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Top 5 – Free-to-Play Monetization Techniques of 2016
By Adrian CrookMarch 21, 2017October 8th, 2021No Comments
Home « Blog « Top 5 – Free-to-Play Monetization Techniques of 2016
Upon quick glance, it may seem that the world of mobile gaming hasn't changed in several years. You see many of the same games at the top of the charts. Yet as active practitioners, you know that it's an incredibly dynamic field, constantly innovating and responding to the behaviors of your players. Being quick to bring a proven new mechanic to your product can be the difference between a top 50 hit and utter obscurity.
That's why our clients believe in the Teardown Club process, where we deeply analyze both the biggest smash hits and the latest innovative titles to see what they are doing to engage, retain, and monetize their players. Here are some of the strategies we saw in our Teardowns that just plainly crushed it for game developers last year.
5. VIP Clubs
In these systems, VIP levels and benefits go up based on activities the player is already doing, like gifting (virality), completing daily login challenges (retention), and by spending currency (monetization). But if the player wants to actually engage these "earned" benefits, they must have an item which will allow the player to "activate" the VIP status. Naturally, these items can be purchased with currency.
Game of War brought this on the scene in the US, but newer games like Clash of Kings, War of Clans, and Mobile Strike have really cemented the power of this technique in "March Battle" games. We've also seen it outside this genre, including in our teardowns of Netmarble's Marvel Future Fight and Miniclip's 8 Ball Pool. In our teardown of Clash of Kings, we highlighted these systems, which rely on a similar psychology to expensive razor cartridges or printer ink: the player is given something for a very low price (free in the case of VIP clubs) but must spend to continue using it.
4. Rewarded Video Ads
Rewarding players for watching video ads is becoming an increasingly important element of free to play design. This TV-like revenue vector doesn't force ads down the player's throats, instead, it rewards them for watching an ad, if the player chooses to do so. We believe this has driven significant revenue for games like Adventure Capitalist and Smashy Road.
In our teardown of Bearbit's Smashy Road follow-up product, Smashy Road Wanted, we looked at the evolution of their reward video interface.
Notice above, the improvements that Smashy Road Wanted has made to the formula– that when a player watches a video, the new game shows exactly how much cash was earned, and further, shows how much more the user needs to be able to earn a car. This information demonstrates how to increase ad views per user when creating a video reward system.
3. Winner-Take-All Wagering
Miniclip leads the way on this soft currency-based "gambling" mechanic. We explored it in our teardown of their class-leading game, 8 Ball Pool.
Putting hard-earned currency on the line dramatically increases the player's investment in the outcome of their play session. We already know that "loss aversion" is a powerful motivator, and the fear of losing earned currency compels the player to upgrade their capabilities in order to succeed in these high stakes "bets." We would imagine this kind of mechanic will improve conversion to pay as well. Finally, the reward of success and the burn of defeat both create emotions that drive the player to increase their engagement and commitment to the game.
2. Limiting Rewards Instead of Engagement
This "log jam" technique, made famous by Supercell's Clash Royale, is sure to be seen in dozens of games over the course of the year. While players can continue to play as much as they'd like, they will stop earning chests once they fill up their slots.
As we pointed out in our Teardown, with only 4 chest slots, players face a minimum of 12 hours to open all the chests they can earn in a well-played 15-minute session. Players may continue to play but face a warning that they will not receive new chests while their chest queue is full. This mechanic forces a player to either spend gems to hurry up the unlock process or return regularly to achieve an optimal earnings rate. Designers have become enamored with this system for
Designers have become enamored with this system for its strong monetization incentivization and predictable progression without forcing players to stop playing the way traditional energy mechanics do.
1. Gacha Everywhere
Gatcha has been a staple of Japanese games like Puzzle & Dragons, but we've seen it increasingly in teardowns of games from all over the world and in every genre. This includes games like Asphalt 8's Pro Kits and Tap Sports Baseball's draft picks.
Gacha is popular because it effectively increases engagement and monetization at the same time, and has a high amount of value for the development resources required to develop this kind of system. Players love the excitement of the unknown– they aren't just purchasing an upgrade, they are purchasing the emotions that go along with opening a "pack" and discovering what wonders or disappointments are inside. Meanwhile, developers appreciate the increased engagement and revenue without creating unsustainable content treadmills. That's why we predict Gacha's popularity will continue over the course of 2017 and beyond.
Previously, monetization mechanics often put the player and the developer at odds with each other, but many of the mechanics highlighted today to seek a harmony. For example, the way that Clash Royale limits rewards instead of engagement benefits players by allowing them to continue to play while maintaining a healthy economy the way energy mechanics do. Similarly, Gatcha can create incredible player experiences but also provides benefits for dev teams. These techniques, then, represent healthy maturating for the relatively new medium of free-to-play. While these techniques are some of the most impactful today, not
While these techniques are some of the most impactful today, not everyone will be right for your product. VIP, for example, works well in games with massive cooperation or direct competition. It would be unfit for a game like Smashy Road.
To get access to our exclusive, comprehensive Teardowns, visit Teardown Club today, and receive our complete breakdowns. Now available a la carte, you get access to the Vault (all the teardowns mentioned in this article, and much more).
If you're looking for specific help with your product, contact us about our consulting offering. Our satisfied clients include Electronic Arts, Zynga, Facebook and over 100 others. Contact us today
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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the Full First Action Interview Pilot Program, which is an expansion of the Enhanced First Action Interview Pilot Program so as to include all utility applications in all technology areas and filing dates. As with the previous First Action Interview pilot programs (which included the Original and the Enhanced pilots), the applicant is entitled to a first action interview, upon request, prior to the first Office action on the merits. This pilot will run through May 16, 2012.
Participants in the previous First Action Interview pilots experienced many benefits including: (1) the ability to advance prosecution of an application; (2) enhanced interaction between the applicant and the examiner; (3) the opportunity to resolve patentability issues one-on-one with the examiner at the beginning of the prosecution process and; (4) the opportunity to facilitate early allowance. Approximately 34 percent of the applications in the First Action Interview Pilot Programs were allowed on the first action on the merits, as compared to approximately 11 percent on average across all technologies for new non-continuing applications.
For applications in the program, the examiner will conduct a prior art search and provide the applicant with a condensed pre-interview communication citing relevant prior art and identifying proposed rejections or objections. Within 30 days of receipt, the applicant schedules an interview and submits proposed amendments and/or arguments. At the interview, the relevant prior art, proposed rejections, and proposed amendments and arguments will be discussed. If agreement is not reached, the applicant will then receive First Action Interview Office action that includes an interview summary that constitutes a first Office action on the merits under 35 USC 132.


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package akka.util.ccompat

import scala.collection.immutable

/**
 * INTERNAL API
 */
package object imm {
  implicit class SortedSetOps[A](val real: immutable.SortedSet[A]) extends AnyVal {
    def unsorted: immutable.Set[A] = real
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Luxury Guilin & Yangshuo Holidays
The best landscapes under heaven, featuring remarkable karst hills overlooking luxurious riverside resorts.
Get a Callback Get a
Guide to Luxury Holidays in Guilin
Guìlín and Yángshuò provide the most remarkable landscapes in all of China. No matter whether you want to see the scenery on a relaxing river cruise or embrace your sense of adventure with adrenaline-fuelled activities, luxury holidays in Guìlín and Yángshuò are sure to live long in the memory.
The city of Guìlín, and the nearby resort town of Yángshuò, promise some of the most spectacular scenery in China. In children's textbooks, Guìlín's landscape is described as the 'best under heaven', while Yángshuò's other-wordly terrain opens up an abundance of adventure travel experiences, such as biking, hiking, rock climbing, and caving.
Guìlín is best known for its limestone karst hills and mountains, which were formed 200 million years ago when the area was completely under water. The town centre, which is surrounded by two lakes - Shanhu (Cedar) and Ronghu (Banyan) - features a number of historic sites alongside some beautiful parks and bridges. Yángshuò picks up where Guìlín left off with equally awe-inspiring natural beauty, with its rising peaks reflected in the waters of the Li River. See traditional fisherman work along its banks, and explore the nearby historic rice terraces.
The region's finest resorts, hotels, and guesthouses are often found in the middle of it all, delivering breathtaking riverside views and the kind of amenities only luxury holidays can afford.
Even though Guìlín and Yángshuò have subtropical climates, both destinations are suitable for travel all-year round. Perhaps the best times to visit are from late March to May and late September through November, when temperatures vary between 20-30°C, and the days are dry and sunny.
During the winter months of November and December, you can expect blue skies and little rain, providing the idea opportunity to take advantage of the region's abundant activities. Both destinations come alive during the Chinese national holidays (1-3 May, 1-7 Oct) and Spring Festival (Jan-Feb).
British nationals normally need a visa to enter mainland China. Contact the Chinese Embassy, the China Visa Application Service Centre, or visit GOV.UK for further information.
Foodies will be pleased to hear that almost all cuisines are available here, with traditional Chinese dishes such as the famed Guìlín rice noodles and popular Yángshuò beer fish taking centre stage on many menus.
In Guìlín town centre, the pedestrianised Zhengyang Lu and its surrounding lanes are the busiest dining areas. However, some of the most refined and high-end eating experiences can be found in the region's luxurious hotels and resorts, which typically fuse classic cuisine with contemporary touches.
Speak to one of our Guilin experts about planning your dream holiday today
Hotels in Guilin
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Not ready to abandon Windows XP in favor of the much-maligned Vista? Neither are the Russians, whose government recently launched an investigation into Microsoft's decision to stop selling the popular operating system on new PCs there.
It's expected that investigators opposing the July deadline will argue that Vista is too bulky and too demanding for the majority of PCs in homes and businesses.
Reports suggest that the Russian government also believes that Microsoft shipped Vista much too late (early 2007), and yet it offered few fundamental changes. That means that although Vista is demanding, it doesn't dramatically improve the user's computing experience. XP is still quite capable of performing basic, important functions, including web surfing, word processing, and even some gaming.
All of this anger about the switch away from XP to Vista probably sounds awfully familiar to Americans, who have expressed their own dislike of Vista. It's a big reason for the huge anticipation awaiting Microsoft's next OS, Windows 7.


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New Launch Date for India's Mars Mission May Be Announced Tuesday
By Ben Evans, on October 21st, 2013
The MOM/Mangalyaan spacecraft undergoes initial checkout at the Sriharikota launch site after its arrival on 3 October 2013. Photo Credit: ISRO
India's first mission to Mars will remain shackled to Earth for a few more days, following reports of poor weather conditions in the post-launch tracking zone and "a snag in equipment" aboard one of the ships deployed in the Pacific Ocean to monitor the latter stages of the spacecraft's ascent. Although the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has yet to confirm the delay officially on its website—which continues to note that the launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as "Mangalyaan" (Hindi for "Mars Craft"), will occur at some point in the 28 October-19 November timeframe—several media sources have confirmed no earlier than 6 November as the next available launch opportunity.
Despite the recent ravages of Cyclone Phailin, which wreaked devastation on large areas of India, together with Thailand, Myanmar, and Nepal, preparations for the long-awaited mission have proceeded without incident at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, on the barrier island of Sriharikota, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Although this region escaped the worst of Phailin's wrath, more than 64,000 people had to be evacuated from low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh at the height of the cyclone. Integration of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has been completed, and on 17 October the Launch Authorisation Board met to approve the installation of MOM/Mangalyaan atop the rocket. ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan told India's Hindi-language NDTV news channel Saturday that the spacecraft had been fueled and was in the process of being mated to the rocket. However, the Deccan Chronicle explained that the Launch Authorisation Board had "met inconclusively" and would meet again on Tuesday, 22 October.
In the meantime, the scheduled Saturday, 19 October arrival of Marine Vessel (MV) SCI Nalanda—the main ISRO ship to be stationed in the Pacific to monitor the PSLV's ascent—was delayed, due to bad weather. According to The Hindu newspaper, a second ship, MV SCI Yamuna, is already in Fiji. Both vessels have been provided by the Shipping Corporation of India. "The two ships, deployed last month, carry tracking terminals and are a crucial link in relaying real-time data about the last stages of the launch and release of the spacecraft, which will happen over the South Pacific," it was noted Saturday. Quoting Deviprasad Karnik, ISRO's Director for Press & Public Relations, The Hindu revealed that the Nalanda should reach Fiji today (Monday) and ISRO will decide an exact launch date tomorrow (Tuesday).
With NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) providing communications and navigation assistance, India stands ready to stage its first mission to the Red Planet. Image Credit: ISRO
After its arrival, both the Nalanda and the Yamuna will undergo a period of testing, ahead of being directed to their operational positions for the impending mission. According to the Fiji Times, the Nalanda "is required to be located around 19 degrees South latitude and 160 degrees West longitude," whilst the Yamuna will operate at 20 degrees South latitude and 130 degrees West longitude. When they are both on-station, the two ships will be about 3,450 miles (5,550 km) apart … and will both reside more than 10,350 miles (16,650 km) from India. "For any ship to travel such a long distance at one shot," explained Vinod Kumar, India's High Commissioner to Fiji, "is very difficult and impractical."
Mr. Kumar added that the strategic location of Fiji and its capital, the port city of Suva, served the ISRO vessels "as a source for topping up the essential commodities … and facilitating the refueling of the ships to enable these ships to sail further." The archipelago lies in the southwest Pacific Ocean, about 1,300 miles (2,000 km) northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and will play a critical role in MOM/Mangalyaan's ascent to orbit. The ignition of the PSLV's fourth-stage motor—and injection of the spacecraft into space—is anticipated to occur somewhere high above Fijian airspace. As part of goodwill gestures between the two nations, India planned to present a model of the rocket and the Mars probe to Fiji's president, Epeli Nailatikau.
In addition to the weather issues, a number of technical difficulties were highlighted by India's Deccan Chronicle on Sunday. Noting "a snag in equipment on-board one of the ships," the Chronicle elaborated that a new launch date would be officially announced "after reviewing the readiness of communication terminals" aboard the Nalanda and the Yamuna. ISRO Chairman Dr. Radhakrishnan said that the movement of Indian ships in the Pacific has slowed significantly, due the bad weather, and a decision on the date of the launch can possibly be taken on Tuesday, October 22, after the Nalanda's arrival in Fiji.
MOM/Mangalyaan is a highly ambitious—and almost unlikely—mission for the world's second most populous nation, having only received formal approval and a $41 million financial allocation from the Indian government in August 2012. With estimated costs as high as $100 million, the mission unsurprisingly drew criticism last year from those who pointed to India's power failures and the risk of drought in the aftermath of weak monsoon rains. Quoted by the BBC, one Indian government official bit back at the critics. "If we don't dare dream big, it would leave us as hewers of wood and drawers of water," the official declared. "India is today too big to be just living on the fringes of high technology."
India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft, also known as "Mangalyaan" (Hindi for "Mars Craft"), is loaded into the Large Space Simulation Chamber for thermovacuum tests. Photo Credit: ISRO
Described as "a technology demonstration project," MOM/Mangalyaan's primary task is to prove that India has the technical capability to design, plan, manage, launch, and operate a deep-space mission across the vast gulf to reach the Red Planet. The spacecraft carries a payload of five scientific instruments—the Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Colour Camera (MCC), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA), Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIR), and Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP)—and will be dedicated to developing a clearer understanding the morphology, topography, and mineralogy of the Martian surface, the dynamics of its tenuous upper atmosphere, the effects of the solar wind and radiation, and the nature of the planet's large moon, Phobos.
Liftoff of the mission remains scheduled within a month-long Mars "launch window," which extends from 21 October until 19 November, and after a national committee of experts—including professors from the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore and the famed Indian aerospace scientist and fluid dynamicist Roddam Narasimha—gave the formal go-ahead, it was announced on 22 September that the flight would begin, weather permitting, on "the first available opportunity" on 28 October. According to Spaceflight Now, the launch window opens at 4:15 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. EDT). Assembly of the PSLV rocket at the Sriharikota launch site began in early August and is now complete and awaiting tomorrow's planned integration of the MOM/Mangalyaan payload.
Developed and operated by ISRO, the PSLV is one of the most reliable members of India's fleet of launch vehicles. Standing 144 feet (44 meters) tall, the four-stage rocket has the potential to deliver payloads weighing up to 7,160 pounds (3,250 kg) into low-Earth orbit and up to 3,100 pounds (1,410 kg) into geostationary transfer orbit and is therefore ideally suited to boost the fully-fueled 2,980-pound (1,350-kg) MOM/Mangalyaan spacecraft aloft. First flown in September 1993, PSLV has completed 24 missions, of which one—ironically the rocket's maiden voyage—suffered an attitude-control failure during the separation of its second and third stages, crashing into the Bay of Bengal 700 seconds after liftoff. Another experienced an underperformance of its fourth stage during a September 1997 launch, but every other flight has been flawless.
A PSLV-XL launch vehicle, equipped with four stages and six strap-on solid-fuelled rocket boosters, launches from Sriharikota with India's Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT)-1 in April 2012. A similar configuration of PSLV will be used for the upcoming MOM/Mangalyaan mission. Photo Credit: ISRO
The MOM/Mangalyaan mission will ride aboard the uprated PSLV-XL, which made its inaugural flight in October 2008, carrying Chandrayaan-1, India's first spacecraft to visit the Moon. The vehicle will be powered for the first portion of its flight by a single first-stage engine and six strap-on boosters, all of which utilize a solid fuel of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene. Although the boosters will burn for just 44 seconds, the first stage will continue to drive the PSLV-XL uphill for the first 4.5 minutes of the mission. The second stage and its single Vikas liquid-fueled engine will take over for 2.5 minutes, followed by the solid-fueled third stage for 83 seconds and lastly the twin liquid-fueled motors of the fourth stage for a little over 7 minutes. Throughout its history, variants of the PSLV have delivered payloads into orbit on behalf of India, Germany, South Korea, Norway, Italy, Luxembourg, Indonesia, Argentina, Israel, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria, Singapore, Russia, Austria, the United Kingdom, and France. On its most recent launch, on 1 July 2013, it successfully delivered the IRNSS-1A payload into orbit for the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System.
After the PSLV-XL has placed MOM/Mangalyaan into low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft will execute a series of six thruster firings to expand its orbit to an apogee of 133,600 miles (215,000 km) and a perigee of 370 miles (600 km). Its Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM), fueled by monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, was successfully tested in October 2012 at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendra Giri in Tamil Nadu. It will remain in this highly elliptical orbit for about a month, ahead of a final burn on 27 November to place it onto a trans-Mars trajectory. The spacecraft will cruise through interplanetary space for 10 months, with the LAM burns to enter an elliptical orbit of 310 x 50,000 miles (500 x 80,000 km) around the Red Planet currently scheduled for 21 September 2014.
India is still riding on the success of Chandrayaan-1, its first mission to the Moon, in 2008, which returned valuable data about the presence of large deposits of liquid water in the lunar interior. India is presently working toward a multi-faceted Chandrayaan-2, which is scheduled to launch a lunar orbiter, lander, and roving vehicle sometime in 2015, and if the MOM/Mangalyaan mission proves successful, it will make ISRO the fourth national space agency—after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA)—to fly its own mission to the Red Planet.
Want to keep up-to-date with all things space? Be sure to "Like" AmericaSpace on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @AmericaSpace
October 21st, 2013 | Tags: aerospace, AmericaSpace, Cyclone Phailin, Exploration, Explore, Fiji, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), mangalyaan, Mars, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), MOM, MV SCI Nalanda, MV SCI Yamuna, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), rocket, Rockets, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Space, space exploration, spacecraft, Sriharikota | Category: AmericaSpace, Ben Evans, India, Mars, Space
Proton-M Launch With Sirius FM-6 Satellite Delayed Until 25/26 October
New Way to Tame a Rocket Engine


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Phil Hughes leaves Game 3 with injury
The Yankees starter left Game 3 in the fourth inning with a herniated lumbar disc.
By Jordan Sargent Oct 16, 2012, 9:32pm EDT
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Leon Halip - Getty Images
New York Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes left Game 3 on Tuesday night in the fourth inning with a herniated lumbar disc, according to TBS' Craig Sager. Hughes was removed after allowing a home run to Delmon Young and a walk to Andy Dirks, and was replaced by reliever David Phelps.
Hughes had not allowed a run through three innings, but Young led off the fourth with a homer, and after Hughes issued the walk to Dirks, it became clear that something was wrong. The injury will force the Yankees to dip into their bullpen early in what is close to a must-win game.
New York is also tasked with facing Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who has allowed only one hit through four innings while striking out two. Phelps appeared in Game 1 of the ALCS, allowing three hits and two earned runs in the 12th inning. Phelps was tagged with the loss.
UPDATE: The official word on Phil Hughes is that he left with a stiff back.
Phil Hughes left tonight's Game 3 start with a stiff back.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 17, 2012
Phil Hughes leaves with herniated lumbar disc
Tigers, Yankees in scoreless tie


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Category: NASA
Zooming at the Moon
At the longest zoom, the Nikon P1000 has a field of view of 0.2°, which is equivalent to 1342 km at the Moon's distance.
Flat-Earthers zoomed their Nikon P1000 at the Moon and claimed that they could not find flags and landers from the Apollo missions. In reality, the smallest objects on the lunar surface they can observe using their cameras are large city-sized objects.
Continue reading "Zooming at the Moon"
Communication Delays in Apollo Missions
Radio waves travel at the speed of light; it takes 1¼ seconds to cover Earth-Moon distance. It is the reason in the Apollo missions after Houston says something, the response from the astronauts on the Moon will arrive only after 2½ seconds.
Some presentations of the Apollo missions are edited to cut out the gaps created by the delay, and flat-Earthers use them to dismiss the Apollo missions as fake. However, in the actual audio recordings and the transcripts, the delays are there.
Continue reading "Communication Delays in Apollo Missions"
Blue Marble and the Visible Area of Earth's Surface
The Blue Marble is an image of Earth taken by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft on its way to the Moon. It was taken from a distance of 29000 km from Earth's surface.
Flat-Earthers dismiss it by incorrectly asserting that the image covers a too-small area of Earth's surface, due to their failure to account for the maps' distortion.
Continue reading "Blue Marble and the Visible Area of Earth's Surface"
Richard Garriott's "Pocket of Gravity" Magic Trick
Richard Garriott is a video-game developer and entrepreneur who is also an avid magician. In October 2008, he flew to the ISS onboard a Soyuz rocket as a private astronaut. During his time on the ISS, he performed several magic tricks.
One of his magic tricks involves a hammer that floats and a card that seems to fall as if it is pulled down by gravity. Flat-Earthers were unaware it was a mere magic trick and wrongly assume it demonstrates things are falling in the ISS, despite other objects in the scene that float.
Continue reading "Richard Garriott's "Pocket of Gravity" Magic Trick"
Missions to the Moon, Post-Apollo
After the Apollo moon landings, we continue launching missions to the moon, but with uncrewed spacecraft. The Apollo program was not entirely a scientific mission. It also served as a political mission due to the Cold War. We can research a lot of things about the moon without risking human lives by sending them to the moon.
Flat-Earthers claim that there have not been any missions to the moon after the Apollo missions, and they conclude that the Apollo missions were fabricated. In reality, we continue sending spacecraft to the moon to this day.
Continue reading "Missions to the Moon, Post-Apollo"
Angular Resolution
Angular resolution is the minimum separation between distinguishable features in an image. Objects smaller than the angular resolution are indiscernible in the picture. The theoretical maximum angular resolution is determined by the diameter of the aperture of the optical instrument.
Flat-Earthers like to demand images of the lunar landers taken with a telescope as proof that the Apollo Moon landings did occur. In reality, no optical telescope on Earth is large enough to resolve the landers.
Continue reading "Angular Resolution"
2001 Mars Odyssey Launch Video
Flat-Earthers often challenge us to provide a video of a rocket launch that was taken from the rocket itself, without interruption from launch to reaching space, as if it would convince them to accept that it is real and the Earth is a sphere.
The launch video of the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission easily fulfills their demand. But whether they can manage to accept the reality that Earth is a sphere is entirely another matter.
Continue reading "2001 Mars Odyssey Launch Video"
Flight Dynamics: the Assumption of Flat & Non-Rotating Earth for Simplification
In making mathematical models, physicists often remove real-world details that have little influence over the final results for simplifications. In flight-dynamics, it is often perfectly adequate to assume Earth is flat & non-rotating, even if the final aircraft will be flying over spherical & rotating Earth.
Flat-Earthers claimed to have exposed 'a secret document' from NASA, saying that Earth is flat & non-rotating. In reality, the document is simply a derivation of a flight dynamics problem, assuming flat and non-rotating Earth, which is a common assumption made to simplify flight models. It does not imply the Earth is flat and non-rotating.
Continue reading "Flight Dynamics: the Assumption of Flat & Non-Rotating Earth for Simplification"
Apollo Astronauts and the Demand to Swear on the Bible
In the early 2000s, an unscrupulous Moon landing denialist lured Apollo astronauts into an audience with him under false pretenses. Then he insulted them as liars and pressed them to swear on the Bible that they went to the Moon.
Flat-Earthers use this incident as "evidence" that we never went to the Moon. In reality, the offender did not meet the astronauts with the best of intentions. This incident tells us more about the offender than it does about the astronauts.
Continue reading "Apollo Astronauts and the Demand to Swear on the Bible"
"Mouse" on a SpaceX Falcon9 Rocket Launch
In the video of the CRS-19 mission of the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket, flat-Earthers noticed something is moving near the exhaust of the second stage rocket. Creatively, they interpreted it as a "mouse, " and then use it to discredit spaceflight and the people involved in it.
In reality, it was merely crystallized waste from the rocket engine. To know this, we only need to see the part of the video after the one cherry-picked by flat-Earthers. The "mouse" slowly disappeared by evaporation.
Continue reading ""Mouse" on a SpaceX Falcon9 Rocket Launch"
Rocket Staging
Rockets consist of several stages. Two or more smaller rockets are combined into a single rocket. They are ignited in order; when an earlier stage runs out of propellants, it is jettisoned to reduce the load for the rest of the rocket.
Flat-Earthers noticed videos of rockets being recovered from the ocean and use them as "evidence" rockets never went to space. In reality, these are the jettisoned earlier stages of the rockets. The latter stages do reach space.
Continue reading "Rocket Staging"
Apollo 11 Post-Flight Press Conference
Flat-Earthers claim that the Apollo 11 astronauts were gloomy and uneasy at their press conference. They allege this was due to their guilt of faking the Moon landing. In reality, the press conference was full of jokes and laughter.
Unscrupulous conspiracy theorists cherry-picked a single photo from the press conference video in which the astronauts were serious. They abuse the picture to ignite our emotions and lead us to believe the hoax they created that the Moon landings did not occur.
Continue reading "Apollo 11 Post-Flight Press Conference"
Mentioning NASA in Arguments About the Shape of the Earth
Humans knew Earth is a sphere since at least the 3rd century B.C., far before the first spaceflight and before NASA was founded. Flat Earthers have no choice but to slander NASA to defend the flat-Earth belief, but there is no need to rely on NASA to know that Earth is a sphere.
Continue reading "Mentioning NASA in Arguments About the Shape of the Earth"
Tim Peake's Scientific Demonstration on the ISS and the Green Screen Conspiracy Theory
In 2006, astronaut Tim Peake from the UK was tasked to perform some physics demonstration on the ISS for the National Space Academy. Tim performed the demonstrations in front of a gridded background specifically made for the purpose.
One of Tim's video appeared during the former US president George H.W. Bush's visit to NASA's Mission Control Center. Flat-Earthers discovered the footage and quickly claim that it used a green screen background for CGI purposes. Such allegation was only from their ignorance and the eagerness to accuse others of lying. Tim's videos are published in the National Science Academy's web site as is, proving the background in the videos was merely an ordinary background, not a green screen for CGI.
Continue reading "Tim Peake's Scientific Demonstration on the ISS and the Green Screen Conspiracy Theory"
The Saros Cycle and Saros Series
A page on NASA's website is at the center of the attention of flat-Earth followers. It is a page created by Fred 'Mr. Eclipse' Espenak, explaining the Saros cycle. The first paragraph from the page:
The periodicity and recurrence of eclipses is governed by the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). It was known to the Chaldeans as a period when lunar eclipses seem to repeat themselves, but the cycle is applicable to solar eclipses as well.
After they discovered that the said 'Chaldeans' was a civilization from 25 centuries ago, they got excited and jumped to the conclusion that NASA used ancient technology to predict eclipses. But, like other similar cases, this tells us more about the flat-Earthers themselves than about NASA.
Continue reading "The Saros Cycle and Saros Series"
"Who Recorded This?"
Showing a photo or video from the Apollo Moon landings, then rhetorically asking "Who took or recorded this image?" is a common behavior exhibited by many flat-Earthers, as if there is no plausible answer, and only a conspiracy theory can possibly answer it.
In reality, there are simple answers to those questions. And it is very easy for anyone to find the answers.
Continue reading ""Who Recorded This?""
Quality of a Photograph
The quality of a photograph depends on the quality of the equipment. Higher quality equipment tends to give us better results than lower quality ones.
Flat Earthers like to use their Nikon P900/P1000 to take a picture of planets. When they discover their results have far worse quality than the images from NASA, they would conclude NASA must have faked them. In reality, it was due to their equipment are not in the same league as NASA's, not to mention the skills to operate the equipment.
Continue reading "Quality of a Photograph"
Buzz Aldrin's Interview & the Quote-Mining by Flat Earthers
In September 2015, Buzz Aldrin gave an interview at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Flat-Earthers misrepresented and quoted it out of context as if Buzz was admitting that the Apollo Moon landings never happened.
The original interview was 17 minutes long, and there were other occasions Buzz clearly said the Moon landings happened, without any possibility of misinterpretation.
Continue reading "Buzz Aldrin's Interview & the Quote-Mining by Flat Earthers"
James Van Allen and the Van Allen Radiation Belts
In 1958, James Van Allen discovered the existence of the Van Allen radiation belts. Conspiracy theorists, including flat-Earthers, use it to "prove" the Apollo Moon landings were faked and never happened. To dispel the hoax, James Van Allen himself wrote letters clarifying the false allegation.
"The recent Fox TV show, which I saw, is an ingenious & entertaining assemblage of nonsense. The claim that radiation exposure during the Apollo missions would have been fatal to the astronauts is only one example of such nonsense."
Both the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts and the statement that the radiation belts do not prevent space travel came from James Van Allen. Conspiracy theorists cannot merely quote one when it appears to support their belief and conveniently reject the other if it is against them. Continue reading "James Van Allen and the Van Allen Radiation Belts"
"Star Trek Style" Impenetrable Barrier
In 2014, scientists discovered an impenetrable barrier in the Van Allen radiation belts. It prevents dangerous ultrarelativistic electrons from getting too close to the Earth.
Some news outlets dubbed it "Star Trek style invisible shield." Flat-Earthers were too excited reading the headlines and unable to understand the rest of the news. They used it to "prove" the mythical dome above Earth and that spaceflight is impossible. They are wrong. The barrier prevents dangerous ultrarelativistic electrons from reaching Earth. It does not stop us from going to space.
Continue reading ""Star Trek Style" Impenetrable Barrier"


Interview with attorney Rey Hernandez on the UFO experience that led to the creation of the Foundation for Research into Extraterrestrial Encounters.
Just started to listen to this. I get the feeling I'll have to go through it several times to begin to get to grips with it.
Also it's great to see Alex getting these interviews out on a regular basis.
I tend to think that attempting to explain consciousness via the holographic paradigm or through physics is not the right approach. In my opinion consciousness is not part of the physical universe. This belief is based on the evidence from cosmology that the universe, space and time, was designed and created by an intelligence outside the universe. If consciousness exists independently of the physical universe of space and time, then it cannot be explained by physics. Consciousness is not limited by time and distance but seems to be something that is fundamental and irreducible that cannot be explained in terms of other simpler phenomenon. Even if the physical universe is best described by the mathematical equations of a hologram, that does not mean consciousness is part of that hologram, it may only mean that consciousness is capable of perceiving the hologram.
As for research that should be conducted, I would just suggest that FREE include mediumship and other forms of afterlife research as part of their area of investigation. Also, many people who develop psychic abilities need support as much as UFO and NDE experiencers and all forms of psychic experiences could be included in FREE's investigations.
I completely agree that the UFO phenomenon and afterlife phenomenon are related. The UFO literature is sprinkled with hints that there is some project being conducted by ETs and the souls of the dead. This is what originally got me interested in spirituality.
I tend to think the attempts of trying to explain consciousness via the holographic paradigm or through physics is not the right approach. In my opinion consciousness is not part of the physical universe. This belief is based on the evidence from cosmology that the universe, space and time, was designed and created by an intelligence outside the universe. If consciousness exists independently of the physical universe of space and time, then it cannot be explained by physics. Consciousness seems to be something that is fundamental and irreducible, that cannot be explained in terms of other simpler phenomenon and is not limited by time and distance. Even if the physical universe is best be described by the mathematical equations of a hologram, that does not mean consciousness is part of that hologram, it may only mean that consciousness is capable of perceiving the hologram.
What do you think is the most important research that needs to be done in order to get to the bottom of the experiencer phenomenon?
Do we need more broad surveys of how many people have had thes kinds of experiences and what they involve? More detailed analysis of particular experiences leading to a greater understanding of those?
How should Ray's group go about doing this research? Useful and creative ideas welcome.
Maybe consciousness via the holographic paradigm is explained better in the papers on the website http://experiencer.co/. There are certainly lots of papers by physicists there. I am a physicist and also keen on explaining all the wonderful range of conscious states that Rey talked about, so I wonder very much how the FREE physicists have got around the problem that the smallness of Planck's constant make specifically-quantum processes difficult on any large scale.
Quantum Physics may be indeterministic about the detailed choices between differerent outcomes for some classes of microscopic events, namely decoherent measurements, but it is not completely arbitary. Rather, it makes very precise predictions for the probabilities of those outcomes, and, furthermore, the evolution of these probability distributions is completely deterministic.
Either dualist [psychic] input influences the choice of when decohering measurements occur (as Stapp suggests), or it changes the probabilities of different outcomes (as Saunders et al also consider). In the first case, the range of influence is extremely limited, and hardly plausible in a dualist theory. In the second case, the dualist input change the probability rules of quantum physics, in just the same way as dualist input would have to change Newton's laws of motion if it were to influence classical systems.
We conclude therefore, with Saunders and Brecha, that it is very doubtful that any dualist or divine input into the operation of the natural world proceeds by exploiting the small residual indeterminism of quantum physics. Dualist control in quantum physics is no easier than in classical physics. That is, any influence of a dual degree must affect those properties of objects that are also measured by physics.
The challenge, therefore, is to find a coherent theory which explains what, how, when and why those physical properties are changed.
If the claims made by today's speaker have any content, then these problems will be resolved.
I will report later, after reading!
The real trick is explaining how objective physical phenomena can produce subjective experience. How does physics explain why the color red looks red? How can physics help a color blind person understand what red looks like? Consciousness seems to be fundamentally different from any physical phenomenon. Physics might tell you how consciousness interacts with the physical world, but I don't think it is going to explain consciousness.
Subjective experience which cannot be measured objectively cannot be the product of fundamentally different objective measurable phenomena such as neuronal activity in the brain. If you study a lump of brain cells, neither the laws of physics nor any biochemical reactions can explain why subjective experiences feel the way they do. Subjective experiences are known only in terms of subjective experience, not in terms of mathematics, or molecular models, or physics, or chemistry, or biology, or psychology, or sociology. Red looks red. Physics can tell you what wavelengths of light look red, and chemistry can tell you how light is sensed by the retina, and neurology can tell you how the signals from the optic nerve are processed by the brain, but none of that will ever tell a colorblind person what red looks like. Consciousness and physical processes are fundamentally different things.
Exactly! All the talk of 'Quantum Holograms' and such like, seem to miss the point. If exotic physics can really explain the anomalous phenomena that people experience, then those phenomena would simply be part of a materialistic universe. However, I don't think this will happen - naive or sophisticated talk of quantum phenomena doesn't get round the problem of qualia.
I have to say, I gave up on this podcast (at least for now) at about the half way point. I wish Alex had asked some more hard-headed questions. I really don't know what to make of his story, but I do think that some minds are more attuned to such phenomena than others (like mine) and that it doesn't really help to simply call this mental illness.
Indeed, maybe we could discover something interesting by studying what 'mental' patients do report.
Alex, I really do feel that if people start talking about QM, you should push them a bit (maybe giving them some advance warning), because I think vague talk of quantum-X is a real problem - it makes it really hard to take the rest of what someone says seriously. If QM is really going to be extended to encompass these phenomena (but see my previous comment), it is going to be by someone like Stapp or Penrose!
Maybe the aliens communicating with Hernandez are part of a galactic CSICOP group, spreading materialist propaganda in all universe.
It sounds as if these experiences are projected. Hernandez is attacked by a swarm of mosquitos but apparently no other people saw any? Weird.
Does anybody know if the 2nd 2012 sighting was reported on TV or local newspapers?
Many accounts of contact and abduction are often in precarious balance between consensus reality and something else, call it astral projection, or projected reality, mind control. Indeed the latter phenomena is a bit creepy. The more I read of these encounters the more I realize that abducted people's minds are used at the will of whatever is communicating... not a reassuring element that someone can play with our thoughts without even asking permission.
I believe this aspect of "mind control" and projected reality is very common... first thing that comes to mind are the various contacts described by Whitely Strieber, but there's many more, I just forget the names.
I very much agree. I would have loved to know the details of this relationship with QM and consciousness.
However, since you stopped halfway through I'd suggest to go the extra mile and finish to listen. He mentions several resources that might be interesting such as the papers by Edgar Mitchell on quantum holograms. I think it's worth taking a look.
When I have time I'll go check the material on Hernandez's site.
I tend to think that attempting to explain consciousness via the holographic paradigm or through physics is not the right approach. In my opinion consciousness is not part of the physical universe. .
I think (hope?) you mean that consciousness is not generated by the physical. It is most certainly part of it. Or to be more accurate - the myriad physical universes are aspects ( sets of expressions/manifestations) of consciousness.
What would everyone think of the scheme where: the physical is generated by consciousness?
That is not the physical being an aspect of consciousness, but the actual physics coming into material being because of spiritual and mental causes.
Can anyone think of any systematic objections to such a scheme?
That physical and non physical are actually labels and there is no such thing as physical or non physical, it's just a gradient. The illusion of separation may simply stem from our limited awareness and senses. E.g. take a good dose of shrooms and suddenly you can perceive a whole new slice of that "reality gradient", for lack of better word?
But I am rambling. You asked for an objection, mine is just nit picking. And I have high fever so I might very well not know what the heck I am talking about.
I agree with the general feeling that the approach shouldn't at the outset cramp its own style by focussing on trying to explain the constellation of NDE/UFO/psi phenomena in terms of physics. The fact remains that the only thing any of us can know exists is consciousness.
I found the interview with Rey fascinating and enjoyable, and I'm inclined to believe that he's had the experiences he claims, but I do wonder if, given his previous "rationalistic" leanings, he isn't seeking explanations that can jibe with a "scientific" worldview. As soon as one hears talk of QM and quantum holograms, I think it can make people on both sides of the fence wary.
I can imagine materialists' eyes will start rolling when explanations like that are mooted, and as for a non-materialists like me, consciousness has primacy: if anything, we should be explaining physics in terms of that, rather than the other way around. The value of QM in this regard is that right from the beginning, with the double-slit experiment, the idea was raised in the minds of some of our greatest physicists that maybe we had to factor consciousness into physics, perhaps even consider the possibility that it was primal. There's nothing like repeatable experiments that can't be explained in purely materialistic terms for challenging the materialistic paradigm.
Right at the heart of physics, then, is a conundrum that can't be satisfactorily explained from the materialist perspective. That won't stop some from continuing to seek such explanations, and I don't suppose it should do so: you never know, maybe they'll eventually succeed, even though I very much doubt that. If in the end they do, then I suppose I'll have to change my mind. Meanwhile, it seems that the most parsimonious explanation begins with the hypothesis of the primacy of consciousness and the ultimate lack of "solidity" in the universe: the more we investigate, the more nebulous "things" seem to become, and the more concrete such notions as ideas and intentions and their effects in the conscious mind.
What we need, I suppose, is a kind of "physics of consciousness"; but I'd argue that such has existed for millennia in spiritual tradition, and that that, for cognoscenti, is as rigorous a discipline as orthodox physics ever was or will be. However, it's is based on the only thing we truly know exists, viz. consciousness, rather than a conceptual schema like physics (however useful it might be) which I think of as a second-order product of consciousness.
All our conventional disciplines are ways of trying to order or make sense out of what appear to be repeating phenomena occurring within universal consciousness. I suppose the development of language could be viewed as the first highly-organised step in trying to make the universe intelligible to human minds. Merely naming things and events allowed us to begin constructing a description of reality seemingly in accord with that which we were able to perceive.
Physics is perhaps, essentially, just an extension of that: it's something immensely useful, and doubtless satisfying to minds that ceaselessly seek understanding because that's what minds do: but in the end, in my view it's just a model of reality and not reality itself. Reality itself is that which can be experienced through consciousness unalloyed with second-order concepts. For millennia, we've had the "technology" to do that, as evidenced in the central core common to many spiritual traditions.
So in a sense, maybe we already have the "physics" we need; it's just that not many can comprehend and apply it yet. Going off to create explanations in terms of second-order concepts like QM and quantum holograms could be regarded as a diversion. If only science would honour the primacy of consciousness, a discipline like orthodox physics could come to be regarded as a practically useful tool rather than a universally applicable explanatory framework.
IMO, physics, and other scientific disciplines, are in the realm of description and manipulation rather than ontology. This idea is actually paid lip-service to in the scientific method, where it's granted that we make hypotheses that we can test and perhaps elevate to the status of established theory or even law. However, though we're cautioned never to think we have the final, definitive answer, in practice, at any given stage in history, that's what we tend to try to do. Luckily we haven't yet become so rigid that new concepts and ways of applying them aren't continually arising; though of late I'd say the way the scientific establishment has evolved, it's unwittingly doing its damnedest to induce stasis.
I think this idea has a lot of merit. It would explain why natural laws are simple, intelligible, mathematical relationships and why physical constants are fine-tuned to precisely those values needed for the universe to support life: because a mind conceived or is conceiving them. Mathematics can describe nature because nature is conceived by a mind, but this also makes it dubious that consciousness itself can be described by mathematical relationships (ie physics will not explain consciouses).
This is Idealism, and I agree it is probably the ultimate explanation of reality. However, I am not sure it is viable to jump there in one go - that would be as if Newton had come up with General Relativity! It would have been atrociously hard for people to use to explain the solar system, because they might not even realise that the theory reduces to the inverse square law in the right conditions. I get the feeling that science has to progress in manageable steps, and I think dualism (with some unspecified interaction between the two realms) is a good temporary view of reality. Subsequently, there is nothing to prevent a move to a theory where the material realm is also generated by the mental realm - and the interaction then becomes obvious.
Bernardo argues for Idealism, but IMHO that makes his arguments rather vague and full of metaphors.
So something not-mind comes to being because of mind? Do you mean something akin to the Scholastic position that God is pure actuality creating a world that has actual things with potential to be other things?
What I stated is the same as what you're responding with - "the physical is generated by consciousness." I have been stating that since my first week on this forum. It is fundamental!
Given that linear time is a part of those physicals (there are myriad), means those physicals are an aspect of consciousness. There is no "coming into being" as they always are in being.


What a Christmas present for Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 now has a classic script for the 2010 season! More than one gift actually because it's not just the return of the "Kaiser", it will be the return of the German national team, silver arrows, German drivers vs the Brits vs the latin at Ferrari, you get the picture and it will be a fantastic season to watch. But, then again nobody is doubting Bernie has been busy in Santa's workshop making this deal happen.
If that seven million Euro salary is coming from sponsor Petronas it is certain that Mercedes gave Schumi full freedom to manage his own endorsements so you will see him sporting a DVAG hat and continue his personal endorsement deals with Bacardi, Omega and Schubert among others but he will "own" the space on his race suit and the merchandizing.
you have to give Schumi credit - he's obviously (from his dimeanor in the interview above) not doing this for money but for his love of racing.
Damn now i wish Kimi had'nt left! Wouldve made some good racing..
I give Schumi all the credit and I look forward to seeing him race again. It's a big gamble but I'm sure he still has the speed and especially, the killer instinct. All and all it will make all the various Alonso's and Hamiltons and Vettel's bring their top game all the time.
Schumacher deserves the fame, glory and money over Barrichello - Rubens has alwyas been good but just not quite good enough - that weight is on his shoulders to bear that he has always played second fiddle to slightly better drivers.
I'm especially interested to see Schumacher race against the newer breed of driver given he comes from the prior generation - ones that knew Ayrton Senna - guys that still had the steely reserve and personal fortitude that a lot of the young drivers seem to lack these days. My money is on the old school!


538 US 1 Inyo County California et al. v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony et al.
538 US 701 Inyo County California et al. v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony et al.


"Debrief, soldier." "It was a rough couple of weeks, Tribune, our transport got shot down somewhere over the Silverwastes, what other crew survived the crash became sand wurm food. I managed to find my way out of the wreckage and into the cover of a cavern nearby, then it was all a matter of waiting for some extraction. Luckily I found this friendly rock mutt, I thought the bastards ate the dirt itself to survive, but turned out this poor runt needed food as much as I did, we lived off of armadillo and desert beetles, I'll tell you I never want to see any kind of shell again in my life. Pieced together what I could to survive and as luck would have it, here I am."
This mostly came out of trying to find something that used the dragon headdress along with using the fantastic legionnaire weapons. Put the scarf on cause I didn't like how much of a gap the mask leaves from the chestpiece, and it seemed to fit well together for a desert wanderer kind of look, so ended up with what you see.
Wanderer That main screenshot is great! I'm not a fan of heavy armors in general, but your combination looks nice.
Fashion Guru The main Screenshot just got me caught up! love it, the whole look is very interesting and mysterious! I love how he looks like a Nomad still accompanied by the trustful rockdog. This is a gold!
Fashion Collector I think the secret is kinda trying to make shoulderpads not too bulky or floaty, which is especially tough on charr, but I can't take credit for the amazing primeval armor that really makes this look what it is.
Fashion Collector Man, I had to add the rockdog to this, it's such a cool looking creature, wish they'd make it an actual ranger pet.
Fashionista Very cool concept! Although the grays are too stone-colored, not sand enough. Otherwise it's a great look!
Fashionista Your main screen is absolutely fantastic!
Your presentation really leaves nothing to wish for, it was such a cool idea to use the rockdog, the two fit together so well!
Fashion Collector Reckon pewter might actually be better for it, a bit lighter, but perhaps better for the metallic texture, I'll be sure to fiddle with ti!
Fashionista I love this one as well. Heavy armor that looks light-ish on top and still very fitting for a desert look.
Fashion Collector Didn't mean for it to look very light, but that is how it turned out! Thank you for the comment!
Fashionista The main screenshot is amazing!! The dyes are very well choosen, I like that you used the same dye in the two slots of the scarf :) Usually it is too big to my like but for this look this fits very well.
Fashion Guru I love the idea of desert Charr! Amazing job.


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Prior to being named CEO at CCIAOR and CCIMLS, Ryan served as the Government Affairs Director for the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® for 6 years. There, he ran the political, advocacy and lobbying efforts of the member trade association serving as the association's lobbyist and political adviser.
Prior to his career in the REALTOR® Association management, Ryan served as a Communication Adviser to a Governor of South Carolina and an award-winning newspaper editor and reporter at the twice weekly newspaper, the Summerville Journal Scene, in his South Carolina home town.
Ryan holds the designation of REALTOR® Certified Executive (RCE), is a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is certified REALTOR® Professional Standards Administrator.
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TCG Sultanhisar (P-111), ex-USS PC-1638, was a  of the Turkish Navy. She was  built in 1963 by Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corp. in Portland, Oregon as a submarine chaser.

The vessel was transferred on May 9, 1964 along with two other boats of the same class to Turkey. Three other ships of the class followed the next year. Commissioned on January 25, 1965, the Sultanhisar was stationed at the Gölcük Naval Base together with other s, before they were deployed in 1977 to the naval base in Izmir.

Sultanhisar was decommissioned on June 3, 2002 as s entered service.

TCG Sultanhisar (P-111) was the third ship of the Turkish Navy to have the name, following the destroyer TCG Sultanhisar and the torpedo boat Sultanhisar.

References

Hisar-class patrol boats
1963 ships
Ships built in Portland, Oregon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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va ser un militar i polític espanyol.

Biografia
Capità d'Infanteria del Regiment Provincial d'Oviedo en 1801, va combatre les tropes napoleòniques en la guerra del francès com a coronel, brigadier i mariscal de camp des de 1808 a 1811, i fou ferit en les accions militars de Geva i Puelo. Tinent general en 1816, durant el Trienni liberal va ser ministre de la Guerra entre abril i juny de 1823.

Referències

Bibliografia
 Diccionario biográfico español. Reial Acadèmia de la Història.

Ministres asturians del Govern d'Espanya
Militars asturians
Morts a Oviedo


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Creative Destruction Lab Expands to Paris (HEC Paris) and Atlanta (Georgia Tech)
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Tom is a general partner at GV and leads GV's London office. Prior to GV, Tom was a design director at IDEO Europe where he ran startup efforts globally and founded OpenIDEO, an open innovation platform where 200,000 users from more than 170 countries solve challenges for social good.
Prior to IDEO, Tom was managing director of Marcos, a British sports car manufacturer and founded Magnom, a magnetic filter startup. Tom's filter designs have been widely used in Formula One, superbikes, agricultural equipment, and central heating systems.
After exiting his own startups Tom has angel-invested in more than 20 companies, including as the founding investor in Mile IQ (sold to Microsoft), Divimove (exited to Freemantle), GoCardless, Cliqz (exited to Burda), Llustre (exited to Fab), Massive Health (exited to Jawbone), Nested, Tray.io and MoveGuides.
Tom has been recognized as a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum, and has been featured in WIRED UK's Top 100 Digital Power Brokers. He has also been included in the Evening Standard list of London's 1000 Most Influential People.
Tom earned a first class bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Bristol, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he received the 'Baker Scholar Award' of high distinction. He also received an honorary doctorate from University of the Arts London.
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US actor Zach Avery jailed for 20 years for making $650 million in movie scheme
Society » Showbiz
US actor Zach Avery (real name Zachary Horwitz) fraudulently obtained hundreds of millions of dollars and was jailed for 20 years, Rfi reports.
According to the publication, the Zach Avery was arrested in April 2021 on suspicion of fraud with Hollywood movie licensing deals. The actor created fake contracts for investors and thus earned him a staggering $650 million. Horwitz, who acted in small-time horror films, told investors he was buying foreign distribution rights for US movies, and then selling them to streaming platforms.
Avery spent the money to live in luxury. He would buy designer clothes and shoes, real estate and luxury cars. In addition, the fraudster would regularly rent yachts and private jets. Avery was playing games with fake contracts for seven years.
Judge Mark Scarsito sentenced Avery to 20 years in prison and ordered him to pay $230 million dollars to those who fell victim to his fraudulent actions.
"He began by betraying the trust of his own friends, people who lowered their guard because they could not possibly imagine that someone they had known for years would unflinchingly swindle them and their families out of their life savings," The Los Angeles Times wrote.


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The app was dubbed 'Spotify for news' as it provides access to news from over 100 of the world's best sources through a single subscription. No paywalls. No ads. No clickbait.
Not only is inkl a cost-effective and convenient solution for readers, it's also a new revenue model helping traditional publishers transition to digital publishing.
inkl had secured deals with many of the world's best publishers and was looking to substantially grow their readership in order to secure further funding.
While the app worked effectively, there was a complete lack of brand personality, or as Gautam descibed it, "the brand had a head but no soul."
Through in-depth research, competitor analysis and a brand audit we realised that inkl's strength related to the quality and breadth of their sources, and the curation of this content through a combination of algorithms and journalists.
The brand platform 'Illuminating Information' inspired the logo's orange tittle which comes to life as an animated spotlight. This formed the basis of the visual approach, including digital ads which reflected the multiple view points inkl provides on every news topic.
Seamlessly blending brand and UI
The original website looked very different to the app. The app looked and functioned differently on phone, tablet and desktop. The Morning Edition and Weekly Wrap were again stand alone designs.
Using the new brand tools, we redesigned the entire digital ecosystem so that the app, website, emails, and app store now share a unique and unified brand language.
Aside from curating news from trusted global sources throughout the day, inkl also publish a daily and weekly review via app and email which cover the most important stories, as well as positive (Good News) and unexpected stories. inkl also directly commissions journalism under the banner of inkl Originals.
Some readers consume most, or all, of their inkl content directly from these emails, so they are highly significant brand touchpoints. We designed mastheads to signal the importance of the inkl Morning Edition, inkl Weekly Wrap and inkl Originals as well as the design of the emails themselves.
Two types of illustration were developed to add visual interest across communications. The first uses the inkl spotlight to highlight functionality in marketing and tool tips.
The second type of illustration, by Ben Sanders, uses the printed newspaper as a design trope to add some much needed personality to interactions throughout the user experience.
Since the rebrand launched in early 2020, inkl has experienced a continual rise in memberships with 6% month-over-month growth in revenue.
"We had high expectations for Self-titled, but even so, they continually surprised us with the level of detail, thoughtfulness, creativity and commitment they showed to our project."
Gautam Mishra, Founder and CEO, inkl


Reading all the reviews about the jacket size, I ordered a medium to make sure the size didn't fit too big. The arms are long, but it does fit a little too short.
I'm amazed by the quality of this product. Perfect fit and perfect quality. Buy with both eyes closed.


NYC MTA is on strike!!!
so it is impossible for me to get to work. i live practically in Long Island, edge of Queens, and it normally takes me 1.5 hours to get to work as it is. a bus and two trains. so they are asking us to try to get to work, and i'm thinking howwww? take the LIRR to penn station, then the PATH into NJ then back to WTC? they are nuts. and as i hear it even as early as 5 am, the traffic is already backed up for miles. my mom ventured out to get to work at 6 am to take a van that will drive to chinatown from flushing. i'll let her be the ginny pig because i am not walking in this 20 something degree weather?!?! they don't pay me enough to do that! and then going home will be a nightmare. forget it. lol.
The Today show had a lot of coverage on the strike this morning. My boss grew up in Queens and said it used to take her about 2 hours to get to work. And I thought my 45 minute commute was bad! I wouldn't walk in that cold weather. I hope an agreement is reached soon so everything can get back to normal!
i just read about that too. no car pooling? you might be late, but you could get to work, no?
nope don't know anyone around my area who needs to also get down to wall street. =( need at least 4 people. i hope this strike doesn't last too long.
I feel for you Fayden. This strike hurts alot of people and especially the students. I think that the mta should be run exactly like the fire, police, emt's, no strike to hurt the public should be allowed. 3 years without a contract? what about people who have been 3 years without a job , or who have no pension at the end of retirement, or haven't had a raise in years.
Good luck with that...depending on how long it takes tor resolve, my NYC trip next week might be scrapped.
I worked remotely Tuesday but I think I have to go in tomorrow because there are some things I can't do from home.


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Corporate & Incentive Travel
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Greening Your Gatherings
Greening Your GatheringsMay 1, 2018
Planners Share Their Steps to Leaving a Smaller Carbon Footprint By Sophia Bennett
Planners Share Their Steps to Leaving a Smaller Carbon Footprint
As concern about climate change and environmental degradation continues to grow, people expect entities they care about to take a leadership role in protecting the planet and reflecting their values. That's a big reason "green" has become such a buzzword in the meetings industry.
We asked professionals with experience planning environmentally friendly meetings to highlight the best ways to lower the carbon emissions and other detrimental impacts of an event. These tips apply to associations that are just starting their sustainability efforts as well as those looking to do more to help the planet. Many of their suggestions have saved their organizations money in addition to making their events more eco-conscious.
Although some of these steps require more advanced planning, there are many easy things planners can do to make significant changes at their next meeting. Any positive change for the environment, no matter how small it seems, is an important step in keeping our planet clean and livable.
"In the end, the problem is conventions do have a heavy footprint," acknowledges Anna Keller, director of convention services for the American Public Health Association (APHA). "All you can do is try to make it a smaller footprint."
Choosing the right venue is integral to lowering the environmental impact of meetings. Convention halls take a tremendous amount of energy and water to operate, and they often generate a high volume of waste. That's why finding a place that's actively looking to reduce its footprint makes such a difference.
In addition, "ensuring (the venue has) the knowledge and infrastructure to accommodate your requirements makes your job easier from the start," says Nancy J. Zavada, president of MeetGreen, a sustainable conference management agency. "Key vendors also serve as 'green team' members offering innovative solutions to environmental challenges, so enrolling them in the process is vital."
Securing an eco-friendly venue begins with your RFP, says Kimberly Smith, director of conference and events for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. "I feel like I have to say that because your partners have to understand what you're trying achieve. In my RFP I make it clear that I'm looking for facilities that already know about sustainability and already have some practices in place. If I go to a LEED-certified facility I'm guaranteed they know how to make sustainable events happen. Otherwise we'd be paying to teach them."
Nan Cluss, association manager for the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA), says she only sends her RFP to conference facilities that are LEED certified or list their sustainable features on their website. "Find out before you sign on the dotted line what their standard practices are and what they're willing to negotiate," she advises.
The venues hosting upcoming PNCWA annual conferences get all or a significant amount of their power from renewable sources, such as wind or solar. They have systems in place to save water and lower the amount of waste generated at the facility.
"Ask your suppliers how they can help you achieve the three Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle. If you can figure out ways to reduce your consumption, recycle your waste and rethink waste, it's going to make your conference more sustainable but it's also going to save you money."
— Kimberly Smith
In addition to finding a sustainably minded convention center, make sure any accommodations you're using have sustainability features in place. "We ask all of our hotels about green policies such as whether they have towel reuse programs and whether there are rebates involved for reusing towels," says Keller. Hotels can be built to LEED standards, or they can apply for green certification through a program such as Green Globe, EarthCheck or the Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP).
Related to venue selection is looking for a site that offers a range of eco-friendly food options and green practices around food service and waste reduction. "Healthy, local food has become a major trend," says Zavada. This is partially because of people's concern about the environment, and partially due to their interest in eating healthier. "Sustainable seafood, featuring local farms and low food miles all play a role."
Charlotte Grant, marketing and communications manager for the World Cocoa Foundation, says her membership organization took steps to green the food service at their most recent annual partnership meeting in Washington, DC. "There was no disposable cutlery or glasses. Everything was served on actual plates. All the condiments were served in bulk, not in small packets that you had to discard. We incorporated local and sustainable food on the menu. We had no bottled water at the event."
Keller asks all of her convention facilities to avoid using Styrofoam altogether and substitute metal flatware for plastic whenever possible. She requests that boxed lunches be delivered sans box. Not only does that allow participants to get exactly they want (and think they'll eat), they don't have to throw away those bulky single-serving boxes.
"I don't use table linens in my meetings or dining spaces," says Smith. That cuts down on the amount of laundry the facility has to do. However, it does mean she has to investigate whether the venue has high quality, unscarred stainless steel or wood tables before she signs a contract.
The food itself is as important from a sustainability perspective as what it's served on. "Planners should talk with their caterers about providing as many plant-based options within their menus as possible because we know having a plant-based diet is easier on the environment than meat," says Smith. Her 2017 conference had an all-vegetarian menu and it was a huge hit. "A lot of planners think it's more expensive, and the caterer will try to get away with that, but it can be negotiated. Lettuce does not cost more than a steak.
"I look for caterers who can make purchases that are third-party verified as being ethical and sustainably produced," she adds. Certifications to watch for include Rain Forest Alliance, organic and fair trade.
Cluss tries to only order locally made beer and wine for events. "We try to consider the carbon footprint of where those came from, but it's also about supporting local as much as you can in your choices for both foods and beverage consumption."
Food waste has a significant environmental impact, so Cluss takes multiple steps to minimize it. She's kept metrics on her association's conference long enough that she's developed a good sense of how many people will actually attend meals as opposed to enjoying time out with colleagues or sponsors. As a result, she never orders enough food to serve every attendee. It's a nerve-wracking proposition, she admits, but it saves the association money and reduces food waste. She always has a backup plan for how to help people who show up for meals and can't be served, but she's only had to turn people away twice.
She also works with venues to arrange for food donations whenever possible. "Different states have different laws, but we're always working with partners who aren't hindered by laws to make sure any food that can be taken to shelters or other places is," she says.
"Savvy planners are looking for ways to minimize waste and (are) getting very creative," says Zavada. Some associations offer "Clean Plate Club" buffets where guests get a prize for cleaning their plates at the end of the meal. "We have seen chef cook-offs using imperfect produce and kitchen cuttings to make meals in a celebrity chef format."
Practices such as these are good for any single event, but they also have larger, positive repercussions for the industry. "I think the more conference organizers ask for water to be served in jugs and reusable glasses for green practices, the more it will be embedded in the usual way hotels and conference venues do business," says Grant. "It can really start a virtuous cycle, where if conference venues are asked to use these practices they'll start making it their standard practice."
Go Digital to Eliminate Paper
Another major change that eliminates waste and improves the attendee experience is switching to a mobile app. Most can hold the conference schedule, sessions and room assignments, speaker information, facility maps, attendee lists and more. Any materials that can't be loaded on the app can be put on the organization's website.
There is a cost to developing the app, but it's often offset by savings on printing costs. There also can be some bumps with attendee adoption. APHA moved to a policy where people had to opt in to receive the conference bag and printed "program at a glance" document. Many people still arrived expecting to find those things, and APHA ended up running out. Next year, Keller says, they'll be prepared to avoid that situation, and hopefully more attendees will come ready to use the app.
"If you must print materials, use soy-based ink on post-consumer recycled paper and select a local printer," says Smith. "Part of putting a conference in a city is showing local economic impact." Patronizing local companies makes it easier to demonstrate that impact.
One place where it is difficult to eliminate paper altogether is name badges. Keller switched to all-paper badges so there's no plastic holder to throw away afterward.
There are many other digital services that can lower an event's environmental impact. APHA has shifted its marketing efforts to online platforms. "We started doing monthly emails to the attendees," says Keller. "That way they get all the links to the event website and the videos. It's a much better way of communicating with attendees anyway.
"About 80 percent of our attendees register online," she adds. "We still have some that have to send checks and do it on paper, but the 80 percent goes up every year."
For the past three years APHA has produced a live, web-streamed version of its annual meeting. Thirteen sessions are broadcast live, including all of the general sessions. Registrants can watch the videos live or on demand. CE credit was available to people who complete an evaluation form afterward. It's a great service for members, Keller says, but it also means people can gain valuable information without having to drive or fly to the event.
Transportation is one of the biggest carbon generators at any event. While there's not much associations can do to eliminate travel (other than offering video versions of events), they can eliminate some transportation once people arrive. APHA has eliminated most of the shuttles for its annual meeting.
"That gets rid of a lot of carbon emissions and congestion. It's saved us a great deal of money. It can cost $50,000 to $150,000 depending on the city."
— Anna Keller
"Sometimes it's a little bit of a stretch because some people end up in a hotel that's about a mile away and they don't see it as walkable," Keller says. "There's an on-call shuttle service for people who have mobility issues."
Placing conferences in cities with good public transportation or hotels that are within walking distance of the convention center can help reduce the need for shuttles. That's not always possible in the cities where Cluss holds her conferences, so attendees are encouraged to carpool from the hotel. "We did biodiesel buses for our transportation for our tours this year," she says.
Reuse When Possible
Reusing items from event to event is a great way to decrease a meeting's environmental impact. "We used electronic signage as much as possible," says Grant. "When it wasn't possible, we reused existing signage or used material that can be recycled."
"You have to balance out your branding of the event with what can be reduced and go digital," says Cluss. "Some signs are going to be different because you have new sponsors, but a few years back, any signs that could be used year after year we stopped making specific to that particular conference."
Look to your decorator or general services contractor to see if they can design other materials that are reusable. "One thing we did to be a little more green was to come up with a registration booth design that we could use for two years," says Keller. It consists of a fabric piece that stretches over a metal frame. When the metal structure is taken down, the fabric can be folded and used again.
In addition, any carpeting that's put down in the event facility is made with a high percentage of recycled material. APHA's vendor reuses it whenever possible.
"We set up a recycling center inside the exhibit hall where people could leave any giveaways they didn't want to take back with them," Keller says. Those items were made available to people who did have a use for them.
Get Member and Partner Buy-in
Your actions have an enormous impact on the environmental footprint of your event. But to really boost your reach, you need help from attendees.
"We did a whole marketing campaign of green tweets," says Keller, which included tips such as bringing a refillable water bottle.
APHA also shared ways exhibitors could decrease their carbon footprint, such as not bringing as many printed handouts or giveaway items. Smith encourages exhibitors to use biodegradable shipping and packing materials.
Both Keller and Smith recommend looking for AV vendors that use equipment such as LED lights and staging solutions that are reusable and recyclable, or practices such as shutting down projectors when not in use so they don't continue to draw energy. Again, Keller tries to work with local vendors whenever possible so she doesn't have to fly people in for the event.
First Steps Toward Greener Meetings
If your association hasn't taken any steps to lower the environmental impact of your meetings, Zavada says it's important to start simply. "The first step should be developing a sustainable event policy to share with all your key stakeholders, venues and vendors. Let them know what is important to your association and what sustainable initiatives you are requiring. Starting out, this doesn't have to be an extensive list, but could include five to seven key initiatives which align with your association's mission and values." For instance, ask venues, suppliers and partners about their processes for recycling, water-wise menu planning, food donations or signage reuse.
As you implement sustainability measures, don't hesitate to educate members about what you're doing. "We had a really wonderful volunteer committee that worked with us on some special events, and one of the things they did was put together some fact sheets about what we were doing to green our annual meeting," says Keller. One discussed the eco-friendly features at the Georgia World Congress Center, the LEED-certified building where the meeting was held. Another described the measures APHA was taking to become a more environmentally conscious organization.
"Whenever we do something we don't talk about it enough, so people aren't really aware of it," Keller says. That education is part of the effort to remind people about the importance of protecting the environment and what everyone can do to take part. AC&F
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Creative names also get applied to other aspects of biology, too. In particular, the huge advances in genetic research have produced quite a few genes in need of naming. Generally, the names refer to some feature of the mutant phenotype.
These are just a few of the unusual names of genes.


Flowers are a beautiful and uplifting addition to the home year-round, but right now is prime time for some colorful arrangements that bring the springtime indoors! Holly Becker at Real Simple suggests these 10 Tips for Flower Arranging or be even simpler and just put single flowers in small jars, bottles, etc. Just have fun with it!


9:21 AM PT -- The International Skating Union says it has investigated the allegations ... and found "no evidence" Mariah Bell intentionally attacked Lim Eun-soo.
"The incident was verbally reported to the ISU by the Korean Team Leader however no formal complaint has been received," The ISU said in a statement.
"Lim was slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn. Mariah Bell, who was scheduled to rehearse after Lim, suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim's calf with her skate blades."
"Mariah Bell didn't apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine."
Eun-soo reportedly suffered a gash on her calf which required medical attention. She was able to treat the wound and still compete ... ultimately finishing in 5th place, one spot AHEAD of Bell.
Lim Eun-soo's agent told the French media they have already gone to the Korea Skating Union and asked for a formal investigation.
Eun-soo's agent also says the two skaters have been training in Los Angeles together -- and they claim Bell has been "bullying" their client for months.
So far, no comment from Bell.


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