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Research Article | June 2010
Texture discrimination based on global feature alignments
Flip Phillips; James T. Todd
Flip Phillips
Psychology and Neuroscience, Skidmore College, USAhttp://www.flipphillips.comflip@skidmore.edu
James T. Todd
Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, USAtodd.44@osu.edu
Journal of Vision June 2010, Vol.10, 6. doi:10.1167/10.6.6
Flip Phillips, James T. Todd; Texture discrimination based on global feature alignments. Journal of Vision 2010;10(6):6. doi: 10.1167/10.6.6.
Three experiments are reported that examined the abilities of human observers to discriminate textures with identical distributions of orientation and spatial frequency. In Experiment 1, the stimuli consisted of low-pass filtered noise that was uniformly distributed and spatially isotropic. Observers were able to discriminate textures with identical image statistics when their frequencies were 1 cpd or less, but performance dropped off sharply for textures with higher frequencies. In Experiment 2, a novel procedure was employed with which it is possible to increase the high-frequency energy in the amplitude spectrum of a texture, while preserving the macroscopic alignments of its phase spectrum. The results reveal that this has little effect on performance, thus indicating that it is not spatial frequency per se that limits the abilities of observers to discriminate macroscopic texture patterns. When the phase spectra of these textures were randomly scrambled in Experiment 3, the frequency thresholds for discriminating textures reverted back to 1 cpd as was obtained in Experiment 1. These results provide strong evidence that human observers make use of two distinct procedures for discriminating patches of texture: One based on image statistics that is possible for all textures; and another based on macroscopic phase alignments that define features that are larger than 1°.
Statistical approaches to visual perception have become increasingly popular over the past two decades, but they have proven to be particularly useful for the problem of texture discrimination. The basic idea of this approach is quite simple. The spatial structure at each image location is encoded by a bank of filters that are tuned to a variety of orientations and spatial scales—though filters sensitive to other higher order features (e.g., textons) may also be included. In order to compare two patches of texture, histograms are computed within each patch to represent the relative activations of each filter type. Based on this statistical analysis, two texture patches should be perceptually distinct whenever the difference between their respective feature histograms exceeds some critical threshold (e.g., Bergen & Adelson, 1988; Chubb & Landy, 1991).
Within this context, it is useful to keep in mind that surfaces in the natural environment have structures at a continuum of scales, which can be partitioned into three perceptually distinct regimes (see Koenderink & van Doorn, 1998, 1996). One range of scales that is outside the limits of visual sensitivity constitutes a surface's microstructure. Although these microscopic variations cannot be seen by the naked eye, they can be perceived indirectly by the pattern of surface reflectance. For example, this is what distinguishes matte versus shiny surfaces. A second range of scales that is referred to as mesostructure involves surface variations that are large enough to be visible but too small for the texture elements to be perceptually individuated. Examples in this regime include patterns of stucco or the tufting of carpets. Finally, a third range of scales called macrostructure include variations on a surface that are sufficiently large to have perceptually distinct shapes, such as the patterns of reflectance changes on a Holstein cow.
Let us now consider how this partitioning of scales is relevant to models of texture discrimination. The lower panels of Figure 1 show two images that were generated with a 500 × 500 grid of pixels that were randomly colored black or white. From a brief examination of these images, it is clear that they are perceptually indistinguishable. Note that this is precisely what would be expected from a statistically based model of texture discrimination. Even though the correlation between corresponding pixels in these images is close to zero, the structure of their respective feature histograms is nearly identical. The upper panels of Figure 1 show a similar pair of images that were generated with a much coarser 4 × 4 grid of pixels that were randomly colored black or white in equal proportions. Models of texture discrimination based on first-order feature histograms would again predict that the two patterns should be perceptually identical. However, it is immediately obvious when examining these images that they are perceptually quite different.
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Two extreme scales of texture. The upper panels, consisting of 4 × 4 squares colored randomly black or white, are easily discriminable while the lower panels at 500 × 500 are far more difficult to discriminate.
These demonstrations suggest that statistical models of texture discrimination may provide a good account of the ability of human observers to distinguish mesostructures, but that they are not so good at explaining observers' perceptions of macrostructures. It is interesting to note that within the Fourier domain, the distribution of orientation and spatial frequency used in most models of texture discrimination are represented entirely within the amplitude spectrum. However, it has long been known that most of the visually relevant information for identifying macroscopic shapes is contained within the phase spectrum. The classic procedure for demonstrating the importance of global phase is to combine the amplitude spectrum of one image with the phase spectrum of another (Huang, Burnett, & Deczky, 1975; Morgan, Ross, & Hayes, 1991; Oppenheim & Lim, 1981; Piotrowski & Campbell, 1982; Ramachandran & Srinivasan, 1961). When observers examine the resulting combination, it invariably appears more similar to the image that contributed the phase spectrum than the one that contributed the amplitude spectrum (e.g., see Figure 2). What this suggests is that macroscopic shapes are not distinguished by the relative activations of different filter types but rather by the pattern of alignments of the filter activations across different spatial locations. Thus, any model that can successfully explain the perceptual distinction between macroscopic textures must somehow take into account the relative alignments of local features in different regions.
This image was constructed by combining the amplitude spectrum of a black circle on a white background with the phase spectrum of a black triangle on a white background and subjecting the combination to the inverse Fourier transform. It is clear that the resulting image is dominated by the figure whose phase information is present.
It is important to recognize within this context that the pattern of alignments described above does not refer to Fourier phase congruence within local regions of an image. This has been proposed as a possible source of information for the detection of local edges (e.g., Kovesi, 1999; Morrone & Burr, 1988), though more recent psychophysical evidence suggests that this is not the mechanism by which the human visual system localizes edges (see Georgeson, May, Freeman, & Hesse, 2007; Hesse & Georgeson, 2005). In order to identify globally coherent shapes, the encoding of phase cannot be a purely local process. Rather, it must somehow represent how the orientations of features in one region of an image are related to the orientations of other features that may be spatially quite distant.
The present article describes three experiments that were designed to explore these issues in greater detail. In all three studies, observers were asked to make same–different judgments for pairs of random noise images that were generated from the same underlying distribution. In Experiment 1, we use low-pass filtered random noise in an effort to determine the boundary between mesostructure and macrostructure by measuring the threshold cutoff frequency for which observers can no longer discriminate different noise patterns. In Experiment 2, we attempt to demonstrate that it is not low spatial frequency per se that allows observers to discriminate these patterns, but rather it is the patterns of phase alignments in their respective macroscopic features. This is achieved by increasing the spatial frequency of our low-frequency stimuli from Experiment 1 in a manner that preserves their macroscopic phase alignments. Finally, in Experiment 3 we test whether performance with these latter stimuli would be impaired if their phase spectra were randomly scrambled.
We first establish baseline performance using unstructured noise patterns of varying spatial frequency. This will establish a limit for the comparison task that we can compare against performance in structured and partially structured conditions.
The observers were eight adults, all with normal or corrected-to-normal vision. All were members of the laboratories conducting the research and aware of the purpose and scope of the experiments.
The apparatus consisted of an Apple Power Mac computer with an ATI 1950 series graphics card (Advanced Micro Devices), driving an Apple 30″ Cinema HD LCD display, calibrated to a luminance of 150 cd/m 2, running at a spatial resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels with 8-bit components. 1 Subjects were seated at a viewing distance of 57 cm (1° = 1 cm) from the LCD monitor. The experiment control software was written using an in-house, Python-based, experiment package— eelpy. A chin rest was used to maintain a constant viewing distance. All observations were made monocularly with dim background lighting. Responses were recorded using an X-Keys programmable USB button box (PI Engineering).
The stimuli consisted of patches of low-pass filtered, spatially isotropic, uniformly distributed noise. The filters ranged from 0.14 to 12.7 cycles/deg in spatial frequency over 14 steps, spaced at intervals scaled by 1/
. Each stimulus was histogram equalized after filtering to normalize the mean luminance across different stimuli. A sample set of stimuli is shown in Figure 3. For a detailed description of the stimulus generation process, see 1.
Sample stimulus set from Experiment 1. Each stimulus consists of a patch of low-pass filtered uniformly distributed noise. Filters ranged from 0.14 to 12.7 cycles/deg, spaced at intervals scaled by 1/ 2.
On a given trial, the stimulus presentation proceeded as follows: First, a black screen with a randomly positioned red fixation cross was displayed for 1.0 s. After fixation, the stimulus patch was displayed at a second random location, centered within ±5° of the initial fixation. The patch remained on screen for 0.5 s. After which, a second random fixation and stimulus appeared, again for 1.0 s and 0.5 s, respectively. This second stimulus was either the same as in the first interval, or a patch of different "base" noise that was filtered at the same spatial frequency. Thus, it appeared phenomenally similar but did not always have the same features in the same configurations. This was followed by a black screen until the subject responded "same" or "different" via the button box.
The fixations and random stimulus placement served to prevent the subject from concentrating their attention on one particular feature or location on the stimulus patch. Furthermore, in order to prevent the use of features near the edges and corners of the patch for matching, 2 the noise patch was randomly shifted within its own 0.25° window. Each subject participated in two blocks of 24 repetitions of each of the 14 stimulus levels, for a total of 672 trials/subject (Figure 4).
The task was a "same–different" paradigm with the two stimuli offset spatially and temporally. The trial starts with a 1-s presentation of randomly placed fixation cross, followed by a randomly positioned stimulus visible for 500 ms. This sequence is repeated a second time with a second stimulus—same or different from the first. After which the subject responded "same" or "different".
Results for Experiment 1 are shown in Figure 5. Fitting these data to a Log-Weibull distribution determined that the 60%, 75%, and 90% thresholds for these stimuli were located at 1, 2, and 3 cycles/deg, respectively. This establishes a transition region from macro- to mesostructure in the texture images. When the noise varies at approximately 1 cpd or less, coherent structures emerge that the subject can take advantage of for discrimination. For example, note in the upper right panel of Figure 3 that there are two vertically aligned black blobs that perceptually pop out from the overall pattern, and in the upper left panel, there is a diagonally oriented black blob that is surrounded on the left by diagonally oriented white blobs. All of the observers reported during debriefing that they used this type of macroscopic feature whenever they were available in order to determine whether or not two texture patches were the same. However, at approximately 3 cpd, the blobs in the texture become too small to discern any specific configural alignments among them, and as shown in Figure 5, the discrimination of these higher frequency textures is much more difficult.
Results from Experiment 1. Error bars are ± σ ^. Fitting these results to a Log-Weibull distribution shows that the 60%, 75%, and 90% thresholds for these stimuli were located at 1, 2, and 3 cycles/deg, respectively, establishing a transition from coherent macrostructure to the more ambiguous mesostructure.
The anecdotal reports from the subjects in Experiment 1 confirmed that they use configural alignments of features as the primary cue for discriminating textures with equivalent histograms, and the psychophysical results reveal that this strategy breaks down for textures with frequencies above 3 cpd, in which it is difficult to identify individual feature elements. Having established a boundary between the macro- and mesostructures, we will now introduce a new manipulation that increases the high-frequency energy in the amplitude spectrum of a texture, while preserving the macroscopic alignments of its phase spectrum. Our goal is to demonstrate that it is the phase spectrum that defines macroscopic structure of a texture, rather than its amplitude spectrum.
The observers were seven adults, all with normal or corrected-to-normal vision. All were members of the laboratories conducting the research and aware of the purpose and scope of the experiments.
The apparatus was the same as in Experiment 1.
Similar to Experiment 1, our stimuli started with patches of low-pass filtered, spatially isotropic, uniformly distributed noise. Having established the baseline performance thresholds in Experiment 1, we narrow the basic frequencies to range on the interval 1 to 3 cycles/deg over five steps, spaced at intervals scaled by 1/
. We refer to these as the "carrier" frequencies. The resulting images are subjected to a further transformation that remaps its grayscale ramp through 3 to 9 sinusoidal modulations. This creates linear structures at varying scales. This process can be seen in Figure 6. In all, five carrier frequencies were used and each was subjected to three levels of linear structuring, for a total of fifteen spatial frequency conditions. For a detailed description of the stimulus generation process, see 1.
An example of the introduction of high-frequency components to the carrier stimuli. On the left is a low-pass filtered stimulus as used in Experiment 1 and on the right is a stimulus that has had high-frequency sinusoids imposed to provide linear structure.
A sample set of stimuli is shown in Figure 7. In each row, the carrier frequency increases, right to left, and the frequency of the superimposed linear structure increases from top to bottom.
Sample stimulus set for Experiment 2. In each row, the carrier frequency increases, right to left, and the frequency of the superimposed linear structure increases from top to bottom.
The procedure was the same as Experiment 1. A temporally separated pair of images was presented and the subject indicated if they were "same" or "different". Each subject participated in two blocks of 24 repetitions of each of the 15 stimulus levels, for a total of 720 trials/subject.
The results for Experiment 2 are shown in Figure 8. The left panel of this figure shows the thresholds obtained for the individual carrier × modulation combinations. Note that there is relatively little decline with increasing frequency in comparison to Experiment 1. In other words, the increase of high-frequency energy caused by the sinusoidal modulations of the grayscale had relatively little effect on observers' performance. The right panel of Figure 8 shows performance only as a function of the carrier frequency. Note that when we plot the data in a way that ignores the frequencies introduced by the sinusoidal modulations, the results are quite similar to Experiment 1. That is to say, the increase of high-frequency energy caused by the carrier textures had a large effect on observers' performance. These findings show clearly that it is not spatial frequency per se that limits the abilities of observers to discriminate macroscopic texture patterns. The important characteristic of our sinusoidal modulations of the grayscale is that they increase the high-frequency energy in the amplitude spectrum, while preserving the phase alignments of the carrier texture in the phase spectrum. This suggests that the perceptually relevant information for discriminating these textures is contained primarily in their phase spectra. If this hypothesis is correct, then we should be able to attenuate the performance for textures with sinusoidal modulations by randomly scrambling their phase spectra. Experiment 3 was designed to test this prediction.
Results from Experiment 2. d′ is a function of cycles per degree. On the left are the results for the frequency of the linear structure. On the right, the results are collapsed onto the five carrier frequencies. Error bars indicate ± σ ^.
The observers were four adults, all with normal or corrected-to-normal vision. All were members of the laboratories conducting the research and aware of the purpose and scope of the experiments.
The apparatus was the same as in Experiments 1 and 2.
The stimuli consisted of patches of low-pass filtered, spatially isotropic, uniformly distributed noise, subjected to modulation as in Experiment 2. Based on the results of Experiment 2, three levels of overall spatial frequency (e.g., carrier × modulation) were selected to cover the transition range from meso- to macrostructure as established in Experiment 1—2, 4, and 6 cycles/deg. This was accomplished by using three carrier frequencies of 0.33, 0.66, and 1.0 cycles/deg, respectively, and modulating each by six cycles. In order to disrupt the macroscopic alignments in these images, we adopted a technique used previously by Hansen and Hess (2007), Thomson, Foster, and Summers (2000), and Wichmann, Braun, and Gegenfurtner (2006) to randomize the global phase spectra. In this experiment, each stimuli's global phase, ϕ, was jittered at one of five levels, ranging from ±π/5 to ±π, normally distributed. A sample set of stimuli is shown in Figure 9. For a detailed description of the stimulus generation process, see 1. The effect of the phase scrambling is to transition the stimulus from containing structured information (for example, using a 1 cpd carrier in the lower row of Figure 9) to unstructured, higher frequency information (6 cpd in the lower row of Figure 9).
Sample stimulus set for Experiment 3. Three levels of spatial frequency were chosen from the stimulus set used in Experiment 2, using carrier frequencies of 0.33, 0.66, and 1.0 cycles/deg with modulations resulting in 2, 4, and 6 cycles/deg of structured information. These are shown in each row. The Fourier domain phase was scrambled in magnitudes ranging from ± π/5 to ± π radians in five steps, seen here in each column. As the scrambling increases, the higher frequency modulated structure disappears and the images revert to the lower frequency carrier-based features.
The procedure was the same as Experiments 1 and 2. A temporally separated pair of images was presented and the subject indicated if they were "same" or "different". Each subject participated in two blocks of 24 repetitions of each of the 15 stimulus levels, for a total of 720 trials/subject (Figure 10).
Power spectra for the stimulus set shown in Figure 9. The three rows correspond to the three base frequencies shown in each row of Figure 9—0.33, 0.66, and 1.0 cycles/deg. On the left is the power spectra of the unscrambled stimulus and on the right is the mean of the phase-scrambled stimuli (± π/5 to ± π radians).
Results from Experiment 3 are shown in Figure 11. In the low-frequency condition, the task is trivial regardless of the phase disturbance. However—as the spatial frequency of the scrambled information increases, performance begins to drop off as a function of phase scrambling. Recall that the stimuli were generated by modulating a given carrier frequency (0.33, 0.66, and 1 cpd)—all of which should be easily discriminable according to the results of Experiments 1 and 2 (a 75% threshold of 2 cpd). Indeed, in all three conditions, when the phase scrambling was relatively small, performance was consistent with the results from Experiment 2 showing that performance was dependent on the carrier frequency. However, as the scrambling increased, performance varied across the three conditions. In the low-frequency carrier condition, when the phase spectra was totally scrambled, the resulting stimuli contained features that were still above threshold, so the task was easily completed. However, in the high-frequency condition, as the disruption of the phase spectra yielded features below threshold, the task became more difficult.
Results from Experiment 3. d′ is a function of phase scrambling. Error bars indicate ± σ ^. Each graph shows the result from one of the three spatial frequency conditions, respectively. Recall that, as the phase scrambling increases, the appearance of the stimuli changes from predominantly that of the carrier to that of the total modulated frequency. Note that discrimination performance is very good, regardless of phase scrambling, in the 2 cycles/deg total condition, but in the 6 cycles/deg total condition, performance falls off as the amount of scrambling increases.
The research described in the present article provides strong empirical evidence that human observers make use of two distinct procedures for discriminating patches of texture. One possible approach that has been widely discussed in the literature is to compare the feature histograms for each patch. This would make it possible, for example, to easily distinguish a texture that produces uniform filter responses at all orientations from another that activates only a narrow range of orientations. This is the approach that observers most likely employ when making judgments of surface mesostructure. However, when the surface macrostructure contains perceptually distinct shapes or configurations, then it is also possible to discriminate textures based on the macroscopic alignments of filter responses at different spatial locations. During the debriefing sessions in the present experiments, observers spontaneously noted that they consciously searched for some salient feature in the first texture of each trial that they could attempt to match with a corresponding feature in the second texture. Examples they reported included such things as an "S" shaped contour or a collinear alignment of blobs.
Experiments 2 and 3 provide additional evidence that the relevant information for these macroscopic judgments is entirely contained within the Fourier phase spectra of the texture patterns. Experiment 2 demonstrates that texture patterns with frequencies in the mesostructure range can still be discriminated if the pattern of phase alignments is in the macrostructure range. Moreover, discrimination performance for these stimuli is reduced to chance when their phase spectra are randomly scrambled, as shown in Experiment 3.
In principle, it might be possible to account for these results using a statistical approach that incorporates higher order moments. For example, Thomson and colleagues (Thomson, 1999a, 1999b; Thomson & Foster, 1997; Thomson et al., 2000) have shown that phase perturbations of natural images can produce significant changes in higher order image statistics of degree 3 and above (e.g., skewness or kurtosis). Thus, if these higher order measures are important for the perceptual analysis of natural images, this could explain why recognition is impaired by phase scrambling. However, it cannot explain performance in the present experiments, because there were no systematic differences in skewness or kurtosis in the distributions of texture patterns that observers were required to discriminate.
An important limitation of this type of statistical approach is that it is insensitive to the long-range alignments of features in an image. Consider, for example, the pair of patterns presented in Figure 12. The pattern on the left shows a set of line segments whose orientations change as a function of position in a smoothly continuous manner so that the pattern is perceived as a circle. The pattern on the right contains the same set of line segments with the same orientations but their spatial positions have been randomly scrambled. If these patterns were visually encoded as histograms of local luminance values, or histograms of Gabor filter responses at different local scales and orientations, there would not be sufficient information in either of those data structures for determining whether or not the elements of a pattern are arranged in a circular configuration.
The pattern on the left shows a set of line segments whose orientations change as a function of position in a smoothly continuous manner so that the pattern is perceived as a circle. The pattern on the right contains the same set of line segments with the same orientations but their spatial positions have been randomly scrambled. If these patterns were visually encoded as histograms of local luminance values, or histograms of Gabor filter responses at different local scales and orientations, there would not be sufficient information in either of those data structures for determining whether or not the elements of a pattern are arranged in a circular configuration.
A similar distinction between higher order statistics and the alignment of features has recently arisen in theoretical analyses of the perception of gloss. Motoyoshi, Nishida, Sharan, and Adelson (2007) have argued that the apparent glossiness of a surface is determined statistically by the skewness of its luminance histogram or the skewness of the histogram of sub-band filter outputs. Anderson and Kim (2009) have shown, however, that this purely statistical analysis cannot adequately account for the perception of gloss because specular highlights only appear shiny when they are appropriately aligned with the direction of surface curvature (see also Beck & Prazdny, 1981; Todd, Norman, & Mingolla, 2004).
Perhaps it might be possible to develop a statistical measure of contour alignments that incorporates some type of high order feature that explicitly encodes relative orientations in different spatial locations (e.g., see Geisler, 2008), but we suspect this is unlikely. Having a specific filter for each possible global shape or configuration is obviously not a feasible approach. A more sensible solution would be to somehow encode shapes using a more limited set of components (e.g., Biederman, 1987; Hoffman & Richards, 1984; Hoffman & Singh, 1997). However, a mere counting of these components is clearly insufficient to adequately characterize globally distinct shapes. It is also necessary to specify how they are arranged with respect to one another. Thus, we suspect that the most likely data structure for the perceptual representation of shapes is a graph of their components rather than a distribution.
One possible mechanism for extracting the global phase alignments in an image is the boundary contour system that was originally proposed by Grossberg and Mingolla (1985a, 1985b). This system consists of two stages: The first stage is characterized by short-range competition between cells with different orientational tuning. Incoming signals that survive this competition are then passed to a second stage in which there is long-range cooperation between cells whose orientational tunings are approximately aligned with one another. Activity at this stage is then fed back to the first level in order to fill in gaps along a boundary. One of the most interesting properties of this system is that high-frequency filters can cooperate over large spatial extents. In other words, the scale of the phase alignments can be much larger than the scale of the local mechanisms that are aligned just as we observed in Experiment 2.
Although the model of Grossberg and Mingolla provides an elegant explanation of how a pattern of phase alignments could potentially be extracted from an image, it does not offer any suggestions about how boundary contours might be parameterized to encode their specific shapes. This is an important issue that remains for future research.
Stimulus construction
The stimuli in each experiment start as a patch of uniformly distributed noise. The noise is low-pass filtered at various spatial frequencies to create the base textures used in Experiment 1. These are further transformed by remapping image intensity to introduce linear coherent structure for Experiment 2. Finally, this structure is disrupted by jittering the phase spectrum for Experiment 3.
Base textures. First, define n(x, y) as a two-dimensional field of uniformly distributed random discrete noise with dimension N × N. This base noise is subjected to low-pass filtering at a specified frequency, f base, by decomposing n using a Fourier transform,
(u, v). The decomposed image is multiplied by an infinite response low-pass filter,
, and recomposed via the inverse Fourier transform, F(u, v). An illustration of this process is shown in Figure A1.
Figure A1
On the left is the base discrete uniformly distributed noise, n. It is decomposed using a Fourier transform, F(u, v). The log-scaled amplitude spectrum, a, is shown at the top and the phase spectrum, φ, at the bottom. The decomposed image is multiplied by the appropriately scaled infinite response low-pass filter, G, and recomposed via the inverse Fourier transform, F(u, v).
Structured textures. To create the structured textures, a simple image intensity remapping is employed. Figure A2 shows an example of this process. The intensity of each pixel of the input image, I in(x, y), is mapped to a sinusoidal function, given by
I o  u  t ( x , y ) = 1 2 ( − cos ( f s  t  r  u  c  t 2  π I i  n ( x , y ) ) − 1 ) + 1 ,
where f struct is the frequency of the desired structure. The highest spatial frequencies of the resulting textures are now roughly equivalent to the frequency of the base texture, f base, multiplied by f struct.
On the left is a base texture as derived above, whose depicted gray level is a linear function. For the image on the right, that linear ramp was remapped to a sinusoidal function, so that each blob in the original texture is transformed into a set of concentric dark and light bands.
Phase-scrambled structured textures. Finally, these structured textures are subjected to phase scrambling to "de-cohere" the structure while maintaining the same amplitude spectra. To create these textures, the structured texture images are subjected to Fourier decomposition. The phase spectrum is then combined with a map of normally distributed noise, r. The range of r varies on the interval ±(0, π]. The amplitude spectrum is then combined, unmolested, with the jittered phase and subject to an inverse Fourier transform, which yields the final stimulus. This process is illustrated in Figure A3.
To create the phase-scrambled structured textures, the structured texture is first decomposed via Fourier transform. The phase is then subjected to a given amount jitter by the addition of a field of normally distributed random noise on the interval ±(0, π]. This jittered phase is recombined with the amplitude spectra for the original texture and subjected to an inverse Fourier transform.
Supported via NSF BCS-0546107.
Commercial relationships: none.
Corresponding author: Flip Phillips.
Email: flip@skidmore.edu.
Address: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Skidmore College, 815 N Broadway, MS 2106, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, USA.
1 1The ATI 1950 series uses 10-bit DACs, but the Apple Pro displays are only 8-bit capable.
2 2For example, a large black blob that is situated on the upper right corner could be easily diagnostic.
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Todd J. T. Norman J. F. Mingolla E. (2004). Lightness constancy in the presence of specular highlights. Psychological Science, 15, 33–39. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Wichmann F. A. Braun D. I. Gegenfurtner K. R. (2006). Phase noise and the classification of natural images. Vision Research, 46, 1520–1529. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
On the decline of 1st and 2nd order sensitivity with eccentricity
Classification images for detection, contrast discrimination, and identification tasks with a common ideal observer
Symmetry in context: Salience of mirror symmetry in natural patterns
A comparison of pedestal effects in first- and second-order patterns
Visual saliency in noisy images
From Other Journals
Spatial integration of compound gratings with various numbers of orientation components.
Spatial Luminance Contrast Sensitivity Measured with Transient VEP: Comparison with Psychophysics and Evidence of Multiple Mechanisms
Modeling spatial integration and contrast invariance in visual pattern discrimination.
A window model for spatial integration in human pattern discrimination.
Reflexive Optokinetic Nystagmus in Younger and Older Observers under Photopic and Mesopic Viewing Conditions
Spatial Vision

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Skyspace: The Color Inside
A view-altering observatory at the University of Texas.
View to the sky Florian Holzherr courtesy of Landmarks/Used with permission (Public Domain)
knoxium (Atlas Obscura User)
James Turrell, The Color Inside, 2013. Paul Bardagjy
James Turrell, The Color Inside, 2013. Student Activity Center, The University of Texas at Austin Paul Bardagjy
Outside of "The Color Inside" Florian Holzherr courtesy of Landmarks/Used with permission (Public Domain)
notoriousFIG (Atlas Obscura User)
The changing lights inside alter the look of the sky Florian Holzherr courtesy of Landmarks/Used with permission (Public Domain)
Artist James Turrell's light and space installations can be found across the globe. His "Skyspaces" incorporate changing colors and shadows, and offer alternative frames for viewing the sky.
Top Places in Austin
Museum of the Weird
Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.
Added by Dylan
Cathedral of Junk
A unique structure in suburban Austin comprised entirely of other people's castaways.
Added by Clinton
Big Bertha Drum
Controversially claiming the title of world's biggest bass drum, UT's Big Bertha was once made radioactive by the Manhattan Project.
See more things to do in Austin »
Turrell began creating his Skyspaces in the 1970s, and as of 2013, he'd created 83 of them, in places including Arizona, Japan, Ireland, London, the Netherlands, California, Las Vegas. Now, you can add the rooftop of the student union at the University of Texas to the list.
Called "Sky Space: The Color Inside," The UT installation seats up to 27 people in a dome-like structure which has an oculus open to the elements. Inside the room are hidden lights which project a sequence of colors on the curved white ceiling in such a way that makes it appear that the sky itself is changing hues. It's interesting, meditative and trippy all at the same time.
Turrell considers the art only viewable at sunrise and sunset. Unfortunately, the Student Activity Center isn't often open at sunrise, but the room remains available for quiet contemplation throughout the day.
The sunset viewings must be booked online in advance (free). Since the installation is open to the elements, consider the weather before you visit. Because the student center is typically closed at sunrise, there are few sunrise viewings.The Sky Space is open to a rooftop public space of the Student Activity Center, so you may hear the "student activity" during the sequence. An attendant will be present to check reservations but students and the curious may come and go. Seating is on a stone slab that is slightly heated during the winter months. Light blankets will be offered in cooler temperatures.Cloudy conditions will in no way lessen the experience.The sequence is automated and timed to activate at sunrise and sunset. If you come to the SAC when it opens at 7am, you may catch a portion of a sequence.
Visit Texas with Atlas Obscura Trips
Hidden Edens: Art & Intrigue in Marfa, Texas
Experience the cutting-edge art, natural wonder, and mysterious phenomena of Far West Texas.
installationscolorobservatoriesart
ATX Mike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RQ3ZmpP6zE&t=1s
https://turrell.utexas.edu/
https://landmarks.utexas.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxpDa-c-4Mc
http://jamesturrell.com/
2201 Speedway
The Harry Ransom Center
The upstairs reading room is packed with millions of rare books, literary manuscripts, and historical treasures.
Added by ATX Mike
Animatronic Lyndon Baines Johnson
Just like the real 36th president of the United States, animatronic LBJ amuses visitors with jokes and stories.
Added by laurenreid
Sparky Park
A former electrical substation is now home to an eccentric junk art masterpiece.
Added by naturedude
Orem, Utah
Roots of Knowledge Stained Glass
An absolutely beautiful 200-foot stained glass installation traces the evolution of knowledge.
'Penelope' Sculpture
This whimsical public art installation is a unique homage to Liverpool's industrial heritage.
Added by SEANETTA
Akureyri, Iceland
Akureyri Heart-Shaped Traffic Lights
Instead of solid circles, the stoplights in this northern Icelandic town have glowing red hearts.
Added by chevalmalet
Maishima Incineration Plant
This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.
Added by rivest


text:
Mission & Faith
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St. Joseph's School strives for academic excellence
by encouraging the development of each child
-mind, body and spirit-
within an environment of Christian values and the Catholic faith.
(School Mission Statement)
Thank you for your interest in St. Joseph's School.
You will find links below for the pre-registration forms for Preschool and Kindergarten and applications for grades 1-6.
Please keep in mind that we do not have openings in all classrooms at this time. Please complete forms and bring them to our school office.
We welcome visitors to our school and classrooms to see what wonderful learning is happening here.
If you know someone who has school-age children that might be interested in checking into our school, please bring them in and introduce them to us.
We would be happy to answer their questions and give them a school tour!
School office:
St. Joseph's School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs
Please click HERE for your registration form for our Pre-Kindergarten Program.
Please click HERE for your pre-registration form for our Kindergarten Class.
Please click HERE for your pre-registration form for Grades 1-6.
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Gold'n West Surplus currently handles an estimated 4 million pounds of electronics monthly.
Gold'n West Surplus, Inc.is headquartered in Corona, CA with satellite operations in Atlanta, GA and partners with several electronic recyclers in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Hawaii. GWS has the ability to provide electronic recycling services throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. We recognize the importance of managing the assets entrusted to us by our customers and therefore take great care in all aspects of asset management procedure .
We offer Laptop and Computer repairs. We also have a showroom with refurbished laptops and PC's.
Since 1993, our company motto has been "Repair. Reuse. Recycle. Rethink." The electronics that we collect go through a thorough testing process to see if they can be used in whole or utilized as a part for repair.
For more information about our reliable recycling services, please feel free to contact us.
Gold'n West Surplus founder and owner has over 50 years of experience in the recycling industry, and over the past 25 years has concentrated on the recycling of electronics and related equipment.


You're one step away from being the leader you envision.
Come to Gettysburg in 2018.
Come walk the fields and hear the facts.
Learn how choices made in the heat of battle forged leaders and lives.
Discover how choices you make now can change your career and future.
The Gettysburg Leadership Experience from FCC Services.
Held in the historic setting called America's greatest classroom, The Gettysburg Leadership Experience uses uniquely tailored, core learning modules with action-oriented case studies. Certified guides walk the battlefield with you. National experts in leadership development spark dynamic dialog.
Gain the full perspective to grasp the challenge ahead. When you explore a situation from every angle, how can it sharpen your edge?
Seize your strategic advantage. How can you claim your "high ground?"
Identify your areas of highest risk. How do you decide when to hold firm in the face of strong opposition?
Beware the blind spots of success. How can you maintain focus when success sparks powerful momentum?


Clovis' Harold Gilman never really planned to put his life on the line for the American way of life. Neither did his dad. But looking back over the past 80 years, you'd be hard pressed to find a New Mexico family that gave more for the freedoms we enjoy today.
"My dad (also Harold Gilman) was waiting for the draft. He wasn't in any hurry to join," his son said. That was around World War II.
Gilman himself was just looking for a job when he joined the National Guard in the late 1960s.
Gilman said he knew he was signing up for four months of training, and then he was expecting to go back to work for the railroad, which he did.
Gilman said he spent about a year in Vietnam, in 1968-69, where his job was to load weapons into supersonic fighter jets.
His base was attacked three times, and he spent time in foxholes with an M16.
Once he found himself under attack with a weapon but no ammunition.
His dad had even more frightening stories from the war.
Harold Gilman Sr. was captured in the Philippines and became a prisoner following the Bataan Death March.
"He said people were starving. The food they ate, they were lucky if it had grub worms in it for their protein," Harold Jr. reported.
Harold's dad at one point was placed in charge of the barracks where he lived with other prisoners. If any of his fellow prisoners escaped, Gilman Sr. was told, he would be executed.
Two other Gilman family members also fought in World War II.
Earl Gilman joined the Navy in 1937. He died in a Japanese prison camp.
Paul Gilman joined the Marines in 1942. He was killed in a machine gun battle with Japanese on the small island of Betio in the Pacific Theater, where he was buried at the time.
Today is a good day to remember the Gilman family because Paul is coming home.
The website missingmarines.com reported that Paul Gilman's remains have recently been confirmed via DNA testing. His body is scheduled to be returned to his home town of Belen for burial next to his brother Earl on Oct. 26.
Harold Gilman Jr., 71, who moved to Clovis with the railroad in 1974, is hesitant to talk about the sacrifice his family has made over these generations.
But he doesn't think they've done anything special.
Thank you all for that service.


text:
package ac.id.stikompoltek;

import java.io.IOException;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

/**
 * Servlet implementation class AdminController
 */
@WebServlet(description = "Controller when user going to admin page", urlPatterns = { "/admin" })
public class AdminController extends HttpServlet {
	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

	/**
	 * @see HttpServlet#doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
	 */
	protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
		// Now, i dont have a landing page for admin page, so.. This is just redirect to the admin login page
		response.sendRedirect(request.getServletContext().getInitParameter("BASE_URL") + "/admin/login");
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Many wonder if there's life beyond our planet, alien beings who may visit our world or who have shaped our history in some way through past visitations. Others just scoff at the idea of aliens, saying if they haven't seen it, it must not exist.
A convention of UFO enthusiasts called Contact in the Desert will assemble in Joshua Tree, CA from June 3-6 to discuss and explore the latest finding on that very subject.
Though his sister decided to turn away from that part of her life, Andrews has harbored a lifelong interest in researching and investigating alien visitations and our government's cover-up of those events. More and more mass encounters are being documented all over the world. Crop circles and the release of documents formerly classified by the US government from the 1940-1960s has kindled a mainstream excitement of UFO phenomenon and ignited people's curiosity of the possible.
Agoura Hills mom of three, Alicia Wilbur, is attending the event with five of her girlfriends. Wilbur is a scientist and said she's never experienced any encounters herself but said, "It's highly probable that aliens exist." Wilbur is going to the event to learn more about the theories around ancient aliens who helped developing peoples construct enormous monuments that seem beyond the capacity of their time…or even today's times.
History Channel's Ancient Aliens star Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and expert David Childress, will talk about that very thing. "Humans in those times couldn't have built those things," Andrews said. Wilbur wants to know more about how the placement of these mysterious structures mirror our constellations as she's seen on the show.
One reason Andrews said they deny it is because the government has a program that takes parts of downed spacecraft, technology that is far beyond our own, and distributes it among the various military branches as well as private defense companies. The book The Day After Roswell written by Colonel Philip Corso, assigned to that detail, will also be discussed at CITD.
Attendees will be privileged to hear the latest information about the possibility of space travel from nuclear physicist, Stanton Friedman, learn about various conspiracies from award-winning journalist, Jim Mars and David Wilcox will talk about the secret space program that uses technology far more advanced than most know exists and the encounters those who've participated within them have had with alien life forms.
The weekend is packed with workshops, panel discussion and activities. One thing both Wilbur and Kaplan are looking forward to is the night hike to Giant Rock, a site that has a very high geomagnetic field and is a possible area previously visited by extraterrestrials. It was also the venue of the first UFO conventions hosted by George Van Tassell in the 1950s.
How exciting! It's refreshing to hear that there are so many professionals involved in this research & doing their part to educate people. Thank you for addressing this topic. I'm looking forward to a follow up article!
I'm surprised how many educated professionals have dedicated their lives – or at least part of them – to helping people discover what's out there. Thanks for reading!
What a great convention! I've always been interested to learn more about this topic and the findings that have been discovered. I look forward to reading about your experience.
Thanks for reading Jolene! I will do my best to report back but there's just so much to report on!!!!!!
Very cool! I'll be curious to read about this weekend's trip.
Thanks for your interest Dawn!
It's hard to deny the possibility of life beyond our own planet. It will be exciting to learn more, and get details about the newly released CIA documents. Great article!!
I agree! I can't wait! It'll ALL be new to me!
I hope you have a blast!
Come back to us!!!! Have fun. So cool.


text:
Turkey: Schedule of the trial of human rights lawyer Levent Pişkin
The Observatory has been informed about the schedule of the trial of Mr. Levent Pişkin, a human rights lawyers member of the Association of lawyers for Freedom (Ozgurlukcu Hukukcular Dernegi – OHD), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersexed (LGBTI) rights activist and member of the Justice Commission of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) [1].
According to the information received,on May 18, 2017, the first hearing on the merits in Mr. Levent Pişkin's trial is schedule to take place before the 8th Heavy Penal Court in Bursa.
Following his arrest on November 14, 2016 and his provisional release two days later, on November 16, Mr. Levent Pişkin received an indictment in April, 2017, almost six months after his arrest. According to the indictment, Mr. Levent Pişkin was charged for fulfilling his duties as an attorney.The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor Gökhan Şen indeed accused Mr. Pişkin of "using his attorney ID to visit his client Selahattin Demirtaş, who is currently jailed in Edirne Penitentiary, and accepting [his fellow attorney Cahit] Kırkazak's proposal to deliver a message from Mr. Demirtaş to the German magazine Der Spiegel, in order to bring the arrest of Mr. Demirtaş to the international agenda and into lobbying efforts on the international stage".
Specifically, the prosecution claimed that many stories published in Der Spiegel "contain insults to the Turkish state and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spread unfounded news that insults, teases and belittles the country, and pursues an editorial policy that stokes public opinion against the country in order to discredit the nation on the international stage".
The indictment further refers to Mr. Levent Pişkin's phone call with fellow attorney Cahit Kırkazak, who was taken into custody in the same investigation as him, as a "phone communication within the organisational hierarchy", and Mr. Pişkin's membership in a WhatsApp group named "HDPIstanbul" was also included in his list of crimes.
The Observatory deplores the continuing judicial harassment against Mr. Levent Pişkin, which seems to merely aim at sanctioning his human rights activities as an attorney.
https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/turkey-schedule-of-the-trial-of-human-rights-lawyer-levent-piskin
Aujourd'hui, c'est notamment Ramazan Demir qui défendra Levent Pişkin. Les rôles sont inversés. Le combat est le même #DefendersNotCriminals
(Martin PRADEL @MartinPradel Facebook)
The Observatory @OBS_defenders 16 mai
As trial resumes on 18/05, authorities of #Turkey must end harassment ag. #HRD Levent Pişkin https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/turkey-schedule-of-the-trial-of-human-rights-lawyer-levent-piskin … #DefendersNotCriminals pic.twitter.com/SOPWTmKaYG
Turkey: Detention warrants issued for 25 including lawyers over ByLock use
Turkish prosecutors have issued detention warrants for 25 individuals, 23 of whom are lawyers and three of whom are personnel at Union of Turkish Bar Associations, over their use of a smart phone application known as ByLock.
The detention warrants were issued by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and 13 of the individuals were detained as of Thursday noon.
Turkish authorities believe ByLock is the top communication tool among the followers of the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup attempt on July 15.
Tens of thousands of civil servants, police officers and businessmen have either been dismissed or arrested for using ByLock since the failed coup attempt.
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/05/18/detention-warrants-issued-for-25-including-lawyers-over-bylock-use/
https://turkeypurge.com/detention-warrants-issued-for-another-22-lawyers-in-post-coup-crackdown
Morocco/France: Deux avocates parisiennes expulsées d'une salle d'audience au Maroc dans le cadre d'un procès sensible
le 18 mai, 2017
Le barreau de Paris est profondément choqué par l'expulsion de la salle d'audience mardi 16 mai 2017 de deux avocates parisiennes Me Olfa OULED et Me Ingrid METTON dans le cadre du procès de Gdeim Izik au Maroc.
Me Olfa OULED et Me Ingrid METTON participaient au collectif de défense d'une vingtaine de prisonniers sahraouis. Un procès particulièrement sensible au Maroc. En effet, selon l'Action des chrétiens contre la torture (ACAT France) les accusés auraient été arrêtés, torturés et condamnés à de lourdes peines sur la base d'aveux signés sous la torture en raison de leur participation au camp de protestation sahraoui de Gdeim Izik en 2010.
Lors de l'audience du 16 mai, les avocats de la défense marocains et Sahraouis ont annoncé la volonté des détenus de ne plus participer à ce procès et se sont retirés les uns après les autres après avoir adressé un dernier mot à la Cour.
La possibilité de s'exprimer n'a en revanche pas été donnée à nos consœurs parisiennes et leur retrait a été acté d'autorité par le Président qui face à leurs protestations a demandé leur évacuation de la salle par la force. Elles sont alors brutalement mises en dehors de la salle d'audience. Grâce à l'interposition du bâtonnier de Rabat, elles n'ont pas été expulsées du tribunal et les policiers ont cessé de s'en prendre à elles.
Le barreau de Paris regrette vivement qu'un tel incident ait pu survenir. Il rappelle conformément aux Principes de base des Nations Unies relatifs au rôle du barreau que les pouvoirs publics doivent veiller à ce que les avocats « puissent s'acquitter de toutes leurs fonctions professionnelles sans entrave, intimidation, harcèlement ni ingérence indue ».
http://avocatparis.org/deux-avocates-parisiennes-expulsees-dune-salle-daudience-au-maroc-dans-le-cadre-dun-proces-sensible
http://plan-paix-onu.blogspot.fr/2017/05/proces-de-gdeim-izik-la-defense-se.html
https://ledesk.ma/enoff/proces-gdim-izik-la-version-de-la-defense-francaise-des-accuses-sur-son-retrait/
http://information.tv5monde.com/en-continu/maroc-les-accuses-du-proces-gdeim-izik-se-retirent-170001
http://leconomiste.com/flash-infos/proces-gdim-izik-les-accuses-se-defilent
http://www.perspectivesmed.ma/laffaire-gdeim-izik-le-proces-se-poursuit-pour-rendre-justice-aux-victimes/
http://www.mapexpress.ma/actualite/societe-et-regions/gdim-izik-le-retrait-des-accuses-vient-rompre-de-maniere-deliberee-la-capacite-decoute-ayant-marque-le-proces-emmanuel-dupuy/
http://plan-paix-onu.blogspot.fr/2017/05/ni-lonu-ni-la-france-nont-pipe-mot-sur.html
http://plan-paix-onu.blogspot.fr/2017/05/proces-de-gdeim-izik-le-barreau-de.html
http://fr.le360.ma/politique/gdeim-izik-tout-ce-quil-faut-savoir-sur-le-deroulement-du-proces-119967
http://www.idhae.org/observatoire-fr-page4.1.mar170516.htm
http://piensachile.com/2017/05/proceso-gdeim-izik-la-defensa-se-retira-del-juicio-dos-abogados-defensores-franceses-expulsados-la-sala/ (ESPANOL)
Turkey: Lawyers in Izmir physically assaulted while protesting in solidarity with academic Nuriye Gulmen and teacher Semih Özakça who are on a hunger strike
http://www.demokrathaber.org/guncel/izmirde-avukatlarin-dayanisma-zincirine-sert-mudahale-h84134.html (TURKCE)
http://siyasihaber3.org/izmirde-avukatlarin-dayanisma-zincirine-polis-saldirdi-avukatlar-darp-edildi/63460 (TURKCE)
India: Manipur bar association denies allegations by SC lawyer against CMs son
The All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) has clarified that none of the lawyers practising under it in the state have been approached to appear on behalf of road rage victim, the late Irom Roger, by Supreme Court lawyer Utsav Singh Bains or the victim's family.
Roger was allegedly shot dead by Nongthombam Ajay Meetei, son of chief minister N Biren Singh, in a road rage incident in the city in March 2011. Following a trial, a city court on January 20 this year sentenced Ajay to five years imprisonment and currently he is in jail.
Bains had alleged that he received threatening calls from militants asking him not to go ahead with the case. He claimed that lawyers at Manipur High court, when contacted, refused to appear on behalf of Roger's family as they feared for their lives.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/imphal/manipur-bar-association-denies-allegations-by-sc-lawyer-against-cms-son/articleshow/58712818.cms
China: Son of Chinese Rights Lawyer Denied Access to Primary School After Torture Report
Authorities in the Chinese capital have placed restrictions on the young son of a prominent human rights lawyer, preventing him from enrolling in primary school, his parents said on Wednesday.
Chen Jiangang, who helped to expose the torture of his client and fellow lawyer Xie Yang, said his eldest son has been prevented from enrolling in primary education—compulsory for all Chinese children—after the local police station put political pressure on the school.
Chen's wife Zou Shaomei said she had been told about police contact with the school by one of the teachers.
"The teacher told me directly that the school principal had had a phone call from the local police station," Zou said. "They didn't want our son to go to this school."
"It's not clear whether this is coming from the local police station or higher up," she said. "The teacher said that this is the first time the school has ever had anything like this happen, and they all thought it was very strange."
"I think the authorities are trying to threaten my husband," she said.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/son-of-chinese-rights-lawyer-denied-access-to-primary-school-after-torture-report-05172017113350.html
Turkey: Turkish MPs elect judicial board under new Erdogan constitution
Turkish lawmakers elected seven members to a reshaped judicial authority on Wednesday, part of a constitutional overhaul backed by a referendum last month that considerably expands the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan says the changes are vital to ensure stability in Turkey, which is battling Kurdish and Islamist militants and experienced an abortive coup last year blamed by Ankara on a U.S.-based cleric who had many supporters in the judiciary.
But opposition parties and human rights groups say the reforms threaten judicial independence and push Turkey toward one-man rule. Some of Turkey's NATO allies and the European Union, which it aspires to join, have also expressed concern.
The two largest opposition parties, who say the April 16 referendum was marred by possible fraud, boycotted the overnight vote in parliament appointing seven members to a redesigned, 13-strong Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) – all candidates of the ruling AK Party and its nationalist MHP ally.
The council oversees the appointment, promotion, transfer, disciplining and dismissal of judges and prosecutors.
The judiciary had previously appointed most of the HSK members but following the referendum parliament now picks seven and Erdogan a further four. The other two members of the board are the justice minister and ministry undersecretary.
"The vote has further politicized the judiciary, turning it into a totally AKP and MHP judiciary," Filiz Kerestecioglu, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish HDP, told Reuters, saying it had decided not to participate because the process was illegitimate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-politics-idUSKCN18D0T9
https://turkeypurge.com/93-dismissed-police-officers-under-detention-over-alleged-coup-involvement
http://newsclick.in/tens-thousands-public-servants-still-jailed-turkeys-repressive-erdogan-meets-trump
http://www.nagalandpost.com/ChannelNews/International/InternationalNews.aspx?news=TkVXUzEwMDExNDY0NA%3D%3D
Lawyers for Lawyers: Join us via LIVESTREAM 'The Voice of Rights' about Lawyers and Freedom of Expression Friday May 19th
After the seminar 'The Voice of Rights, about lawyers and freedom of expression'* on Friday May 19th, the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2017 will be presented to Thai human rights lawyer Sirikan Charoensiri. The event will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
If you can't attend this event in person, you can watch it online via our free LIVESTREAM!
You'll be able to watch and listen to speakers from Colombia, Greece and Turkey, the panel discussions and of course the most important part: the Award Ceremony.
From 2:00 PM until 2:45 PM CEST we will livestream PART I with the opening and the introductions.
Hereafter, during the break-out sessions, we will pause the livestream.
We will continue the broadcast with PART II from 3:45 PM until 5:30 PM CEST with a plenary discussion and the Award Ceremony.
http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl/?wpmlmethod=newsletter&id=155&mailinglist_id=2&subscriber_id=1517&authkey=81c8727c62e800be708dbf37c4695dff
http://www.bd.nl/tilburg/tijdelijk-in-tilburg-wonende-thaise-advocate-krijgt-prijs-voor-moedig-werk~a03ee9d3/ (NEDERLANDS)
This afternoon, Sirikan Charoensiri received the 2017 L4L Award from 2015 recipient Jorge Molano
The latest two recipients of the L4L Award
(Lawyers for Lawyers Facebook)


text:
Chickie's & Pete's to open at former Champps in Marlton
by Michael Klein, Posted: January 25, 2017
Chickie's & Pete's has won the battle for the shuttered Champps site in Marlton Crossing shopping center.
This morning, owner Pete Ciarrocchi said he and Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown would announce Wednesday that a branch of Chickie's & Pete's — which grew out of his family bar on Robbins Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia — would open in September or October.
The rumors of a Chickie's & Pete's takeover began the day last summer that Champps closed after 21 years. Champps was a victim of circumstances; it suffered under bankruptcy-related moves by its parent company, which at the time also operated the sports-bar brand Fox & Hound.
Other sports-bar chains, including Miller's Ale House and P.J. Whelihan's, had considered the location, on Route 73.
Chickie's & Pete's, known both among the eating and legal communities for its trademark Crab Fries™, opened a location on Jan. 23 at Rowan University in Glassboro.
Posted: January 25, 2017 - 10:06 AM
Let's Eat Newsletter
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Craig LaBan
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Wake brings coffee, cocktails, and a beer garden to Ambler
Yangming, a landmark Main Line restaurant, will close. Jin Ding will move in.
Meatballs are on a roll in West Chester | Let's Eat
Who is Philly's cheesesteak authority? Maybe this guy, who ate 500 cheesesteaks in 20 months.
Jenn Ladd


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Pouligny-Saint-Pierre este  o brânză franceză din lapte de capră cu pastă moale. Este produsă în regiunea Brenne din departamentul Indre și în special în comuna Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, a cărui nume îl poartă.

Brânza este obținută prin coagulare lentă, în principal lactică. Se prezintă sub forma unei piramide cu înălțimea de 12,5 cm și cu greutatea de 225-250 gr. Există două tipuri de maturare: maturarea albă, unde brânza este acoperită de mucegai Geotrichum candidum, și maturarea albastră, unde este acoperită de mucegai Penicillium album.

În anul 1972, Brânza Pouligny-Saint-Pierre a fost prima brânză din lapte de capră care a făcut obiectul unei denumiri de origine controlată (AOC) în Franța. Din anul 2009 este reglementată și de o denumire de origine protejată (AOP) în Uniunea Europeană. Zona delimitată a denumirii este cea mai mică din Franța. Producția de Pouligny-Saint-Pierre AOP era de  în anul 2005.

Referințe

Brânzeturi franceze
Brânzeturi din lapte de capră
Brânzeturi cu pastă moale

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Mhairi is a rapidly improving cross country specialist with big goals on the track and roads. Most recently she competed for Great Britain in one of the toughest IAAF World Cross Country races in memory in Aarhus 2019 finishing an excellent 32nd place.
However, her first GB call up was in 2017 where she finished an impressive 9th in the European under-23 cross country championships in Samorin. This result on the back of a year off in Spain training at the High Performance Centre in Madrid, whilst continuing her studies in Spanish Literature as part of her Edinburgh University degree.


Despite the risks involved, travel to undertake leisure activities on active volcanoes is a growing form of special interest tourism. Some argue that this is due to the increased accessibility of these landforms and the popularisation of global volcanic activities through traditional and social media. In addition to the attraction of tourists to volcano tourism, tourism researchers have also increasingly focused their attention on this phenomenon. However, there is a lack of research on understanding volcano tourists including their motivations, experience expectations, and actual experiences. By researching visitors to Mount Pinatubo, an active volcano in the northern Philippines, the primary aim of this study is to gain insight into these issues.
A multiphase mixed methods research design with concurrent/parallel phases was adopted for this study. The first phase (QUAN/qual) was a pre-tour survey of visitor motivations and expectations of volcano tourism experiences. A survey with 26 five-point Likert-type scale items based on a push-pull motivation framework, embedded with open-ended qualitative questions was developed. This was administered to a quota sample of visitors on-site at Mount Pinatubo, prior to them undertaking a volcano tour.
Statistical analysis of 204 valid survey responses reveals four push motives, namely, escape and relaxation, novelty-seeking, socialisation, and volcano knowledge-seeking; and two pull motives, namely, dark and activities-induced, and volcanic and natural attribute-driven motives. Novelty-seeking is found as the core motivation factor for visiting the volcanic site. Statistical testing also reveals differences in terms of gender, prior experience of volcanic sites, and visitor types. Females were discovered to have higher motives to learn about volcanoes. Visitors who have visited other volcanoes prior to their Mount Pinatubo tour report higher attraction to the volcanic and natural features compared to first-time volcano tourists. Domestic visitors are more likely to escape and relax compared to international visitors, while international visitors are more likely to seek unique experiences compared to their domestic counterparts. A qualitative content analysis of the reported experience expectations reveals that visitors anticipate fun and hedonic experiences prior to the tour.
The second phase (QUAL) entails post-tour semi-structured qualitative interviews to explore the actual volcano tourism experiences of the visitors. Those who had a recent experience of the tour were purposely selected to participate in the interviews. A thematic analysis of the 12 interviews show varied perceptions, emotions, and views on the experience. A conceptual framework was developed based on interactional theory, which suggests these experiences are found to be influenced by Mount Pinatubo's natural, recreational, and socio-cultural dimensions.
Thereafter, findings from the two phases of the study were analysed together to draw inferences based on convergence and divergence of findings. Convergences across findings were found except in the educational aspect of the tour which is absent on the post-tour narratives of the interviewees. Likewise, findings reveal that the pre-tour hedonic expectations are more likely to be exceeded by the spiritual and transformative outcomes of the experience. The implications of this study may aid tourism administrators in marketing and managing the volcanic site. Finally, practical recommendations for management and suggestions for future research are provided.


text:
Дойч-Ярндорф () — коммуна () в Австрии, в федеральной земле Бургенланд.

Входит в состав округа Нойзидль-ам-Зе.  . Официальный код  —  10704.

Население

Политическая ситуация
Бургомистр коммуны — Райнхольд Райф (АНП) по результатам выборов 2007 года.

Совет представителей коммуны () состоит из 13 мест.

 СДПА занимает 6 мест.
 АНП занимает 5 мест.
 АПС занимает 2 места.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Официальная страница

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Ask any marketer and they'll tell you: when it comes to effective content marketing intent is everything.
Gone are the days when Google's algorithm would return search queries with results based on keywords alone. Today it's all about intent – and search engines are getting a lot better at guessing what we're after.
But it's not just your SEO that can benefit from an intent-based approach; creating customer-centric content can have a significant impact on your conversions as well. In fact, some marketers are even saying that intent-based targeting is better than targeting by demographics alone. This is because, as programmatic advertising platform Simpli.fi puts it, while demographics show you who someone is, they can't really show you what they want.
When I first launched my company RTA Cabinet Store some eleven years ago, I immediately began focusing heavily on content creation and link building. I soon discovered that looking to create content that specifically addressed a concern or answered a question was much better than taking a stab in the dark.
Despite having only $5,000 in the bank when I started, eventually my company would go on to net $30M in sales – something that I attribute in large part to my focus on intent-based content.
It can also be a great way to draw in relevant traffic, the kind that's a lot more likely to translate into actual sales.
If you'd like to incorporate intent-based content into your marketing strategy, here are a few tips that can help you on your way.
While this intent will vary from person to person, generally speaking it almost always falls into one of three categories: either they're looking to purchase something, to find information about something, or for a specific website.
Navigational Queries are usually straightforward. The visitor is looking for a specific website or page, and there's not a lot that you can do to capture their attention otherwise.
Informational Queries and Transactional Queries, on the other hand, are queries that can be fulfilled with intent-based content. And since they account for the bulk of searches today, we'll be focusing primarily on those. Now, let's take a look at what each of these queries means, and how you can tailor content for each.
Informational queries take place when the searcher is looking to learn more. Generally, the traffic that you'll receive from informational queries will be visitors who are looking for info on your industry or the products that you sell. These searchers will usually be a little higher up in the sales funnel, as they're not necessarily looking to buy; they're just doing research.
When it comes to content creation, the truth is there are quite literally dozens if not hundreds of different relevant informational topics that you can create, to educate your prospective customers, and help lead them farther down the sales funnel.
As you might have guessed by now, transactional queries take place when a searcher is looking to make a purchase. These queries are the type that marketers get excited about because they're a good indication that someone is ready to buy. And it's a great opportunity for you to assist them in the process.
You can help these visitors convert by making sure that you provide comprehensive product information on your sales pages. You should also optimize and simplify the checkout process, and look to resolve any objections that potential customers might have.
Now that you know the different types of intent that searchers have, let's take a look at how to go about creating content that caters to their needs.
During RTA Cabinet Store's first few years, creating content came fairly easily to me.
I'd use my own curiosity about cabinets to come up with ideas for new pieces. But after a while, I started branching out and sourcing my ideas for content directly from my customers. Soon I was creating content that was tailored for a specific visitor's needs – and that was what led to a significant increase in not only traffic, but also conversions.
Now, I'd like to share with you some practical tips for creating intent-based content. Many of these ideas are ones that I have used myself – with great success – and I'm certain that you'll be able to benefit from incorporating them into your content marketing strategies as well.
One of the best ways to start creating intent-based content is by taking a look at the keywords or search terms that people are using to find you. That's a great clue as to what, exactly, people are looking for.
Most of the time it'll be obvious if a query is transactional or informational, but if you're not sure just punch the query into Google and see what type of results you get. If the top results are informational, chances are the question is too.
Sometimes, though, you'll have queries that contain multiple intentions. For example, someone may search for, "How much should I spend on a Burton snowboard?" This could be both informational and transactional. So think carefully about the intent behind the questions, and tailor your content accordingly.
Once you've identified what your potential customers are searching for, you can turn these long-tail keywords into powerful content, bringing even more potential customers to your company's blog.
Tip: Google's algorithm places a strong emphasis on intent. Look to create content that addresses the search queries that people are using to find you.
Frequently asked customer questions can be turned into a content goldmine.
Early on, I'd look at competitors' websites to see what types of questions people were asking about cabinets. I'd then get to work creating helpful and informative articles that addressed those questions.
Once RTA cabinets became more established, I was able to use our own customers' FAQs to create even more tailored content.
Today, any time our customer service reps get a phone call or a question, they enter it into a log. We'll then create a video or article about it. Those questions or concerns have become a tremendously valuable source of inspiration for informational content creation. This helps with SEO and as a bonus can also save our reps time since they can easily refer to these articles when the same questions arise again.
Tip: Mine your FAQ page or customer service reps for questions that you can turn into helpful guides or tutorials.
When creating content for your target customers, it pays to think outside the box. This means that you should always avoid taking the overtly promotional approach with your content – especially pieces that are designed to address informational queries.
The people who are searching for "How to ____" or "What is the best ____" are usually higher up in the sales funnel and not yet ready to buy. For this reason, you'll want to take a different approach, one that involves creating helpful content, without coming across like a hard sell.
For example, when I first launched RTA Cabinets, I took an approach that seemed somewhat unconventional at the time. Instead of focusing solely on growing my Facebook business page through ads alone, I started up some Facebook groups for different things – besides cabinets – that my target audience would be interested in.
I had interest groups for cooking, for example, or BBQing, and would share content related to those niches, and drop in the occasional post from RTA cabinets, too. Since the posts were largely helpful and non-promotional in nature, this was a great way to grow my following, while marketing my company at the same time.
Tip: Create helpful articles and social media posts to address informational queries. Remember, these prospects are much higher in the sales funnel, so look to create soft-sell content. Be helpful, not promotional.
Downloadable content is another great way to target informational queries.
Early on, I began creating high-value content that would interest the followers in my Facebook groups. I'd share recipes or guides that I'd turned into downloadable content. These downloads were available for free and in exchange, followers would provide their email address to receive their copy.
This gave us hundreds and eventually thousands of prospects' email addresses, which we compiled into a mailing list. I also began offering free downloads on my blog, which further grew my email list.
This not only allowed us to start sending direct emails, but also gave us an opportunity to create custom audiences on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – to target them on other platforms as well, which helped us further segment our audience and drastically increase our conversions.
Tip: Downloadable content can benefit your company in more ways than one. But it's an especially good way to provide prospective customers with something of value, helping them to warm to your message.
'Tis the season! By the time November rolls around, people are already shopping for Christmas. Often, their search queries during this season will change as well.
For instance, instead of searching for "What's the best deal on perfume?" they may start to look for "Best gifts for women," "Fast shipping for perfume," and other queries along those lines. There's usually a clear shift from informational queries to transactional queries, indicating that people are lower in the sales funnel and ready to buy.
During the holiday sales season, my team works hard to reach customers with marketing tactics that are designed to meet them where they're at, and encourage them to go through with their purchases.
We find that Black Friday is an especially good time to run campaigns since a lot of people are hunting for deals during the weekend and for big-ticket items especially. In short, people are ready to buy!
Since a high percentage of your visitors during this time of year are arriving via transactional searches, your website's content may need to be adjusted for maximum impact as well. Consider offering free shipping on orders over a specific amount – I'll often provide free shipping on cabinet orders that are over $2,500, helping to make the purchase decision that much easier.
Again, if you're offering something like free shipping, adjust your content to mention this fact. Tweak your front page and add it to your product page as well.
You may also want to consider running a few flash sales during this season, and include a countdown timer on your website to create a sense of urgency.
And don't forget to adjust your keywords on your copy to optimize for holiday-related search terms. "Free shipping," "fast shipping," "holiday sale," and "Christmas gift ideas" are all viable options. For e-commerce stores especially, creating holiday-themed content, such as gift guides, can be another great way to draw in more potential customers with relevant content.
Got visitors that view a product but leave without purchasing it? Consider retargeting them with Facebook ads. You can even set up retargeting ads to reach out to people who use a specific keyword to find your site. Talk about intent-based marketing!
Of course, this is also a good time to brush up on your email promotions. But don't bombard people with emails that they don't want! Instead, look to segment your email lists to ensure that subscribers get emails that they're interested in.
Sell excess inventory to new shoppers – or send them a coupon to encourage them to take action, reward loyal buyers with promotions, and send recommended products to people who've recently purchased a related product. Your options are limitless.
Tip: Creating content that caters to transactional queries around the holidays can help you to increase conversions and revenues.
How-to videos are a classic and extremely effective way to create content for informational queries.
Take, for example, Home Depot. Years ago, they discovered that DIY-enthusiasts often head online to search for how-to tutorials. They realized, of course, that this presented the perfect opportunity to reach these on-the-fence prospects and began creating videos on building bookshelves, making picture frames, and tiling kitchens.
Today, their collection features hundreds of videos, and the top ten have received a million or more views. All in all a great way to create content that resonates with their target audience.
I've taken a similar approach with my marketing, and run a YouTube channel with lots of helpful instructional and how-to videos on cabinet installation. I make my customers' lives easier and increase sales at the same time. It's a win-win!
Tip: The right tutorials can help you to eliminate hurdles that are keeping potential customers from buying, helping you to increase conversions.
As you can see, these days intent-based content is largely where it's at. I can say with confidence that taking an intent-based approach has helped me create content that my customers are interested in while increasing traffic to my product pages and boosting SEO.
Not only does intent-based content allow you to give customers exactly what they're looking for, but it can also help you future-proof your content. As Google's algorithm continues to shift in favor of intent-based search, helpful, informative guides and tutorials will continue to rank well.
And companies that can provide the best, most relevant content will come out on top.
Gary Nealon is the founder of Nealon Solutions, which offers strategic marketing consulting services designed to help you scale your e-commerce business, increase revenues, and maximize profits. Gary's strengths in strategic planning, SEO, and social media have helped him build two multimillion-dollar businesses in two completely different niches, with RTA Cabinet Store landing on the Inc. 500|5000 list five consecutive years in a row for its explosive growth.


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After 4 1/2 weeks of sleepless nights & sleepless days breastfeeding our baby daughter (who also screamed during breastfeeding) was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. Our pediatrician recommended we try hypoallergenic formula. Our LO did a little better on the Nutramigen formula in terms of screaming, however, it constipated her and we were unimpressed with the ingredient list on the U.S. formulas that were available and felt we could do better for our LO. After hours researching alternative formulas we stumbled on Organic Start and did extensive research on European formulas and decided to try HiPP HA. We initially ordered one box from Organic Start and it arrived two days later. Our LO took to it immediately. She LOVES the formula and is literally like a new baby. No more inconsolable crying, regular BM's, no spitting up and her skin cleared up within a few days of switching her to this formula. We promptly placed another order of 4 boxes followed by a bulk order (bulk order of 32 boxes arrived in less than 10 days and with the bulk pricing it costs almost the same as any hypoallergenic formula at local stores-well worth the up front cost). Our LO is now 8 weeks old and doing fantastic! Organic start has been incredible to work with and they're shipping is faster than any other European formula supplier we've tried. Their customer service goes way above and beyond and even responded to email questions I had over a holiday weekend. Organic Start and HiPP HA have been a life changer for us, thank you!!!
I love this formula and my baby does too! My baby no longer has belly issues and can go to the bathroom with ease. His demeanor is so much happier now. I like that when I buy it in bulk I can get it for cheaper prices. Even though shipping is usually pretty quick, I like to have it stocked up at the house so I do not run out.
Our 6 month old daughter loves it. I use it as a supplement to breastfeeding and have had no issues with it.
Great formula. Arrived ahead if schedule. 2 out of 4 boxes were damaged but the inside bags were still intact.
We switched from alimentum to this and all of the issues my boys have been having with alimentum have gone away.
great formula and so easy to order. very fast shipping too!
We were previously using the regular Hipp but baby has severe eczema and doctor wanted us to switch to a hypoallergenic formula to see if it clears up. He gave us samples of the alimentim but baby doesn't like ut at all so i decided to order the HA.
Ordered Friday had formula Monday . Very happy with shipping from this company!
My son has a substantial milk protein allergy. He's been on Alimentum for months, in addition to breast milk, but hates the formula. I tried Hipp HA in desperation to get him to eat. He likes it better and it doesn't have all the nasty stuff in American formulas. He will soon be on only Hipp HA and I'm glad I've found something I can feel better about.
This is the best formula we've ever used, hands down! We tried a couple US organic formula but my granddaughter had such bad gas she would cry a blood curdling dry. As soon as we fed her the HiPP Hypoallergenic (HA) Stage 1 Combiotic Infant Milk Formula (500g), she slept peacefully for 4 hours. Poor little thing. Hipp is truly a blessing.
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PG&E profit increase blocked; CEO projects five more years of blackouts
Roland Li, Owen Thomas
Dec. 19, 2019 Updated: Dec. 19, 2019 8:43 p.m.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 19: CEO and President of Pacific Gas and Electric Company Bill Johnson testifies during a hearing before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee December 19, 2019 on Capitol in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on "Impacts of Wildfire on Electric Grid Reliability." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Alex Wong/Getty Images
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other California utilities can't raise their profit margins even as they face billions of dollars in wildfire liabilities, the California Public Utilities Commission ruled Thursday.
PG&E, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas and San Diego Gas & Electric had sought higher profits to help attract investors.
But the commission said new state policies such as a law passed this year that creates a $21 billion wildfire fund would help the utilities. It unanimously rejected the profit increase.
The decision blocks higher customer bills that could have started in January and means PG&E's profit margin will stay at 10.25%. In April, PG&E sought to increase profit margins to 16%, with a monthly bill increase of 7%, or $7.85, for the average residential electricity customer. The average residential gas customer would have seen a monthly 7.7% increase, or $4.25 per month.
PG&E on Trial
PG&E CEO: Blackouts could last 10 years, but impact should ease
Could mass blackouts, Kincade Fire end PG&E as we know it?
People's bills can rise due to other factors; PG&E didn't have finalized information on other rate changes because other regulatory decisions haven't been made.
Also on Thursday, PG&E Corp. CEO Bill Johnson testified in Washington before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources about his company's vulnerability to wildfires and its efforts to prevent them.
After apologizing for his company's role in starting deadly blazes, Johnson urged senators to fund initiatives including making communities more resilient against wildfires; forest management; and sharing of military satellite data for wildfire detection.
Stanford researcher Michael Wara, who also testified at the Senate committee hearing, discussed PG&E's use of planned blackouts to stop its equipment from sparking more fires. The outages in 2019 "likely cost customers more than $10 billion," he said.
Johnson said it would take five years for PG&E to stop using large-scale blackouts, though he noted San Diego Gas & Electric is still using "surgical" outages 12 years after it began the fire-prevention measure.
The timeline Johnson outlined appeared to be shortened from an estimate he gave state utility regulators in October, when he said the blackouts could go on for a decade, though with diminishing reach.
"We do plan to underground more distribution lines ... but this is not going to be a complete answer," Johnson said.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., asked about the company's financial strength given its bankruptcy: "Are you going to make it?"
"I'm not the Wikipedia of bankruptcy," Johnson said, noting he'd only arrived at PG&E this year. He discussed the settlements the company had recently reached with wildfire victims, insurers and government bodies.
"Who the eventual owner will be will be decided in Bankruptcy Court," he added. He said the costs of the bankruptcy would not be borne by consumers, though they would shoulder some cost of upgrades planned before the bankruptcy filing.
Asked about climate change and PG&E's shift to cleaner energy sources, Johnson said that "in the short term" the utility would "put safety first," prioritizing infrastructure fixes and fire-prevention measures over clean energy, "but this will not get in the way of meeting California's energy goals."
In response to the California Public Utilities Commission's denial of a higher profit margin Thursday, PG&E said it expects to invest $28 billion through 2024 to expand and protect its electric and gas infrastructure.
"We recognize that any increase to customer bills can be challenging, and PG&E is committed to keeping costs as low as possible while meeting our responsibilities to safely serve our customers," the company said.
Roland Li and Owen Thomas are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com, othomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf, @owenthomas
Roland Li
Reach Roland on
Roland Li covers commercial real estate for the business desk, focusing on the Bay Area office and retail sectors.
He was previously a reporter at San Francisco Business Times, where he won one award from the California News Publishers Association and three from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
He is the author of "Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise of eSports," a 2016 book on the history of the competitive video game industry. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2015, he studied and worked in New York. He freelanced for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other local publications. His hobbies include swimming and urban photography.
Reach Owen on
Owen Thomas is the business editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He supervises The Chronicle's business and technology coverage. Previously, Thomas was the editor-in-chief of ReadWrite, a technology news site. His digital experience includes serving as the West Coast Editor of Business Insider, executive editor at the Daily Dot, and managing editor of Gawker Media's Valleywag. Before that, he served in various roles at Time Inc.'s Business 2.0 magazine, the Red Herring, and Wired.
Thomas has a bachelor's degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago.


Email Directory for officers, coordinators, consultants, staff.
Off Route I-290 take Exit 16 (DCU Center) and follow signs for the DCU Center.
NOTE: Coming from the I-495 direction (from the east) this exit comes up immediately after an overhead bridge marked Laurel Street.
Cross Major Taylor Blvd. The DCU Center is on the left.
Go past Exchange Street on your right.
left. Park here. See the NOTE below about the garage.
The next right after the parking is Mechanics Street. The MCCC building is near the corner, on the left.
which is ground level. Walking, follow signs for the mall. Also, note the location where you park! (2c, etc.)..
City Square Garage on the left, Webster Five on the right (green awnings) Mechanic St is just past Webster Five.
These are some of the parking options when visiting the MCCC at 27 Mechanic St, Worcester, MA 01608 508-890-6688 .
The building is called Mechanics Place.