gentle. Nope. I'm still working at it honestly. I've been using a timer for time outs which helps me stay focused. With two kids running around, it's easy to get distracted so that the prisoner takes advantage of the opportunity to escape. I also have to bark a little bit, which honestly feels weird. But it works. My mother, who was an elementary school teacher told me a saying among other teachers, "you don't smile until November." I'm not going that hard, but I am trying (oh how much of a wimp do I feel like for even typing that) to not seem so "nice."
And now? I'm tired. It wears me out stepping outside of myself, but I know I have to do it.


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"Possibly the only frightening thing about it is the cleverness with which it can be hidden." L. Ron Hubbard
HCOB 28 November 1970, PSYCHOSIS
"It started with me blowing the Sea Org in November, 1993. I took advantage of a number of false reports I had put in place over years giving a false picture as to my role in handling external attacks and the IRS in particular. The web of lies…is so complex it would take pages to recount…I then engaged in a campaign [over the next 11 years] to covertly and sysmatically take out and undermine any executive or staff who might expose me."- Mark Rathbun
"A true psychotic can be brilliant or stupid, competent or incompetent. It is his general motive or purpose that determines whether or not he is insane or sane…They had a destructive basic purpose. Every psychotic has one. It is usually covert, hidden, but in full play against his unsuspecting friends…The sole difference in motive is whether it is destructive or constructive.
L. Ron Hubbard
HCOB 9 May 1977, PSYCHOSIS, MORE ABOUT
"My continuous actions over the past two decades have suppressed Scientology dissemination…It has been carefully masked by a façade of being important or working on important things. It is all the more insidious because that 'importance' has been by association with COB…."
"Left to my own devices in handling [the] IRS litigation, the end result would undoubtedly have been no exemption, a billion dollar tax bill, and possible shutting down of the Church. I have developed a slick false PR technique of positioning myself as having been integral in handling threats during and after the fact, when they are actually terminatedly handled by COB. By calculation I have lost the Church 43 million dollars on losses and expenses that could have been avoided…"
"…the worst suppression has been visited upon COB RTC. It is the worst suppression because COB RTC is the person who has single-handedly salvaged Scientology from potential external ruin, and single-handedly salvaged Scientology itself by holding the line technically, administratively, and on dissemination. Had he not been here and done what he has, Scientology would have been lost. There is no slightest doubt about that….
"The motivations for these acts are a psychotic computation for self-preservation: keep enough chaos and threat stirred up in the environment, make myself appear to be a solution to instead of the instigator of it, and lots of people go down and remain in turmoil while I go unrecognized as the source of it and survive." – Mark Rathbun
"The APPARENT pattern of insane behavior is to come in (ask for processing, go on staff, etc.) with the advertised intention of being helped or helping, then mess up either as a pc or on post, then state how bad it all is and leave. It looks obvious enough. He came, found it bad, left.
"That is only the APPARENT behavior. APPARENT REASONS.
"Based on numerous cases, this is the real cycle. Hearing of
something good that might help these hateful, awful, rotten, nasty people, the psycho comes in, wrecks this, upsets that, caves in this one, chops up that one, and WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS "NO!" the psychotic either:
"a. caves himself in physically or
"b. runs away.
"The psychotic is motivated by intent to harm.
"If he realizes he is harming things he shouldn't, he caves himself in. If he is afraid he will be found out, he runs.
"None of this is very nice. It is hard to confront. Even I find it so."
L. Ron Hubbard
HCOB 28 November 1970, PSYCHOSIS
Somebody did say "NO!" to Rathbun's psychotic covert suppression—COB RTC. He removed Rathbun from his post and any last vestige of authority and expelled him from RTC.
Rathbun blew about 12 weeks after writing the above public announcement in 2004. During his blow (desertion) he also caved himself in by getting drunk and then crashing his rented car into a wall. His next reaction was to attack Scientology and COB RTC, Mr. David Miscavige.
Now you know why.


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Shreekumar Varma's new book Kipling's Daughter released
By Nikhil Raghavan
Anglo-Ink, the publishing house owned by Harry MacLure, publisher and editor of Anglos in the Wind, the official mouthpiece of the Anglo-Indian community, has just released their latest title, a fiction by author and playwright, Shreekumar Varma. Released under the auspices of the Madras Book Club, Kipling's Daughter, as the book is titled is a fictional love story of the not-quite-fictional and much loved author Rudyard Kipling.
The story is narrated through the fictional descendant of Rudyard, named Reuban White and Shreekumar attempts to recreate the world, the mood and typical phrases and expressions associated with the term Anglo-Indian. At the book release event, Shreekumar said, "My earlier books had taken about six or seven years to finish. This one was over in four months… shortest book I have ever written." The book is aimed towards the forthcoming World Anglo-Indian Reunion, due to take place in Madras in January 2019.


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200 travel companies end elephant rides
We now have over 200 travel companies that have committed to ending the sale of elephant rides and shows and many are now offering alternative cruelty-free elephant experiences to their customers.
If you are booking a holiday which includes an elephant experience, then make sure you check out our elephant friendly travel company list which includes major operators such as The Travel Corporation, TUI Group, Thomas Cook and Intrepid Travel.
New UK sign-ups, including VIVID Travel and Toucan Travel, helped push the number over 200 elephant friendly operators.
The crush
Elephants are wild animals and to make them suitable for riding and handling they are put through a brutal training process often called 'the crush'. This involves inflicting pain and withholding food and water until the elephant's spirit is broken.
The bullhook, a stick with a sharp metal point on the end, is used if an elephant steps out of line and is a constant reminder to do as they are told.
Companies yet to commit
Many companies have signed, however, there are still UK based tour operators that are offering elephant rides and shows including Scott Dunn and Southall Travel in the UK.
Chiara Vitali, campaigns manager at World Animal Protection UK said, "It's wonderful for elephants that companies and holidaymakers are coming to realise the cruelty of elephant rides and shows. However, there are companies out there still offering these activities. If you do see a company selling these activities please let them know about the cruelty involved and ask if they will sign our elephant friendly pledge."
Click here to download our animal friendly tour operators and find the right one for your holiday. You can also click here to see our guide to being an animal friendly tourist.


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New dangerous malware spreading across Ukraine
14:20, 25 July 2017Economy
198 0
Dr. Web antivirus company has warned about the spread of the BankBot banking malware, which had earlier infected Android smartphones in dozens of countries, including Ukraine, Liga.net reported.
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The B-52s – Funplex single
The first single from their first studio album in sixteen years (!!!). This is highly exciting for any B-52s fan, 1980's New Wave Revivalists, and lovers of rock lobsters. If this single is any indication of the new album's sound, it will have been well worth the wait. 'Funplex' is great. I listened to all three versions they've packaged together on the single (the album version and two different edits) and was not bored once, oh no no no. Cindy Wilson handles most of the vocals with Fred Schneider providing bits of hilarity as well. Totally gnarly, dude!


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What happens? Your mix loads into Sequoia Digital Audio Workstation, which hosts plugins by Algorithmix, Universal Audio, PSP and many more.
Most of my masters are created in the analog domain. It starts with Sequoia's playback fed into a Bricasti M1 that converts your digital mix into analog. The M1 acts as a "Play Head" that feeds into a Crookwood R3 insert router that houses a number of analog EQ's and Compressors, which are available at the push of a button. In any order I want.
The best sounding combination of gear is selected for a given song, and when a song is properly dialed in, it is recorded back into the computer. For this step I use Lavry or Prism analog to digital converters. This acts the 'Record Head' back into the digital domain. After all songs have been recorded the song spacing and transitions are set. The master bounce is then exported to Saracon for final Sample Rate Conversion and Dithering.
This is my basic work flow. Sometimes I keep things all digital. Sometimes I pass the signal through only converters, a short cable and transformers. Sometimes I have every analog box active in the chain. I never know until I begin.


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'Wannacry' ransomware attack: Data safe, but be cautious, Maha tells all; BMC to upgrade security
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials said they will update the security system today; the state police data came under attackmumbai Updated: May 15, 2017 13:38 IST
The Maharashtra government has issued an advisory to all its departments and people of the state on the precautions to be taken to avert the attack from the ransomware.
Although some of the government departments, including the state police, came under the attack, the government has claimed the data is safe.
"It is true that some of the departments came under attack, but we have fixed the systems by detaching the affected machines immediately. We have issued an advisory, comprising the dos and don'ts for all our departments and public. The government departments have been told to take due security steps long ago, immediately after some of our computers in revenue department were attacked last year ," said an official from the information and technology department said.
Taking preventive steps, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials said they will update the security system today. "We have not faced any problems yet. But as preventive steps, we will be closing down applications to boost security for about two hours today," a senior civic official from the IT department said.


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Some Benefits Of Having The Right Property Management Company
A great many people are befuddled with regards to managing their properties. One thing that is seen here is the demand to discover a great house to rent. Landlords too will find it hard to get real tenants to occupy their rentals. These demands might make it tough to experience great things in many ways. But, you can change things when you get skilled property management professionals. The most essential thing to do at this point is to ensure you end up with competent experts in this business. The following are some great things to expect from these specialists.
When you choose to lease your homes, it is a common thing to anticipate great comes back from your business. Indeed, this can be chosen how you deal with the rentals. As known, this could be a daunting task to do it alone. Thus, it is fundamental that you permit these management specialists to help. Their duty now is to guarantee the houses s are in phenomenal condition before new inhabitants lease them. They will take care of little details like the maintenance services. Their job will as well include choosing the correct people to lease the expected houses.
The other need to engage these pros is to get a good house to rent. It may seem like an easy thing to handle but there are cases when this could be hard. This is especially if you are new in town and have no idea on where to live. To ensure all will be smooth, contemplate on connecting with the proposed experts. They will be quick to listen to all the needs you have in mind about the best place to live in. The crucial point is to let them know the sort of rental in thought and they will handle the rest. This is meant to spare your time as they can comfortably deal with all the tasks as desired.
When you procure great experts, it is very effortless to have all that you need. When you pick this organization, there will be devoted employees with the will to fathom your extraordinary needs. Both the tenants and landlords will feel safe to work closely with the supposed experts. They are prepared to work within your budget thus making it easy to choose wisely what you want. For any uncertainty details about these services, make a point of consulting these specialists.
There is more to gain from these experts when you consult them. You can find them through their online services or by visiting their local offices.
Overwhelmed by the Complexity of Tips? This May Help


text: I loved working on this shoot, and styling Anastasia Khodkina was delightful! Meagan Cignoli is a fantastic photographer, one of the best in fashion. Stacie Ford, one of my dearest friends, could not have done a better job with the makeup. And of course Andrea Wilson did the hair justice! This shoot will be published in a few places, we'll keep you updated!


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Cultural roadblocks to communication
Date of this Version
Document Type
Florida International University in cooperation with the Dade County Cable Access Television project. Broadcast on the television program FIU in view. Show no. 128 With Paralegals: who they are and what they do; Issues on prison overcrowding; Childcare for the 80's. Participant(s): Host: Connie Crowther, Guests: Marcella Benossini.
Streaming Media
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Della (Producer) and Stubbs, John (Director), "Cultural roadblocks to communication" (2017). FIU in View. 50.
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).


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Welcome to Ankota™, where we're enabling the next generation in home care management solutions and patient engagement systems that prevent avoidable hospitalizations. What is it that makes a home care solution next generation? Of course, it must utilize state-of-the-art technology, do things that existing systems can't do, and minimize staffing requirements while maximizing productivity. But to be truly next generation, a solution must go much further... to be next generation, a solution must include state-of-the-art thinking.
Health care today is an extremely complex system of payers, programs, diseases, and treatments that require precise management and oversight. Data, from a multitude of directions must be moved in and out of systems to ensure knowledgeable decision making that achieves the desired results. And day to day service delivery is further complicated by payer authorizations and plans of care, both of which can determine if and when services can be billed. Ankota meets the needs of homecare, private duty and home health care agencies and other providers in a multitude of delivery settings and focuses on several underserved segments specifically in the arena of non-medical home care, Area Agencies on Aging Solutions (AAA), Case Management Service Delivery, Pediatric, Therapy and Respite Services, Managed Care Medicaid Programs & Payer Systems, Remote Population Monitoring and Engagement and Adult Day Care. Our highly customizable software offers full home care agency and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) management including telephony, GPS, fixed number generator fobs, biometric authentication and verification schema. It manages people, payers and programs via configurable business rule sets and supports optimized delivery of care in homes, readmission reduction, individualized plans of care and cost controls. Sophisticated scheduling algorithms support managing non-skilled and professional workers in post-acute markets. Foresight Care™, is an innovative remote patient monitoring service and patient engagement platform, that helps avoid hospital readmissions at a very low cost.
Ken Accardi, MBA, CEO
Ken, who is sometimes referred to as the "Home Care Software Geek" founded Ankota to enable the next generation of home care. Ken was previously a Chief Information Officer at GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) and VP at Tele Atlas (sold to TomTom (AMS:TOM2)). Ken has also served as CTO for iGetBetter, MedNest, and Veritas Health Solutions (now iHope Network). Ken has been a keynote speaker at numerous national conferences (Medtrade, DecisionHealth), and a lecturer at Harvard, MIT, Bentely, Babson College and UMass. Ken also serves as a mentor for the MassChallenge accelerator. Ken has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College, an MS in Computer Science from Virginia Tech, and a BS in Engineering from Bucknell.
Sara Moore, COO
Sara has 10 years experience in project coordination and project management. Her last 5 years have been focused in healthcare administration specifically in Adult/Pediatric Therapy, Orthopedics, Private Duty Home Care and Skilled Nursing Facilities. Sara brings a combination of industry, administrative and technological insight to focus on implementation, documentation, and training to support our customers.
Carmen Popa, CTO
Carmen is Ankota's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and has been with the team since the start. She is an outstanding software architect and team leader who has conceptualized and evolved Ankota into the highly configurable next generation platform that it is today.
Joel Merle-Smith, VP of Sales
Joel is a healthcare futurist with 20+ years of IT expertise and a strong home care pedigree. He was the leading sales person for CareAnyware, which was sold to Brightree (and subsequently sold to Resmed). Prior to that, Joel and Ken worked together at ViryaNet (sold to Verisae and subsequently to Accruent). Joel focuses on building strong personal relationships with individuals and also with markets. Specifically he makes it a point to be present in the geographies served by Ankota so that community needs (often driven by state Medicaid and Managed Care programs) are anticipated and met.
Jeremy Jed Hammel, Marketing Director and Customer Success Lead
Jeremy has worked with Ankota in a number of marketing roles since 2014, including inbound and outbound initiatives, writing blogs, running our webinars, and even Customer Support. He is an avid film buff and filmmaker, and loves building community through technology.


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Clean-It #15
Economical Mold Cleaner
Clean-It #15 is an economical and powerful cleaner for numerous shop jobs such as molds, tooling and machines. Use #15 for "pre-run" mold touch up and "post-run" mold cleaning.
Available in aerosol.
Spectrum Mold Releases & Cleaners
The Spectrum family of mold releases and cleaners represent Price-Driscoll's most economical and complete line of molding solutions. It includes a wide range of material specific releases as well as cleaning and maintenance products suitable for most uses. Spectrum releases can also be custom formulated to match your specific requirements.
All Spectrum releases are heavy-duty, environmentally responsible and safe for shipping, storage and daily usage.
Spectrum Features and Benefits
- Heavy Duty concentration allows more releases per application.
- Fast solvent evaporation yields faster molding cycles for more efficient production.
- Worker safe and EPA compliant.
- Releases are available in a wide variety of formulations to meet all molding needs.
- Spectrum Cleaners are temperature specific to meet the needs of the machine operator as well as the tool room.
- Most are Level I aerosols for economical shipping and easy convenient storage.
|Product Line
|Aerosol can size
20 ounce
|Cans per case
|Shipping weight
20 pounds
All-purpose cleaner and degreaser for molds, tooling, machines and most shop jobs. Non-flammable.


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Penny Stocks And What Would be the Secrets To Help make More Earnings
31/07/2015 10:54
Penny stocks are similar to normal stocks aside from the fact they are not exchanged on the key stock transactions. Penny stocks are, obviously, stocks which can be bought and sold at or below $5. The goal of dealing penny stocks is just like other stocks: Attempt to buy low and then sell at a higher cost.
Penny stocks really are a whole lot much more volatile than normal stocks and here can be found their own primary benefits AND their disadvantage. Penny stocks can and also do double their cost in one day where it could take several weeks, several weeks or even years for a regular stock to do the same. For some reason, it is easier for a record coming in at one cent per stock to improve its cost or two cents than it's for a stock worth 25 dollars for each to twice its well worth to $60 any stock.
What this all, to the buyer is a good news/bad information kind of element. Bad news first: These stocks might be so unstable that you can drop your cash within just just one evening. It's absolutely nothing for a stock worth one penny to go to nothing fast. Typical stocks may also do the actual same but they'll require a much longer period taking it, providing the trader a opportunity to reduce his/her losses and keep a good a part of his/her investment.
It's possible to be taken away by these stocks if you're not shelling out close attention. Penny stocks do not constantly act as you could anticipate following studying through to the basic principles of the company. In the realm of penny stocks, one recognizes good company taking place and also bad enterprise going up.
The good thing? You're able produce a substantial quantity fast with simply a little amount of cash at hand. And, although can lose most or all your investment swiftly, you won't be disappointed that much when you have only risked a tiny area of your whole value.
Benefit from your previous problems. Attempt to comprehend what proceeded to go wrong as well as why. Don't make the identical errors again. Observe what other investors are doing and learn from their achievements as well as problems. In the event the cost of a list is reduced, effort to discover when it is because it has not yet been noticed or if, instead, the company is in cost-effective problems. Purchase the former in no way the latter.
To get more information thorugh penny stock picks.


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Like most people today, I guess you belong to one of the following groups: involved in network marketing (also known as Multi-Level Marketing or MLM); have been presented with an opportunity to get involved; you've heard about network marketing; or you know someone who was or is involved in the industry … anyone who does not belong in at least one of the above, I would say you probably lives in another planet. Like everything else that has been around for years, especially with the recent explosion in home business ownership there are quite a few myths surrounding this industry of mlm …. some of which will surely make you laugh. We're keeping it real. Let's address a few.
1. The only ones who make money are those at the top, those at the
bottom don't.
Simply not true. In legitimate network marketing plans – yes, there are illegal pyramid schemes out there - but in true, legal programs, everyone makes money when they or their organizations generate the activities that trigger bonus payouts. The people at the top generally have built larger organizations and it is only fair that their commission checks be bigger in certain instances. MLM compensation plans tend to reward individuals more as they move up leadership positions for the simple reason that building a progressive organization requires hard work. By the way, you normally get to the top by helping other people succeed. Can't buy your way to the top, can't bribe your way to the top, talk your way to the top, or stunt your way to the top … takes focused action. How else should individuals be rewarded for adding more value to the lives of others?
The great news is, anyone with a good work ethic can make it to the top, unlike in corporate job set ups where the top is only reserved for a select few executives. Also, what folks don't realize is that in most network marketing plans, it is possible for downlines to earn more than their uplines, depending on the activities they generate. May I add that no one's motivation should be to out-earn the other? Find ways to maximize on the bonuses in your position and 'run' up the compensation plan so that your checks only get bigger. The view from the top is generally always better … even in network marketing.
Most successful men have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand - Bruce Barton
2. All I am required to do is bring in a few people, sit back and watch my organization grow as I get to the top.
Now that you see this in writing, doesn't it sound ridiculous? Yet this is the success strategy for thousands of distributors who have joined MLM over the years. This is probably the biggest of the myths that has plagued this industry for so long. Many who have believed it, of course have ended up disappointed.
The truth is, it is possible to build a great MLM
business with a handful of LEADERS, not a handful of people. These leaders
however, are not easily found; they are the go-getters, extremely motivated
individuals who know how to get things done.
Most people we know do not fall into this category and so, introducing
them to your MLM business will not take you to the top. It sometimes takes
months to find true leaders, for some folks, it takes years. Remember that MLM
is a business and no business grows over night, especially with the business
owner sitting back and watching with folded arms.
The only place where success becomes before work is in the dictionary – Vidal Sassoon
3. My upline will do the work for me. All I have to do is sign-up, make a list, hand it over to them and watch my money tree grow.
Yes, most people who start in MLM do so on a part time basis. Some (the reasonable ones) are not looking for much because they are not putting in much; others do expect much while putting in little or nothing. The upline leaders who are in business full-time are sometimes expected or assigned the responsibility of making the above downline successful. There are two things wrong with this picture: 1 - The truth is, no one's going to work for another in this industry. 2 - No pain, no gain – that's life and network marketing happens to be a part of life. Don't expect to reap where you did not sow.
This vehicle to financial
freedom called network marketing needs a driver who is alert, determined and
focused … otherwise, folks might as well just park it to the side and go to
sleep. But when they finally wake up, should not be surprised to find themselves in
the same spot!
Success does not come to those who
wait … and it does not wait for anyone to come to it – Anonymous.
4. They give out 'free' cars, vacations, expense accounts, etc ….Let me tell you something that everyone should know by now: nothing is free …not even freedom, they say. I wish we would stop using this word 'free' in network marketing. It has caused a lot of damage. MLM companies have gotten in trouble for enticement; it is something the Direct Selling Association frowns heavily against.
Yes, you can be rewarded with these things, yes the company can help you make payments on them … but they are not free or just handed over to you. They come at a price … continuous hard work and production requirements. Read the fine print.
Simply do not get carried
away by elaborate promises of perks. The truth is, underneath the hype and
unreasonable promises, network marketing is a solid and highly profitable business
plan. Make adult evaluations, and have reasonable expectations, you will not be
disappointed. Mlm works if you work, and there is no such thing as free.
Blind belief is dangerous – Luyia,
Western Kenya
5. Anyone can make it to the top.
This is a tough one. Yes,
anyone can make it to the top who is teachable, has a great work ethic and is
hungry for success. How many people do you know possess these qualities?
Several, yet how many are actually willing to activate them by put their heads
down and go to work? The fact is, most people who come into network marketing
are looking for an easy way out. They may not admit it, but they hope against
all odds that this would be the magic wand that brings success quickly. It very
simply is not. Everyone wants to be
successful, but very few are willing to pay the price … especially in network
Be self-reliant and your success is assured - Anonymous
As the search for answers, success tips and personal development continues for most who are researching this industry, we hope articles like this help in your decision making and / or network marketing journey. As you can see, most network marketing myths are largely due to a general misunderstanding of the industry and also because of untrue claims that have been and continue to be made by those involved to attract business partners. I have come to believe that you can never say the wrong thing to the right person, and so network marketing stars will be attracted to the industry irrespective of what is said, or not said. We pledge to keep it real always on face2face. Thanks for reading.


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On December 2, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on "Protecting Trade Secrets: The Impact of Trade Secret Theft on American Competitiveness and Potential Solutions to Remedy This Harm." The committee is considering the Defend Trade Secrets Act (S. 1890 and H.R. 3326) which would establish for the first time a federal civil private right of action for trade secret misappropriation.
The legislation, which would modernize and strengthen trade secret law, would amend the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 (EEA). Given Mark Krotoski's experience handling a variety of foreign economic espionage and trade secret cases under the EEA, he submitted a statement for the hearing which was submitted into the hearing record by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE).
Mark Krotoski also assisted in drafting a letter which was signed by 20 trade secret trial lawyers in support of the legislation. The letter was also introduced into the hearing record.


text: Pretty raffia pieces ✨ Available at the shop in Avalon and Showroom in Warriewood 💙 by Poppy Roxburgh. Posted on 25th May, 2019 25 May Instagram filter used: Normal Photo taken at: Beachwood Designs View in Instagram ⇒ The shop entrance this week ⭐⭐⭐ Showroom in Warriewood is open 6 days, filled with beautiful pieces of furniture. I love the simplicity and strong character of our locally made table using reclaimed Australian timber. Chunky metal base with @porterspaints instant rust finish and clear coat ⭐✨🌿


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I have received some beautiful ATCs in the swaps that I've joined but a few are larger than the standard 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 size because of embellishments. And, because of this, they don't fit in the sleeves that I have in my binder. I had them in a sleeve in the pocket in the binder but they weren't really displayed…until now!
I took a regular full size page protector and made it into 4 sections! Now the oversized ATCs fit nicely and I can add the pages to my binder!
First I put cardboard in the page protector and using an Xacto knife I made a slit horizontally through the middle (you HAVE to use the cardboard because you don't want to cut all the way through the page). Then I went to my sewing machine and sewed across the page just above the slit to seal the top section. Then I made a vertical seam through the middle from top to bottom making the 4 sections. I was surprised at how well it worked- who knew you could sew plastic! 🙂
Oh, and if you're going to try it, make sure you start at the bottom for the verticle seam! The first one I started at the top and the plastic bunched up a bit at the center. The second one I started at the bottom and had no issues!
I'm pleased with how my pages came out- a cheap solution when you're on a budget!


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Sunday, September 12, 2010
My sister has just moved to the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield. Yesterday I went to see how she's settled in the new place. As luck would have it, it's Clayfield's turn for the kerbside collection. My sister's neighbour had a pile of things on the footpath including this beautful timber lamp base.
As we were popping it into the back of the car, the lady came out to add something to the pile. She said it was good quality, and English? Judging by the weight of it, I believe her.
It's difficult to maintain one's dignity whilst sifting through someone's rubbish in front of them. I think I may have had an out of body experience, to overcome the embarrasment, but I really, really wanted the lampbase.....to add to my other timber lampbase, also awaiting restoration.
Soon I will be popping off to Target or some such chain store for a plain drum lampshade to recover myself. I'll let you know how I go.
5 comments:
This is so funny and I can relate Madam. The things we do!ReplyDelete
Try sitting on an old Singer pedal sewing machine stand to claim possession while your other half sprints home to fetch the trailer.
I died a thousand deaths.
What a great find! Well done! I am sure the lady of the house didn't mind and was probably happy that it was going to someone who would look after it. ;-)ReplyDelete
Oh my, what a find.ReplyDelete
Hi MRReplyDelete
I just read your blog from the start about how you found the house and and had to deal with all the contents etc Holy Toledo!!!! That Gwen loved to shoppe. Are you cleared out now? Have you sold everything on ebay? Did you keep a lot? Are you finished the inside reno? Pls post a whole series of before and afters for me. Pronto. I cannot belive that you lived in there with all that STUFF! I wish I'd known about your blog when you were selling all your furniture! Tell me everything.I am trying to remember how I found your blog... x PS love it that you were a boarder. Me too. 5 years. 'Cept we ate saladas not ryvitas.
Faux Fuchsia, We have disposed of the majority of the contents either by way of the dump, Ebay, giveaways to friends, the Salvos, or returning personal items to Mr Baby. It was a walk in/walk out job. The kitchen still had food, the bathroom had Gwen's make-up, there were false teeth, very old linen, brandy from the 1940s, gas lamps, everything, everything. I think if you have a look at the beginning of the blog you'll see a lot of befores, and during the reno I posted a lot of afters. I'll see if I can put together a more consolidated 'collage' of them...it'll take time though. I'll have a sifle through my pics tonight actually.ReplyDelete


text: Who we are Our impact Our Impact We are a user led organisation - run and controlled by disabled people. The work that we do has a strong and positive impact, on the lives of Breakthrough clients, and on the employers we work with every day. Our vision is to create the step changes required to make society fairer and more accessible with everything we do. Our latest Impact Review has a summary of all the ways that we've helped to make these changes between April 2017 and December 2018. You can read the Impact Review by clicking on the following link. Impact Review April 2017 to December 2018. Text only and Easy Read versions of the Impact Review will also available very soon. Please check back. If you would like the Impact Review in any other format, we'd be very happy to provide this on request. Just contact us by phone, email, post or in person, using the contact details below. If you want to join us in working to create a world in which disabled people can participate fully and equally, there are many different things you can do. You can donate or fundraise for us, volunteer with us, provide work placements for our clients, or hire us to provide training in your workplace. Most importantly, we hope you can support one another, and keep working in your own lives and workplaces to make sure disabled people are able to participate fully, and live independently.


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The children's project in Guatemala started small at first and only progressed as compassionate individuals started sending donations of support to ICC. In Guatemala City, a small home was rented and used as a receiving centre. As funds flowed in, ICC gained capacity to care for more children and a larger facility was secured for the receiving centre.
Currently there are 11 children in one rented home that is located an hour west of Accra. We hope soon to open a second rented home for children.
We would also like to begin the process of looking for land to start a children's village according to the ICC plan. A campus of 10 homes along with administrative buildings, staff homes, school and a church are in the plans.
An agriculture program will be started to help provide food for the children and give them valuable gardening skills.
EL Salvador
The children's village is located on a beautiful piece of property and is adjacent to an Adventist Christian elementary and secondary school. The campus consists of children's homes, staff and volunteer residences, a gymnasium that serves as a multi-purpose building, administration building, a shop and greenhouses. The campus farm produces various crops that supplement the food requirements of the children and staff. Over the years many children have grown up at Hogar Escuela Adventista, and have gone on to live successful lives.
Dominican Republic
A few years after ICC's project was built in Guatemala, ICC founders, Kenneth and Alcyon Fleck, continued to hear of the needs of at-risk children in the Dominican Republic. So the dream began to model a Children's Country Village in the same style as the first project in Guatemala. In 1982 Hogar Campestre Adventista "Las Palmas" was established.
In 1991 ICC established a program in Romania to care for children with critical needs. This gradually expanded into a social welfare program for indigent families with children. In 1997 the emphasis shifted to the care of orphaned and abandoned children.
At one time, ICC had begun the development of a full scale project for orphaned and abandoned children in the area of Mupapa, Zambia. Homes were under construction and ICC had taken in over 10 children who needed care.
However, due to problems with squatters, land rights and an outbreak of Malaria, it was decided that in the best interest of the children, they should be relocated to a rented home in the capital city of Lusaka.
Currently there is now one home used for staff and four homes for the 43 children currently living there. As needed more homes are being completed and an administration home is just being finished.
The short term plans are to start an agriculture program since there is excellent land for this with plenty of water to irrigate. In March of this year volunteers were at the project helping to establish gardens and putting up a green house.
Democratic Republic of Congo
This project is ICC's largest in terms of numbers of children. The needs are great in this country. As funds allow, ICC will continue to develop this children's village so that even more orphaned and abandoned children can experience the joy of being a part of the ICC family.


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Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail: A New Frontier. Rails to Trails Conservancy. Fall 2019.Introducing the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. Seattle Met. July 17, 2018March 13, 2019. Yakima Herald-Republic. "Imagine a trail system running from our Washington to that other one."
June 22, 2017 - Spokane Journal of Business. "Tekoa touts rail trail Small town sees economic hope in former railroad line."
May 19, 2016 - Ritzville Adams County Journal. "Residents weigh in on the future of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail."
January 31, 2016 - The Spokesman Review. "The John Wayne Pioneer Trail track for a state park strategic plan"
January 29, 2016 - OBP. "Buoyed By Drafting Error, Trails Group Treks To WA Capitol To Continue Fight".
January 20, 2016 - Seattle Bike Blog. "With John Wayne Trail seemingly protected for now, group from Tekoa outlines steps to make it great."
January, 2016 - Whatcom Watch. "John Wayne Trail Needs Your Help"
November 24, 2015 - Ellensburg Daily Record. "More then 100 turn out for John Wayne Trail meeting."
October 10, 2015 - Yakima Herald. "Area groups oppose proposed John Wayne Trail section closure"
October 1, 2015 - Spokesman-Review. "Officials get earful on John Wayne Trail closure proposal"
September 25, 2015 - Seattle Bike Blog. "Typo in law halts secret plan to give away half of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail"


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Employee photos stored in Google will automatically sync to profiles in Pingboard once the Google Apps integration is set up.
Pingboard will look for a person's photo in Google+ (high-res) first. If a person doesn't have a photo in Google+, Pingboard will sync their Google Apps (Gmail) thumbnail photo instead (not high-res).
Still need help? Let us know.


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This 10 hectare dairy processing plant is located in one of Western Australia's premier industrial precincts, 12 kilometres north of the Perth CBD. It is the largest, single industrial site in Balcatta and accommodates the Brownes Dairy head office, processing and distribution centre. The site includes 2.1 hectares of surplus land available for development or sale.
12 hectare site
Excellent access to Perth CBD
Close to Reid Highway & Mitchell Freeway
Office, processing and distribution site
Peter Clarke
Asset Manager
Use the map to see our property
Make a selection from the below to find out more.


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Understand the medium
In the print world, paper choice is critical to understanding what kinds of design can be supported. For example, try putting an embossed foil stamp on vellum. On desktops, designers know they have a pristine canvas (the monitor) to work on. Such a canvas is also guaranteed to be used in well-lit conditions. But monitors support colors differently, which means subtle details can become lost. Tablets bring their own hurdles.
Tablet screens are made out of sturdy glass, which, in bright light situations (such as outdoors), causes glare and can make screens challenging to read. Plus, with all that touching, those fingerprints and smudges can affect how your screen looks. Screens with dark backgrounds drastically enhance the glare and fingerprints, making it hard to read. It can also turn the screen into a mirror, reflecting back the user's face more often than the text.
Additionally, most people have difficulty reading small white text against a dark background. Many designers don't take into consideration the eye strain or the jarring adjustments the human eye experiences when it transitions between these contrast patterns. Mark Boulton explains that when designing large amounts of copy to be readable:
...Make sure you increase the leading, tracking and decrease your font-weight. This applies to all widths of Measure. White text on a black background is a higher contrast to the opposite, so the letterforms need to be wider apart, lighter in weight and have more space between the lines.
Redefining interaction
From the trackball to the optical mouse, the accuracy of these devices have continued to grow, making complex user interfaces easier to navigate. With tablets, our (sometimes fat) fingers come into use and eliminate the level of precision we've come to love.
The tap area of an average finger is 45 to 57 pixels in any direction. This should be the minimum dimension for any target area and is larger than even Apple's Human Interface guidelines suggest. And we're just talking about fingers; thumbs are even bigger and we actually use them more than the finger. The average thumb is 1 inch, which equates to 72 pixels for the target area.
On mobile phones, we mostly use one hand; therefore it's critical to keep navigation near the bottom of the screen and within the thumb's radius of motion. Tablets have larger screens so people tend to hold the device with one hand; use their forefinger; or hold it by both sides.
Some complications arise, though.
Josh Clark explains the ergonomics within the reach of the user's thumbs:
- For Apple iOS, navigation items should be placed along the bottom rather than the top of the screen.
- For Android, the inverse is true--navigation should be on the top. These devices already have control buttons on the bottom. However, there is a slight problem.
- With the main navigation along the top, the user's hand and arm will obscure content as it changes. This is the lesser of two evils because stacking control buttons in this case is worse due to "fat finger" problems (i.e., tap targets being too small).
- Placing navigation along the sides of the screen is likely to cause similar problems depending on whether the person is left or right handed.
- For tablets, the upper corners and sides are the ideal location for navigation.
The sheer number of device screen sizes, operating systems, and hardware considerations complicate this to the point that there is no general rule of thumb (pardon the pun) for a single layout solution used for both mobile devices and tablets. Mobile and tablet layouts should be tackled independently so the usability is optimized per device type, and arguably even per operating system.
Creating the visual layer
If the visual aesthetic is a minimalist approach, you'll be considered in the "flat" camp. If you're making your design mimic real-world objects, you're in the "Skeuomorphism" or "realism" camp.
This is the same as the Microsoft vs. Apple debate-- each are wildly debated. There are no right answers aside from: it depends. The problem with faux-realistic design is the "uncanny valley" it creates. The problem with flat design is a lack of visual clues indicating an element is clickable.
Sacha Grief's essay covers the topic well and reveals a marriage between the two from an unlikely source: Google. Google's design has never been associated with quality, but their product redesigns prove that's no longer the case. They've taken the best of both worlds to create a visual layer that works because of strong typography and efficient, simple layouts with tasteful gradients and shadows. This approach takes the best of both flat and skeuomorphic styles, but none of their downside.
The visual layer is an expression of the designer or company's brand and everyone wants to put their best foot forward. No matter how gorgeous your design may be, if it's not usable, it won't last.
Going beyond visuals
Multi-touch, or gestures, opens Pandora's box and forces the design to accommodate functions that go beyond one-point touch. LukeW's Reference Guide shows us seven pages of input methods ranging from one-handed pinch zoom, two-handed tap and drag, two-finger scrolling, device shake, flick, swipe, and more.
But how can the design illustrate functionality that is invisible to the user?
The core to optimized touch design is delivering feedback to the user's inputs. This means that screen content should follow the user's inputs to validate, whether their interaction is possible or not. Users often experiment with gestures that "could work" so if the feedback served matches their expectations, the interface wins and the user has been educated. The response time of the feedback is critical. It should happen within milliseconds after the user gesture was performed.
Other techniques include:
Including teaser visuals lets users know there's more to what they're looking at. For example, if you're presenting an image within a photo gallery, show a small portion of the previous and next images adjacent to the primary photo so the user has visual clues to access more content and stay engaged.
Animation Cues
To help users find more content or perform the correct gesture, simple animations can be the trick. Just look at the iPhone. To unlock, the user slides the switch from left to right. The arrow points in the direction of motion and the text within the channel explains what to do, but the subtle shimmer that animates it is a great visual indicator to support the entire control. Also notice the text dims as the switch is sliding, giving the user feedback that he's doing it right.
Just-in-time education
Sometimes its necessary to give users helpful info at a critical time in their interaction. These are like contextual help bubbles that appear at just the right time so engagement doesn't become disrupted. After the user acknowledges the message by tapping or performing the correct gesture, the specific tip should no longer be shown since the user has now been educated.
Splash screens kill kittens
Avoid splash screens with instructions on how to use the interface. Everyone looks for the skip function. If the initial screen requires too much explanation, it's a strong indicator the layout and/or design isn't effective. In this app, the splash screen is trying to explain how interact with a magazine (which is something 99.% of people know how to do already). With arrows pointing in every direction, the viewer doesn't know where to start or which direction to go next. Epic fail.
Explicit discoverability
Touch design and gestures is an exciting new frontier. Touch interfaces rely on the discoverability of touch-targets to be clear and easy to follow. The visual design layer needs to support the usability since the two are so tightly bound in this space. The more gestures align with natural, physical motions, the more likely people's initial guesses will work.
Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at ShopPad


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Kimyan Law's fascinating new album 'Zawadi' is an exploration of rhythm.
A trained drummer, the producer incorporates elements of pan-African culture (the title itself is Swahili) while surging ahead with a intensely single-minded passion.
An exile from his homeland during the Congolese civil war, Kimyan Law grew up as virtually the only person of colour in his community.
Developing an intensely personal creative style, he's able to match Western culture against that of his birth, playing the outside world against those inner landscapes.
This mix fuses a few of his key influences, while also utilising Kimyan Law's own production.
Deep, heady electronic music, it comes highly recommended.
'Zawadi' is out now.