text:
You bring the chips, I'll bring the vorpal blade, +2 vs. girls.
If you're reading this preview, chances are you've at one point or another
been huddled around a table with a few dorky friends rolling a d20. The time,
place and faces change, but the plan is always the same: when
in doubt, cast a Magic Missile.
You can make a pretty strong argument that modern computer gaming was built
upon foundations laid by the masterminds of pen and paper role-playing games.
Though hardly a household name, D&D co-creator Gary Gygax rivals Gene Roddenberry
and George Lucas as the true father of the current generation of geeks. For
every Tribble that gave us Trouble, there were at least 20 orcs, a red dragon
and a gelatinous cube that almost killed our wizard, Galstaff the Funky.
That was the nerdiest sentence I've ever typed. I can just see the jocks lining
up to give me a galactic wedgie. Be gentle – I bruise easy.
But since I am among friends and since every single one of you knows exactly
what I'm talking about, I can't very well stop now. Allow me to introduce you
to what is shaping up to be the most impressive computer translation of pen
and paper role-playing ever: Neverwinter Nights.
In a world quickly being dominated by massively multiplayer role-playing chatrooms,
ahem, games, NWN drags the very concept of the modern RPG back to its
horn-rimmed roots by its magical collar of regeneration, +2 vs. evil. In a nutshell,
it's traditional D&D played across the Internet or LAN in small groups.
You've got a Dungeon Master, you've got 3rd edition D&D rules, you've got
a party made up of a few friends, you've got user-created modules and weapons
and you've got an incredible map editor. Now just get some Tab and some Fritos
and WHAMMO! – 1983 all over again. Except this time, you're not forced to imagine
The graphical engine powering NWN (dubbed 'Aurora') is simply amazing.
Dynamic lighting leads to torches that cast lifelike shadows. Characters are
detailed – when they switch weapons and armor you actually see it on the model.
From the plethora of monsters to the gorgeous particle effects, NWN brings
D&D to life in untold ways.
The real fun that pen-and-paper gaming offers is found in the close-knit camaraderie
between the party members and the Dungeon Master. Somewhere along the way, this
got lost in the shuffle of massively multiplayer gaming and enhanced single
player games like Baldur's
Gate, which allows one person to manage a whole party.
The point of NWN is to bring that living room feeling back into the
mix. Of course, it's a little trickier than it sounds, since building a game
module and operating it seems like a monstrous chore. However, the folks at
Bioware have developed an intricately detailed yet suprisingly intuitive level
editor that gives endless creative power to the DM.
Want to build a kick-ass dungeon romp? Then just drag and drop different sized rooms into the handy little window. Want to populate it with monsters? Click away. Even want to drop some treasure in certain spots to reward your buddies for beating a particularly ornery Troglodyte? Go nuts.
Actually, you really can go nuts when you consider the depth. You can actually
build magical weapons and armor using a huge variety of skins. You can design
a magical bastard sword (+3 vs. zombies), give it a name (Braineater), choose
a blade and hilt (including graphical spell effects like frost or flame), then
drop it in your map where it can be discovered by the player characters. Just
make sure you throw in some zombies so they will actually use the damn thing.
The madcap customization doesn't stop at items – you can even tweak creature
AI to help set the tone of the adventure. You can set behaviors, including specific
movements and tendencies, or even script dialogue for every creature and NPC.
The geekier you get, the better the game.
And to top it off, as a DM you can jump into any creature or player and flex your divinity. You have ultimate power over the entire adventure, from the general difficulty (a nifty difficulty 'slider' will be included to alter the overall challenge on the fly) to specific conversations. If the party is getting too randy for your tastes, then go ahead and spawn in a Storm Giant to lay the smack down for a few minutes. Pesky mortals shouldn't mess with a god.
While the game is really built for small groups of adventurers, one server
will be able to support up to 64 players at once, which could open up an adventure
to outrageous drama. Just enlist the aid of your high school Thespian society
and watch as your little journey takes on Shakespearean proportions (okay, that
might be a bit much, but you get the drift).
NWN will also come with a full-fledged single-player game, so you'll
have plenty to do while you're trying to gather together the old crew for an
organized adventure.
Needless to say, Neverwinter Nights is sitting firmly atop our wish
list. With its impressive combination of technological innovations and sheer
old-school fun, this could easily be the Next Big Thing. At the very least,
it will surely ruin my already failing social life. Now where did I put my Monster


text:
A second chance Hollywood romance featuring Myf from the Blue Phoenix series
Releases May 9th. Available for pre-order on Amazon
I woke this morning expecting to marry the man I loved and ended the day married to somebody else.
Pre-Order Available NOW
Release Date May 9th
Jilted by her fiancé on their wedding day, actress Myf Roberts runs from the situation and takes an unscheduled trip to Vegas with rock band, Blue Phoenix.
The night wasn't supposed to end with her married to Hollywood bad boy, Tate Daniels.
Why did it have to be Tate Daniels? The man Myf knew years ago hasn't changed. He's still the charming bad boy who leaves broken hearts in his wake. And Tate's still the man Myf denies has an effect on her she's never shaken.
Tate is no stranger to scandal and has been warned to keep his nose clean if he wants to keep his lucrative role in the newest network drama. Now he's discovered his fake Vegas wedding isn't so fake after all, and he has one huge problem to fix.
But Myf is the girl who filled Tate's world six years ago. The one who got away. And this time she doesn't get to call the shots.
When she's cast as lead actress opposite her unwanted husband in his new show, Myf can't refuse the career opportunity she's waited for. But can Myf keep the sizzling chemistry between her and Tate onscreen? Or will she surrender and give her heart to the man she swore would never win?
A Hollywood, second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author, Lisa Swallow.
Read on for an Excerpt
Tate rests against the wall again. "You know how to keep a guy hanging, don't you? I've waited for your call. I need to know what you've decided about the marriage."
"I was busy. Calling you was on my to-do list."
He laughs at my pointed look. "Touché. I haven't heard from my lawyer, so I presume you're okay with the arrangement I suggested?"
Now. Here. Who's in control? I pause, and we eye each other the way we did in character, as Brit and Dev, and I attempt to communicate I won't take any of his crap. His mouth twitches in amusement.
"Myfanwy? Answer?"
I look over to the glass doors and balcony, aware I'll possibly regret my next question. "How long do you want to stay married, Tate?"
"That's three months!"
"Correct." Tate sets his glass on a table close by, then crosses his arms over his chest. "You know what confuses me?" I shake my head. "There're hundreds of girls out there who'd give everything for a piece of Tate Daniels. Why aren't you grabbing the opportunity to get your hands on me?"
I scoff. "Seriously, Tate? Why would my lack of interest in you be different to six years ago?"
"Come on. Based on your repeated attempts to get my clothes off in Vegas, you clearly wanted the full experience." His eyes glint as he focuses on my mouth and moistens his lips. "I'm willing to oblige now you're sober enough to remember."
I step closer. Did I behave like that, or is he lying? "Not happening."
Tate uncrosses his arms and leans into my face again, warm fingers touching my ear as he moves hair away. "One night with me, and you'll be begging for more. And you know it."
"Are you sure?" His lips brush my ear, and I focus on keeping my breath even. Here we go again, Tate turning up the intensity. "Because I've waited a long time and so have you."
"Tate?" I ask in a low voice.
"Step away so we can discuss the issue."
He laughs as he moves back. "Step away and discuss the issue," he mimics. "Man, you're uptight sometimes. You do realise that makes me want you more? Always did." He pauses, and the grin grows. "And now we have each other, finally."
Tate doesn't touch me, but his proximity triggers arousal, even without his suggestions. Jesus, I hate my body sometimes.
"Why are you behaving like a jerk?" I hiss.
"Because I don't like being jerked around." He moves his face closer to mine again. "Don't play me. You'll lose."
I tighten my mouth and meet his challenge, ignoring my heart thumping a heady mix of lust and anger through my veins. We've been here before, many times, Tate attempting to wear me down and into his bed. He knows—we both know—the sexual spark between us arced the first time we performed on stage opposite each other, and it was almost acted on. What happens now we're in the position again?
"If I agree to stay married until November, I have some conditions."
I don't let go of the challenge, or succumb to him. "The marriage remains secret."
"Suits me."
"And you offered me money?"
Tate's attitude lifts, eyes shining. "Cool. How much?"
"I don't want your money."
"You're confusing me."
"A million dollars for—"
He snaps his head back. "What the f*ck? I thought you said I couldn't buy you?"
"Let me finish!" I retort. "I'll stay married to you if you pay a million dollars to charity."
"I don't have a spare million dollars!"
"I bet you do. I know how much you were paid per episode for the last show you were in."
He barks a short laugh. "Try a quarter of what they rumoured."
"Have you spent it all?"
"Well, then. Didn't you say your agent wanted, and I quote, 'someone who does charity work and shit like that'? How much do you want me to agree to this, Tate?"
He blows air into his cheeks. Ha, that smacked away his smug. "Half a million?" he offers.
I don't know what I'll enjoy more, his reaction to this or to what I'm about to say next. "Fine, if you agree to my other condition."
"Which is?"
"I can pretty much guarantee this one will be the deal-breaker, and you'll have the papers on my table tomorrow."
"Try me." He cocks an expectant brow.
"No sex with other girls until we're divorced."
Tate blinks and looks at me as if I asked him to join a cult. "Okay, you can have a million dollars for your charity."
I laugh. "This is in addition to, not instead of, however much you donate."
"Seriously, Myf? I can't do that!"
"Okay. I'll call my lawyer tomorrow and—"
As I attempt to pass him, he curls a hand around my arm. "You cannot expect me to give up sex for three months."
"Why not?"
"Can you?"
I pull my arm away, and a smile snakes across my face at his reaction. All those girls at college, all the broken hearts. "I'm only asking you to be a faithful husband since you want to stay married to me. I'm helping you clean up your image, Tate." I can't hide the saccharin sarcasm or the fact I love I have him by the balls.
He leans forward, lips close to my ear, and my heart stutters, then starts racing three times the speed as he speaks. "Other girls? So sex with you is okay?"
The alcohol smell on his breath mingles with the spiced scent of the expensive cologne he advertises and triggers a memory from Vegas.
Tripping into Tate and hanging onto his neck as lights blur above me, the casino sounds and cigar smoke surrounding us as we're locked in the moment.
Another image flashes: Tate's lips on mine, his hands in my hair as we spin together. Or was that the room spinning? I can't remember that or how his lips felt on mine. I have no recollection how I reacted when Tate kissed me.
And he can't realise in this current moment I want to know. "No, and I'm not interested."
"You're lying again." Jesus, I wish he'd move his mouth away from mine.
"I have no intention to get into your bed."
"Too late, you spent the night with me already."
He bites down on his lip, pissing me off when I shiver. "Did you know what you were doing when you passed out?"
"Lying on the bathroom floor?"
"That was the second time. The first time you were trying to undo my pants and—"
"I was not!"
"How do you know? You don't remember anything." He throws me a sly smile in return. "You were very insistent."
"Bullshit. I could hardly stand. No way would I do that. Not my style."
"Keep telling yourself that," he bats back. "Now you're sober, I'll show you exactly what you wanted to see and take part in anything you wanted to do, just say the word."
I struggle for a smart comeback, but the flashback won't leave my head.
"I bet you'd like my mouth on you," he continues, rubbing fingers across his bottom lip. "Doing dirty things I'm positive you've thought about."
"Stop there!" Gathering what little strength I have against the effect he's having, I break his hold on me. "The only betting I do is playing poker in Vegas."
"Yeah, badly. Your poker face sucked. Still does."
I run my tongue along my teeth. "You want to bet on something? I bet you can't lay off sex for three months."
"Correct. But I bet that sex will be with my wife before three months is up."
Do you want to read more?
Click to Read the First Five Chapters

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stanhope, James Stanhope, 1st Earl
Stanhope, James Stanhope,
1st Earl, 1673–1721, English general and statesman. During the War of the Spanish Succession he participated in the capture (1705) of Barcelona, was appointed (1706) minister to Spain, and in 1708 became commander in chief of the British forces there. He soon captured Minorca, taking Port Mahon and making it a winter base for the British fleet. He won the battles of Almenara and Zaragoza (1710) but lost his army to the French at Brihuega (1710) and was himself imprisoned for a year in Spain. On the accession (1714) in England of George I, Stanhope became a secretary of state. Devoting himself primarily to foreign affairs, he concluded a complex series of treaties, including the Triple Alliance (1717) with France and the Dutch. As chief minister (1717–18) he carried through the plans originated by Robert Walpole to fund the national debt and repealed (1718) the Occasional Conformity and Schism acts against dissenters. Becoming secretary of state again (1718), Stanhope negotiated the Quadruple Alliance of 1718 against Spain and formed (1719) a Baltic coalition to resist Russian expansion. His masterful diplomacy greatly strengthened Great Britain's position in Europe. He was created Earl Stanhope in 1718.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies


text:
Egypt 1 Pound 1961-67 P-37a
Grade: PMG Graded
1 in stock
Additional information
|1 g
|Currency Material
We usually ship every Monday worldwide by speed and registered post.
All your banknotes, coins and stamps will be well packed and carefully protected into a Taiwan made plastic sleeves (BOPP) and coin holders. Please take care when you open the package.
Actual shipping fees are a flat rate of Rs 60 in India and 7 USD all over world. It includes GST invoice, the packaging, the handling fees and the shipping with tracking number.
You can obviously order a few notes, but we recommend combining your purchases and orders over Rs 3000 to make the shipping fees worth it.
Payment and Contact us
We accept PAYPAL, PAYTM, GOOGLE PAY, PHONE PE AND ONLINE ACCOUNT TRANSFER as a payment method.
Our UPI: coandcu-1@okhdfcbank
Our Payment Number: +919074680313
Our Paypal Mail: email@example.com
There are no reviews yet.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


text:
Today's News: Our Take - Downton Abbey Season 4 Scoop on Lady Mary, London and More
Pull out your dancing shoes, because Downton Abbeywill be entering the Jazz Age.
[Warning: The following contains major spoilers from the past three seasons of Downton Abbey. If you haven't caught up yet, read at your own risk!]
It's been months since fans reeled from that shocking Christmas episode that also rocked the Crawley family, and now they're moving into the 1920s with new babies, suitors and even a musician or two. The story picks up in February 1922, when Downton Abbey is still in deep mourning for the loss of heir Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) from an auto accident.
13 reasons we want to grow up to be Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess
"Both the audience and the characters have experienced some passage of time," executive producer Gareth Neame said at PBS' Television Critics Association fall preview on Tuesday. "We need to feel that something has happened since we were last there."
Neame was joined by a panel of Downton's ladies -- Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Phyllis Logan and Sophie McShera -- to present a sneak peek and answer questions about the upcoming fourth season, which won't premiere stateside until January.
How will the family cope? And what dramas can we expect upstairs and down? Read on!
Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) Without Matthew, Mary is at her flintiest, but we can't blame her since she really did lose the best part of herself in a "stupid car crash." But even the always loyal Carson (Jim Carter) has had enough of her attitude and observes that she's letting herself "be defeated." Out of the mouths of servants! Meanwhile there is at least one possible new man in her life, played by Tom Cullen. "He is an old family friend, and she's known him since she was tiny," Dockery said. "She's slowly coming back to real life. It's important for her to eventually move on, so he is a potential love interest." And, surprising to no one, Mary isn't the most maternal of mothers to poor little George. "It's hard to bond with the baby because she's going through the grief," she said. "And when she sees him, she sees Matthew."
Did Downton Abbey go to far? Why we're angry with the Season 3 finale
Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael) The oft-fooled and jilted Crawley sister will resume her journalistic pursuits and that tenuous relationship she had with her editor Mr. Gregson (Charles Edwards), who is more ardent than ever and even mentions marriage. "Yes, she is still involved with the paper," Carmichael said. "We haven't seen Gregson for some time due to the fact that the family is in mourning, but she's still turning in some articles. I like to think of her as a bit of a Carrie Bradshaw of the '20s. Edith goes to London a lot. " Neame added that "It really is a different story for Edith this year." It certainly looks like Edith is flourishing in the '20s. She's embraced the drop-waist flapper styles and appears more open and relaxed. She even gets to eat publicly in a restaurant! Also, expect her to have something to say about women getting the right to vote in America.
Lady Rose MacClare (Lily James) "We see the streets of London, and Lily James' character Rose is one of the Bright Young Things," Carmichael said. Through Rose, we'll see more of an escape from the dreary Downton mourning and more of that modern feel as the aristocracy fades.
Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) As usual, she's alive and kicking ass, verbally. In the preview trailer, the Dowager Countess is the one who thinks of a scheme to get Mary back on her feet (see below), despite Lord Grantham's (Hugh Bonneville) reluctance to push his daughter. Also, she'll be just as opinionated as ever, especially when it comes to the liberal politics of Prime Minister David Lloyd George. "Every time he's mentioned, Violet has a seizure," Neame said. "We really want audiences to connect with these people to feel they are as much like us."
Tom Branson (Allen Leech) Like Mary, Tom is dealing with the loss of a spouse and playing single parent to a young child. Perhaps those similarities are why Lady Violet was inspired for her latest scheme: Having Mary learn how to run an estate on behalf of her infant son George. "I want Tom to be your instructor," said the Dowager Countess in the preview. Don't expect anything but sympathy and business between the mournful in-laws though. "They are very much friends, and he is her brother-in-law still," Dockery said. "They've become close because of what they've been through, and because Mary becomes far more involved with the running of the estate. But romantically, I don't think it's going anywhere. I hope not!"
Add new shows to your Watchlist now!
Cousin Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) From the preview, we see that she's struggling with the loss of her son Matthew, perhaps even harder than Mary is. Neame teased that in an upcoming scene, all the widows and widowers -- Mary, Tom and Isobel -- gather together to commiserate. "They all reflect on their great, deep loves," he said. "It's a beautiful scene. And in a line, they each share how deeply they loved their partners. And before it gets maudlin, Isobel says, 'Aren't we the lucky ones?'"
Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) Sorry, 'shippers! The leaders of Downton's staff are not going to follow in Bates and Anna's romantic footsteps anytime soon. "No, we still have a very nice working relationship. We have occasional spats here and there and ... drink a glass of sherry together of an evening," Logan said. In the sneak peek, we see Carson read a piece of mail, but then discard it in the trash, which Mrs. Hughes eyes with interest before the scene cuts. Could this reveal the snoopier side of the head housekeeper? "I think she's a bit of a busybody, really," said Logan. Neame added, "She and Carson are the Greek chorus of the show and comment on every story that is going on."
John and Anna Bates (Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt) The lovebirds are going strong when we drop in on them, and they are flirting about Valentine's Day and secret admirers. We also see Lady Rose try to enlist Anna's help in a scheme to go to the village to engage in behavior that is more fitting for "servants and farm workers," as Anna puts it. "I think Anna is the beating heart of the show," Neame said. "She is the character I'd most like to have as a friend."
Downton Abbey: Was Thomas' downfall deserved?
Daisy Mason (Sophie McShera) and Ivy Stuart (Cara Theobold) The two kitchen staffers are still under the command of Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol), but Daisy has a new air of confidence and competence about her now that she's the assistant cook. Meanwhile, Ivy's thoughts are still on going out and hanging out with the lads.
Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) "It's a complex world for him going forward," Neame said. "I heard rumors that O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) is heading for the hills," which shakes up his need for control. He will also continue his rivalry with Carson to usurp the power in the household downstairs.
Martha and Harold Levinson (Shirley MacLaine, Paul Giamatti) "[The Crawleys] have American relatives who visit every year or couple of years," Neame said. "Grandmother Martha comes back, and Cora's brother, played by Paul Giamatti. He's been in England for the past two [or] three weeks enjoying warm beer." Check out more info on Harold here.
An opera singer and a jazz musician (Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Gary Carr) As was announced previously, Downton Abbey will be filled with music thanks to real-life opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kenawa, who plays an opera singer who visits the Crawleys' home "and sings for them all." Meanwhile, the series continues to modernize by investigating "a lot of [early jazz] performers who traveled to Europe" in Carr's character, Jack Ross. "I think he's got a great voice," Neame said.
Downton Abbey premieres its fourth season in America on Sunday, Jan. 5 on PBS.
View original Downton Abbey Season 4 Scoop on Lady Mary, London and More at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
Ferry service starting up runs to Mackinac Island
A sure sign of the approaching summer season was visible Monday south of the Mackinac Bridge when Shepler's Ferry began transportation from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.
In addition, service from Shepler's St. Ignace location will begin May 3.
The Arnold Transit Company has been running the motor vessel Huron from St. Ignace to the island since earlier this spring with a published schedule that began Monday. Star Line also published a schedule of trips to the island from St. Ignace commencing Monday.
All three ferry companies will run from docks in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace beginning May 3.
Last week ice floes remained in the Straits of Mackinac but were flushed out into Lake Huron by strong northwest winds that buffeted the area over the weekend. Only harbor ice remained, and warming temperatures this week have all but dispatched what remained along loading areas and near docks.
Mackinac Island ferry service is scheduled to run for all three companies from both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace until late October. The Star Line has published a schedule with service through Oct. 27. Both Arnold Transit and Shepler's will provide service to the island through Oct. 28, and Arnold will continue from its St. Ignace dock until winter weather forces the ferry line to stop.


text:
Perk up Your Skin With Retinol Serum
This blog has not been approved by your local health department and is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice.
Fight aging and acne with a daily application of retinol serum.
It's no secret that dermatologists and beauty buffs often recommend retinol serums as a great way to care for skin. Nevertheless, many people don't understand what retinol is and why it can be an effective part of a skincare regimen. In addition to providing various benefits, this topical product is quite affordable.
Retinol Basics
Retinol is a type of retinoid, a family of chemicals that are derived from vitamin A. Another member of the retinoid group is tretinoin, a popular prescription-grade skincare product.
For those who aren't interested in a prescription drug, retinol is the top choice for an over-the-counter retinoid. Even those who might someday want to try a tretinoin prescription can benefit from starting with a low dose of retinol in order to help the skin work up to a higher-strength product.
Anti-Aging Benefits of Retinol
Retinoids are best known for their anti-aging properties. Research supports the idea that retinol and other retinoids may help increase collagen production in the skin. Collagen is responsible for skin's firm, plump appearance. As collagen disappears with age, wrinkles appear. Therefore, boosting collagen production may help keep fine lines and wrinkles from looking as obvious.
To further enhance its effects, retinol has the potential to speed up cellular turnover. This means that old skin cells are shed sooner, revealing the healthy new skin underneath. Retinol, therefore, may help skin look brighter and fresher.
Although wrinkle reduction and skin brightening are usually the top benefits touted for retinol, this product also helps with acne, a problem that can plague people of all ages. Retinol can help remove clogs from pores, which may clear up breakouts or keep new pimples from forming. This chemical could also reduce the appearance of pores.
Retinol Serum Tips and Tricks
When first starting a retinol protocol, have patience. It may take about 12 weeks for the first effects to appear.
Even people who don't yet feel like they're seeing signs of aging may want to begin applying retinol as a preventative. Some experts recommend starting retinol at about 25 years of age.
There's no need to overdo it with a retinol serum. Just a pea-sized drop is enough for the whole face.
It's best to put on retinol at night. Going out in the sun with a fresh coat of retinol can limit the effects of the serum, and may cause sensitivities to the skin. When using a retinol treatment always apply a facial sunscreen in the morning.
Serumdipity: Affordable and Effective Retinol Treatment
With Serumdipity retinol serum from Azelique, anyone can try retinol. This pH-balanced retinol product may help decrease wrinkles and acne while also shrinking pores and brightening skin tone. Thanks to the addition of emolliating ingredients like jojoba esters, this serum may also soften and hydrate skin. To top it off, this is a responsibly made product; it's cruelty-free, and it arrives in eco-friendly packaging.


text:
It's been exactly three years since I moved on from Discover. Change is timeless. So I thought it would be a good time to announce the move to another project today.
Until further notice this is my last post as a blogger at Unz Review. Just as when I left Discover, this shouldn't impact regular readers very much in terms of substance and content. As always you can follow me through my RSS feed, , Twitter, , and of course, my website, http://www.razib.com (I'm surprised how many people bookmark that website, as I got some emails when I changed the formatting).
The new site where I will host my content is not up yet, but it should be live within less than two weeks as engineers and designers work to get the final pieces in place (~2 weeks is within 95% confidence interval of the expected value, obviously hope it will be closer to now than not). If you want to be notified by email when the site goes live, subscribe to my newsletter. I probably won't send out an email more than once a month, but I realize that not everyone uses RSS or Twitter, so it is probably best to start collecting a list of addresses for those who follow my work and would prefer to be contacted that way. If you are old school and just want to bookmark and check the site to see when it goes live, this will work:
If you have a blog, please update your link to: http://gnxp.nofe.me. It will help me with getting some PageRank (I'm also going to point the front page of http://gnxp.com to the new site).
There will be some changes and flux. I'm starting "my own thing" over at N of Everyone, where I'm working with some friends to develop a new way of disseminating science to the masses. That is, I'm not just going to be a blogger, but am taking an active role in running the shop. A few of the big ideas motivating this move can be found in the piece I coauthored with David Mittleman from a few years back, Dragging scientific publishing into the 21st century. So expect the newest iteration of Gene Expression to be somewhat more experimental in terms of playing around with feature set and evolving more over time.
Also, honestly I'm not sure that Twitter will be around in its current form in another five years, so the Gene Expression at N of Everyone is going to be my attempt to create an independent platform so that I can communicate to who I want to communicate without relying on intermediaries…indefinitely (as long as I'm interesting in doing this, my professional path is definitely going to remain in science so I can express my opinions honestly without having to toe party lines).
Addendum: I'll be moderating comments here for a bit as long as stray threads continue as long as Ron lets me continue with my permissions, but eventually I'll stop checking.


text:
dwdiff is a diff program that operates at the word level instead of
the line level. It is different from wdiff in that it allows the user
to specify what should be considered whitespace, and in that it takes
an optional list of characters that should be considered delimiters.
Delimiters are single characters that are treated as if they are
words, even when there is no whitespace separating them from preceding
words or delimiters. dwdiff is mostly commandline compatible with
wdiff. Only the --autopager, --terminal and --avoid-wraps options are
not supported.
The default output from dwdiff is the new text, with the deleted and
inserted parts annotated with markers. Command line options are
available to change both what is printed, and the markers.
If you wish to have nl manpages and/or de, fr, nl, ru localization pass
'NLS="de fr nl ru"' (or whichever of them is wanted) to the SlackBuild.
If you wish to enable the handling of Unicode text, pass "UNICODE=yes"
to the SlackBuild script.
Maintained by: slakmagik
Keywords: diff,word
ChangeLog: dwdiff
Download SlackBuild:
dwdiff.tar.gz.asc (FAQ)
(the SlackBuild does not include the source)
|Individual Files:
| config.pkg.patch
| doDiff.c.patch
| dwdiff.SlackBuild
| dwdiff.info
| slack-desc
| src-option.c.patch
© 2006-2023 SlackBuilds.org Project. All rights reserved.
Slackware® is a registered trademark of Patrick Volkerding
Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds


text: No matter what brand spear gun you own JBL Adapters allow you to match up just about any tip to shaft configuration you can imagine. JBL adapters are constructed from (303) stainless steel to help resist corrosion and give a lifetime of durable use. This JBL spear tip adapter has 5/16" female threads to 6mm male threads. So add versatility to your arsenal if one tip you really prefer is not matched with your spear shaft JBL has an adapter that can make it work. Spear tip adapters make a great save-a-dive-kit item.


text:
A method in a computer system for retrieving data from one of multiple copies of the data is provided, referred to as the data management system. The data management system receives a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed. Then, the data management system queries a metabase to locate data copies that contain the identified at least one data object, wherein the data copies are created from similar source data, and wherein for each data copy the metabase contains an indication of the availability of the copy relative to other copies. Next, the data management system determines one of the located data copies to use to access the identified at least one data object, wherein the determination is made based on the indicated availability contained in the metabase for each of the located data copies. Then, the data management system accesses the identified at least one data object using the determined one of the located data copies.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/694,890 (Attorney Docket No. 60692-8039.US00) entitled "MANAGING COPIES OF DATA" and filed on Mar. 30, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/871,735 (Attorney Docket No. 60692-8038.US00) entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEARCHING STORED DATA" and filed on Dec. 22, 2006, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND
Computer systems contain large amounts of data. This data includes personal data, such as financial data, customer/client/patient contact data, audio/visual data, and much more. This data also includes information related to the correct operation of the computer system, such as operating system files, application files, user settings, and so on. With the increased reliance on computer systems to store critical information, the importance of protecting data has grown. Traditional data protection systems, such as backup systems, receive an identification of a file location to protect, then create one or more secondary copies containing the contents of the protected up location. These secondary copies can then later be used to restore the original data should anything happen to the original data.
In corporate environments, protecting data is generally part of a routine process that is performed for many computer systems within an organization. For example, a company might back up critical computing systems related to e-commerce such as databases, file servers, web servers, and so on. The company may also back up computing systems used by each of its employees, such as those used by an accounting department, marketing department, engineering, and so forth.
Because of the amount of data in an organization, secondary copies of data for an organization's computing systems are often very large and can require the purchase of expensive storage devices and storage media. The restoration of data in the event of data loss is also slowed by the large size of the secondary copy. As the amount of protected data increases, locating and restoring data requires more actions to be taken. For example, it may be necessary to search many backup tapes to find the correct data. The quantity of secondary copy media, such as tapes, may mean that some secondary copy media has been moved offsite such that it must first be retrieved before data can be recovered from it. Each of these factors increases the cost of protecting data and the time required to recover data in the event of data loss. Quick recovery of data is often critical to today's businesses, and any additional delay could affect business operations and customers' satisfaction with the business.
Management of data in this way also consumes resources, and it is often desirable to minimize impact to computing systems to provide maximum availability for handling customer or employee requests. Some organizations defer activities such as performing backups until off hours, such as early in the morning to reduce the impact to the availability of systems. However, recovery of a file may be needed during business hours or at other inconvenient times, and choosing the best way to retrieve the data is important for maintaining the availably of the system.
There is a need for a system that overcomes the above problems, as well as one that provides additional benefits.
In the drawings, the same reference numbers and acronyms identify elements or acts with the same or similar functionality for ease of understanding and convenience. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the Figure number in which that element is first introduced (e.g., element 110 is first introduced and discussed with respect to
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.A. Overview
A data management system often contains a primary or production copy of data, and one or more secondary copies created from the primary copy of the data. For example, a web server may contain the primary copy of the data. A snapshot, change journal, replication, migration, backup, or other storage operation may be performed to create the one or more secondary copies of the data. For example, a snapshot operation may create an image of the current state of the primary copy, and the data management system may transfer the snapshot to another system for storage as a secondary copy. The secondary copy may later be encrypted or otherwise processed to create additional secondary copies. For example, an organization may initially backup data to a first secondary copy and later encrypt the data to a second secondary copy before the data is stored in a third-party offsite storage facility.
A method and system for managing copies of data is provided, referred to as the data management system. The data management system creates and manages copies of data. For example, the data management system may create a secondary copy such as a backup of the data stored on each of the computer systems within an organization. The secondary copy represents a second version of the original source version of the data. The data management system may make additional secondary copies of the data, called auxiliary copies. For example, the data management system may create secondary copies to perform additional operations on the data (e.g., encryption and protection) and to store the data in a new location (e.g., in a tape library or at an off-site data vault). The data management system may also store information about the data managed by the system within a data structure such as a database, also called a metabase. The metabase may contain information such as when the data management system performed the last data copy, where each of the data copies is stored, what files are contained within each data copy, and so on. When the data management system receives a request to access data, there may be many copies of the data available, and the data management system selects a desirable copy of the data to satisfy the access request as described in further detail below. The data management system may first consult the metabase to determine which copies contain the requested data without accessing the computer systems where the data is actually stored. In this way, the data management system provides high availability of data while reducing the impact of access requests on critical computer systems.
The invention will now be described with respect to various embodiments. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding of, and enabling description for, these embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the invention.
The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.
Unless described otherwise below, aspects of the invention may be practiced with conventional systems. Thus, the construction and operation of the various blocks shown in
Aspects of the invention can be embodied in a special purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one or more of the computer-executable instructions explained in detail herein. Aspects of the invention can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices, which are linked through a communications network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Storage Area Network (SAN), Fibre Channel, or the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Aspects of the invention may be stored or distributed on computer-readable media, including magnetically or optically readable computer discs, hard-wired or preprogrammed chips (e.g., EEPROM semiconductor chips), nanotechnology memory, biological memory, or other data storage media. Indeed, computer implemented instructions, data structures, screen displays, and other data under aspects of the invention may be distributed over the Internet or over other networks (including wireless networks), on a propagated signal on a propagation medium (e.g., an electromagnetic wave(s), a sound wave, etc.) over a period of time, or they may be provided on any analog or digital network (packet switched, circuit switched, or other scheme). Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that portions of the invention reside on a server computer, while corresponding portions reside on a client computer such as a mobile or portable device, and thus, while certain hardware platforms are described herein, aspects of the invention are equally applicable to nodes on a network.B. Creating Copies
The data management system may create the primary copy of the data stored on a computer system in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, snapshot software installed on each computer system is used to capture a point-in-time view of the data on a computer system. The data management system may copy the snapshot data to another computer system. Snapshots may contain a snapshot of all of the data on a system, or they may be incremental and provide information about the data that has changed since a previous snapshot was taken. In some embodiments, change journaling software (often built into the operating system) is used to detect changes to data and to update the primary copy. In some embodiments, an agent is installed for each type of data stored on a computer system. The agent may be designed to copy a specific type of data (e.g., database data or data produced by a specific application) more efficiently than a simple copy of the underlying data files. Once a primary copy has been created, additional operations can be performed on the data without accessing the original computer system from which the data was copied.
The data management system may copy data from a computer system as files or the data management system may process the contents of the files as application data. As described above, an agent may be installed that interprets data produced by a particular application. For example, data stored by an email server (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server), may be stored in a series of files. Creating a copy of the files is often not as useful as interpreting the data itself and storing the data in its interpreted form. For example, the data from an email server may be stored in one large file with a non-descriptive name, such as "mailbox.dat," but it is more useful when searching for data to understand that the file contains mailboxes belonging to specific users, and that each of those mailboxes contains email messages having descriptive information such as a subject, TO header, and so on. Therefore, rather than simply storing the file, the data management system may parse, recognize, and store information about each user's mailbox and the email messages contained within it. Similar processes may be used to store data created by database applications, word processors, accounting software, and so on.
In some embodiments, the data management system performs additional operations on secondary copies of data. For example, an organization may create an unencrypted first secondary copy, but perform encryption on an auxiliary secondary copy to allow the organization to safely store the auxiliary secondary copy with a third-party data storage provider without worrying that the third party may view confidential information contained within the data. The data management system may also examine the first secondary copy and eliminate duplicate data objects within the first secondary copy to create a single instance of each data object. This process is generally referred to as single instancing. For example, when copying data from multiple computer systems within an organization, each computer system will often contain similar files for the operating system and configuration data. Storing multiple copies of the same data wastes storage space, and increases the time and cost associated with data management, so single instancing can provide substantial cost savings to an organization.
In some embodiments, the data management system creates an index of the content contained within each copy. The index information may be stored within the metabase. The index may contain information such as each of the locations where the data is located, keywords contained within the data, classifications assigned to the data, and user access information describing which users are permitted to view the contents of the data. The content index may be used to facilitate search and retrieval of the data, such as in response to a user request to restore a particular file.
In some embodiments, the data management system performs the operations described above based on a storage policy. For example, operations such as the creation of a primary copy of data may be performed automatically on a schedule. The storage policy defines the types of operations to be performed, and the conditions that trigger their performance. For example, a storage policy may specify the creation of a secondary copy of data onto tape when the primary copy of the data reaches a certain size or is a certain number of days old. The storage policy may also define which computer systems are involved in a particular data management operation, such as a particular pool of servers to use for performing encryption of data.
C. Retrieving Data
The data management system periodically receives requests to retrieve data from users and from the system itself. For example, a user may search for a specific file or document, and the data management system finds matching data. The system may request a copy of the data on which to perform a data management operation. For example, if a storage policy specifies that an encrypted copy of data should be created, the data management system may query the metabase to locate an available copy of the data to encrypt, so that the original source of the data is not impacted by the encryption operation.
In some embodiments, the data management system determines availability based on the environment of the entity requesting the data. For example, if a user of a computer system within an organization is requesting data from another computer system within the organization, then the data management system may factor in the subnet of the two computer systems relative to each other. If a copy is available on the same subnet as the requesting user, then that copy may be preferred over a copy on a different subnet. As another example, the data management system may hierarchically group computer systems within an organization into storage cells that share certain storage characteristics (e.g., network location or storage policies), and a copy may be preferred based on the storage cell that the computer system storing it is associated with. Alternatively or additionally, the purpose of the retrieval request may influence the copy used to retrieve the data. For example, a legal discovery request may specify certain documents that must be retrieved within a long timeframe (e.g., a year), such that the most available copy is not required and a slower copy can be used so that other operations can use the most available copy.
In some embodiments, the data management system determines the age of the data available in each copy. For example, the time a copy was created may be stored with the copy, or the copy may contain other information indicating the time that the data was last modified. For some search requests, an older copy of the data available on tape media may be acceptable, whereas for other search requests only a very recent copy will satisfy the request. If the user is searching for a particular file, the data management system may determine that although a particular copy is older and out of date with respect to some files, the file requested by the user has not changed since the copy was made and the copy can adequately satisfy the user's request. Using this type of analysis, the data management system can select the most appropriate copy to use for many different circumstances.
In some embodiments, the data management system restricts the data accessible to a user based on the user's identity and authentication information stored within the system. Each data object may contain authentication information stored within the metabase that specifies the accessibility of the data object for each user, or the data management system may leverage an existing authentication system, such as Microsoft Windows Active Directory. For example, a person on the engineering team of an organization may be unable to view data objects copied from the CEO's computer system, even though the data objects match the engineer's search criteria. Some copies may also be inaccessible to certain users. For example, some employees within an organization may not be permitted to decrypt encrypted data copies, such that those copies are unavailable for satisfying a data retrieval request from the employee.
In some embodiments, the data management system provides a user interface for identifying and retrieving data. For example, the data management system may host a web server that provides access to the metabase, such that a user can submit a search request and find matching data categorized by the metabase. Then, the user can access the web server using a web browser. This allows the user to access data regardless of the operating system of the computer system on which the data was originally stored and regardless of the operating system of the computer system that the user is submitting the request from. In some embodiments, the data management system converts the data within search results returned in response to a user search into a format that is viewable within the web browser. For example, if a search returns a document that is normally opened by a particular word processing program, the data management system may provide the ability to convert and view the document as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) within the requesting user's web browser. In this way, a user can search for documents created by many types of applications and on many platforms without installing additional software.
D. Conclusion
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise," "comprising," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to." The word "coupled," as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word "or" in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.
The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. In addition, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may be performed at different times.
The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may vary considerably in implementation details, while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above detailed description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.
While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. For example, while only one aspect of the invention is recited as embodied in a computer-readable medium, other aspects may likewise be embodied in a computer-readable medium. Accordingly, the inventors reserve the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.
1. A method in a computer system for accessing data available from each of multiple copies, the method comprising:
- displaying a web-based user interface configured to communicate a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed;
- receiving through the web-based user interface a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed;
- querying an index to locate data copies that contain the identified at least one data object, wherein the data copies are created from source data; and
- displaying a list of results comprising data copies located by the query that satisfy the request, wherein the list includes information regarding relative speed at accessing at least some of the data copies, and wherein a user can access one or more of the data copy results through the displayed list.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed list of results provides a URL for accessing the identified at least one data object through each located data copy.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the web-based user interface is hosted by a web server with access to multiple data copies at least some of which are located on different physical data storage devices.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein querying an index comprises accessing a database that stores metadata describing each copy of the source data.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein querying an index comprises accessing a database that categorizes data and wherein the database provides a list of matching data objects organized according to categories of the matching data objects, and wherein the categories include type of data storage media, or slow or fast availability.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying includes displaying at least one of the data objects without accessing an original application that generated the one data object, and via an operating system different from an operating system that generated the one data object.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified at least one data object can be accessed through the displayed list irrespective of an operating system on which the at least one data object is stored.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified at least one data object can be accessed through the displayed list irrespective of an operating system being used by a user that submitted the request.
9. The method of claim 1 including for each located data copy containing the identified at least one data object, converting the identified at least one data object to a format accessible by a web browser.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying a list of results comprises displaying a list of results such that a user can view a data object identified by the results without installing or launching additional software.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying a list of results comprises displaying information describing availability values of each data copy relative to other data copies.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying a list of results comprises applying access control information to identify results to which a requesting user does not have access.
13. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to access multiple copies of data through a web server, by a method comprising:
- submitting a web-based request identifying at least one data object stored in one or more data copies within a data management system;
- receiving a web page containing one or more results responsive to the submitted web-based request, wherein each result contains a link through which a data object associated with the result can be accessed, and wherein the web page includes information regarding accessibility of at least some of the data copies;
- submitting a request to access a data object associated with one or more of the received results; and
- receiving a version of the data object formatted for display in a web browser.
14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein receiving a version of the data object formatted for display in a web browser comprises converting a word processing document in an application-specific format into HTML.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein receiving a version of the data object formatted for display in a web browser comprises converting an email message into HTML.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein receiving a version of the data object formatted for display in a web browser comprises converting a data object that is proprietary to one operating system into a format accessible by any operating system.
17. A display page for identifying and retrieving data objects accessible through multiple copies of similar source data, comprising:
- a criteria entry area configured to receive one or more criteria that identify at least one data object stored within a data management system;
- a search activation indication configured to initiate a search for matching data objects based on the received criteria; and
- a results display area configured to display one or more matching data objects, wherein the results display area provides a link to each data object through which a browser-compatible instance of the data object can be accessed, and wherein the list includes information regarding relative time for accessing at least some of the data objects.
18. The display page of claim 17 wherein the results display area displays the relative availability of each matching data object, such that a user can select a matching data object to access based on the availability of the data object.
19. The display page of claim 17 wherein the results display area displays a type associated with each matching data object such that a user can select a matching data object to access based on the type of the data object.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 31, 2008
Publication Date: Oct 2, 2008
Patent Grant number: 7865517
Inventors: Anand Prahlad (East Brunswick, NJ), Srinivas Kavuri (Miyapur), Rajiv Kottomtharayil (Marlboro, NJ), Arun Prasad Amarendran (Eaton Town, NJ)
Application Number: 12/060,045
International Classification: G06F 17/30 (20060101); G06F 3/048 (20060101);


text:
My mistake. I used the clear digital zoom (interpolated pixels) feature on this one
to get a 400mm equivalent that I could handhold....
One shoot. One camera. One Lens. (Not shown here, but still yummy: 24mm equiv. shots
of the whole stage. And yes, the lines are straight).
By Austin Photographer, Kirk Tuck ©2014
If you've read the blog for a while you know that I shoot a lot of marketing images for the best live Theater in central Texas, Zach Theatre here in Austin. I've been doing it for twenty years now and I'm finally getting proficient at the whole thing. A lot of our shoots are studio productions done weeks or months before a play is ready for an audience. We used to do that kind of assignment with big strobes and Hasselblad film cameras and now we press whatever really good digital camera we happen to have into service. Any of the major brands, with more than 8 megapixels can do a great jobs when you have the camera anchored on a stout tripod, when you are using the best lenses and when you hot glue the ISO dial solidly to 100.
But the other portion of our photo assignments from Zach Theatre are what we call, "running shoots." These are the images that we take at the final dress rehearsals, and since the opening of the new Topfer Theatre (Zach's premier theater and stage) we do those dress rehearsals with an audience of "family and friends" in the house.
In the past I've tended to shoot these with full frame cameras and fast, long lenses but from time to time I've tossed in lots of Four-Thirds, micro 4:3s, and a never ending mix of strange birds like the original Sony R1 (still have some great shots from the Janis Joplin show from that camera...).
When I do a running shoot I try to cover everything so the marketing people have a wide range of images they can use across diverse marketing opportunities. That means I shoot a lot frames. So I get to know the camera I'm shooting with inside and out.
If you've shot live theater before you know that the light levels on the stage change constantly. You know that the light levels can get pretty low. You know that the color of the light changes all the time (you can thank programmable LEDs for that...). And you know that actors constantly move and that their hands move even faster (1/250th and above can help stop hand blur. Sometimes). You either want a camera that can read all that complexity or you need a camera that you can make adjustments and changes to almost automatically. A poorly set up camera can be a nightmare. A slow focuser will drive you nuts. And, you'll shoot at ISOs starting at 800 and, if you are lucky, cap at 3200.
In earlier digital days I found the Nikon D700 to be a wonderful theater camera when it came to focus and ease of exposure adjustments. It was great when we worked in tight. The big revolution for me came with the introduction of great EVFs. Especially the one in the Sony a99. For the first time I could make "real time" adjustments and have a high degree of certainty that the images out of camera would match what I was previewing through the eyepiece. No more shoot-and-chimp.
I've been happy with the a99 and the 70-200mm 2.8 G lens but the entire universe is our lab and our newest infatuation here at VSL is the new baby Sony, the RX10. So, with a bit of trepidation I decided to go totally "bridge-cam" for the dress rehearsal of, "The Room Next Store." Also known, in the theater circles as, "The Vibrator Play." According to the camera critics I would be facing insurmountable odds. I'd be gnashing my teeth at the contrast detect auto focus. Especially on moving subjects going in and out of the shadows. The zoom of the lens would be too slow to catch any decisive moments, and the depressing capper to the whole gloomy undertaking would be the sheer nasty-ness of the microscopically small sensor. Even smaller than in the Olympus "world champion" camera. According to some critics I'd be better off using my cellphone....
Well. I'll cut to the happy ending. None of the crazy negative stuff came to pass. And the play is really fun, and funny and filled with clever examinations of sexual politics and hilarious plots twists. Well, just imagine a victorian society circa the invention of electricity and the idea of "curing" female and male "hysteria" with a vibrator.... I messed up a few frames from laughing too hard. I enjoyed it so much I was even able to ignore the woman in front of me who pulled out her cellphone and texted a bit...
Let's talk about camera set up. I have to face some limitations. The RX10 is not going to match the a99 or any full frame camera at ISO' above 800 so I decided to try to stick to ISO 800 and use 1600 as my high limit. Then I go backward and try to figure out what combination of shutter speed and apertures will match up we with that. I aimed for 1/200th of a second as a target shutter speed but I was willing to go all the way down to 1/80th since the image stabilization in this camera is very good. I knew I'd spend most of the evening at the long end of the lens so the extra stability was nice to have.
I was sitting in the middle of a (non-paying) audience (and I'm not a "dirty baby diaper hold" shooter) so I turned off the rear LCD and depended exclusively on the very good EVF. And that's actually a battery saving move as well. You see, there's a proximity sensor at the eyepiece and if you have only the eyepiece implemented whenever you move your eye from the finder it shuts off the monitor. Instant "eco" mode.
S-AF for the mode. No weird modes like HDR or DRO engaged. But I did enable the Clear Image Zoom. High ISO noise reduction was not set as that menu item is grayed out in raw.
Here's what I found: The camera never failed to lock in quickly and accurately to the subject on the stage that I selected. The focus, unless the subjects were in deep shadow, was as quick as nearly every phase detection autofocus DSLR I've ever used and quicker than several camera from a few generations ago that were four to six times the price of the RX10. Sorry phase detection fans.
Here's the big news....The color the camera kept deciding on in AWB mode was, when I pulled the raw files into Lightroom 5.0, exactly like the color I was seeing on stage. Now remember, I've been fine tuning previous cameras with exact custom settings or exact kelvin settings in order to manage color but no other camera I have ever used for this kind of work ever got me so inside the ballpark before. After a while I just presumed that the files would be close enough to not need tweaking.
At 100% (the land of the pixelphilia) and at 1600 ISO the images have the mushy, painterly kind of appearance we've gotten used to seeing from high resolution, small pixel well cameras, including the Nikon d800 and the Sony a77 and Nex 7. The files at both 800 and 1600 are a little flatter (in contrast) and have softer detail than files at lower apertures. But this is only apparent at 100%. As soon as you pull back to 66% or 50% the entire image on the screen looks good.
There's that pesky digital zoom again. But you know....sometimes you want to get close.
That's as close as I could get with the (handheld) 200mm equivalent. But I sure like the skin
tones and the detail.
I wanted the image to be a little contrastier so I used a slider setting of 10 in clarity. I went down to sharpening and pushed the amount slider to 70 and at 1.0. Then I went one menu down and invoked a bit of noise reduction mostly in luminance but ramped up the detail slider a bit. Once done I applied these settings to all 972 files I'd shot. Then I went back through and did little exposure tweaks to groups of images.
While the files are not as good as my a99 they hand 1600 ISO better than the Sony Nex7 or the Sony a77 and I think that's also a big deal out of a camera at this price. But what really impressed me was the lens performance. This will sound heretical but I decided, given the pixel sizes and the sensor size, that the lens was probably diffraction limited wide open. All that means is that the lens is probably computed to be as good as it's going to get wide open. The next two stops might be better but probably not by much. I thought, "what the hell. Let's go wide open." Since I rarely needed more depth of field and I was generally trying to nail focus on the main actor or speaker I didn't have problems with areas going out of focus. On a couple of occasions I dived down to f4 but mostly out of curiosity. Hello sharpness.
The files out of Lightroom were done at their full pixel dimensions of 5472 by 3648. Most of the images will be used on the web or offered to magazines and other printed publications at a "press room" size of around 3000x2000 pixels so they'll be downsampled in half. If you print the images in a tabloid you'll still greatly exceed the print specs for any rational size use.
But wait, there's more. After pounding through 972 images over the course of two and a half hours of shooting via the EVF the first (and only) battery was still showing 23%. WTF???? I thought this camera was supposed to be a monster battery sucker and I thought the battery was supposed to be lame. Not in my experience. In fact, I should have mentioned that I got well over an hour and thirty minutes of "camera on" time when I helped my friend Chris shoot video on Saturday. I know what the specs say but they are based on focusing, shooting and refocusing while using a flash 50% of the time. Your mileage will definitely vary.
So what am I to think of all this? The perfect little video camera combined with a great still camera for theatrical work. Huh? Who would have guessed it? And who would have been crazy enough to test one under these conditions? Well, for that you can pretty much always count on the crazies here at VSL. We love that kind of thing.
My advice to you would be to avoid this camera at all costs. If no one buys it the prices will drop near Summer and our staff will be able to buy bucket loads of them for much lower prices. We'll use them for everything. Hell, what am I saying? I'm already using them for everything. I'll reconsider when I hit something that doesn't work. Don't hold your breath.
in other news: Belinda and I finished working on, The Lisbon Portfolio. The photo/action novel I started back in 2002. I humbly think it is the perfect Summer vacation read. And the perfect, "oh crap, I have to fly across the country" read. It's in a Kindle version right now at Amazon. The Lisbon Portfolio. Action. Adventure. Photography. See how our hero, Henry White, blows up a Range Rover with a Leica rangefinder.....


text: As Wadsworth Falls Park in Middlefield Keeps Getting Trashed, Concerns Grow Catherine Avalone - The Middletown Press Workers from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spent Monday morning cleaning up debris and other trash once again left behind over the weekend at Wadsworth Falls State Park in Middlefield. The state park\u2019s deteriorating conditions were the focus of a meeting Friday in Hartford between town and state officials inside the Legislative Office Building\u2019s Environmental Committee conference. Officials called the session productive in trying to find a way to remedy the situation. However, some residents said they still noticed irregular activity, such as the consumption of alcoholic beverages, guests staying past the parks curfew hours and several piles of garbage near the walkway late Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy what the guests are doing to the river and to the neighbors,\u201d said local tenant Nancy Grenier. \u201cThe bad ones ruin it for the good ones.\u201d The park continues to cope with the issue of inadequate parking. Over the July 4 weekend, police handed out 77 tickets for parking violations at $92 per ticket. Also, nearby St. Colman Church briefly installed \u201cNo Parking\u201d barriers two weeks ago to curb congestion and control the use of their private parking area to visitors, according to DEEP officials. State officials said at Friday\u2019s meeting that they recently added additional \u201cNo Parking\u201d signs around the parking lot in an effort to curb congestion and overcrowding. However, First Selectman Jon Brayshaw, who also attended Friday\u2019s meeting, said Monday he received reports of a charter bus from New York dropping off scores of visitors after 8 a.m. on Sunday. The bus took up a good portion of the very limited parking area at the park and returned to pick up the guests around 5:30 p.m., with bags of their garbage remaining. That situation alone elevated Brayshaw\u2019s concerns on the matter, he said. See the full story at The Middletown Press online. (This article was originally published on a different platform. Some formatting changes may have occurred.)


text:
Piazza di Spagna in an 18th-century etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, seen from south. The street on the left is Via del Babuino, leading to Piazza del Popolo.
The Spanish Steps or Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top.
The monumental stairway of 135 steps (the slightly elevated drainage system is often mistaken for the first step) was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier's bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above — to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi.
In the piazza, at the corner on the right as one begins to climb the steps, is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory, full of memorabilia of the English Romantic generation.
At the top the stairway ramp up the Pincio which is the Pincian Hill. From the top of the steps the Villa Medici can be reached.
During Christmas time a 19th-century crib is displayed on the first landing of the staircase. During May, part of the steps are cover
ed by pots of azaleas. In modern times the Spanish Steps have included a small cut-flower market. The steps are not a place for eating lunch, being forbidden by Roman urban regulations, but they are usually crowded with people.
In the Piazza di Spagna at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the ugly Boat), built in 1627-29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is recently said to have collaborated on the decoration. The elder Bernini had been the pope's architect for the Acqua Vergine, since 1623. According to a legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber river.
The film Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953), starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, made the Spanish Steps famous to an American audience
The apartment that was the setting for The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (José Quintero, 1961) is halfway up on the right
The Steps were featured prominently in the film version of The Talented Mr. Ripley(Anthony Minghella, 1999) starring Matt Damon in the title role
To watch Morten Harket's Spanish Steps music video, please take a gander at The Genealogy of Style's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Genealogy-of-Style/597542157001228?ref=hl


text:
Recently, Barneys New York has been accused in two instances of racial profiling. This comes right at a time when the specialty store is working on its
big holiday collaboration with Jay Z. Those angered by the incidents have been pressuring the hip-hop artist to speak out and even pull out of his partnership with Barneys. Instead, he released the statement below, also pointing out that he is "not making a dime from this collection" and that a portion of proceeds will be donated to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
"I move and speak based on facts and not emotion. I haven't made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys. Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately? The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn't want to make without the full facts. Making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project, wouldn't hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education. I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn't harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration."
More From ELLE
I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgements, no matter who it's towards, aren't I committing the same sin as someone who profiles? I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position. Hopefully this brings forth a dialogue to effect real change." — Jay Z {Life + Times}


text:
My thanks to Talkshop contributor William Gilbert for drawing Loschmidt to my attention.
This is of high relevance to the Jelbring and Nikolov-Zeller hypotheses.
The experiments have been done by Roderich W. Graeff , and he claims to have successfully confirmed the Loschmidt Effect. The document outlining his experimental work and some background is here. The proceedings of the AIP are available (to buy) here. Graeff's website is here. Trupps analysis is here.
The results and methodology are Critiqued by D.P. Sheehan who thinks the energy flow should go the other way but doesn't seem to have done any experiments to try to prove it. The critique is here (page 1) and here (page 2) and here (page 3).
The citation for Trupp's analysis is: Trupp, A., Physics Essays, 12, No. 4, 1999. It is available (to buy) here
So what does this mean for the Nikolov – Zeller Unified Theory of Climate? And what does it mean for the claims of warmists that it is the radiative flux which supports the adiabatic lapse rate? Why has this enduring mystery not been attended to more carefully by mainstream science? After all, knowing whether the lapse rate in the atmosphere is due to radiative effects or gravitational effects seems at first flush to something quite fundamental to our understanding of the physical world we live in. Enquiring minds would like to know the answer!
Post your thoughts below.


text:
I've written extensively about gun control, but mostly because of practical and moral objections to the notion that government should have the power to disarm law-abiding people.
But I hadn't realized that some of the earliest gun control initiatives were designed to oppress blacks.
As Dave Kopel explains in Reason, the white power structure in many post-Civil War states was very anxious to disarm former slaves.
After the Civil War, the defeated Southern states aimed to preserve slavery in fact if not in law. The states enacted Black Codes which barred the black freedmen from exercising basic civil rights, including the right to bear arms. Mississippi's provision was typical: No freedman "shall keep or carry fire-arms of any kind, or any ammunition." …The Klansmen, unlike the freedmen, had horses, and thus the tactical advantages of mobility. In a few months, the Klan triumph was complete. One freedman recalled that the night riders, after reasserting white control, "took the weapons from might near all the colored people in the neighborhood." …Sometimes militias consisting of freedmen or Unionists were able to resist the Klan or other white forces. In places like the South Carolina back-country, where the blacks were a numerical majority, the black militias kept white terrorists at bay for long periods. …In areas where the black militias lost and the Klan or other white groups took control, "almost universally the first thing done was to disarm the negroes and leave them defenseless," wrote Albion Tourgeé in his 1880 book The Invisible Empire. …As Jim Crow intensified, other Southern states enacted gun registration and handgun permit laws. Registration came to Mississippi (1906), Georgia (1913), and North Carolina (1917). Handgun permits were passed in North Carolina (1917), Missouri (1919), and Arkansas (1923). As one Florida judge explained, the licensing laws were "passed for the purpose of disarming the negro laborers… [and] never intended to be applied to the white population."
With this historical knowledge, this poster now makes a lot of sense.
It quotes the infamous Dred Scott decision, which also was predicated on the state-sanctioned oppression of African-Americans.
While I wasn't aware of the racist history of gun control, I did have some familiarity with the fact that totalitarian governments traditionally have wanted to disarm citizens.
I wrote, for instance, about gun control initiatives by the Venezuelan dictatorship.
And this superb poster from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership is the 4th-most viewed post in the history of my blog.
So this image is in that tradition.
Now let me make an important point.
I don't think advocates of gun control in the United States are racists or fascists. I assume that 99 percent of them are guilty instead of being naive.
Which is why I'm always delighted to share admissions from honest leftists that gun control simply doesn't make sense.
P.S. Switching to a different topic, a French economist (no, that's not a contradiction in terms) was awarded the Nobel Prize about a week ago.
He's apparently considered to be on the left of the philosophical spectrum, yet it's worthwhile that even he thinks there's too much statism in his home nation.
Hours after he won the economics Nobel Prize, Tirole said he felt "sad" the French economy was experiencing difficulties despite having "a lot of assets". "We haven't succeeded in France to undertake the labour market reforms that are similar to those in Germany, Scandinavia and so on," he said in telephone interview from the French city of Toulouse, where he teaches. France is plagued by record unemployment and Tirole described the French job market as "catastrophic" earlier on Monday, arguing that the excessive protection for employees had frozen the country's job market. "We haven't succeeded also in downsizing the state, which is an issue because we have a social model that I approve of – I'm very much in favour of this social model – but it won't be sustainable if the state is too big," he added. Tirole remarked that northern European countries, as well as Canada and Australia, had proven you could keep a welfare social model with smaller government. In contrast, he said France's "big state" threatened its social policies because there will not be "enough money to pay for it in the long run".
He's exactly right. I'm a libertarian, so I don't want the government involved in areas such as housing, healthcare and income redistribution.
But even if you favor larger government, there's a giant difference between having the public sector consume 57 percent of economic output (as in France) or a more reasonable amount, such as what's found in Canada or Australia (as Professor Tirole mentioned).
By the way, I made the same point as Tirole when I spoke last year in Paris. I asked my audience whether they thought they got better and/or more services than the citizens of Switzerland, where the burden of government spending is far less onerous.


text:
Hemingway's first novel was transformed at Belvedere College into one of the highlights of the Dublin Theatre Festival by New York troupe Elevator Repair Service.
Hemingway's picaresque tale of America's 'Lost Generation' carousing aimlessly around 1920s Paris and Spain was vividly brought to life within an impressively detailed set of The Select bar where these expats spend so much time drinking. Jake Barnes (Mike Iveson) is our narrator, a maimed war-hero now earning a living as a writer. Jake spends his days drinking with his quasi-friend Robert Cohn (Matt Tierney) and Cohn's verbally abusive girlfriend Frances (Kate Scelsa), and flirting ineffectually with native women (Kaneza Schall), but life becomes far more complicated for all these characters when Lady Brett Ashley (Lucy Taylor) breezes back into town… Jake is hopelessly in love with Brett, but his war-wound renders him impotent, and so, in one of literature's most heartbreaking thwarted romances, Brett, despite being truly in love with only Jake, turns to many men to do for her the one thing he can't. Her impending marriage to fellow rich Briton Mike Campbell (Pete Simpson) might perhaps stop her wandering eye but in the meantime she gets entangled with Cohn, which ensures a very tense visit to Pamplona for the Fiesta for the entire expat group; including Jake's sardonic, macho, shooting and fishing friend Bill Gorton (Ben Williams).
This show put the other high-profile adaptation Dubliners to shame. Director John Collins begins with Jake's casual narration straight to the audience, and then strips it away to stage dialogue scenes that use sound effects to conjure what cannot be staged, with the narration used for comic effect as Jake comments on conversations from within or for scene-setting until the climactic bullfight when, deliriously, a sports microphone appears as Jake and Brett sit together commentating using Hemingway's narration as the star bullfighter takes on an intimidating bull; which is a table with horns being dashed about the stage by Ben Williams stomping the ground. The sound effects are truly spectacular, whether it's glasses that don't touch clinking together, a man stepping away from a typewriter which continues typing and when he announces in response to a question that he's finished rings the end of a page, to the sloshing of the endless booze drunk by the characters, the lapping water and splashes of struggling fish in a pastoral idyll, and the roar of cheering and animalistic grunting from the bullfight. Small wonder that once Cohn's role is finished Tierney stays on stage so we see him operate the live sound-work.
But this is theatricality that illuminates the novel. The dance to what would have been the catchiest song on the Continent in 1926, which continually interrupts the conversation between Brett, Jake and the Count (Vin Knight), is both a delight of ensemble choreography and encapsulates the frustrating allure of Brett; a moving target of a romantic lead who can't be tied down by any man. Taylor's Brett, all short blonde hair, clipped accent, and passionate recklessness, is well nigh definitive, while Iveson is immensely sympathetic and charismatic as Jake. In support in the first act Kate Scelso plays the Ugly American stereotype with astonishing gusto in a lengthy harangue. I didn't remember Bill being a funny character, but Ben William's performance was so modern that it was compared to Sam Rockwell and Will Arnett by my companions. Williams only features in the second act but he finds the sardonic humour and hidden tenderness in Hemingway's declarative hardness, the highlight being his deadpan questioning of a telegram in Spanish – "What does the word Cohn mean?" The entire ensemble excelled though, not least in the amazing Fiesta sequence of pulsating lights, mass shuddering primal dance, and furious ecstatic noise; including Simpson drumming thunderously on a chair. But for all the triumphant sound and fury that created Pamplona's excitement the heart of the play comes with lighting reduced to mere spots on Jake and Brett as they whisper their agonising unrequitable love for each other – an astonishingly intimate ending for such an expansive and exuberant play.
I had to read The Sun Also Rises for a course, which is always a good way to ruin a novel, but this production was so electric it's actually forced me to re-evaluate and increase my estimation of Hemingway…