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Okay, I admit it, I do a little family history. One part of that family history is the endless search for photos. I guess I am an eternal optimist in that regard. I keep visiting family with the hope that I might find another photo somewhere. Funny enough, as that optimism keeps me visiting people and looking through old photo albums, the eternal pessimist in me is become slightly more and more frantic as I know how often people die and the next generation just junks things. Okay, maybe not everyone throws things away or tears apart the historic photos and giving a dutiful part to each descendant, but it becomes a little harder to track these things down the father we get from the original descendant.
Let me give one example. I have not written more of this family history because I would like to find more photographs. There must be more out there. My fourth great grandparents are Olavus Jorgensen and Hanna Mathe Christensen Jorgensen. They were born in 1830 in Drammen and 1831 in Sonde, respectively, in Norway. Hanna joined the LDS Church in 1866 and members of the family started to join over the coming decades.
My third great-grandmother, Constance Josephine Eliza Jorgensen, joined in 1876. She had married Olle Christiansen in 1874. Both her and Olle joined the LDS Church in 1876. They made their way to Utah and settled in Richmond, Cache, Utah. Tracking down a photograph of Olle, despite 11 children, has been impossible, granted he died in 1900.
In that pursuit, I stumbled upon Amanda Emilie Jorgensen. She is the youngest sister of Constance, and as far as I know, the youngest child of Olavus and Hanna Jorgensen. Olavus and Hanna had immigrated to Richmond in 1896. Amanda had followed about 1898 or 1899 with her husband Albert Sigvard Swensen.
While I could not find a photograph of Olle, I stumbled upon this photograph of Amanda.
I recently posted this photo on FamilySearch and have a number of her descendants contact me asking me where I got the photo! It appears her own descendants do not have her photo. Yet, oddly enough, I obtained this photograph from her grandson. But that one grandson kept it sequestered away since he lives far from Utah to where nobody else knew of it. I found him along with some other relative photographs, and now I am making the photo of her available to more of her line.
The moral of the story is those photos are out there! They must be sought after. You have to make the visits to those long-lost cousins and ask to see their photos.
Back to my main point. I have hoped to find a photograph or two of the old Coley Cabin to the southeast of Richmond. I have my own photographs of the cabin almost completely collapsed in on itself. But this past couple of months, I became aware of a photograph of the cabin that hung on the wall of Sarah Colleen Coley Todd in Buhl, Twin Falls, Idaho. Apparently Colleen was born in the Coley Cabin near Richmond and someone took a photograph of it for her. Here it is.
Unfortunately, the photo is not of the highest quality. It is more of a printer print than a photo print. But I will take what I can get. Now I have to find out who took the original photograph. Maybe they have it in its original photo quality.
Nevertheless, I keep hoping some day I will find some pictures from 50 or 80 years ago of the cabin. Sadly, those pictures of homes (and not of people) are the ones that tend to get trashed when photos pass generations. Nobody cares about a home that there is not a link to. Most of the time, the story of the home is not even known. But here is one that is preserved.
I am still working on the history of Herbert Coley and Martha Christiansen Coley. It is my understanding they built the cabin. But I have so few photos of them and I keep hoping that as I visit family, I can get just another photo or two of them. I do not have many.
Anyhow, here is hoping for the future!


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I want to create a simple secured connection protocol over TCP/IP. I just want to connect from my mobile device to a server securely.
Firstly I thought to use an SSL connection, but I changed my mind and decided to create my own protocol.
I am thinking about key exchange: where I should put the private key, and where I should put the public key.
In SSL, the private key is stored on the server, and the public key is sent to the client. But in an SSH connection, the private key is stored on the client, and the public key is sent to the server.
In my situation, the program on the mobile device will be public. Anyone can use it. (It isn't only for my use.)
And I am interested in the advantages of storing the private key or the public key on the server. Why should I do one or the other?

subset: commoncrawl


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Your Home
Our city is home to talented people who enjoy family-friendly neighborhoods, an award-winning school district, quality services, and many cultural amenities. Residents of Kenmore experience easy access to the region's major employers, local employment opportunities, natural health education and an abundance of outdoor enjoyment (the views are amazing).
To support the busy lives of our 21,370 residents, the City of Kenmore provides easy access to utilities, transportation information, community services and emergency services. We've built state-of-the-art facilities - County library, fire station and city hall - and upgraded roads for better mobility and walkability. And, we're supporting smart growth by making the City's permitting, licensing and inspections the fastest in the West.


text: MITCHELL NAMES ICELAND SQUAD August 14, 200712:00AM PDT Previous Next Canadian national team head coach Dale Mitchell has named his first squad since taking charge at the beginning of August. The former Vancouver Whitecaps head coach has named 17 players for the August 22 friendly in Iceland, with Mitchell's squad set to travel to Reykjavik this week to prepare for their first-ever international meeting with the Nordic island nation and their first game since the controversial semifinal defeat to USA at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Chicago this past June. The 17-man squad is comprised entirely of European-based players, with Mitchell opting not to call up players that are currently in the latter stages of their seasons in Major League Soccer and United Soccer Leagues. Ten members of the squad represented Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the US. Tottenham Hotspur defender Paul Stalteri (59 caps) and Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Richard Hastings (43 caps) are the most experienced players on the squad, while former Canadian Under-20 team members Asmir Begovic and Nik Ledgerwood are the least experienced players, as each have yet to win their first senior cap. Heading into the Iceland friendly, Canada are currently ranked fourth amongst CONCACAF countries in the FIFA World Rankings with 562 points, just five back of third-place Costa Rica. Canada will face Costa Rica next in Mitchell's first home match as senior head coach on September 12 at BMO Field in Toronto. Canada squad to face Iceland - BC players & staff in bold 1 Lars Hirschfeld 2 Nik Ledgerwood 3 Mike Klukowski 5 Andre Hainault 6 Julian de Guzman 7 Paul Stalteri 8 Patrice Bernier 9 Tomasz Radzinski 10 Rob Friend 11 Richard Hastings 12 Issey Nakajima-Farran 13 Atiba Hutchinson 14 Daniel Imhof 15 Olivier Occean 16 Ali Gerba 17 Iain Hume 22 Asmir Begovic Head of delegation: Colin Linford Head Coach: Dale Mitchell Assistant Coach: Stephen Hart Assistant Coach: Nick Dasovic Team Manager: Morgan Quarry Physiotherapist: Ted Tilbury Physiotherapist: Dave Foley Equipment manager: Mike Moretto Video coach: Victor Mendes Previous Next


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Microsoft Exchange Online in North America experienced a mysterious intermittent and inconsistent disruption of its Exchange Online yesterday that follows on a disruption Monday to Microsoft's Lync Online.
Reports of troubles with the Exchange service started cropping up early Tuesday morning Eastern Time with varying symptoms.
Microsoft says it suffered two problems that affected most of its hosted Exchange services. At 4:45 p.m. it reported to customers that mail that had been stuck in queue was freed up and that flow was improving but it might take several hours for all the delayed messages to be delivered. Connectivity issues might continue for several more hours, but Microsoft had identified potential causes for that problem.
Some users reported that they were not receiving emails, some said when they sent mail it sat in their Outboxes, some said when they tried to send they got notices that the client couldn't connect to the cloud service.
The impact of the Exchange problems varied desktop-to-desktop within the same corporate networks using the service. For example, one user at a mid-size enterprise had no email service for more than six hours. Two others at adjacent desktops intermittently received batches of emails followed by hours of receiving none followed by more batches. When email did arrive, some had been sent recently, some hours before.
Microsoft told corporate customers that started investigating the problems at 9:17 a.m. Eastern and described them as being unable to access Exchange Online services. The company told customers that some might be able to access the service via browser.
The company updated its customers at 2:55 p.m. Eastern saying that engineers had identified a potential cause for the disruption, but didn't specify what that was.
A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company was looking into the reports but had no statement about the cause, extent and status of the problem.
Separately, Microsoft acknowledged yesterday's Lync problems but offered little detail. "[S]ome users in North America experienced issues with Lync Online due to network routing infrastructure issues," was what a spokesperson had to say in an email in response to a request for details about what happened.


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Any combination of hatch and turbo is good. But the tiny Audi S1 hatch has a big turbo, a six-speed manual and looks like a furious yellow thing. Does that make it amazing?
Henry Catchpole from EVO is at the Arctic Circle, which seems to be the norm for testing all-wheel drive hatches lately. Or it's because the S1 is basically the only car of its size you can buy that isn't front-wheel drive.
The S1 is crazy to me because it's based on the smallest Audi you can buy, the A1, and it's still smothered with all the Audi traits we've come to expect these days. Sure, they've tried to add color here and there, but it's not trying to be silly like a Fiat 500 or a Mini – it's an Audi after all.
The S1 has its share of quirks and the inevitable comparisons to the old Quattro (hint to Audi: make it warble like a five-cylinder), but it sounds so likable and capable that it's officially a shame the U.S. doesn't get it.
Of course it would sell here. It has four rings on it.


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RIAA Still Can't Figure Out How To Use Google's DMCA Tools, Blames Google
from the but-of-course deptThis will hardly comes as a surprise, but the RIAA and other "anti-piracy groups" are still complaining that Google "isn't doing enough" to prop up their old and obsolete business models. The latest complaint? That Google's system only accepts a mere 10,000 DMCA takedowns per day and somehow that's just not enough. It turns out that this isn't actually true, but we'll get to that in a moment. Much of the article focuses on Dutch extremist anti-piracy group BREIN saying that the limit needs to go away. But there is this bizarre statement from the RIAA as well:
"Google has the resources to allow take downs that would more meaningfully address the piracy problem it recognizes, given that it likely indexes hundreds of millions of links per day. Yet this limitation remains despite requests to remove it," RIAA noted.This seems wrong on a variety of levels. As we noted last year when the RIAA raised some of these complaints, part of the problem appears to be that the RIAA doesn't understand how Google's tools work. There are some technical limitations in terms of how many URLs a "trusted partner" using automated means can submit at once, but no actual limit on the number of URLs that can be submitted total. There's a practical reason for the setup: in case an automated system goes haywire, Google wants to be able to catch it. But that's it. It does not limit the searches or the ability to submit DMCAs. We asked Google for specifics, and they confirmed:
In addition to unthrottling the URL limits, RIAA also says it wants to lift the cap on the number of queries they can execute per day to find infringing content.
"Google places artificial limits on the number of queries that can be made by a copyright owner to identify infringements."
While there is no limit on the number of DMCA notices that a copyright owner or reporting organization may send us, we put safety limits on the number of automated submissions that partners can make at one time using our tools in order to protect our systems from technical problems. We increase these limits for partners who have demonstrated a consistent track record of submission quality and volume.On top of that, there's the issue that takedown notices go through a review process before the takedowns happen, to hopefully weed out abuse. For the RIAA to compare handling of takedown messages to the automated process of searching is really bizarre. It's basically them saying they want to be able to automatically takedown any content with no review whatsoever. That's a massive problem for a variety of obvious reasons. Indexing the web for search is an automated process. Taking sites down requires at least some level of review, even if only cursory. Apparently, the RIAA not only misunderstands the tools available, but also the DMCA process itself.
Filed Under: copyright, dmca, limits, takedowns, tools
Companies: brein, google, riaa


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Those men who have more trouble getting women turn to porn and seem to ignore or be oblivious to women. I wonder how Sexbots will further change the landscape?Here's my long-term view of that landscape. As men get absorbed into virtual-reality sex, there will be sex machines for women, replete with the elaborate stories women find titillating (including many things that are too dangerous to pursue in real life about which they currently read voraciously). The women, further relieved of motivation to form loving partnerships with men, will turn more and more to the government for support. Witness "The Life of Julia." There will be more and more of that as men depart from real life and submerge themselves more deeply in machines and women consequently feel more entitled to the government's functioning in the role from which men have escaped.
Women have the voting majority, and what will stop us from employing it in the interest of women as men demonstrate their lack of interest in us?
Will women still want to raise children? Some will, especially when it is well incentivized with government support brought about by unstoppable female voting power. We will have our choice of prime semen for artificial insemination. I'm sure the government will provide us with free services and facilitate our selection of the genetic traits we think will make the best children. Who knows what the next generations will be, as mothers produce children not because they found love from a man, but because of their ideas — possibly delusional — about what would make an excellent child? That's a new experiment. Presumably, in a world where men absent themselves from the real-world life of love and relationships, these women will choose, overwhelmingly, to have daughters. Those daughters will grow up and become part of the Electorate of Julias, further depressing any political power for men.
As this process goes on, perhaps that 20%/80% split Dr. Helen observes will be the actual ratio of men to women. But those men will not be alpha men. They won't even be beta men. And the men in the women's sex machines will be The New Alpha+++ Men. There will be no way to go back.
But this can only happen in America and whatever other free, wealthy, technologically advanced democracies there may be. So don't worry. It won't last that long.


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Click below to download : The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 10 (Format : PDF)
The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 10When Pencroft had once got a plan in his head, he had no peace till it was executed. Now he wished to visit Tabor Island, and as a boat of a certain size was necessary for this voyage, he determined to build one.
What wood should he employ? Elm or fir, both of which abounded in the island? They decided for the fir, as being easy to work, but which stands water as well as the elm.
These details settled, it was agreed that since the fine season would not return before six months, Cyrus Harding and Pencroft should work alone at the boat. Gideon Spilett and Herbert were to continue to hunt, and neither Neb nor Master Jup, his assistant, were to leave the domestic duties which had devolved upon them.
Directly the trees were chosen, they were felled, stripped of their branches, and sawn into planks as well as sawyers would have been able to do it. A week after, in the recess between the Chimneys and the cliff, a dockyard was prepared, and a keel five-and-thirty feet long, furnished with a stern-post at the stern and a stem at the bows, lay along the sand.
Cyrus Harding was not working in the dark at this new trade. He knew as much about ship-building as about nearly everything else, and he had at first drawn the model of his ship on paper. Besides, he was ably seconded by Pencroft, who, having worked for several years in a dockyard in Brooklyn, knew the practical part of the trade. It was not until after careful calculation and deep thought that the timbers were laid on the keel.
Pencroft, as may be believed, was all eagerness to carry out his new enterprise, and would not leave his work for an instant.
A single thing had the honor of drawing him, but for one day only, from his dockyard. This was the second wheat-harvest, which was gathered in on the 15th of April. It was as much a success as the first, and yielded the number of grains which had been predicted.
"Five bushels, captain," said Pencroft, alter having scrupulously measured his treasure.
"Five bushels," replied the engineer; "and a hundred and thirty thousand grains a bushel will make six hundred and fifty thousand grains."
"Well, we will sow them all this time," said the sailor, "except a little in reserve."
"Yes, Pencroft, and if the next crop gives a proportionate yield, we shall have four thousand bushels."
"And shall we eat bread?"
"We shall eat bread."
"But we must have a mill.
"We will make one."
The third corn-field was very much larger than the two first, and the soil, prepared with extreme care, received the precious seed. That done, Pencroft returned to his work.
During this time Spilett and Herbert hunted in the neighborhood, and they ventured deep into the still unknown parts of the Far West, their guns loaded with ball, ready for any dangerous emergency. It was a vast thicket of magnificent trees, crowded together as if pressed for room. The exploration of these dense masses of wood was difficult in the extreme, and the reporter never ventured there without the pocket-compass, for the sun scarcely pierced through the thick foliage and it would have been very difficult for them to retrace their way. It naturally happened that game was more rare in those situations where there was hardly sufficient room to move; two or three large herbivorous animals were however killed during the last fortnight of April. These were koalas, specimens of which the settlers had already seen to the north of the lake, and which stupidly allowed themselves to be killed among the thick branches of the trees in which they took refuge. Their skins were brought back to Granite House, and there, by the help of sulphuric acid, they were subjected to a sort of tanning process which rendered them capable of being used.
On the 30th of April, the two sportsmen were in the depth of the Far West, when the reporter, preceding Herbert a few paces, arrived in a sort of clearing, into which the trees more sparsely scattered had permitted a few rays to penetrate. Gideon Spilett was at first surprised at the odor which exhaled from certain plants with straight stalks, round and branchy, bearing grape-like clusters of flowers and very small berries. The reporter broke off one or two of these stalks and returned to the lad, to whom he said,--
"What can this be, Herbert?"
"Well, Mr. Spilett," said Herbert, "this is a treasure which will secure you Pencroft's gratitude forever."
"Is it tobacco?"
"Yes, and though it may not be of the first quality, it is none the less tobacco!"
"Oh, good old Pencroft! Won't he be pleased! But we must not let him smoke it all, he must give us our share."
"Ah! an idea occurs to me, Mr. Spilett," replied Herbert. "Don't let us say anything to Pencroft yet; we will prepare these leaves, and one fine day we will present him with a pipe already filled!"
"All right, Herbert, and on that day our worthy companion will have nothing left to wish for in this world."
The reporter and the lad secured a good store of the precious plant, and then returned to Granite House, where they smuggled it in with as much precaution as if Pencroft had been the most vigilant and severe of custom-house officers.
Cyrus Harding and Neb were taken into confidence, and the sailor suspected nothing during the whole time, necessarily somewhat long, which was required in order to dry the small leaves, chop them up, and subject them to a certain torrefaction on hot stones. This took two months; but all these manipulations were successfully carried on unknown to Pencroft, for, occupied with the construction of his boat, he only returned to Granite House at the hour of rest.
For some days they had observed an enormous animal two or three miles out in the open sea swimming around Lincoln Island. This was a whale of the largest size, which apparently belonged to the southern species, called the "Cape Whale."
"What a lucky chance it would be if we could capture it!" cried the sailor. "Ah! if we only had a proper boat and a good harpoon, I would say 'After the beast,' for he would be well worth the trouble of catching!"
"Well, Pencroft," observed Harding, "I should much like to watch you handling a harpoon. It would be very interesting."
"I am astonished," said the reporter, "to see a whale in this comparatively high latitude."
"Why so, Mr. Spilett?" replied Herbert. "We are exactly in that part of the Pacific which English and American whalemen call the whale field, and it is here, between New Zealand and South America, that the whales of the Southern Hemisphere are met with in the greatest numbers."
And Pencroft returned to his work, not without uttering a sigh of regret, for every sailor is a born fisherman, and if the pleasure of fishing is in exact proportion to the size of the animal, one can judge how a whaler feels in sight of a whale. And if this had only been for pleasure! But they could not help feeling how valuable such a prize would have been to the colony, for the oil, fat, and bones would have been put to many uses.
Now it happened that this whale appeared to have no wish to leave the waters of the island. Therefore, whether from the windows of Granite House, or from Prospect Heights, Herbert and Gideon Spilett, when they were not hunting, or Neb, unless presiding over his fires, never left the telescope, but watched all the animal's movements. The cetacean, having entered far into Union Bay, made rapid furrows across it from Mandible Cape to Claw Cape, propelled by its enormously powerful flukes, on which it supported itself, and making its way through the water at the rate little short of twelve knots an hour. Sometimes also it approached so near to the island that it could be clearly distinguished. It was the southern whale, which is completely black, the head being more depressed than that of the northern whale.
They could also see it throwing up from its air-holes to a great height a cloud of vapor, or of water, for, strange as it may appear, naturalists and whalers are not agreed on this subject. Is it air or is it water which is thus driven out? It is generally admitted to be vapor, which, condensing suddenly by contact with the cold air, falls again as rain.
However, the presence of this mammifer preoccupied the colonists. It irritated Pencroft especially, as he could think of nothing else while at work. He ended by longing for it, like a child for a thing which it has been denied. At night he talked about it in his sleep, and certainly if he had had the means of attacking it, if the sloop had been in a fit state to put to sea, he would not have hesitated to set out in pursuit.
But what the colonists could not do for themselves chance did for them, and on the 3rd of May shouts from Neb, who had stationed himself at the kitchen window, announced that the whale was stranded on the beach of the island.
Herbert and Gideon Spilett, who were just about to set out hunting, left their guns, Pencroft threw down his ax, and Harding and Neb joining their companions, all rushed towards the scene of action.
The stranding had taken place on the beach of Flotsam Point, three miles from Granite House, and at high tide. It was therefore probable that the cetacean would not be able to extricate itself easily; at any rate it was best to hasten, so as to cut off its retreat if necessary. They ran with pick-axes and iron-tipped poles in their hands, passed over the Mercy bridge, descended the right bank of the river, along the beach, and in less than twenty minutes the settlers were close to the enormous animal, above which flocks of birds already hovered.
"What a monster!" cried Neb.
And the exclamation was natural, for it was a southern whale, eighty feet long, a giant of the species, probably not weighing less than a hundred and fifty thousand pounds!
In the meanwhile, the monster thus stranded did not move, nor attempt by struggling to regain the water while the tide was still high.
It was dead, and a harpoon was sticking out of its left side.
"There are whalers in these quarters, then?" said Gideon Spilett directly.
"Oh, Mr. Spilett, that doesn't prove anything!" replied Pencroft. "Whales have been known to go thousands of miles with a harpoon in the side, and this one might even have been struck in the north of the Atlantic and come to die in the south of the Pacific, and it would be nothing astonishing."
Pencroft, having torn the harpoon from the animal's side, read this inscription on it:
"A vessel from the Vineyard! A ship from my country!" he cried. "The 'Maria Stella!' A fine whaler, 'pon my word; I know her well! Oh, my friends, a vessel from the Vineyard!--a whaler from the Vineyard!"
And the sailor brandishing the harpoon, repeated, not without emotion, the name which he loved so well--the name of his birthplace.
But as it could not be expected that the "Maria Stella" would come to reclaim the animal harpooned by her, they resolved to begin cutting it up before decomposition should commence. The birds, who had watched this rich prey for several days, had determined to take possession of it without further delay, and it was necessary to drive them off by firing at them repeatedly.
The whale was a female, and a large quantity of milk was taken from it, which, according to the opinion of the naturalist Duffenbach, might pass for cow's milk, and, indeed, it differs from it neither in taste, color, nor density.
Pencroft had formerly served on board a whaling-ship, and he could methodically direct the operation of cutting up, a sufficiently disagreeable operation lasting three days, but from which the settlers did not flinch, not even Gideon Spilett, who, as the sailor said, would end by making a "real good castaway."
The blubber, cut in parallel slices of two feet and a half in thickness, then divided into pieces which might weigh about a thousand pounds each, was melted down in large earthen pots brought to the spot, for they did not wish to taint the environs of Granite House, and in this fusion it lost nearly a third of its weight.
But there was an immense quantity of it; the tongue alone yielded six thousand pounds of oil, and the lower lip four thousand. Then, besides the fat, which would insure for a long time a store of stearine and glycerine, there were still the bones, for which a use could doubtless be found, although there were neither umbrellas nor stays used at Granite House. The upper part of the mouth of the cetacean was, indeed, provided on both sides with eight hundred horny blades, very elastic, of a fibrous texture, and fringed at the edge like great combs, at which the teeth, six feet long, served to retain the thousands of animalculae, little fish, and molluscs, on which the whale fed.
The operation finished, to the great satisfaction of the operators, the remains of the animal were left to the birds, who would soon make every vestige of it disappear, and their usual daily occupations were resumed by the inmates of Granite House.
However, before returning to the dockyard, Cyrus Harding conceived the idea of fabricating certain machines, which greatly excited the curiosity of his companions. He took a dozen of the whale's bones, cut them into six equal parts, and sharpened their ends.
"This machine is not my own invention, and it is frequently employed by the Aleutian hunters in Russian America. You see these bones, my friends; well, when it freezes, I will bend them, and then wet them with water till they are entirely covered with ice, which will keep them bent, and I will strew them on the snow, having previously covered them with fat. Now, what will happen if a hungry animal swallows one of these baits? Why, the heat of his stomach will melt the ice, and the bone, springing straight, will pierce him with its sharp points."
"Well! I do call that ingenious!" said Pencroft.
"And it will spare the powder and shot," rejoined Cyrus Harding.
"That will be better than traps!" added Neb.
In the meanwhile the boat-building progressed, and towards the end of the month half the planking was completed. It could already be seen that her shape was excellent, and that she would sail well.
Pencroft worked with unparalleled ardor, and only a sturdy frame could have borne such fatigue; but his companions were preparing in secret a reward for his labors, and on the 31st of May he was to meet with one of the greatest joys of his life.
On that day, after dinner, just as he was about to leave the table, Pencroft felt a hand on his shoulder.
It was the hand of Gideon Spilett, who said,--
"One moment, Master Pencroft, you mustn't sneak off like that! You've forgotten your dessert."
"Thank you, Mr. Spilett," replied the sailor, "I am going back to my work."
"Well, a cup of coffee, my friend?"
"Nothing more."
"A pipe, then?"
Pencroft jumped up, and his great good-natured face grew pale when he saw the reporter presenting him with a ready-filled pipe, and Herbert with a glowing coal.
The sailor endeavored to speak, but could not get out a word; so, seizing the pipe, he carried it to his lips, then applying the coal, he drew five or six great whiffs. A fragrant blue cloud soon arose, and from its depths a voice was heard repeating excitedly,--
"Tobacco! real tobacco!"
"Yes, Pencroft," returned Cyrus Harding, "and very good tobacco too!"
"O, divine Providence; sacred Author of all things!" cried the sailor. "Nothing more is now wanting to our island."
And Pencroft smoked, and smoked, and smoked.
"And who made this discovery?" he asked at length. "You, Herbert, no doubt?"
"No, Pencroft, it was Mr. Spilett."
"Mr. Spilett!" exclaimed the sailor, seizing the reporter, and clasping him to his breast with such a squeeze that he had never felt anything like it before.
"Oh Pencroft," said Spilett, recovering his breath at last, "a truce for one moment. You must share your gratitude with Herbert, who recognized the plant, with Cyrus, who prepared it, and with Neb, who took a great deal of trouble to keep our secret."
"Well, my friends, I will repay you some day," replied the sailor. "Now we are friends for life."
The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 11
The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 9
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 11
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 12
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 13
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 17
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 18
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 19
- The Mysterious Island - Part 2. Abandoned - Chapter 20
- The Mysterious Island - Part 3. The Secret Of The Island - Chapter 1
- The Mysterious Island - Part 3. The Secret Of The Island - Chapter 2
- The Mysterious Island - Part 3. The Secret Of The Island - Chapter 3


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text:
Combined organization will provide a high-performing portfolio of water and process solutions around the globe
Dow Water Solutions and Rohm and Haas Ion Exchange Resins have combined their respective businesses, forming Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. This new business entity, based in Edina, Minn., comes as a result of Dow's acquisition of Rohm and Haas, which was completed April 1.
"This is a great day for our customers, employees and partners," said Ian Barbour, general manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions. "Through a broad portfolio of water and process solutions, and expanded capabilities to meet the needs of our customers, Dow Water & Process Solutions has solidified its status as an industry leader in the marketplace. As we look to the future our business will provide customers, in both communities and industries alike, innovative technology offerings supported by a global network of experts."
The larger scale of Dow Water & Process Solutions will improve the business' ability to invest in the innovative research and technology required to provide reliable, high-quality products and services to drive improved operational efficiencies in a number of major application areas, including industrial and municipal water, industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and waste and water reuse.
Added Barbour, "We have worked tirelessly over the past several months to position the combined company for a seamless integration so that Dow Water & Process Solutions can immediately and fully deliver on our customers' expectations."
The new integrated organization will offer customers a broader portfolio of solutions than either company could provide previously.


text:
Notice: On April 23, 2014, Statalist moved from an email list to a forum, based at statalist.org.
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
RE: st: Calendar weeks
Charles Vellutini <firstname.lastname@example.com>
"email@example.com" <email@example.com>
RE: st: Calendar weeks
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:31:28 -0800
Many thanks Nick. That IS more elegant.
-----Message d'origine-----
De : firstname.lastname@example.com [mailto:email@example.com] De la part de Nick Cox
Envoyé : mercredi 15 février 2012 10:38
À : email@example.com
Objet : Re: st: Calendar weeks
0. I hadn't noticed -epiweek- (SSC) -- please remember to explain _where_ user-written programs you refer to come from -- but you could just change the code in a cloned version.
1. See for a general review
Nicholas J. Cox
Stata tip 68: Week assumptions
The Stata Journal
Volume 10 Number 4: pp. 682-685
2. Suppose you have daily dates and a year variable then week numbering within a year for weeks starting on Mondays is given by
bysort year (dailydate) : gen weekno = sum(dow(dailydate) == 1)
With this rule any days before the first Monday in a given year are labelled 0. If you want week numbering always to start at 1 the fix will be something like
replace weekno = weekno + 1 if dow(mdy(1,1,year)) != 1
3. You don't say what you expect to happen for weeks that begin in one calendar year and finish in the next.
The start of the week for the current day is just
gen monday = dailydate - cond(dow(dailydate) == 0, 6, dow(dailydate) - 1)
In many ways the simplest system is to label weeks by the Mondays that start them; that cuts out the overlap issue.
On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 9:04 AM, Charles Vellutini <email@example.com> wrote:
> Sorry if this has been asked before (could not find it though): is there a function to compute the calendar week number (that is: the week starting on Monday and ending on Sunday) for any given date, or alternatively to compute the Monday of the week that date belongs to -- as opposed to the standard Stata approach to weeks (where the first week of the year is made of the first 7 days of the years, regardless of the day of the week of the first day of the year, and so on, if I am not mistaken).
> I am aware of user-written -epiweek- but that defines a week as starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday, so that won't work for me.
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/


text:
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Hey all,
Well it's that time again, but instead of for myself this time, it's for the missus. I'm planning to get her the following setup, but my knowledge of GFX cards is a little waining now-a-days so I was wondering if I could get your advice about which would offer the best bang for buck:
Case: Antec 300
PSU: Antec True Power 750W
MB: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz
HD: 120GB Corsair Force 3 SATA III
Seagate 1TB Hard Drive SATAIII 7200rpm 64MB Cache
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K (OC'd to 4.5Ghz)
Cooler: Corsair H80i
OS: Windows 7 Professional
The two GFX cards I am weighing up are similar prices, and my gut instinct says trust Nvidia as they seem to be more regular in releasing driver updates, however I don't want my own personal bias to overweigh value for money. My understanding is that the 7870 is more powerful than the 660 GTX, but how is driver support for the 7870?
Please bare in mind that noise levels are important for me, which is why I went for cards sporting these style of coolers.
Just a quick note, if you are looking for quiet and cool I'd highly recommend you check out Asus' DirectCU II line-up. The cooler is specifically designed to offer both (and thus tend to cost a bit more than others). Such as the following:
Originally posted by darkcircuit
In fact I usually do buy the Asus cards, I have the direct cu ii 570 in my machine The Asus 7870 is significantly more money though
Haha, that's kinda funny but it also means you have a standard that you are used to which should you decide to not go that route you can expect all others to produce more noise at a given temp level. That's the price we pay to keep quite/cool systems running.
Neither IMO.
Get a ATI 7950 or a Nvidia 670 gtx.
Thanks for the advice guys
I'm afraid I would want to look at max around £200 so any AMD card above the 7870 is out of my price range and anything above the 660 GTX is the same. This GFX card is actually replacing the one in my missus new PC which is an old 4870, the 570 GTX is in my machine
Dunno what you're smoking Mo, even a 7850 maxes PS2 our comfortably.
OP, if you can stretch to it the 7950 ICEQ Boost £239 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1673
If £200 is set in stone then the 7870 XT for £191 is the best you'll get, it sits between the normal 7870 and the 7950 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-312-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411
A Radeon HD 7870 is a little faster than a GeForce GTX 660. It's not a big difference, but if it's also cheaper, that makes the 7870 an easy choice. They're both good on drivers.


text:
Di·vin·i·ty n.; pl. Divinities
1. The state of being divine; the nature or essence of God; deity; godhead.
When he attributes divinity to other things than God, it is only a divinity by way of participation. --Bp. Stillingfleet.
2. The Deity; the Supreme Being; God.
This the divinity that within us. --Addison.
3. A pretended deity of pagans; a false god.
Beastly divinities, and droves of gods. --Prior.
4. A celestial being, inferior to the supreme God, but superior to man.
God . . . employing these subservient divinities. --Cheyne.
5. Something divine or superhuman; supernatural power or virtue; something which inspires awe.
They say there is divinity in odd numbers. --Shak.
There's such divinity doth hedge a king. --Shak.
6. The science of divine things; the science which treats of God, his laws and moral government, and the way of salvation; theology.
Divinity is essentially the first of the professions. --Coleridge.
Case divinity, casuistry.
◄ ►


text:
I always say, you should watch the spammers and the porn guys for the best ideas in undiscovered internet marketing strategy. While it's not a particularly new idea for publishers and AdSense
whores affiliates to quickly throw up a "splog" page that is optimized for breaking and celebrity news (in part, that's what got the Huffington Post acquired for $315M), it's rare to see this tactic being used by a legit brand, and rarer still to see it part of a larger comprehensive branded content strategy.
Let's consider how it might be utilized successfully by a fashion brand like Kenneth Cole. Yes, the same Kenneth Cole who most recently tried this tactic in a completely ham-fisted way on Twitter. Had he been properly instructed inside of a larger social media strategy that was matched to a content strategy, this whole ugly incident might have been avoided. And in fact, he could probably still have capitalized on the Cairo riots but not been lambasted for it.
It starts with basic brand strategy: who's your audience, and what news/topical items do they care about most? Judging by the clean cut models on the Kenneth Cole site, I'm guessing their target demographic is neo-preppy, urban, white or Asian (weird that they have lots of Asian chick models but mostly white male models), M/F, conservative (except for the Log Cabin Republicans that might wear this shirt), and between the ages of 22-35 with high household income. (We're talking about the main KC line, not Reaction which is targeted a bit more mass appeal.)
So let's pretend that we did some market research on our audience and found that overwhelmingly they tend to follow world politics and business, since so many of them travel internationally and need to know what's going on (and what to wear). Now we need to find a logical and authentic way to foster a content strategy that's tied to breaking world political news. Notice I said "authentic" – the most overused term and underutilized tactic in social media. (Side rant: It's just plain hard for marketers to be authentic cuz we're way too impatient to get to a sales message, or because we're being held to a stringent ROI formula by the boss which allows for almost no creative risk taking.)
But here's the weird thing about appearances – if someone presents the same face often enough, it's perceived as authentic and "real" by audiences, even if it's a complete hoax. Witness Fake Steve Jobs and Stephen Colbert: people know these characters don't really exist, but they're fully formed and authentic characters in our minds nonetheless.
The Kenneth Cole brand persona is actually somewhat smug, self-centered and shallow. Witness this attempt to tie fashion to the political issue of privacy invasion. It's just so random, and there's nothing else on the site about privacy news stories or opinions. Just…hot models…on cameras…walking around…making out. Which makes me soooo incensed about my personal rights to privacy. I guess.
So: Kenneth Cole's problem wasn't really authenticity; it's that he hadn't been consistent – consistency is the new authenticity!
If he had built up a consistent content strategy of videos, blog posts and social media conversations that made light of ALL hot political topics in a semi-serious way (more naive than mean spirited, more Colbert than Drudge), and published at least 3-5 quick items in response to daily breaking news (heavily optimizing for keywords like proper names and country+topic), then you'd have a fully integrated approach and a chance to expose your "let them eat cake" brand message to a larger news-reading audience.
What you DON'T want it to end up looking like: http://twitter.com/#!/kennethcolepr
What you DO want it to end up looking like: http://www.lifelounge.com.au/technology/news/facebook-break_up-notifier.aspx
Sexy. Smart-ish and outsider-y. Informed but somewhat banal. Yay for Lifelounge, the grooviest hipster fashion/art/music/culture site ever. Perhaps a content partnership is called for?


text:
Product Description
Pack of 1000 Compostable & Bio-degradable bag 120x162mm to fit a C6 size envelope.
At last a 'Green' clear display bag for putting your finished cards and prints etc. into for resale.
These bags are made in the UK from film that has been accredited to 'OK biobased' and DIN EN 13432. They are made from annually renewable PLA derived from vegetable starches (potato, sugar beet etc.) and are fully biodegradable and compostable, breaking down to CO2 and H2O and biomass (compost).
Ideal for greetings cards bio-bags are barely distinguishable from their polypropylene equivalents, offering similar clarity, rigidity and protection. However, they are slightly less robust - if used for bulky items they will show white marks if you crumple them up, so they are not strong enough for very heavy items.
If you need to use clear packaging for your cards etc. these bags are as green as you can get and offer a viable environmentally friendly alternative to polypropylene.
In normal conditions bio-film bags are quite stable - with ideal conditions (at room temperature, kept away from humidity and direct sunlight) shelf life should be up to 12 months but may well run a good bit longer (Some of our original corn starch bags lasted a good bit longer but the new vegetable starch bags were only launched last year so until they start to degrade we don't have a definitive time scale). The main thing to avoid is prolonged exposure to humidity - avoiding excessive heat, moisture and light will maximise shelf life. (If a bag is splashed with water they don't start to degrade immediately. If wiped off straight away they should come to no harm.)
All our biofilm (and cellophane) bags are fully biodegradable and compostable which means that they break down to CO2, H20 and biomass which can then be reused in the eco system to make new plants. This will happen in either in home or commercial composting but in commercial composting the temperature will be higher and the process is much quicker. In a colder home composter it will just take longer.
These bags are primarily intended for greetings card and prints but we do not guarantee the suitability of these products for any specific purpose. You must conduct your own tests on products before placing orders, to ensure that they are suitable for your requirements. We are happy to supply sample products for you to run your own tests on, before ordering or you can also use our sample service before you place a large order. (All our recycled, renewable and compostable materials are natural products which liable to variation so we advise that all orders should be checked for any variation before using them.)
Biofilm is a natural product designed to compost at end of use. However, it is not an exact like for like replacement for Polyprop or PVC. It has different properties in use, and although it has a similar appearance, it is not as forgiving of rough treatment as the petro-chemical bags it replaces. Therefore, to get the best from compostable bags we recommend that they should be kept away from high temperatures and humidity, which along with careful handling and the correct storage will avoid damage to its appearance and maximise shelf life.
PLA (Vegetable Starch) -
To view our PLA information sheet please Click Here
Additional Information
Additional Information
|Clear Display Bag Dimensions
|Bio degradable
|Plain Lip, No Seal
|Pack Quantity
|To Fit
Symbols Key
This product is made from recycled paper.
This product is biodegradable at end of life.
This product is compostable at end of life.
|This is a print grade material, suitable for most print
mediums/home and office printers,
rubber-stamps, screen printing and letterpress etc.
Glue is required in the assembly of this product.
|No glue is required in the assembly of this product.
|Suitable for printing with rubber-stamps, screen printing,
foiling and letterpress etc.
|Made in Britain for eco-craft by selected suppliers.
Suitable for food use.
Made without the use of any animal products or
Made in Britain by eco-craft with materials sourced
Specification Sheets
Card & Paper Spec Sheets
Natural Range -
To view our Natural range specification sheet please Click Here
Colour Range -
To view our Colour range specification sheet please Click Here
Superior Range -
To view our Superior range specification sheet please Click Here
Vintage Range -
To view our Natural range specification sheet please Click Here
Specialist Card & Papers Range -
To view our Colour range specification sheet please Click Here
Biodegradable film spec sheets
Cellulose -
To view our cellulose information sheet please Click Here
To view the cellulose specification sheet please Click Here
To view the cellulose (Natureflex) BRC certificate please Click Here
To view the cellulose (Natureflex) document of compliance please Click Here
PLA (Corn/Potato Starch) -
To view our PLA information sheet please Click Here


text:
3600 Boston Avenue, Benbrook, TX 76116
Registration is underway for the 14th annual Fort Worth Technology Conference.
Make plans now to be part of an invigorating event that promises to offer practical technology tools educators can take back and immediately implement in their lesson plans and administrative tasks.
"The Fort Worth Technology Conference isn't about the technology. It's about teacher and classroom transformation," said Dr. Becky Navarre, assistant superintendent of technology for the Division of Academics. "There's a session for everyone at FWTC to meet you where you are in the technology integration journey. There's no hidden agenda here; the objective is to learn and grow in our craft to make a better tomorrow for our students."
Nearly 400 people have already registered to attend, so make plans to be part of the fun.
Registration is free for all FWISD educators, and the campus with the most attendees will win a prize. Pre-register by January 18 and receive a box lunch and conference gift. Admission for out-of-district attendees is $35 for those who register by January 18 and $40 on-site.
The FWTC is slated from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, January 26 at Southwest High School.
For more conference details, visit www.fwisd.org/fwtc.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the Fort Worth ISD Mobile App for the latest information


text:
OROVILLE — A proposed agricultural chemical storage and distribution facility will come under the scrutiny of the Butte County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
The Helena Chemical Nelson Terminal Project, which calls for the creation of a fertilizer and pesticide storage and distribution facility on 10 acres of a 26-acre parcel located north of Nelson Road and off the Union Pacific Railroad, is on the agenda for
a public hearing Tuesday.
The county's Zoning Ordinance, which was approved on Dec. 10, 2012, allows for this kind of an operation in an ag zone with a use permit.
On Nov. 8 of last year, the county Planning Commission approved a use permit and environmental documents for the project.
On Nov. 19 of last year, an appeal of the Planning Commission's actions was filed on behalf of the Lundberg Family and the Lundberg Family Farms.
The appeal alleges the location is inappropriate for the proposed activities and that storm-water protection for the site should be constructed to the 200-year-storm status.
The hearing is set at 10:30 a.m.
Also during Tuesday's meeting, a report from the Butte County Association of Governments will be presented to the supervisors on the Butte Regional Conservation Plan.
In another action, the board will meet with the county's lobbyists to review its state and federal legislative platform for the coming year.
The platforms address issues such as energy, water, public infrastructure, local government finances, health and human services, and public safety, according to the description in the agenda.
The general board meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Supervisors Chambers, 25 County Center Drive, in Oroville.
Butte County Board of Supervisors
9 a.m. Tuesday,
Supervisors Chambers, 25 County Center Drive, Oroville
Staff writer Roger H. Aylworth can be reached at 896-7762, email@example.com, or on Twitter @RogerAylworth.


text:
Track the status and respond to your submitted questions online. In order to view a specific case, please enter the case number in question. In order to view a listing of all of your cases enter your email address into the provided textfield. We reserve the right to delete old cases at any time.
Before submitting a question, please be sure to view our FAQ Section, where your question may have already been answered. Please fill out the form below. (DO NOT ENTER HTML TAGS).


text:
ORGANIZER: Team Fox Louisiana
Team Fox Louisiana wrote -
Kickin' Parkinsons is proud to be a Charity Partner of the 2015 Crescent City Classic and hope that you will join us as a Charity Runner, Volunteer or Donor. This effort is being led by the Steve Reisig family in honor of Steve's father, Wilbert and his Grandfather, Wilbert H Reisig, Sr. We hope that other families and friends of loved ones affected by Parkinson's will consider joining us on April 4th to show their support.
When Quentin Dastugue was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2010, his first action was to volunteer for a Clinical Trial Study using the Fox Trial Finder. It was during this process that he learned more about the Michael J Fox Foundation and its unrelenting quest to speed a cure of Parkinson's disease, the world's second most common degenerative brain disease, impacting nearly 5 million people worldwide. To date, the MJFF has awarded over $400 million in grants and is the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research in the world. For those of us who know and love Quentin, his actions are not surprising as he has always responded to adversity and challenge with dignity, action and a great sense of optimism and hope.
Quentin's next step was to create Kickin' Parkinson's in support of the MJFF joining 1,600 other Team Fox grassroots efforts around the country. In its third year, Kickin' Parkinson's became the 3rd highest Team Fox fundraiser in the country, raising over $300,000 in 2014. Due to a grant, 100% of these funds go directly into research for a cure and for medical therapies to alleviate the symptoms for those living with Parkinson's Disease.
See you on April 4th!
The Kickin' Parkinson's Committee
The Team: $39,760 TOTAL RAISED SO FARJOIN THE TEAM
Donor Comments
Jim Barnett
Keep up the good work , maybe all of this working out will help your golf game. Jim 5 years ago


text:
Frowns - Monday 24/09/2012, 21:45
Imperator - At the End of the World
It seems like 10,000 players online is an average number these days. Was it less or more a few years ago?
wasteroftime - Thursday 27/09/2012, 07:15
Titan - Open Casket
Yep, ready to use starter decks is definitely a good direction to move towards
the old premade decks that you could buy for a few credits.. those definitely would be suitable starting decks new player decks.
as for inflation of prices... lol. a virtual economy with virtually infinite money flow and no real money sink is doomed to inflate.
DeepEnd - Thursday 27/09/2012, 08:35
Guru - Limit Break
I have always thought about this inflation thing, and how important/meaningful it is on the market and why I dont personally feel that this inflation is bad thing.
Last night I realized it. Urban Rivals is bi-currency system. Clintz are relative currency - thus it has things like relative value thus it can have inflation.
Second currency is credits... they are absolute value since they turn to cards - that are measured against inflated price. Inflation concerns clintz - but not credits.
Hence - inflation is real, but it is nullified by the fact that the absolute value of packs does not change (and that value is not measured in clintz - and if it is then it is "daily rate" - thus it gives out fair outcome). Everyman's ability to create clintz is roughly equal, it just wont be same number now and later - but it will buy same relative amount of cards now and then.
This all means that inflation is real, but its just feature in the economic model of UR, it has no real ill effects to anyone but people sitting on idle pile of clintz.
How to personallty brace against inflation?
Simple. Own cards - not clintz. You should concern clintz "hot" and get rid of them pretty fast. I estimate each month you sit on idle pile of clintz eats away about 2% of its worth.
" trading through the market is only secondary to garnering"
Says who? If you ask me market is the best and most interesting game mode in UR. Market tournaments can last easily years
DeepEnd - Thursday 27/09/2012, 08:55
Guru - Limit Break
"a virtual economy with virtually infinite money flow and no real money sink is doomed to inflate."
The biggest moneysinks:
1) Kate tax.
2) Infinite moneyspace created by CR's that both grow in price and in total number.
3) Failed investment schemes (Buy Bob Jobys at 1000 and resell them at 150 = 850 clintz dissappear. *POOF*)
4) Collections that are not for sale.
5) People quitting and shutting their wealth permanently.
There are your logical money sinks.
We are on the uphill regarding inflation. The prices can still grow, and if UR introduces new sources of clintz the inflation can grow in the future too. But the moment UR's ability to create money is less than the Kate fee collected from total market actions + money spend to new cards this system starts running out of money - and once that happens the prices will have to come down, either by investors free-willing actions or by natural supply clogging the schemes.
wasteroftime - Friday 28/09/2012, 07:04
Titan - Open Casket
I think people are overthinking the concept of inflation... inflation is far simpler than what a lot of previous post on this topic make it out to be.
What is the purchasing power of 1 clint???? thats it. The best way to fight inflation is to own cards as DeepEnd has said
Is the amount of clintz entering the system on a weekly basis greater than the virtual value of the cards that enter the system on a weekly basis (plus kate tax, minus the amount of cards that are no longer in the system due to account retiring or being deleted forever). if the clintz entering is greater then prices will increase. if clintz is lower, then prices will drop.
since prices are increasing, one has to conclude that more clintz is entering the system than the value of new cards
as for sinks
1) Kate tax. -- this is really the only one
2) Infinite moneyspace created by CR's that both grow in price and in total number. -- this is not a sink, no clintz wil disappear in the process, only what kate takes.
3) Failed investment schemes (Buy Bob Jobys at 1000 and resell them at 150 = 850 clintz dissappear. *POOF*) -- again no clintz will leave the system, only what kate takes
4) Collections that are not for sale. -- this is actually a contributor to the increase in price. the less cards there are for sale, the more clintz there is that can be spent on a smaller pool of cards.
5) People quitting and shutting their wealth permanently. -- only if the person quitting has more clintz than cards. removing cards from the system means the clintz have less places to go... driving the price up of the remaining cards. if a person quits with 8 million clintz and cards worth 2 million, then we can say that roughly 8 million clintz have left the system... but so has 2 million clintz worth of resources.... for a net loss of about 6million clintz from the UR economy
the market can be a fun place once you get your teeth into it, but in the long run.... not sure the trend continuing is good for the overall health of the game
ghelas - Friday 28/09/2012, 08:00
Titan - E X C A L I B U R
Interesting to see both sides of the inflation debate. I have mixed feelings on the above -- it's a complicated process, and it's quite difficult to see where all this will lead. On one hand, a new player might feel intimidated by sky-high card prices. On the other hand, a new player might pull a 70k card out of a New Blood pack, and easily buy two or three solid half-decks with that money.
I do have this to say, however. I used to play a certain online game which involved a lengthy grind, with many items being incredibly rare (dropping off 1 in 10,000 monsters.) There was no decay or sink for items, and almost no decay or sink for small in-game currency. Eventually this resulted in sky-high prices for rare items, because people could ultimately afford to pay them. There was a period of frantic high-price trading, and then... A sort of crash. People simply ran out of things to want, and prices rapidly fell. Even the poor players had tens of millions of currency and at least a few ridiculously rare things that might take a month of grinding to be able to loot, simply because there were enough players out there with no use for it. Trading didn't make much sense anymore.
UR looks as though it can avoid this fate due to the fact that new cards are introduced every 2 weeks. However, that means the cost of new cards must be greater than what a player is able to make in 2 weeks. So, I think new release prices will keep growing in a huge way, a bit "ahead" of inflation.
mahawirasd - Friday 28/09/2012, 16:34
Imperator - Immortality
Oshi ghelas, you played RO?
well, in RO, inflation really is an issue like how you described it, so it really depends on the server to install counter-measures. There are a variety of means to do so, and i happen to have found one such server that has been able to keep inflation at bay for over 5 years.
But i digress.
I basically think deepend and wasteroftime discussed it quite thoroughly. However, there might be some options we could explore to help sink more clintz.
for example: the lucky draw/roulette - it used to reward Crs, but currently it rewards money
this is a somewhat unfortunate development imho.
Although it does have the potential to sink money from the unlucky tickets, but it still has that slight chance of infusing so much more to the game. I do not know whether the house cheats or if it is given a fair chance (to recoup your clintz in the long run), but the fact of the matter is that it sill has that chance (no matter how small).
I understand that reverting it to reward Crs would be somewhat silly, but perhaps we could make it reward roulette tickets or cards of varying values rather than clintz. Although cards can still be sold back to kate for clintz, it is usually of more value in the market. This will create more doubles and more fluid markets - coupled with the sale tax, this is a good thing.
ghelas - Saturday 29/09/2012, 01:58
Titan - E X C A L I B U R
Yep, RO was the game in question.
I think your ideas are pretty sound. Basically if we want to fight inflation, we need a way for players to transform clintz into cards that don't come from other players, but are created by the game. And yes, that will naturally devalue cards somewhat over time -- but that may not be such a bad thing.
Maybe the events that allow this kind of prize system can be something that happens once a month. That would encourage players to flock to them and dump a lot of clintz in while they can... At the same time, it wouldn't devalue cards as much as if it were always an available option.
I also like the idea of guilds putting up money for silly, cosmetic little guild perks -- forum badges and whatnot. Many guilds are hundreds strong, and it wouldn't be crazy to charge a guild 1-5 million for some silly status item, but it would help remove money from the game.
wasteroftime - Saturday 29/09/2012, 05:44
Titan - Open Casket
Switching the lottery so that you spend clintz to buy tickets, and tickets can win you cards/credits is one possibility. ofcourse the lotto just like any real life lotto is meant for almost everyone to lose but a few lucky winners might make playing the lottery attractive to some.
DT/ELO/DM/Survivor/whatever winners could be awarded less clintz but receive more cards/credits instead
the problem with inserting too many cards into the system is it can crash the system.... even the"rarest" non CR cards (and all the more recent Crs) in this game is surely oversupplied as it is, but there is an illusion of rarity that keeps us believing in the "worth" of each card
DeepEnd - Saturday 29/09/2012, 12:10
Guru - Limit Break
My suggestion to remove clintz from the market is to be able to rent high value cards for good price. You could roll out for example Guru Cr for 2 hours for 10000 clintz.
That would be both very attracting and removing clintz from the market - since they are lost to UR instead of other players.
Other clintz sink could be extented service - I would pay easily thousands of clintz to have peek at internal UR market details or have some for-clintz improvement to user interface (like being able to track all my favorite cards on the market on one screen.)
mahawirasd - Sunday 30/09/2012, 08:50
Imperator - Immortality
Ty Ghelas, your idea also seems to be very good. I like how you've brainstormed that out of nowhere!
although i agree regarding what you're getting at, i would contend that the market as it is now already has too many "non-rare" cards and that the lower end of the economy has "crashed" to the point that some cards are easier to sell back to kate for 40 clintz. If anything, such devaluation of cards due to over supply would only even out the inflation rate of the clintz. I realize that these projections are preliminary, therefore i value the discourse you have provided.
1. good idea on the card hire, although i could imagine it would be so hard to script.
2. sadly there are already several external sites dedicated to do just that. Nevertheless, your point about the added value it would have if it was hosted by UR itself as well as better interface could probably make it fly.


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Haffy scooped the field today, and got 2 FTF's, one of which was our new cache in Solon. Check the log, and you'll see that Haffy posted some great pictures of the area.
Bottom line: many of us carry digital cameras with us, so I encourage you to take pictures and post them with your log entry. I know - I hate to do it because I'm still stuck with dial-up and the upload speeds are DISMAL - but pictures like Haffy's really add a lot to the experience. The high water he captured will only be around for a week or two, so future cachers won't appreciate what the Kennebec in like some times.


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PITTSBURGH - Homer Bailey had a certain milestone on his mind when he walked to the mound Friday night. He wound up pulling off an even bigger feat.
Bailey pitched the seventh no-hitter in the majors this season, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The right-hander began the night with 195 innings pitched this season and was eager to reach 200 for the first time in his six-year career.
"I looked up at the scoreboard (after the fifth inning) to see if I had hit 200 and saw a couple of zeros," Bailey said. "That's when I knew I had a chance at a no-hitter. It's not something you think about doing."
It was the 15th no-hitter in Reds history and first since Tom Browning's perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 16, 1988.
The seven major league no-hitters match the modern record for one season, tying 1990 and 1991. There were eight no-hitters in 1884.
"I don't think there is any reason why there have been so many," Bailey said. "There is a real fine line there in throwing a no-hitter. A bloop can fall in the outfield or an infielder can be in the wrong position and there goes your hit. You have to be extremely fortunate to throw a no-hitter and we had luck on our side tonight."
Bailey (13-10) struck out 10 and walked one. He threw 115 pitches and retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Brock Holt before getting pinch-hitter Michael McKenry and Alex Presley to pop out.
When second baseman Brandon Phillips caught Presley's popup on the outfield grass, Bailey was mobbed near the mound by happy teammates and doused with water.
The 26-year-old Bailey improved to 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA in six career starts at PNC Park. All four of his complete games and both his shutouts have come against Pittsburgh.
It was the first time the Pirates had been held hitless since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson pitched the lone no-hitter of his career in 1971 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cincinnati, which clinched the NL Central title last Saturday, improved to 95-62. The Reds are tied with Washington for the best record in the NL.
Bailey has been touted as a future ace since Cincinnati selected him seventh overall in the 2004 amateur draft following his senior year of high school in LaGrange, Texas.
He has a 38-33 career record and has set a season high for wins. Reds bench coach Chris Speier, serving as acting manager while Dusty Baker recovers from a mini-stroke, thinks the no-hitter could serve as a benchmark moment for Bailey.
"He's always been a good thrower, but he's really learned how to pitch this season," Speier said. "You saw the evolution tonight."
The other no-hitters this season were thrown by Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox, Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels, Johan Santana of the New York Mets, Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants, Felix Hernandez of Seattle and a combined six-pitcher effort by the Mariners. Humber, Cain and Hernandez each had a perfect game.


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A Beaches-must, Cinotti's Bakery (1523 Penman Road, Jax Beach, 246-1728) is a fifth-generation bakery, dating back more than 65 years, arriving in Northeast Florida in 1964. Old-timers can recall its First Avenue North location, steps from the ocean. With über-popular seasonal pumpkin, maple bacon, coffee and key lime donuts, the "new" Penman Road spot serves other bakery confections and deli sandwiches on freshly baked bread. Cinotti's cases are overflowing with trays of cookies, pastries, cupcakes and chocolate truffles. Grab a decadent donut or two and a cup of coffee — and a box of assorted goodies to keep your home team happy.
Minutes from the beach is the wildly popular TacoLu (1712 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach, 249-8226), which locals quickly dubbed "NuLu" after a recent relocation. The larger 'Lu, with additional parking and valet service, has an expanded bar area and an outdoor patio with seating for 40, complete with a colorful mural on the building's side, painted by local artist Jessica Becker. You can feel full after just looking at the menu of quesadillas, enchiladas, salads and tacos. The bangin' shrimp taco is most popular, but the carne royale — carne asada with melted brie and grape salsa — is uniquely delicious. A relatively new weekend brunch service helps fans forgive that the 'Lu is closed on Mondays. Well, that and the impressive 120-plus choices of tequila. Even the sour mix is made in-house, with fresh-squeezed citrus and homemade simple syrup. Margarita, anyone?
For a healthful breakfast or lunch, look for the bee. At Delicomb (1131 Third St. N., Jax Beach, 372-4192), within walking distance from the beach, you'll find menu standouts like strong iced coffee, antioxidant-packed acai bowls, vegan tempeh Reubens and spicy kim chi.
Often crowded with seafood lovers, Sliders Seafood Grille (218 First St., Neptune Beach, 246-0881) provides a relaxed atmosphere that's perfect for cracking open crab legs and throwing back raw or steamed oysters. This quintessential coastal spot is a local favorite, and with a newly constructed patio area, there's no better place to enjoy your meal in perfect Florida weather. Thursdays are packed, for unbeatable specials like half-priced raw oysters by the dozen. And the Key lime pie is so popular, Sliders has been known to run out on occasion.
For an upscale dining experience, there's the appropriately named Eleven South Bistro (216 11th Ave. S., Jax Beach, 241-1112). Slightly tucked away in a residential area, Eleven South changes its new American-style (with a Mediterranean twist) menu based on the seasonality of ingredients. The atmosphere seems sophisticated, not stuffy, and a covered back patio area is popular year 'round. If you're into vino, stop by Sunday evening, when many bottles are half-price. Pair a glass with a cheese plate, and you're on your way to a stellar date night. Order the lobster mac-and-cheese, with small, tubular-shaped ditalini pasta and truffled goat cheese and tomato cream, or the savory escargot with tarragon butter, melted reggiano cheese and served with a crisp toasted baguette.
Also worth the trek east are three spots with the same local ownership — Marker 32 (14594 Beach Blvd., Intracoastal, 223-1534), Palm Valley Fish Camp (299 Roscoe Blvd. N., Ponte Vedra, 285-3200) and newcomer North Beach Fish Camp (100 First St., Neptune Beach, 249-3474) — which offer crowd-pleasing flavors focusing on fresh ingredients and seafood. Marker 32 skews upscale. The warm spinach salad with Swiss, mushroom, bacon and a tangy honey tarragon dressing is a must (insider tip: you can order a half-portion). The bacon, corn and goat cheese beignets with a smoky tomato sauce from the appetizer menu are so good, you'll want to order your own batch. Palm Valley is also on the ICW, but adopts a more casual tone with a creative menu and several daily specials scrawled in colorful chalk at the front door. Perennial hits are the Mayport shrimp-and-grits, broiled seafood platter, blue crab cakes with caper aioli and whole fried fish with fries. Traditional Southern tastes rule the roost here, too, with a low-country boil of shrimp, clams, crawfish and Andouille sausage, garnished with potatoes and corn on the cob. For the adventurous, a grilled octopus salad with white beans and datil vinaigrette will have your dining companions gawking. Save room for the made-to-order bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. North Beach Fish Camp occupies the former Caribbee Key spot at Beaches Town Center, where Atlantic Boulevard meets the ocean. The newly remodeled restaurant boasts bars downstairs and upstairs to serve the thirsty masses. The menu is similar to Palm Valley Fish Camp, so you can find your favorites at either location.


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Gift Card
From €30 Price as calculated Excl. Tax: €30
The prepaid Gift Card is valid for six months from the date of purchase and can only be redeemed online at the official Nomination online shop. It is not transferable to third parties, can be used towards one single purchase only, and cannot be recharged. If the value of your purchase is less than the value of your card, the remaining credit is expunged and will not be left on your Gift Card. If your order exceeds the value of your Gift Card, you must choose an additional payment method to complete your order and settle the outstanding balance.
For further information, please see Gift Card Terms and Conditions.
Shipping Times: 3 – 5 business days.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Members of the Grand Island Lions Club will conduct their annual White Cane Days on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24 and 25. This is a major fundraiser for Lions Clubs around the world. Monies collected are used to support programs and services for people who are blind or visually impaired as well as for sight conservation.
The GI Lions Club helps with a number of sight programs in the community, including supporting the Grand Island Memorial Library large print book section, screening preschool children for eye disease, vision correction for people in need, and support of the Ira Ross Eye Institute.
White Cane Chairman Henry Lobl along with Annette Boies-Lobl are pictured with the White Collection Canes made by Lions member Earl DeGlopper. Look for Lions collecting donations in front of Tops Market, at local bank entrances and on local streets on the above dates.


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Aeriel art
The @dronegirls_ Instragram feed provides a platform for women photo artists's drone pictures. Here, they tell us about their most beautiful and most exciting subjects
"Women go for vibrant colors"
An interview with Australian photographer Serena Coady, 24
On your Instagram feed, @dronegirls_, you only post photographs taken by women. No matter how spectacular, men's work is not welcome. Why not?
There's lots of space online for men to showcase their photographs. Drone photography is considered geeky. You have to be interested in tech and remote-control drones, something people generally associate with men. Many women photographers use drones, it's just that they tend to get overlooked. What I'm doing here is giving us our own platform.
When did you start out?
I got into drone photography about a year ago and started posting images on Instagram. When my followers asked me if I had taken the pictures myself, I thought it was an odd question at first, but then realized it's one that guys are never asked. So I decided to create a window exclusively for female photographers. Now there are quite a few such feeds and websites; it's turned into a real movement.
Every day, you view photos from women around the world. Is there a distinctive style to women's drone photography?
Men's photos are often cooler and more clearly structured. Women go for vibrant colors, more chaos and more complex compositions. But we're not talking about two worlds here, just slight differences.
What draws you to drone photography?
I really like movement, capturing roads and bodies of water. Also patterns and structures like mazes and hedges. Landscapes that look fairly ordinary from the ground reveal a spectacular beauty from the air. So I like to research on Google Earth, but only take the drone out once I've located a worthwhile subject. And I can get excited about the tech side. As they get smaller and smaller while featuring the same or an even greater range than previous models, drones offer new possibilities. The technology is making huge advances.
What's up next for you and the drone girls?
At first, only ten women used the Instagram feed, now there are more than 50 of us. That's just the beginning. I want to start a dronegirls' website and maybe an agency. We need to get to know each other better and network more.
High-flying performers
The University of Oslo's Megakopter can carry 61 kilos.
The Olympic rings in Pyeongchang: formed by 1218 drones.
The Drone Racing League's RacerX model flies 263 km/h.


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<sh>Cabbie Assaulted, Robbed
<bt>On Wednesday, Aug. 31, at approximately 4 a.m., a cab driver picked up a fare at Baltimore Washington Airport. He transported the man to the 10200 block of Roberts Common Lane in the Burke area. According to Fairfax County Police reports, the man left the car and told the cab driver that he would return with money from his mother. The man returned a short time later without any money and assaulted the driver, a 43-year-old Merrifield-area man. The suspect took the victim's cellular telephone and cash. He then fled the scene towards Scarborough Court. The victim suffered minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital. The suspect is described by police as black, approximately 6 feet tall, 170 pounds with short black hair. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and dark blue jeans.
<sh>Burke Church Turns 75
<bt>The Burke United Methodist Church celebrates its 75th anniversary with a picnic on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the church, 6200 Burke Centre Parkway.
"We want to invite the whole community," said anniversary coordinator Katie Buethe. The church started as a group of 35 people meeting in the old railroad station, previously used as a medical depot for soldiers during the Civil War, in 1929. The congregation is now about 2,000 people and growing, Buethe said, and wants its neighbors to share in the fun.
The celebration will include an antique car show, Civil War re-enactors, a craft fair, bake sale and displays of life in Burke in days gone by, Buethe said. Several merchants have donated goods as door prizes and local bands will be providing entertainment. The railroad station will also be open, offering a photo collection of the church's past, along with the station's original bell and the church's first hand-made cross. A complimentary lunch will be available from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
<sh>Clifton Dems To Discuss Education
The Democratic Women of Clifton will host a General Meeting on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 3-5 p.m. at the Clifton Community Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton. This month's speaker will be Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-35) who will discuss Virginia's education issues, including No Child Left Behind, SOLs and education funding.
A portion of this meeting will be dedicated to members and guests who need to speak out about the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
For more, e-mail email@example.com or call Kathy Kinter at 703-988-9565.
<bt>In the article "A Place To Go After School" [Connection, Sept. 2, 2005], an incorrect number was given for the amount of money that the Fairfax County School Board has invested in after-school programming a the middle school level. The correct amount is $950,000, which is approximately $30,000 for each of the county's 26 middle schools.
<sh>Checkpoint Results
<bt>Fairfax County Police officers from the West Springfield District Station conducted a sobriety checkpoint from Friday, Sept. 9, at 10 p.m. to Saturday, Sept. 10, at 1 a.m. All motorists were stopped, and the drivers were checked to assure their abilities to drive had not been impaired by alcohol or drugs. Approximately 510 cars passed through the checkpoint conducted on Burke Centre Parkway between Oak Leather Drive and Waters Edge Landing Lane. No motorists were arrested for driving while intoxicated, however six individuals were cited for other offenses.
<sh>Computer, Bicycling Recycling Day
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools, the Fairfax County Government and Service Source are teaming up to host a Computer and Bicycle Recycling Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Edison High School, 5801 Franconia Road, Alexandria. All computer equipment, repairable and better condition bicycles will be accepted. To defray costs, residents are requested to provide a $10 donation with each monitor or bicycle brought to the event. Receipts for tax purposes will be provided. Call 703-324-5230.
<sh>Explorers Information Session
<bt>The Fairfax County Law Enforcement Explorer Post hosts its annual recruitment and informational meeting on Monday, Sept. 26, from 7-9 p.m. at Police Headquarters, 4100 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax.
The Fairfax County Law Enforcement Explorer Post 1742 is open to Fairfax County's young adults ages 14-20. The program is administered by Fairfax County Police as a service to the residents of Fairfax County. Members receive law enforcement training, citizenship education, and gain experience in leadership roles.
Many active Fairfax County Police Officers were once Explorer Scouts, while many former Explorers have gone on to other career fields building upon the skills provided through the Explorer program. Call 703-246-4311.
<sh>NVCC Accepts Displaced Students
<bt>Northern Virginia Community College is opening its doors to displaced students from the Gulf Coast states. Anyone enrolled at an institution of higher education for the fall 2005 term whose courses were interrupted by the hurricane are eligible for in-state tuition rates at the college.
In addition, NVCC offers faculty, staff, students and community members many other opportunities to assist, including job training for displaced workers and opportunities to volunteer. Visit www.nvcc.org.
<sh>Auxiliary Officers Sought
<bt>Fairfax County Police has had an established Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) program since 1983, and has a current strength of approximately 85 volunteers. The next Auxiliary Police Academy session is being planned for early 2006. APOs are trained to perform a variety of operational support and administrative duties, which include patrol, traffic control, security of prisoners, communications, desk assignments, fingerprinting, crime prevention and special events. Auxiliary officers undergo almost as much training as regular police officers, but because they offer their services on a volunteer basis, they provide a considerable savings to county taxpayers while allowing patrol officers to handle assignments that only they can perform. The police department provides uniforms, equipment and insurance. Auxiliary officers must perform an average of 24 hours of volunteer service a month to maintain their status in the unit.
To be considered, applicants must live in Northern Virginia and be at least 21 years of age. Applicants must be in good health and without a criminal record or history of drug use, and not be an applicant for police officer in any jurisdiction. To apply, obtain a brochure or additional information about the Fairfax County Auxiliary Police Unit, contact 2nd Lt. Ed O'Carroll at 703-280-0701 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ps/police/Volunteers.htm.


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Hello... so far this site looks great. I tried using it on Opera 9.63 browser but I can't left click and drag the screen around. So I opened it in Netscape 9 and I can do this.
Perhaps I should email them.
Anyway, nice website!
(mouse wheel zooming would be great!)


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The $10 Wednesday Burger Special at Trenchermen in Chicago Is Sort of Worth It
2039 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 (map); 773-661-1540; trenchermen.com
Cooking Method:Griddled
Short Order: Great value, mediocre salty burger.
Price: Cheeseburger, $10; Pickle Tots, $12, Eggplant, $8
Editor's note (1/6/14): Trencherman chef/partner Patrick Sheerin left a comment below with important details about the burger and how it's made.
The definition of the term trencherman is "a hearty eater." So it makes sense that the menu at Trenchermen is full of hearty food. The dinner menu is on the pricey side; the appetizers are between $11 to $15, and the entrées are anywhere from $25 to $30. But Trenchermen does have a bar menu, and that menu is a lot more affordable. It's definitely on the playful side, too—there's a bowl of Italian Beef Combo Ramen on it, which looks totally awesome. Totes McGotes.
There's a double-patty burger on the bar menu (normally $14 a pop), and although Trencherman isn't really a burger restaurant, I'd heard good things about the special on Wednesdays. It's a great deal: for $10 you get kettle corn, a weekly chef-driven, single-patty burger, chips, and a 12-ounce pour of beer. The night I visited, for some reason, they didn't have a unique burger and just had a single version of the regular burger as the special. Man, I always miss the good stuff.
Just a warning, there's a limited supply of burgers, and it's a first-come first-served gladiator battle among patrons, so you have to hover by the bar seats if you want to get fed. I was a little scared we weren't going to get a chance to try it, but the host mentioned that they had a batch of 100 for the night, if that gives you guys an idea of how quickly they'll sell out each Wednesday. As soon as you sit down, they hand you a baggie full of togarashi kettle corn, which is savory and sweet, with the usual delicate candied shell on each kernel you expect on kettle corn. It's a good bar snack with your beer.
Before we decided to dig into burgers, my friend and I ordered the pickle tots ($12). I'll say this right off the bat: they're fantastic. They're a mixture of diced pickles and potatoes shaped into cubes and fried like tater tots. The little tots come with chicken breast bresaola and a very thick and peppery red onion yogurt sauce. Bresaola is a air-dried cured beef, but in this case, they use chicken breast. At first I thought it might be gross, because air-dried chicken didn't sound too marvelous to me. But you know what? It rules.
The combination of the dense, pickly potato cubes with the slightly spicy yogurt, along with the salty jerky-like chicken, is something you have to try to believe. It's starchy, tart, salty with a protein-chew from the chicken, and just a touch spicy. I'm going back just for the tots.
The burgers came out almost as quick as we'd ordered them, which made me apprehensive—I had a feeling they were pre-cooked and assembled in a big batch, ready to fly out the kitchen, meaning they aren't cooked to order. [Editor's note (1/6/14): The burgers are not pre-cooked. Refer to Trencherman chef/partner Patrick Sheerin's comment below.] They're topped with cheddar and sweet bread-and-butter pickles. The burgers are cooked to medium-rare by default, but mine came out overcooked, closer to medium-well, and my buddy's came out spot-on.
The beef is griddled with a sturdy crust, and after a few bites, it gets saltier and saltier. My friend didn't seem to mind so much, but with the salty potato chips on the side, my mouth ached for water. The burger isn't juicy, either, as you can see from my photo (sorry, it was really, really, dark). I did notice a problem, though. The texture of the beef leans towards that of sausage, and that usually means the meat is pre-salted a while before cooking, adding to my suspicion that they mass-produce them before service.
The toasted bun, however, is really good. It's flecked with a few sesame seeds on top, and it holds up nicely. The cheddar cheese, though melted perfectly, gets lost in the flavor of the sweet house-made pickles. If you want sauce for your burger, there's Thousand Island on the side that you can put on as you like.
Our server suggested we try the eggplant ($7). It's not particularly flavorful, though it's cooked well, resulting in plump and juicy bites that are almost meaty in texture. It's cooked with bacon and sweet chili sauce, along with sesame seeds, but none of the flavor really stands out. The bites are bland and a bit oily without much else to go by.
Overall, my impression is down the middle. It's a great value for $10, which is why it's so popular, but since it all seems pre-cooked, the execution puts a damper on the experience. I think on a regular night, the burgers might be executed better when the kitchen knows they aren't going to be whizzing out the door, but those pickle tots? They're something else.
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