Debugging tools are critical to quick and effective development. Without being able to peek under the hood at what's really going on, it can be difficult to understand and solve problems. Those who live on the Arduino platform are probably well acquainted with using the serial port to debug, but it's far from the only way. [JoaoLopesF] has coded the RemoteDebug tool for ESP platforms, and the results are impressive.
RemoteDebug does away with the serial interface entirely, instead using the ESP's native wireless interface to send debug data over TCP/IP. It's all handled over telnet, making it completely platform agnostic. By handling things over the WiFi connection, it negates issues with physical access, as well as hassles with cables and limited serial ports. It's also of benefit to robotics projects, which no longer need a tether when debugging.
It comes with a similar set of features to [JoaoLopesF]'s earlier work, SerialDebug. Things like verbosity and timestamps are all built in, making it easy to get high-quality debug data without having to reinvent the wheel yourself. Video after the break.
It certainly seems as though it should be an easy enough project; all [Miguel De Andrade] wanted was to receive a notification when somebody was pressing his doorbell, and thought it would be a good project to get his feet wet in the wonderful world of ESP8266 hacking. But as fate would have it, not everything went according to plan. In the end he got it sorted out, but it's an interesting look at how even the "easy" projects can call the gremlins out of hiding.
Arguably, the problems started when [Miguel] picked up an ESP-01 module from a local electronics retailer. While the convenience of buying the hardware in a brick and mortar store can't be overstated, it did mean he was stuck with a slightly more spartan experience compared to the more common ESP "development boards". Programming it externally with a Teensy ended up not being much of an obstacle, but it did mean he was stuck with only two GPIO pins.
At any rate, with ESP in hand, the next step was figuring out how the existing bell and intercom system even worked. Unfortunately, after some experimentation [Miguel] found there was a bit more going on there than he'd hoped. According to his multimeter, the one line from the intercom sits at approximately 5 VDC when it's open, and drops down to 2.5 VDC when pressed. If that wasn't bad enough, picking up the handset to answer the intercom sent the voltage up to a microcontroller-killing 12 VDC. To complicate maters further, the supply line for the intercom was 23 VAC, so he'd need to rectify that somehow if he wanted to avoid a separate power supply for the ESP.
To turn this jumble of voltages into a nice clean 0 – 3.3 V signal for the ESP8266, he came up with a circuit based around the LM358 comparator that utilizes an LM117 regulator to power itself and the ESP at the same time. A couple of diodes are there to block the AC component from causing trouble, and an A2N2222A transistor is used as a buffer amplifier to boost the output of the comparator so it registers as a digital HIGH on the ESP. The circuit took a bit of fiddling to get sorted out, but in the end [Miguel] says it seems to get the job done.
You might think the problems were solved, but this is where it gets really annoying. The system would work fine for awhile, and then inexplicably go silent. In diagnosing the problem he realized that his circuit connected to GPIO_0 was inadvertently putting the ESP8266 into programming mode, since it was holding the pin LOW unless the intercom button was pressed. He assumed he could just move the circuit to the other GPIO pin, but as that one has the board's LED on it, that caused its own problems. For now, [Miguel] hasn't come up with a solution to this issue, and has learned to live with the fact that the system won't come back up cleanly should it lose power for any reason.
If you're looking for a slightly classier look than a scrap of perfboard stuck on the wall with what appears to be chewing gum, we've also seen the ESP8266 used in some more ornate doorbell setups. Of course if you still haven't gotten your head wrapped around the whole Internet-connected button thing, you can always start with something a little easier.
Since its introduction years ago, the ESP-8266 has taken over the world. It's the chip inside thousands of different projects, and the basis for dozens of different IoT thingamadoos. The follow-up to the 8266, the ESP-32, is even more capable. It has a ton of peripherals inside, including an Ethernet MAC. What's that? Yes, it's possible to put Ethernet on an ESP-32, and give an IoT board PoE. That's what [Patrick] is doing for his Hackaday Prize project, and it's an awesome idea.
This build began as you would expect, with an ESP-32 module attached to one side of a board with some breakouts for the GPIOs and a USB to Serial chip. The tricky part here is the PoE part of the Ethernet, which requires MagJack Ethernet connectors, a flyback transformer, and a PoE-PD controller. These were expensive parts, and the design of such a board requires some thinking — you need isolation across the transformer, and proper ground planes for this mess.
There's something slightly brilliant about using an ESP-32 in a wired configuration. Far too often, we see these modules used as wireless nodes in a sensor net. The battery consumption is significant, and all those makers are adding USB power input to their fancy WiFi sensor nets. If you're running wires for power anyway, why not add Ethernet and do away with all that mucking around with WiFi setup. It's a great project, and one of the better entries in this year's Hackaday Prize.
When the ESP8266 was released, it was sold as a simple device that would connect to a WiFi network over a UART. It was effectively a WiFi modem for any microcontroller, available for just a few bucks. That in itself is awesome, but then the hackers got their hands on it. It turns out, the ESP8266 is actually a very capable microcontroller as well, and the newest modules have tons of Flash and pins for all your embedded projects.
For [Amine]'s entry to the Hackaday Prize, he's using the ESP8266 as the ultimate WiFi Swiss Army knife. The Kortex Xttend Lite is a tiny little WiFi repeater that's capable of doing just about anything with a WiFi network, and with a bit of added hardware, can connect to Ethernet as well.
The hardware on this board sports an ESP8266-07S module, with two free GPIO pins for multiple functions. There's a USB to UART in there, and a voltage regulator that's capable of outputting 600mA for the slightly power hungry radio. There's also an integrated battery management and charge controller, allowing this board to charge an off-the-shelf lithium cell and run for hours without any wires at all.
So, what can this board do? Just about everything you would want for a tiny little WiFi Swiss Army knife. There's traffic shaping, port mapping, packet sniffing, and even support for mesh networking. There's also an SMA connector on there, so grab your cantennas — this is a great way to extend a WiFi network, too.
This is a well-designed and well-executed project, and what makes this even more amazing is that this was done as one of [Amine]'s high school projects. Yes, it took about a year to finish this project, but it's still amazing work for [Amine]'s first 'high-complexity' design. That makes it an excellent learning experience, and an awesome entry to this year's Hackaday Prize.


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News Meta
It's time for the annual Bridge Week festival an interdisciplinary, cross-conservatoire performance event where students are given free rein of RCS resources and facilities to devise original and creative work.
Every year Bridge Week gets bigger and more inspiring, and the programme for this year does not disappoint. Featured performances include 24 Hour Plays where five writers and five directors create five new plays in 24 hours, My Shadow and Me, a play centring around a best man's speech and The Cage+, an immersive theatre experience commemorating the collaborative achievements of John Cage and the 20th century contemporary art scene.
Also on all week is Central Park is a new, collaborative performance venue and festival created especially for Bridge Week and Cinescape, an immersive cinema experience.
Bridge Week takes place from 25 February. Most performances are open to students and staff only, with the exception of The Erpingham Camp, My Shadow and Me – The Speech, 24 Hour Plays and Paradise for Arthur. Tickets for these can be collected from members of the individual projects.
Watch this space for new images and content from this year's Bridge Week.
You might also be interested in reading
Global opera star Karen Cargill and RCS students celebrate the work of Robert Burns and Beethoven in special filmed performance at Drumlanrig Castle
On the anniversary of the first Burns supper – held on 21 July 1801, five years after poet Robert Burns' death – the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland shares a special filmed performance that celebrates the work of Scotland's beloved Bard and Beethoven. Beethoven, Burns and the Folksong, captured at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway,
Visionary conductor and cultural leader Marin Alsop receives an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
A pioneering musician and cultural leader, considered to be one of the finest conductors of all time, has been honoured by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Marin Alsop, the first woman to lead a major American orchestra at the Baltimore Symphony and the first woman to conduct Last Night of the Proms in 2013, was
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A Muni ride puts you in much closer proximity with our city's less fortunate – instead of just walking over yet another homeless person huddled in a blanket or ignoring yet another outstretched hand for spare change, a Muni ride makes you look at people in the eye. Or does it?
I was on the 38-Geary on Sunday when a older man wearing a trench coat got onboard. He sat across from a toddler bouncing on her mom's lap, and the next thing I know, the man started singing a pretty, soulful tune to the little girl. "The girl of my dreams…ain't no mountain too high…nothing can keep us apart." "You know what I'm talking about," he says to no one in particular.
I felt terrible that everyone was looking at him as though he was crazy. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't — clinically, I can't say. But I wish we felt more comfortable in just looking him in the eye, acknowledge a fellow human being, and say yes, maybe I will pass by your show next week.
But I too am guilty of walking past most of the city's homeless or mentally ill. Like most people (especially women walking alone like I am most of the time), I am afraid.


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Precinct counting can be more robust, but also more susceptible to ballot manipulation due to less observers and, in general, smaller numbers of volunteers around.
Barring something like Punchscan or Scantegrity — I'd like to see both, where the scanner makes a copy, and one box gets delivered while the other gets counted locally, then results are compared.


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Givenchy Finds its Glitch in a Florentine Garden
By Rebecca Voight
Take Charles Baudelaire, the romantic and doomed 19th century author of "Les Fleurs du Mal," a collection of poetry so scandalously decadent it was banned in his native France until 1949. Transport him to Florence's Villa Palmieri, a palatial abode surrounded by classical English, French and Italian gardens once visited by Queen Victoria, with its own steamy history stretching back to the late 14th century as the dream setting for the erotic tales of "The Decameron." Add a burst of South Korean-inspired male flamboyance, speed forward to Spring/Summer 2020, and you have what Givenchy's Creative Director Clare Waight Keller affectionately calls a "Modern Glitch."
For her first menswear show last night as this season's Pitti Uomo Special Guest Designer, Waight Keller took this clash of old world romanticism and cutting-edge technical prowess—patched tapestry coats embroidered with mirror-like paillette cut beads, kayak anoraks in velvet nylon, three-button jackets in iridescent cottons—and let it fly. "I wanted a fusion between the old world and the incredibly modern, to create something like a glitch," says Waight Keller. "That moment when the computer merges everything together." The figure of a dark dandy like Baudelaire became a source of inspiration for the designer when she learned that Hubert de Givenchy's uncle was a tapestry maker. "This idea of a jacket in old, patched together tapestry fabric seemed poetic to me, especially when you put it into the way men dress at the moment, this sort of hybrid street style mix of technical sport with tailoring. " Some of Baudelaire's poems found their way into the collection, with its mint green florals that turn up in unusual silhouettes. There's a cropped pant that rides shockingly low on the hips, for example, covered in outdoorsman pockets. The anoraks, adorned with calligraphy scrawls, are so light they can be rolled up into a ball, but they billow in the back with the slightest movement like the capes of superheroes.
Waight Keller lived and worked in Florence for seven years designing for Ralph Lauren and Gucci, so when Pitti called to propose doing a show here, the time and place seemed right to launch her standalone mens collection. " I know the feeling Pitti Uomo has. There's this sort of sartorial presence on the streets here. And I love the idea of showing in a spectacular setting like a villa. My first priority at Givenchy was Haute Couture because it runs throughout the house, then showing men and women together. Now I'm ready to concentrate on men by themselves."
Balenciaga's Miami Flagship Is Luxuriously Undone
Sexy, Messy, Elegant: Anna Bolina SS23
CAMPERLAB'S 1978 Loafer Enters the Classroom
Enter Bottega Veneta's Joyous Winter Collection
Duality Junkie Is Bringing Back Booty Sag
Sydney Lynn and Devon Lee Carlson On Vaping and Cry-Laughing


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Our School has just registered, how do we start fundraising?
As a school registered with GoFundraise, you have a number of ways to fundraise online,
Through the Australian Fundraising initiative (myprofilepage.com.au website)
If you are looking to participate in the Australian Fundraising initiative where each fundraiser/student can choose a prize if they reach their goal, then you will need to direct your supporters to create page through the My Profile Page website http://myprofilepage.com.au/. The parent creates an account and can then create profile pages for their kids under the one account. These pages created are connected with the GoFundraise platform so donating through either platform will sync up. Further questions about My Profile Page or Australian Fundraising should be directed to Australian Fundraising (https://australianfundraising.com.au/contact-us).
Direct through the GoFundraise Free Fundraising Portal
The Free Fundraising Portal page on the GoFundraise site for your school is an easy portal from where supporters can choose to create a Fundraising page or Donate directly to the school (at a low service rate of 0.49%). Fundraisers can choose to create a fundraising page for a specific event (e.g. the Color Run) or they can select from some general causes (e.g. My Birthday, Making a Difference). Search for your school fundraising portal on the link below:
www.gofundraise.com.au/beneficiaries/search
Do I need to create an Event Campaign on GoFundraise? (Australian Fundraising)
How do I create a fundraising page?
How to edit/update my Registration Entry


Gone are the days when being too 'match-matchy' was a fashion no go. The 70's trend of matching our outfits is here to stay. Matching sets are a no brainier and releases the anxiety that naturally comes with dressing. You don't have to go back and forth about what pants/skirt to wear with what top — just wear them together, accessorize and go. The awesome thing about matching sets is that you do not always have to wear them together. It is like buying two outfits for the price of one. The matching trend can be done basically in 2 ways: for glam or for the sake of fashion. For this look, I opted for an effortlessly elegant vibe with a fabulous floral printed cropped top in light grey with round neck, three quarter-length sleeves and zip fastening closure at back to wear with matching culottes. The culottes are relaxed flowing cut and below the knee-length designed to emphasize a more distinctive casual attitude. Paired with fringe heels and white clutch for a perfect summer look.


The mixed partnership strategy involves forming a Limited Company to manage your properties and making that company a partner in your business.
This structure is particularly useful for people who manage their own properties and where the viability of full incorporation is questionable.
In a mixed partnership for rental property purposes the company partner can charge up to 15% of gross rental income for performing its management activity without falling foul of HMRC's "Transfer of Income Streams" rules. This would reduce your personal income and hence the tax you might otherwise pay at the higher or additional rates of personal taxation.
As you would not be transferring the legal ownership of any properties there would be no tax to pay and you wouldn't be disturbing any of your existing mortgage arrangements.
One of the main reasons for making the management a company partner is so that if you ever decide to incorporate your business at a later date it is easier to do so. This is because it counters any suggestion from HMRC that you wouldn't qualify for incorporation relief. If the company isn't a partner HMRC might say that you don't qualify for incorporation relief because you are not incorporating the 'whole business'. They might also say you are not a business but rather passive investors on the basis that management is dealt with outside the partnership.
Mark Smith at Cotswold Barristers can deal with the partnership agreement and all legal documentation relating to incorporation of the company partner and formation of the partnership in accordance with the above for a very reasonable price. However, before you rush to contact him for a quote, we strongly recommend that you complete a tax consultation with Property118 Limited to ensure this is the optimal tax planning strategy for you to consider.
If the mixed partnership strategy is the right one for you then you will want to keep professional fees to an absolute minimum. There are a number of tasks you could deal with yourself in regards to formalising a mixed partnership structure. I have split these tasks into three categories of Compulsory, Strongly Recommended and Recommended.
complete and file form SA400 with HMRC. This is an application to formally register your partnership. You will need a business trading name. Please see THIS LINK.
To officially appoint individual partners and register that fact with HMRC a form SA401 will need to be completed and filed for each partner. Please see THIS LINK.
To officially appoint the company partner and register that fact with HMRC a form SA402 will need to be completed and filed for each partner. Please see THIS LINK.
Whilst the SA401 form mentions paying Class Two National Insurance contributions, payment of National Insurance by landlords is entirely optional. The legislation in this regard can be viewed via THIS LINK.
Once you receive confirmation from HMRC that your application to register a partnership with HMRC has been approved you will receive a letter from them with a UTR (Unique Tax Reference) number for the partnership.
The partnership will need to file an annual SA800 partnership tax return – see THIS LINK.
As soon as HMRC approve your application and provide a partnership UTR you really ought to open a business bank account in the trading name of the business and ensure that all of the business transactions of the partnership are run through that account, e.g. rent collection, mortgages and insurance payments etc. Santander are offering free business banking at the moment. All business related income and expenses should be transferred to the new business bank account as soon as possible.
Appoint a chartered accountant who is familiar with property partnership accounting.
All of the above are helpful if/when you reach a point whereby incorporation is viable. This is because you will then need to convince HMRC that you are indeed running a business which is entitled to claim incorporation relief, as opposed to curating an investment portfolio which does not qualify for the relief.
One of the reasons for making the management company partner is to remove any suggestion from HMRC that you wouldn't qualify for incorporation relief on the basis of not incorporating the 'whole business' or that you are not a business but rather passive investors on the basis that management is dealt with outside the partnership.
Incorporation Relief – Do You Qualify?


Langston, L., 2002, "Electrically Charged," Mech. Eng. (Am. Soc. Mech. Eng.), 124, No. 6.
Fairchild, P. D., Labinov, S. D., Zaltash, A., and Rizy, D. T., 2001, "Experimental and Theoretical Study of Microturbine-Based BCHP Sytem," ASME Winter Annual Meeting, Nov.
Kim, B. H., Park, Y. M., Choi, M. S., and Lee, J. W., 1996, "LQG/LTR Robust Controller of Cogeneration Plant for Disturbance Rejection in Electric Frequency and Steam Pressure," Int. J. Elec. Power Energy Syst.,18, No. 4, pp. 239–250.
Perez-Blanco, H., and Albright, P., 2001, "Heat Recovery System Control Strategy to Meet Multiple Transient Demands," ASME Turbo Expo, Land Sea and Air 2001, June.
Takahashi, K., Yasuda, T., Endoh, M., and Kurosaki, M., 2002, "Application of Dynamic Simulation to CAES G/T Control System Development," ASME TurboExpo 2002, pp. 153–161.
Sigler, J., Erickson, D., and Perez-Blanco, H., 2001, "Gas Turbine Inlet Air Cooling Using Absorption Refrigeration: A Comparison Based on a Combined Cycle Process," ASME Turbo Expo, Land Sea and Air 2001, New Orleans, June.
Jeffs, E., 2002, "Siemens Offers Fast Track Maintenance to Their IPP Clients," Turbomachinery Int.,43, No. 1, pp. 17–19.
Camporeale, S. M., Fortunato, B., and Dumas, A., 1998, "Dyanamic Modeling and Control of Regenerative Gas Turbines," ASME Int. Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition, Sweden, June.
Camporeale, S. M., Fortunato, B., and Mastrovito, M., 2002, "A High-Fidelity Real-Time Simulation Code of Gas Turbine Dynamics for Control Applications," ASME Turbo Expo 2002, The Netherlands, June.
Franklin, G. F., Powell, J. D., and Workman, M., 1997, Digital Control of Dynamic Systems, 3rd ed., Addison Wesley.
Marlin, T. E., 2000, Design Process and Control Systems for Dynamic Performance, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
Ogata, K., 1997, Modern Control Engineering, 3rd ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Sancho-Bastos, F., 2002, "Simulation and Control Strategy of a High Efficiency Cogeneration System to Provide Power, Heating and Cooling," MS Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University.
Bonert, R., and Hoops, G., 1990, "Stand Alone Induction Generator With Terminal Impedance Controller and no Turbine Controls," IEEE Trans. Energy Conv.,5, No. 1, pp. 28–31.
Perez-Blanco, H., and Hinojosa, L., 1999, "The Virtual Energy Laboratory (VEL), a Didactic Graphical Simulator for Thermal Design," ASME-IGTI Paper No. 99-GT-083, Turbomachinery Conference and Exposition, Indianapolis.
Harrison, J. A., 1999, "Electric Power Systems," Prentice-Hall.
McQuiston, F. C., Parker, J. D., and Spitler, J. D., 2000, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Analysis and Design, 5th ed., Wiley, New York.
Sancho-Bastos F, Perez-Blanco H. Cogeneration System Simulation and Control to Meet Simultaneous Power, Heating, and Cooling Demands. ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 2005;127(2):404-409. doi:10.1115/1.1789993.


We just want to have good lives. The music we love makes us feel really amazing inside and we want to try to create that feeling in others. Music gives us a legacy to pass along when we're gone. Not only does all the creative expression and catharsis make our lives better, it is something we can be remembered by. We love to adventure and act like kids with our best friends and this business allows us to never grow up and act as our own bosses. We wanna be a part of something positive and bigger than our individual selves. We have a saying in this band: The greatest thing any of us can possibly be is together. Join us for more good times! We aren't stopping anytime soon.
TO SIGN UP TO THE MUGGS EMAIL LIST, email: tonymuggs@gmail.com Subject: Sign me up! Please include city, state and country as we have fans from around the world and subdivide accordingly.
The Legal Immigrants are four battered souls banded together in Grand Rapids, MI.


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Trailblazer Series
2018-2019 Call for Nominations
2017-2018 Speakers
Spruell Driver, Jr.
Dr. Andre Temple
Justice Cheri Beasley
Patrica Bell-Scott
Michael Blackwell
Marvelene Moore
Michael Nettles
Don Frieson
Cynthia Fleming
Rita Geier
Valisia LeKae
Theotis Robinson Jr.
Give to Diversity
Andre is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and a graduate of Memphis Central High School Class of 1992. In 1996 and 2000, he received a Bachelor's of Science in Public Administration and an MBA from The University of Tennessee at Martin. As a Principle Planner with the State of Tennessee Economic and Community Development and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), he assisted several West Tennessee municipalities and county governments in the areas of both short and long-term growth and land use comprehensive planning.
After receiving an Ed.D. from the University of Memphis (2008), he joined The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (UTIPS) where he has served as an Economic Development Specialist and currently, an Industrial Solutions Consultant. As an Economic Development Specialist, he developed curriculums and facilitated new and best practices to regional and local economic developers across the State. As an Industrial Consultant, he works with regional industries in the areas of training with the sole effort of remaining competitive in today's global market. He was recognized with both the UTIPS Pinnacle Award and Vice Presidential Citation Recognition Award for his collaborative work with the Tennessee Basic Economic Development Program and The Industrial Leadership and Supervisory Program for manufacturers. Andre also serves as adjunct faculty for Union University and University of Phoenix.
Community involvement includes volunteering with the American Red Cross, Jackson Arts Council, Jackson Affordable Housing CDC, Jackson Housing Authority, Leadership Jackson, Southwest Human Resource Agency, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, UTM Alumni Council, UTM Jackson Center Advisory Board, WestStar Leadership Alumni, and West TN United Way.
Browse the event photos
2017—2018 Speakers
November 27, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
Howard Baker Center Toyota Auditorium & Rotunda
January 23, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
College of Law Room 132 & College of Law Howard Baker Rotunda
Commission for Blacks
cfb.utk.edu
cfb@utk.edu
Email: cfb@utk.edu


The 2.5-point underdog North Carolina Tar Heels are taking their border rivalry Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium to face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday evening.
It's early in the season and the CFB betting spread is a mere 2.5 points. Should you bet on the Tar Heels or Gamecocks?
A Closer Look At The North Carolina Tar Heels Vs South Carolina Gamecocks Spread & My Against The Spread Pick.
Can UNC Cover the 2.5-point against the Gamecocks?
The Tar Heels need to establish the run if they have a prayer.
Experience on the offensive line is ultra-important for college football teams. It might be the most important thing from year-to-year since the most successful programs are able to both run and pass the football. North Carolina has a very experienced offensive line.
The Tar Heels appear to have the upper hand in this matchup because UNC returns all of its starters along the offensive line. QB Marqise Williams goes into the season after having hip surgery, but it may not matter because UNC also has 2 excellent tailbacks in T.J. Long, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season, and 6'0", 220 pounds freshman running back Ty'Son Williams.
Gene Chizik, the former Auburn coach, takes over the defense at North Carolina. He'll have to find a way to get the unit, which finished last in the ACC in 2014, to get through Shell and to Mitch before Mitch can throw the ball to Cooper. The guess is that Chizik will do so. Even though South Carolina is the favorite, North Carolina actually looks like the winner in this matchup.
Can South Carolina Cover the 2.5-point Against The Tar Heels?
The Gamecocks are in a transition period and their ranking reflects that.
South Carolina is traditionally a huge favorite going into the first game of the season. Then again, the Gamecocks are usually ranked in the Top 10. That won't be the case this season as South Carolina appears to be going through something of a transition.
The Gamecocks have been picked by most football analysts to finish behind Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee in the SEC East. Although South Carolina usually has one of the toughest defenses in the SEC, not a single player from the Gamecock's D has been chosen for the 2015 All SEC preseason team. One player that was chosen is wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.
Too bad for Gamecock fans that Cooper has to play with an unproven QB under center. Coach Steve Spurrier announced that Connor Mitch, who went 2 of 6 in two games as a redshirt freshman last season, will be the starter versus UNC. Cooper is good enough to play like that other Cooper, the one that is in silver and black on Sunday's in the NFL this season, who suited up for Alabama. But, will Mitch be able to get him the ball?
A.J. Cann is no longer on South Carolina's offensive line. Senior Brandon Shell will be counted on to keep the line together and to protect Mitch. It won't be easy for him to do all by himself. Nobody else along the offensive line has as much experience as Shell. If South Carolina can't protect Mitch, North Carolina will win straight up.
My Against The Spread Pick is North Carolina beating South Carolina by a score of 45-34.
The 2015 College Football season is within sight. I surveyed the schedule and college football betting odds. Below are the top 10 College Football rivalry games to bet this season.
It appears that Alabama will have the upper hand in this contest since its defensive line will be tough with A'Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Jonathan Allen all back. Wisconsin's quarterback, Joel Stave, may not get the time needed from his offensive line in order to exploit Alabama's secondary. The Crimson Tide is the pick. Click here for an in-depth look.
Some are predicting Auburn gets into the College Football Playoffs this season. The Tigers return their Top 3 tacklers on defense. Former Florida D-coordinator Will Muschamp takes the reins for the D. Auburn's offense should be explosive, but the LSU Tigers get Auburn in Death Valley in this matchup. It should be awesome!
With Marcus Mariota graduating from Oregon last season, the Pac 12 is up for grabs this season. An early battle between USC and Stanford could determine which team gets the upper hand in the conference. This game almost always comes down to the final drive.
One of the great classic rivalries of all time resumes on Oct. 17. Brian Kelly's Notre Dame squad should have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation with QB Malik Zaire at the controls. Zaire faces a stout USC defense.
Two more teams with a shot at winning the Pac 12 this season battle it out in Tempe on Oct. 29. The key question is whether or not Oregon's offense without Mariota will be able to get past one of the most aggressive defenses in the nation at ASU.
Once again, the LSU Tigers have questions at quarterback. They're going to need excellent quarterback play to upset Alabama in this contest since the only weakness on 'Bama's D might be the secondary. It might be the secondary. LSU won't get any yards on the ground. But, the Tigers from Baton Rouge always play the Tide tough. Don't be surprised if this ends up as one of those 14 to 13 or 10 to 9 LSU vs Alabama battles.
The guess is that by the time this game comes around former Notre Dame QB star Everett Golson will be the man under center for the Seminoles. Golson will have some weapons on offense, but Clemson's strength on D will be the secondary this season. Is this the year that Clemson upsets Florida State?
It doesn't matter which quarterback will start for the Buckeyes in the biggest matchup of the year in the Big Ten. Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are all good enough to break down the vaunted Michigan State defense. If the Spartans could pull off the upset, they should be on their way to a Big Ten title.
Baylor returns all four starters in their secondary. That could be the difference since both teams figure to have excellent offenses again. This game should decide the Big 12 title since because there are only 10 teams in the Big 12, the conference can't put on a championship game.
The Iron Bowl might have even more significance this season than it ever has. If both Auburn and Alabama are undefeated going into the Iron Bowl, the winner, no doubt, will stamp its ticket to the College Football Playoffs. Even the loser could get in if both are that much more impressive than some of the other contenders.
Last year's inaugural College Football Playoff was a resounding success. Click here for this years odds. Who else agrees that the playoff system should be expanded to accommodate more teams?
I do and here are my top seven college football playoff matchups that I want to see this year. Even with just four spots available, I have expanded my list to seven incase any one of the teams in my top four matchups falters.
Alabama vs. Ohio State – Ohio State beat Alabama in the College Football Playoff last season, but if we remember, Alabama had the lead going into half time. 'Bama lost due to suspect play-calling by Lane Kiffin. The Crimson Tide's defensive line should be stacked. Also, Derrick Henry averaged 7.3 yards from 13 carries versus the Buckeyes in last season's game. Don't you want to see what adjustments Saban is going to make versus Urban Meyer? We do!
Ohio State vs. Baylor – Baylor's offense could resemble Ohio State's in a lot of ways this season since QB Seth Russell runs very well just like Ohio State's JT Barrett. Russell can also throw the ball. He's comparable to not only Barrett but to Cardale Jones as well. Baylor's defense is loaded. This should be an exciting strategy game between Meyer and Art Briles.
Ohio State vs. TCU – TCU Coach Gary Patterson has to replace almost his entire defense, but if anybody can rebuild a defense, it's Patterson. TCU's offense could have the Heisman Trophy winner playing for it in QB Trevone Boykin by the time the College Football Playoff comes around. This would be an entertaining game with both teams scoring a ton of points.
Alabama vs. Baylor – Will Alabama's excellent defensive line stop Russell and the Baylor offense? How would Baylor's D, even with all of that experience, stack up to Alabama's run heavy offense and Derrick Henry? This is a great matchup waiting to happen.
Alabama vs. TCU – It would be awesome to see how well Boykin plays against the best defensive line in the nation. Boykin, contrary to what some might think, is more a passer than a rusher. The battle between Boykin and Alabama's front 7 would be electrifying.
Ohio State vs. Auburn – Talk about a strategy game. Ohio State's offense versus Will Muschamp's Auburn defense. Gus Mahlzan's Auburn offense versus Ohio State's defense. Can Urban Meyer and his staff out think Mahlzan and Muschamp and their staff? This would be great!
Ohio State vs USC – Steve Sarkisian versus Meyer. Urban is the standard when it comes to coaching. He's where Sarkisian hopes he'll be soon. Sarkisian has a good team at USC this season. Cody Kessler could be the best quarterback in college football. Even though on paper Ohio State looks better than USC, you'd have to expect that Sarkisian would put together a game plan to challenge the Buckeyes' defense.


Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today met his Norwegian counterpart Jon Georg Dale and discussed further strengthening bilateral ties in fishery sector and cooperation in developing climate smart fishing techniques as also trade in marine products.
"Bilateral cooperation in fisheries between India and Norway has grown and there is ample potential for furthering relationship in this sector," Singh said in the meeting with Norwegian delegation.
Both the countries can cooperate in developing and introduction of climate smart fishing techniques; to explore and develop technologies to capture underutilised fish resources; to increase the export of marine products, he said.
Singh appreciated the research work being done on ClimaWater, ClimaRice and ClimaAdapt in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu by Norwegian Institute of Bio-economy Research (NIBIO).
He hoped that Norway may consider extending the research programme to other states also.


How to make solar panels has been discussed about and written about many times. Building panels at home is pretty easy and comes naturally to any person who likes do it yourself stuffs. These panels built ourselves come pretty cheap compared to the ready panels available in the market. The price difference is huge owing to the fact that these panels have a brand name and support involved.
The question is whether we can produce quality solar equipments in our garage at throwaway prices and make profits from it? The answer is yes, but it takes some effort. The solar panels made in our garage cannot match the standard of machine finished standard goods.
So what can we do in order to have these homemade panels last longer and earn more profits?
I have compiled some information on having DIY solar panels last longer which is listed below.
1) Try and use good solar cells.
In order to make cheaper panels we often compromise on the quality of the panels used. The panels have a very long life. Buy good raw products for the panel. Initial investment will be a tad higher but it will pay off in the long run.
2) Do not make permanent fixtures, keep all fixtures collapsible.
This applies only to the board as a single piece and not the various components. During harsher weather and periods when sunlight is not enough we can get the panels down for storage. This will prevent damage from external forces like snow, hail storms etc.
3) Solar panels should be accessible.
By accessible solar panels I mean that one should be able to clean the panels at regular intervals and also check on them for moisture and cracks in the plexiglass etc.
4) Keep monitoring the power output.
The output of the solar cells needs to be monitored in order to make sure that they are healthy. In case there is a sudden decrease in the voltage, check the external factor affecting the same (some tree branches, deposits on the panel, moisture inside, damaged panels etc.).
The battery stores the excess charge produced by the panel. When the sun is out the power is drawn from battery. The battery should be in proper working condition and should retain the charge for a longer time.
Following the above steps should to an extent extend the life of the panel made at home.


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Matteo J. Fox was adopted by Laura and her family in November 2021. His Embark DNA test indicates he is a mix of five of the most annoying dog breeds known to man. Laura, who normally believes in science, insists that Embark got it wrong and that Mat… Read More
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Q: Language Translator RESTful API returning first sentence twice Using REST with Basic Auth and a FormUrlEncoded payload with multiple 'text' entries (essentially, a word document represented as 8 sentences), when I call the API it returns the translations, but it returns the first sentence twice leaving the translated array out of sync with the initial request. Is there something basic that I'm missing?  I am stuck on .net40 too.
var payload = new FormUrlEncodedContent(watsonValues);
var translationResponse = _watsonClient.PostAsync($"{_watsonBase}/v2/translate", payload).Result;
if (translationResponse.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
    var responsePayload = translationResponse.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;
    var watsonTranslations = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<WatsonMtResponse>(responsePayload);

    foreach (var translation in watsonTranslations.Translations)
    {
        translatedList.Add(translation.Translation);
    }
}
else
{
    translationResponse.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
}

A: I addressed the issue by making the request Json based rather than the FormUrlEncoded request I made previously.  The code is basically...
var translationResponse = _watsonClient.PostAsync($"{_watsonBase}/v2/translate",
                new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(mtRequest),
                Encoding.UTF8,
                "application/json"))
                .Result;

            if (translationResponse.IsSuccessStatusCode)
            {
                var responsePayload = translationResponse.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;
                var watsonTranslations = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<WatsonMtResponse>(responsePayload);

                foreach (var translation in watsonTranslations.Translations)
                {
                    translatedList.Add(translation.Translation);
                }
            }
            else
            {
                translationResponse.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
            }

And the Json object looks like this...
 class WatsonMtRequest
 {
    [JsonProperty("model_id")]
    public string ModelId { get; set; }
    [JsonProperty("text")]
    public List<string> Text { get; set; }
 }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Straw bans are just another bogus eco-fad
They are simply the latest weapon in an arms race of smug self-regard.
Straw bans are just another bogus eco-fad They are simply the latest weapon in an arms race of smug self-regard. Check out this story on tallahassee.com: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2018/07/27/bans-plastic-straws-just-another-eco-fad-soon-fade/847809002/
Christian Schneider, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 1:22 p.m. ET July 27, 2018
Shortly after Seattle enacted a ban on plastic straws and utensils, Starbucks announced that it is phasing out plastic straws nationwide by 2020 (July 10) AP
Hand holding plastic straws at beach(Photo: Getty Images)
For years, a cornerstone of America's progressive canon has been that the nation's jails are packed with an inordinate number of nonviolent offenders. Prison, the argument goes, should be reserved only for those who pose an immediate threat to other citizens.
Last week, some on the left have identified just the type of criminal that needs to do hard time to ensure our safety. I'm speaking, of course, about restaurant employees that hand out straws to customers.
Last week, the city of Santa Barbara, Calif., passed a new ordinance that could result in up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine for restaurants who hand out plastic straws to patrons. Those penalties, which kick on a second violation of the ordinance, are cumulative — so handing out four straws to a single table could mean two years in jail for a restaurant owner who practices their own vigilante brand of drink justice.
Santa Barbara's ban is just the latest in the long tale of eco-nonsense that frequently grips America. Efforts to ban plastic straws have either been successful or are underway in all the predictable areas — Seattle, Portland, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. — with the Santa Barbara ban being the most restrictive. When Seattle banned plastic straws, it allowed an exemption for compostable plastic, but Santa Barbara went even further, allowing only straws made from paper, bamboo, or metal.
Environmentalists argue that 500 million plastic straws per day are polluting our oceans, a number that appears to have come from a phone survey conducted by a 9-year old Vermont boy. In fact, studies estimate straws make up only about 0.02% of the plastic waste that makes it into the ocean or to coastlines. Further, the United States is only accountable for around 1% of the world's marine plastic waste, far behind China at 28%.
But of course, these types of meaningless bans aren't about actually saving wildlife; they are simply the latest weapon in an arms race of smug self-regard. We saw this charade a decade ago when municipalities began to ban plastic bags out of environmental concern. As Reason Magazine reminds us, 10 states (including Wisconsin) had to deal with customer backlash by banning municipalities from banning plastic bags.
That doesn't mean businesses can't ban straws on their own, or "straw shame" customers by forcing them to ask for a straw on their own. If they don't want me to ever to go their restaurant again, they are more than welcome to set their own rules and ditch straws altogether. One tip, though — businesses should probably keep some straws on hand for either disabled people who can't drink directly from a cup or to aid servers who don't want to spend time cleaning up spilled drinks from children.
But using the power of government to enforce an obnoxious eco-fad is another story. This would simply be creating a black market for plastic straws; adults who find it revolting to put their mouth on a glass that someone else's gross lips were on just minutes before would huddle around in bathrooms trying to get one last straw hit before returning to their tables. Pablo Escobar wouldn't have to import cocaine to America, he could make his billions smuggling in plastic cutlery. At restaurants, undesirables would roll up dollar bills and use them to suck down that sweet Mountain Dew before the police bolted in and slapped the cuffs on them.
All plastic straw bans will achieve will be to increase costs on consumers (paper straws are far more expensive) or to irritate customers to the point where they stay home. The only people who could honestly advocate for such a policy would be drive-through customers who enjoy wearing their beverages to the office.
Let's leave our laws for those who pose a threat — handing someone a drinking implement shouldn't be a one-way ticket to Shawshank. Ironically, in this case, it's the people who enjoy using straws that don't suck.
Christian Schneider is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @Schneider_CM
Read or Share this story: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2018/07/27/bans-plastic-straws-just-another-eco-fad-soon-fade/847809002/
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Nothing defines the look and feel of a home or business like a creative and unique landscape. We know it's not always easy to take a blank canvas or an overgrown jungle and turn it into a beautiful outdoor environment, but transforming your outdoors is our passion. We love what we do, and that's one of the many reasons we at Elm Creek Landscape and Design can help you with your Landscape Design and Installation!
Quality plant material and the right plant for your environment are important factors to consider when developing your Landscape Design and Installation plans. We make sure to integrate plantings that are most suitable for our climate in addition to the site and soil conditions in the area, making sure you are able to enjoy the transformation of your landscaped yard or business for many years to come.
Dread mowing on the weekends? Incorporating more Hardscaping into your landscape design would be a great start! We can incorporate low-maintenance ideas on your property or set up a Landscape Maintenance plan for your newly installed landscaping, giving you all the FUN, without the work!
We also offer many amenities with Landscape Design and Installation. For example, being able to enjoy your space with friends and loved ones after the sun goes down is a great way to increase the value of your investment. Check out our Landscape Lighting options for ways to add hours to the day and more fun! We will send a qualified technician from our sales team to your home or business to determine your landscaping needs and understand the vision for your property. Our goal is to tailor your landscape to you and your lifestyle, customizing details along the way.
Call today for a free consultation and see how a new Landscape Design and Installation can transform your outdoors!
I am very impressed with your creativity and execution! Good work!


After gaining a strong presence in Metro Manila in the past 2 years and moving items 24/7 since their arrival, LALAMOVE, the biggest same-day delivery app in Southeast Asia is finally in Cebu! The company, which started in Hong Kong, expands its horizons to the Queen City of the South, championing Cebuano entrepreneurs.
Helping business clients is Lalamove's utmost priority. Lalamove aims to empower micro, small and medium enterprises, and even multinationals and established businesses, to reach more customers through on-demand delivery.
As we all know, acquiring delivery fleets is costly and impractical. Some small businesses wouldn't have the need to deliver their goods all the time, causing delivery units to have an expensive and counterproductive standstill. For huge companies, they often experience a shortage of delivery vehicles especially when demand peaks.
A viable option is to get a logistics partner like Lalamove to minimize costs. Food and online businesses are a few of the many that successfully reached an untapped market through Lalamove. With the wide array of vehicles and services built for businesses, Lalamove certainly empowers Filipino entrepreneurs and businesses to fulfill their passion.
"The focus of Lalamove Southeast Asia is to enable growing cities where our technology and services can elevate the lives of drivers who can answer to the delivery needs of businesses. The Philippines' Queen City of the South is ripe and booming with entrepreneurs. We are certain that Lalamove can drive a positive change and move Cebu forward." – Dannah Majarocon, Managing Director of Lalamove Philippines.


text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
The Catalogue of Life, 3rd January 2011

#### Published in
Mycologia 47(1): 90 (1955)

#### Original name
Trochophora R.T. Moore, 1955

### Remarks
null

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Thanks for stopping by today! I'm guest blogging over on Jenny Lee Sulpizio's Mom on a Mission blog. Please stop by and read my thoughts on being Perfectly Imperfect as a wife and mom.
And be sure to check out Jenny's new book, CONFESSIONS OF A WONDER WOMAN WANNABE.
And if you haven't entered yet, be sure to read last week's post on how to win an ARC of OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY.
That's all I have for this week. Have a good one!


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Interview by: Flora Moreno de Thompson Images by: Gregory Cortez
Two movie buffs turned their love of short films into the internationally known San Jose Short Film Festival.
"We want our films to speak to as many people as possible."
Bill Hargreaves and Sinohui Hinojosa had no idea they would start a film festival the first time they talked. Introduced to each other by a mutual friend, the two met for coffee at Philz to discuss their shared interests of film and filmmaking. They talked about their love of movies for three hours that day. "We found out we had a little bit more in common than that," Hargreaves says. At the end of their conversation, The San Jose Short Film Festival was born.
"We hammered out all the logistics of the festival that day," says Hargreaves. "I knew the marketing and business development side of a festival, but production-wise, I can't do any of that." Luckily for Hargreaves, Hinojosa is a producer and filmmaker who could. The two had the perfect match of skill sets to put on a film festival. The first year, they held it at Camera One in downtown San Jose. The event has grown exponentially since then and is now held at Santana Row's Cinemark Theater.
SAN JOSE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
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Full article originally appeared in Issue 5.3 "Act"
(Print version is SOLD OUT)
Montalvo Arts Center: Lucas Artists Residency
The Montalvo Arts Center, besides being a beautiful local park, is home to a number of artists from all over the world.
Miguel Kultura
Juan Miguel Saucedo's work as Miguel Kultura may have been birthed out of a time of crisis, but he's since used his creative message to inspire cultural pride and compassion...
Kia Fay
As a stylist and vocalist, Kia Fay utilizes her disparate creative outlets for the same unified purpose: helping others celebrate their authentic selves...
Joe Kaplow
Joe Kaplow Keeps the Folk Tradition Alive in Santa Cruz County...
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text:
Q: Can someone explain to me what the plus sign is before the variables? The challenge is to keep on adding up all the digits of a number until it is a single digit. For the solution there is plus signs before the variables, which I have never seen before. Also if you remove it, it will return an error.
function additivePersistence(n) {
    let count=0;
    while(String(n).length>1){
        n=[...String(n)].reduce((a, b)=>+a + +b);
        count++;
    }
    return count;
}

Can someone explain to me what that is doing"

A: This is to cast variable as number.

A: +a // + is used to be sure that a is a number before adition
+ // is plus sign for adition!
+b // + here is used to  be sur that b is number before adition

if we were sure that a and b are numbers (there where no need for that)
//you can replace + sign with
parseInt(a) + parseInt(b)
//or
parseFloat(a) + parseFloat(b)

as an examlpe imagine what hepens if you forget the + sign
"1" + 1 = "11"
//but
+"1" + 1 = 2


text:
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Zebulon Pike Quotes
30 Zebulon Pike quotes:
"Strict justice would demand total confiscation of your property, personal imprisonment and fines."
Author: Pike Quotes Category: American Soldier Quotes
"The preparations for my new voyage prevented the possiblity of my paying that attention to the correction of my errors, that I should otherwise have done."
"The toute ensemble was such as to make polished society blush, when compared with these savages."
"A discontented young fellow, filled with self pride; he certainly should have considered it an honor to be sent on so respectable an embassy as he was."
"A young man who is here speaks the Panis language, and in many other respects, is preferable."
"Among various demands and charges I gave them, was, that the said flag should be delivered to me, and one of the United States' flags be received and hoisted in its place."
"At the lodge the chief gave me many particulars which were relative to the late visit of the Spaniards."
"Each Pawnee presented them with a horse, gave a pipe to smoke to the Osage to whom he had made the present. In this manner were eight horses given."
"Give immediate instruction to all your posts in said territory, under your direction, at no time and on no pretence to hoist, or suffer be hoisted, the English flag."
"He was a man, he always performed his promises."
"I cannot consent to be led three or four hundred leagues out of my route, without its being by force of arms."
"I differ materially from Capt. Lewis, in my account of the numbers, manners, and morals of the Sioux."
"I was informed... that some... were dreaming and wished to return."
"If he was disposed to desert, I should take care to retain his horse; that for himself, he might leave as he pleased, as I only wanted men with us."
"In my proper character, I am an officer of the United States Army."
"It was the wish of the Americans that their red brethren should remain peacefully round their own fires, and not embroil themselves in any disputes between the white people."
"May Heaven be propitious, and smile on the cause of my country."
"On no further occasion present a flag or medal to an Indian."
"Owing to the difficulty of obtaining horses, Mr. Henry returns from this place. In descending the Mississippi I will request him to pay his respects to you."
"Smoke the pipe of peace, bury the tomahawk, and become one nation."
Successories, the leaders of inspiration and motivation, has unlocked iQuote: The Inspirational Quote Database, a curated collection of the most inspirational quotes. Raise your iQ and become a Quoteologist today!


It's not a great secret that I'm a fan of the game Warframe, published by Digital Extremes. I haven't played it very much, but I've been stuck listening to "We All Lift Together", a song created to promote a large addition to the game, and as a result I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been playing Warframe on-and-off since it was in beta, and while I don't consider it my favorite game, I think it has some of the best (if not the outright best) storytelling in a game with a single linear storyline, despite being very minimalist in how it develops that story.
The way that it pulls this off is by managing to tell a story that combines deep psychology and mythical elements on a very fundamental level to make a narrative so compelling that player choices, generally absent except in the most superficial forms, are irrelevant.
There are practical considerations of this as well–much of the story takes place as flashbacks or responses to critical incidents–but this would be frustrating to the audience were it not tied to strong principles of storytelling.
Psycho-mythic storytelling ties into Jungian notions of the subconscious and other elements of the human psyche, which is derived from while simultaneously informing stories that have emerged across the entire range of human society and experiences.
It is important to realize that many of these elements are archetypal; that is, that they do not have any single manifestation that can be pointed to as a source. Nonetheless, many of these factors are still universal.
As I work through examples of these events across Warframe's storyline, I will introduce these as needed, however, an understanding of Jungian dichotomies is important.
Jungian dichotomies draw from the fundamental notion of paired elements (e.g. order and chaos, masculine and feminine, known and unknown) being represented both within and as an extension of all things.
Balance between the two extremes in a dichotomy reflects a more reasonable approach to the universe, one which is likely to meet with objective reality in such a manner that produces positive outcomes.
For instance, considering the very most basic of the possible responses, you have the conflict between known and unknown.
The known, generally, is not exciting. While there may be some contentment in the present, at some point the known gets boring; change is a natural state, and to remain in the known is to embrace stagnation.
However, the intrusion of the unknown is a terrible thing, because it represents the risk of loss, or more accurately the possibility that the subjective self will be harmed in some way.
The unknown is also the source of anything better than what is currently had, however. This makes it desirable; one who is able to frame an encounter with the unknown in such a way that they are able to approach it to their advantage is going to wind up having success in their endeavors, and their prize will be either what they desire or something that transcends that which they originally wanted.
Joseph Campbell's monomyth, from which the Hero's Journey is derived, draws upon this relationship with the unknown: the Hero must find it within themselves to find a subjectively greater future by entering the unknown and confronting it. You can find more in his seminal work The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Amazon affiliate link).
Much of what I am applying to Warframe is also based on the mythological analyses modeled by Jordan Peterson in his book Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (Amazon affiliate link). I've been listening to it on-and-off for the past few weeks, and I've been finding it incredibly interesting.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, I also want to talk about cosmogonic tiers.
There is a distinction in cosmogony based on the "depth" of experiences, and we can see this in classical myth as well. The concept of cosmogony centers around the idea that everything started as chaos, and then became more structured and ordered as things go along. Each generation overthrows its predecessors in a heroic revolution, although this eventually stops when we reach the current generation–the one in which humanity resides.
This can be distilled into tiers and generations. There's not always a clear descent between generations (i.e. two generations may fit one cosmogonic tier in some places), but these figures can be generalized by category.
A good example from this comes from Greek myth, where we see Chaos, which is the first entity in existence.
At this point existence is beyond comprehension, and beyond anything that is relevant to our audience, and it is only through filtering down to further levels of experience that we reach anything that has relevance in human life.
Chaos' cohorts and children (some of the distinctions here are blurred based on the telling) represent universal entities: Gaia, land; Tartarus, the underworld; Eros, the sexual drive; and so forth. These are primordial deities–they exist before the world that is known does.
These are personified entities (and, in some cases, Chaos is as well), but they are not directly interfaced with the human world. To humanity they are alien, and even when personified their motivations and drives are not necessarily comprehensible.
From this initial generation come the Titans, a second generation of the divine. These figures now have their own clear families, and by extension a clear role in the universe. More heavily personified, they are portrayed as the creators of humankind, but are themselves still more defined by their differences than their similarities.
The third generation, the traditional Greek gods as we would know them, represent archetypal figures. They have a particular divine domain, but otherwise they are human in motivation and depiction. They obey the rules which apply to humanity (albeit frequently with special privileges; these rules often apply only to their interactions with each other) and face consequences when they fail to do so.
The gods serve as representations of tradition and upright action.
It is in the fourth or later generations that we see mortals and demigods appear. These figures are defined by their vulnerability; where the earlier cosmogonic forces develop from existing outside the world to eventually become a mere part of it.
The psycho-mythic nature of Warframe's narrative contributes to its emotional power. It takes place in a universe where the players take on the role of the heroic individual–one born into the fourth generation of the cosmogony in the same place that humans would fall in the Greek mythosphere–but one which relies on symbolism and psychological establishment of the cosmogony that unfolds.
The reason why I define this as psycho-mythic, instead of simply psychological or symbolic storytelling, is that it relies both on the more modern storytelling methods and approaches while also building heavily (and not unintentionally) on the mythology of ancient times.
The layering of the cosmogonic process is a key part of this: the players' characters (collectively known as the Tenno) are children of the old age, but living after its fall.
The Tenno fit the role as the heroic individuals of the mythical saga very well; they are a sort of Horus figure (Peterson elaborates on this mythical type in his book Maps of Meaning) who must bear a sacrifice of themselves to make the world whole.
This sacrifice is not literal death, but it does entail suffering and pain. The Tenno are children who have known nothing but war, and while they have deific powers, they are also exiles.
Hunted by the Orokin, their own society playing the role of mythic progenitors, due to the threat that they posed, the Tenno are awakened by their protector, the Lotus, in the current time of the game.
They are hunted and hounded by forces that are generally their inferiors: as representations of the fourth-generation heroic individual (i.e. a cosmically significant figure that has been personified enough to lack a deific cosmological significance and instead adopt personal motives) they face the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested factions within the game, each of which represent monstrous figures that are themselves the product of the Orokin but also the inferiors of the Tenno.
The hallmark of the Tenno, however, is also their outward identity, the Warframe.
One step up the generational chain from the Tenno is the warframe. In-universe, the warframes were created for the Tenno, but when the Tenno awaken the warframes are out of their control–at least, most of them are.
Each warframe is based on a theme, and these themes often tie into great symbols. While they are not innately sentient (with the exception of the Excalibur Umbra, which was created by fusing an Orokin with the infestation that spawns every warframe), they are the first experience that the player has with the Tenno, and are defined by their impersonal relationship with the universe.
This is not to imply that the warframe has no personality unto itself, but rather that it has a role in the third generation of the cosmogonic structure. Each of the individual warframes is an example of something that has a deific role in the universe: the Excalibur represents mastery of the blade, the Volt represents power over lightning, and the Loki represents trickery and deception.
Each warframe plays a deific role, rather than a personal one, and while they are merely tools to an end they are simultaneously idols to concepts that play an important role in the life of the Tenno and in the universe of Warframe, assuming the role of protector gods among primitive civilizations that have begun to spring up in the ashes of the Orokin world.
In this sense, the warframe serves as a sort of archetypal father, who in a psychological sense is often thought of as a bringer of order.
It is the Lotus who searches for and awakens the warframe and the Tenno, however.
To draw a parallel to the Egyptian myth of Osiris, it is Osiris' wife who finds the parts of Osiris after he is murdered by Set and reassembles them, giving birth to the mythical figure Horus, who is a fourth-generation cosmogonic figure representing humankind.
The Lotus fills this void in the psycho-mythic framework of Warframe; she is the one who awakens the Tenno, and also plays a key role in mentoring them and directing them toward solving the problems with their universe.
However, the Lotus' origins are shrouded in mystery, and as the world is revealed through the storyline of the game it is clear that she is not necessarily who she seems.
At first, the Lotus is associated with Margulis, an Orokin woman who raised the Tenno after they encountered the void (both of these are first generational figures in the cosmogony), but it is later revealed that she is actually a Sentient, one of the creations of the Orokin.
The Sentients have a clear parallel to the Titans of Greek mythology; the first gods to have been purified and complicated to the extent that they can represent natural forces, rather than abstract spheres of existence, the Titans are often portrayed as rebelling against or usurping their precursors, only to be usurped in turn by the third-generation deities.
When the Sentients turn against their creators, the Orokin, the warframes are created to destroy them; the warframes skip to the third cosmogonic generation but it is the Lotus, a second-generation figure, who preserves them from both her fellow Sentients and the Orokin themselves, mimicking the myth of Zeus being given to Amalthea for safekeeping. The fact that both the Lotus and Amalthea are feminine figures is important in a Jungian psychoanalysis; the archetypal father can bring order but also tyranny, while the archetypal mother brings promise but also risk.
The Tenno gain their power from the Void, a sort of ur-chaos. The Void is an extradimensional space, one that requires special means to access.
The Void is the palace of the Orokin, the grand civilization that spawned the Tenno (again, we see the generational nature of mythology resurfacing), though they were unable to reach it without significant sacrifices and even for their technologically advanced civilization it was something of an outlier; when they fell, so did their dwellings in the Void, which exist in the current day of the game as either derelicts or uninhabited, but still active, stations.
The Void serves as a primordial first-generation figure in the cosmogony of Warframe; many ancient myths involve a later generation's members returning to the originator of the world and slaying it, making its corpse into their home.
The Orokin serve as additional manifestations of this first level. Along with the Void, they are the ultimate progenitors of the Tenno, originally children who were lost in the Void following a failed expedition to that extra-dimensional space.
The fact that the Tenno, who ultimately are responsible in part for the eventual Orokin conquest of the Void, are able to draw power and shelter from the Void has mythic significance; it is common for a great heroic figure to slay a great threat and make use of its remains for sustenance, shelter, or both.
The conflict that unfolds in Warframe is one of bringing the universe into balance. The Tenno, reawakened and representing humanity, face both other fourth-generation forces, like the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested and the Sentients.
The struggle against other "mortal" forces is not uncommon in mythology, and is a defining trait of some of the early mythic heroes like Odysseus, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh: their foes are not necessarily divine in nature, and they vanquish them using mortal might and cunning.
In this way, the Tenno are able to fight the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested with their own might. As joint members of the natural world, they are on the same playing field, though the Tenno as part-divine by nature of their connection to the primordial first-generation entity of the Void are at a distinct advantage, and as epic protagonists are therefore going to succeed in almost every challenge (even if doing so requires them to come to apotheosis first, something seen in the Second Dream and other storyline missions in Warframe).
It is worth noting that the Tenno is not automatically awoken fully to their abilities at the start of the game, but must instead acquire them during the storyline as they grow in knowledge of their true nature. Up until they achieve this divine apotheosis, it seems that the primary conflict is strictly between them and their worldly antagonists.
As the story progresses, the risks and dangers increase with it. The Tenno are not able to face the Sentients alone. While their warframes provide them with some divine power, the warframes are themselves very much natural; they have power drawn from the Void, but it has been distantly removed and is revealed to have always come from the energy flowing from the Tenno to a warframe, rather than being an intrinsic property of the warframe itself.
In the most recent story update, the Tenno encounters Ballas, an Orokin traitor who sided with the Sentients, but has been corrupted by them. He gives the Tenno a boon, a weapon with which to slay the Sentients, before the scene ends.
Warframe's compelling story draws its weight from being designed with psychological and mythical archetypes that make every character and element more significant than it seems at first glance.
This powerful storytelling method means that although it has relatively little dialogue compared to many other games and almost no player choices, it manages to tell a story that is part of an epic cycle and put the player at the helm of a character who they can sympathize with.
The ensuing connection to the Hero's Journey means that the player wants to do the same thing that their avatar does, without requiring coercion or massively branching narratives from the writing team.
I haven't been writing as much about game design on my personal blog since I started writing daily for Loreshaper Games, but I've been thinking on what I've been doing with some of the content for my games and in particular how the context of previous experiences is shaping my current work as a designer.
One of the things that I've been asked about a few times is ending a campaign of D&D or other roleplaying games.
It's the sort of thing that comes up from time to time because of the fact that many of these games are entirely open-ended. There aren't any real stopping points or times to end the campaign scripted into most games, and barring a catastrophe that kills all the player characters (deserved or not), it's hard to reach a point where the game comes to a satisfying conclusion.
I've been really awful at updating this blog, and I think it's because I insist on doing articles. I'm still probably going to finish up Breathing Life at some point, because I have a fair amount of stuff written for it already (and I've had a lot more drafted and planned, awaiting me having more free time).
Some of it's because I keep starting new projects.
The most recent is velotha's flock, a free-verse game about were-ravens caught in a struggle between God and the devil. Bit of a niche audience, but it draws me to an important point: the cycle of literary characters.
Wonder is hard to come by-we've explored most of our land mass, been to space, and answered more questions than most people ask in their lives. One of the challenges of running a tabletop game in the modern day is the need to compete with the extreme stimulation of mass media; it is crucial from an entertainment perspective to build upon the storytelling and setting of other media and bring them together into a conglomeration of all the elements that will go into your setting and descriptions.