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Reclaiming Our Forgotten Heritage
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C Note Singing Bowls - Root (1st) Chakra
C Note Singing and Healing Bowls for Unblocking, Realigning and Balancing the Root Chakra
Assigning Fundamental Notes and Harmonics: Antique singing bowls are complex multi-harmonic instruments and it is often difficult to determine a bowl's fundamental note and its other harmonics. I use a Korg Orchestral Tuner to help assign notes and their octaves, but frequently find myself checking the results on my piano because the tuner sometimes favours a secondary harmonic when the sound one hears is another note altogether. It doesn't help that some bowls switch dominant harmonics according to the type of ringer and the method of play. My best advice is to listen to the audio samples and decide for yourself.
The Audio Samples: The mp3 audio samples have been made using a Zoom Stereo Recorder and edited with Audacity software. Most of the audio files are composed of one, two or three sound bites. A single sound bite will always be the struck note, a double will be a struck note and a played rim note using a leather ringer, and a triple will finish with a rim note using a wooden ringer. Additional harmonics may also be present and heard simultaneously...some of these can be very subtle.
The Clips: The first sound is the bowl\'s fundamental note, or first harmonic. This is the sound one hears when the bowl is struck on or just below the rim with a padded mallet. Sometimes the bowl is struck a second time. The duration of the note is nearly always abbreviated to reduce the size of the file. The second sound is the second harmonic, or rim note. This is the dominant note produced when the bowl is played around the rim, usually with a leather-covered ringer. This is often the same note as the fundamental, but it may be a different note entirely. The third sound, if any, is normally the note produced when the bowl is played around the rim with a plain wooden ringer. This will frequently be an entirely different note to the fundamental, and is usually a higher octave. Where a bowl's fundamental and rim notes differ, both may be used on associated chakras. You will need to listen to the sound bites and read a bowl's full description to discover how versatile it is.
Note: A brief description of each audio sample is given beneath the audio PLAY button associated with every singing bowl. The sound clips are best heard through headphones.
Please click the BOWLS tab in the above Toolbar to view by Bowl Type, Note, Chakra, Size, Attribute and Price.
Antique Naga Singing Bowl. C5 & E6 (Root & Solar Plexus Chakras)
Weight 310 grams (11 oz). 10.5 x 6.5 cm (approx. 4 ¼ x 2 ½ inches)
Antique Lingam Singing Bowl. C4 (266Hz) Root Chakra
Weight 2 lb 6¼ oz. (1.09 kilos). Size 18.5 x 9.5 cm (approx. 7¼ x 3¾ inches)

subset: commoncrawl


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I am steadfast in my belief that I can never win an argument with a person at the opposite end of a moral spectrum and with those on an entirely different intellectual plane.
To the doctors, laboring tirelessly in impossible conditions to care for your patients, I am always there for you. And I write so you can be heard.


text:
The fourth-generation iPad, or iPad 4, appears to be a major upgrade over the third-gen iPad 3, according to new benchmark tests.
Apple executives including CEO Tim Cook took the stage at a special press conference last Tuesday to introduce the new iPad, along with the iPad mini and other new devices.
"This fourth generation is a powerhouse," Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller told the audience and online viewers.
"What's inside it? A new chip, the A6X. It doubles the performance of CPU tasks."
That's a big promise, but according to a new report, Schiller's claim that the iPad 4 has double the power may have even been a little conservative.
The numbers don't lie
In TechRadar's side-by-side comparison of the iPad 4 and iPad 3, we noted that the new Apple tablet, dubbed the "iPad with Retina display" despite the last iPad carrying the same screen, might not be a significant upgrade.
But according to a benchmark someone concocted using the Geekbench Browser benchmark tool, the iPad 4 has more than twice the processing power of its predecessor.
That may in fact be due to Apple's new A6 chip. The benchmark results indicate that the iPad 4's version of the A6 clocks in at 1.4GHz, up from the last iPad's 1GHz A5 processor.
The iPad 4's quad-core graphics likely don't hurt, either, and the device doesn't appear to suffer from having the same 1GB of RAM that the last iPad did.
Apple's new A6 chip is also found in the iPhone 5, where it clocks in at 1.3GHz, and according to the same benchmark report, the latest iPhone more than doubles the iPad 3's power as well.
Is it worth an upgrade?
Apple revealed some interesting figures during the iPad press conference, including that 100 million iPads have been sold, and that iPads make up 91 percent of all tablet web traffic.
Apple's previous iPad, the third-gen model with Retina display, was released in March, so some users might be understandably hesitant to upgrade to the iPad 4.
The fourth-gen Apple tablet is priced starting at $US499/£399/AUD$539 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version, while $US629/£499/AUD$679 is the starting price for the same size iPad 4 with LTE data.
TechRadar also compared the iPad 4 to the Microsoft Surface RT, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Asus Tranformer Prime, so check out our full take on how the new iPad stacks up.
Via Slashgear


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Court in Pakistan rules prime minister disqualified from office
The verdict by the Supreme Court was a major blow against Yousuf Reza Gilani, who has been hanging on to office for months in the face of opposition by the judges.
| Islamabad
Pakistan's top court ruled Tuesday that the prime minister was no longer eligible to hold office due to an earlier contempt conviction, ushering in fresh political turmoil in the nuclear-armed country.
The verdict by the Supreme Court was a major blow against Yousuf Reza Gilani, who has been hanging on to office for months in the face of opposition by the judges.
Gilani and his party, the largest in the ruling coalition, were holding an emergency meeting to discuss the verdict.
In the past, the party has said it would have the numbers in parliament to elect a new premier if Gilani was ousted by the court.
But some aides have suggested that the prime minister might try to hold on. If Gilani were to resist the order, it could spark institutional deadlock and social unrest, even raising the possibility of the army staging a coup as it has done three times in the country's past.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court ordered the country's election commission to formally dismiss Gilani and said he had not legally been the prime minister since April 26, when the court convicted him for contempt for refusing to open a corruption probe against his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, dating back to the 1990s and involving the jurisdiction of courts in Switzerland.
"The office of the prime minister shall be deemed to be vacant accordingly," said Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry, who then ordered Zardari to begin the process of electing a new premier.
The ruling was the culmination of a process that began in a Supreme Court decision in 2009 ordering the government to ask authorities in Switzerland to reopen the cases against Zardari. Gilani refused, saying the president had immunity from prosecution so long as he was in office, and in January the court ordered contempt proceedings against him.
Gilani has been refusing to step down, saying he has done nothing wrong and accusing the Supreme Court's chief justice of having a vendetta against him and his party.
Fawad Chaudhry, an adviser to the prime minister, said Gilani would continue working as premier and any final decision about his fate would be taken by the parliament. He did not elaborate.
"The Supreme Court cannot disqualify the prime minister like this," he said.
In the world of Pakistani politics, the court order against Gilani could become an advantage to his and Zardari's party in elections that have to be called before early next year. It will likely portray the case against Gilani as the latest in a long line of unjust decisions by the courts and the army and use it to fire up the party's base ahead of elections. Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by the court in 1979.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a professor at Lahore University of Management Science, said the Zardari government was unlikely to accept the court's decision.
"The political situation is not likely to be decided very peacefully I am afraid. It will be decided by demonstrations," he said.
If Gilani does not step down, the Supreme Court could call on the president or the military to enforce the decision, Rais said.
"Pakistan is in a real mess," he said.


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I am thankful to my friend and colleague Maren Haynes Marchesini for having me on the Religium Podcast this week. Maren is undertaking the much-needed task of interviewing those of us who can be called Millennials about our religious affiliations. We talked about how I ended up Eastern Catholic on this week's podcast, titled 'A Person With a Face, Facing Other People.'
I was thrilled to get Maren's invitation to reflect on my spiritual – or perhaps better put, mystagogical – journey. Maren and I had in fact been discussing this story for quite some time beforehand, and it only seemed right to tell her the truth on air. Previously, I had tended to use more benign phrases like 'hanging out with Eastern Catholics,' but one simply does not lie to Maren Haynes Marchesini, especially not on a podcast about Millennial religious affiliation. At the time we recorded this podcast, I was still a 'catechumen' thinking about whether I should be received into full communion. Maren published this shortly after I had been received.
As you'll hear on the podcast, 'communion' (as far as I understand it) is not a matter of ideology. It is much more about being a person – to be a face, faced by other persons and facing other persons. I am a bit of a stickler about this because my professional academic work is so tied up with Asian and Asian American Christianities, which most people seem to assume means 'some kind of Protestant' with a bit of 'Catholicism' thrown in (but only the Latin tradition). In this way, most people understand me to be studying myself. As you'll hear on the podcast, this is not altogether untrue, as I shamelessly talk about my upbringing in a variety of Protestant traditions (I've also written about them at Schema Magazine). But as far as I understand my own professional work (and despite the self-deception that often comes with self-interpretation), I do not think of myself as an Eastern Catholic scholar. This does not mean that my scholarship and my professional life aren't tied together – listeners will note well that my academic interests in Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement played no small part in my spiritual explorations – but what I mean to say is that my research agenda on Asian and Asian American religions and civil societies is probably not going to shift any time soon to places that are more populated by Eastern Catholics, such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East – fascinating as those places are in their own right!
Perhaps some may ask about why I am so daring, courageous, or some other romantic word to talk about my own religious affiliations as a 'secular' scholar. Most of these comments come from those who assume that 'secularities' refer to what philosopher Charles Taylor describes as 'subtraction stories,' the elimination of religion from contemporary life. But as Taylor has shown (among many other scholars, such Linell Cady, Winnifred Sullivan, Talal Asad, Judith Butler, John Milbank, Slavoj Žižek, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, etc.), 'secularism' as an ideology isn't very coherent, and as far as I understand it, I prefer to think of 'secularity' in its more classical understanding of 'something to do with the contemporary age,' however 'contemporary' is defined. As far as this goes, my work on Asian and Asian American religions, ideologies, and social and cultural geographies are as 'secular' as they go!
In this sense, I don't think of myself as particularly brave for talking about who I am as a person. In fact, having been trained as a social and cultural geographer to disclose my positionality as I conduct ethnographic research, I think of it more as par for the course. In fact, in previously published writings, I have talked at length about my Protestant backgrounds. I don't see why it would be bad to talk about Eastern Catholicism either.
So how does Eastern Catholicism affect my scholarship? I don't think it does very much, actually. If anything, Eastern Christian theology (for all of its current ideological shenanigans) seems at best to place a lot of emphasis on personhood, which is simply about facing other persons. As far as I know, this is how I've always operated as a researcher and a teacher. Maybe the only thing it will really do is to give these personal convictions about personhood some extra theological oomph. By 'theology,' of course, I don't mean 'ideology'; as I said earlier, my journey has been 'mystagogical' in the sense that I have been taught by being plunged into the mystery of personhood itself instead of thinking about it in the abstract.
In fact, this circles back to how Maren and I first met: on a panel on the ill-fated Mars Hill Church in Seattle and its former bombastic pastor Mark Driscoll. Organized by my friend Elizabeth Chapin, the panel at the Christ and Cascadia conference in 2014 featured Maren, Elizabeth, my postdoctoral supervisor James Wellman, and me working through issues of gender at Mars Hill Church. Maren presented a spectacular paper on the music of Mars Hill and its imaginations of masculinity, drawn from her doctoral research in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. After this panel, we went out with a group of colleagues for drinks and became fast friends. Quite literally, we faced each other and continue to do so even now.
To have done a panel on Mars Hill presupposes that we have some kind of ideological stake in American Protestantism. In fact, we are often told to present our positionality in order to make our agendas clear; this is what is often meant by 'ethical' scholarship. Perhaps talking about my personal affiliation with the Eastern Catholic churches will show that I have no stake in engaging Protestants except to be a person faced by their faces and facing them in turn. Or perhaps I do not know very much about what my stakes are yet, as I also talk about my own background in Protestant Christianity and may still be more attached to it than I imagine. Perhaps my readers and listeners will be generous enough to inform me and even criticize me, if they feel like it. In any case, I hope that these clarifications will be helpful for my readers, who should not expect very much from me on the Eastern Catholic front in my professional scholarship any time soon, although perhaps they might find some entertainment in finding little Eastern Christian tidbits buried in my work and in their kindness tell me about them so that I can learn something too.
I want to thank Maren for being such a kind and generous interviewer. I hope that these mystagogical reflections will be entertaining to my listeners. Hopefully, they will help us understand the religious affiliations of Millennials just a little better, but then again, I don't think of myself as a representative for Millennials – or for Protestants, Eastern Catholics, or even Asians and Asian Americans, for that matter. However, there will be more good interviews by Maren on the Religium Podcast, and I know that I for one will be trying to listen to most of them so that I can learn more about Millennial religious affiliation myself.


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No books published in 2010 received enough nominations in the poll to make it into the overall top ten. This is probably not a surprise; the books haven't been out for very long, so fewer people have read them. And some 2010 books received enough support to suggest that, were this poll to be run again in a couple of years, they might have matured into strong contenders. I thought it would be worth breaking those books out into a separate post, since their poll ranking is probably not reflective of the strength of feeling about them — and because they may be awards contenders next year. And so here they are:
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes' second novel has been picking up rave reviews all over the place. John Clute reviewed the book in his Scores column at Strange Horizons:
Zoo City may dive a little too glamorously into terrible high-rises and worse tunnels, and its protagonist (who survives the tale she tells) may wear her deformations and her scars and her cabaret presentation of self like war ribbons, and the present tense of the tale's telling may try a little officiously to shove our faces in the fleuve of the overwhelming nows of an alternate-2011 urban South Africa (Johannesburg is hardly exited), but throughout the horrors and the almost synaesthesical complexities of the scenes unfolded we get a sense of vigour, some of it irrepressible. The main joy of Zoo City is the energy of the thing, that it doesn't stop for breath until it stops for good.
Also worth noting is a strong showing for Beukes' first novel, Moxyland; thanks to Moxyland's first US edition this year, both books are Hugo-eligible.
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
I think of Bujold, rightly or wrongly, as occupying the sort of position in US sf that Iain M Banks occupies in UK sf: absolutely central in her home country, somewhat marginal beyond its borders. I'm not sure any of her books has ever been published over here, and as a result I've not read any of them (although the recent free ebooks of her entire back catalogue may change this). On the other hand, Cryoburn may also be a suitable jumping-on point, for all that it's the latest entry in a long series. Tansy Rayner Roberts:
Cryoburn, while not actually hitting the heights of my very very very favourite Vorkosigans (honestly it's hard to top Memory which is one of the best books I've ever read) has all the ingredients of a very successful Miles Vorkosigan outing. It also shows that yet again, Bujold is not afraid to take risks, to change up any patterns her series has developed, and even the world itself. I'm not going to address in the least the most important change she brings down upon Miles' world, because it's the massivest spoiler of all spoilers, but suffice to say – this is, like Civil Campaign and to some extent Diplomatic Immunity, a book which could stand very successfully as the last of the series, and yet unlike both those volumes it could as easily be the new beginning that refreshes the books so entirely that we see another five out in the next decade.
Feed by Mira Grant
Winner of this year's John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer (Not A Hugo), this is the first of Seanan McGuire aka Mira Grant's books to be published in the UK, and was one of Publishers Weekly's top five sf/f of 2010. It's a zombie novel, but don't let that put you off. Roz Kaveney:
Mira Grant's Feed is less well-written [than The Passage] but has a can-do brio that Cronin would regard as whistling showtunes in the dark. Grant's zombies are the result of experiments gone wrong – everyone is infected and everyone might turn in a moment. Yet civilisation does not collapse, and there are even elections; business as usual. Grant isn't writing a horror novel at all – just an SF novel with zombies in it. And with bloggers – her heroine would die, or become undead, for a scoop.
Scoops follow her around. Hardly has she and her brother and team been embedded in a Presidential campaign than a saboteur tries to get the Candidate eaten or turned. Georgia and Shaun are supremely irritating young smart-arses, but Feed is a perfect antidote to Cronin's gloomier excesses; sometimes after a well-cooked heavy meal, you really need a tub of ice-cream, with sprinkles.
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Okorafor's first published adult sf novel is another one that's been appearing on end-of-year lists, not just Publishers Weekly but also Amazon US. Matt Cheney loved it:
So much reverberates between the lines of Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death that the greatest marvel among the many here is that the novel succeeds in creating music and not cacophony. Archetypes and clichés jangle against each other to evoke enchanting new sounds, old narratives fall into a harmony that reveals unseen realms, and the fact of the book as artifact becomes itself a shadow story to that on the pages within. Okorafor is up to all sorts of serious, necessary mischief, setting up one expectation after another and dashing them all like dominoes made of dust. When the dust settles, rich realities emerge.
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
As Willis notes on her website, and as pretty much every review of either volume has noted, this is one novel split into two volumes: a sprawling epic set in London during the Blitz. Clute again:
Indeed, the least useful pages of All Clear are spent tracing its cast's ultimately baulked attempts not to see anything, and it does take a while to grasp the beauty of All Clear, the intense humility of its portrait of London as her cast increasingly ignores Dunworthy's strictures, especially in two superb, hugely extended setpieces: one devoted to the terrible first bombing raid on 7 September; the second massively expanding on the events first depicted in "Fire Watch" as Saint Paul's almost burns at the end of December. Almost certainly some bad mistakes leak into the text (how else, given the oceans of data she had to attempt to master); but I for one found nothing to complain about. The main errors I noted myself were in fact easily correctible: Willis seems to have consulted a contemporary map of the London Underground, which seems to have led her to assume that the Victoria and the Jubilee Lines, both constructed decades later, were there in 1940; nurses bewilderingly tell patients their temperature in centigrade; and the term "disinformation" seems not to have existed before 1955, the first year it was used to describe false information created, usually by a government, for purposes of deceit. But none of these slips opened any plausible gulf into the alternate realities whose potential irruption haunts her cast. All Clear is a song of London, a song of England, and she has gotten the song right.


text:
This is a discussion with Janos Sztipanovits about Cyber Physical Systems and how DSLs are used to approach some of the challenges in that domain. Specifically, in the second part we talk about formalizing DSL semantics.
IEEE Software offers pioneering ideas, expert analyses, and thoughtful insights for software professionals who need to keep up with rapid technology change. It's the authority on translating software theory into practice.
IEEE Software blog
Proud publisher of SE Radio.


text:
Qualifying Offer Deadline Passes: No One Accepts
As expected, each of the 13 free agents who were extended a qualifying offer this year have declined the offer, which would have netted them a one-year, $14.1 million contract.
Thus, each of the following 13 free agents is now tied to draft pick compensation:
- Carlos Beltran, Cardinals
- Robinson Cano, Yankees
- Shin-Soo Choo, Reds
- Nelson Cruz, Rangers
- Stephen Drew, Red Sox
- Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
- Curtis Granderson, Yankees
- Ubaldo Jimenez, Indians
- Hiroki Kuroda, Yankees
- Brian McCann, Braves
- Kendrys Morales, Mariners
- Mike Napoli, Red Sox
- Ervin Santana, Royals
To sign one of these guys, the signing team will lose a draft pick. The pick will depend on where the signing team's first round draft pick falls. If it's in the top 10 picks (11 this year because the 11th pick is the one the Blue Jays got for failing to sign their first rounder last year, and that pick cannot be lost – I believe), the team will lose its second round draft pick in order to sign the player. If the team's first round pick falls outside of the top 10, however, then the signing team will lose its first round draft pick. If you sign more than one qualified free agent, you lose more than one pick.
So, if the Cubs sign one of these guys, they'll lose their second round pick (and if they sign two, they'll also lose their third round pick). This gives the Cubs a slight advantage over teams that stand to lose a first round pick, since the value of those picks – and the pool money associated with them – is much, much higher than a second round pick.
Of the qualified free agents, the Cubs have been connected to Cano, Choo, Ellsbury, Granderson, and McCann, though I'd question the reality of Cano and McCann, and I think Ellsbury and Choo are increasingly becoming a stretch (and Granderson may be ill-fitting).
I think Cruz or Jimenez could make sense for the Cubs on the right deal, but that's about it from the list. Santana stands to be way overpaid, Napoli and Morales aren't fits, Beltran is going to sign a three-year deal with a contender, Kuroda is pretty much Yankees or Japan, and Drew very likely isn't a fit.
It'll be interesting to see which, if any, of the free agents are dragged down by the noose of draft pick compensation a la Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse last year. If the Cubs do as I suggest, and wait out the free agent market this time around to see who's left scrambling for a team come late-January/early-February, a couple of these guys could become intriguing why-the-hell-not targets.


text:
Postal Shoppes of Rockford kicks off its ADOPT-A-SOLDIER holiday drive today
ROCKFORD — The Postal Shoppes of Rockford will kick off its 13th annual holiday drive for the ADOPT-A-SOLDIER program today.
Customers are encouraged to donate magazines, CDs, DVDs, prepackaged food, razors, powdered drink mixes, MP3 players, iPods, paper products or cash donations to 1643 N. Alpine Road, or 2205 S. Perryville Road. The Postal Shoppe will provide boxes and will ship them out to soldiers for a copay.
For information: postalshoppes.com.


text:
"What? Was that out loud?" Apparently, America Live anchor Megyn Kelly is no big fan of Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who has taken several acidic shots at her (e.g., her maternity leave and contraception coverage positions). In fact, Megyn dubbed the Comedy Central comedian "mean and unfair."
In an AL panel discussion on the wisdom of President Obama's appearing on comedy talk shows, Megyn questioned whether Jimmy Fallon would aggressively challenge the President on the issues in his appearance tonight on Fallon's Late Night show. One of the panelists, humorist Scott Blakeman responded, "I don't know, but…Jon Stewart–who took my comedy class actually and he's…a great guy…and Jon is a liberal like myself–gave…the hardest interview [that] President Obama has ever had….So, comedians can ask even better questions that even journalists sometimes."*
With a sardonic smile, Megyn stammered, "I think, just FYI, I think, I think Jon Stewart needs to go back to your class and needs a refresher on how to do comedy, on how to do comedy–as opposed to being mean and unfair."
In response to Megyn's acerbic remarks, Blakeman insisted, "No, no, he's great. He's great. He's very funny." Continuing, he maintained, "No, no, he's very funny. He's a nice Jewish guy like me."
Sensing that Blakeman's adamant defense with unassailable by her distaff suasion, Megyn sweetly smiled and coyly chuckled, "What? Was that out loud? Huh? What? Sour grapes, anyone?"
Grapes or not, Stewart's disses have seemingly left a sour taste in Megyn's mouth.
*America Live – 04/24/12 (@ 2:38 p.m. ET)


text:
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(Alternate Versions)
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8.83/10 rating (109 votes)
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Ryan's TipJar 🤗
Member Comments (101)
Login Required
Fri March 20, 2015 at 9:07 am
Probably not until I can build
Project Shadowfax
. This render took forever at only 3K!
"Wonderful blue colors!"
Fri March 20, 2015 at 8:54 am
Would it be possible to get a 4K render of this Image? The "autumn" version is also available in 4K, but I like this one alot better :-)
"Sierra - Split files on tri-screen missing"
Sat October 6, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Hey Ryan.
Your link to the split files of the tri-screen is broken. Can you fix that for us?
Thu September 27, 2012 at 1:37 am
I've been looking at this image for the past 15 minutes on my dual-screen 27" monitors and I feel like I could almost walk right into the scene. I just love the lighting on this one, it's dramatic and realistic at the same time. The almost over-exposed brights with the equally clear shadowy dark makes this scene just pop to life. Definitely one of my all time favorites! I'm going to have this on my desktop for a long time. Great job Ryan!
"Been waiting for this one!"
Wed September 26, 2012 at 12:30 am
Thanks much for pushing through the issues on this one - I've been waiting for it ever since I saw the initial single-screen.
Tue September 25, 2012 at 10:44 am
Love the dual-screen version, Ryan; thanks for not giving up even after some crashes! I'm glad that you want to work on something autumnal now, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a new piece like "Autumn Cliffs" or "Autumn Fire."
"Dual screen?"
Sat September 22, 2012 at 4:22 am
Two weeks ago you mentioned you are working on the dual screen? Is this still happening?
Jac Daniel
Wed September 19, 2012 at 5:12 am
This is just simply too beautiful! Oh but for a little log house on the shore that I can live in and admire the view daily and wade in the waters! *sighs*
"Perspective off?"
Fri September 14, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Far and away one of your greatest, Ryan. My only complaint is that the perspective for the rocks and branches under the water on the bottom right of the picture seems unnaturally skewed.
"Tone down the blue?"
Mon September 10, 2012 at 9:00 am
Love the image. One thing though, I live up in the Rocky Mountains and while the water appears blue at distance up close it very transparent much less blue and sort of a very pale green and brown.
"Have to Agree"
Sat September 8, 2012 at 12:41 am
This is right up there with highland spring. I feel like i've been to this place!
Thu September 6, 2012 at 9:08 am
I haven't forgotten the multiscreens for Sierra or Nightfall. Working on them right now!
"Dual/Tri screen?"
Thu September 6, 2012 at 6:12 am
Is there a dual/tri screen version coming anytime? I see another new image was released...hope this wasn't abandoned!
"Best yet?"
Sun September 2, 2012 at 11:23 am
This is certainly the best since highland spring - does it beat it? I think so, for me at least, its amazing, well done and thanks
Sat September 1, 2012 at 4:46 pm
This is a beautiful render. It reminds me of some of the lakes and rivers in Washington state.
Eel River
"I Like The Original Best"
Sat September 1, 2012 at 1:23 am
The new version is cleaner, but the original had more realistic lighting and contrast IMHO. Nevertheless, the empty pickle jar should stay empty until after the Labor Day weekend.
"pickle problem"
Fri August 31, 2012 at 10:00 pm
I also can't access the pickle jar version.
This is one of your best. :)
Chris B
Fri August 31, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Because you nailed it. :) You can see up the valley and it's a lot clearer. Might tone down the over exposed area on the Left where the flowers are, but only if that didn't change anything else.
Have you considered half points in your ratings? There are quite a few times that I've gone up or down. I like this one, but I probably would have given it a 9.5 rather than a 10 which I try to reserve for those like highland spring, flourescence, Haiku, and my other favorites :) Probably a pain and will make the rating scale look messy.
"Can't Wait..."
Fri August 31, 2012 at 12:59 am
Can't wait to see the dual/tri screen!
"9.5 / 10"
Fri August 31, 2012 at 9:22 am
I like this a great deal for the mere fact that it's eloquent and simple.
"No Pickle Jar?!"
Fri August 31, 2012 at 6:14 am
For whatever reason, the Pickle Jar version seems to have slipped out of the jar. It just ain't here.
Pete S
Thu August 30, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Simple. I want to go there.
Dave T
"I like the angle on this second one better"
Thu August 30, 2012 at 7:01 pm
I like the angle on this second one better
Thu August 30, 2012 at 9:07 am
Love it! My coworkers want to know where this picture was taken ;-)
Wed August 29, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Love everything about the second draft, except that the water is grainy by comparison to the Pickle Jar. A combination of the smooth water render with all of the clean elements of the newer version would be perfect!
"Even better the second time around."
Wed August 29, 2012 at 6:51 pm
I loved the first draft, and this is even nicer. The additional depth in the scene and the less blown-out background look even more beautiful than before. Incredible work, Ryan. 11/10.
"Definitely the first version for me"
Wed August 29, 2012 at 4:35 pm
There is something nicer about the water in the first version, and only now do i realise that it's because it is far less "noisy" than in a lot of your work. As the water is the focus, I prefer the first version, but both are great, as always.
PS: Love the new blue colour for your name!
Wed August 29, 2012 at 2:06 pm
This is an astonishing site Mr. Bliss. Where else can one witness the artistic process in such an instantaneous capacity? On behalf of the members of Digital Blasphemy, please accept our most genuine thank you.
Now as far as "Sierra" is concerned, it is spectacular. The clarity in the second render draws one deep into the distance. Possibly one can even see the first hints of autumn back there, unless those are evergreen trees, or perhaps this piece is begging to have an autumn version, with all those trees ablaze with orange, red, and yellow, contrast against that blue of the water…Tremendous.
Wed August 29, 2012 at 12:05 am
I like this newer version much better. With the air clarity and angle you get a much better sense of perspective and it really fits in with the epic Highland Spring.
Tom Boynto
Wed August 29, 2012 at 11:34 am
I love the picture but it would be awesome if you could make a dual screen version of this ...
"Huge improvement"
Wed August 29, 2012 at 11:24 am
Looks absolutely stunning. Love the play of light and the detail in the water. Beautiful!
Wed August 29, 2012 at 10:14 am
Definately one of your best renders both versions are so beautiful. Simply amazing!!!
Wed August 29, 2012 at 10:02 am
The Pickle Jar should be up in a few minutes. I guess they weren't all uploaded yet.
"Pickle Jar"
Wed August 29, 2012 at 9:57 am
I'm having a little trouble accessing the Pickle Jar version. Am I just jumping the gun?
Wed August 29, 2012 at 9:42 am
I've added my second render of "Sierra" this morning. I've tilted the camera up a bit to show off a bit more of the far shore and you will notice that I cut back on the haze/glare so you can see much farther back into the scene.
The first version will remain in the Pickle Jar for anyone who is interested
. Let me know which you prefer!
Wed August 29, 2012 at 5:23 am
btw. is that thing at the middle right of the picture, close to the water, meant to be a piece of wood with slight sun rays coming through? does also look a bit like the upper part of an elasmosaurus
Wed August 29, 2012 at 5:14 am
that is the water in the middle and especially the foreground. the water in the far back looks fine to me.
Wed August 29, 2012 at 5:13 am
I like most of the colours in this picture, but imho the blue of the water really looks too artificial. it might not meant to be that realistic anyway and the same might count for the rest of the picture, but for my taste it even falls off compared to the other stuff.
Tue August 28, 2012 at 1:04 pm
I think your new software makes things look almost as if they were painted. Your older stuff used to look so much more real! For example, Winder Solstice and Temple of the Leaf (night) have the most amazing light and color effects ever, and yet they also look very realistic. Nothing about them looks painted. They display the remarkable effects of being digital.
Chris H
"Love the color!"
Sun August 26, 2012 at 6:28 pm
The color pops in a very inviting way. You can see water this blue in some of the tropical island areas as well. Its one of those groovy nature things.
Only reason the sample shot is cloudy is it was a long exposure to give it that smooth effect.
Sun August 26, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I want to go on vacation there, like right now.
Sat August 25, 2012 at 5:42 pm
I was going for the sort of blue that you find in glacial pools (such as
). I made mine a little clearer than usual however.
"I was wondering"
Sat August 25, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Ryan, i was wondering if it were possible to make the water more photo realistic or did you mean to make it so blue in the foreground? I tried to draw water once and you always think of water as something blue but really it's quite more see through than we all think and a lot more greens and browns from the rocks (or so my teacher pointed out to me which should have been obvious and made me kinda feel stupid haha)
Sat August 25, 2012 at 10:52 am
Ryan - I love all of your work. I was ecstatic to see something like this pop up - But the perspective is strange area and makes me feel dizzy looking at it, which is incredibly odd as that has never happened before.
David M.
Sat August 25, 2012 at 9:07 am
Looks like the perfect place for a few salmon! Great picture.
Fri August 24, 2012 at 9:46 am
I would call it "Bright delight". Just what I need in this not so sunny UK summer. Very nice work.
Fri August 24, 2012 at 8:09 am
This is an artist interpretation and not a scientific illustration! I know we all have our vision of what we think it should be or what it might look like in a real world but c'mon?! Ryan has created some fantastic views and images for over dozen years. If you are senior and can "one up him" then do it. Otherwise reframe to a few nicely put critiques and let the artist show his work as he sees it. There are plenty of "not good" things and moments in life. His work brings lightness to my heart and at times I marvel at the beauty he can create. There are reviews on many of his works that range from accolades and praise to just plain snobbery. I am going to quote Bambi for you: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all".
Keep up the great work Ryan!!!
John S
Fri August 24, 2012 at 8:01 am
I'm not going to analyze every single pixel and complain about it. I am not an artist. The picture is a work of art that says to me, "It's a beautiful place. I wish I was there." I love the picture. Don't change a thing.
The Guru
Thu August 23, 2012 at 9:15 pm
My wife and I both love this one. The reason that it's an eight, rather than a ten, are just a few small things. First, it's a little grainy on the left where the shadows are. Not a big deal, but if you can fix it, great! Second, as others have noted, the water seems too blue in the shallows. It should be much clearer and only start to go blue as there's more distance. Another little tweak I'd suggest is the tips of the pine branches sticking out of the water. They seem too rounded. As far as the bright light on the foliage to the right, I would like if if you left it exactly the way it is. I think it looks perfect! All in all, an excellent scene. I can't wait to see the finished product!
"a few comments"
Thu August 23, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Not bad! The sunlight could be toned down a bit on the foreground grass, definitely. The rocks are magnified because that's how they sometimes look in crystal-clear water of cold mountain lakes... which is what I think he was going for. Of course, that depends on how high in altitude this lake is. If it's fed by glaciers, it'd be pretty cold, hence not much vegetation, but since there's lots of pines, it could use a rock bass or two and a bit more mud or sand in the rocks for a bit of foreground variety, as it's probably a slightly warmer lake and therefore has some plant life.
Ok... scientist in me coming out. Doh!
Not bad for a not-quite-finished piece :)
Thu August 23, 2012 at 5:47 pm
This could have been brilliant but there's too much contrast/blow-out and its very grainy. Time for a pickle jar version I think.
"8 or 9, I think"
Thu August 23, 2012 at 4:04 pm
It's been a few days. That's what I'd give it today, anyway. I love your nature scenes, and I particularly love scenes with pines. Please don't give up on the planetscapes! BenC was being tongue-in-cheek, I think, but the variety of your renders is one of the things I like best. If you started producing only one kind of subject matter, your members would become quickly bored. Anyway, love the render, as usual! Looking forward to the "new and improved" version, too!
Thu August 23, 2012 at 2:11 pm
I like the overall idea, but I think the sun is a bit too bright (I think all of your daytime scenes need to dim a bit). Also the rocks in the lower right corner almost look as though they are magnified... or forced I am not sure how to put it, they just look off.
Thu August 23, 2012 at 12:59 am
I tend to dislike nature/outdoors-y stuff. That much sunlight would burn me to a crisp in about ten minutes. And yet...looking at that picture, I have tears in my eyes and would just love to be there. That image is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Thu August 23, 2012 at 8:27 am
Awesome work!
Ryan, I think it's time you gave up on the planetscapes and just produced images from the Highland Spring valley! =P
"One word"
Thu August 23, 2012 at 7:07 am
One word for this one: gorgeous! I look forward to seeing the "new and improved" version!
Thu August 23, 2012 at 4:05 am
This one looks amazing, I love how there is something different to look at at each layer of depth, all the way back up the valley in the distance. Will we see seasonal variations of this one as we did with the highland series?
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:15 pm
I love the concept of having a 'spin-off' wallpaper from another! This one is really nice Ryan! I think the blurry effect of the water looking at the rocks below is so realistic. Also the rocks that run along the bank on the right and how the light hits them are possibly the most realistic you've done. Also the trees and water are all amazing. Good work on this one!
Wed August 22, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Love this one!!!!!!!
Wed August 22, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Love it! The foliage in the upper right seems a bit washed out. Could it be a bit darker? But perhaps that is how a scene like that would really look in real life.
Love it though.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 6:50 pm
I liked this when I first saw it, but I liked it even more when I saw your explanation of how you're trying to picture how Highland Spring might look when viewed from below. I love the Highland scenes, especially Highland Yule. The different perspective is a cool idea!
Wed August 22, 2012 at 6:47 pm
First, I agree that the highlights on the right are too blown out. The left could be a little brighter but not too much because my icons are on the left and if there's too much clutter going on over there it's hard to distinguish the icons.
Is it just me or do the underwater rocks seem stretched somehow?
The last thing - the underwater rocks in the foreground should not be so blue. When you look straight down in the water near you, it should be clear, or even slightly green in the foreground, and transitions to blue in the distance. Something to do with the refraction of sunlight, I think. I don't know what the software limitations are but it seemed to work out all right in your "Endless Blue" from 2005. Perhaps the water in the distance could be more reflective as well?
Having said all that, I like this one a lot, it's already on my desktop.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 4:49 pm
This is so awesome Ryan! I love it. It reminds me of the Lakes in Nothern Michigan where I live. I acually had someone come upto my pc at work and from afar they thought it was a real pic and asked me where that picture was taken lol. They thought it was real. Kudos to you.
Just a thought. It might work as a pickle jar version but maybe a fall scene of this pic? Some leaves on the river would be awesome to see. Burnt oranges and reds. Keep up the good work!
Wed August 22, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Wow oh wow, do those rocks distorted by the water refraction look amazing. I have however been finding that you have been using really bright sunshine at times to give an almost over saturation effect, such as what you are doing with the hill of trees in the background. Personally I feel that you need to work on this effect to both give the lighting effect that you are looking for without washing out the wonderful 3d feel that you have of the trees in the foreground. I find that the lighting shafts that you have used lately are very particle heavy which works well sometimes but often makes backgrounds seem flat. Just my two cents, carry on.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Very serene, peaceful. I really like this one!
Wed August 22, 2012 at 3:11 pm
This piece is absolutely incredible! The Highland set has always been one of my favourites, and seeing it from this perspective makes it even more magical. I love the rays of light filtering in from the left, and the limb in the water. The only problem is that I want to be there. :)
"First Thought"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 2:57 pm
When I first saw the thumbnail of this wallpaper on my phone I thought the view was overlooking a futuristic city that I though was neat because it blended with nature amazingly, Kinda like your biodome images. The perfect combination of technology and nature. I think that would be a great idea for a pickle jar version.
All that aside, This image is very pretty and looks just like a different angle of Highland Spring, which is also gorgeous. My only complaint is that the rocks in the water look a little flat/fake. I'm sure that's just how the renderer handles water though. Overall, very good job as always!
"Love it too!!!"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 2:12 pm
This is a really great one! I too have a hankering for more depth that a revised lighting scheme would give. Can those greens on the side and the mountains in the distance be brought out of the glare? The water is perfect. But it is still a 10! Thanks!
Eel River
"A Tribute to the Beauty of the Sierras"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 2:05 pm
I actually live, raft, and kayak in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and I find your interpretation very convincing. And although I am unable to identify the species of trees and flowers, the landscape certainly resembles many I have seen and enjoyed here. Your use of light is very realistic (even if it is not optimal for the rest of the piece). The sun here can be very intense and scenery is best viewed through sunglasses.
"Love it!"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 2:01 pm
This is a keeper! Yes, it could use a few tweaks, but those were already mentioned. Overall, it's a great render. And I would love to see an autumn version, with red and orange leaves floating in the water.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for the great feedback! I realize the sunlit parts of this scene are a bit blown out. I set the exposure and lightning to get the effect I wanted in the water but it does look too bright elsewhere.
I need to find a better balance in the next version.
"Quite happy"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 1:30 pm
I like this piece, and the region that inspired it. If you do another render, perhaps it would be worth toning down the brightness in the grass in the upper right. It looks "over-exposed" to me.
"Nicely Done"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 11:54 am
I like this wallpaper alot, but kinda thought the background could use a little less light and the midground (specifically the left part) could use a little more light. Otherwise this piece is very nice and has alot of potential. I like it alot.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 11:47 am
can we get renders of this in fall and winter? also maybe a moon lit night?
Jim Wilson
Wed August 22, 2012 at 11:29 am
This is a wonderful piece of work.It makes my life membership are really good value. Great work again. It gets no better then this.
"Looks Very nice"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 11:20 am
Can't wait to see the multi-screen for this one. The preview looks very nice!
"Best wallpaper!"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 10:49 am
This is now my favourite, knocking Highland Spring off of the throne.
Ryan - you have excelled yourself here, really nice work.
If I had to give any bad feedback at all, it would be the fact the camera is pointed to the water a little too much... It feels like the top of the image has been cut off. Possibly a pickle jar variant?
"Love it!!!!!!"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 10:07 am
Omgosh this render is so beautiful, one of your best for sure Ryan. Totally amazing!!!!
"Nature Windows 7 Theme"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:47 am
Is it possible to create a Windows Theme based on certain sets of your wallpapers, like a nature theme with this one? I'll probably end up doing it myself but thought others might be interested as well.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:45 am
It reminds me of Inlet (1998), the first DB wallpaper that caught my eye. :)
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:36 am
I can appreciate that, however the water was the initial inspiration point for this piece. I tried to add some items of interest in the distance but I really didn't want them to draw focus away from the pond. Perhaps another wallpaper...
"Great, but.."
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:33 am
I love where this image is going, but I feel like I want to look up and see that distant mountain rather than the tree in the water.
"Dream home"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:10 am
It's absolutely beautiful. It's where I'd want my cabin in the woods to be :)
"it's really a photo, right?"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 9:02 am
one one the most natural looking pieces you've done. thx!
João Roxo
Wed August 22, 2012 at 8:56 am
Absolutely beautiful.
I love the amount of detail in it, I could spend hours just looking at it.
One of your best creations of late.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 8:47 am
I love this picture. My only suggestion is that there's too much blurring in the immediate foreground. It's like I'm looking through frosted glass instead of clear, still mountain lake water.
Robert R.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 7:39 am
What a wonderful place for fly fishing ;) (With sunglasses too ;) )
Wed August 22, 2012 at 7:37 am
I love where this is going. Needs full quality render like interopposite did, but i /really/ like the direction this is taking.
Can't wait for duel screen.
Ross H.
"Good work so far."
Wed August 22, 2012 at 7:27 am
I like this image quite a bit, but I agree with the others that it still needs a little more work. It just seems a bit... hazy.
However, you're the artist :P
"Give more color to the green"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 7:05 am
perhaps dialing down the brightness on the right and increasing on the left.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 5:51 am
Thank you Ryan!
"I need sunglasses ;)"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 3:31 am
I adore the foreground underwater detail and lighting, but I agree with earlier commenters that the light in the background is harsh. Makes me want to slap a big cloud up there to soften the light and have the water be the only place where we see direct sunlight.
"Jaw Dropping"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 3:24 am
Literally, spontaneous :O face. Even the old version still has merit. Overall I think I like the contrast of the light, but it's a bit overpowering, particularly on the right grassy area. Easily one of the best of the past few years.
""Agree with Dylan""
Wed August 22, 2012 at 2:16 am
This is already one of my favorite pieces of your work but I agree with Dylan, the light is a bit unevenly balanced.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 1:46 am
I always wanted to see an alternate look at highland spring from the bottom, this is brilliant, more detail would be awesome, but this is still a great piece
"Like the colour"
Wed August 22, 2012 at 1:04 am
I like the use of quite saturated blue and green in this image. Not too keen on the hazy effect in the distance which you seem to use quite a bit nowadays. :-) It always gives the impression of murky air which seems to contradict clean nature scene.
Wed August 22, 2012 at 0:15 am
This one is very cool. Can't wait for the dual screen to use at work! Getting a copy for the iPad now.
"Some constructive criticism."
Wed August 22, 2012 at 0:02 am
This is a nice piece, but I feel like it has the potential to be much better. The textures in particular are great (especially in the water and alongside the riverbanks), but it looks like an overexposed photograph in that the light is a bit too harsh and washes out a lot of the detail I'd like to see, particularly the scenery in the distance and the flora on the right third of the image. Inversely, the foreground in the left half is a bit too dim and underexposed-looking, giving the overall image a jarring contrast. I think a re-render with more detail and evenly distributed light (and perhaps a bit less noise/grain and more translucent water) would be lovely.
I hope these comments don't come across as harshly critical; you're a talented artist and I'm in no position to judge your creations (or any other artist's). However, I feel compelled to share my opinion and hope that my criticisms are constructive and helpful to you. As I said, I think this piece has a lot of potential.
"This is incredible!"
Tue August 21, 2012 at 11:38 pm
This is absolutely beautiful, Ryan. I think it has taken over top spot as my all time favorite of yours. This is the kind of stuff that make me have to buy a lifetime subscription.
"Now it makes sense"
Tue August 21, 2012 at 11:12 pm
I always felt the tree line in Highland Spring ended a bit abruptly at the water's edge - now I see why.
Thanks for the great piece. :)
"Awesome as always!!"
Tue August 21, 2012 at 10:59 pm
Love it!
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text:
Uh, no. This is not related to any kungfu or martial arts school whatsoever. But how cool it would be if the waiters and waitresses are able to deliver your order to your table by walking in the air, yeah?
Coincidentally, when Motormouth dragged me along for dim sum here, another friend of mine asked us to buy the Living Social voucher for Dragon Gate as well. So, yeah… I actually been here twice.
Conventional classics like har gau (prawn dumplings), siew mai (minced pork and prawn dumplings), char siew pau (BBQ pork bun) and crispy woo kok (deep fried yam puff) are available here among others. However, the famed and multi-branched Jin Xuan Hong is just a few streets away; so, to survive in the competition, one has to be creative and innovative.
Dragon Gate came up with some quirky selection like Shanghai fried rice sheets with shrimps (transparent rice sheets resembles jelly), Wasabi shrimp balls, Pheonix shrimps with seaweed, HK's style cha leong (yau char kuey wrapped with rice sheet), Shanghai xiao long bao and the list goes on. The spinach HK chee cheong fun looked as pretty as it tastes, the rice sheets were slippery smooth and not too thick in size.
My other personal pick would be the lau sar bao/nai yau bao (custard salted egg bun), sweet potatoes and yam cake – deep fried to perfection, egg tart, and Shanghai xiao long bao. The custard salted egg bun were not up to our expectation during our first visit as the filling has harden up, rather than lava molten-alike but the issue was rectified during our second visit. The sweet potatoes and yam cake can be rather filling as they are about 2/3 the size of a ping pong ball, so indulge with care. I've tasted better xiao long bao in Guangzhou, China before but Dragon Gate did a pretty good job on this as well.
As for dessert, I love the mah tai kang (egg drop dessert with water chestnuts and white fungus). Reminds me very much of my mom's version. The durian pancake, as expected, has more cream than durian flesh, while the mango pudding would be better without the evaporated milk.
Overall, quite a pleasant dim sum experience at Dragon Gate. There are some hit and misses, which is no surprise as they just started operation about a year ago. But with the reasonable price tags and slightly lesser crowd than other dim sum joints, I wouldn't mind to come again.
Dragon Gate Dim Sum
1-1, Jalan PJU 5/3,
Dataran Sunway,
47810 Kota Damansara
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel No : 017-626 7026
Business Hours: Breakfast until 3pm daily


text:
TEDxEvergreen Event, 'Hello Climate Change: Rethinking the Unthinkable,' Captures Climate Change
Yoram Bauman has a plan to solve global warming. But if you want to hear it, you'd better be prepared to laugh first. Bauman, the self-titled "Stand-Up Economist" and ten other speakers from the Northwest were featured at the April16th event "Hello Climate Change" on The Evergreen State College campus. Each gave a talk on a climate change-related theme that was recorded and will be available soon as a TEDx talk online on the TEDx YouTube channel. TEDxEvergeen is an independently organized event, licensed by TED. The aim of the event was to educate the community about the topic of climate change and encourage faculty at the college to include climate change in their teaching.
Bauman, an economist at the University of Washington, is an advocate of a revenue-neutral carbon tax similar to that levied in British Columbia and also a stand-up comic. His presentation pokes fun at the "Ten Principles of Economics" made famous by Harvard professor Greg Mankiw. "It takes a Ph.D. in economics to understand these," Bauman begins. "Fortunately I have one."
The 300 attending the event -- including faculty, staff, students, and community members -- heard talks on topics ranging from a stripped-down description of climate change by David Roberts of Grist.com, to a summary of the effects of climate change on the Northwest by Jeremy Littell of the University of Washington Climate Resource Group. Roberts' talk, "Climate Change is Simple," emphasized that scientists have understood the mechanism behind global warming for over a century. Recent data suggest that global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide need to peak and then fall within 5 to 10 years to minimize the risk of uncontrolled planetary warming. But global action has been difficult to accomplish. "Climate change is simple, not easy," said Roberts.
Littell summarized the data on climate change in the region, including temperature increases of 1.6 degrees F since 1910 and about 1.0 F since 1960. Continued warming is likely to have a series of effects on the region including wetter winters and drier summers. Among the many impacts of these changes will be a reduction in the size of favorable habitat for salmon, and drier forests more susceptible to fires and insects.
Other speakers included Evergreen faculty members Anne de Marcken, Larry Geri, Zoltan Grossman, Carolyn Prouty, Steve Verhey, and Bret Weinstein, Julia Field, founder of the nonprofit Undriving, which advocates for alternatives to driving, and Evergreen alumna and storyteller Elizabeth Lord.
About TEDx, x=independently organize event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration. Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED


text:
Five minutes and three seconds, to be precise—that's how long it just took me to get to the tutorial dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, which comes out for 3DS on November 22.
Using my iPhone stopwatch app, I started recording the second I hit "new game." Including the opening cut-scene, with no detours, it took me three minutes to get my sword, and five minutes to hit the first dungeon.
The dungeon itself took two minutes to beat.
For comparison, via this Gamasutra article, it takes 70 minutes to reach the first dungeon in Skyward Sword. It takes 20 minutes to hit the first dungeon in Ocarina of Time. And it takes 2 minutes to get to the castle basement in Link to the Past, the predecessor to Link Between Worlds.
In other words, this game is more like those older Zeldas—the Link's Awakenings, the Link to the Pasts of the world—than it is like the newer, slower, tutorial-packed Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. Thanks to the item rental system, this game feels totally different, too. I'm a few hours in, and I'm totally charmed so far.
Stay tuned for our full review of Link Between Worlds, which is coming in the near future.


text:
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Are you looking for an exterminator to manage invasive pests like moles, roaches, crickets, termites or mice? If yes, Bellingham Pest Control is the place to ask! We can also refer you to professionals for anything from end of lease pest control services to pest control for strata management properties. Whatever pest problem you are dealing with, we are here to help you. From humane pest management treatments to extermination services, we can connect you to the right solutions for your space. Don't let an outbreak overrun your property; call us today!
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Over the past week or so Mark and I have been working out the details that go on the panels of the Audience Matrix that we shared with you last week (or dress-up-doll document as it has otherwise been named). We've made a few changes and added a bunch of definitions.
Here's what we've come up with so far:
- Content Creator: a user who primarily creates, reviews, and edits content for a site. Key tasks: Add content, edit content, find existing content, view list of content creation/revision tasks.
- Site Editor: a user who has authority to approve, edit or reject content and who may be able to manage some editorial workflow and user permissions. Key tasks: Add content, edit content, find existing content, view list of content creation/revision tasks, review content, reject/feedback on content to original author, schedule content,
- Site Admin: manage user permissions, manage site structure, adding new content types, create and review reports and manage some site settings (RSS Publishing, IP Address Blocking). Key tasks: Manage user permissions, Add / Edit / Delete Content Types, Manage Information Architecture (site sections, sub-sections, taxonomy (as in, vocabulary), Create a report, Review a report.
- Site Builder: creates site from scratch by choosing, writing, customising modules and/or themes, manages setup and maintenance. Is a developer (for the purposes of audience definition, themers are considered developers). Key Tasks: Develop site functionality, implement site design.
question: who can/should be able to create new content types? who can create new site sections and subsections (vocabulary and/or terms)Â Â etc.
- Brochureware Site: hierarchical structure of relatively static content, often includes forms (eg. contact/feedback), may be multi-author
- Blog: sequence of chronological posts that may be assigned to categories, may also include 'fixed' pages, often includes comments, trackbacks, RSS feed, most often single author
- News: a categorical/hierarchical grouping of content usually ordered chronologically but often 'curated' by an editorial team, may also include comments, trackbacks, RSS feed, often multi-author, often requires multiple templates
- Events: a combination of content supporting an event, including content about the event, a schedule/calendar of events, list of participants, online registration, may also require online submissions, social networking functionality, news, email update list
- Social Site: comprises member profiles and communication between those member in the form of discussion forums, wikis, events, blogs, require member signup, subscription, RSS,
- 1 : no permissions, no workflow, that user does everything (one stop shop) BUT most like to have simple requirements (how manage giving access to all functionality when the mostly won't need it). Likely to generate small amounts of content.
- 2-5 : multiple authors, may require permissions, may require workflow (simple approval process), may require separation between content management tasks and site management tasks but usually not overly complicated requirements.
- 6-15: multiple authors and editors, likely to require permissions, likely to require workflow, likely to require separation between content management tasks and site management tasks may have some complex requirements, will have significant amount of content generated.
- 15+ : requires permission management (several permission profiles), probably requires workflow (content review/approval), likely to generate a lot of content to be managed and require content scheduling – it's a complicated machine and it needs a whole section around managing the machine, let alone making the content to feed the machine. Involves a lot of content and likely complex taxonomy.
question: should it matter how much 'experience' you have with Drupal? Should we add another row for this? (Insider/Midsider/Outsider) – we can't decide. One one level it seems like it does matter, but we also think that it shouldn't matter… would adding this add unnecessary complexity? (For the time being we're leaving this out).
This is going to be a pretty instrumental tool for us on this project and we'll be referring to it regularly. If you're interested in checking it out in more detail or if you'd like to get more involved in this project, the perhaps you'd like your very own copy. Yes? Well, you're in luck because you can now download a copy here: Audience Matrix PDF
Over the coming weeks we're going to be inviting you to submit your ideas for revisions to the Drupal7 Admin interface and overall user experience. It will be very helpful for us all to use this document to help make sure that we're designing for the 80% and not necessarily just for ourselves! And it is also a really great way to expose missing elements and possible flaws in our concepts. Using the document to test the example we show in the video above helped us to realise that we needed things like a close button on the dashboard (I know, d'uh!), a place to hold the user generated content from things like comment as well as contact forms, and got us thinking about a whole host of thorny permissions and workflow issues. (Don't get me started!)
This is, however, a living document – we welcome your feedback and questions on the changes we've made and how we're using it – so, please – let us have it! (but don't pay too much heed to the concept we've presented as an example in the video, it is very early days and it's just one of many ideas we're working on.)


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The St. Louis Cardinals reached the World Series thanks to the worst hitter in the National League. Yadier Molina, whose .216 batting average was dead last among NL regulars, launched a tie-breaking blast to beat the Mets in Game 7 of the NLCS, joining Bucky Dent and Francisco Cabrera as the unlikeliest of October heroes. How fitting that such a lowly player should lead these Cardinals to victory. With a regular-season record of 83 and 78, St. Louis is the second-worst World Series participant in history. Now, after their 5-0 victory over Detroit in Tuesday night's Game 3, they're two wins away from becoming baseball's weakest World Champion ever.
Americans love an underdog, right? Not this time. On message boards and in the newspapers, the sentiment about the Cards' NLCS victory ranged from eye-rolling disdain to outright disgust. In one chat room I frequent, somebody posted "Tigers in 4" before Molina had finished circling the bases. "Wow, is the National League pathetic that it could produce this team as its representative," cringed blogger Scott Long at the Baseball Toaster. USA Today's World Series handicappers were equally scornful, suggesting that the Tigers' biggest challenge against the Cardinals would be "keeping a straight face."
Improbable championship runs inspire delight in other sports—think March Madness—but not in baseball. That's partly because upsets are so at odds with the game's tradition. In its first 70 or so years, before the advent of divisional play, baseball produced only two real postseason shockers: the New York Giants' sweep of the invincible Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series, and the Chicago White Sox's upending of the 1906 Chicago Cubs, whose .763 winning percentage remains the best of all-time. In nearly every other year, the series paired two pretty evenly matched teams, and since each boasted the best record in its league, none could be characterized as a huge underdog. Flukes simply weren't possible, and a championship won on the field was inherently credible.
Today, the postseason tournament consists of eight teams of varying degrees of quality. Nondescript ballclubs crash the bracket every season, and once inside they're apt to make trouble. At least one of the wild card teams has made the World Series five years running. The Cardinals are a division winner, but their presence in the World Series is still a fluke.
St. Louis' surprising run seems particularly galling now because this era of playoff randomness coincides with the height of baseball's statistical age. While random chance governs the sport from game to game, the opposite is true on a season-long level. The gradual accretion of outcomes—pitch after pitch, at-bat after at-bat, game after game—yields a deep body of evidence about which teams and players are the best. By the end of the season, we know not only who's more valuable, but by how much. And Yadier Molina isn't valuable.
Stat-centric analysis holds such sway over fans and sportswriters that when it clashes with the outcomes on the field, we tend to sneer at the outcomes. Next to the rich trove of data we've acquired throughout the season, a seven-game series seems like a ridiculously crude instrument for determining the best team. The Cardinals' October accomplishments, however stirring, don't seem as believable as those recorded by better teams over the long haul. I'm a huge Cardinals fan, and I still can't convince myself that they're the best team in baseball.
But there's another way to look at this. We could view the Cards as a bunch of guys who made themselves better than their numerical profiles—who surpassed their limitations when it mattered most. That's how we viewed George Mason last spring, when it beat a vastly superior UConn team to make the Final Four. All but the sourest fans embraced those upstarts.
The "underdog" storyline may fly in the face of baseball tradition, and it may violate every principle of sabermetrics. But ballplayers are people, not Strat-O-Matic cards. They have the capacity to make adjustments, and—even if only for a few games—raise their level of play. The results might not be reproducible, nor sustainable over the long haul. But this isn't the long haul. This is October, the month when random chance beats certainty into submission.
Besides, don't we watch sports in the hope of seeing something unexpected? The St. Louis Cardinals may not be the best team in baseball, but if they can overcome their own foibles and beat the Tigers two more times, they will be the most improbable World Champions of all time. If you can't find something to celebrate in that—well, there's always Strat-O-Matic.


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Editor's note: This review was written in April 2008 about the 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLT. For 2009, a new six-speed automatic transmission that improves gas mileage is available. To see what else is new for 2009, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
Unlike other truck builders, which rely on one nameplate for success in the full-size truck market, GM offers two models — the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra — that share the same platform and have other similarities. The Silverado is far and away the more popular of the two models, but truck buyers shouldn't overlook the Sierra just because there aren't as many of them. For a truck, the GMC offers a refined driving experience and, in higher trim levels, an upscale cabin that wouldn't be out of place in a premium SUV.
Exterior & Styling
The biggest difference between the Silverado and Sierra is in the trucks' front-end appearance. Both feature grilles that are heavy on chrome, but each has a different design; the Silverado has a prominent bar that bisects the grille, while the Sierra uses thin slats. I prefer the Sierra's chiseled front end mainly because it looks manlier — always a good thing where trucks are concerned — and more assertive (see a side-by-side comparison with the 2007 model).
Light-duty Sierras are available in three body styles: regular cab, extended cab and crew cab, which is the version I tested. There's also a variety of cargo box lengths. The short box measures 5.8 feet long and is available on extended cab and crew cab models. The standard box is 6.5 feet long, and the long box is 8.1 feet long; both bed lengths are available for regular and extended cab trucks.
Ride & Handling
Full-size crew cab pickup trucks are the vehicle of choice for some families, which makes ride quality a more important factor than it was when crew cabs were, as the name implies, primarily used for carrying work crews around. The Sierra does a good job meeting the demands of the modern truck buyer, as it cruises comfortably but also retains the capability expected of a full-size pickup.
Suspension tuning plays a big role in ride quality, and the Sierra I tested featured a Z71 Off-Road suspension package as well as an All Terrain option package, which is new for 2008. With an unladen cargo bed the Sierra's ride quality is fairly stiff, but the suspension does a good job soaking up large imperfections in the road. Reasonably precise steering response gives the driver much appreciated confidence when driving at highway speeds.
Going & Stopping
Just as there are a number of different cab and cargo boxes available for the light-duty Sierra, there's a range of V-8 engines and one V-6 that can have anywhere from 195 to 403 horsepower. My test truck had one of the midlevel engines — an all-aluminum 5.3-liter V-8 rated at 315 hp and 338 pounds-feet of torque. The engine features GM's cylinder-deactivation technology that cuts off fuel to four of the engine's eight cylinders, temporarily turning it into a V-4. This fuel-saving measure operates without the driver's involvement and helps the Sierra achieve class-leading gas mileage estimates.
|Gas Mileage Compared
|GMC Sierra w/5.3-liter V-8
|Toyota Tundra w/5.7-liter V-8
|Dodge Ram w/5.7-liter V-8
|Ford F-150 w/5.4-liter V-8
|Nissan Titan w/5.6-liter V-8
|Source: www.fueleconomy.gov
Besides its fuel-saving prowess, the 5.3-liter V-8 is also a gutsy performer that doesn't feel taxed in the least moving the 5,326-pound Sierra crew cab. It also emits a pleasing V-8 rumble.
The V-8 drives a four-speed automatic. Don't scoff at the transmission's low gear count; it's well-matched to the V-8, and its unobtrusive shifts are a welcome quality and contribute to the truck's overall sense of refinement. The transmission will also kick down quickly if you need to pass.
The Sierra's brakes are less praiseworthy. They don't have any trouble stopping this rig, but the pedal itself doesn't offer much sensation.
The Inside
Full-size truck cabs have made some big strides lately in terms of material quality and detailing, and the Silverado and Sierra took it to a higher level when redesigned versions debuted for the 2007 model year.
The trucks are available with two different dashboard designs. One is a more traditional arrangement and the other has a carlike design. The more upscale, carlike dash is similar to the one in GMC's full-size Yukon SUV, and in the Sierra it gives the cabin a distinctively untrucklike look. The dash plastic has attractive graining and, on All Terrain models, is accented by brushed-silver trim. The armrests on the doors and the large center storage bin are positioned in the right place for optimal comfort.
The cabin does have its downsides, though. The buttons for the air conditioning system are excessively small considering all the space available in the middle of the dash. The steering column tilts but doesn't telescope, and the tilt feature has predetermined notches, which prevented me from putting the wheel exactly where I wanted. The doors covering the All Terrain's front cupholders and a small storage pocket have flimsy latches.
Vinyl seating surfaces are standard, but my SLT test truck came equipped with leather seats finished in a two-tone color scheme that's part of the All Terrain package for this trim level (SLE2 All Terrain trucks get black cloth seats). Though the cushioning in the leather front bucket seats is on the firm side, the seats offer good support and I never stepped out of the truck feeling sore. The leather seats in SLT trucks are heated, and unlike many other heated seats you have the ability to heat both the backrest and the bottom cushion or just the backrest.
Though the crew cab body style provides adequate space for adults in the rear seats, I was expecting it to be a little more spacious and comfortable; there's good headroom, but my legs were touching the back of the front seat, and the rather upright backrest isn't very comfortable. The cushioning is the complete opposite of the front; you sink into the cushy seats. I'm 6-foot-1, so shorter passengers may not feel as squeezed. If you're looking for more lounging room, take a look at the Dodge Ram Mega Cab, 2009 Ford F-150 SuperCrew or Toyota Tundra CrewMax.
Cargo & Towing
When the crew cab's rear seats aren't in use, it's easy to fold them up and out of the way to use the space for carrying bags inside the cab rather than in the cargo bed. It's as simple as lifting up on the front of the seat cushion until it's perpendicular with the floor. There are no levers to press or latches to secure — the cushion just stays in place vertically, and it didn't fall down when I was driving. With both portions of the 60/40-split backseat up, there's a relatively flat floor for your belongings. Pulling down on the seat cushion makes the backseat usable again.
Towing and payload figures vary by body style and drivetrain, but the four-wheel-drive crew cab Sierra I tested had a payload rating of 1,674 pounds and a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds with the 3.73 axle ratio. With the optional Max trailering package that includes a 6.0-liter V-8, however, the light-duty crew cab Sierra is rated to pull as much as 10,500 pounds.
Four-wheel antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are standard. Side curtain airbags are optional.
Backing up a full-size truck can be challenging in tight quarters, but technology like rear parking sensors, which are optional for the Sierra, make the process a little less nerve-racking.
Sierra in the Market
Even though full-size trucks still sell in large numbers, sales have slowed. Competition for the remaining buyers is only increasing, as the Ram 1500 and F-150 have both been redesigned for the 2009 model year and go on sale late this year. Toyota's Tundra was new for 2007. This is what the Sierra is up against, and while the competition is formidable, the Sierra is well-positioned to compete.
|Send Mike an email


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These days, voting is largely uneventful. You show up at the polls, check in, vote, and get your sticker.
Long gone are the days of having to take a literacy test—such as the one used in 1965 Alabama, which was a 68 question civics exam that I doubt most of my political science students could ace. We also no longer have to shell out the equivalent of a day's wages to cast a vote. And finally, while some of us may experience burdensome lines to vote, we are not in physical danger of violence or intimidation to keep us from polls.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act not only outlawed voter suppression through intimidation, poll taxes, and literacy tests, but it provided the government the teeth to implement these enforcements. The 1965 VRA protected voting rights by not just creating a mechanism to react to the suppression of voting rights but by pro-actively preventing mechanisms that would infringe on an individual's voting rights.
RELATED: Scholars ask Supreme Court to keep Voting Rights Act
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is the legislation's hall monitor. Under this section the most egregious voting rights bullies were put on notice that they'd have to check in and make sure any change in their voting rules didn't go back to their bullying ways. Most of the Southern states, along with Arizona, Alaska, and a number of counties throughout the nation, met the criteria for needing a little extra vigilance and protection of voting rights.
But, it's no fun to be monitored and to have to raise your hand and ask permission to do something, such as change a voting protocol. This is exactly the sentiment of one VRA covered jurisdiction, Shelby County, Alabama, and they will be appearing before the Supreme Court next week to argue that the Section 5 hall monitor is no longer needed and that the county has shown good voting rights behavior.
Close to 50 years have gone by since the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that time we have seen minority registration and voting increase manifold in the absence of voter suppression devices. We have also seen a steady growth of minority elected officials, most notably the election of our first African-American president. At first sight we could say that the protections Section 5 that the VRA provides are outdated and unnecessary, that voter suppression and related negative racial attitudes among whites are a thing of the past. As a result, Section 5 is not needed anymore.
But not so fast…
Research collected by legal and political science scholars show that the covered jurisdictions under Section 5 are still more likely than non-covered areas to adopt policies that make voting more difficult for minorities. For example, half of the states fully covered by section 5 currently have or have pending a requirement that all voters have a photo ID. Only 16% of states not covered by Section 5 have this requirement.
At first sight, it may not seem like a big deal to have a photo ID, but as it turns out poorer folks, who frequently turn out to be minorities, are the least likely to have photo ID and also the least likely to be able to afford the fees associated with IDs. Covered states are also more restrictive in allowing persons convicted of felonies to vote. In short, the areas that still fall under Section 5 of the VRA continue to exhibit suppressive voting tendencies toward minorities, although in a less direct manner.
Beyond having more suppressive voting procedures we also see that minorities in covered areas are more economically vulnerable than their counterparts in non-covered jurisdictions. This economic vulnerability in turn compounds the potential negative effect of changes in voting laws. And finally, while it's not pleasant to talk about, we do see evidence of greater racial antipathies among whites toward minorities in covered jurisdictions as opposed to non-covered areas.
Voting is the great equalizer. It doesn't matter how much money you have or how many elected officials you have on your speed dial. Everyone is the same the moment we cast our ballot. However, that equality depends on equal access to the ballot, something which regrettably is not automatic and that must be actively protected. Perhaps one day we will no longer need Section 5 of the VRA, but today it's still necessary to keep the hall monitor in place.
This editorial originally appeared at NBCLatino.com.


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|Device Drivers Manual
NAME¶nxge — Neterion Xframe 10GbE Server/Storage adapter driver
SYNOPSIS¶To compile this driver into the kernel, place the following line in your kernel configuration file:
device nxgeAlternatively, to load the driver as a module at boot time, place the following line in loader.conf(5):
DESCRIPTION¶The nxge driver provides support for Neterion Xframe-I and Xframe-II adapters. The driver supports TCP Segmentation Offload (TSO/LSO), Large Receive Offload (LRO), Jumbo Frames (5 buffer mode), Header Separation (Rx 2 buffer mode), VLAN, and Promiscuous mode. For general information and support, please visit the Neterion support page http://www.neterion.com/support/support.html. Support for Jumbo Frames is provided via the interface MTU setting. Selecting an MTU larger than 1500 bytes with the ifconfig(8) utility configures the adapter to transmit and receive Jumbo Frames. Xframe adapters support Jumbo Frames up to 9600 bytes. For Jumbo Frames, the driver will try to allocate physically contiguous buffers. Failures to do so may degrade the performance. To resolve such problems, please visit http://www.neterion.com where additional information and a kernel patch can be found. For more information on configuring this device, see ifconfig(8).
HARDWARE¶The nxge driver supports Neterion Xframe 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters listed in http://www.neterion.com/how/pricing.html.
SUPPORT¶For troubleshooting tips and FAQs, please visit http://trac.neterion.com/cgi-bin/trac.cgi/wiki/TitleIndex?anonymous. For any issues please send an email to ⟨email@example.com⟩.
SEE ALSO¶arp(4), netintro(4), ifconfig(8)
HISTORY¶The nxge device driver first appeared in FreeBSD 7.0.
AUTHORS¶The nxge driver was written by Neterion ⟨firstname.lastname@example.com⟩.
|October 16, 2007


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US unemployment aid applications decline to 365K
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, and a private survey showed businesses stepped up hiring in August. The data sketched a brighter outlook for the job market one day before the government reports on August employment.
Weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, ticked up to 371,250.
Unemployment benefit applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. When they consistently fall below 375,000, it suggests that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.
Separately, payroll provider ADP said businesses added 201,000 jobs last month. That's the most reported by the survey since March. And ADP said July job growth was stronger than first thought: Employers created 173,000 jobs -- 10,000 more jobs than the group reported last month.
"The labor market is getting better and while the pace of improvement is nothing great, the direction is clear," Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, said in an email to clients.
Despite the positive signals, most economists tempered their expectations for August payroll growth.
The ADP survey only covers hiring in the private sector and excludes government job growth. The Labor Department's report on Friday will offer a more complete picture. The two surveys reported roughly the same private-sector job creation in July. But they have diverged sharply in previous months.
And the drop in applications likely won't affect the August jobs report, set to be released Friday. The data for that report were compiled three weeks ago. But it could signal better hiring in September.
Economists forecast that employers added 135,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate is expected to stay unchanged at 8.3 percent.
Weekly unemployment applications "are still stubbornly high, which is consistent with our expectations for a modest employment report in August," said Bricklin Dwyer, an economist at BNP Paribas
In July, employers added 163,000 jobs. It was the best month of hiring since February and an improvement from the average of only 73,000 per month created in the April-June quarter.
Still, the economy grew at a tepid 1.7 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, down from the 2 percent rate in the January-March quarter and 4.1 percent in the final three months of last year.
Growth at or below 2 percent is typically too weak to lower the unemployment rate. Most economists expect the unemployment rate will remain above 8 percent through the November election.
President Barack Obama will address the Democrat National Convention in Charlotte on Thursday. Polls show most Americans regard Republican nominee Mitt Romney as better able to handle the U.S. economy.
Romney and his Republican allies have pointed to high unemployment as evidence that Obama's policies are not helping the economy. The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent when Obama took office and has been above 8 percent for the past 42 months. Most economists say "normal" unemployment is 6 percent or less.
But Obama and his allies have focused on more than 4 million jobs that the economy has added in the past 2 1/2 years.
A weak employment report could push the Federal Reserve to announce some new action after its meeting next week to try to boost growth.


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Customise the size of this Neon Sign on demand. The size and the price mentioned is for the minimum size that is possible for the same design. For any bigger sizes in the same designs, please contact us for the pricing and details.
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As neon sign boards are fragile, no need to worry, our company offers full replacement or repair guarantee in such case. Make sure you provide the proof and always unbox the sign while making a video. You can check the return and refund policy for more information on this topic.