The ruby-hued Negroni, which traditionally consists of equal parts gin, red vermouth, and Campari, is one of our all-time favorite cocktails. But as much as we love it, sometimes we crave something a touch more crisp and refreshing, but that still gives us that same zing of gin and the delicate combination of sweet and bitter—and that's when Joe Campanale's Negroni Bianco comes into play. As beverage director for a lauded group of Italian-centric restaurants in New York City, he shares a similar reverence for the drink and features a version at each of his establishments. Campanale's Negroni Bianco has the standard gin base but switches it up with equal parts white vermouth and Cocchi Americano (a clear Italian aperitivo), and a few dashes of grapefruit bitters. With bright citrus notes and a subtle bitter edge, this aromatic cocktail might just be our new go-to drink order. Watch the step-by-step video below, as senior editor Elena North-Kelly stirs up a redux of this time-honored classic.


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Mel's Space
It's all about Space, Aliens and Star Trek
Tag Archives: satellite
Join the starlink express
Ever since Elon Musk's Space X has launched 60 starlink satellites, people have been talking about it. Some think it's amazing and others think it's the beginning of the end. Whatever your opinion is, it's got you talking. It has everyone talking and that is priceless publicity. For free.
What is starlink exactly?
What is this starlink business anyway? What is it good for? Musk's goal is to supply everyone on the world with internet. He wants global coverage and with global coverage he means global coverage. From Time Square in New York to the local fata morgana in the Sahara Desert, you will be able to get online. Granted you have a operating phone or other device with internet access available. In 2015 numbers showed that 56,1% of the human population have access to the internet. That's little over half the people. If you only look at the developed world, 81% of the population has access to the internet, this means, 1 in 5 people doesn't. With these Space X satellites everyone should be able to log on.
In time that is because 60 satellites alone won't do it. In total an impressive 12,000 starlink communication satellites are needed to reach that goal. Their operational orbit is 550 km, these first 60 started their climb into this orbit at 440 km since being launched with a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 23. It takes about 90 minutes for them to make one orbit. And despite the company's initial claim that they won't be that visible, the train of satellites have since been visible even to the naked eye, giving away an impressive show.
Satellite overload
Impressive or not, one may wonder if these satellites aren't polluting the skies. Stars are hardly visible at some places in Europe due to light pollution, but the starlink train is a clear trail in the skies right now. They will get fainter once they reach their final orbit, but long exposure astronomy photographers have already complained about the trails the satellites make in their photo's. Many worry that ground astronomy will get increasingly harder with these satellites up in the sky.
Hang on, aren't their already many satellites orbiting the Earth? Indeed they are. Around 5,000 satellites are currently orbiting our world serving various purposes. Will these 60 really make a difference? You may think they won't. But these 60 were already more visible than others, also because they are lines up like a train. They will scatter with time and be less visible that way as well. But these 60 are the first of 12,000. That's more satellites than already are up there!
It is getting crowded
And Space X isn't the only one launching high numbers of satellites. Cubesats or minisats are the future. Small satellites which are lighter and therefore cheaper not just to produce but also to launch. Which means more people and companies are able to launch their own satellites and Space X is by no means the only company who wants to provide World Wide Internet Access. Smaller companies like for instance Hiber have the same ambition and are already working on it, having launched several satellites already with for instance Space X.
It's already crowded up there, it will get a whole lot more crowded really soon. For instance, ISRO (India Space Research Organisation) successfully launched 104 satellites by a single rocket on 15 February 2017. Only 3 of them were of Indian origine. And they weren't all claiming to start an global internet revolution. This is also potential trouble for the International Space Station, orbiting the earth with an altitude between 330 km and 435 km . All these satellites in itself have to make sure they don't collide with each other, one doesn't want to think about what happens when they bump into the ISS.
What will the future hold?
Satellites do a lot of good things for us, they tell us where we are, give us access to the internet and they monitor the Earth. It's all good data. But we may have to think about the price we are going to pay for that. Are we ruining the night skies? Are we making ground astronomy impossible? Do we really need all these things up there? Isn't it possible to lower the amount of satellites and collect the data just a little bit slower? The starlink train didn't just give free publicity to Elon Musk's latest idea, it also gave us something to think about. We love technology. But maybe, there is a limit? Or do we want to pay the price and create a visible satellite ring around our planet?
I'm afraid there is no way back now and only time will tell how far we will really go. And if we indeed will be a better species because of it or become the polluters of the universe.
This entry was posted in space and tagged astronomy, cubesats, elon musk, ground astronomy, hiber, iss, satellite, space x, starlink on 28/05/2019 by Mel.
What if Voyager 1 crashes
Just imagine this. You're out in the field. Doing research, going for a walk, just relaxing, whatever. Suddenly you hear a sound and you look up to the sky. An object is flying through the air. An Unidentified Flying Object? You follow it with your eyes until you notice that it will fall down pretty close to you. It's going to crash. You seek shelter but you keep watching the object. It crashed and you get up to look what has fallen from the sky.
Pause right here. Before we go any further we need to set some things straight. You are on a planet but not on our solar system. You have vision, otherwise you wouldn't have seen it. And you have a hearing device or else you wouldn't have heard it. You are not too small to have been completely ignorant of the object and you're not too big either. It could have crushed you. You have been aware of it. You know to check it out, you have intelligence. You are what we on Earth would call an extraterrestrial intelligence or in short, an alien.
In this story it's important you have eyes that can see and ears that can hear. Intelligence will help you too and you're about the size as are the humans on earth. What are the odds of that? You have no idea and neither have we.
Back to the object. You're walking towards it and notice that it's a wondrous thing. The first thing you notice is the disc. It's a little under 4 meters in diameter. There are sticks attached to the disc and a box. What the hell is this thing? It looks a bit like an old satellite. How did this end up here? There were no news reports about old satellites still up in the air. Didn't anyone see this thing coming?
Probably not. It's probably too ancient to be picked up by current means of communication and detection. Didn't it appear on any radars? You look around. So far no one else is heading your way. You have time to examine this machine, which may be up to 800 kg in weight.
OK, pause! If you are being picky you now may ask the question how the weight can be estimated to 800 kg. Weight depends on gravity. We could say that the weight of the object is about 10 times the weight of the full grown alien. If we are already assuming this alien can see, hear, feel and walk, we may as well assume they are about the same size.
You walk around it. Astonishing! This is ancient! It must have come here through a wormhole or something. Which may explain the late detection, if so, of this object. This must be from a civilization that just has learned to communicate around the globe and beyond! And if that is the case, they must have left a message.
With still no one else coming to the object (which is indeed a little strange but is convenient for the story), you careful try to touch it. Amazing! You study how everything is connected to each other and then notice there's a compartment. Your heart is pounding, what would be in there? You see something that shines with the little light that hits it. Carefully to not break anything you reach out and retrieve something you have never ever seen in your life.
It's a gold disc. What a rare element, a weird choice to create something so… what is this? You flip it around and see that the other side has grooves in it. Peculiar. It has a darker ring on which the grooves are much further apart and something is written or drawn in the middle. There's a hole in the middle. You flip it around again and see a flat surface with circles, lines and squares. There seems to be a code on it but you aren't sure. What you are sure of that this is worth a fortune, even if someone has sketched into it.
You decide to keep the disc and leave the rest of the object to the scientist. No one will know you took it. You call the authorities who order you to get away as far away from the thing as possible. No, you haven't touched it, which is good. They however have questions for you. You leave it for later and go home.
At home you store the valuable disc and head over to the news device. Scientists have yet to confirm but the object seems to have traveled from another solar system. This means that there is indeed another civilization out there. They may not be as advanced as we are judging from the device but they are out there. Scientists are looking for a message. It could be anything because we know nothing about them. For all we know the device could be emitting signals over and over again trying to tell them something.
You smile and are excited. You found that thing. You hope that whatever signal the ting is emitting is a friendly one and that you didn't find a war machine. That would look bad.
What the alien has found is of course the Voyager 1 (or 2). We send a golden record, an LP, to them assuming they know how to play it. Changes are that the aliens don't even know what a record is and are looking for signals from the satellite that correspond with their own ways of communicating. And our alien friend? He has something so valuable in his house, namely gold, that with the fame he gets for being the one first at the scene of the crash, he starts to become paranoid. He may be the wealthiest alien on the planet but no one can ever know. For all we know we have caused an alien to go insane by sending some music and sounds from the planet Earth.
This entry was posted in aliens and tagged alien life, aliens, astrobiology, communication, golden record, interstellar, satellite, voyager 1 on 21/04/2018 by Mel.
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Chandrayaan-2 to the moon!
My partial lunar eclipse
Is there coffee in that nebula?
The unsung hero of Apollo 11 – Michael Collins
Update about updates
Have a nice World UFO day
Meet Fl4k, the non-binary robot
UFOs exist and this is what you should know
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Putting aside the self-esteem aspects of the issue, I like it when people in the entertainment industry look perfect. Yes, I know that model's been airbrushed and she doesn't look that way in real life, I know they all have hairdressers and makeup artists working on them, I know a lot of it is unattainable for the average person...but that's why it's nice. "I don't want realism! I want magic!" I agree with that. Escapism is fascinating and alluring. That is one of the reasons old Hollywood has such appeal, because it certainly isn't real to us now, and it was perhaps even less real to people growing up in the Great Depression.
SPEAKING of escapism, it is part of Lady Gaga's philosophy to be escapist in the sense that she is always a star and would die before letting her fans see her without high heels. Actually, I'm a pretty big Lady Gaga fan, but the contrast between this form of escapism and classic film escapism is too striking not to be noted. The main difference is that Lady Gaga's world is not really one I'd like to escape to. From, maybe. As I've said, I really like her and all, but would you want to take up residence in one of her music videos? Alejandro, for example? Or no, Bad Romance, then we can burn people! And not wear clothes! Just the same, I admire her studio system-esque devotion to image. And her ability to totter around in six inch heels.
"Live your eyeliner, breathe your lipstick, and kill for each other."
"We are nothing without our image."
Movies, I think, have changed a lot. They have this peculiar brand of realism that is completely unrealistic, but not in a fun, "Oh please who wears an evening dress to do the gardening" way. I saw Inception recently. I liked it, but...things have changed a lot.
Action scenes these days are very fast and full of shots of people's feet. Yes, it feels action-packed, but it is also impossible to make out what is going on. This is an example of un-fun realism.
Movies these days are a lot less boring than they once were. Yes, I admit to being bored by second-rate classic films. Second-rate modern films are more "God this is so stupid" affairs. At least with today's movies, even if you have no clue what is happening and have to watch a film three times to get it (Inception! I didn't watch it three times, but I never said I got it either), you probably won't be bored.
The jokes. A lot of times I watch an old film billed as a comedy and think, "It was cute but it sure wasn't funny." Today I see comedies that are funnier...but the plots! This is unrealistic Hollywood at its best, or worst, or whatever.
Blogging friends, I really have no idea how to title this post. My mind has not been in order recently, because my sleep schedule...well, if you switched AM and PM, I might be doing okay. It's Ramadhan right now, and in the Arab world, that means "let's stay up all night and eat!" You think it's difficult to go from sunrise to sunset without food or water? Not if you're asleep it isn't. And night has turned into and MSN/Facebook fest full of jokes about devil worship and this persistent friend of mine who's trying to warp my taste in music. I am now a Britney Spears fan. He hasn't been so lucky with Madonna though.
I picked up this fabulous little book at a used bookstore after having kept my eye on it online for...a year, maybe? I'm cheap. I gave in and bought it because I finally found a place where it was less than ten dollars. However, I do not recommend you do the same thing, because it's an awesome book and anyone interested in Chanel or female-oriented self-improvement books would like it. There are a lot of similar books I've read...and it's beyond me how or why I bothered finishing How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World, or why the author felt the need to inflict it on the planet. The nice thing about The Gospel is that it's detailed. It has depth. There are entertaining examples and it isn't glorified commonsense. It also doesn't attempt to paint Chanel as a goddess who should always be emulated. At least, I certainly hope it hasn't had that effect on other people. While reading it, my reactions to the "Chanellore" went something like this: How smart! How creative! How funny! After I finished, I thought of acting like Chanel in my own life, and a new reaction hit me: How manipulative. How utterly, utterly manipulative. And it's fascinating! Of course, you could act like Chanel, erm, honestly, and not be manipulating anyone, but most of the time I would not include "honest" in the same sentence with her. That is part of her charm. I admire people who have the self confidence to be bad. I do something bad, I think the world would consider me a substandard human being if it only knew, and dear God, it'd better not find out! I'm a wimp and Chanel certainly was not.
Now for the criticism. Maybe it's because I rushed through the book, but I thought the organization was odd. And the author (Karen Karbo) includes a lengthy personal narrative about her quest for a Chanel jacket and her eventual compromise. It isn't interesting. In the end, it's a nice example of incorporating Chanel's spirit into your life, but until then, it seems pointless and self-absorbed. More examples would have been good as well. Relatively, The Gospel has depth, but it's only so-so; it's just that there are so many other books that verge on God-awful in the depth department that it seems unique that the author should show evidence of having thought about the subject of her book. Also, there are some chapters that do nothing more than convince me not to act like Chanel. Not that these chapters do not contain insights, I just feel they belong more to the author than Chanel. In the end, I wouldn't want to be much like Chanel, but there are some things that can be learned from her life.
It's commendable that the author is not afraid of expressing her opinion as well. I hate political correctness, and it is refreshingly absent here. I didn't appreciate her jab about Victoria Beckham, but the nice thing about The Gospel is you don't feel you must agree with it.
I would wear that. Okay, I would wear that if other people were wearing that, which is not quite the same thing. But hey, these days it would make a cute dress.
Yeah, it's summertime. That means a lot of things...like boredom. Boredom means making a list of things summer means.
127 degree heat where I live. I am now prepared to face hell.
Wearing a hat and feeling awesome.
Wearing a bathing suit and feeling embarrassed.
Wishful and usually unfulfilled dreams of going back to school ten pounds lighter and ten times prettier.
Staying up till two in the morning and justifying it by saying it will keep you from being jet-lagged when you travel.
Being so unused to getting up before noon you become convinced your alarm clock is not playing music but is in fact yelling insults at you when it rings at eight AM.
What does summer mean to YOU?
P.S. About the future of the blog...I'm still not sure. I'm taking you guys' suggestions to heart, but I'm thinking I want to change the subject of the blog because my own interests have changed. Of course I still love old movies, but it's just not the same. The problem is, said interests haven't changed to anything else yet that is blog-able or related to the title. I think I can promise you I'm not going to abandon Bygone Brilliance, but I can offer no guarantees as to what it will turn into. I would ask your advice again, but I can't. I mean, I could ask you, "Tell me, what am I interested in?" but I would be seriously creeped out if you could answer.
I am afraid this blog has a bad case of Refocus or Die. I don't really want to stop blogging, but if I do not come up with some way to freshen up Bygone Brilliance, I will. I don't see the point in keeping a blog if I'm going to write one sad little post every two months when the guilt gets to me. I guess I'm the type of person who likes change, so I'm asking you people out there for some suggestions. Do you have any ideas for how I can slightly change the topic of Bygone Brilliance or the format or just something? I'll be very appreciative of anything you have to say. If I didn't have any followers, I would stop blogging without giving it a second thought. <3 Thank you for just existing.
A couple years ago, I saw East of Eden on the airplane and fell madly in love with both it and James Dean. It is possible that I fell in love with the movie because James Dean was in it. I'm not sure. Anyway, I was convinced it was the most perfect movie I had ever seen, absolutely faultless, and oh, why couldn't I give Cal Trask a hug, the poor unloved thing? I guess it is difficult for a movie to live up to a first impression like that. It is true that with each subsequent viewing, I like it less. It has many good points: the acting is brilliant, the cinematography is beautiful, the soundtrack lends a lot of atmosphere to the film, and it is wonderfully dramatic. The last thirty minutes have me glued to my seat and on the verge of tears.
However, it also has some faults, faults I was blind to as a thirteen year old. First of all, everything except the last thirty minutes is kind of dull once you know what happens. Second of all, Julie Harris and James Dean don't have such good chemistry. Third, the plot is completely messed up, especially after you read the book.
The whole point of the movie is that Cal Trask is really not such a bad guy and his brother Aron is just as bad in his own way, or at least, not much better. By the end, you are supposed to realize that Aron is a jealous boy who wants to believe his brother is a bad person, regardless of whether he is or not. The problem is, Aron's jealousy begins to surface once he has every reason to be jealous. Cal Trask steals Aron's girlfriend, Aron knows something is going on, and he's not supposed to be jealous?? Aron doesn't start acting particularly jealous until after Cal and Abra kiss on the ferris wheel. At their father's birthday party, Aron is sulking in the background, watching Abra pay far more attention to Cal than the boy she claims to be in love with. Really, there is nothing abnormal or mean-spirited about that. Most of us would act far worse.
Of course, that does not change the fact that when we watch this movie, we sympathize with Cal and dislike Aron. Poor Cal, in love with his brother's girl, nasty Aron, who gets everything he doesn't deserve. And then that horrible Aron has the nerve to call Cal "mean" and "vicious" right after the birthday party! Well, if you were in Aron's shoes, Cal would seem mean and vicious. And wartime profiteering is not exactly a morally upright thing to do. I feel that the point of this movie is not so much that you "can't always tell who's good and who's bad" but that different people seem good and bad from different points of view. Cal isn't any better than Aron and Aron isn't really any better than Cal. We just react to this movie the way we do because it is told from Cal's point of view and, well, James Dean is kinda sorta adorable. Now, in that light, think about the ending. It isn't exactly fair, now is it? The ending is my favorite part, I love it beyond words, I wouldn't change it for anything...but no, it isn't fair.
If you read the book, you will discover that the movie doesn't do justice to it. However, I felt that the part of the book the movie did cover was done better than it was in the book. In the book, it feels anti-climactic. In the movie, several events happen right after each other that take place over the duration of maybe a year in the book. But, the book has no Cal-Abra romance, the motivations are more understandable, it is far more interesting, and the moral ideas are less black and white. Faaaar less black and white. It's kind of disillusioning, how sleazy some of the best characters are. There are a few things they changed for the movie that perhaps didn't work so well. First of all, Abra is a whole lot prettier in the book. Since she's just an average, okay-looking girl in the movie, it suggests that Cal might have fallen in love with anybody that belonged to his brother. (So suggested my sister, the cynic.) Second of all, Kate is completely evil in the book. I don't think she has one redeeming quality, and boy, is it better that way! The movie Kate is just a bit too "whore with a heart of gold," and that is a pretty shallow stereotype in comparison to the psychopath the book's Kate is.
Both stories involve rivalries between brothers, particulary between two brothers, one of which is "wild" and the other is rule-abiding.
These brothers compete for the fiancee of one of the brothers.
The mother is out of the picture, having left the ranch long ago.
The time periods are roughly the same.
The brother engaged to the girl everybody wants dies in WWI.
The father has a stroke and loses a lot of money.
The wild brother says he will earn back the money his father lost.
Perhaps not the most shocking list, but watch the two movies in days of each other and see what you think.


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ComingSoon Staff's Scariest Moviegoing Experiences!
Halloween horror movies
By COMINGSOON.NET STAFF
To celebrate Halloween this year, the ComingSoon staff is sharing our scariest moviegoing experiences! From being frightened in a theater or at home due to some truly terrifying movies and tricks of the imagination, haunted by movie-related pranks thanks to untrustworthy grandmothers, or scaring the hell out of our friends with a few classic horror titles, you can check out our scary stories below!
RELATED: ComingSoon's 2020 Halloween Gift Guide Video!
MAX EVRY: THE ORPHANAGE (2007)
Click here to purchase The Orphanage!
Even a year or two into my being a movie journalist in New York City I realized that critics screenings were an emotional wasteland. Critics here are generally jaded, cynical, and have a "seen it all" attitude. There has been many a screening where I'm the only one in the audience laughing, and forget about getting a clap or cheer out of these mummies. On occasions where I wanted a more engaging audience experience for certain movies, I've intentionally skipped critics screenings because they're so stifling. However, that all changed during the first NYC critics screening of The Orphanage on November 29, 2007, at the (now sadly shuttered) Magno Review 1 on 7th and 49th.
Riding on the name recognition of its producer Guillermo del Toro, Spanish helmer Juan Antonio Bayona's debut feature unfolded as the tale of a woman named Laura (Belén Rueda) who attempts to reopen her former childhood orphanage as a facility for disabled children. On the night of reopening her adopted son Simón (Roger Príncep) goes missing, and thus begins a supernatural odyssey of Laura attempting to discover what happened to her child.
Every type of scare is in this movie: Slow burn dread, jump scares, creaking doors, ghostly apparitions, etc. At every one I heard/felt the crowd of been-there-done-that professional critics get audibly frightened, even whimpering at times. When they were meant to be jolted they jumped, when they were meant to be in terrified suspense they were practically hiding behind the seats in front of them, including myself. It was a miraculous occurrence, and one that was never quite duplicated in the time I've lived and worked here.
Bayona was firing on all cylinders when he made The Orphanage, to the point where attempts to do an English-language remake (with director Larry Fessenden) have failed because there's simply no topping it. Even Bayona himself has never quite lived up to his promise in subsequent films, including the bloated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. If you have never seen The Orphanage you owe it to yourself to turn off the lights and pop it on this Halloween season!
KYLIE HEMMERT: JAWS (1975)
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My scariest movie experience was more thanks to my best friend's grandmother than it was the movie itself, which happened to be Jaws. This was during a visit to California when I was a kid, probably around six. My friend, his brother, and my family were on a trip and took a night to catch up with my friend's grandparents, Mac and Jodi. The adults decided we should have a Jaws movie night that was going swimmingly until the hours stretched on and it was time to take a bath before bed.
Being the cheeky woman she was, Grandma Jodi thought it would be hilarious to quietly tell little, impressionable and trusting me that I needed to be careful because sharks were capable of swimming up through the bathtub drain and could eat people that way — it wasn't just the ocean you had to be scared of. I vividly remember staring at the drain the entire time I was in the bath that night, terrified, but never telling a soul about Jodi's "secret" until I was a little older. When I did finally share the story, it suddenly became very clear to my mom why I stopped taking baths altogether and would only shower for a long time after that.
Watching Child's Play when I was way too young with my brother and cousins and lying awake terrified in my older cousin's bedroom staring at her porcelain dolls waiting for them to make a move is a close runner-up — not to mention the time that same cousin and I screamed bloody murder at a poor cinema employee that unintentionally scared us while we sat alone in the dark, empty theater watching What Lies Beneath when I was 11 — but actually believing this old lady about Jaws swimming up pipes and munching on people and being petrified (for way too long) to get into a bathtub takes the cake for my scariest movie experience.
GRANT HERMANNS: THE CONJURING (2013) & ANNABELLE: CREATION (2017)
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Click here to purchase Annabelle: Creation!
As it did for many kids, it took me a while to truly get into the horror genre, with the series adaptation of Goosebumps being the most I could really handle, but as I entered my pre-teens and started to really watch more, the time finally came to have my first theater experience in the form of the Fede Álvarez-helmed reboot of the Evil Dead franchise. However, this was not my scariest moviegoing experience, as that would come just three months later in the form of James Wan's horror magnum opus The Conjuring. To this day, I've seen the film probably about 100 times and nearly every jump scare, every visual, every haunting musical note from Joseph Bishara, rattles me to my core. I couldn't sleep right for three days after seeing the film in theaters thanks to the amazingly horrific wardrobe shock given as I have a shelving system sitting across from my bed and all I could do was picture a shadow atop it.
Now I thought nothing could ever top this experience until I decided to use a rare day off from three jobs and school to catch David F. Sandberg's Annabelle: Creation in theaters, and though the film itself may not have been as frightening as Wan's, oh boy was going to the film a nightmare. From a nearly empty theater save one person sitting at the end of my row to my mind playing tricks on me with shadows moving around in the corners, seeing this film alone did not nearly work out as well as I had intended, especially as I stayed for the post-credits sequence with Valak/The Nun as she glided slowly towards the camera and staring out before it cut to black. With me actually being the only person in the audience at that moment, it felt like she was staring directly at me and when I say I had goosebumps, I had more than RL Stine could ever write.
MAGGIE DELA PAZ: SILENT HILL (2006)
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I may not have any scary theater experiences but I do vividly remember the one horror film that truly scared me. When I was probably around 11 years old, Silent Hill was one of the many movies that my family had a chance to rent at the only video rental store in our city. For people who aren't familiar with director Christophe Gans' Silent Hill, the 2006 film centers around a mother and her adopted daughter as they get trapped in a purgatory-like dimension of Silent Hill where it is being inhabited by terrifying creatures and a cruel cult.
At that time, I thought that the film wouldn't be that scary and that I can handle whatever the film has in store for me. Unfortunately, I was so wrong. As it turns out, 11-year-old me wasn't ready at all for a movie filled with skin ripping and body slicing. By the time the main characters have arrived at the titular town, I embarrassingly started covering my eyes with my hands, especially when the film finally introduces the giant Pyramid Head man with a large executioner sword. This film was actually the one that made me realize that I hate gory scenes. I think this was the only horror movie that made me scared to fall asleep due to fear of getting trapped in a Silent Hill-like nightmare.
What makes the film so effectively terrifying to me was its desolate atmosphere and menacing setting that gives you an unsettling preview of what hell might look like. The film's horrifying creatures and the idea of accidentally getting trapped in an inescapable nightmare dimension are still bothering me to this day.
JEFF AMES: JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING (1982)
Click here to purchase The Thing!
Some of my favorite horror film experiences occurred during late-night sleepovers with high school buddies during which I would subject them to classic films such as Alien or The Silence of the Lambs — movies I had seen dozens of times before — in the hopes of replicating something akin to a theater-going experience.
One such flick was John Carpenter's The Thing, perhaps the nastiest film I had seen up until that point in my young life. Suffice to say, I was eager to see how my friends would react to the flick's gross-out thrills and overtly nihilistic tone. Much to my surprise, the group spent more time early on poking fun at the Quaker Oats guy and the dated technology than the actual narrative. I was worried I'd made a huge mistake.
Then the dog scene happened. Nervous chuckles. As the film wore on and the proceedings became grizzlier, any and all laughter was replaced by silence. Then came the breaking point: the famous scene in which the chest of a man literally morphs into a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth that proceeds to bite the arms off another man in bloody fashion. I heard one of my friends mutter a "holy shit" under his breath. The others stared in awe as a detached head sprouted legs and walked across the floor. "You gotta be fucking kidding," exclaims David Clennon's Palmer, echoing everyone's mood.
For the remainder of the film, no one said much of anything. When the film ended, there was a notable lack of exuberant conversation. More than anything, a feeling of unease lingered in the air, which, I imagine, wasn't too far removed from audience reactions on opening night back in June of 1982.
Of all the films I forced my friends to watch, The Thing evoked the greatest silence I have ever heard. Ah, John Carpenter. You sick, brilliant bastard.
What are your scariest moviegoing experiences? Share with us in the comments below!


text:
Q: MySQL: Suddenly connection error without making any changes I'm running MySQL 5.6.30 - MySQL Community Server (GPL) on ubuntu-16.04-x86_64 and I'm using phpMyAdmin 4.7.7.
Sometimes, without doing anything on the Server or phpMyAdmin, I'm getting this error message on my websites:

Connection failed: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection refused

When trying to log in into phpMyAdmin I'm getting these four error messages:

#2002 - No such file or directory – The server is not responding (or
  the local server's socket is not correctly configured).

.

mysqli_real_connect(): (HY000/2002): No such file or directory

.

Connection for controluser as defined in your configuration failed.

.

mysqli_real_connect(): (HY000/2002): No such file or directory

After making a reboot everything is working fine as normal, there are no error messages any more and I'm able to login into phpMyAdmin.
Why does it happen? Any ideas?

A:
Any ideas?

*

*Search is your friend.

*As per What Causes the 'Connection Refused' message ?, it seems likely that nothing is listening. We can deduce that MySQL has likely stopped working.

*Examine your system and mysql logs to find relevant messages and understand the issue.

I will take a wild guess and suggest that the OOM killer is killing MySQL because your system is running out of memory. I could be wildly wring though, it could be cosmic rays or disc space or something completely different.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace _11.Odd_Number
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            int number = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());

            while (number % 2 == 0)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Please write an odd number.");
                number = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
            }
            number = Math.Abs(number);
            Console.WriteLine("The number is: {0}", number);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mumbai, July 28: Television actress Neha Desai is overwhelmed with the response to her book "Sweet Kiss Sour Kiss", a compilation of poems composed by her. She is enjoying the tag of a writer and said that she is already working on her second book, a fiction story.
"It's ('Sweet Kiss Sour Kiss') available online right now. It's not out in the stores as yet. This is my first book. It is different to be called an author now. It's good to have one title after the other," Neha told IANS.
The actress has featured in shows like "Grihasti" and "Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki".
Neha is promoting "Sweet Kiss Sour Kiss" mainly on the digital platform and is receiving satisfactory response.
Neha hopes her poems are translated into songs.
"The poems, which I have written, are like songs. They are lyrical and rhyme and can be used as songs. I would love it if someone takes some interest in my poems. But in India, we don't have anyone who makes English songs. I would love it if someone sings these poems," she said.
She is already working on her second book.
"I am writing my second book too. It is a fiction story. I think it should also come out in six to eight months," she said.
She was on a break from acting.
"I haven't been acting for a year now. I have been traveling and all. I did find a lot of time for my writing. I didn't have to sacrifice TV. It just requires thought and dedication," she said.
Acting in TV shows is certainly in her scheme of things and she plans to make a comeback with negative roles.
"It has to be negative. I don't want to do positive, as it is way beyond my imagination. I can't imagine someone being positive all their life without having any grey shades. So, I feel there is more scope to perform in a negative role," she said.


Can Pericot 1721 Bookings. Send us an e-mail without commitment.
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text:
Mid-America Trucking Show Cancelled as Coronavirus Concerns Spread
March 12, 2020 • Jack Roberts • Bookmark +
The 2020 Mid-America Trucking Show has been cancelled to help contain the spread of the Coronavirus, according to show management.
Photo: Jim Park
The managers of the Mid-America Trucking Show, held each March in Louisville, Kentucky, announced they are cancelling this year's show due to increasing concerns about Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
A statement posted on the show's webpage on March 12, 2020 reads:
"It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2020 Mid-America Trucking Show scheduled for March 26-28 in Louisville, Kentucky.
"This is a decision we did not make lightly, but in consultation with our exhibitors, attendees, supporters, and partners, including Kentucky Venues, Louisville Tourism, Kentucky Governor's Office, and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Families Services.
"In light of today's extraordinary circumstances and with an abundance of caution, this decision has been made with the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, employees, and show partners in mind.
"MATS has a proud tradition as the largest and most well-attended show in heavy-duty trucking. We will return stronger than ever in 2021 and will focus on an unforgettable 50th-anniversary event – March 25-27, 2021, in Louisville, KY."
The move comes on the heels of other measures being taken on the national level to stem the spread of the virus in the United States, including news that Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association are indefinitely suspending their 2020 seasons. Additionally the Southeastern College Conference announced it will not play its 2020 basketball tournament.
President Trump asked Americans in a speech from the Oval Office on March 11 to avoid gathering in large groups as much as possible until the extent of virus' infection in the U.S. is understood and better contained.
According to doctors at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Covid-19 has a person-to-person infection rate that is twice that of most influenza strains that affect the country every year, and a mortality rate that is 10 times that of the flu. There is no vaccine.
The CDC is advising all Americans to wash their hands with soap and water more frequently, avoiding shaking hands and other non-essential contact with other people, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth to help contain the virus spread.
Related Photo Gallery: Classic Cabovers at MATS 2019
Originally posted on Trucking Info
Read more about Fleet Management Mid-America Trucking Show Truck Shows Trade Show Coronavirus COVID-19


text:
Staff ignored complaints of acute pain from the patient
The Claimant injured his right hand during a football match in August 2010. He was taken to the Trust, underwent an operation and the arm was put in a plaster cast. However, staff ignored complaints of acute pain from the Claimant. It transpires that he developed compartment syndrome and there was delay in providing appropriate treatment. As a result the Claimant was limited in the things that he could with his arm.
We managed to obtain compensation on behalf of the Claimant. The Defendant initially made a 'drop hands' offer and then offered £1000 in full and final settlement of the claim. However, Inez persevered on behalf of the Claimant and secured a settlement at £50,000.00.
If you have been the victim of medical negligence and seek advice concerning a negligence claim, then the Medical Accident Group has expert lawyers with experience dealing in these devastating cases.
We will provide support, help and offer the finest advice to ensure you are not in this alone. Call us on 0800 050 1668
‹ Failure to refer a patient for urgent hospital assistance
Orthopaedic surgeon recommended surgery but, after surgery, she was unable to straighten her arm ›


text:
Eric A. Hall
Home >> Article Archives >>
NOTE: This article is an archived copy for portfolio purposes only, and may refer to obsolete products or technologies. Old articles are not maintained for continued relevance and accuracy.
For System Recovery, DOS Is Still Boss
In the past year alone, I've had four near-fatal drive failures, each on a different system. To alleviate some of the pain associated with recovering from these kinds of problems, I've been working on building a self-contained, multiboot rescue CD that I can use to bring up a crippled system and perform emergency surgery.
This includes tasks such as repairing a broken partition table, cloning a failing drive to a new disk before the old one dies completely, or simply changing a corrupted file that is preventing the operating system from booting.
There are actually a number of options for building these kinds of things, depending on what you are trying to do. If you just want to fix up a Windows installation, you can use the Windows XP Recovery Console and a boot CD to bring a crippled system far enough along to do rudimentary repair work. (Fred Langa shows how to turn the recovery console into a functional command-line interface in this article.)
If you want something more than that and are willing to invest some sweat equity, you can put together a relatively full-featured Windows-based graphical repair environment by using Bart PE or one of its derivatives. (Fred talks about Bart PE in this article.)
There are also several different Linux-based recovery CD images that are useful for repairing a variety of problems. SystemRescueCD and Recovery Is Possible are two distributions that are designed for general system recovery. Most of the general purpose Linux distributions also provide a recovery image that is specifically optimized for fixing their own installations too.
Another option here is to use plain old DOS as the basis for a recovery CD. As with the other platforms, there are a couple of pre-made recovery toolkits that you can use for this, such as Ultimate Boot CD and 911 Rescue CD, but it's also pretty simple to build your own.
If you want a single recovery CD that can be used to address the widest array of problems, you'll probably need to incorporate Linux, Windows XP, and DOS into your build. For example, most of the hardware management tools use DOS as a boot loader, but recovering from system configuration errors often requires full access to the underlying file systems, which typically means booting up a thinned-down version of the installed operating system.
In my case, I chose to put the emphasis on DOS, while also using bootable images of Windows XP and Linux for those times when the DOS tools are insufficient. The reasons? DOS boots faster than any of the other operating systems, meaning that I can get into a busted system quicker. Also, since DOS relies on the system BIOS for most of its device support, I usually need to load only a couple of drivers, and those will easily fit on a floppy boot image, which can't be said for any of the other platforms. The complete lack of any kind of system security is another benefit, since I don't have to worry about passwords or file system privileges.
On the other side of the coin, however, working with DOS leads to the unavoidable and unmistakable realization that you are essentially working with abandonware; the operating system is dead for all practical purposes, and the number of available tools is continually diminishing. Access to modern hardware devices can also be tricky, network services are practically non-existent, and even if you get everything working memory management is absolutely miserable.
But despite the shortcomings, the benefits to using DOS for recovery purposes still outweigh the negatives, and for some things it's downright mandatory. Having said that, if there were a better alternative, I would be running toward it.
It's Official: DOS Is Dead
The first reality you run into with this kind of project is the simple fact that it's somewhat hard to find a reasonably modern version of DOS that's still being sold and supported. There are still plenty of people who will take your money, but getting something useful in return is another matter entirely.
For example, you can still buy IBM PC-DOS 2000 (the Y2K fixer release) from amazon.com. But it hasn't been updated since 1999 and doesn't have support for FAT32 partitions; this is almost mandatory for workstations that dual-boot between XP and Linux and share data between them. Meanwhile, a company called DeviceLogics is now selling DR-DOS 7.03. This is from the same branch of DR-DOS that was also marketed under the Novell DOS and Open DOS brand names at other points in its life, but it can't manipulate files on FAT32 file systems either.
Another option is to use real MS-DOS, but doing so practically requires that you use the DOS that is included with Windows 98 SE, which isn't sold or supported by Microsoft anymore, although it can still be found on eBay. Don't try to use WindowsMe for a recovery CD platform: Microsoft was so embarrassed by the command line that they stripped all of the useful code out of the DOS utilities for that release, making it completely unusable for this kind of project.
The only version of DOS I know of that's still being actively developed and supported is a package called ROM-DOS, which is sold by a firmware development outfit called Datalight. The primary markets are industrial equipment and PC hardware vendors that still need to use DOS for things like BIOS update diskettes. But Datalight also has releases that regular users can download. The vendor claims the OS is 100% DOS compatible, and it has some interesting features too, such as a full TCP/IP stack with an integrated Web server, although even this product is beginning to drift into maintenance mode.
One other contender worth mentioning here is FreeDOS, an open source effort at building a drop-in replacement for MS-DOS. The 1.0 release is almost ready, but FreeDOS is still a ways off from having a proven and reliable alternative. This will probably change within the next year or two.
What DOS Does Well
Once you get past the lack of a readily usable version of the operating system, the second cold reality to strike is that there are very few utilities available for DOS anymore. There are some very nice modernized tools available, and you can still do a lot, but the number of useful applications is nowhere near what it once was.
The area where DOS stands out the most (and where it is still absolutely required) is in hardware maintenance. For example, any good recovery CD will have BIOS updates for corporate-standard motherboards and add-on cards like RAID controllers, and almost all of the vendors in this space still rely on DOS for upgrading firmware. Meanwhile, programs like Seagate's SeaTools Desktop, Western Digital's Data Lifeguard, and Gibson Research's SpinRite are commonly used for hard drive diagnostics, and they all use DOS as a boot loader because it's the best at getting out of the way.
Moving up the stack a bit, partition repair and imaging tools are other strong points for DOS, but this is no longer an exclusive domain, and other platforms also have tools in this space that work almost as well. In particular, Symantec's Partition Magic 8.0 includes a DOS executable, and its enterprise-class Ghost Solution Suite 1.1 also includes an agent for DOS—note that the consumer-grade Ghost 10 only runs under Win32— and there are loads of commercial and shareware alternatives to each of those tools. There are similar tools available for Windows and Linux too, but the DOS counterparts are still the best-in-class offerings, and provide the fastest experience with the least amount of OS interference.
Beyond the hardware- and partition-management layers, however, DOS quickly runs out of steam. Simply put, new file system management tools like backup utilities and even virus scanners aren't being developed very quickly, and older tools are rapidly being abandoned. As one blatant example of this, the leader in the NTFS access market has historically been NTFSDOS Professional Edition from Sysinternals, a read-write commercial counterpart to its freeware read-only edition. But the professional edition is no longer being sold because it costs too much to maintain the separate build for the few requests the vendor was getting each year.
Not all is lost here, and there are a handful of decent DOS tools for accessing data on NTFS partitions. For starters, Active Data Recovery Software has a pretty comprehensive collection of DOS-based NTFS utilities. These include tools that let you browse NTFS file systems, undelete NTFS files and partitions, change passwords and user details in SAM databases on local NTFS partitions, and back up and restore NTFS disk images, all from within a plain DOS session. Meanwhile, NTFS4DOS, from Datapol in Germany, provides a read-write NTFS shell that works well enough for basic file repairs, but not much else.
There are also a handful of impressive DOS utilities that can be used to automate large chunks of the recovery system, and even though they do not exist in large numbers these tools are pretty impressive. For example, a program called WBAT provides a scriptable dialog-box interface for DOS, while a utility called XSET provides an extensive toolset for manipulating the DOS environment space. You can use regular expressions to populate environment variables from input files, for example. Meanwhile, a tool called PCISCAN essentially brings plug-and-play PCI device support to DOS, allowing you to automate some driver management.
Using these tools, I was able to write a batch file that looked for a supported network card, created the appropriate network environment, and requested a DHCP lease, with the minimal user requirement being a "Start" button.
But even after that, the best I can do is run a handful of file system tools, copying files and partitions from a busted system to a network server for safe-keeping.
Beyond The Basics Is No-Man's Land
One of the huge problems for using DOS as a recovery platform is that support for modern device interfaces such as USB and Firewire is practically non-existent.
Another major problem area for DOS is networking. For starters, there are two different types of network drivers that are commonly used: if you need to access an XP or Samba server then you'll need to use one of the Microsoft clients (see here for a workgroup-class client, and here for a full-scale LAN Manager client, although either will work). But almost all of the other TCP/IP tools for DOS, including things like SSH clients, use a packet driver interface and not the Microsoft sockets API. If you need to use both stacks simultaneously, you have to rely on shim drivers to link them, and you may not have enough memory left for the network applications to run.
The only good news here is that most modern Ethernet cards still come with DOS drivers, presumably because of the large number of Windows 9x users still out there, but this doesn't apply to wireless cards.
The abandonment of DOS seems to be a pretty common phenomenon, actually. As yet another example of this, one of the shareware DOS utilities that I purchased had an immediate and fatal bug in the registration process, indicating that I was probably the first person to actually buy that version of the software. Meanwhile, the folks at Datalight say that they only sell a few dozen licenses for ROM-DOS to individual users per year, and those are known hobbyist customers. (Not to worry, their OEM customers are still buying BIOS-flash tools by the trainload.)
Even though there are still millions of people using Windows 9x systems, and probably half of them are using DOS batch files and various kinds of utilities, they do not seem to be buying much in the way of DOS-based applications or systems—and the market is reacting to this trend accordingly. Remember this tale the next time somebody starts going on about the installed base of some product: DOS has millions of users, and they ain't buying nothin'.
Clearly the industry has moved as far away from DOS as it possibly can—but no further—and the only buyers left anymore are people who need to manipulate the hardware that DOS is best suited to support directly. All the industry really needs to finish the move is a platform that can provide a fast, lightweight character mode interface suitable for poking at disks and system firmware. Linux probably has the most potential here—it can be booted into a lightweight UI pretty quickly, and you can make a small and optimized installation if you know exactly what you need. But it's still a pig compared to DOS.
Until hardware vendors can put a mini-kernel on a floppy with the drivers and tools they need, and as long as the x86 is still being developed and used, we'll probably be stuck with DOS.
Copyright © 2010-2017 Eric A. Hall.
Portions copyright © 2006 CMP Media, Inc. Used with permission.
Home | Articles | Books | Specifications | Software | Personal | Search


text:
Pro M. Marcello ("Im Namen von Marcus Marcellus") ist eine Rede, die Marcus Tullius Cicero 46 v. Chr. vor dem Senat hielt.

Hintergrund
Marcus Claudius Marcellus stammte aus einer berühmten römischen Familie und war Konsul mit Servius Sulpicius Rufus gewesen. In diesem Amt hatte er Cäsar sehr beleidigt, indem er im Senat einen Antrag stellte, ihm sein Kommando zu entziehen. Im Bürgerkrieg unterstützte er Pompeius und war 48 v. Chr. bei der Schlacht von Pharsalos anwesend gewesen, danach zog er sich ins Exil nach Lesbos zurück. Cicero selbst hatte nach der Schlacht mit Pompeius' Nachfolgern gebrochen und war daher bereits 47 v. Chr. in den Genuss einer Amnestie für ehemalige Pompeius-Anhänger gelangt. Er blieb mit Marcellus auch nach seiner Rückkehr nach Rom brieflich in Kontakt.

46 v. Chr. trat der Senat bei Cäsar dafür ein, Marcellus zu begnadigen und ihm zu erlauben, zurückzukehren. Obwohl Cäsar sah, dass der Senat in seinem Antrag für Marcellus einstimmig war, ließ er dennoch den Antrag auf Begnadigung zur Abstimmung stellen und forderte die Meinung jedes einzelnen Senators dazu. Cicero scheint geglaubt zu haben, dass Cäsar die Republik wiederherstellen wollte, wie er in seinen Briefen erwähnt. Als Cäsar den Bitten nachgab, hielt Cicero die Rede Pro M. Marcello, in der er Cäsar für seine Milde dankte. Eigentlich war er, wie er in einem Brief an Sulpicius Rufus schrieb, entschlossen gewesen, sich nicht dazu zu äußern; aber er hatte Angst, dass, wenn er weiterhin still bliebe, Cäsar es als Beweis dafür interpretieren würde, dass er seine Politik nicht billige.

Marcellus wurde 45 v. Chr. bei seiner Rückkehr aus dem Exil ermordet.

Inhalt

Cicero beginnt seine Rede damit, dass er Cäsars clementia als fast göttliche Weisheit preist. Cäsars Begnadigung eines wichtigen politischen Gegners sei eine entscheidende politische Wende. Nur diese Milde habe ihn bewegt, sein Schweigen zu beenden. Diesem Gnadenakt stellt er Caesars "Kriegsleistungen" gegenüber, die diesem auf Dauer geringeren Ruhm bringen würden als eine weise Politik. Im Folgenden vergleicht er die Tugenden, die Cäsar damit erwies, mit Platons Ideal eines gerechten Staats. Damit appellierte er indirekt an Cäsar, der sich 46 in diesem Jahr zum dritten Mal zum Dictator ernannt hatte, die libera res publica, die Republik, wiederherzustellen.

Weblinks

 M. Tulli Ciceronis Pro M. Marcello Oratio auf www.thelatinlibrary.com
 Analyse von Pro Marcello
 Übersetzung

Anmerkungen

Literarisches Werk der Antike
Literatur (Latein)
Literatur der Antike
Rede
Werk von Marcus Tullius Cicero
46 v. Chr.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Make your own fossil replica, discover why casts are important to the Museum, and learn the differences between fossils and casts during this 45-minute indoor workshop.
Caution: Silocone moulds are used in the making of the casts.
This program is delivered in a lab setting using dental plaster which sometimes settles to the floor, so for health and safety reasons toddlers under the age of 4 are not allowed in the room. Also, the educational content is targeted at ages 4+.
Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult also registered in the program. All people attending the program will pay the program fee. There will be no unpaid adults to assist their children, and all adults are permitted to make a cast.
To secure your spot, Advance registration is recommended.
Programs begin promptly at start times. Latecomers will not be admitted.


1950's, 34" bust, electric turquoise blue velveteen dress. The dress has a scooped neckline, and raglan sleeves. Bodice extends below waistline to top of the hips. The skirt of the dress is a complete wide circle, attached to end of bodice at hip line. Back of dress has low V, with a zipper, at the end of V, fastening dress, from shoulders to lower hip. Plum colored peaks out of neckline.
circumference at bottom of skirt 172"


TEXT: Paul Gerhardt, 1653; trans. John Wesley, 1739, alt.
This arrangement can be performed with or without the brass ensemble, but it needs rhythm band (or at least keyboard).
wait for His time! The night shall quickly end in joyous day.
That caused your needless fear.
in wonder you shall come to see how wise, how strong His hand!
put wings beneath our weary feet and keep our pathway true!
Let us, in life or death, Your changeless truth declare, and utter with our final breath Your love and guiding care.


Antioch Energy is backed by TPH Partners, one of the energy industry's premier private equity firms with extensive industry knowledge and relationships. Antioch is founded by Nathaniel Harding and Kevin Dunnington, who previously as Harding & Shelton, Inc built and sold a substantial horizontal redevelopment play in the Western Anadarko basin.
Today Antioch Energy is growing. We have added some of the best people in the business to our team, and are actively acquiring. We still hold to our roots while adapting and thriving in this ever-changing industry. Our independence is matched only by our loyalty to our people. We work for each other, and we take pride in what we do.
Located in historic Bricktown, our new headquarters provide a great place to work. With financial backing from TPH Partners, Antioch is positioned well to develop our assets and capitalize new opportunities. This period of growth in our company means finding creative people who seek challenges, perform at the highest level, want to see their work through, and benefit from their efforts.
Antioch Energy has roots in the industry spanning three generations, with the last 35 years operating in Oklahoma. Our success has been in growing production and in exploration—both conventional and unconventional.
Our predecessor—Harding & Shelton, Inc (H&S)—first started acquiring distressed assets in the 1980s, which became the cornerstone of one of the largest private positions in the area. Since that time, the company discovered and developed many oil and gas fields.
In 2010, the company began horizontal drilling to explore emerging unconventional plays, and sold the development for $120 million in 2013. H&S then restructured into the 3rd generation of the business.
Antioch Energy strives to be a premier exploration and development company, with a proud legacy of independence, local expertise, and loyalty to our great people. We value our reputation in dealing fairly and being good stewards of our assets, and take seriously our responsibility as a good corporate citizen and member of each community in which we operate.
In partnership with Harding Energy Partners in Dallas, H&S completed four contract projects with two different major Chinese oil companies to explore for, drill, and complete China's first-ever targeted shale gas horizontal wells. Our engineers created the drilling and completions programs for China's first shale gas wells, and our executives advised on geophysical exploration to delineate each of mainland China's potential shale plays. Harding & Shelton Energy Consulting hosted two shale gas conferences, and started research programs at two universities.
Harding & Shelton purchased historic Bricktown properties and started in 2005 with renovations. These buildings continue today as the home for our energy business.
When lucrative midstream assets are unavailable in the area of operation, the company has built and operated pipelines to support drilling activity. Over a 10-year period H&S developed mid-stream assets, including a tap to Panhandle Eastern.
In 2001, Harding & Shelton purchased a small roustabout and general energy service company located in Taloga OK. H&S also purchased a well service company in late 2005. During H&S's most active conventional drilling, the service assets were critical in workovers and recompletions. The storage yard, field office, and facilities were located in Enid. After realizing approx $20 million in net income over years of operation, H&S sold the well service company in 2013 to re-focus on the E&P core business.


text:
\section{Introduction}
In this note we briefly consider some aspects in the
relationship between the Levin-Wen string-net model \cite{levin_wen}
and the Turaev-Viro/Barrett-Westbury state sum model \cite{turaev,barrettwestbury}.
Although some work towards a correspondence proof has
been provided \cite{rasetti1,rasetti2}, we emphasize an important extra
structure appears necessary in the Levin-Wen model.  This structure may have physical implications.

Although the details come from category theory, for the physics community we use simple
analogies with ordinary group representation theory.  Also, our discussion of the physics is kept
brief and simple so that interested mathematicians may have access.

The key issue is that $6$j-symbols with \textit{tetrahedral symmetry} play a defining role in both models.
In order to build $6$j-symbols with tetrahedral symmetry,
Turaev's construction uses the \textit{unimodality} condition.
In particular unimodality assures that the ``band-breaking'' maneuver depicted in
Fig~(\ref{fig:turaevbandbreak}) is well-defined.

However, in the Levin-Wen model the analogous maneuver
(see Fig~(\ref{fig:unimodalmove})) is implicitly allowed without restriction.  To highlight
how this may be problematic, we show here that the first example computed by Levin-Wen
is, in fact, \textbf{not} unimodal.  This implies that the Turaev construction cannot be applied.

This example, along with most of the examples computed by Levin-Wen, are
\textit{group categories} \cite{stirling_thesis}.
At the end we formulate a theorem that clarifies conditions when a group category is unimodal.

Before proceeding into the heart of the examples, we mention the recent work of
Hong \cite{seungmoonhong} that (partially) generalizes the Levin-Wen model to unitary spherical
categories using so-called \textit{mirror conjugate symmetry} rather than tetrahedral
symmetry.  It would be interesting to explore the examples considered here in this
more general context.

\section{Levin-Wen model}
Levin-Wen \cite{levin_wen} consider a model on a fixed trivalent graph (with
oriented edges) embedded in $2$d.  A
typical configuration is pictured in Fig~(\ref{fig:samplestringnet}) where
each edge is labelled by a \textbf{string type} $j$.  There are finitely-many string
types, hence we simply refer to them by number $\{0,1,\ldots,N\}$.

There is a duality $j\mapsto j^*$
that satisfies $()^{**}=()$, and the $0$ label means ``no string'', hence we require
$0^*=0$.  We are allowed to reverse the orientation
of an edge if we reverse its label $j\mapsto j^*$.
\begin{figure}[!htb]
  \centering
  \scalebox{1}{\input{samplestringnet.pspdftex}}
  \caption{A sample string-net configuration: a trivalent lattice in $2$-dimensions
   with strings ``colored'' by integer string types $i$.  In category language the labels are
   simple objects $V_i$.  The dashed lines indicate that
   the string-net continues outside of the picture.}
  \label{fig:samplestringnet}
\end{figure}

In order to quantize this Levin and Wen introduce a Hilbert space.  It is defined by
promoting every configuration $X$ to be an orthonormal basis vector $\vert X\rangle$.  An arbitrary state
in the Hilbert space is a formal linear combinations of these.
Given any string-net configuration $\vert X\rangle$,
an arbitrary state $\vert\Phi\rangle$ has an associated probability amplitude
$\Phi(X):=\langle X|\Phi \rangle$ of being in that particular configuration.
From now on we do not differentiate between states $\vert \Phi\rangle$ and their wavefunctions $\Phi$.

We are interested in a subspace of states $\{\Phi\}$ that encodes the topological information of the phase.
One of their main results \cite{levin_wen} is that $\{\Phi\}$ can be realized as the ground state
subspace of an exactly-soluble Hamiltonian.

Rather than write down an explicit Hamiltonian, it is instructive to review the
strategy that Levin-Wen use to find the topological subspace $\{\Phi\}$.  The idea
is based on \textit{renormalization semigroup (RG)} flow.  For concreteness suppose that
we start with a (possibly too complicated) Hamiltonian $H$.

Usually $H$ has some parameters that can be adjusted (e.g. coupling constants),
and as we adjust these parameters
we also deform its ground state(s) $\Phi$ (see Fig~(\ref{fig:rgflow})).
Hence we actually have a family $\{(H_\alpha,\Phi_\alpha)\}_\alpha$ of
different (but related) theories where $\alpha$ denotes all of the adjustable parameters.
\begin{figure}[!htb]
  \centering
  \scalebox{1}{\input{rgflow.pspdftex}}
  \caption{Cartoon phase diagram}
  \label{fig:rgflow}
\end{figure}

On the other hand, often we do not know the exact Hamiltonian $H$ (nor the true parameters $\alpha$), or if we
do then its complexity is intractable.  Fortunately, for a fixed set of parameters $\alpha$
(say in the ``$A$'' region in Fig~(\ref{fig:rgflow}))
the Hamiltonian $H_\alpha$ is usually
approximated by a much simpler \textit{effective} Hamiltonian $H_{A(\alpha)}$
(equipped with its own adjustable parameters $A(\alpha)$ that are in principle
derived from the original parameters $\alpha$).

If we adjust the original parameters $\alpha$ for $H_\alpha$ slightly, then
the effective parameters $A(\alpha)$ adjust slightly.

However, if we make a large adjustment to the parameters $\alpha$ (e.g. $\alpha$ is adjusted
into the ``$B$'' region) then
we cannot expect that the same approximations remain valid.
Instead a different set of approximations may be appropriate, yielding a
different form for the effective Hamiltonian $H_{B(\alpha)}$.

In this way the family of theories $\{(H_\alpha,\Phi_\alpha)\}_\alpha$ is carved into
\textbf{phases}.  A phase $A$ is a region of parameters $\alpha$ where the Hamiltonians can all
can be approximated similarly.  Although the effective Hamiltonians still depend on adjustable
parameters $A(\alpha)$, the Hamiltonians are of the same \textit{form}.

Assume that we pick a Hamiltonian $H_{A}$ in the $A$ phase (we no longer refer
to the original parameters $\alpha$).
The RG flow procedure involves performing an iterated \textit{scaling out} while averaging the
details.  From experience we expect that this preserves the form of the Hamiltonian, but may
adjust the coupling constants, etc.  In other words, scaling is just a particular recipe to
flow to a new Hamiltonian $H_{A^\prime}$ that is in the same phase.  The new Hamiltonian is
simpler because at each scaling iteration we average out the details.

Eventually scaling produces a system that is minimally simplistic, and further scaling does
not lead to further simplification.  This produces a scale-invariant fixed point theory
$(H,\Phi)_{\text{fixed}}$,
i.e. a conformal field theory (CFT).

Since $\Phi_{\text{fixed}}$ is scale independent the
long-range properties of any other groundstate $\Phi_A$ in the phase
are well-approximated by $\Phi_{\text{fixed}}$.
Hence in the following we concentrate only on $\Phi_{\text{fixed}}$,
and we drop the ``fixed'' subscript.

\subsection{6j-symbols}

Since the scale-invariant fixed point is somehow the ``simplest'' system, we
have the best chance of identifying the topological subspace there.
On the other hand, Levin-Wen make the ansatz that the topological phase is completely determined
by the data from a \textbf{modular tensor category} \cite{turaev}.

Combining these ideas,
they propose a set of rules at the fixed point that determines how any state $\Phi$ in the topological subspace
transforms under graphical deformations.

Before describing the rules, it is useful to discuss the origins of the basic data in category
theory.  Actually, they really
only need some of the data, starting
with the list of string types $\{0,\ldots,N\}$ described above.  In category language the string types are
\textbf{simple objects} $\{V_0,V_1,\ldots,V_N\}$, and they can be viewed as generalized irreducible
group representations.  They satisfy fusion rules (generalized Clebsch-Gordan rules)
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:fusionrules}
  V_i\otimes V_j = \oplus N^k_{ij}\,V_k\quad N^k_{ij}\in\mathbb{Z}
\end{equation}
Order is important in the generalized tensor product that we encounter in
category theory (i.e. $V_i\otimes V_j\neq V_j\otimes V_i$).  From now on
we denote the integers $\{0,\ldots,N\}$ by $I$.

For simplicity, Levin and Wen restrict themselves to fusion rules satisfying
\begin{equation}
  N^k_{ij}=0\text{ or }1
\end{equation}
in which case the fusion rules are called \textbf{branching rules}.

The dual representation $(V_i)^*$ of an irrep is also an irrep,
hence we denote it by $V_{i^*}$ with the
convention that $i^{**}=i$.  We shall see that this harmless-looking notation is at the
core of the problem, i.e. in a category this rule is subject to some conditions that
are automatically satisfied in ordinary group representation theory.

Given the simple objects and branching rules $\delta_{ijm}:=N^{m^*}_{ij}=0\text{ or }1$,
the necessary data is provided by
a system of tensors
\begin{equation}
  (F^{ijm}_{kln},d_i)
\end{equation}
satisfying some consistency equations (there may be many solutions)
\begin{align}
  & F^{ijm}_{j^* i^* 0}=\frac{\sqrt{d_m}}{\sqrt{d_i}\sqrt{d_j}}\delta_{ijm}\\
  & F^{ijm}_{kln}=F^{lkm^*}_{jin}=F^{jim}_{lkn^*}=
    F^{imj}_{k^*nl}\frac{\sqrt{d_m}\sqrt{d_n}}{\sqrt{d_j}\sqrt{d_l}}\nonumber\\
  & \sum_{n\in I}F^{mlq}_{kp^*n}F^{jip}_{mns^*}F^{js^*n}_{lkr^*}=F^{jip}_{q^*kr^*}F^{riq^*}_{mls^*}\nonumber
\end{align}
The first line is a normalization condition.  The second is the tetrahedral symmetry, and the
third is the Biedenharn-Elliott identity.

If we know the underlying modular tensor category then we can find these tensors explicitly.
$F^{ijm}_{kln}\in\mathbb{C}$ is the \textbf{quantum $6j$-symbol} and
each $d_i\in\mathbb{C}$ is the \textbf{quantum dimension}
of $V_i$.
\footnote{More appropriately these should be called ``braided $6j$-symbol'' and
``braided dimensions'' since ordinary group representation theory is also ``quantum'', i.e.
bosons and fermions.}
These notions are generalizations of the ordinary $6j$-symbols and vector space dimensions
associated to irreps.

Returning to a wavefunction $\Phi$ in the topological subspace, at the fixed point
Levin-Wen propose transformation rules as in Fig~(\ref{fig:wavefunctionansatz})
(this list is not complete).
Since any graph
can be popped down to nothing using these rules, $\Phi$ is determined uniquely (however if we
embed the graph in a $2$d surface with nontrivial topology then $\Phi$ is not unique).
\begin{figure}[!htb]
  \centering
  \input{wavefunctionansatz.pspdftex}
  \caption{Conditions to determine fixed-point ground state $\Phi$}
  \label{fig:wavefunctionansatz}
\end{figure}

\section{Group categories}
Group categories (or \textit{pointed} categories) have been studied by a variety of
authors in a variety of contexts (e.g. \cite{quinn} \cite{frolich_kerler} \cite{joyal_street}).
We recommend \cite{stirling_thesis} for further
details and compatible notation.

\subsection{Braiding}

Ordinary group representation theory is a reasonable prototype to model modular tensor
categories.
\footnote{Actually we neither require nor desire the full structure of modular tensor categories,
hence instead we can consider the simpler structure of \textbf{semisimple ribbon Ab-categories}.
It happens that ordinary group representation theory is a closer prototype for semisimple ribbon
categories anyway.}
Consider a many-body bosonic or fermionic system in $(2+1)$-dimensions.
Each elementary particle is a copy of an irreducible representation $V_i$.
If we have two particles then we have the tensor product (again ordering is
important)
\begin{equation}
  V_i\otimes V_j
\end{equation}
(which, of course, can be decomposed using the fusion rules in equation~(\ref{eq:fusionrules})).
For bosons we have an exchange rule
\begin{align}
  \text{Perm}:&V_i\otimes V_j\xrightarrow{\sim} V_j\otimes V_i\\
              &v\otimes w\mapsto w\otimes v\quad\quad v\in V_i, w\in V_j\nonumber
\end{align}
and for fermions we have a different exchange rule
\begin{align}
  \text{Perm}:&V_i\otimes V_j\xrightarrow{\sim} V_j\otimes V_i\\
              &v\otimes w\mapsto -w\otimes v\quad\quad v\in V_i, w\in V_j\nonumber
\end{align}
In both cases we have
\begin{equation}
  \text{Perm}^2=I\quad\quad\text{(the identity matrix)}
\end{equation}
In this way both bosonic and fermionic systems are considered ``commutative'' since we know what
happens when we exchange the particles $V_i\otimes V_j\xrightarrow{\sim}V_j\otimes V_i$ (and two permutations
is equivalent to doing nothing).
Confusingly, in category language they are both called \textbf{symmetric}
theories (despite the usual physical nomenclature ``antisymmetric'' for fermions).

Categories allow a much more interesting \textit{weakened} form of commutativity: \textbf{braiding}.
Here we have invertible braiding matrices
\begin{equation}
  c_{V_i,V_j}:V_i\otimes V_j\xrightarrow{\sim} V_j\otimes V_i
\end{equation}
that do \textit{not} satisfy $c_{V_j,V_i}\circ c_{V_i,V_j}=I$, but rather a more
elaborate set of conditions - the \textbf{hexagon relations}.

For details concerning the hexagon relations
we refer the reader to standard references
\cite{turaev}, \cite{bakalov_kirillov}, \cite{kassel}, \cite{joyal_street}.  It turns out that the hexagon
relations come from an obvious picture.

\subsection{Braiding for group categories}
The hexagon relations for group categories are exhaustively solved \cite{stirling_thesis}.
In fact the structure is much richer than will be apparent here.

Every group category $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ is constructed from some fundamental data ${(\grp,q)}$.  $\mathcal{D}$ is
any finite abelian group, and $q$ is a function on $\mathcal{D}$ that returns
a complex phase $\exp(2\pi i q)$.  Since $q$ is a phase it is only well-defined up to
the interval $[0,1]$.  In fact $q$ takes values in $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$.  The function $q$ must also be a
\textit{pure quadratic form}.

To understand the quadratic form the reader should think about quadratic functions on real numbers
$q(x):=\frac{1}{2}x^2$.  We can easily define an induced bilinear function:
$b(x,y):=q(x+y)-q(x)-q(y)=\frac{1}{2}(x+y)^2-\frac{1}{2}(x)^2-\frac{1}{2}(y)^2=xy$.

Likewise, a pure quadratic form is a function such that the induced function
\begin{align}
  &b:\mathcal{D}\otimes\mathcal{D}\rightarrow\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}\\
  &b(x,y) := q(x+y)-q(x)-q(y) \pmod{1}\nonumber
\end{align}
is bilinear.  The adjective ``pure'' means
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:purity}
  q(nx)\equiv n^2 q(x) \pmod{1}\quad\quad n\in\mathbb{Z}
\end{equation}

\begin{example}
\label{ex:z2groupcategory}
The simplest example is when $\mathcal{D}=\mathbb{Z}_2=\{\hat{0},\hat{1}\}_+$, i.e.
$\hat{1}+\hat{1}=\hat{2}\equiv \hat{0} \pmod{2}$ (we use the hat to differentiate
elements of the group from numbers in $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$).
Then, since
\begin{equation}
  2 b(\hat{1},\hat{1})\equiv b(2\hat{1},\hat{1})\equiv b(\hat{2},\hat{1})
  \equiv b(\hat{0},\hat{1})\equiv 0 \pmod{1}
\end{equation}
(bilinearity is used in every step, and $b$ is valued in $\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$) we have
two possibilities for $b$:
\begin{equation}
  b(\hat{1},\hat{1}) \equiv 0 \pmod{1}\quad\text{ or }\quad b(\hat{1},\hat{1}) \equiv \frac{1}{2} \pmod{1}
\end{equation}
Because of bilinearity the function $b$ is fully determined by its values on the generator $\hat{1}$
of the group $\mathcal{D}$.  The same statement also holds for the quadratic form $q$ by using the purity
condition in equation~(\ref{eq:purity})).

Suppose we consider the first case, i.e. $b(\hat{1},\hat{1}) \equiv 0 \pmod{1}$.  Then there are
two possible pure quadratic forms that produce this $b$:
\begin{equation}
  q(\hat{1})\equiv 0 \pmod{1} \quad\text{ or }\quad q(\hat{1})\equiv \frac{1}{2} \pmod{1}
\end{equation}
It turns out that \textit{both} group categories $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ (defined below)
constructed from these two quadratic forms
produce the same data $(F^{ijm}_{kln},d_i)$ and hence are the same (from the Levin-Wen
perspective).  They both correspond to $\mathbb{Z}_2$-lattice gauge theory.

More interesting examples occur when $b(\hat{1},\hat{1}) \equiv \frac{1}{2} \pmod{1}$.
Then there are
two possible pure quadratic forms that produce this $b$:
\begin{equation}
  q(\hat{1})\equiv \frac{1}{4} \pmod{1} \quad\text{ or }\quad q(\hat{1})\equiv \frac{3}{4} \pmod{1}
\end{equation}
The group category $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ from the LHS corresponds \cite{stirling_thesis}
to $U(1)$ Chern-Simons at level $2$.  The other one corresponds to $U(1)$
Chern-Simons at level $-2$.

On the other hand, both theories produce the same data $(F^{ijm}_{kln},d_i)$ and
hence (from the Levin-Wen perspective) both produce the same \textit{doubled} Chern-Simons theory.
We shall show below that \textbf{neither example is unimodal}.

Since this is the first example considered
by Levin and Wen\cite{levin_wen},
we already encounter the example promised in the introduction.
\end{example}

We continue our construction of the group category $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ given the data
${(\grp,q)}$.
The simple objects (string types) and fusion rules (branching rules) are easy to define.
The list of string types $\{0,\ldots,N\}$ is replaced by $\mathcal{D}$.
Hence we use string labels like $i,j,k\in I$ interchangeably
with group elements $x,y,z\in\mathcal{D}$ often here.

For every $x\in\mathcal{D}$ we
define a simple object (these were denoted $V_i$ above)
\begin{equation}
  \mathbb{C}_x\quad x\in\mathcal{D}
\end{equation}
which is a 1-dimensional complex vector space \textit{graded} by the group element $x$.

The fusion rules are also easy to define, and indeed satisfy the
\textit{branching rule} condition $N^z_{xy}=0\text{ or }1$:
\begin{equation}
  \mathbb{C}_x\otimes \mathbb{C}_y = \delta_{z,x+y}\mathbb{C}_{z}
\end{equation}
Here $\delta$ is the Kronecker delta.

The braiding is slightly more subtle.  First, given the simple fusion rules, it is clear that the
braiding matrix
\begin{align}
  c_{x,y}:&\mathbb{C}_x\otimes\mathbb{C}_y \xrightarrow{\sim} \mathbb{C}_y\otimes\mathbb{C}_x\\
          &\mathbb{C}_{x+y}\xrightarrow{\sim}\mathbb{C}_{x+y}\nonumber
\end{align}
must be multiplication by a complex number.  For group categories this complex
number is a phase:
\begin{align}
  c_{x,y}:&\mathbb{C}_{x+y}\xrightarrow{\sim}\mathbb{C}_{x+y}\\
          &v_{x+y}\mapsto \exp(2\pi i s(x,y)) v_{x+y}\nonumber
\end{align}
where $v_{x+y}\in\mathbb{C}_{x+y}$ and $s(x,y)\in\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$.

It remains to specify the phase angle $s(x,y)\in\mathbb{Q}/\mathbb{Z}$.
Every finite abelian group $\mathcal{D}$ can be decomposed (non-uniquely) as a direct product
of cyclic groups $\mathbb{Z}_{n_1}\times\mathbb{Z}_{n_2}\times\ldots$.
Pick a generator $\hat{1}_s$ for each cyclic group, and denote the order of that
cyclic group by $n_s$.
Then an arbitrary element $x\in\mathcal{D}$ can be written uniquely (once generators
are picked) as
\begin{equation}
  x=\sum_s x_s \hat{1}_s\quad\quad 0\leq x_s \leq n_s
\end{equation}

Pick an arbitrary ordering $\hat{1}_1<\hat{1}_2<\ldots$ on the various generators.
Define for convenience
\begin{align}
  &q_s := q(\hat{1}_s)\\
  &b_{st} := b(\hat{1}_s,\hat{1}_t)\nonumber
\end{align}
(we refer the reader to \cite{stirling_thesis} for discussion concerning how these results change
for different choices of generators and orderings).
Then if we write arbitrary elements $x,y\in\mathcal{D}$ in terms of the generators
\begin{align}
  &x=\sum_s x_s \hat{1}_s\quad\quad 0\leq x_s \leq n_s\\
  &y=\sum_s y_s \hat{1}_s\quad\quad 0\leq y_s \leq n_s\nonumber
\end{align}
then we define the braiding phase angle by
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:braidingphaseangle}
  s(x,y) := \sum_{s<t}x_s y_t b_{st} + \sum_s x_s y_s q_s
\end{equation}

\begin{example}
We revisit example~(\ref{ex:z2groupcategory}) in the case
\begin{equation}
  b(\hat{1},\hat{1})\equiv\frac{1}{2}\pmod{1}\quad\quad q(\hat{1})\equiv\frac{1}{4}\pmod{1}
\end{equation}
Then it is easy to compute the braiding matrices (here just phases)
\begin{align}
  &c_{\hat{0},\hat{0}}=\exp\left(2\pi i \left(0\cdot 0 \cdot \frac{1}{4}\right)\right)=1\label{eq:z2braidings}\\
  &c_{\hat{0},\hat{1}}=\exp\left(2\pi i \left(0\cdot 1 \cdot \frac{1}{4}\right)\right)=1\notag\\
  &c_{\hat{1},\hat{0}}=\exp\left(2\pi i \left(1\cdot 0 \cdot \frac{1}{4}\right)\right)=1\notag\\
  &c_{\hat{1},\hat{1}}=\exp\left(2\pi i \left(1\cdot 1 \cdot \frac{1}{4}\right)\right)=i\notag
\end{align}
\end{example}

\subsection{Twists}
For bosons and fermions in $(3+1)$-dimensions we have the \textit{spin-statistics theorem}.
This relates the effect of exchanging two particles (the exchange statistics when the $\text{Perm}$
operation is applied) to their individual spins.

On the other hand, the spin for an individual particle determines how it is affected under
$3$-dimensional rotations.
Hence we may view the spin-statistics
theorem as a relationship between multi-particle $\text{Perm}$ operations and
single-particle rotation operations.

In $(2+1)$-dimensions we might imagine a similar story, except here the analogue of ``spin''
must describe what happens to an irrep (simple object) under $\text{SO}(2)$ rotations.  This is the
\textbf{twist} matrix
\begin{equation}
  \theta_i:V_i\xrightarrow{\sim}V_i
\end{equation}

Furthermore, we have seen that in $(2+1)$-dimensions $\text{Perm}$ can be generalized to
braiding $c_{V_i,V_j}$.
In categories with \textit{both} braiding and twist, it is reasonable to assume that a compatibility
relationship exists analogous to the spin-statistics theorem.

Indeed there
is a necessary compatibility between braiding and twists
(with an easy geometric interpretation in terms of ribbons, see e.g. \cite{stirling_wu_bcqm})
called \textbf{balancing}.
Balancing gives certain restrictions on twists (much like fermions have half-integer spin).

In the spirit of this paper we merely give a formula for the twist matrices for group categories.
Given a simple object $\mathbb{C}_x$ where $x\in\mathcal{D}$
the twist matrix is just multiplication by a phase
\begin{align}
  \theta_x:&\mathbb{C}_x\xrightarrow{\sim}\mathbb{C}_x\\
           &v_x\mapsto \exp(2\pi i q(x))v_x\quad\quad v_x\in\mathbb{C}_x\nonumber
\end{align}

\begin{example}
We revisit the same example~(\ref{ex:z2groupcategory}) in the case
\begin{equation}
  b(\hat{1},\hat{1})\equiv\frac{1}{2}\pmod{1}\quad\quad q(\hat{1})\equiv\frac{1}{4}\pmod{1}
\end{equation}
Then it is easy to compute the twist matrices (here just phases)
\begin{align}
  &\theta_{\hat{0}}=\exp\left(2\pi i (0)\right)=1\label{eq:z2twists}\\
  &\theta_{\hat{1}}=\exp\left(2\pi i \left(\frac{1}{4}\right)\right)=i\notag
\end{align}
\end{example}

\subsection{Duality and ribbon categories}
Duality is a fundamental property of
representation theory.  Given an irreducible representation $V_i$ we can
always consider the dual representation $(V_i)^*$, which we dangerously
denoted $V_{i^*}$ above.

In category theory \textbf{rigidity} is the appropriate generalization, however the details can be
rather different than those in ordinary group representation theory.  For now, each simple object (string type)
$V_i$ has another simple object associated to it:  its \textit{right} dual $(V_i)^*$.
Furthermore, we have a categorical notion of pair creation and annihilation.  These
are the \textbf{birth} and \textbf{death} matrices
\begin{align}
  &b_{V_i}:\mathbb{1}\rightarrow V_i\otimes (V_i)^*\\
  &d_{V_i}:(V_i)^*\otimes V_i\rightarrow \mathbb{1}\nonumber
\end{align}
($\mathbb{1}$ is interpreted as the vacuum).

Notice that the ordering of the objects is exactly opposite for the birth and death matrices,
hence we \textit{cannot} simply birth a pair and then annihilate it without performing
some intermediate moves (such as braiding and twisting).
\footnote{This is how the \textbf{quantum dimension} $d_i$ of a simple object $V_i$
is computed, for example.}

In a category with braiding, twists, \textit{and} rigidity we may desire some compatibility
between all three structures (we already mentioned the ``balancing'' condition between
braiding and twists for example).
Again in the spirit of this paper, rather than discuss this point further we
mention that a \textbf{ribbon category} is a category with braiding, twists, and
rigidity such that all three structures interact appropriately.

Even for group categories rigidity is slightly subtle (again see \cite{stirling_thesis}).
However, for this paper it suffices to merely define when objects are dual to
each other.  The reader can guess that each simple object $\mathbb{C}_x$ has a right dual
\begin{equation}
  \mathbb{C}_{-x}
\end{equation}

\section{Unimodality}

We have specified enough information about $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$
in order to decide when a given group category is unimodal
(we provide a classification theorem below).
Before doing this, however, let us motivate why unimodality is important.

In the Levin-Wen model each \textit{directed} edge is labelled
by a string type $i$
(simple object $V_i$).  Because of the dangerous identification $(V_i)^*=V_{i^*}$
we can always
use simplified labels such as $i$ or $j$ or $m^*$, and we may always perform
a ``string-breaking'' move such as in figure~(\ref{fig:unimodalmove}).
\begin{figure}[!htb]
\begin{center}
  \centering
  \input{unimodalmove.pspdftex}
  \caption{String-breaking maneuver is implicit in Levin-Wen model, but non-trivial in
    Turaev's construction.}
  \label{fig:unimodalmove}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

On the other hand, in Turaev's formulation \cite{turaev} there are non-trivial invertible
matrices
\begin{equation}
  w_{i^*}:V_{i^*}\xrightarrow{\sim}(V_i)^*
\end{equation}
that form part of the defining structure of the category.  They
also provide a ``band-breaking'' maneuver as in figure~(\ref{fig:turaevbandbreak}), however
the procedure may not be self-consistent.  It turns out that an inconsistency
may arise when simple objects are self-dual (i.e. when $V_i=V_{i^*}$),
and hence we must enforce the extra unimodality condition.
\begin{figure}[!htb]
  \centering
  \input{turaevbandbreak.pspdftex}
  \caption{Band-breaking maneuver in Turaev's construction.}
  \label{fig:turaevbandbreak}
\end{figure}

Rather than go into details, we give the unimodality condition for group categories:
suppose $\mathbb{C}_x$ is self-dual
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:unimodalcondition}
  \mathbb{C}_x = \mathbb{C}_{-x}
\end{equation}
(in other words $x=-x\in\mathcal{D}$).  Then unimodality is a condition on the twist and
braiding:
\begin{equation}
  \theta_x\cdot c_{x,x}\overset{?}{=}1\quad\quad\text{whenever }x=-x
\end{equation}
If this is true for all $x=-x$ then the category is \textbf{unimodal}.

\subsection{Counterexample}

Again we revisit the case $\mathcal{D}=\mathbb{Z}_2$ in example~(\ref{ex:z2groupcategory})
(however \textit{not} $\mathbb{Z}_2$-lattice gauge theory).  Given the braiding and twist
tables provided in equations~(\ref{eq:z2braidings}) and (\ref{eq:z2twists}) we compute
that for the self-dual object $\hat{1}$
\begin{equation}
  \theta_{\hat{1}}\cdot c_{\hat{1},\hat{1}}=i\cdot i=-1
\end{equation}
This example is \textbf{not unimodal} and Turaev's machinery does not apply.
However, as already discussed this is $U(1)$ Chern-Simons at level $2$ and is the
first example considered by Levin-Wen \cite{levin_wen}.

Alternatively, we can suspect a discrepancy by examining the quantum dimension
$d_{\hat{1}}$ computed in \cite{levin_wen}.  There they assert that
\begin{equation}
  d_{\hat{1}}=-1
\end{equation}
On the other hand, it is proven in $\cite{stirling_thesis}$ that for group categories
$d_x=1$ for every simple object $\mathbb{C}_x$.
\footnote{Our result also agrees with the quantum dimension computed in the quantum group
$\text{SU}_q(2)$ at level $1$.  This is relevant since
rank-level duality asserts that $\text{SU}_q(n)$ at level $k$ is isomorphic to
$\text{SU}_q(k)$ at level $n$ whenever $n,k>1$.  If $n=1$ (or $k=1)$ then rank-level duality is
slightly modified:
$\text{U}(1)$ Chern-Simons at level $k$ is isomorphic to $\text{SU}_q(k)$ at level $1$.}

\section{Unimodality and group categories}

It is straightforward to classify conditions when a group category is
unimodal:

\begin{theorem}
Let $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ be a group category.  Arbitrarily decompose the finite abelian group $\mathcal{D}$ into
cyclic groups of orders $n_s$ and generators $\hat{1}_s$ ($s$ indexes the cyclic factors).
Pick an arbitrary ordering $\hat{1}_1 < \hat{1}_2 < \ldots$ for the generators.
Then we have the following cases:
\begin{enumerate}
 \item If $\mathcal{D}$ contains a cyclic factor of odd order (i.e. if one of the $n_s$ is odd) then
    $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ is unimodal.
 \item If $\mathcal{D}$ contains no odd-order cyclic factors then $\mathscr{C}_\triotrunc$ is unimodal if and only if
\begin{equation}
  \sum_s \frac{1}{2}(n_s)^2 q_s \in\mathbb{Z}
\end{equation}
\end{enumerate}
\end{theorem}
\begin{proof}
Suppose $x=-x$.  Decompose $x$ and $-x$ using the generators
\begin{align}
  &x=\sum_s x_s \hat{1}_s\quad\quad 0\leq x_s\leq n_s\\
  &-x=\sum_s (n_s-x_s) \hat{1}_s\nonumber
\end{align}
The condition that $x=-x$ implies
\begin{equation}
  n_s-x_s = x_s\quad\forall s
\end{equation}
which implies that $n_s=2x_s$.  In particular this implies that every $n_s$ must be even,
hence if there exists any $n_s$ odd then $x\neq -x$ for every $x\in\mathcal{D}$.

Now suppose that every $n_s$ is even.  Then the braiding and twist formulas imply
\begin{equation}
  \theta_x\cdot c_{x,x}=\exp(2\pi i q(x))\exp(2\pi i s(x,x))
\end{equation}
Equation~(\ref{eq:braidingphaseangle}) says
\begin{equation}
   s(x,x) := \sum_{s<t}x_s x_t b_{st} + \sum_s (x_s)^2 q_s
\end{equation}
The quadratic form $q(x)=q\left(\sum_s x_s \hat{1}_s\right)$ can be decomposed using successive
iterations of the defining formula
\begin{equation}
  q(x+y)-q(x)-q(y)=b(x,y)
\end{equation}
rearranged as $q(x+y)=b(x,y)+q(x)+q(y)$.
For example the first iteration is
\begin{align}
  q\left(\sum_s x_s \hat{1}_s\right) &=q\left(x_1 \hat{1}_1 +\sum_{s>1} x_s \hat{1}_s\right)\\
   &= b\left(x_1 \hat{1}_1,\sum_{s>1} x_s \hat{1}_s\right)+q(x_1 \hat{1}_1)\\
   &\quad +q\left(\sum_{s>1} x_s \hat{1}_s\right)\nonumber\\
   &=\sum_{s>1} x_1 x_s b_{1s} + (x_1)^2 q_1 +q\left(\sum_{s>1} x_s \hat{1}_s\right)\nonumber
\end{align}
We used bilinearity of $b$ and the fact that $q$ is pure in the last equality.
Now, concentrating on the last term, we repeat the process.  Iterating we finally obtain
\begin{equation}
  q(x)=\sum_{s<t}x_s x_t b_{st}+\sum_s (x_s)^2 q_s
\end{equation}
which is precisely the formula for $s(x,x)$.

Hence
\begin{equation}
  \theta_x\cdot c_{x,x}=\exp(2\pi i (q(x)+s(x,x))=\exp(2\pi i 2q(x))
\end{equation}
Recall that we are only considering $x\in\mathcal{D}$ such that $x=-x$.  Also recall from
that beginning of the proof that then $n_s=2 x_s$.  Hence we substitute
$x_s=\frac{1}{2}n_s$ into the expression for $2q(x)$ and obtain
\begin{align}
 2q(x)&=\sum_{s<t}2 \frac{n_s}{2} x_t b_{st}+\sum_s 2(\frac{n_s}{2})^2 q_s\\
      &=\sum_{s<t} x_t n_s b_{st}+\sum_s \frac{1}{2}(n_s)^2 q_s\nonumber
\end{align}
But $x_t n_s b_{st}=x_t b(n_s \hat{1}_s,\hat{1}_t)=x_t b(0,\hat{1}_t)\equiv 0 \pmod{1}$, hence the
first sum is always an integer and does not play a role in the exponent.

Viewing the second factor we arrive at the desired result, i.e.
\begin{equation}
  \theta_x\cdot c_{x,x}=\exp(2\pi i 2q(x))=1\Leftrightarrow \sum_s \frac{1}{2}(n_s)^2 q_s\in\mathbb{Z}
\end{equation}
\end{proof}

\section{Acknowledgements}
During this work SDS was supported by an FQXi grant under Yong-Shi Wu at the University
of Utah.

\bibliographystyle{apsrev}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
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Oscar (eBook)
SKU/ISBN: 9781771962261. Categories: Fiction, International Translation Series, Novel.
Each time Brad, Oscar P.'s big brother, starts playing the piano, the rain stops, summer returns, and the sun refuses to set. After Brad succumbs to the white plague, Oscar too spends his days fighting disease, confined to a hospital. Playing the organ at night for a mysterious sickly girl, he discovers his own talent, although years after recovery, he finds himself desperate, poor, and depressed—until the devil, otherwise known to the world as impresario Norman G, happens on him in a moment of crisis.
Inspired by the life of legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, Mauricio Segura's Oscar evokes periods across time, from the Depression-era Montreal neighbourhood of Little Burgundy to the swinging cabarets of the 1950s, while offering a reflection on the bonds between an artist and the Caribbean diaspora from which he comes. But above all, Oscar is a poignant homage to a musical giant, a man who changed the face of jazz forever.
Black Bread
Good Morning Comrades
For As Far as the Eye Can See
Oscar (Trade Paper) The Iconoclast's Journal (Trade Paper)


The blog of writerly things…and other deliberate nonesense.
It's always about the will to write.
Sometimes I write like a woman possessed for hours on end. Words drench the pages like a frenzied summer storm. Other days a drought has settled.
Sometimes the block sneaks up on you. You start a brand new work with zeal for miles only to have that passion fizzle out a few pages in.
But, in learning to fight this internal demon — The Block — I've discovered there is really only one thing you can do to disarm him: Write.
Write a postcard, write a fleeting thought, or write a grocery list. What you write doesn't matter so much as the fact that you're writing. Then, write a little more each day and keep it flowing.
And if that demon begins to rear his ugly head again, pick up your sword and cut him deeply with your words.
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That's surely one of the hardest lessons to learn as a writer. So, I totally agree with you. The only way not to get blocked by this demon is keep on writing – what a dilemma^^'.
By the way: did you finish this NaNo?
OK, NaNoWriMo. Here's the deal…I cheated a little bit. I did squeak by this year, but the story is *FAR* from finished.
What about you? Did you participate in NaNo this year? Did you finish?
Well… I had the will to write . I think it's easy to imagine what happened next: nothing. I know it's terrible.
Thanks, Ana. This year is definitely a rough one, and there's nothing bizarre about it…it's always nice to know we're not alone in our struggles.
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