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The best way is to go to the contest's page to know what's all this about.
I did not make the "rally" mode, I did not have enough time.
My results are poor.
Here comes the README coming with my entry.
ICFP 2003 code contest -=[ Drunk Sed team info file ]=- Hi ! This is my poor attempt to ICFP. I could not solve all the mazes, my program is fooled like a poor rabbit. I started the contest with a friend of mine (does he want to be named after seing my poor performance ?), we wanted to do some exhaustive search, use O'Caml as language (since my friend loves it), have some nice hacks here and there, but we did not succeed. After some sleep, on sunday 15:00 GMT if I remember, I started this on my own. Of course, the ideas we had together with some I already had helped a lot, but the time was short. Here is the result... I'll try to create http://sed.free.fr/icfp2003 when I'll get some time. How does it work ? ================== First of all, I look for a short path in the map, using some modified version of Dijkstra algorithm. Mainly, instead of computing the cost of an atomic arc, I take the father too. I could repeat this process up to the root of the tree, but well... not much time to hack more. So I associate some cost with this, if you turn too much, the cost is different than if you go straight. The problem with this is that you only look at the squares, so the distances are estimated, some may be wrong. All in all, you don't get the shortest path. And you don't take too much into account the properties of the car. A lot could be done to optimize this phaze of the program. Then, I start on a point of this curve and run the car, only doing acceleration, acceleration and turn left, acceleration and turn right. I take the farthest point of the curve accesible like this. I then do this process again from this new point with a starting speed of 0. It will give me a path of points that the car can access by only accelerating and turning. (If it 'magically' stops when it arrives.) Then, the final step is to glue all these points together, and this is where all goes wrong. It's too late to do better, so you can see that the car driver looks a bit drunk, doing a lot of useless loops. This is because the car _must_ pass through the control point, in order to be sure I can go to the next. But it does not always work, and when it does, you may loop weirdly. In this step of the program, since I previously reseted the speed to 0 at each point, I have to smooth the speeds so that the transition may be possible. This is done by choosing a number of little steps (a, r, l, la, lr) and doing some b (brake) from there up to the end of the portion of the curve considered, which should lead us to the next control point. If it fails, I start the b earlier on the curve. Of course, this does not always work, and when it does, it sometimes produces weird loops. Unfortunately, I am alone, too much optimization to do, etc. Thus, I get bad results... The lesson I'll get from this contest is that I hardly can work with others. Another lesson is that C is nice :) but I already knew it. (Well, one could say it's not, since I have bad performance. Ok, that's a way of seing things. I hardly can disagree with these views. :)) How to use ? ============ The program to run to get the dump is in the 'basic' subdirectory. The 'simulator' subdirectory will take a file as input, a trace on stdin, and produce a picture of the car steps. There are some useless programs in images subdirectory, that I used to watch the files we had to work on. Is all this material copyrighted ? ================================== No, I don't like copyrights. All this is in the public domain. Period. I am deadly tired, no more subways nor buses, it's soon 2 AM here in Paris, when the contest will stop, I will have to walk home (around 1 hour, 1 hour 30), all this for nothing since I will lose. Life sucks sometimes, huh ? But it was fun (even if I should work on my PhD instead of wasting my time for such useless stuff) (ok, I am really tired, stop this crap) Cédric. Tue, 1 Jul 2003 01:32:07 +0200
Here are the sources: src.tar.gz (18,978 bytes).
You still need the maps, that you can find on the contest's page.
The code is terrifyingly ugly. It's just a big hack. The allocated memory is not freed, there is a lot of dead code, no comments, probably bad overall design. And of course, the algorithms are not so good.
Some parameters have changed over the maps. If you try this code, it may not work. Hey, the goal of the contest was to solve maps, not to code clean, so it's ok. (What did you say? functional programming? huh?)
Here is a summary of the results I have.
1: 26,527 2: 39,411 3: 42,062 4: not solved 5: 18,837 6: 8,096 7: 14,786 8: not solved 9: not solved 10: not solved
Here come all the maps, the one I "solved" and the others.
Click to enlarge.
Sorry for blind people. (If you are blind and can view these images, tell me how you do, I am interested.)
It is surely not the best solutions available, but the originality of my contribution is the "drunk" behavior of the car. I swear I did not drink any alcohol while coding this. And I swear I did not create those maps by hand. The program (and my bad algorithmic skills) is the sole responsible for this.
I solved this one in 26,527 steps.
Here is the trace.
I solved this one in 39,411 steps.
Here is the trace.
I solved this one in 42,062 steps.
Here is the trace.
I did not solve it.
I solved this one in 18,837 steps.
Here is the trace.
I solved this one in 8,096 steps.
I don't know what happened, there must have been a bug in my code, it's too fast for me.
Here is the trace.
I solved this one in 14,786 steps.
Here is the trace.
I did not solve it.
I did not solve it.
I did not solve it.
To finish, here is a map. Try your method on it. Yes, it is a valid map, the two circles touch each others!
Here is the map itself: Impossible_Universe.trk.gz.
And here comes a picture of it.
1_Simple_4.trc: 8171 2_Hairpins_1.trc: 12661 3_Sepang_2.trc: 14615 4_EatYouAlive_1.trc: 15043 5_Car_1.trc: 5575 6_IcfpContest_1.trc: 5051 7_Gothenburg_3.trc: 3305 8_ManyWays.trc: 7420 9_PhilAndSimon_1.trc: 7841 total: 79682 Our submission can be found athttp://www.gwydiondylan.org/~bruce/submit.tar.gz
Bruce Hoult Alex Potanin Keith Bauer
Hudson 1: _8127 2: 12675 3: 14558 4: 14228 5: _5624 6: _4939 7: _3308 8: _7444 9: _6382 total: 77285
See his website at http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/ahudson/.
Kent Dickey I realized right away I wouldn't have time to make a fully automated solver, so I made a manual car driving "game" first (as my backup plan) and then worked on some mixed guided/automatic code which didn't really work, so I mostly manually drove the car through the courses. Every time I play I can do a little better, but here's what I submitted: 10231 1_Simple.trc 18419 2_Hairpins.trc 16951 3_Sepang.trc 16748 4_EatYouAlive.trc 6074 5_Car.trc 5455 6_IcfpContest.trc 4733 7-Gothenburg.trc 9462 8_ManyWays.trc 10599 9_PhilAndSimon.trc 98672 total I've developed a feel for what the car can do, but I never got around to working out optimal driving strategies. If anyone is tolerant of a horrible user interface (and I mean horrible) and has Mac OS X, I could make the code and application available.
Jed I used a (fairly simplistic, all things considered) genetic algorithm to optimize my paths, but I didn't have time to do any kind of automatic pathfinding. Which means that I had to be able to "drive" a track by hand before I could start beating it with CPUs. That said: 1) 10397 (down from 11668) 2) 18490 (down from 20763) 3) 21558 (down from 23095) 4) 20592 (down from 23188) 5) 7471 (down from 6222) 6) 5367 (down from 7296) 7) Didn't get. Crashed the car quite a few times, though. 8) Didn't have anything in time, but current evolution is at 13957 (down from 15590) and falling. Of course, the path I picked out while careering wildly amidst the squares is probably highly suboptimal. 9) Yow. No. Although it is an inspiration to try and use the GA to find the initial solution... X) I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the skid rules. /-:
Kuang-che Wu I drive the car by handcraft, and it seems not so bad. 1:8611 2:13294 3:15681 4:15290 5:5552 6:4906 7:4122 8:8463 9:7685 total 83604
SomeOne I didn't have time to do this ... I could only made the game in allegro and played... 1: 14708 2: 22717 3: 33058 4: 35875 5: 10537 6: 12914 7: 10608 8: 37840 9: 41373 Total (till 9): 219630 SUCKED! I didn't have time to implement the skidding and I made X with the same program ... X: 60586 Total: 280216 Really bad ...
Sidoine 1_Simple 13905 2_Hairpins 20579 3_Sepang 20588 4_EatYouAlive 21832 5_Car 8337 6_IcfpContest 6647 7_Gothenburg 6509 8_ManyWays 22023 9_PhilAndSimon 15031 Total 135451 Not good but it works so I'm happy with it. Maybe with some more tuning I could have done slighty better but not as good as Hudson or Bruce Hoult.http://www.sidoine.net/icfp/
Croco Well.. 1: 12177 2: 20335 3: 21975 4: 26642 5: 8846 6: 7247 7: 8520 8: 20329 9: 30943 Sum: 157014 Nothing to be happy with. Okay, may be I should have taken a look at visual simulations of my traces -- I never did so. The simulator is fully automated. BTW, each track is solved in 5 minutes or so using my celeron333. There are lots of heuristically-choosen constants to change in my code. All heuristics are buggy, or else they'd be algorythms
Sami 1 - 8168 2 - 12730 3 - 14910 4 - 14281 5 - 5565 6 - 4937 7 - 3387 8 - 7523 9 - 7719 -------------- total 79220 I used a stochastic greedy algorithm but couldn't get it working well enough; I knew I'd take a beating on track 9 . Pruning the state space more systematically would have been a better approach - congrats to AIDude and Hudson! And thanks to all involved, it was lotsa fun.
abagar well, we used a RRT based path planner. It could solve only one track (7)with original source and goal. Then we provided the algorithm some guidence with intermediate goals, it solved 4 more. 3 more we solved by a very crude human directed greedy algo. The big numbers out there come from this 3rd approach. 9th we could not solve. Here are the approximate numbers : 1. ~12000 2. 40337 3. ~37000 4. 40100 5. 7673 6. 8773 7. 6798 8. 12276 9. Could not solve. But it was lots of fun and lots of learning. Kudos to organizers and in case u are wondering, we did it in Java. What about others?
this is our website where you can find some pictures of our works regards -- h
There is also the webpage of the team Team Spud http://madbean.com/icfp2003/.
And the webpage of the team Fastest Finishers http://www24.brinkster.com/srineet/ICFP2003/ICFP2003.html.
And the one of the team The 4 Caml Riders of the Apocalypse http://www.lri.fr/~filliatr/icfp-2003/index.en.html.
Go here to get all the web pages of the participants that have been submitted to the organizers.
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
Please avoid html, uuencode, base64, mime, etc.
Prefered mail format is raw text, 80 column width maximum. Other formats may get lost, wrongly tagged as undesired data.
Sorry for my poor english.


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"The sheep follow [the shepherd] because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers," (John 10:4-5).
As a parent of young children I spend a fair amount of time at the park. My favourite park is about one kilometre from our house and on a beautiful sunny day the girls will hop on their scooters and off we go. This park in particular is in a part of city that has a lot of young families so you can count on the fact of it being a lively place on a summer Saturday. Of course, it can get rather loud on such days, children running all about laughing and playing and screaming. Parents chasing them, huddled about having their own conversations, or sitting on a bench.
When it is finally time to go I will stand at the edge of the playground and yell, "Charlotte! Grace! We're going home!" And their little heads pop out from behind a slide or from inside the sandbox and they come scurrying across the wood chips and off we go. On occasion with tears, to be sure. My point is that when their father, whom they know and love, calls for them they are able to recognize his voice even amongst the cacophony of racket and competing voices that you find at a busy playground on a sunny Saturday.
This is a bit like what Jesus is describing in the parable that is before us this morning from John's gospel. It's a parable about competing voices, about the ability to distinguish between these voices, to discern the voice of the shepherd and to flee from the voice of the imposter, the thief and the bandit: "the sheep follow [the shepherd] because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers," (4-5).
So, we have a sheepfold, presumably surrounded by a fence, with a gate and a gate keeper, and we have sheep. We also have people that enter the sheepfold though not all by the same way. The shepherds who love the sheep and who know them all by name have come in by the gate, let's call them "Gatewayers." Then there are the thieves and bandits who have come in another way, let's call them "Otherwayers."[1] Towards the end of our passage Jesus will twice say, "I am the gate." What does it mean, I wonder, to enter via Jesus? I think it means a few things.
For one, it means the shepherd knows that these sheep ultimately belong to the Good Shepherd. Immediately after our passage Jesus will change the metaphor ever so slightly so that he is no longer "the gate" but "the good shepherd." And this Good Shepherd entrusts his sheep to the care of other shepherds that he has sent. Is this not how John's gospel ends? With the restoration of Simon Peter by the risen Jesus and what is the command that Jesus gives to Peter but, "Feed my sheep." Peter is now a shepherd who participates in the work of the Good Shepherd. True shepherds are sent with the authority of the Good Shepherd and they know that their chief job is to care for the sheep entrusted to them, to nurture them in the faith, not to use them for their own agenda.
In fact, the true shepherds have only one agenda: to proclaim Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23). That's it. That's the agenda. Jesus Christ, who lived, died, rose, and is coming again as judge. It is he whom we proclaim, teaching everyone to trust in his supreme goodness and mercy and warning everyone that apart from him nothing can stand (Col 1:28).
Every word that you hear from every bishop, priest, and teacher if it is not a word that ultimately proclaims the Cross it is not a word that is worth listening to. It is a word that is worthless and will fall to the ground. Christ. Is. The agenda. Nothing else.
Some of the early Church Fathers looked at our passage and said that the gate is Scripture. Well is the gate Scripture or is it Jesus? The answer is, yes. We proclaim Christ crucified and we know this Christ as we read the Bible with the faith of the Church. And so one of the marks of a true shepherd is that they come to the Bible and their sole agenda is to magnify Jesus Christ. That's it. Not to push their own agenda. Not to argue for some other cause that is important to them. But to preach Christ according to the Scriptures and in light of the faith of the Church. And so St. Chrysostom interpreted "climbing in another way" to mean, "teaching for doctrine the precepts of men." That is, taking our ideas, our agendas, our desires and teaching them as doctrine rather than submitting all things to the loving care of Jesus Christ who we encounter in Scripture.
And so shepherds who know that the sheep entrusted to their care are not their own and whose only agenda is to preach Christ crucified therefore care deeply about the unity of the flock. They know that there is one shepherd in whose name they are sent and one flock for whom they are to care. A few verses later we see that one of the characteristics of the Good Shepherd is that he gathers and unites (John 10:16) whereas those bandits and thieves, those Otherwayers, they scatter and sow dissension (John 10:12).
Otherwayers want followers even if it means scattering the flock; Gatewayers want followers of Jesus and are willing to suffer for it.
When we hear competing voices within the Church, especially when it comes to matters of the faith of the Church, we must ask ourselves, are these voices sowing dissension and scattering or are they gathering people around the Cross?
Finally, true shepherds who enter by the gate are willing to suffer the violence of others precisely because it is the Crucified Christ around whom they seek to gather. True shepherds are willing to suffer the violence of others for the gospel because Jesus the Good Shepherd did just that and it is he whom they follow. We heard of this suffering in the words of St. Peter this morning: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness," (1 Peter 2:24).
The love of God in Christ is a suffering love. It is a love that suffers others and bears fruit. And Christ's suffering for righteousness is our example here (2:21). Those who cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ do not need to defend themselves when attacked, do not need to return the abuse, do not need to participate in posturing and threats, but simply entrust themselves to God (2:23). True shepherds are willing to embrace such suffering love, to keep on at their work, and to trust God who judges justly.
So, the true shepherds that enter by the gate know who the sheep belong to, have one agenda, care about the unity of the flock, and are willing to suffer others for the sake of love.
"And the sheep will follow him because they know his voice." Sheep are not dumb. They know the voice of the shepherd and they can discern an imposter. Just like my children know my voice down at the playground. And when a preacher or teacher is proclaiming Jesus Christ, or not, you know.
Jesus continues: "They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Except that sometimes we do follow strangers. Sometimes their voice can be very appealing. Jesus himself warns that many will come in his name to lead astray (Matthew 24:4-5). Paul too warns the elders in Ephesus, "Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them," (Acts 20:28-30).
These Otherwayers come with other agendas, other enthusiasms—often even seemingly "Biblical" ones—other than the one great apostolic enthusiasm and passion and agenda: to know Christ and to make him known. So, it is important to "beware" and to "keep watch" for voices that are incongruent with the suffering love of Jesus Christ. They exist, and they exist in the church today.
I do not mean to suggest that this is always clear-cut. While I myself hope and pray and desire to be a Gatewayer, I know my own heart and that it is prone to wander. I know that my motives and agenda are not always pure and that I myself have enthusiasms—like certain liturgical sensibilities or my love of the Prayer Book—that could threaten to usurp that one great enthusiasm that Jesus calls his shepherds to obsess over.
At any rate, while there is a certain attraction to the voice of strangers Jesus says that ultimately people will run from them because they do not find the abundant life that Jesus gives there. Which raises an interesting question about church decline here in the West: Is it in part because sheep run from the voice of strangers? Is it in part because we have not clearly and simply proclaimed Christ? What if we were to come back to the gate and recommit ourselves to being Gatewayers?
I had planned to offer a strategy for renewal at this point but I think I will have to leave that for a note in our weekly newsletter. Let me close by saying this: the Church needs shepherds, no less the Anglican Church. So pray. Like we do most Sundays, pray especially for all bishops, priests, and deacons. Pray that we would be people of the gate, pray that our chief enthusiasm and message would be Christ crucified. Pray that we would commit ourselves to Scripture. Pray that we would be willing to bear with one another in love. Pray that God would raise up more faithful shepherds. And pray for discernment so that amidst a panoply of voices and sounds the Church might more clearly hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who still speaks to his people today and whose voice is for them a spring of abundant life.
[1] The language of "Gatewayers" and "Otherwayers" is from Frederick Dale Bruner's commentary, The Gospel of John.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ever since the Snowden leaks in 2013, there's been an ongoing debate over the nature of state surveillance. One of the more interesting things we learned in 2013 was that certain companies had fought the NSA tooth and nail — and Yahoo had led the charge. When the company was ordered to produce user data in 2007, it challenged the legality of that order at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC, also sometimes known as the FISA Court). When its challenge failed, it appealed the case to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. While it also lost on appeal, the company earned accolades for its willingness to stand up for user privacy, even though all of the court proceedings and decisions were classified at the time and couldn't be milked as a PR opportunity.
If a new report from Reuters is accurate, the Yahoo that went to bat to defend its users is a dim and distant memory today. The news agency reports that last year, Yahoo built a custom search engine to allow the government to search its entire database of email for keywords and terms provided by US intelligence agencies. The decision was apparently highly controversial within Yahoo and reportedly led to the departure of the company's Chief Information Security Officer, Alex Stamos, who now works for Facebook.
Sources close to Yahoo have previously stated the company was reluctant to upgrade its email security or adopt end-to-end encryption out of fear that any disruption to its service would drive customers away to other email providers. This new information suggests this may have been a strictly secondary concern. We already know that the federal government pays for access to customer databases; the Snowden leaks showed that the NSA paid AT&T $190 million in 2011. We don't know what kind of arrangement the government struck with Yahoo, but it's not hard to connect the dots here. Mayer's company has been in trouble for years, with declining revenue and poor user engagement. The Yahoo that went out on a limb to defend its customers in 2007 – 2008 and decried the government's collection of millions of webcam images through Yahoo's own infrastructure is a far cry from the Yahoo of 2016, and Mayer may well have taken the deal as a way to generate additional revenue.
Prior to this, federal agencies have had the right to demand information on specific users. But no other company is known to have built a database that automatically scanned all incoming mail and provided that information to a federal agency, or allowed real-time analysis based on specific criteria (called a selector). "I've never seen that, a wiretap in real time on a 'selector,'" Albert Gidari, a lawyer who represented phone and Internet companies on surveillance issues for 20 years before moving to Stanford University this year, told Reuters. "A selector refers to a type of search term used to zero in on specific information. It would be really difficult for a provider to do that."
Yahoo's sole comment on the matter was terse: "Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States."
A reckoning that never came
Snowden's leaks may have kicked off a robust debate, but it hasn't driven much change at the federal level. There have been a handful of anemic amendments to existing surveillance laws that make minimal adjustments to the government's vast warrantless wiretapping abilities. But neither Democrats nor Republicans have pushed for a major overhaul of existing laws. Of the various Presidential candidates that ran for office in 2016, only Bernie Sanders and Gary Johnson took a strong stand against the NSA's abuse of warrantless wiretapping, and neither is going to be sitting in the White House in 2017.
Generally speaking, US citizens have been trained to think of their personal data as both worthless and unprotected. Companies like Google and Facebook gather vast amounts of information and sell it to advertisers and third parties, while the widespread use of stingrays and license plate scanners build databases of a person's movements over time, even when said individuals have committed no crimes and done no wrong. The government's stance that it isn't surveilling people until it searches its database is a ridiculous farce, particularly given that the government decides when and how said searches should occur — but it's perfectly in line with the way companies treat personal information. Multiple companies have announced in the past year that they would no longer bother to anonymize data when they used it for advertising, and the general response from Americans has been a yawn.
If the Reuters story is accurate, it means the handful of amendments to the NSA's powers and practices have done absolutely nothing to limit the agencies' powers. With databases like this, the NSA and FBI now have more surveillance power than ever, despite the fact that the NSA has yet to demonstrate that it has stopped a single terrorist attack based on information gleaned from its comprehensive database. Instead, this is typically used as an argument for more surveillance, even when the sheer amount of data overwhelms the NSA's own analysts.
It's possible these new allegations could ignite a desire for change from Americans in general. But given how little the Snowden leaks actually moved the needle, we're not optimistic.


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When the time comes to assemble your plates into batteries, MAC is there to help. From acid fillers to engravers, and everything in between, MAC machines are designed to assemble your batteries accurately and efficiently.
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An Inside Look at Dave Gahan's home studio
The New York based website sonicscoop.com has a great feature on Dave Gahan's home studio that you should check out. There is some great insight from Kurt Uenala, aka Kapt10Kurt, on the set up as well as some pictures for everyone to check out. A good read for the casual fan and some great tech stuff for all the musicians and studio buffs out there.
Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode: An Inside Look at His Very Personal Studio
July 1, 2012 by David Weiss
Wherever in the world these musical success stories – and we're talking the multi-multi-multi-multi platinum variety here – come from, NYC still has the power to go from tour stop to adopted hometown for waves of them.
Rock stars move to NYC not to stand out, but to get swallowed up among the teeming millions. But they also continue to create — and with the well-deserved financial windfall that often comes with recording global smash hits, they can take personalized approaches to their creative spaces.
Today's case in point: Dave Gahan, whose unmistakable voice has been central to the sound of Depeche Mode since that landmark band bowed in 1980. A group with an unmatched ability to produce timeless electronic dance music, Depeche Mode's shockingly original songs are permeated with intellectual depth, elegance, and artistic devotion.
Little wonder this is one of the most successful bands of all time. They can claim over 100 million in record sales, and their members have collectively faced 30 million audience members in concert – thanks to a parade of huge hit singles including "Enjoy the Silence", "Just Can't Get Enough," and "People are People".
The band's 13th album is on the way now, due for release coincident with a tour in 2013. And expectations will be high. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher earned a GRAMMY nomination for their last album, 2009's Sounds of the Universe. While his Depeche Mode bandmates transfix with their musicianship on that engrossing record, Gahan's voice comes through with increased agility – wiser while still somehow sounding younger and more athletic.
Even more recently, Gahan got a turn as lead vocalist for the famed production duo of Rich Machin and Ian Glover AKA Soulsavers. Their just-released collaboration, The Light the Dead See hears Gahan's vocals grow even more cinematic in scope, in emotionally massive songs like "Gone Too Far" and "Bitterman". The thought that Gahan could come completely uncaged on the next Depeche Mode album is tantalizing.
Personal Studio, Personal Choice
Gahan has acquired a beautiful vehicle for getting there via his innovative private studio here in New York City. Built into a residential apartment separate from his own home, Studio Blanco has been constructed with a clear mission: capture one of modern music's most iconic voices.
The pilot flying this plane is Kurt Uenala. A Swiss-born engineer/producer with sharp engineering skills, deep production experience, programming and songwriting abilities, and an amiable personality, Uenala is a versatile presence at Studio Blanco, helping Gahan to get where he wants to go – as quickly and easily as possible.
Even though Gahan can – and does – make ample use of NYC's world-class suite of commercial recording studios, Uenala points out that a personal facility is essential for an artist on this level to write, demo new tracks, and also record final vocals – as was done here for many of the Soulsavers and upcoming Depeche Mode songs.
"Money is not necessarily a big issue with successful bands, but still at $2500 a day in a commercial studio, you can't be as experimental as you can be at home," he says. "You can work at a personal studio any day and any time, and that can be a big part of the creative process. The mindset becomes, 'We arranged and finished a song a certain way, but can redo it from scratch if we feel like exploring further.'
"The end result is better than a big room with all of the drama gear. We can book a studio like that for a month, but when that time is up, Beyonce is coming in – so you have to go. At that point money doesn't help: It's booked. Not having a deadline is wonderful, and so is knowing the room in and out."
An Unusual Recording Home
"The room", in this case, is a personal studio operating on a high very level. The obvious centerpiece of the sun-kissed residential space is a space-age white hut which occupies a large portion of the main living room, without engulfing it – plenty of space remains in the room and the rest of the apartment to provide headroom for writing and relaxing.
The acoustically isolated structure is made by the Barcelona-based company Studio Bricks. A "self-assembly cabin system" that can be constructed by one person in a short amount of time with minimal tools, Studio Bricks are acoustic solutions made specifically with artists, engineers and producers in mind.
According to Uenala, Studio Blanco's big white box represents the first Studio Bricks deployment in the US. "They're modules that are really Legos – they snap into each other, but they're made of sandwich wood and rubber," he notes. "It's been here since September, and it really works sonically and in terms of providing acoustic isolation. It reigns in the sound not just of the vocals being recorded, but also of productions and mixes – we have to be able to turn it up.
"I've got to admit that first and foremost I fell for the look – it's beautiful. This is a very beautiful apartment, and whatever we do has to look good. That was maybe more my prerequisite, because I thought it would be really sad to put a carpeted wooden room in here."
Inside the Studio Bricks structure — which also stands as one of the largest ever designed — are Vicoustics foam and wood treatments that can be easily mounted and moved around. "The wooden panels are like variable acoustics," Uenala explains. "Using foam only is a little too dead for vocals, but its cool for disco drums. When you add wood, there's a little bit of reflection that sounds natural.
"We didn't think this solution would work for final vocal tracking, but it turned out that it is. In this day and age, with the gear you don't need a huge room to do vocals, guitars or synths. There's even an isolation box – a speaker cabinet in a flight case – so if we ever send something through amps we can mic it, but its not going to bother the neighbors. We have everything we need right here."
How to Capture a Master Vocalist
Uenala left his native Aadorf, Switzerland to attend the Berklee College of Music, then finally landed in NYC in the year 2000. His production and remix credits have expanded nicely in that time, with the likes of Erasure, Moby, the Raveonettes, Yelle, Nellie McKay and Soulsavers in his portfolio, along with his Kap10kurt electronic solo project.
He got the chance to work on a demo session for Dave Gahan a few years ago, and the two have been a steady recording team ever since. "I work pretty quickly," says Uenala. "He takes risks as a singer, and we do a lot of takes. I comp it later, and the beautiful thing is that he trusts me enough to not be breathing down my neck when comping. He knows I edit for emotional content and performance, rather than perfection – I'd rather hear a squeak than perfect pitch because it's vulnerable. I listen for the struggle and suffering, which of course fits Depeche Mode's music.
"When I'm recording David, I'm trying to capture his personality, mainly. He's like an actor. He really goes for it: His arms are in the air, and he has to take jewelry off because it's too loud. There's this untamable energy, with his voice breaking up. I really want to not lose those things when he performs."
Producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Doves) remains in the fold for the 13th album after helming Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel (2005) and Sounds of the Universe. The vocal tracks that Uenala has been recording are captured via a signal path that often consists of a Shure SM7 going through a BAE 1073. However, by recommendation of Hillier, a recently acquired LaChapell Audio mic preamp may start to get the lion's share of the takes.
"The LaChapell with the SM7 is beautiful," Uenala says. "It sounds really warm, like there's a compressor on it already. It's very buttery. You can abuse it more, but it's very forgiving. Dave is very dynamic, he works a lot with mic technique – getting away and coming closer – but with this mic pre we don't have to do that as much."
Into the Matrix
The hub of operations in Gahan's surprisingly comfortable and spacious sonic shelter is an SSL Matrix, a SuperAnalogue 16-channel, 40-input mixing console that features a built-in signal router and multi-layer digital workstation control. Similarly, Gore and Hillier are both working on SSL Matrixes, helping to achieve maximum workflow efficiency as the next Depeche Mode album is made.
"The Matrix is a great controller for Pro Tools and Logic," observes Uenala. "I really love the monitoring section, because I do a lot of A-Bing, and it's very easy to switch back and forth between different tracks. We're monitoring through it, and we're summing through it, and now that we're working in 96 kHz I can see that it makes a big difference: The stereo image is so much more wide and majestic.
"I think the combination of recording in 96 kHz and always going through the Matrix – and not just summing in Channel 1 and 2 – really makes a difference. I also really like the Matrix Remote, which is like a virtual patch bay because it makes your hardware work like plugins. Everything is really logical in the way that it's set up."
Into the Outboard
Supplementing the SSL is a short list of preamps, dynamic, and effects. At Studio Blanco, vintage outboard is eschewed in favor of newer boxes such as the RV-1 Real Spring Reverb from Demeter Laboratories. "It sounds old and melancholic — everything you put through it will have a sad, dark flavor," Uenala says. "I use it on vocals, and I send drum machines to it as well. When you flip the phase it gets really wide. It's a really nice unit."
A find in the effects selection is an Alesis Bitrman distortion box, a relatively inexpensive piece which Uenala discovered had a most surprising effect on his signal. "The Bitman has compression, bit/sample reduction and phase, but for some reason it also alters the stereo field nicely. It's very strange. It makes a very nice, grungey sound, with some unexpected side effects."
While a number of Uenala's beloved analog pieces are currently shipped to a studio in LA or in repair, the bass of his Roland SH101 is within reach. And for drum programming, Uenala has found himself gravitating more and more frequently to the Native Instruments Maschine. "Maschine is very intuitive," he says. "If you want to tune it down there's no submenu, you just turn down the pitch knob. It's very rewarding in that way, like a Jupiter synth. I love that."
Throughout 2011's process of equipping and building Gahan's studio, Uenala worked closely with Alto Music NYC's Shane Koss. In addition to building the Studio Bricks structure with the help of producer Jim Keller, Koss consulted on all phases of Studio Blanco's creation. "To be able to go and turn the gear up in the privacy of a place like Alto NYC, and sit with someone who knows the equipment is a dream," Uenala says.
Welcome to the Next Level
Arguably THE classic voice of electronic music, Dave Gahan may actually only now be hitting his stride, even after three+ decades of honing his art. Like so many before him, his chosen locale to raise his game is NYC – a city hosting a sophisticated group of elite home studios, which now counts Blanco among its number.
Blessed with sunlight and creature comforts, and blissfully free of the ticking clocks or short deadlines that can swallow up a song, David Gahan's Studio Blanco is a well-earned creative oasis. And for the fortunate engineer, programmer and songwriter working at Gahan's side, being in on the making of Depeche Mode's next record is a nonstop learning experience.
"It's great seeing how Ben Hillier and his engineer, Ferg Peterkin, work," Kurt Uenala says. "Both of them have a raw attitude to gear and to music – they're into overdriving things, and they're not very cautious. Usually when it comes to equipment, people say, 'It's very expensive. It's in the red. Be careful!' But not in Ben and Ferg's case. They don't look: They just listen."
– David Weiss
Courtesy of sonicscoop.com


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If you've read yesterday's NaBloPoMo blog post you'll have learnt that I'm singing solo on Saturday and I've decided to write a morning journal every day to help me with performance nerves. I've just done this morning's. It was revealing what poured forth!
Yesterday I wrote that singing in front of someone was like trying to sing while being strangled by large cyanosed blue hands! (I've watched too many Hammer Horrors, I think)! Strange, but the image does have a link with a problem I have with my own hands – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Without going into details, treatment I had in France that fixed the problem instantly is being denied me because the UK doctor doesn't agree with the CTS diagnosis. So it leaves me feeling helpless. Change doctors Ann! Helplessness. It's what I felt when I sang solo for the first time. I was shaking so much physically that I couldn't get control of my vocal cords. No matter what I did!
But then I went on to realise that that was last year and a lot has changed for me vocally since then. And in other ways too – not just musical. I won't be singing as the 'me' of last year; that Ann has gone. Yesterday's Ann has gone. The Ann that rolled out of bed at 7 am this morning is gone. And I won't be approaching the performance in the same way. I won't be helpless.
Thank you all those answering my appeal for encouragement yesterday – here and on my Facebook page. People really do like their fellow fellows to do well, and that's a fact.
I've pinched the above photo from Wikimedia Commons. It's of the Auvergne region of France. One of the summits in the chaines de puys which are volcanic. (Where the Volvic mineral water comes from). The highest summit in the range is Puy-de-Dome, up which I have been! The photo was taken by Romary, who lives in the Auvergne region. It's a gorgeous region of France, the Auvergne. Worth singing about.
Related articles
- #NaBloPoMo: Daily Post – Nov 19, 2013 (jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com)
- Shakespeare, the Spam-Chimp, as Read by Kylie #NaBloPoMo (thelifeofkylie.com)
- NaBloPoMo Nov 26 (littlemansmum.wordpress.com)
- Scentism #NaBloPoMo (thelifeofkylie.com)


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According to Chinese pastors and the US-based group China Aid, the ruling Communist regime has launched an oppressive campaign against Christianity.
According to the Associated Press this includes: "...destroying crosses, burning bibles, shutting churches and ordering followers to sign papers renouncing their faith." This is part of a wider initiative to "sinicize" Christians, making them loyal first and foremost to the atheistic Communist regime currently ruling China.
Bob Fu, a representative of China Aid told the AP, "The international community should be alarmed and outraged by this blatant violation of religion and belief."
One Chinese pastor (who preferred to remain anonymous) told AP officials that his church was raided on the early morning of September 5th, followed by a purge of its bibles, crosses, and furniture.
Even by Chinese Communist standards, this is seen as a sinister policy. Fu noted that this is the first time since Mao's Cultural Revolution that the government has been this repressive towards religious liberty.
According to AsiaNews the Vatican itself is allowing the atheistic Communist party to appoint its own government-approved clergy in place of defiant Catholic bishops. This is being done as part of a deal so that they will recognize approximately 20 bishops appointed by the Vatican and 40 bishops appointed by the underground church.
Former Chinese Cardinal Zen accused the Vatican of selling out their own people, writing in a public letter (Google translated from Italian) "Does Cardinal Zen think that the Vatican is selling [out] the Church? Yes, if they go forward in the direction we see in these last years and months." He later adds "...is an agreement with a totalitarian power possible? You must either surrender or suffer persecution, but remain faithful to your conscience."
The Vatican instructed Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian to resign and be replaced by Communist party-approved bishop Huang Bingzhang who had been previously excommunicated by the Catholic Church.
Under Xi Jinping, the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao himself, the country is simultaneously experiencing an underground religious revival while the authoritarian regime oppresses it from above. Experts project that China will have the largest Christian population in the world within a few decades.


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Put together by Entercom, which owns four South Florida radio stations, the fest is separated into days targeted at different audiences.
Saturday is for fans of modern and indie rock who listen to 104.3 the Shark (WSFS-FM). Headliners are Silversun Pickups, who earlier this year put on a raucous show at the Culture Room. Other highlights include Scandinavian electro-pop group Miike Snow, the pop-punk celebrities of Good Charlotte, and the reggae-inspired Dirty Heads.
Sunday has a more retro feel inspired by the playlists of 102.7 the Beach (WMXJ-FM) and 101.5 Lite FM (WLYF-FM). Among the legends of yesteryear who will be making their presence known on stage are R&B powerhouses Earth, Wind & Fire, the Athens, Georgia party-pop band the B-52's of "Love Shack" fame, and a taste of what the '80s was like at Fort Lauderdale Beach with local heroes Exposé and Debbie Deb. Also included on the roster for '80s flashbacks are the Fixx and A Flock of Seagulls, with more artists still to be named.
The roster press release also advertised attractions beyond live music. "The Underground Lounge is where rockers can discover a new meaning to the underground experience in Fort Lauderdale, the #BITEME Food Court featuring a wide array of locally sourced treats, and an assortment of spectacular interactive installations will create a beach wonderland in December."
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, September 30, at riptidefest.com. Prices go as low as $35 for a Saturday pass, $50 to go just on Sunday, and $75 for a two-day pass. Free spenders can also purchase VIP tickets or cabanas with room for six.
Here's the full lineup so far, but more acts are expected to be announced:
Saturday, December 3:
- The Silversun Pickups
- The Dirty Heads
- Miike Snow
- Good Charlotte
- The Struts
- In the Wilderness
- Andrew McMahon
- Robert Delong
- Glass Animals
- Pepper
- Saint Motel
- Earth Wind & Fire
- The B-52's
- Howard Jones
- Exposé
- A Flock of Seagulls
- Lime
- The Fixx
- Debbie Deb


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Michael D Beckford Launches The Helpful Free Mini-Course On How To Publish A Book Without Fear
24 June, 2021 – USA – Michael Beckford announces the free 45-minute course on "How to publish a book". The course is for all aspiring authors who intend to make a mark in this world of publishing.
"I had made the costly $1000 worth of mistake when I was publishing my first book. So I have compiled the do's and don't's in a course form. So if you are wondering how can I write a book, I recommend you to take this short free course of 'Let's Get Published' right now," states Michael Beckford.
This free course is just a mini introduction to the authors on the path to take and details about the steps. It does not cover the entire chapters of the Let's Get Published full course but can be a great way to help the authors take the first steps to their book publishing dreams. Also, the full course will outline the monetary expense aspect of how much to self-publish a book.
When someone is writing a book, they might find it overwhelming to think about the publishing aspect. So, they might end up spending a fortune. This Let's Get Published free mini-course comprises of 3-step sections and will take less than 45 minutes to complete.
There are 4 videos and 10 files as attachments to study and take the right course of action as the authors wonder how to get published. The first step will help the authors select a great title, then a genre, and understand the manuscript. Then, finally, a bonus step covers how to protect the books and business in the event of a mishap like someone taking legal action against you. These steps are crucial, and one will not be able to proceed without them.
Though there is a complete course for authors wondering, "how do you get a book published" for starters, this free mini-course is time-saving and cost-effective. In addition, the authors can start from here on what they can expect when they aim to release a new book.
About the author:
Michael Beckford is based out of the USA and is offering a mini-course and a full course on how much to self-publish a book. The author is familiarizing the budding writers to follow the effective paths to make a fortune in publishing books.
Media Contact
Company Name: Michaelbeckfordbrands.com
Contact Person: Michael Beckford
Email: Send Email
Phone: 321-418-1827
Country: United States
Website: www.michaelbeckfordbrands.com


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When you are buying a home for the first time, the first quality you look for in a real estate agent is patience. Mary is the most patient real estate agent/person I have met. I know this because I am the most picky and unsure person in the world.
Our experience was absolutely fantastic. We are so happy with her, and most importantly, so happy with our new home. Mary made this experience joyful, exciting, and exactly what purchasing a new home should feel like: a celebration!
I am always recommending her to my friends and those who hired her feel the same way I do. When I sell my home eventually–whether its 3 years or 30 years from now, it will be Mary I want as my agent, no one else.


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Kezia Dugdale: EU nationals should have referendum vote
EU nationals who have made the UK their home should have the right to vote in the referendum on whether to sever ties with Brussels, Scottish Labour leadership candidate Kezia Dugdale will say.
Ms Dugdale will state that she strongly believes it would be "unfair" to exclude EU citizens from such a fundamental decision.
She is expected to claim that last September's referendum on Scottish independence was enhanced by the participation of around 90,000 EU nationals registered to take part in the ballot.
"Put simply, I believe EU nationals who have chosen to live their life here, and make the UK their home, should have the right to vote in a referendum on the future of the country," Ms Dugdale will tell an audience in Glasgow.
The Lothians MSP - the Scottish party's deputy leader - will set out her position in a keynote speech to the Scottish Fabians later this afternoon, in which she will also argue that Scottish Labour has to be seen as a party with ideas for the future rather than stuck in the past.
The address comes days after it emerged that citizens from most European Union countries living in the UK will be barred from voting in the referendum on membership of the EU, promised by Prime Minister David Cameron.
The franchise for referendum, expected by the end of 2017, will be based on that for a general election - meaning Irish, Maltese and Cypriots resident in the UK will get a vote, but other EU citizens will not.
Ms Dugdale will tell the audience she will be campaigning to stay in Europe and keep the "strong ties" with the UK's neighbours.
She will say that referendums should be conducted "as inclusively and democratically as possible" and will argue that 16 and 17-year-olds should be able to vote in the EU referendum, as they did in the Scottish independence ballot.
But she will tell the audience: "I would go further. When we had our referendum in September, just under 90,000 EU nationals registered to take part and it was the better for it.
"Put simply, I believe EU nationals who have chosen to live their life here, and make the UK their home, should have the right to vote in a referendum on the future of the country.
"EU nationals make important contributions to our communities, and to our economy.
"The influx of talent, creativity, and a different perspective of work and culture enriches our society as a whole, resulting in a more diverse and innovative society.
"We as a country benefit from the free movement of people across Europe, and we should not continue to enjoy this freedom while restricting political participation.
"Voting rights are a matter of democratic principle, and I strongly feel it is unfair to exclude EU nationals from a fundamental referendum.
"The referendum reinvigorated political participation in Scotland. A referendum on Europe can afford us the same opportunity.
"Rather than divide and exclude people, we should be coming together as a society to decide the best way forward."
Ms Dugdale is expected to face a challenge from Labour MSP Ken Macintosh in the bid to replace outgoing Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy.
Mr Murphy is to step down from the post next month in the wake of the party's poor general election performance, in which it lost all but one of its MPs north of the border.
Reflecting on the "agonising" defeat, Ms Dugdale will warn later against a return to "business as usual" for the party.
She will say: "In defeat, it is natural for us to turn to the highlights of our history to find solace, comfort.
"We'd turn our backs to the harsh winds of truth and huddle together for safety. Grieve together for what might have been and then more often than not, move on in broadly the same direction we've taken before.
"And sometimes that road has worked, a slight detour, a simple delay along a path to success. A minor adjustment on the course for better times ahead. Not this time.
"There is but an episode in a series of defeats that the Scottish Labour Party has now entered. We have been here too often in recent years. The answer cannot be keep calm and carry on campaigning.
"Politics in Scotland has now changed quite fundamentally and we have but one chance to get it. And get it we must."
She will caution against an "arrogant presumption that there must always be a Labour Party in Scotland" and insist: "What we see today as a disaster we can choose to redefine as a huge opportunity."
She will tell the gathering: "We have to accept that if we don't change our ways, there will be nothing left to protect."


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2015 is rapidly coming to a close, but a number of highly anticipated products are set to hit stores before the end of the year. Here's a look at the products we're looking forward to reviewing soon.
Tesla has made us wait for its super high-tech SUV for three and a half years. Now that it's finally here it's already backordered till 2016 for those who didn't make early reservations to buy one.
Arriving sometime in October, Apple's new streaming-video box offers a real app store including games, a new remote with a touchpad, Siri voice interaction including cross-app search and a revamped interface.
International pricing and availability for the new models have not yet been announced.
Apple's extra-large iPad Pro is a 12.9-inch tablet that's powered by Apple's new A9x 64-bit chip. It works work with a new stylus, dubbed the Apple Pencil, and a smart keyboard accessory.
The iPad Pro will be available in November in silver, gold and space gray colors starting at $799, £520, AU$1,140 for the 32GB model.
With a screen a scosh larger than the 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus and right on par with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+, the Google flagship Nexus 6P embraces the ultralarge display in a big way. Its high-resolution display, sometimes referred to as 2K, fits in with the times as well.
The Nexus 5X, which starts at $379 or £339, is one of two new smartphones that come with Google's latest operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The smaller 5.2-inch Nexus 5X is made by LG, and the larger 5.7-inch Nexus 6P is made by Huawei.
Shipping in October, Microsoft's new Surface Pro 4 is a evolution from the previous Surface Pro 3. Starting with a thinner, lighter chassis and slightly larger display, it adds new processors from Intel, a redesigned keyboard, improved stylus functionality, and a front-facing camera that can instantly log you in to Windows 10 using facial recognition. The entry-level model is $899, £749, AU$1,349.
Valve's Steam Machine platform, which promises to combine console simplicity with PC game depth, could have a huge impact when it kicks off in late 2015. The first Steam Machine devices are officially coming in November, with some early access hardware going out to presale customers in October.
Do you like the Surface, but want a more traditional laptop design? Microsoft has built the Surface Book, a Surface tablet that clicks into a keyboard dock that makes it look like a laptop.
The 128 GB model costs $1,499 or AU$2,299 (£985 converted), while the 1TB option goes up to $2,699 (£1,770 or AU$2,699 converted, no confirmed Australian pricing yet).
Microsoft's new Band 2 fitness tracker includes more sensors and a curved screen for a more ergonomic fit. It ships on October 30 for $250, £200.
Australian pricing and availability wasn't announced, directly converts to about AU$425. (The original was never released in Australia.)
Google has added a brand-new tablet to its Chromebook Pixel line of devices. The Pixel C runs the latest version of Android, Marshmallow 6.0, and features a slim magnetic keyboard case that's sold separately. It's priced at $500 for the base 32GB model (£330 or AU$715, directly converted) and $600 for the 64GB version, while the keyboard will go for $149 (£100 or AU$215, converted). According to Google, it's expected to go on sale around the holidays.
Ever lose your remote in the couch cushions? Ever wish you could stream 4K Netflix without having to use your TV's built-in app? Roku's new (US-only) high-end player, the $129 Roku 4, brings these new extras to its best-in-class streaming ecosystem.
CNET's Shara Tibken writes: "Intel -- which provides the chips that power the vast majority of the world's PCs and servers -- first teased the sixth generation of its Core i-series processors a year ago and officially introduced the chip, known by the codename Skylake, in August. The processors act as the brains of devices, and Intel has focused on reducing power consumption and boosting their capabilities.
"Because of Skylake's features, companies will be able to release laptop PCs that are half as thick and half as heavy as those from five years ago, according to Intel, while at the same time enabling double the performance and triple the battery life of computers from 2010. And Intel's also making a push toward 'wire-free' computing, with many Skylake systems supporting wireless charging."
New Skylake-powered PCs are hitting stores this fall.


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Do you like Basil pesto? If so, you will love this meal. It is so fast and easy to make with with store bought pesto or even your homemade pesto. Just cut up a couple of chicken breasts, cover with pesto and bake for 20 minutes, meanwhile cook your penne pasta according to directions on the box and when it is done, drain and add cooked chicken and pesto. Toss in a little shredded Parmesan cheese and Wallah, Pesto Chicken Penne Pasta!
Friday, October 19, 2012
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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Check out information about yard waste, garbage collection, and recycling.
Learn about Stormwater Management for Building Projects.
View information about street sweeping and the current schedule.
View important information about utilities and other services.


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An official website of the State of Oregon
How you know »
(how to identify a Oregon.gov website)
An official website of the State of Oregon »
You are here:
The RADIO Conference Planning Team has reluctantly made the decision to postpone the RADIO Conference. This was not an easy decision, but we recognize that many of our attendees, speakers, and sponsors are actively involved in the response to the outbreaks of the coronavirus across the country or may be unable to attend due to their organizations' modified travel procedures. The loss of their voices and perspectives on communications and interoperability at the conference would be deeply missed so we believe it is best to wait until such time as they can rejoin us in the conversation.
We will be working with our venue partner, the Hood River Inn Best Western Plus, to identify an alternative date sometime in the future for the conference. An email invitation will be sent out when new dates are set. All hotel reservations made under the Radio Conference Block will be automatically cancelled and you should receive notice from the hotel directly . If you have any questions or concerns about your room reservations, you may reach out to the hotel directly by calling 1-800-828-7873.
If you haven't already, I'd like to invite you to sign up for our mailing list by clicking
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the conference, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you.
William Chapman, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator
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text: I'm still super-excited for this one, and the teaser trailer definitely whets my appetite a bit. It looks absolutely fantastic just from an aesthetic point of view. My biggest complaint, which will continue to be a complaint, is the casting of Anne Hathaway as Fantine. I understand why she was cast (current big name, can actually sing), but she's still a poor choice in my opinion. She's just too young and fresh, and even though they've obviously tried to make her look like hell, I don't think they've succeeded. Also, her voice isn't doing it for me. Again, too young and fresh. She's working hard to provide the emotion, but I'm not sold. Still, I think it'll be a solid movie. Tom Hooper directed 2011's Best Picture Winner, The King's Speech, therefore we know he's capable of working with great actors and delivering excellent period pictures, so no worries there. This is going to be good, you guys. Squeeeeee.


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Clifford Carr
Clifford Carr[edit | edit source]
Well-known and well-liked local stockcar driver, and one of the oldest at his death also.
Clifford started racing young, right afterWorld War II with his first competitive race at Edgewood Speedway in Alexandria Bay, and he raced and many other local racetracks including the old Watertown Fairgrounds track. While racing he learned to be an excellent mechanic as he had no pit crew. In later years he limited himself to the Evans Mills Speedway, where he drove in the Late Model category.
In 1967 his wife died and he quit racing, and sold all his racing equipment and cars. But he also kept working on cars, and later he began racing again. Also, for a short time while in his 70's he again retired from racing.
Clifford didn't win a lot, especially in his later years, but he always enjoyed racing and was well-liked by fans and drivers alike. He claimed never to have hit another car intentionally, though others did so to him.
In one such accident a Canadian driver cut him off, flipping his car end over end. After Clifford got out of the car he was bare-footed though he had of course been racing with his shoes; they had flown completely off him.
While driving he sometimes competed against his son, Dave.
"Barefoot" Bob McCreadie bought his first car from Clifford - a 1932 Chevy coupe.
Clifford Carr continued to drive and race into his later years.
[Need photo here, and age and date of death]


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By Pamela Zoslov
I have come to think of certain Hollywood comedies as being like big, dumb, eager-to-please dogs (Golden Retrievers come to mind, no offense to that friendly breed). The Comedian, starring Robert De Niro as an aging insult comic, is one such dog. Unlike many of my film-critic colleagues, I don't deplore these movies for their lack of excellence — I appreciate them for what they are, escapist pap with some well-known actors that deliver a few laughs.
De Niro plays Jackie Burke, a 67-year-old comedian who is most famous for having starred in a long-running sitcom, "Eddie's Home." Thirty years later, wherever Jackie goes, fans approach him and insist that he "do Eddie" and recite the character's asinine catchphrase.
Naturally, Jackie hates this. His abrasive personality and vulgar standup routine are worlds away from the dumb sitcom that made him famous. "Eddie's dead," he says to the audience at a comedy club in Hicksville, New York, where he leads off his set with, "Let's talk about this abortion of a town you live in!" The show ends in disaster after Eddie gets in a fistfight with a heckler, who is filming the incident for his webcast. One of the movie's persistent themes is the clash between new media (viral videos, reality TV, webcasts) and the old-line entertainment world (TV, standup, comedy LPs, the Friars Club) from which Eddie and his comedy cronies sprang.
Jackie's long-suffering agent, Miller (Edie Falco in an unrewarding part), has a hard time booking Jackie into anything but cruises, autograph conventions and TV oldies shows, alongside the likes of Jimmie Walker and Brett Butler. His prospects further dim after the heckler he assaulted presses charges and an unrepentant Jackie is sentenced to 30 days in prison and 100 hours of community service. The video of the attack, of course, goes viral, and Jackie is kidded relentlessly by fellow comedians about his brush with the law.
Jackie goes to work at a New York homeless shelter, serving meals and handing out clothes along with raunchy jokes. At the shelter, he meets the cute, hot-tempered Harmony (Leslie Mann), who is performing community service for assaulting a cheating lover. Harmony is the daughter of Mac (Harvey Keitel), a real-estate developer who gives off Mob-type vibes. Daddy Mac wants Harmony to serve out her sentence at a retirement home he owns in Florida. She defies him by staying in New York and dating Jackie, whose rude humor appeals to her (Daddy issues?).
Jackie courts Harmony by taking her to comedy clubs, where we are treated to jokes by a number of young comedians, many of them very funny. As for Jackie's comedy, it is audacious without being actually funny. (Jeff Ross and Lewis Friedman wrote the comedy routines, while Art Linson and Richard LaGravanese wrote the dramatic scenes.) A comparison of De Niro's lackluster portrayal of a standup comic to his manic Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1983) is a study in the multi-decade decline of De Niro's post-Scorsese acting.
Also in Jackie's life is his brother, an unnamed (as far as I can tell) character played by Danny DeVito. The brother owns a delicatessen and tolerates Jackie's abrasive personality. Jackie's sister-in-law Flo (Patti LuPone), loathes Jackie. When Jackie approaches his brother for a loan, he is pressed into attending his niece's wedding (to another woman).The wedding scene may be the dumbest thing in the movie, and that's really saying something. Jackie's niece, who's a big fan, asks her uncle to stand up and tell some jokes. Jackie, true to form, makes a bunch of tasteless lesbian sex jokes, to his niece's delight and the Producers-style horror of most of the guests. The situation escalates, and Flo and Harmony, who attends as Jackie's date, nearly come to blows.
Directed very conventionally by Taylor Hackford, the movie is a collection of potential story lines, any of which could have been interesting if developed. There is the story of the has-been comic, reduced to fan conventions, flummoxed by new media and sadistic reality TV shows, and vying with a detested rival comedian (Charles Grodin) for a place on the dais of a Friars Club roast of May Conner (Cloris Leachman), an old comedienne in the mold of Phyllis Diller. There is the Woody Allen-esque family story of the old comedian and his deli-owning brother and judgmental sister-in-law. There is also the unlikely romance between an older man and a younger woman who share anger management issues, and the disapproval of her vaguely sinister dad. But none of these tributaries leads anywhere; the romance, for example, is subverted when Harmony moves to Florida. Her decampment leads to the movie's second most embarrassing scene, in which Jackie leads a group of retirement home residents in a sing-along about "Makin' Poopie" (to the tune of "Makin' Whoopee").
That, folks, is the level of much of this movie's humor, and it's too bad, because it's an easygoing picture featuring good actors and comedians (Billy Crystal, Gilbert Gottfried. Hannibal Buress and Jimmie Walker show up, along with some good younger comics). It could, if your expectations are not high, help pleasantly pass a couple of hours. Not every movie, after all, can be a masterpiece. Grade: C+


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Product Description
Single strand of Sterling Silver round shaped beads strung together in black cord. While this necklace meets our quality standards ,it comes without Hallmarking as the Hallmarking process involves the application of a strong force to engrave on the metal, and the dholki beads may get disfigured, due to their intricate craftsmanship.
Note: Silver beads are wax filled. These beads are handcrafted and due to their fragile nature minor chipping, dents and spots may occur, which should not be considered as a defect in the product.Maximum Length: 9.5 inch


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2,000 miners rally over Amplats job cuts
RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AFP) – Around 2,000 mineworkers converged at an Anglo American Platinum mine in South Africa's restive platinum belt on Tuesday over plans by the world's top producer to cut 6,900 jobs amid unrest in the sector.
Miners gathered at the Khomanani shaft in the northern city of Rustenburg to protest the Amplats plan, announced just days after South Africa marked the first anniversary of police shooting dead 34 miners at the nearby Lonmin mine in Marikana, which sparked strikes that have roiled the sector.
Workers and unions earlier threatened to strike over the restructuring project which includes closing down three operations, cutting thousands of jobs and integrating some workers elsewhere.
"People don't want to transfer. But if you don't want to transfer, your job is finished," said Themba, a 45-year-old worker who did not give his surname.
"I've got a family. I feel very bad. People here, they've got families too," he said, unsure of his future after 23 years' service at the mine.
Workers chanted at a stadium next to the Khomanani shaft, one of those due to be closed down. Some wore the trademark green shirts of the new majority union at the mine, the militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).
AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa met with the mine's management earlier and was due to speak to the workers in the afternoon.
Amplats had first proposed around 14,000 job cuts in January, but later backed down under government pressure.
Some workers said they were not consulted.
"They never discussed it with us, now it's happening," said Mike Simane, 27, a surveyor who had just finished his shift underground.
"No one wants to lose their jobs," he told AFP.
The once-dominant National Union of Mineworkers, now a minority union at the mine, said on Monday it condemned the restructuring "in the strongest words possible".
The union accused Amplats of reneging on an earlier agreement to cut only 3,000 jobs.


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Last week we celebrated the great feast day of Easter, when the highlight of the story is Jesus' resurrection. This week our readings look at some of the witnesses to that resurrection, and their reactions too.
Our Gospel reading tells us simply that Jesus came and stood among the disciples, saying Peace be with you. He appeared even though the door was locked! This is a clue to the nature of his resurrection body – there is something different about it. It is not the same as his earthly body. And yet he was still physical, still made of flesh. He showed the disciples the wounds in his hands and side, establishing that it really was he that stood with them. Unfortunately Thomas wasn't there, and had trouble believing the story that the disciples so excitedly related to him. Let's wind the clock back a couple of weeks where we met Thomas before, in the story of Lazarus. You may remember that it was Thomas who urged Jesus and the disciples to go to Lazarus, even though Jesus had just told them that he had already died. Thomas believed that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, at that point. Continue reading


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Energy efficiency class: A+ (152 kWh per year). Actual energy consumption will depend on how the appliance is used and where it is located.
Total net capacity: 355 litres
Noise level dB(A) re 1 pW: 39
Convenience and Safety
Black door and chrome inox metallic side panels
Vertical door handle
Electronic control (LED chain)
superCool function with automatic deactivation
Removable magnetic door seals – easy to clean and to replace
Height adjustable feet in the front
Door open warning signal: without
Automatic defrost fridge
Active cooling – quick and even temperature distribution on all shelf levels (interior fridge fan)
7 safety glass shelves, of which 5 are height adjustable
1 vegetable/salad container
Pull out fridge tray
Door trays: 5 large and 0 small
2 dairy compartments in door
Bright interior LED fridge light
Bottle rack
Dimensions: 186 cm H x 60 cm W x 65 cm D
Left hinged door
Climate class SN-T (suitable for ambient temperatures between 10 to 43°C)


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Went out to my car to go and do laundry at my friend's place, to discover the power locks weren't working. Actually, no electrical things were working. Popped the hood, discovered this:
After cleaning it all off, it would appear my battery is completely dead. I have no idea how this happened, it was working just FINE last night. I swear…. I hate cars.
I guess I'm gonna be looking for a ride to work tomorrow, and somehow I'm going to have to procure a new flippin battery.
HOORAY. (yes, that was sarcastic.)


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Dubspot contributor Josh Spoon explores iZotope's BreakTweaker rhythm instrument and finds that the program offers much more than the name implies.
iZotop BreakTweaker
BreakTweaker is a new instrument from iZotope that is designed to look simple, but under the hood offers a lot of sound design tools that allow you to explore new sonic territory. If you are familiar with iZotope's Stutter Edit (also designed with BT) then you can surely guess the complexities that will be available in this multi-dimensional groove box. The BreakTweaker interface is divided into 3 main sections: the Sequencer, the Generator, and the MicroEdit Engine. You can get started quickly by opening a preset that populates all 3 sections. This will allow you to hear an example of what BreakTweaker can do.
The Sequencer
If you are familiar with Stutter Edit, you will feel right at home in BreakTweaker. The Sequencer is very similar and gives you up to 24 patterns to trigger with your MIDI controller's notes C2 through B3 keys. There are various play modes to add more variety by selecting gate and latch with or without legato mode. Notes C1 through F1 (varies on a few DAWs) allow you to play back the sample of one of the 6 tracks in BreakTweaker for previewing or live performance.
Adding steps to the sequence is as easy as clicking on a subdivision. Once you have a step placed on the Sequencer, you can lengthen or shorten it as well as drag up and down the velocity. Steps can also be used to choke or silence the flow of the step before it.
One of the most interesting features of the Sequencer is each of the 6 tracks have independent playback speeds. You can create interesting polyrhythms and wonky beats using BreakTweakers. Create a track with a kick that is playing 3x, a snare at 1/2x with hats and synth playing at 1x all in the same project with the ability to change with just one click of the multiplier.
BreakTweaker's Sequencer has all the usual track controls you would expect in a Sequencer like mutes, pan, and solo, but also carries a few more nice features. In the upper left of the Sequencer is an intensity knob to add some punch and compression to the groove. Once you are done creating you have the option to send each track out for stemming or more processing to your DAW.
The Generator
The Generator is the core of sound generation in BreakTweaker. Each of the 6 tracks contains 3 Generators that allow you to choose between a synth or a sample. The synths are extremely versatile and expressive wavetable oscillators, easily able to morph from a basic fundamental to a complex harmonic waveform. Two waveforms can be blended as an additive, ring-modulated, amplitude modulated, or frequency modulated synth, for further complexity.
The Generator also comes with 4 independent envelopes and wavetable LFOs that can be sent to almost any parameter in the Generator. These modulators can be used to affect 1 or many parameters. You can sometimes even use 4 modulators on one parameter.
If 3 complex generators with 2 oscillator wavetables, 4 envelopes and 4 wavetable lfos weren't enough, BreakTweaker has dual stage distortion which can be added before or after the filter. Both the distortion and filter have multiple types that can be applied to make the sample your own. For example you can add some crunch with a Transistor distortion and smooth it out with New York style filter.
The Sample side of the Generator is similar to the Synth. except for where the 2 oscillators would be is a sampler along with a loop mode and different forward/reverse options. The sampler comes with a decent amount of samples but you can upgrade for more, though BreakTweaker allows you to import your own samples. I feel this was a nice touch for them to leave it up to you on what samples can be in the program. Also, the Discover feature (it requires an internet connection) gives you suggestions on other similar sounds in the Izotope sample library that you can use.
To be honest with you, I didn't think BreakTweaker's Generator would be this feature rich. You can spend quite some time sound designing and getting the exact sound you want.
The MicroEdit Engine
The MicroEdit Engine is like an audio wood-chipper. You have the ability to divide up a step into thousands of slices with a a plethora of options like harmonic, pitched, and rhythmic effects. Each step's Micro Edit can be tweaked further with slopes, gate effects, fades and also a standard effects section to further augment the MicroEdit section.
You can use the MicroEdit Engine as subtle or as complex as you like. Your MicroEdits compress and expand depending on how long your step is. If you have 3 divisions in a step over 1 beat you will get a 8th note triplet but if it's over a 8th note you will have a 16th not triplet in your step.
There are lots of possibilities to manipulate your audio. Would you like your kick drum to play a Major 7 progression in the span of a 1/4 note? You can do that. Would you like your synth to do a rolling chorus stutter that is tailored to your liking over the course of one bar? You can do that. Shifting time, creating complex shuffles and glitching out all possible in MicroEdit.
The Factory Library
iZotope gives you over 2 GB of downloadable presets, drum samples and wavetables to use royalty-free. All of which sound solid and are what you'd expect from BT and the sound designers that work with iZotope. If you purchase BreakTweaker Expanded, you will get these expansion packs; Vintage Machines, Cinematic Textures, and Kicks and Snares by Beatport Sounds.
BreakTweaker has more to offer then just making outrageous beats. It combines a great synth engine, samples, effects, and a step sequencer to make an interesting and inspiring groove box instrument. Once you have your patterns set up and a few parameters mapped, BreakTweaker makes for a great performance tool ready to mangle up the tracks in the studio or on the dance floor, all from your controller. BreakTweakers is available as a AAX (Pro Tools 11), RTAS/AudioSuite (Pro Tools 7.4-10), VST and VST 3, Audio Unit for $249 and $299 for BreakTweaker Expanded.
Dubspot blogger Josh Spoon is an Ableton Live veteran, blogger, drummer, music producer and live performer. Josh has a residency with the eclectic Los Angeles electronic music collective Space Circus,performing every first Friday of the month, and just released his first concept EP of grooving low-end originals entitled Man on Mars.
Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program
The flagship of our music training, with every Ableton Live course offered at the school. After completing this program, you will leave with a portfolio of original tracks, a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer's Certificate in Ableton Live.
What's Included:
- Ableton Live Level 1: Beats, Sketches, and Ideas
- Ableton Live Level 2: Analyze, Deconstruct, Recompose, and Assemble
- Ableton Live Level 3: Synthesis and Original Sound Creation
- Ableton Live Level 4: Advanced Sound Creation
- Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Effect Processing
- Ableton Live Level 6: Going Global with your Music
This program is about learning Ableton Live by going through the entire process of being an artist, by developing your own sound through a series of sketches and experimentation. You will also learn the ins and outs of this powerful software through a series of exercises designed to help you master the steps involved in producing your own music. After a level of getting familiar with the tools that Ableton has to offer, you will then develop your sonic ideas into full-length tracks. You will be exposed to a variety of approaches to arrangement and composition, storytelling techniques, ways of creating tension and drama in your music. At the end of the day, it is the sum total of your choices as an artist that define your sound, and levels 2 – 6 will give you the experience of actually completing tracks to add to your portfolio.
If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
Dubspot NYC Open House: Sundays 11:00am and 12:00pm
Ask questions. Watch demos. Test drive workstations.
Anyone who comes by will have the opportunity to ask our instructors in-depth questions about our programs, curriculum and philosophy, and watch live music production and DJ demos. You can even sit down at one of our workstations and take it for a test drive. If you are still trying to decide what you are looking for, we suggest you stop by one of our Open Houses to learn more about the school, understand what the learning process at Dubspot entails and help you decide what is best for you. We can also help with scheduling details and payment options.


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A prisoners life?
April 10, 2009 1 Comment
I have already had my two-penneth on the subject of prisoners votes. I am happy to go on record and state that I really don't support the idea of inmates being allowed to vote. They are in prison for a reason, and why should they have the same rights as people who have not broken the law.
I have also written about my personal grumble about having to pay 90% council tax on an empty property I am trying to sell. Apparently its allowed to be charged as services still have to be delivered to the property. How interesting that I learn that if you get sent to jail apparently you DO NOT have to continue to pay council tax.
Just so I understand this. I have a second property which isn't used and I pay 90% council tax. If I own just one property and get sent to jail I wouldn't pay any council tax, and hey, I'll soon be able to vote. Tough on crime tough on the causes of crime? Oh yeah!


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What can you do if your microphone is bright yet dull?
A posting on Facebook by Bill Simpkins reminded me of a fairly common problem. Post by Audio Engineering Diaries – Bill Simpkins. He was reminding everyone that faders are the primary tool of achieving and manipulating the balance in the … Continue reading
Posted in iqi616, Recording, Mixing, Mastering Tagged audio engineering diaries, bill simpkins, iqi616, mike ellison, mixing Leave a comment


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What Black Creators Need in Order to be Successful Online in 2020 and Beyond
1.You Need Your own Website.
Having an Instagram account or a Facebook page or using a personal Facebook page or a Twitter account is not acceptable. It's not acceptable alone. You need those things later. But you do need a personal business website. That is your home base where people can find basic information about you.
Where they can go to buy your products. A place that folks can launch an inquiry about Commissions if that's what you do. So you need a home base and your website is your homebase. This place is where people will go to get information about you and find out how they can contact for opportunities.
Don't skip out on having a website.
If you don't currently have one here is our recommendation is using WordPress to create it.
There are a lot of tools out there that you can use. Some are paid and while some are free. We use WordPress.
It is free until you add some other functions to it like special themes but we highly recommend it.
2.The next thing to have is the ability to collect and send out emails. In short, you need email marketing software aka ESP: Email service provider and autoresponder.
A lot of you may or may not be familiar with a free service provider called MailChimp. A lot of people use it because you don't have to pay. While other solutions like Active Campaign, or Sendlane or one of the thousands of others that do the same thing require a subscription.
Pick one.
Also, there is another free option called SendFox. It is still free. If you don't want to use MailChimp.
3. You need to have atleast 2 social media profiles.
One can be on Facebook, so a Facebook business profile. And you want to make sure you have another profile which could be, Instagram, or Twitter. There's so many options out there, like YouTube. You want to make sure that you have at least two. That's our suggestion. Of course, you can have more.
If you're an artist Twitter's usually really big and if you're doing graphic art. Instagram is also a good option as well so you want to make sure you have at least two accounts, Facebook, people sleep on it now, but it's also can be a really good place to find new customers but you want to have at least two social media accounts.
4. You need to have ecommerce capabilities to sell your work online.
There are many options for this too, some are easier but you need a way to be able to sell your work. That means being able to collect payments and the info you need to deliver it.
You can Paypal, Gumroad, Shopify, Woocommerce to do this but these are not the only options.
5. You need to out time and money into growing your business online.
A lot of artists try to skimp out and not pay for anything. You're gonna need to invest in yourself and if you're not serious about growing your business and selling your work it's not going to work for you. So you got to be willing to put in the time. Sometimes that time is having to learn. Other times, that time is having to spend money to do it.
Most of this list is mostly free options that you can use temporarily until you start bringing in some money. Other options require some payment. If you are willing to work on growing your business online then you will need to spend the time and some money to do so.
But we think it will be well worth it to be able to choose the live events you do decide to sell at and have more control and choice in which companies approach you for your work.
To further assist with this. We have created a Free Program for Black Creators to learn how to do the above called 1,000 Black Creators.
We will give you free lessons on how to market and sell online. To join click the link and fill out the application.


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Starring: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone
Directors: Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Rating: R for Some Shocking Gunshots, Disturbing Tableaux, and a Little Post-Shower Nudity
Release Date: February 7, 2020
In The Lodge, a couple of kids (Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh) head to a cabin during Christmas break with their dad Richard (Richard Armitage) and his new fiance Grace (Riley Keough). Work duties force Richard to head back home for a few days, which leaves Grace and the kids snowed in due to some, shall we say, inclement weather. And that's when things start getting weird. The youngsters have resented Grace for as long as they've known her, and the tight quarters only amplify those feelings at first. They eventually start to approach a bit of a detente, but then everything suddenly breaks down. The power shuts off, the backup generator won't work, and everyone's cell phone is fully uncharged. And on top of all that, the refrigerator and all the cabinets and dresser drawers have been mysteriously cleared out.
Suddenly being cut off from the rest of the world in inhospitable weather is (and has been plenty of times) enough of a premise to introduce extreme physical and psychological danger. But the thorough disappearance of all those provisions adds an immense layer of mystery. Have the kids pulled an elaborate prank on Grace, or vice versa? None of them seem inclined to take their ill will that far, and there doesn't appear to be enough room for them to hide everything anyway. And nothing about this situation makes any sense as a break-in.
The possibility of a more supernatural explanation butts its way in soon enough. It's been lingering around there for a while, long before this predicament ever began. Grace, it should very much be noted, is the sole survivor of a religious cult that committed mass suicide when she was twelve years old. She remains haunted by the experience in her dreams and is given to frequent sleepwalking. Maybe that trauma has somehow made its way out of her subconscious and started tangibly affecting those around her. Furthermore, weird items start appearing that make Grace and the kids seriously wonder if they are now in fact dead and are stuck in some sort of purgatory. They then grapple with a fascinating conundrum that much of The Lodge is concerned with: since none of us really know what comes after death, how do we recognize it when we experience it?
Eventually, The Lodge decides that it must end, and in so doing, it moves away from the supernatural and back towards the corporeal. This leads to a whole host of paradoxes that I don't think I, or any viewer, or anyone involved in this film can provide a full satisfying explanation for. The prosaic and the more out-there elements really do not sit well together. It's twist upon twist upon twist, though it's never clear (perhaps purposely) which twist is the truest. The fallout from trying to make sense of it all is a little too disturbing to handle. That said, much of the staging and thematics of the film itself are disturbing in all the right ways.
The Lodge is Recommended If You Like: It Comes at Night, Hereditary
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Gas Heaters