text:
require "tempfile"

require_relative "base"

module VagrantPlugins
  module Ansible
    module Provisioner
      class Guest < Base
        include Vagrant::Util

        def initialize(machine, config)
          super
          @control_machine = "guest"
          @logger = Log4r::Logger.new("vagrant::provisioners::ansible_guest")
        end

        def provision
          check_files_existence
          check_and_install_ansible

          execute_ansible_galaxy_on_guest if config.galaxy_role_file
          execute_ansible_playbook_on_guest
        end

        protected

        #
        # This handles verifying the Ansible installation, installing it if it was
        # requested, and so on. This method will raise exceptions if things are wrong.
        # The compatibility mode checks are also performed here in order to fetch the
        # Ansible version information only once.
        #
        # Current limitations:
        #   - The installation of a specific Ansible version is only supported by
        #     the "pip" install_mode. Note that "pip" installation also takes place
        #     via a default command. If pip needs to be installed differently then
        #     the command can be overwritten by supplying "pip_install_cmd" in the
        #     config settings.
        #   - There is no absolute guarantee that the automated installation will replace
        #     a previous Ansible installation (although it works fine in many cases)
        #
        def check_and_install_ansible
          @logger.info("Checking for Ansible installation...")

          # If the guest cannot check if Ansible is installed,
          # print a warning and try to continue without any installation attempt...
          if !@machine.guest.capability?(:ansible_installed)
            @machine.ui.warn(I18n.t("vagrant.provisioners.ansible.cannot_detect"))
            return
          end

          # Try to install Ansible (if needed and requested)
          if config.install &&
             (config.version.to_s.to_sym == :latest ||
              !@machine.guest.capability(:ansible_installed, config.version))
            @machine.ui.detail I18n.t("vagrant.provisioners.ansible.installing")
            @machine.guest.capability(:ansible_install, config.install_mode, config.version, config.pip_args, config.pip_install_cmd)
          end

          # This step will also fetch the Ansible version data into related instance variables
          set_and_check_compatibility_mode

          # Check if requested ansible version is available
          if (!config.version.empty? &&
              config.version.to_s.to_sym != :latest &&
              config.version != @gathered_version)
            raise Ansible::Errors::AnsibleVersionMismatch,
              system: @control_machine,
              required_version: config.version,
              current_version: @gathered_version
          end
        end

        def gather_ansible_version
          raw_output = ""

          result = @machine.communicate.execute(
            "ansible --version",
            error_class: Ansible::Errors::AnsibleNotFoundOnGuest,
            error_key: :ansible_not_found_on_guest) do |type, output|
            if type == :stdout && output.lines[0]
              raw_output = output.lines[0]
            end
          end

          if result != 0
            raw_output = ""
          end

          raw_output
        end

        def get_provisioning_working_directory
          config.provisioning_path
        end

        def execute_ansible_galaxy_on_guest
          prepare_ansible_config_environment_variable

          execute_ansible_command_on_guest "galaxy", ansible_galaxy_command_for_shell_execution
        end

        def execute_ansible_playbook_on_guest
          prepare_common_command_arguments
          prepare_common_environment_variables

          execute_ansible_command_on_guest "playbook", ansible_playbook_command_for_shell_execution
        end

        def execute_ansible_command_on_guest(name, command)
          remote_command = "cd #{config.provisioning_path} && #{command}"

          ui_running_ansible_command name, remote_command

          result = execute_on_guest(remote_command)
          raise Ansible::Errors::AnsibleCommandFailed if result != 0
        end

        def execute_on_guest(command)
          @machine.communicate.execute(command, error_check: false) do |type, data|
            if [:stderr, :stdout].include?(type)
              @machine.env.ui.info(data, new_line: false, prefix: false)
            end
          end
        end

        def ship_generated_inventory(inventory_content)
          inventory_basedir = File.join(config.tmp_path, "inventory")
          inventory_path = File.join(inventory_basedir, "vagrant_ansible_local_inventory")

          @machine.communicate.sudo("mkdir -p #{inventory_basedir}")
          @machine.communicate.sudo("chown -R -h #{@machine.ssh_info[:username]} #{config.tmp_path}")
          @machine.communicate.sudo("rm -f #{inventory_path}", error_check: false)

          Tempfile.open("vagrant-ansible-local-inventory-#{@machine.name}") do |f|
            f.binmode
            f.write(inventory_content)
            f.fsync
            f.close
            @machine.communicate.upload(f.path, inventory_path)
          end

          return inventory_basedir
        end

        def generate_inventory_machines
          machines = ""

          # TODO: Instead, why not loop over active_machines and skip missing guests, like in Host?
          machine.env.machine_names.each do |machine_name|
            begin
              @inventory_machines[machine_name] = machine_name
              if @machine.name == machine_name
                machines += "#{machine_name} ansible_connection=local\n"
              else
                machines += "#{machine_name}\n"
              end
              host_vars = get_inventory_host_vars_string(machine_name)
              machines.sub!(/\n$/, " #{host_vars}\n") if host_vars
            end
          end

          return machines
        end

        def check_path(path, test_args, option_name)
          # Checks for the existence of given file (or directory) on the guest system,
          # and error if it doesn't exist.

          remote_path = Helpers::expand_path_in_unix_style(path, config.provisioning_path)
          command = "test #{test_args} '#{remote_path}'"

          @machine.communicate.execute(
            command,
            error_class: Ansible::Errors::AnsibleError,
            error_key: :config_file_not_found,
            config_option: option_name,
            path: remote_path,
            system: @control_machine
          )
        end

        def check_path_is_a_file(path, error_message_key)
          check_path(path, "-f", error_message_key)
        end

        def check_path_exists(path, error_message_key)
          check_path(path, "-e", error_message_key)
        end

      end
    end
  end
end


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text:
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import os.path
from time import sleep
import sys
# use P1 header pin numbering convention
#GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

pin=24

# Set up the GPIO channels - one input and one output
#GPIO.setup(11, GPIO.IN)
GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)

# Input from pin 11
#input_value = GPIO.input(11)

# Output to pin 12
GPIO.output(pin, GPIO.LOW)

# The same script as above but using BCM GPIO 00..nn numbers
#GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

# Set up the GPIO channels - one input and one output
#GPIO.setup(17, GPIO.IN)
#GPIO.setup(18, GPIO.OUT)

# Input from pin 11
#input_value = GPIO.input(17)

# Output to pin 12
#GPIO.output(18, GPIO.HIGH)

fname="/dev/shm/yellow.led"
onoff=0

while (1>0):
  if os.path.isfile(fname):
    with open(fname) as f:
        content = f.readlines()
        for number in content:
          onoff=(onoff+1)%2;
          if (onoff==1):
            GPIO.output(pin, GPIO.HIGH)
          else:
            GPIO.output(pin, GPIO.LOW)
          sleep(float(number))
        GPIO.output(pin, GPIO.LOW)
  else:
    sleep(0.5)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This isn't something I've seen before so I'm sorry that I wouldn't know what to suggest without taking a deep look.
I doubt the issue is at PayPal. There is probably a CubeCart configuration issue or hosting compatibility issue with the integration.


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text:
Q: Schedulers for network requests in RxSwift I've been learning Rxswift and applying it on a project since start. I would like your help to fell more assured about a concept.
I understand the changes in the UI should be performed  on the Mainscheduler, and you should explicitly use .observeOn(MainSchedule… in case you don't use Drivers.
My doubt is: normally, should I explicitly switch to a background thread when performing  network requests?.
I haven't found many literature talking about exactly this, but I've read some projects code and most of them don't, but a few do. Those eventually use Drivers or .observeOn(MainSchedule… to make the changes on the UI.
In https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/rxswift-examples-4-multithreading, for instance, he says
So as you may guessed, in fact everything we did was done on a MainScheduler. Why? Because our chain starts from searchBar.rx_text and this one is guaranteed to be on MainScheduler. And because everything else is by default on current scheduler – well our UI thread may get overwhelmed. How to prevent that? Switch to the background thread before the request and before the mapping, so we will just update UI on the main thread
So what he does to solve the problem he mentions, is to explicitly declare
.observeOn(ConcurrentDispatchQueueScheduler(globalConcurrentQueueQOS: .Background))
Assuming the API Request would be performed on background anyway, what this does is to perform all other computations in the background as well, right?
Is this a good practice? Should I, in every API request, explicitly change to background and then changes back to Main only when necessary?
If so, what would be best way? To observe on background and then on Main? Or to subscribe on background and observe on Main, as is done in this gist:
https://gist.github.com/darrensapalo/711d33b3e7f59b712ea3b6d5406952a4
?
Or maybe another way?
P.S.: sorry for the old code, but among the links I found, these better fit my question.

A: Normally, i.e. if you do not specify any schedulers, Rx is synchronous.
The rest really depends on your use case. Four instance, all UI manipulations must happen on main thread scheduler.
Background work, including network requests, should run on background schedulers. Which ones - depends on priority and preference for concurrent/serial execution.
.subscribeOn() defines where the work is being done and .observeOn() defines where the results of it are handled.
So the answer to your specific questions: in case of a network call which results will be reflected in UI, you must subscribe on background scheduler and observe on main.
You can declare schedulers like that (just an example):
static let main = MainScheduler.instance
static let concurrentMain = ConcurrentMainScheduler.instance

static let serialBackground = SerialDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .background)
static let concurrentBackground = ConcurrentDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .background)

static let serialUtility = SerialDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .utility)
static let concurrentUtility = ConcurrentDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .utility)

static let serialUser = SerialDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .userInitiated)
static let concurrentUser = ConcurrentDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .userInitiated)

static let serialInteractive = SerialDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .userInteractive)
static let concurrentInteractive = ConcurrentDispatchQueueScheduler.init(qos: .userInteractive)

P.S. Some 3rd-party libraries may provide observables that are pre-configured to execute on a background scheduler. In that case explicitly calling .subscribeOn() is not necessary. But you need to know for sure whether this is the case.
And a recap:

*

*normally, should I explicitly switch to a background thread when performing network requests?. - yes, unless a library does it for you

*Should I, in every API request, explicitly change to background and then changes back to Main only when necessary? - yes

*If so, what would be best way? [...] subscribe on background and observe on Main

A: You are right. Of course the actual network request, and waiting for and assembling the response, is all done on a background thread. What happens after that depends on the network layer you are using.
For example, if you are using URLSession, the response already comes back on a background thread so calling observeOn to do anything other than come back to the main thread is unnecessary and a reduction of performance. In other words, in answer to your question you don't need to change to a background thread on every request because it's done for you.
I see in the article that the author was talking in the context of Alamofire which explicitly responds on the main thread. So if you are using Alamofire, or some other networking layer that responds on the main thread, you should consider switching to a background thread if the processing of the response is expensive. If all you are doing is creating an object from the resulting dictionary and pushing it to a view the switch in context is probably overkill and could actually degrade performance considering you have already had to suffer through a context switch once.
I feel it's also important to note that calling subscribeOn is absolutely pointless for either network layer. That will only change the thread that the request is made on, not the background thread that waits for the response, nor the thread that the response returns on. The networking layer will decide what thread it uses to push the data out and subscribeOn can't change it. The best you can do is use observeOn to reroute the data flow to a different thread after the response. The subscribeOn operator is for synchronous operations, not network requests.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Emily Atack was reportedly axed from The Inbetweeners reunion after James Buckley told producers 'it's her or me' following a past fling they had when they were both single, claims The Sun.
The publication suggested that James, 31, was afraid his wife, Clair Meek, would find out about the brief relationship they had during their days in the show during 2008 to 2010.
The I'm A Celebrity star, 29, who was cast as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the hit series, was told the day before she was set to appear on the reunion that she wasn't required.
A source told The Sun: 'Emily got a call from producers 24 hours before she was due on set. They were deeply embarrassed and apologetic. They had to explain that James had asked she be taken off the show.
The insider added that the past kisses she shared with James meant nothing and she was shocked and upset to learn that she wasn't needed on the show.
James, who played Jay Cartwright on the show, also apparently took umbrage with Emily's recent appearance in the jungle and claimed it didn't sit well with the Inbetweeners' 'brand'.
Emily, who came runner up on the programme, was apparently hurt when she heard James' comments, where he claimed that her reality show stint was 'tacky'.
The star's career has soared since the show and she is allegedly hoping to move on from the ordeal which she hoped wouldn't come out in the first place.
The show Emily was uninvited to, dubbed The Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited, hosted the four lead characters James, Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison.
Jessica Knappett, Lydia Rose Bewley and Lauren O'Rourke who all starred in the first of the two Inbetweeners' films also appeared on the show, leaving viewers confused by Emily's absence.
The comedian was noticeably absent from the 10th anniversary special, and she previously reportedly said there was a lot of 'snobbery' surrounding it.
MailOnline has contacted Emily's representative for comment, James' representative declined to comment when approached.
Emily apparently revealed the information during Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast last month.
A source told The Sun: 'Richard asked about Joe Thomas, saying it couldn't be him as he's a lovely man.
'He then bought up James Buckley, and Emily hesitated and then shouted out "James Fley!" which got a huge laugh from the audience.
Emily first revealed in December that she had been axed last minute from the reunion show, she said in an interview on Capital FM that she had 'no idea' why she was scrapped.
Emily's past celebrity relationships are rumoured to include comedian Seann Walsh, however she has never publicly confirmed the romance.
The star is said to have enjoyed a 'string of dates' and became 'totally wrapped up in each other' after clicking at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.
British comedian Seann was dating ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries at the time, Rebecca has since parted ways with him, following his kiss scandal with Strictly dance partner Katya Jones.


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text:
Q: How to round the double value in Java I have tried to make the double value as round to the 2 precision values.I got it by using Date Format, but it is in String.
How to make the double value as round to the precision without using Date Format.

A: here is the example
public class RoundValue
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

    double kilobytes = 1205.6358;

    System.out.println("kilobytes : " + kilobytes);

    double newKB = Math.round(kilobytes*100.0)/100.0;
    System.out.println("kilobytes (Math.round) : " + newKB);

    DecimalFormat df = new DecimalFormat("###.##");
    System.out.println("kilobytes (DecimalFormat) : " + df.format(kilobytes));
    }
}

output:
kilobytes : 1205.6358
kilobytes (Math.round) : 1205.64
kilobytes (DecimalFormat) : 1205.64

A: As EJP and Leonidos said in comments, proper rounding is performed through the BigDecimal class not the double primitive.
Carefully choose your rounding mode. Banker's Rounding is a common way to break ties (even splits), though the best way depends on your purpose and situation.
double d = 7.345;
java.math.BigDecimal bigDecimal = new java.math.BigDecimal(d).setScale(2, java.math.RoundingMode.HALF_EVEN);
System.out.println("My big decimal is: " + bigDecimal ); // Outputs: 7.34 (using Banker's Rounding)

See: How to round a number to n decimal places in Java


text:
Cowboys will test OU secondary
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) � Oklahoma�s scorched secondary is about to get tested again.
The 13th-ranked Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) gave up more than 450 yards passing to each of the top-10 passing teams they�ve faced this season, and they lost both times.
Next up is a game Saturday night at No. 3 Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1) and an offense that ranks second in the nation in passing behind quarterback Brandon Weeden and All-American receiver Justin Blackmon.
�We need to be able to cover people, to be in the zones we�re supposed to be in � whether we�re zone or� man-to-man, Coach Bob Stoops said yesterday. �We have to have some discipline and responsibility in where we�re going.�
The Sooners were embarrassed both times they faced opponents with top passing attacks.
Texas Tech, which ranks seventh in the nation in passing, ate up Oklahoma�s defense with short screen passes and long runs after the catch. Baylor, which ranks fifth, went over the top repeatedly with Robert Griffin III connecting for deep passes to several receivers. The Bears ended up with 616 yards � the most ever allowed by the Sooners � and 485 came through the air.
�Any time you let an offense do that to you, not only as a secondary but as a defense, that�s crushing. I do feel like it is a challenge,� safety Aaron Colvin said. �When you hear some of the things that people say to you, constantly hitting you up � �Blah, blah, blah, how did you play that bad?� � you do take it as a challenge and you do want to prove people wrong.�
Weeden, who threw for 257 yards with three interceptions in last year�s game, said he respects Oklahoma�s secondary.
�I wouldn�t say they really have a weakness in the middle of the field,� Weeden said. �Whatever play�s dialed up, you�ve just got to execute that play � whether it�s inside, outside a run play, it doesn�t matter. They can cover. They�ve got good cover guys.
�I don�t really see any big gaping holes in their entire defense.�

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Do the Bath and Body Works aromatherapy products work?
How do I use aromatherapy oils?
Aromatherapy massage and post natal?
In aromatherapy, which oils are the stars, which are the supporting players,?
What are the different types of diffusers in aromatherapy?
How to reduce stress aromatherapy idk ??!?
Is aromatherapy body butter okay to use if only a month from 16 years old?
What do Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Diffusers do?
What do i need for aromatherapy?
Wats this sensual aromatherapy stuff?


CSBR trip SE Colorado road trip: What is it?
A group of some of Colorado's most enthusiastic aerospace evangelists took to the road this week to spread the gospel of the state's space business economy and all the opportunities it offers to even the smallest communities in the state's most remote areas.
Comments Off on CSBR trip SE Colorado road trip: What is it?
The future of travel is here … and it includes faster access to delicious coffee at Denver International Airport.
United Airlines today unveiled updates to its mobile app for both iPhone and Android, offering travelers searchable maps to locate nearby restaurants, newsstands, ATM locations and even the nectar of every weary traveler — the almighty caffeine — while flying through any of the airline's hub airports, including Denver.
The Z Block development in Lower Downtown has been renamed after the block's best-known historical resident, developers announced Tuesday.
From now on, the mixed-use project along Wazee and Blake streets between 18th and 19th streets will be known as "Dairy Block," in honor of the historic Windsor Farm Dairy that once called the city block home.
McWhinney is developing the mixed-use office, hospitality and retail development in partnership with Grand American Inc. and Sage Hospitality.
Slated for completion in 2017, the project will include 250,000 square foot of office, a 172-room boutique hotel by Sage Hospitality, 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant and a 394-space underground parking garage — all integrated with three of the historic Windsor Dairy Block buildings.
The Colorado Trade Center, a 700,000-square-foot industrial property near the junction of Interstate 25 and 70, has been acquired by Boulder-based Conscience Bay Co., officials announced Tuesday.
The property, originally built in 1922 for the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad, marks Conscience Bay's first foray into the Denver real estate market and its largest purchase in company history, according to a news release.
Current tenants of the trade center include Safeway, FreshPoint, FreshPack, Condit Exhibits and Colorado Doorways. At the time of the sale, the property was fully leased by a variety of industrial tenants on long-term leases, the company said.
The sale price was not disclosed. The seller was Bannock Street Center Limited Partnership, which acquired the property at 5151 Bannock St. in 1985. Over the years, the property has also been home to Miller-Coors, Nestle Purina, Owens Corning and Nash Finch, among others.
DTZ, which handled the sale transaction, will continue on with the leasing of the project on behalf of Conscience Bay, according to the release.
The long-awaited redevelopment of the old Asarco smelter site in Globeville has its first resident: Empire Staple Co. of Denver.
Empire, a specialty distributor of tool, manufacturing and packaging supplies, will move its Denver headquarters into the new $85 million Crossroads Commerce Park, developer Trammell Crow Co. announced late last week.
A 61,870-square-foot facility is being built on a 4.8-acre site for Empire, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2016. The building, at the corner of East 55th Avenue and Lincoln Street, will feature a larger showroom while also accommodating the company's corporate offices, light assembly and distribution, Trammell Crow said.


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Thrifting around these parts is so slow during this time of year, so I haven't done much thrifting. I think it will start picking up a little this month. However, I did find a few vintage games in December that I can not wait to do something with.
My siblings and I played a lot of games growing up. One of them was Chutes and Ladders. It was this board. I love the pictures of the kids. I only found the board so I think I am going to try using it for a blank notebook or journal. The board will make a great cover, especially the top where the 100 ribbon is.
I have never played Careers before, but I loved the vibrant colors of the box. Some cool cards inside the box.
I never played the Stock Market Game either, but again the certificates inside are cool.
Finally I found this Bingo-Matic box with everything in it. I have rarely played Bingo, probably because I am not lucky when it comes to drawings, so I never win.
So do you have a favorite game from your childhood that you would like to find again?
Oh my did you bring back memories! I remember playing Careers and Stock Market Game as well. Other old ones I remember…Kimbo, the original Monopoly and a little newer games…Watergate(go figure!) and I think I've had almost every version of Scrabble around. Thanks for the memories.
I am not familiar with Watergate game, I think that would be fun to find. Glad it brought back memories. Oh and I buy most scrabble games I find too.


text:
Ravens Sign Ex-Chiefs Center, Reunite With Undrafted Rookie
Updated Dec 23, 2021 at 9:10pm
Getty	Baltimore Ravens center Jimmy Muray takes the field as a Kansas City Chief in 2019.
The Baltimore Ravens have made two additions to their offensive line, signing former Kansas City Chiefs guard Jimmy Murray and reuniting with undrafted rookie offensive tackle Adrian Ealy, per the NFL's official transaction reports for December 22 and 23.
Murray was last on the New York Jets' practice squad, while Ealy was briefly on the Denver Broncos' practice squad after leaving Baltimore in November.
The signings come amid a coronavirus outbreak in Baltimore, with 17 Ravens currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, according to the team's official website.
Backup center Trystan Colon and practice squad offensive tackle David Sharpe are among those on the list, throwing their status for the Ravens' Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals into doubt.
Colon previously missed the Ravens' loss to the Green Bay Packers after testing positive on December 14, so he has a good chance of returning in Cincinnati, but Sharpe's status will likely be up in the air until game day. His absence could loom large over a Ravens offensive line that was already without Patrick Mekari before losing Tyre Phillips against the Packers.
Ravens Running Out of OTs
Sharpe played well after Phillips went down with his second knee injury of the season, only allowing one pressure in 32 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. The Ravens only have one healthy offensive tackle on their roster in Alejandro Villanueva, though Mekari is trending towards returning against the Bengals after upgrading to full participation in practice on December 23.
Even if Mekari does return, the Ravens will still need to elevate at least one tackle from their practice squad, so Ealy could see action in his first week back in Baltimore. Jaryd Jones-Smith could also make his second appearance of the season after playing against Green Bay.
Ex-Bronco Ja'Wuan James was considered to be a "wild card" option for the Ravens at right tackle this season, but Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic wrote on December 23 that the "sense around the team is he won't be an option for them this season."
A return by Mekari would be a huge boost to a Ravens offense that is still without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has not practiced since suffering an ankle injury against the Cleveland Browns on December 12. Neither has starting left guard Ben Powers, who hurt his foot in the same game. Expectations are low regarding the potential return of both players in Cincinnati.
Murray's NFL History
Ravens fans might be familiar with Adrian Ealy, given that he spent most of the year in Baltimore after signing with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Oklahoma.
But James Murray is likely an unknown name in Baltimore, having spent his career on practice squads in Kansas City and New York. He was a four-year starter at Holy Cross and has played all three interior line positions in the NFL, giving the Ravens some much-needed depth and versatility.
He's earned solid grades from PFF in his preseason appearances over his four-year career, but he's yet to see any regular season snaps on offense. That shouldn't change in Baltimore, barring a dramatic escalation of the current COVID outbreak that would likely impact future games.
The Ravens made two additions to their practice squad this week, including a former Chiefs center.


text:
Breaking News US News
The FBI Is an Enemy of Freedom
June 18, 2018 July 30, 2018 TheQureshi 508 Views 0 Comments
Former FBI special agent Clint Watts has responded to tweets from President Trump critical of the FBI by branding the president an "enemy of the state." Watts claims Trump's tweets will "sow doubt" and "hurt" the abilities of the FBI, "so he is an enemy of the state whenever he is pushing against the FBI in that way," he concluded.
With the possible exception of the BATFE, it would be hard to imagine an entity within the federal government more out of control and in need of — dare I say it? — abolition. Getting rid of the FBI would be a giant boon for the freedom of the American people. As President Harry S. Truman put it, "We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction."
For its entire existence the FBI has served as the strong arm of the federal government. Beginning in 1909 as the Bureau of Investigation, no one's life, liberty, or property has been safe since. Ostensibly created to investigate anarchists, bootleggers, kidnappers, bank robbers, crimes on federal property, and later, the KKK, the FBI would soon find its true calling: political repression, personal destruction, and terror.
Communists, real and imagined, were the first to find themselves under the FBI's ominous glare. World War II provided an opportunity for the FBI to serve a legitimate role, by investigating acts of espionage, but that would take a backseat to mass arrests of innocent Japanese Americans and warrant-less searches of their property.
J. Edgar Hoover, the first FBI director and its longest serving, then began compiling a list of "sexual deviants" in April 1950 so that homosexuals could be purged from the federal workforce.
Hoover disliked civil rights leaders as well, and the FBI's COINTELPRO — for "counter intelligence program" — targeted Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The FBI was also linked to political assassinations in the 1960s, including that of Illinois Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in Chicago, and the wiretapping of congressional offices.
To protect its Mafia informants, the FBI allowed four innocent men to be imprisoned for life in 1965 (two would die there); forty years later a congressional committee called it "one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement."
The Bureau's record of failure would only continue, and grow more tragic. In the early 1970s the FBI sought to undermine the American Indian Movement (AIM) by supporting a corrupt tribal leader at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Richard Wilson, who formed a private militia to intimidate his political opponents. In the case of Leonard Peltier, an AIM activist and outspoken critic of Wilson's, allegations were raised that FBI agents threatened a witness in order to secure Peltier's murder conviction in 1977.
In September 1992, an FBI sniper killed the wife of Randy Weaver as she stood at the door of her family's cabin in Idaho, unarmed and holding her ten-month-old baby. In April 1993, the FBI used a tank to attack the Davidian complex outside Waco, Texas, after a fifty-one day standoff. All seventy-six people inside died in the resulting fire. The FBI claimed for years that no incendiary devices were used in the assault, but an investigation by William Gazecki proved this to be false. In 1996 the FBI leaked the name of Richard Jewell in connection with the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. He was hounded mercilessly by the media. Ultimately he was completely exonerated.
The FBI's shady deals and shoddy work would ooze into the next century. An internal report in 2003 called into question thirty years of bullet sample evidence collected and analyzed by the Bureau. Yet a full year would pass before the FBI ended its corrupted practice, and not until 2007 would the agency identify the three decades of cases (!) affected and notify prosecutors that potentially flawed testimony was used. In the war on terror, the FBI has become associated with highly questionable tactics, providing encouragement and resources, even bribes, to manufacture "terrorist" suspects who later provide glowing headlines and boost budgets for the FBI.
What place does a FBI have in a free society? No place.
Reprinted from the Future of Freedom Foundation.
Scott McPherson is a policy adviser at the Future of Freedom Foundation, and author of Freedom and Security: The Second Amendment and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. An advocate of the Free State Project, he lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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Are you looking for a clever murder mystery? One with a unique sense of place and enough quirky characters to make the cast of The Big Bang Theory take notice. Can you deal with a ghost as a central character? And I don't mean a ghost in the traditional sense, one that fades in and out on a whisper and holds the same mass as the aromatic vapors of a warm chicken pot pie. Nope. This ghost comes and goes when summoned, holds conversations with a dear friend and plays an integral part in a tightly knit crime drama. If you can let yourself go long enough to enjoy the preposterousness of the ghost of a 17 year-old sworn to protect the fictional island of Stella Maris, just north of Charleston, SC, then you're going to love Lowcountry Boil, the debut novel of Susan M. Boyer.
Elizabeth Talbot, Liz to her family and friends is a private investigator in Greenville, SC. Greenville is the practical, earnest and diligent sister city to the old-world sultriness of its shore-bound cousin, Charleston. Liz has left her family's salt water history to make her own path in Greenville. She's a private investigator that has partnered with her ex-husband's brother and has made her own way in life, far from the ocean's tides and familial opportunities. She doesn't plan on moving home until her brother Blake, the police chief of Stella Maris, informs her that their recently deceased grandmother didn't die from a fall but was murdered on the steps of her Lowcountry beach home. Liz doesn't hesitate; she packs her car, stuffs her 9mm handgun into her designer handbag, plops her dog into the right seat and heads down the highway intent on bringing the murderer to justice. In no time Liz has her manicured hands full trying to juggle her brother, her ex-husband, an ex-lover, her mom's chicken and dumplings as well as her ghostly high school friend, Colleen.
She moves into her grandmother's house, renews old friendships and digs up more than a few juicy family secrets that at times border on the ludicrous. That is, unless you've lived in Charleston and heard the whispers, been privy to the tales of fraud and degeneracy and read the headlines of yet one more act of greed and corruption that has taken place just in one family. What is it about the tug and pull of salt-water tides that cause a brother to turn on a brother or a family to murder one of its own?
Mrs. Boyer has cooked up a clever mystery full of felonious real-estate developers, long festering family wounds, moonlight skinny dips and pimento cheese. It's a simmering gumbo of a story full of spice, salt, heat and shrimp. She had me guessing, detouring for a few laughs then doubling back for another clue right until the last chapter.
Lowcountry Boil was published by Henery Press in September of 2012.
John, thank you so much for this lovely review. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Lowcountry Boil–and grateful to you for sharing your thoughts!
Hi John, just posted the blog with the Liebster Award. Congrats, I picked you. kjwatersauthor.blogspot.com.


Budapest 4/29/2014 – archifm.net was presented on Graphisoft's IPC Conference in April 2014 by vintoCON. Besides the technical presentations the focus was on partnering with vintoCON, and learning how to represent, sell and support archifm.net technology on local markets. Many overal demos, and specific user presentations were held during the IPC days, and also the archifm.net session was visited by a large audience. The partner network of archifm.net is growing every day, check back to the list of partners on the Where to buy Page regularly.
Companies with large building portfolios need also BIM FM. We at ArchiFM team extend ArchiCAD's BIM building model to support nationwide coverage of FM activities with Google Maps integration. Check out this training video to understand the concept behind Google Maps + ArchiCAD + archifm.net integration and its use for maintenance management.
There are lots of improvements in the new release of archifm.net. We have just released the new hosted version at the end of last week on our servers, and also we are going to update the local installations by our clients based on our service contracts. Some new features are: ArchiCAD 17 compatibility Accelerated graphical integration module New floor-plan graphical reports running directly in ArchiCAD's floor-plan Simple to use archifm.net toolbar in ArchiCAD Meanwhile we also upgraded our hosting hardware with new SSD-s which resulted in very fast response times for the growing number of archifm.net users we have. Try out archifm.net now, contact us for a free version!
Annual ArchiCAD conference and exhibiton of Graphisoft Japan was held in Tokyo 2 weeks ago. The Japanese version of archifm.net was presented with great success. Besides Sherpa, the local representative of vintoCON Ltd. András Szigeti, vintoCON's head of business development also participated at the event and has given interviews to the local press: http://www.ieiri-lab.jp/it/2013/09/Positive-FM.html The interview with András Szigeti is available here. .
vintoCON seminar at Hong Kong Institute of BIM – 2013, September The vintoCON's seminar has recently been held at HKIBIM was a great success. The guest speaker, Prof. Tomo Cerovsek (University of Ljubljana), Authorized vintoCON consultant gave a presentation with the title of 'BIM for lifecycle management ( from design to operation )' and it went on at a full house event. The presentation itself contained numerous archifm.net based real case studies, among others the huge development project at the University of Ljubljana supported by European Union. Mr. Tomo Cerovsek has already given a similar presentation at the International BIM Conference held in Porto this summer (http://www.bimforum.com.pt/index.php/en/events/bic-2013/bic2013 – 'Events / 1 Intern BIM Conference ….').
An interesting topic about facility management and the use of BIM is going to be discussed on the next HKIBIM event: Building Information Modelling for Facilities Management – The path to the benefits of BIM for FM See more details about the conference at clicking the text/image BIM Networking Seminar in Hongkong on September 5, 2013 See the event's details and the presenter Mr. Tomo Cerovsekon facebook at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/168986499956115/ Join the discussions, this is going to be a very good place for networking, and also to learn from experiences using BIM for FM!


text:
Specialty Loans
Singapore Bridge
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The Roaring 2020s?
By Donald Klip April 9, 2021
The "Roaring 20's" is often considered as one of the most prosperous times in the West. WWI had just ended, and the housing market's growth, the development of infrastructure, telephone networks, automobiles, etc., was the centerpiece of growth. America's wealth more than doubled in the years between 1920 and '29 with most of the wealth invested into finance and industry but there was enough trickle-down to lower-income earners to help buoy a new consumer culture.
Doesn't this sound familiar?
In 2020, FAANG stocks (our version of industrial stocks in 1920s) doubled as well!
Meanwhile, as the world heads towards being incrementally more vaccinated, we are seeing inflation expectations rise, the first wage growth in over a decade, and a potential $3T infrastructure plan in the U.S. which draws some comparisons to FDR's The New Deal.
Personally, I find it remarkable how the global macro narrative has shifted 180-degree only one year out from the start of a global pandemic, and also not far from when the discussions among leading economists were 'when' deflation would happen, not if. Now consensus, in under 12 months, has gone from deflation to inflation.
If you are looking for evidence that inflation is back, look no further than housing prices. Knight Frank reports that worldwide home prices rose 5.6% in 2020, and CoreLogic says U.S. home prices increased 10.4% year-on-year in February 2021, the highest in 15 years!
Taking some data points from Knight Frank's survey, look at the annual % change in home prices in the major cities that Global Mortgage Group offers mortgages in.
Can you guess which city had the highest growth in the U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Australia, and Singapore? Read here to find the answer!
Phoenix, California +14%
Seattle, Washington +13%
Los Angeles, California +10%
New York City, New York +10%
Atlanta, Georgia +8.9%
Dallas, Texas +8.4%
Miami, Florida +9.2%
Geneva, Switzerland +7%
Lyon, France +8.9%
Paris, France +7.7%
Sydney, Australia +4.5%
Brisbane, Australia +4.2%
Melbourne, Australia +3.6%
Manchester, UK +8.7%
London, UK +4.3%
Montreal, Canada +15%
Toronto, Canada +10%
Vancouver, Canada +7%
Singapore +2.2%
Sources: World Property Journal, High Finance, History.com
High Net Worth Focus: GMG U.S. Super Jumbo+ & LADMI December 30, 2021
Showing off our ABS (Asset-backed Solution), June 9, 2021
Hong Kong Businessman required financing for a private jet. June 4, 2021
Asian Family Office required a loan on their existing commercial fleet of vessels towards a distressed asset purchase. June 4, 2021
Introducing the "BREFI"(pronounced /brèːfè/), A New Loan Programme by GMG May 21, 2021
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What is the 'Down Payment' in a real estate purchase?
Buying a new home? Why a 'Pre-approval' can help you with your search.
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Schedule a call with our International Mortgage specialist.
Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. is the world's leading international mortgage specialist. Based in Singapore with offices and partnerships across the globe, we connect our international clients to our network of lenders around the world. GMG offers financing solutions in the U.K., France, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Our U.S. Subsidiary
America Mortgages Inc. is a mortgage broker focusing only on U.S. Expats and Foreign Nationals living overseas. We offer over 150 U.S. bank and lender programs direct to our international clients. America Mortgages is wholly-owned by Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd.
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The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. It is believed to be reliable, but Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. does not warrant its completeness, timeliness or accuracy. To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. The information on this website is not intended as an offer or solicitation for any mortgage product or any financial instrument. The information and materials contained in this website – and the terms and conditions of the access to and use of such information and materials – are subject to change without notice. Products and services described, as well as, associated fees, charges and interest rates may differ among geographic locations, offices and as a result of individual conditions. Not all products and services are offered at all locations. In no event will Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
If you have been referred from another website (including but not limited to any social media site), the information contained in the referring website is for general information purposes only. The information contained there has not been reviewed or approved by Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. and is provided solely and exclusive by the site's author. Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. Through the referring website you may be able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. has no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
You acknowledge and agree that Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. is not, and shall not be, responsible for the results of any defects that may exist in this website or its operation. As to the operation of this website, Global Mortgage Group Pte. Ltd. expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, not limited to the implied warrant of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Copyright © 2021 Global Mortgage Group. All rights reserved. America Mortgages


The number of expats who voted in the Turkish elections hit an all-time high as polls closed yesterday.
YSK, The Turkish Supreme Election Council, announced the record-breaking figures after voting stations closed for expats in 51 different countries.
Over 1.4million Turkish expats cast their ballot between June 7 to June 19, with over 48.78% of all Turkish citizens living abroad making the decision to vote.
This is all part of Turkeys presidential and parliamentary elections which ends when the final vote is cast on June 24. Six candidates are running for president and eight political parties are up for parliamentary election.
All the votes will be counted at the same time as every expat ballot is sealed and flown by airmail to an election office in Istanbul.
The only hiccup so far is one Turkish woman living in Belgium who attempted to vote twice and as a result is currently under arrest. If found guilty she could be sentenced to up to five years in prison for electoral corruption.
In the result of a prolonged presidential election or a second round, polls will reopen on successive Sunday.
If you're an expat planning to vote in an upcoming election it is essential that you still consider voting. Even if you don't think the matter will have much influence on your life because you aren't planning on returning to your home country for a while, it can still affect friends of family members you've left behind.


text:
\section{Introduction}
At the time of writing, the world is dominated by a worldwide pandemic called COVID-19.
Developing a vaccine against it is one of the most important possibilities to fight this virus.
Nevertheless, time is rare, as the pandemic already caused more than 2.15 million deaths\cite{Worldmeter2021} in the last 12 months.
To speed up this process, vast processing power is needed to simulate the folding of the virus proteins.
This simulated folding process helps scientists in finding new possibilities for a vaccine.
However, this processing power amount cannot be reached with a single supercomputer or a server farm without enormous costs.
To solve this problem, a more sophisticated approach can be applied: volunteer-based distributed computing.
It is called volunteer-based Distributed Computing, which is used by the folding@home project.
By combining the idle power of a large portion of computers worldwide, enormous processing power can be formed.
At the time of writing, the combined processing power reached 0.22 ExaFLOPS\cite{Stats2021}.
In peak time (2020-03), the processing power even exceeded 1.5 ExaFLOPS \cite{Shilov2020} which is even higher than the currently fastest computer globally with about 0.44 ExaFLOPS\cite{Top5002021}.
Furthermore, in contrast to the world's fastest computer, the folding@home project does not need to take all its clients' operating costs into consideration because this cost is donated by the participants who get credits in exchange.

In the following, we introduce the concept and architecture behind the folding@home project.
In contrast, we present a trust-based approach and discuss whether such an approach including trust communities is applicable to a volunteer-based Distributed Computing system like folding@home.

\section{Related Work}
This section gives an overview of Grid Computing, how the folding@home project uses it, and how a Trusted-Desktop-Grid relates to it.

\subsection{Grid Computing}
Grid Computing integrates many computers into a single unit, supported by a robust high-speed network.
Grid Computing can solve complex problems and large amounts of data.
There are five different Grid Computing methods, each of them specialized for a particular type of problem.
(1) \textit{Distributed Supercomputing} is used to solve large and complex problems a single machine would not be able to. Multiple high capacity resources are used for this method.
(2) \textit{High Throughput Computing} uses a large number of CPU cores which can process multiple tasks in parallel and makes it possible to process a large number of small tasks in a short time.
(3) \textit{On-demand Computing} enables resources to be accessible through the grid.
(4) \textit{Data-Intensive Computing} multiple systems share the amount of data to be processed.
(5) \textit{Logistical Networking}, similar to warehouse logistics, schedules - compared to traditional networks - the transport and storage of data inside the grids network.
\cite{Guharoy2017}

The Trusted-Desktop-Grid approach analyzed below in (\ref{tdg}) uses the Distributed Supercomputing method.

\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.80\linewidth]{Grid-Computing-Architecture.pdf}
  \caption{The architecture of Grid Computing (based on \cite{Guharoy2017})}
  \label{arch}
\end{figure}

The architecture of Grid Computing is made out of five layers. (Fig \ref{arch})
First, the \textit{fabric layer} provides the resources to be shared, such as computational or network resources and storage systems.
On top of that is the \textit{connectivity layer} which controls the communication inside the grids network.
It makes use out of the fabric layer.
Next is the \textit{resources layer} which is responsible for monitoring the grid and its resources.
This is followed by the \textit{collective layer} with its APIs and SDKs that provide access to the resources.
It is directly used by finally the \textit{application layer}.
This last layer contains all the applications that make use of the grid. \cite{Guharoy2017}

Scientific research is one area that uses Grid Computing, as scientists often face complex problems that can not be solved with a single machine.
Furthermore, it enables them to work with large amounts of data.

Another solution similar to Grid Computing is Cloud Computing.
The difference to Grid Computing is that computing capabilities come from a computer infrastructure provided by a company via TCP/IP.
Therefore Cloud Computing provides systems dedicated to this task. In contrast, the Grid Computing solution systems share their unused resources \cite{Guharoy2017}.
That dedication has the advantage that there is always the same amount of computing power.
As with Grid Computing, the amount varies over time.
In contrast, Grid Computing uses only the resources that already exist and would otherwise be left unused.
Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages, and choosing depends on the central operation context.
This article focuses on Grid Computing and adds a trust- and volunteer-based approach to it.

\subsection{The folding@home project}
\label{fah}
The idea of folding@home is to use volunteer-based Grid Computing for simulating the folding of proteins which is a process of self-assembling and is related to many diseases.
It depends on whether a protein folds or misfolds, leading to "disrupting ordinary cellular functions" \cite{Beberg2009}.
The simulation of protein folding is so complex that a single-core CPU can only simulate around 20 nanoseconds of the molecular process per day.
However, the whole simulation takes from milliseconds to seconds, making it impossible to compute for a single computer or cluster \cite{Beberg2009}.
Moreover, the costs for such a cluster would be enormous.

Grid Computing is an excellent solution to this problem.
There are hundreds and thousands of computers around the globe, many of them just running idle.
These machines are controlled by many independent people and not by one organization.
They have to be convinced to contribute voluntarily to the project.
One solution to this is gamification.
Every contributor gets credits for the work units his machine has completed.
The folding@homes statistic website lists all the users ranked by the credit points earned so far.
The participants can additionally form teams to accumulate their credit points.
More prominent organizations can use this reputation system for better social standing.
Gamification also comes with some disadvantages, like people running the client software on someone else's computer to gain more credit points.
According to \cite{Beberg2009} both "installing the clients on machines they do not own at school or work" and "the use of Trojan horses on P2P file sharing systems to install the client and gain in the statistics" have been taken into consideration, and these problems are treated by banning the participants as well as deleting their scores.

All of this leads to volunteer-based Grid Computing.
In the case of folding@home, this grid has a central control instance.
Every volunteer downloads the \textit{client software} from the webserver and installs it on his local machine.
The client provides some settings like how much of the computer's performance should be used and whether to do it when the computer is idle.
Then the client begins to ask the \textit{assignment server} for work that has to be done.
The result is the address of a \textit{work server} which provides the binaries, also called work unit, to compute.
Each work unit has to be compatible with the computer's architecture and operating system.
Providing binaries as work units makes it very flexible for the task to be done, as this binary can contain any algorithm as long as it is compatible.
The client itself has no information about the tasks hardcoded into it.
The work unit's result is then sent back to the work server, or, if this server is not available, to a \textit{collection server} which acts as a buffer and sends the information to the work server as soon as it comes back online.
The work server computes the results, shares them with the \textit{web and stats server}, and determines the next work unit to be done.
This flow works as long as the client machine is running.
However, as the client software runs in the background, the participant can shutdown his machine at any time, or it might even crash.
Therefore, the results of the work unit have to be stored recurrently \cite{Beberg2009}.

At the time of writing, the most important diseases related to protein folding is COVID-19.
This world-dominating pandemic let "the project grew from $\thicksim$30,000 active devices to over a million devices around the globe" \cite{Zimmerman2020}.

\begin{figure*}[ht!]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\linewidth]{trust-and-reputation-system.png}
  \caption{"The life-cycle of an eTC: During the pre-organisation phase, potential members are searched. Then, the eTC is formed (TC formation phase). Afterwards, a TCM is elected and the eTC is in the TC operation phase, where the TCM and the members use strategies, e.g. to observe the environment and control the eTC." \cite{Edenhofer2016}}
  \label{trust-reputation}
\end{figure*}

\subsection{Trusted-Desktop-Grid}
\label{tdg}
A Trusted-Desktop-Grid (TDG) at its core is similar to Grid Computing - with the addition of a trust-based selection method.
Like Grid Computing, it consists of a set of agents that collectively work towards a common goal.
However, in contrast, a TDG does not need a central server that determines which agent should do which work unit.
A TDG acts more organic by selecting an interaction partner by their reputation.
Furthermore, it can handle multiple submitters of work units.
Every agent can either accept a work unit by giving a pessimistic deadline or reject it.
Even accepted work units can be rejected afterward.
Based on the work unit result, the participant gets rated.
These ratings $r$ are between $-1$ and $1$, meaning bad and good.
Based on a set of ratings $ R = \{r_1,r_2,r_3\} $ a reputation is calculated using an aggregation function $\tau(R) \in [0,1]$ with $0.5$ being a neutral reputation \cite{Kantert2016}.

\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{replication-factor.png}
  \caption{"We calculate the minimum replication factor $f_{min}$ for each worker. First, we interpolate $f_{min}$ based on the reputation $\tau$ between defined limits (here from the interval $[1.5,5]$). Then, we round $f_{min}$ to the next integer using a roulette wheel random generator." \cite{Kantert2016}}
  \label{replication-factor}
\end{figure}

With these reputation values, a minimum replication factor $f_{min}$ can be calculated. (Fig. \ref{replication-factor})
The replication factor describes how many other agents should receive the same work unit to get a trustable result.
An agent with a good reputation will have a low replication factor as this agent's result is trustable and has to be checked by only a small amount of other agents or eventually no agents at all.
For the calculation, it is necessary to define limits for the replication factor.
A higher maximum limit for the replication factor means more reliability but less throughput, as more agents have to work on the same work unit.
The minimum replication factor represents the number of other agents that calculate the same work unit even if the agent has the highest reputation.
If an agent with a miserable replication factor ($\tau(R) < 0.4$) is selected, the replication will be higher.

The minimum replication factor can be used for three distribution strategies.

1) The \textit{Dynamic Random Distribution Strategy (DRDS)} is the most simple of them.
It randomly selects one agent and uses its $f_{min}$ to select the same amount of other agents.
\cite{Kantert2016}

2) The \textit{Dynamic Ordered Distribution Strategy (DODS)} orders the agents by their $f_{min}$ in the first step.
The first work unit is then distributed to the agent with the lowest $f_{min}$ and to all the following until the highest $f_{min}$ of them is satisfied.
The second work unit is then distributed to the next agent with the lowest $f_{min}$ with no work unit \cite{Kantert2016}.

3) The \textit{Dynamic Grouping Distribution Strategy (DGDS)} groups the agents into "trusted" ($\tau > 0.7$), "untrusted" ($\tau \leq 0.4$) or "undecided" ($0.4 < \tau \leq 0.7$).
One "untrusted" agent and up to $\lfloor \frac{f_{min} - 1}{2} \rfloor$ other "untrusted" agents are selected in the initial step.
The same amount of "trusted" agents are selected then.
Lastly, the group gets filled up by "undecided" agents to match the group's highest $f_{min}$.
It ensures that the "untrusted" agents cannot form the majority \cite{Kantert2016}.

\begin{figure*}[ht!]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\linewidth]{eTC.pdf}
  \caption{This is an eTC with a TCM distributing WUs to the members and inviting a new agent to join, trying to separate the agents with a good reputation from those with a bad one.}
  \label{etc}
\end{figure*}

\subsection{Trusted-Desktop-Grid with Trust Communities}
A further approach to TDG is the concept of Trust Communities (TC).
A TC is a subset of agents participating in a TDG, where each agent can trust another.
Every member of a TC is free to leave at any time, and new members are selected by their reputation.
In this article, we use explicit TCs (eTC) to compare them to the folding@home project.
Explicit TCs have the specialty to have a Trust Community Manager (TCM) which organizes the eTC.

The eTC has a life-cycle that repeats (Fig. \ref{trust-reputation}).
In the pre-organization phase, the first step of forming an eTC, all the agents are unrated and begin to rate each other based on the work results.
They receive a rating between -1 (e.g., the working unit was rejected) and 1 (e.g., correct and in time).
As soon as a certain number of agents have strong trust relations, they can decide to form an eTC, based on whether they would profit from this eTC or not.
In this TC formation phase, the agents negotiate with all the other potential members because they might not know every single one yet.
During this process and at every other time, all the agents are free to leave the eTC.
If enough agents have decided to stay, they elect the Trust Community Manager (TCM).
This election can be done by criteria like trust, reputation, or availability.
After this election, the operational phase begins.
In this phase, the TCM's organizational tasks are to monitor the community's performance, remove members that are performing worse than before, and let agents join to increase the eTC's performance.
The monitor task is also distributed to the other agents, as it is not possible to monitor all agents by the TCM.
If the benefit of operating inside an eTC is too low, the agents decide to leave the eTC.
As soon as a certain threshold is reached, the eTC gets dissolved by the TCM.
Then, this whole life-cycle begins again \cite{Edenhofer2016}.

\section{Approaches}
This section will summarize the centralized approach of the folding@home project like it is currently used.
After that, we will elaborate on a second approach that uses the previously introduced Trusted-Desktop-Grid combined with an explicit Trust Community.

\subsection{Centralized Distributed Computing}
As mentioned earlier, the folding@home project uses a centralized approach for selecting workers for the work units.
This approach needs a Server-Client architecture with a server that coordinates all the work units and clients that compute the work units.
As mentioned in \ref{fah}, the assignment server balances the clients' incoming work requests between the work servers, which then forward the work units to the clients.
Theoretically, the client has an unlimited amount of time to process the work unit (WU).
When the user shuts his machine down, and the client cannot continue to process, this unlimited amount of time is used.
However, in the usual case, the WU gets processed in a suitable amount of time.
Then the results are returned to the work server.
Based on the WU's complexity, the client receives credits for his work, which are collected on the statistics server.

\subsection{Trust-Based Organic Distributed Computing}
A trust-based based approach for organic Distributed Computing is way more organic.
No strict server-client architecture is needed, but instead, the participants, also called agents, organize themselves using a reputation system.

As already mentioned, we want to take a closer look at the explicit Trust Communities (eTC) and how they can be applied to the folding@home project (Fig. \ref{etc}).
First, we remove the server-client architecture, and every participant of the project becomes an agent.
To make both approaches comparable, the software of the agents, previously known as the clients, has to be limited to only accept work units and not also send new ones to the grid, except they become the Trust Community Manager.
Each organization that was previously hosting a work-server becomes a fully functional agent with no limitations.
We will call agents with the ability to distribute WUs work agents.
Therefore, these agents could also accept work units from other organizations.
To match the credit system of the foldign@home project, we will also give credits for solving WUs.
However, they are shared evenly between all the agents that worked on the same WU.
This sharing of credits makes it preferable to join an eTC as the replication factor is likely lower.
The on average lower replication factor leads to fewer agents working on the same WU, resulting in more credits for solving it.
The higher amount of credits makes it profitable for the agents to join an eTC because their only goal is to gain as many credits as possible.
Aiming for the highest performance, we have to consider that too egoistic agents might try to solve the WUs independently, so they do not need to share credits with other agents.
This behavior has to be prevented, as it lowers the throughput and making the whole system unprofitable.
As a result, we expect the eTCs to consist of the highest-rated agents, increasing the average performance, and even more critical, the throughput.
This results from fewer agents being involved in the processing of one work unit, which increases the parallelism.
To reduce the need for a central statistics server, we are using a blockchain to keep track of the credits.
Every agent can check their balance of credits by himself.

With the new setup, we now initiate the process of forming eTCs.
Each agent randomly distributes its work units to the other agents and rates them afterward by criteria like correctness, time to compute, or rejection.
As a result, the work agents begin to invite the agents with the best reputation to join their eTC.
If enough agents decide to join the eTC, the Trust Community Manager will be elected.
The election can be based on several criteria, e.g., availability or responsiveness.
For simplicity, we will use availability as the main criteria.
Therefore, the work agent that invited the other agents to join the eTC becomes the first TCM.
In case this agent becomes unavailable, the next available agent with the longest time participating in the eTC becomes the next TCM.
The TCM has the role of organizing the eTC.
First, to monitor the performance of all the members and assign other agents the role to monitor.
Second, to look for new members with a good reputation that would increase the eTC's performance.
Third, to remove members who have a decrease in performance.
Lastly, to dissolve the eTC as soon as the project is completed.
In our approach, we expand this role also to distribute the work units.
This new role makes it possible to continue distributing WUs if the former agent becomes unavailable and a new TCM is elected.
To enable this role, we need every member of an eTC to store a copy of the binary needed to construct new WUs.

\section{Comparison}
The newly developed trust-based approach might look slightly similar to the centralized one, but it performs differently.

Imagine an agent/client that receives a work unit and does not process it in order to harm the grid or because its owner shut down the agent/client.
With the traditional approach, this work unit would have to be redistributed to a new client after some threshold.
This redistribution costs additional time, while the new approach can use the other agents' results and penalize the non-responding agent by awarding a negative rating.
With this negative rating, it is less likely that this happens again, in contrast to the centralized approach, where the client can still receive new WUs when it is back online.
When already operating in an eTC, the agent's behavior can result in removal from the eTC, which has a more critical impact on preventing this situation.

Another possible situation is when the work server becomes unavailable, which would cause the traditional approach to come to a complete hold as soon as all WUs are finished.
This approach still can collect the results with the collection servers, but the clients cannot receive new WUs.
However, with the new approach, it is possible to keep the work running.
In response to the work unit distributing TCM becoming unavailable, a new TCM can be elected.
This new TCM continues the distribution of work units and keeps the system running.
The results are then returned to the initial TCM when it is available again.
With this new ability comes a considerable overhead, as more information has to be exchanged between the agents.
This overhead is one of the disadvantages of the trust-based approach.

Selecting the agents with the best reputation to form an eTC makes the higher throughput another advantage of the new approach over the traditional one.
If the WUs are smaller and well parallelizable, the higher throughput becomes even more significant regarding the grid's performance.

A considerable disadvantage of the trust-based approach is the necessary complexity of the agent's software.
The former clients now can have the same task of distributing WUs previously exclusive to the work server.

\section{Conclusion}
We presented the concepts of a Trusted-Desktop-Grid and an explicit Trust Community and used these to develop a trust-based extension for the folding@home project.
This approach shows that trust-based distributed computing is indeed applicable to the folding@home project.
Furthermore, it gives some performance and reliability advantages over the centralized approach, although some overhead will occur as a drawback.
Nevertheless, the new approach could take the abilities of the folding@home project even further.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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An article here reports that Exxon Mobil plans to build EV-charging facilities in the US.
The story details that Exxon already has some charging stations in Switzerland via a subsidiary and that they were involved in a low speed EV project in 2008.
The more interesting part of the story, IMHO, is that Exxon expects 40% of new car sales in 2040 to be plug-in vehicles. This is less than most EV advocates predict, but more than I expected from an Exxon report. The good news about a 40% market share, is that it means that plug-in vehicles will emerge from the trough of disillusionment and cross the chasm.
This story is making its rounds on social media and the EV forums. As you might imagine, there are some EV fans proclaiming that they will NEVER use an Exxon charging station.
Where do you stand on the issue? Would you avoid Exxon stations because they are an evil company, or would you want to reward them for turning over a new leaf and encourage this portion of their business?
Even the biggest proponents of the technology are having trouble proving that fuel-cells will be economic long-term versus (plug-in) alternatives.
Without the ability to bridge the large cost gap between fuel-cells and electric vehicles, this technology shouldn't remain viable long-term.
Major companies producing fuel cells include Ballard Power and Plug Power.
Without the long-term viability of their technologies, both companies face a continued need to raise capital.


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text:
Deputies: Woman found dead in home fire strangled by husband
Ildelfondo Valdez, 47, arrested
Amanda Dukes
A Lake County man is accused strangling his wife before she was found dead in a fire, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.Deputies arrested Ildelfondo Valdez, 47, in connection to his wife's slaying.On Wednesday, investigators said they found the body of Lizeth Mendivil-Valdez, 34, inside a burning house in Sorrento.Deputies said an autopsy report revealed that Mendivil-Valdez's body, which was badly burned, had three fractures in her trachea. She died of strangulation, officials said.Related: Deputies investigating death of Lake County woman found in burning houseThe fire started around 12:30 p.m. in the couple's home on Vine Street off State Road 46, officials said.Investigators said the fire is consistent with arson because they found evidence of accelerants inside the home and on Valdez's shoes.Valdez told investigators that he and his wife had argued about getting a divorce on the day of the fire. A friend of Mendivil-Valdez told WESH 2 News that she told her about her plan to file for divorce the night before her death."I told my dad, 'He killed her.' I said, 'I know he killed her. She's in there,'" said Rosalinda Pardo, a friend. "She was a close friend. She always came and visited my parents when we were not around."Mendivil-Valdez lived at the home with Valdez and their three young daughters, who were each at school at the time of the fire.Neighbors told deputies the fire broke out shortly after they saw leave the home.Alfredo Cisneros, a neighbor, said Valdez acted grief stricken when he returned home later in the day.Neighbors described the Valdez family as pleasant, but that they "kept to themselves.""Every morning the three little girls walk down here to get on the bus with my granddaughter," said neighbor Don Channel. "Never met the gentleman or her but (I would see the) three beautiful children getting on the bus every day."Also see: Storms rip roof off Casselberry mobile homeValdez was charged with second-degree homicide and booked in the Lake County Jail on no bond.The children are reportedly in the care of a relative.Related: Florida mug shots
SORRENTO, Fla. —
A Lake County man is accused strangling his wife before she was found dead in a fire, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies arrested Ildelfondo Valdez, 47, in connection to his wife's slaying.
Deputies investigating death of Lake County woman found in burning house
Deputies: Woman found dead in fire was strangled by husband
Investigators find woman's body inside burning house
On Wednesday, investigators said they found the body of Lizeth Mendivil-Valdez, 34, inside a burning house in Sorrento.
Deputies said an autopsy report revealed that Mendivil-Valdez's body, which was badly burned, had three fractures in her trachea. She died of strangulation, officials said.
Related: Deputies investigating death of Lake County woman found in burning house
The fire started around 12:30 p.m. in the couple's home on Vine Street off State Road 46, officials said.
Investigators said the fire is consistent with arson because they found evidence of accelerants inside the home and on Valdez's shoes.
Valdez told investigators that he and his wife had argued about getting a divorce on the day of the fire. A friend of Mendivil-Valdez told WESH 2 News that she told her about her plan to file for divorce the night before her death.
"I told my dad, 'He killed her.' I said, 'I know he killed her. She's in there,'" said Rosalinda Pardo, a friend. "She was a close friend. She always came and visited my parents when we were not around."
Mendivil-Valdez lived at the home with Valdez and their three young daughters, who were each at school at the time of the fire.
Neighbors told deputies the fire broke out shortly after they saw leave the home.
Alfredo Cisneros, a neighbor, said Valdez acted grief stricken when he returned home later in the day.
Neighbors described the Valdez family as pleasant, but that they "kept to themselves."
"Every morning the three little girls walk down here to get on the bus with my granddaughter," said neighbor Don Channel. "Never met the gentleman or her but (I would see the) three beautiful children getting on the bus every day."
Also see: Storms rip roof off Casselberry mobile home
Valdez was charged with second-degree homicide and booked in the Lake County Jail on no bond.
The children are reportedly in the care of a relative.
Related: Florida mug shots


US-based gold miner Newmont has won over the shareholders that were critical of its merger with Canada-based Goldcorp, with a promise of a $0.88c a share special dividend should the $10-billion transaction succeeds.
The special dividend will give shareholders an immediate cash benefit from the synergy potential arising from the Nevada joint venture (JV) with Barrick Gold.
Coal miner New Hope has completed the acquisition of joint venture partner Mitsui's 10% interest in the Bengalla project, in New South Wales, taking its interest to 80%.
New Hope in November of last year struck a A$215-million deal with Mitsui to purchase its 10% interest in the Bengalla JV, after spending A$860-million to acquire Wesfarmer's 40% stake in the project.
China's coking coal imports from Australia slumped 21% in February from a year earlier as traders reported lengthy checks on Australian cargoes at several ports.
Australian supplies were at 1.16-million tonnes last month, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Monday, compared to 1.47-million tonnes in February 2018.
ASX-listed Jupiter Mines on Monday said that it reviewing its 'strategic options' for its Central Yilgarn iron-ore assets, given the current iron-ore market and the drive towards higher-grade ore feeds.
Paulson & Co isn't the only Newmont Mining shareholder that's expressing concerns over the terms of the gold miner's $10-billion purchase of Goldcorp.
Paulson & Co Inc will not support Newmont Mining's planned $10-billion takeover of rival Goldcorp Inc as the premium offered is unjustified, the investor said in a letter on Thursday.
TSX-listed miner Sierra Metals has suspended all mining and milling activity at its Yauricocha mine, in Peru, after unionised workers downed tools over contractor changes in a strike that is deemed illegal. The employees belong to the Union of the Mine and Metallurgical Workers of Minera Corona, which represent about 66% of the employees at Yauricocha.
ASX-listed junior Galena Mining will raise A$10-million through a subscription agreement with Kingfisher Capital.
Gold miner Blackham Resources will raise A$26-million through a fully underwritten renounceable entitlement offer to fund its production expansion to 100 000 oz/y. Eligible shareholders will be offered five new fully paid ordinary shares for every four shares held, at a price of 1.5c each, to raise the funds.


Do you need to know that the Lord has not forgotten about you? Are you desperate for a glimmer of hope in a world that seems to be falling apart? Are you in need of a light at the end of the tunnel? There is a world full of people who long for the safety and presence of Jesus but they need a beacon to guide them. God's love shines constantly upon us, an ever-faithful Presence. When your faith walk seems dark and God feels far away, when darkness and pain arrive, the ability to recognize God's presence makes an immense difference. The peace and presence of Jesus in your heart banishes fear, restores faith and lifts spirits.
Think about the difference between light and darkness and its relationship to God's presence in our lives. While in darkness, we walk carefully. In the light, we walk in confidence. While the darkness gives us fear, light gives us security. Knowing that Christ is with us in struggle and darkness is one of the only reasons we don't completely surrender to our fears and stop moving forward. There will come a time that you may find yourself sitting in the dark, remember that living in the light requires time in God's Word and time in His Presence. Though the future looks bleak and the outcomes uncertain, there is peace in resting in the light of the Lord. It is in His light that we can find courage and strength to face tomorrow.
Though the world may look bleak and the situations in your own life may be dark, remember that Jesus came to this world to bring hope where there was despair. Our Savior will come and bring light and cheer to our heavy heart. One of the greatest blessings we have to look forward to in Christ is the ability to dwell in a new heaven and earth with Him as our light. A place where we will no longer feel darkness surrounding us filled with pain, sadness and sin. We will see clearly because of the bright Presence of our Lord. When you find yourself in darknesss and at your lowest and you need hope, think of some other beautiful things accomplished in the dark: a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb…the Cross.
In this life, we will face a number of injustices. Some that we bring down on ourselves. Some from the sin and wickedness in the world and even some from within the family of God. God places people in our lives for a variety of reasons. Some we may know only in passing and some we will become very good friends with. Some people have insecurities and bring conflict into our relationships. Some may be guilty of reading negativity in everything that others say to them. They may invent drama to fill their emotional release. This war with our mind is insecurities often caused by unsettled issues from our past. We have to learn how to avoid playing mind games with you own circumstances.
God commands us to love one another. However, sometimes that requires loving from a distance. Not everyone that we meet is compatible with our personalities. One thing I've learned is that not everybody is going to like us. No matter how saved and loving we are, there is always going to be someone who will dislike us for any number of reasons. And yes, sometimes these people are the people we care the most about, people that we call our friends. This doesn't necessarily mean that anyone is wrong or bad…just bad for each other. If you can not bring out the best in a friendship then you are probably going to bring out the worst.
Pray for the people in your life that hurt you. Learn to love these people from a distance. Through God's grace, one day you will realize that the hurt will start to fade away and begin to be replaced with love. Surrender all your concerns to God. Show grace and accept grace. If you find yourself in an un-healthy relationship, remember this…God often removes people from our lives to protect us. Think about that before you run after them!
Father, Help us to recognize which people are healthy in our lives and which ones to let go of. Reveal those who pretend to love us. Remove those who love to hate us, and protect us from those who wish to harm us. Help us to learn to love each other in our shared space. In Jesus Name.' Amen.
There's definitely things in our past that we want to forget and some circumstances we do need to put behind us. But there are things done in the past by our God we should remember, especially when we're in the midst of a battle or if we're waiting on God for an answer to a long-awaited prayer. It helps build our faith to remember how the Lord delivered us in the past. And, it helps keep our focus on God and not on the situation. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore and it's a wonderful thing for me to remember that when He helped me yesterday, there's no reason to believe He won't help me today.
Everyday has new challenges and our God is ready to handle them all. His mercies are new every day. You and I need a fresh, new anointing each day to deal with unforeseen circumstances. The Lord knows exactly what we need every second. If we go into our past to bring anything up, let's bring up all the blessings, miracles, and answered prayers and nothing else!


ok im at bit where he says ok fight by trial by combat can someone explain why there are about 8 templars attacking me if its meant to be trial by combat.
ok im not compete history buff but im dam sure trial by combat was two people, why not give them uzi's i cant seem to fight one without constantly being hit in back by another.
nice game up to this point other than few niggles but this has nearly made me give up on it.
did it, suddenly they all went down, but ive had loads reloads to do it, to be honest its ruined what was good up to that bit, its no fun having to keep reloading a game just because some dire ai makes 10 tempelrs hit you at same time. if any one who come up with this great idea to make the game seem longer than it already is please dont even think of doing it in second.
are you guys talking about at the end? I never had to do it over. Learn to fight!
Throw the guys off the cliff.
the templars are stupid, they telegraph their moves, one counter with the hidden blade will eliminate them post haste while looking bad *** in the process.
I walk the streets freely without fear as an assassin!
you counter with your hidden blade? How do you block anything that way? I just didn't attack them much unless I saw one looking scared, then you can pwn his face pretty quick.
But it's meant to be a hard fight. It's meant to test your ability to fight, not such shank people in the back the whole game.
P.S. If they defense break you, the safest counter is the dodge.
I agree, its been a while but try to keep them all on one side so theyre not swarming you, and counter as they attack one at a time. Also throwing knives are useful.
Yeah, if you're good at timin it, the hidden blade is amazing to use in counters. It gets harder to do when there are more enemies surrounding you. Altair doesnt seem to like to counter with the hidden blade if the attack is not coming from in front of him. Any other weapon, and it's like he has eyes on the back of his head. Pull out that hidden blade, and those back of the head eye balls close up tight.
i agree with chong, this did take me a couple of tries but this was before i found the magic of countering.
basically all i did on the second time of completing the game was counter them which knocks them to the floor, quickly grab out the hidden blade and jump on that son ov a *****'s ***.
Ok, I have learned that you can use the hidden blade as a counter move (and the graphics are pretty sweet) but you do take some damage and you have to be fast if you use it in combination with a toss. I've never used it before because you default to your sword typically when attacked and you have to force your hidden blade to fight with it, but it's pretty awesome if you kill a guy with it. Nothing like stabbing a guy in the skull to make your day.
P.S. I play on PC, getting the 'Box' for Xmas so I have to relearn the whole game then..sigh..not sure if it's different there.
okay i have a question are we talkin about the shank or are we talkin about the dagger cuzz i didnt know you could us the hidden blad in counters like i have bin told you could but i have tryed and it dont work and im pretty good at using the counters but im not sayin im perfect but i am pretty good.
I still can't survive the final "combat" fight with the templars. 9 of them surrounding me stabbing from side and behind. I don't stand a chance whether with hidden blade or the sword. It is difficult to focus one opponent, a couple of blows and if he's retreating, another one is hitting from aside. Very often they are retreating out in the grey zone, impossible to hit and another jumping on me from the back while I'm just waving in the air!
I dont understand why you use other weapons than the sword. Its great!! If its like 4 of them, you just go slow backwords, then they attack you one at a time and you just counter the attack. and then they dont go behind you.
If its more like say 10, then you first just swing your sword a couple of times so you kill someone. then just go backwords and counter. ( If you are in a room or something just stand near the wall. So they dont come behind you.
Another thing. If you counter but dont kill the man, you just throw him down or something. Then go and slash him with your sword a couple of times! Becouse the others around you dont attack you when your doing this!
Well i haven`t hade a fight with 9 templars yet, but that cant be t hard.. ? But where do i really find the templars?