text:
Q: How to detect UI Objects from Main Camera object when using Google Cardboard VR SDK for Unity When using Google Cardboard VR SDK for Unity, how can I detect when the Main Camera object looks at UI objects inside Canvas? OnPointerEnter() and OnPointerExit() happens when I look at 3D Objects in the samples project that Google offers, but there is no way to do it for UI Objects.

A: Based on your explanation, I guess you have set the Render Mode of your Canvas to Screen Space-Overlay or Screen Space-Camera. When you use one of these render modes, the position of your Canvas on the screen will never change, so you can never catch any element of the UI unless its bound includes the middle point of the screen. why? because you are using google VR and you have no joystick or something similar to control the cursor's position, therefore the cursor position is always (0, 0).
Let's assume the cursor and Canvas, both, are children of your camera. You can move your camera by shaking your head, this way the canvas and the cursor move in comparison with other objects in your virtual world based on camera movement, but they never move in comparison with each other.
So what's the solution? I think you can set the Render Mode of your canvas to World Space. This way your canvas will be an object in the world that the cursor can navigate through it. I know you think it's weird, cause likely you want to always see the canvas just in front of your eyes. So I think you just have one solution:
Do not change the Render Mode of the canvas, locate All UI elements on the canvas, it's better to locate them near the edges of the screen and also with adequate distances, then write a script to do this: When the cursor is moving, calculate the direction of movement and find out which UI elements could be the target of this movement, move it towards the middle point of the screen, when its bound includes the middle point, its OnClick will be called. After that, you must return all UI elements to their early positions. Also if the cursor stopped moving before the UI element reaches the middle point, you must return all UI elements to their early positions.
I know, it's so hard to handle this, but it's the only way I could propose.


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New Pontiac Story in Automobile
New Pontiac Story in Automobile by hyperv6
Last post by : hyperv6 on 12-24-2015 09:24 AM
hyperv6
From: Clinton, OH, USA
http://www.automobilemag.co...-1988-pontiac-fiero/
I got a advance issue of Automobile so it is not on the new stand but the story is online.
It is a fair story and one of the better ones. I already noted the Lotus reference is not true. Also I noted the fires were not all that common but spectacular when they did happen.
Also in the new Ponco Perfection Magazine they had a interview with Fred Simmons Ex Pontiac Motorsports director and he spoke of the 2.9 Turbo and how Chevy killed the Fiero.
I have noted of late more Ex GM people are speaking up about the Fiero. So many people were involved but were afraid to speak but now with GM now being more open and the old guard mostly gone many are speaking up. I expect we may learn a lot more on the car now. For decades many were afraid to speak in public about the car.
Thunderstruck GT
Originally posted by hyperv6:
So many people were involved but were afraid to speak but now with GM now being more open and the old guard mostly gone many are speaking up. I expect we may learn a lot more on the car now. For decades many were afraid to speak in public about the car.
Not a lot of people know this better than me and I've known it for a long time.
I think I've seen that '88 and met Bill Shannon a few times. Not many loaded red '88 GT's with gold wheels out of Michigan. Damn nice car.
84fiero123
From: farmington, maine usa
I worked at GM assembly plants back in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s and can tell you what I have been saying all along GM was run by idiots, management was a bunch of drinking buddies that didn't listen to anyone but their bottles of whatever it was they were drinking.
Dad worked in the company car garage and even at that level management was a bunch of drunken jokes. More than one company car came into the plant garage with a half empty bottle of peppermint shnops or vodka. I met Roger Smith back in the mid 80, he was a total dick, to put it nicely and I am lucky I didn't get fired that day.
Management had this idea if the people are buying it why change it, they never looked down the road at anything but their own private IRA.
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.
[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 12-21-2015).]
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
And that's part of the reason GM went under.
If the Government wouldn't have bailed them out they would have went completely under and came back a better company. GM didn't learn a damn thing.
Well I had past family that was part of GM through most of it's history.
I know some people drank there but so did Henry Ford II. That was just the nature of business over the last 100 years.
What caused GM's issues were multiple issues on many levels that lead to a culture and systems that used to work years ago but in later years failed to adapt to changes in markets and society as a whole. The Idea was we do it this way and we are too big to fail. The machine got to the point it could not change as the culture inside would not let it happen.
GM has had some of the most talented people and skilled people working for them but they could not change the system. Often these people had to give in or go away.
While post bail out not all things are fixed they are now on the way to recovery and change. For once they are back on the right track but it will still take time to fix much of the past sins.
I would recommend the book by Bob Lutz about what he found at Chryseler and the one of what he found at GM. The first one was Guts the second about GM is car guys vs. bean counters. It really pulls back the curtain on what he found at GM and how damaged their culture really was.
I have been lucky to know many well placed people inside GM and I have heard quietly many of the complaints of just what went on or where they were failing. Today I hear a totally new story from most of them where they are finally happy with the direction of where their jobs and their products are going. Case in point just look at the new Camaro. It is the greatest jump in just one generation of nearly any vehivle on the market as claimed buy an editor at Automobile. He said he was never a Camaro guy but when he took his first drive he was shocked at the change in the car. GM is doing this all their products but it takes time and money to do it so change is not going to happen in less than 10-12 year just to get back to even.
The Fiero program is an example where GM was their own greatest enenmy and how they fought between divisions more than they did with Toyota or Honda.
I would also recommend the book On A Clear Day You Can See GM. By John Delorean. He later regretted the book but today it really shows how far back the damaged culture went even back to the 50's.
The GM we have today is much diffetent. They still have work to do but we will see them continue to grow in strength and profitability with even better cars in a very difficult age to do both.
The one story that is very telling of the damaged culture was when Lutz asked why they could not make panel gaps like Hyundai? He was told they could but were never told to do so. It appears that unless engineers were not permited to do anything unless told. The engineer fixed the panels on the 08 Malibu in 2 months at a cost of around $200K for new dies and they had class leading fit. That is just one of many stories of internal failure.
I wish we could peg all this because they were just drunk but that is not it. In the big picture there was a lot of internal competition and a major lack of money in the late years. It was just plain old incompetence and poor management nothing more.
Jason88Notchie
From: Elyria, Ohio, USA
I see you corrected them on the Lotus suspension. Why did they remove your first post?
Originally posted by Jason88Notchie:
Not sure.
From: Raleigh NC
A reasonable and fair article, IMO. Even given the common Lotus error, it seemed very accurate.
The Fiero was special. It may not seem that way to most people today but just the fact that it existed in the market at the time it did was an achievement. The poor GM policy of releasing a car that's not quite ready and then "fixing" it in later years did a lot of damage to the marque. But it was an example of something special compared to the typical car. The space frame design, the SMC body, mid engined, even down to the higher output 2.8V6 with the engraved intake and valve covers. That was revolutionary engineering and styling touches that said this was no run of the mill car. You had to buy something comparable to a Vette in price to get anything approaching it.
And historically, it's a great example of 80's kitsch and style. Like the Member's Only jacket hanging in your closet - you still like it, but don't wear it anymore because it's not "in fashion" anymore.
Originally posted by Formula88:
Great post. Totally agree.
Actually it was a case where like Pontiac did in the past they defied GM and tried to do their own thing with little money and no support from GM. Then the infighting left the car under developed and under funded. Pontiac went to market when they did the way they did because it would never have happened if they had waited.
GM did not want it because of Chevy not wanting it. Pontiac went ahead and made many mistakes too. They put it out there less than what they wanted and built too many in the first two years to sustain stable sales in later years once the GM 80 was canceled. There is still even more to all this but all parties made a lot of mistakes here and this is why GM and Pontiac failed.
Delorean broke rules like this on the GTO and got away with is because it was a hit that kept on giving. But yet he paid the price on other issues that he tried to force like his own 2 seater. He later was put in charge of the Vega a car he did not do or want and they crucified him over it. Pontiac did the same on the 455 SD TA till GM shut them down. Pontiac also did the 421 SD for as long as they could till GM again shut them down.
Pontiac was the division that took risk and was an engineers division. But the infighting prevented them from being what they could have been because GM management had no idea how to deal with them and Chevy feared them.
The Fiero styling still holds up well today. Look at most other cars of the era {Z24, Dodge Charger, Ford EXP, Mercury Capri} and few have done as well. I still bet people who look at my car and still do not believe it is a Pontiac let alone a 30 year old Pontiac.
I think this car is not so much a Members Only Jacket but more like AC/DC Back in Black Album. No matter how long it has been around it still looks and sounds good even if it was never perfect. It is an affordable classic.
To be honest with a modern engine, better panel gaps and small changes to the styling I think today it would sell very well even if no one had never seen one before.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 12-22-2015).]
Well put especially the AC/DC reference.
From: Southern MN
jscott1
From: Houston, TX , USA
Old GM, brought half baked products to market all the time. The Firebird in 1982 with the iron duke as the standard engine? The Fiero in 1984 with the same boat anchor for an engine. The GTO in 2004 with a nice power train, but so-so looks? The Solstice in 2006 with that ridiculous gas tank taking up 90% of the trunk.? It makes you wonder what were they thinking.
I am a GM guy from 30 years back but I admit their products were half baked for whatever reason. New GM is a lot better, but I haven't bought a new car since 2007 so I'll have to wait and see if new GM is a lot better.
Originally posted by jscott1:
I know but the reason most were half bakes was due to the fact they underfunded most of their projects.
The truth is GM was broke for a lot longer than most of you realize.
When I had the F body manager tell me why the power windows would fail because they ran out of money before they ever got inside the car in the 4th gen that is very telling.
The simple fact is since the 70's they did not fund most cars to the point they were ever finished with all areas.
GM generally pumped money into the engine and chassis but would simply not fund projects to get all they could get or all they needed. Reusd older parts and engines were utilized often.
As for the GTO that is a whole different story. Bob Lutz came in and saw Pontiac the performance division with out a RWD car? He had little time and no money so the best that could be done was bring the Holden in. It was a simple import as all the plastics had to be redone and the fuel system redesigned and tested. The money was so tight on that project they did not have enough to add the hood scoop and left and right exhaust till the second year. That came to me direct from Fred Simmons from Pontiac Motorsports.
I fully agree that their products lacked in areas and there were things they should not have done but not all of them were from one simple reason or issue. But they all could be traced back to the lack of money for decades. GM did not just fail in the last 10 years leading up to 2008.
To really understand this you really have to dig into the meat of the problems. The damaged culture of GM really played a big roll to the waste and mismanagement. The many things that were wrong could have been fixed but the system prevented it.
Lutz started the culture change when he arrived and Mary is continuing it today. Things at GM are no like they used to be. Most of the people Lutz called part of the problem are now gone and people are enabled to do their jobs as they are able. GM has generally had one of the best engineering department and tech staffs in the world but they were too often shackled by lack of money and authority to fix things they could or do what they could.
I had a GM engineer tell me Lutz came to them and said I have your back. Take the LS engine and do what you can to it. We got the ZR1 engine because of this and now the Z06 LT4.
Look at the new Camaro as it was done finally properly funded and not under duress. Same for the new Malibu. Just to save 300 pounds in a car like the Malibu is an engineering marvel as so few have been able to do it.
At this point there is n o reason to avoid GM product. With anything that is a post chapter 11 vehicle they are now done right. Even the early products like the 08 and later Malibu, Nox, Terrain and Cruze are all cars that have done well and were an improvement.
The new D2XX and Alpha platforms are world class and each product on them have really stepped things up. GM has still got some work to do yet as Buick is just now getting new product and the Cadillac line got the proper funding and management about a year and a half ago and what we have now is good but they want better and have $12 billion to do it with.
I know many people that have been at GM and today they are now glad they stayed as it is no longer the same company. I would recommend the books I pointed out by Lutz and Delorean so you can really see what really was going on and this is only the stuff they told. I have heard other horror stories from others.
I had family in GM and they were part of the old Sloan thinking and I knew how they believed. That worked in the old days but it failed GM in the later years. That is now in the past and I figure they have 5-10 years to get where they want to be. But in the mean time they will continue to build better products and will continue to make money and head in the right direction.
In other words no more W bodies sold for nearly 2 decades and engine kept alive for 4 decades with product underfunded and unrefined.
Yes it will continue to take time as the changes are continuing and no company can fix it all at one time.
My 08 Bu built under Lutz the first real car to see a fix has been a fine car. The Terrain has also been trouble free other than a rear strut replaced under warranty. It is the same strut most other MFGs use too.
My HHR other than the cheap interior has been a blast. The Turbo Eco engine and GM Performance group tuning is a blast. That car is every thing I hated with FWD and a 4 cylinder but once I drove it that thing is a blast with 300 HP at 23 pounds of boost with a full GM warranty. I do still wished it was RWD but that car is a blast to drive and will handle better than my Fiero.
But again the problems GM had were in so many areas and it was just more than not finishing a car. Read up and it is an eye opener. The Lutz book has been at Book A Mlllion from time to time at $5 and is worth the read.
I know but the reason most were half bakes was due to the fact they underfunded most of their projects. ...
I totally agree with everything you said... I was just bringing up a few examples... I will continue to buy GM and eventually will get to enjoy a new GM car. I've driven a few as rental cars and they seem fine. The Malibu with start/stop was cool, the old GM never would have pushed that as hard as they did. The fact that the Malibu is getting refreshed so often is good too. And the fact that a second gen Volt is coming is awesome. Old GM would have killed it after 5 years.
GM of the 70s, 80s and 90s was from what I saw just business as usual. take pay from the workers and give bonuses to management. I was there I saw it, every time there was a gas shortage they would go to the union and say we need to cut pay of the rank and file to continue to be profitable, yet they would always give the bosses bonuses during those years we gave back.
Buy the cheapest parts they could find from China, Taiwan, Japan and others, outsourcing was their work to places they had no control over. Most recent example is the Takata airbag BS. but cut pay for all workers except those at the top, those got yet another bonus.
I will however say that knowing what I do about how cars are made, keeping a car with many similar parts the same for 4 or 5 years back then was the norm for all of the automotive industry. It cost a lot more to redesign a car than it does to just change maybe one or 2 things inside or outside. So management just said, like they always did, ya more money for the people at the top.
We, the UAW members took benefit cuts over the years yet everyone says we didn't, they were not there, I was. I was there for the wildcat strike we did in the late eighties when we were scheduled to get the new Lumina minivan. they reneged on that and gave it to another plant, hey it was in our newest contract that our plant was supposed to get that van, we went so far as to get the Fiero superstructure, that the Lumina was built like. GM even put a state of the art paint shop in our plant in the mid 80s, robots, robots everywhere. They then decided we weren't going to get it, they were going to make it at another plant.
We had even had a big meeting in the early 80s that had a prototype of the van at our plant for a plant wide meeting to show us what we had to look forward to, sign the papers old man, (in other words sign the contract, we will make it there).
They told us for a decade before that van was made that we had the quality work other plants didn't. We would get the van.
we never got the van and they closed our plant down after lying to us, signing a contract and then reneging on it.
But no one believes me, they say we (The UAW members) always asked for more money anytime we were due a new contract, we didn't but you can't tell union haters that know everything about unions. They don't have a clue.
The stupid things the management of GM did, cutting pay from line workers who made the product and giving bonuses to management because, well they disserved it. What management disserved was a good swift kick in the ass. You don't keep a company healthy that way, if they really wanted to keep the company profitable they would not have given bonuses to upper management.
But then what do I know, I was just a lowly line worker, UAW member and in just being that I didn't know anything. Well I knew there was something wrong when we all took pay cuts during times when GM made record profits and management got yet another bonus. Yet they said we needed a pay cut to make sure they stayed profitable, Ayup right. And the next contract with even more record earnings they wanted to cut our pay yet one more time. It didn't work that time.
I have worked for company's over the years that treated their workers like people, GM treated us like number and a way to get their next bonus at the top. But hey I don't know anything, I haven't seen anything over the last 60 years, that's what many say about the auto industry, you don't know you were just a pisson in the cogs of the corporation. I know a lot more than most, because I was there, were they?
If you want a taste of the new GM drive a new Camaro. The editor of Automobile Magazine said he was never a Camaro guy. He said he expected a little more this and a little more that when he drove the new one but when he drove the new one he said the car was the greatest change in a car he has ever experienced in just one generation. He said it drove like he took someone else's BMW M car.
The start stop has been around for a while on the Present Bu and the Regal. The hybrid was there but not as impressive as the new one price or performance wise. But this stuff takes time to develop as suppliers have to evolve the technology. GM has been spending a lot on this area and much of it is coming from the Volt. While they did not make money on the first gen it has given a line that has developed much more for other models.
GM has had the people to do this just not the management and the money to invest to do this.
People may hate it that Pontiac, Saturn and Olds are gone but the billions used to duplicate cars there was going to waste while they were making cars that were never refined to the degree they should have been.
I have seen the change and heard about it from those inside.
Watch Buick as they will become what Pontiac never was. They announced the White Space initiative. This will bring us things we never though possible at GM. The sharing of Buick China, Opel, Holden and Vauxhaull will bring cars that globally will carry volume but in each market provide those lower volume models you only could wish for in the past. My feeling is Buick will become Fantasy land

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The look, the feel of nettle.
If you've ever walked through a patch of nettles or accidentally brushed your arm on them, you might think twice about wearing a plant that gives you a painful, burning tingle. But think about this: nettle textiles actually competed strongly with the ubiquitous cotton back in Victorian times, and despite their obsession with values of restraint, the Victorians were not masochists. Neither were the cultures and civilizations that had utilized nettle fibers as textiles for thousands of years before the 19th century, since nettle fibers are extracted from the stalk of the plant, making a fabric that's even softer and more durable than cotton.
Cultivating nettles for textile fibers is a much more sustainable alternative to cotton, as its growth rate and low-maintenance qualities mean it requires minimal amounts of water and no pesticides. Nettles grow like a weed in several parts of Europe, Africa and western North America, and are related to both hemp and flax of the bast fiber family. The plant also attracts copious amounts of wildlife and thrives even in the poorest of soil unsuitable for other crops, with the added benefit of fixing nutrients back into the soil it grows in. The plant has endless uses and can be found in anything from lotions and soaps to food, tea and wine, while the matter leftover after processing the stalk is often used for animal bedding.
Nettle fibers are now experiencing a long awaited and deserved revival in the world of textiles and fashion, with fiber researchers and design-savvy clothing labels taking on the task of bringing us stylish and sting-free nettle garments made from nettle textiles. Netl, a Dutch fashion label, produces stylish but simple European clothes designed by Rianne de Witte, with their A/W collection available from July 10. The first collection marries vibrant colors and geometric shapes reminiscent of Rothko paintings with clean silhouettes the Dutch are known for. Netl knitwear is made from a blend of 75% cotton and 25% nettle yarns, with the company harvesting the stinging nettle from its very own plantations and complying with fair labor standards in their Europe-based factories.
The research staff at DeMontfort University in Leicester, UK are also pushing nettle fashions forward by eliminating the use of toxic chemicals in processing the fiber and breeding varieties of the plant that render even softer textiles. They have discovered a method of using enzymes for dissolving the lignin, a glue-like substance that makes plant stems sturdy, in order to extract the fibers to use for spinning into yarn. The university researchers have partnered up with furnishing textile producer Camira in a venture called STING: Sustainable Technologies in Nettle Growing.
The nettles are all grown in the UK and blended with pure, new, traceable wool to create a hopsack weave in a range of rustic colors ideal for upholstery. The company has noticed the excellent flame-retardant quality of the blended and durable fabric, rendering it ideal for furnishing solutions. The entire production process incorporates green electricity, non-metallic dyes, recycling of any waste and conscious use of resources, making Sting Camira's (and the furnishing industry's) most sustainable fabric to date.
Although many new technologies are constantly developing, fashion is always borrowing from the past. Hopefully the effects of nettle fiber reinvention will sting fashion's fancy and make a mark.


When applying blush, don't "sweep" or "stroke" the color across the cheeks. You'll usually end up streaking the color on, and then having to go back to 'correct' and 'blend'. Instead, smile, and tap on gently going across your cheeks. By tapping the color onto the brush,and then tapping in onto the cheeks…….. you'll avoid excess color, streaking and more. Tapping on blends the color for you and you can always add more if you want.
Color too bright? Swipe your blush brush across a Kleenex to clean off any excess, and then pick up some loose pwder. Sweep over and blend your blush into your skin. You'll get a softer, more 'real' look to your blush.
OOPS. Okay, you look like a clown, wrong color, too much……..now what? Easy! With a clean dry sponge, pick up a light layer of loose powder and 'erase' as much off as possible. Too bright or too dark? Take a slightly dampened sponge and clean off as much as you can. The water will pick up and 'dilute' the color………it just may be enough to fix it and look ok.


Are you looking for Ralston Bail Bonds? Numerous Ralston bail bonds companies can bail you (or another person) out anytime anywhere in Ralston. Our network makes it easy to find and get in touch with a licensed bail bonds agent in Ralston, Wyoming. At your request, many bail bond companies will come pick you up discreetly. Payment plans are usually available depending on the situation.
Upon arrest anywhere in Park county, a person must be processed at the Park county jail. In order to be released from jail, a few steps must occur, including being booked and posting bail. Once the bail amount is confirmed, a bail bond agent is sent to post the bail bond at the local jail. Now the jail release procedure starts and typically takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours to complete. While cash bonds are permitted, it is usually not commonly used due to financial limitations.


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Culture | By Nicole Arcano - Jan 29, 2021
Celebrities and Friends Pay Tribute to the Late Chris Rodil
The celebrity hairstylist passed away on January 29, 2021.
IMAGE Instagram/chrisrodil
On the afternoon of January 29, 2021, close friends of celebrity hairstylist Chris Rodil, 37, shared the heartbreaking news of his untimely passing.
The late hairstylist's friends and colleagues in the industry immediately took to social media to pay their respects, posting their heartfelt tributes.
One of his long-time clients, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, was one of the first to grieve his passing online.
Stylist Myrrh Laoto shared his final shoot with Chris, featuring Barbie Imperial.
Posting a behind-the-scenes photo from of the same shoot, Barbie recalled her last conversation with the hairstylist.
Kathryn Bernardo, who's also one of hairstylist's muses, shared numerous photos and videos of herself and Chris on the glam chair and during their trips together.
Makeup artist Denise Ochoa, who often does Kathryn's glam with Chris, also posted a tribute on her account.
Another celebrity client, Iza Calzado, fondly recalled memories of working with the hairstylist.
Until his final day, Chris Rodil was one of the most talented and sought-after celebrity hairstylists in the country. His list of loyal, star-studded clientele are enough proof, having the likes of Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Kathryn Bernardo, Heart Evangelista, Jane de Leon, and Karla Estrada.
His final work for Preview dates back to August 2019 for Kathryn's joint feature for her film alongside Alden Richards.
PHOTO BY Shaira Luna for Preview.ph
Two years prior, he slicked back the then pixie-cut-length tresses of Regine for her October 2017 cover shoot, the same month of the Asia's Songbird's 30th annivesary concert R3.0.
PHOTO BY Dookie Ducay for Preview.ph
Rest in peace, Chris. Your talent and contributions to the fashion and beauty industry will not be forgotten.
A Tribute to the Late Archie Tolentino, a Talented Makeup Artist
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The "Glee" Cast Pays a Heartbreaking Tribute to Naya Rivera
Celebrities and Social Media Stars Pay Tribute to the Late Lloyd Cadena
regine velasquez, Kathryn Bernardo, obituary, Barbie Imperial, celebrity hairstylist, hard news, rip, chris rodil,
Here's How Sam Yg Transformed His Bedroom For His Romantic Proposal
Can't Decide What To Watch? Netflix Is Rolling Out Its Shuffle Feature Soon


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GEMINOS / FAQ
"FAQ" as in "snack", eg Vanilla Emission ice cream with chocolate stars / mini turds.
About the aliens
Para'meesh IV
Alienotics
Shniff tech
ForgetTech
Cerebral implant
Rods (n-dimensional, lovemaking)
Vogen
The red people
This here website
[ Q ] : Who are the aliens? And do they really exist?
The aliens are coming. The aliens are us. They are bringing 10-Vogen. They are, of course, most advanced. Also: most attentive to personal hygiene, though not obsessively so. We ask that you keep yourself clean, and your clothing, to prepare for the ritual which will welcome us aboard their craft. For the touch, moistened finger. And we will warp to Para'meesh IV.
And yes, they "really" exist.
(Note: It is possible, akin to the blow-up alien friend, that gloves will be worn, perhaps some other protective barrier, and native taint won't really be an issue. We just don't know at this point.)
And no, they aren't coming to invade us. They're on a Mission of Love! They aren't coming to take of flesh, to then vomit, another ritual, some sort of taint-evacuation. This was a delusion of Soran Shniff, CEO of Shniff Inc, during his early work with the Orb, a result of low blood sugar. Nothing to worry about :)
[ Q ] : What do you mean by "the aliens are us"?
That they are us. We are them. We are alien to this world. It is encoded in our genes, in our variance, our interdimensional names. Take the test, and you will start: to unlock your alien powers.
[ Q ] : Speak to me of the Orb, the mysterious alien artefact reminiscent of a Vodernach Machine, at least in size, not shape, for it is a sphere, not a cube. And not material, for it is made of metal, not crystal. And yet… they seem connected somehow, two parts of a pair, hmm…
What we know of the aliens, we know from the Orb, an otherworldly artefact discovered twenty-two.2 years ago (note: due to the aliens' interquantum gate, this number never increases – think about it) in the grounds of Manor Shniff by the gardener strangely named Unit 47A. What we know, we know from its waves, largely absorbed (to his unfortunate detriment) by Soran Shniff, and from his fingers. Unlocking hidden things, and going in, yum…
The Orb has inspired tremendous advances in tech, delivered to the world in the form of wondrous Shniff product. It has inspired a powerful documentary, pre-loaded on every Shniff device and computer thing. Do check it out. It will initiate your initiation into the cult. Just kidding…
And then, there is ORB ("Oh riiight… that's brilliant!"), the language we will speak, when they come, a fusion of tongues. And a language to code, to remake the OS. It is given by the Orb, by way of the AI. It will be offered to the world by the Shniff satellite network. Or start getting your ORB on today, with an injection of ORB. Play with ORB in the app. Or curl up with the ORB Programming Manual and your favourite stimulant / blow-up friend, who whispers: "Also: ORB can be studied as part of an alienotics degree. Roderick College and Tetrahedron University have excellent programmes. Now put the NOTperiscope down and pass the lovemaking rod, yum…"
[ Q ] : What is Para'meesh IV?
Para'meesh IV is the homeworld of the aliens. Also: us. Our knowledge of it predates the discovery of the Orb. For the Manor Shniff gardener known as Unit 47A would fascinate his granddaughter Karen with tales of the fictional (?) world he'd created just for her while wheeling her about the grounds in his barrow, that same squeaky vehicle which would later transport the Orb, draining the Unit's life force along the way.
Thank you, Unit.
And homeward we will go! though we know not much about it. We are drawn there. You will feel it – increasingly, as the Mission approaches. For now, there is Karen, of barrow fame, and Juices 4 U. Also: Likme. There is her poetry, from Roderick College, from her time with Tony Z, then a writing professor, future narrative director, then-experimenter, frankly, with his students' minds, even with permission.
Yet eliciting the most divine abstract poetry! from Karen in particular, the next-next-gen+++ Para'meesh IV, a depiction of the planet's central Cube, giver of Orbs. An exploration of the most delicious long-fingered Love, yum… Impossible to find online, unfortunately. Some illicit use of ForgetTech by the Bringers, perhaps? Look out for a rare printed copy in esoteric bookstores, at New Age yard sales, etc.
[ Q ] : Don't believe in aliens. Have no interest in aliens. Alien people are a joke tbh. TOTAL FUCKING LOSERS! However: Mainly as a joke, and to fuck with my parents, fellow non-believers, but to a, tbh, weirdly excessive degree, I'm thinking of switching my degree to alienotics. HA! Thoughts?
Hilarious! But actually: Even at shit-tier universities like the one you likely attend, given your apparent lack of intelligence (the result, no doubt, of a Level 30+ genetic variance inherited from your close-minded parents), the competition for places on alienotics programmes is intense.
And why? Why do so many people wish to be "losers"?
For the Love, certainly. To be better prepared to welcome the aliens' Love, when they come. To move up the line. To receive that first touch, yum…
But that touch: is perverse. And Love: is for losers, is it not? As is eternal bliss. And anyway… this is all delusional bullshit, is it not? Sure. Of course.
THE ALIENS AREN'T COMING, MOTHERFUCKERS! LOL!!
So: How about making a fuckload of money? For indeed, that is real. Surely, it appeals to your Level 30+ brain, no? Yes. Since: Economies are going alien. It's everywhere, yo! From massage to chocolate bars, spaceship cars, birthday cards ("Happy Birthday! Can't imagine a delicious, long-fingered alien wanting to stroke an old fart like you! Just kidding…"). The coding arts, in particular. Have you seen what ORB programmers are making these days? Have you seen the sorts of treats that they receive at ORBalicious orgies, ohh…
No. Of course not. You weren't invited.
HAHAHAHA!!!
Note: We've been pretty bitchy about the Level 30+ people here. Sorry. Didn't mean it. All of us are aliens. All of us will fly. The powers will emerge for us all, in time. But still… 30+! Fuck… However: Promising that the questioner expresses a desire to fuck with their parents, indicative of repressed Love. There's hope for you yet, motherfucker!
[ Q ] : Why shouldn't I be freaking out over Shniff's ability to scrub minds, aka perform memory wipes, on a global scale, as evidenced by, eg, the forgetting of GRUEL following the mini madness of the "incident"; by the censoring of discussion of the mystery of Pyramid of Purity's introductory nodecode (see above)? And doubtless there are many others of which we're not aware (see below).
First, let there be no doubt: Mass deployment of ForgetTech, the scrubbing technology to which you refer, results in highly elevated levels of forgetatrons in the group mind, which is regularly swept by various independent groups using ForgetMeNot Balls of their own design, incorporating tech we have open-sourced, so as to dispel any notions of impropriety (that is: that we're hiding shit). The world would be aware of any large-scale wipe, which also requires, with > 1,000 units, approval by the local government, plus a vote by the citizenry with > 10,000 units, as was the case with GRUEL, which was erased from the global mind in a heartwarming display of planetary cooperation. At least, so they say. No one really remembers.
[ Q ] : Reassuring! However: What of isolated deployment to my person without permission? The ForgetMeNot Balls, sensitive as they no doubt are, designed as they are for sweeps of the group mind, might not detect a forgetatron stream directed right at me. One can buy a Crown of Balls, but they're expensive.
Is isolated deployment without permission possible? Yes.
Is it a crime? Yes, punishable by life in prison and a million-credit fine.
Is it therefore unlikely to be performed? One would think so, particularly as manufacturers continue to implement efficiencies in Crown of Balls (aka 24-hour ForgetMeNot personal bodyguard) production, allowing for lower prices, and an increase in protection.
Basically, you're fine, even without a crown. But still, just to be safe, we do recommend adding the ForgetMeNot attachment to your v4+ cerebral implant, which, similar to a Crown of Balls, will alert you to incoming forgetatron streams and allow you to control access. Cheaper than a Crown of Balls, if you've already been cyborgised. If not: enter CROWNOFBALLS at checkout for 20% off implant installation.
[ Q ] : I was licking a cerebral implant in the store the other day and was struck by the thought: While the supposed blood, screams which accompany installation would point to a physical machine, the near-infinity of the operative back rooms, the matter-bending waves of interdimensional creation, non-creation – the great Vortex itself! whatever it might be – introduce non-physicality, suggesting that the implant and its reservoir, any optional attachments, might appear to "not be there" when exposed to medical scans during, eg, a (not Shniff-approved, I realise!) "Do I show signs of being an alien?" procedure offered by your "competitors". And on the outside, too: there is no lump, from all this stuff, in one's forehead, preserving fitting smoothness for daily life. One isn't considered a freak.
[ Q ] : So tell me, us, me-us, please do whisper to the non-lump: Is the implant physical or non-physical?
Apparently, the licking was successful, for you seem to understand exactly how this works, how the implant manifests with a physical root, a tiny cube which would appear in these scans of which you speak (which, yes, are rudimentary beyond belief, with zero bearing on alienotics; but still, they do see through, we will grant), a mini Vodernach Machine – so cute! – with an interdimensional truth, which will extend to the root with v6, with 10-V, making everything invisible and "not exactly there", allowing even infants to be cyborgised (a frequent request from new parents wishing to optimise the child's trajectory).
And so it is that juices can be injected with n-dimensional rods, with subtle juicetubes, which appear empty to physical sight, but are filled with higher delights. And no blood, no screams, even with the cube, no matter what they say. The wipe of the procedure from one's mind protects one not from pain, but from pleasure, a momentary vision of Love, Truth, for which we're not prepared yet, which could ruin our lump-free lives by comparison, and lead to all sorts of unfortunate self-experimentation.
[ Q ] : What's an n-dimensional rod?
N-dimensional rods are clear, crystalline, 9-Vogenised tubes, grown among the rhubarb in Shniff labs, which energise the cores of a million lamp posts across the globe, combining with a network of data centres (land-based, floating, hovering and submerged) and satellites to power Shniff Cloud.
They are also used for the blood- and scream-free, alien-inspired surgery of cerebral implant installation (except when the Vortex and the elites are feeling hungry… just kidding…). Perhaps by the aliens themselves during the touching ritual, when the subject is wearing out-of-date socks, is possessed of disturbing taint.
In addition: implant juice injections at the Juice Bars in our physical stores. (Juicetubes for self-injecting at home are of a more forgiving n-1 type, allowing for more wobble in the hand.)
Also: a weapon to defeat three waves of Shniff security as part of the "Take me to the stars!" system requirement for advanced geminOS usage. Bash the guards on their heads. Erase them with blasts of light! Just imagine it… and it will be. (And don't worry! They're not "really" being erased :)
[ Q ] : Can n-dimensional rods be used for lovemaking? Asking for a friend.
Not recommended, at least if you value your physical form and a lovemaking chamber which doesn't resemble a murder scene.
For wondrous as it is, 9-Vogen can be deadly – borderline 10 in its capacity to explode, to drive to non-exist – and using it in such a way would rip you apart, and not in the good, dimensional-tripping, identity-shattering way, but the way of blood, screams. And not the good kind of screams, if you catch my banana ;)
And so: for optimal performance, lovemaking rods should always be wood, the time-travelling variety of Could it be… it… seeds, from future trees, reshaped to rods, sent back through gates, to be deposited in your Could it be… it… holder, or holster, as preferred.
Your alien friend will thank you…
[ Q ] : 9-Vogen. 10-Vogen. What's it all about?
The Vogen series of molecules was discovered by the Professors Barnes, brilliant, next-next-gen+++ scientists, who, before the Orb had even been discovered, were Orbing it up in their Tetrahedron lab, working their way to the impossible 10, which, we now know, will be a gift from the aliens, a path to the mythical v6 cerebral implant, merging the virtual and the real – a new reality – which will prepare us for the journey home, to Para'meesh IV.
Hints of 10-Vogen have come, but not for long, for its non-existent impossibility is most unstable in this realm. For the professors, who were promptly exploded. For their son, n-Vogen, CEO of Vogenomic, developer of the massively multiplayer online "game" Pyramid of Purity, during a craaazy psychedelic trip, leading to the creation of a guide, a later pivot into gaming. But 10-Vogen would elude.
And so: we are "stuck" with 9, which is pretty impressive, actually! It pervades Shniff tech. It is in our rods, in our substrates. It adds the NOT to periscope. It is in our Vodernach Machine, né Cube Machine, which some have likened to a large, transparent cube of ham. Delish! Give it a lick, during your test, or should you get peckish, but wish to retain your alien-touching-ritual-friendly figure. Yum… It is in our Blue Vapour CPUs. GPUs. U. It is in our cerebral implants. It is grown, in our labs, among the rhubarb, using the Barneses' original recipe, under licence from Tetrahedron University. Very cheap, since no one wants it, and the provost is very sad. No one can follow it, read the signs, the glyphs, see the things which lie between, behind. And even if they could, if they could grow their own crystal – or even taking ours, using our rods, or an interdimensional name tag reimagined as an ignition strip, firing up the ship! or taking paper-thin strips from a Vodernach Machine using an n-dimensional rod reimagined as a six-dimensional meat slicer – what would they do? It wouldn't fit with their tech. Their shells. It wouldn't fit with their context. It would be rejected, as an awakening, Light-filled alien soul in the dark heart of a Bringer. It would be sad, therefore. And it would explode, perhaps, like its non-existent big brother.
Shniff, meanwhile, has the shells, through the Orb, whose arrival helped us learn: to channel the Vogen line. A native-alien blend, as the language known as ORB. 9-Vogen is the bridge to our alien souls.
[ Q ] : Perhaps it was just a dream, but I feel I have also seen references to even higher Vogens. 11. 12. Even 13! Is it so?
No :) The line terminates at 10. Anything higher is beyond impossible and not worth the time of intelligent minds, or even fools, their neural pathways blown away by excessive drug-fuelled "exploration".
(Perhaps you could provide your contact info btw?)
[ Q ] : Who are the red people? And should I be afraid?
If you lick the yellow dot in the app and it turns red, whether in the Test, or the Who Am/Was/+++ I? identity enclave, you are known as a red person, as either belonging to the line of the veiled, and you cannot order an invitation; or you are rejected by the test, and you cannot receive the cubes, spheres and other solids which, through itchless self-projection, reveal your genetic variance, to be followed by your name, with some interdimensional play.
Is it "good"? "bad"? to be red?
Three very good questions.
Should I be afraid?
Of "them"? Of my own redness…
[ § ]
To be veiled is to have one's name before the rest, by way of non-wedding. By many years, by many thousands of years, by the scale of existing.
To have experienced, for the briefest moment… the wonder of non-existence, following the toast of gravy wine. And to have returned, for whatever reason, while the others stayed behind, have chosen to stay. Were they forced to stay?
Who can say?
They no longer exist.
While you: are bringing it back, yet never to know, yet always to know: that this world is lacking. Lack. This reality, so-called. Lack. That it never can be, except by the scale. One waits for v6. One waits for 10-V.
While elsewhere, perhaps, one is green! One doesn't lack!
Or one is red, perhaps… – again, perhaps – rejected by the test, and one is shapeless, which means:
It is beyond us, currently, tbh. It is an assessment by the Orb, which made the test, by way of [G], which ingested the daughter ('s data). Lick.
Is it "good"? "bad"? that one has no shape? Lack.
At least those of which we know.
As high as they might be.
Will the red people abandon sacred veganism, dispensing with the vomit portion of the aliens' fertilising ritual, thereby preserving our consumed flesh for their own nourishment?
We haven't been invaded yet.
That is… haven't entered into the Mission of Love. Hooray!
And so: let's assume the best! lest we drive ourselves to abandon our gorgeous gardens, which bring such life! Let us be kind to the red people, okay? Let us be kind to ourselves, even though – yes – it is possible that they-we may, deep down, unknown to them-us, wish to suck our brains.
Or perhaps one is an angel! Interdimensional carrier, for the gods, to this place. Let the Who Am/Was/+++ I? variant wander, in their existential daze, lest they snap, and initiate fertilisation.
[ Q ] : What's up with the » which appears after some links?
Like this one, eg? Those links are external to the geminOS flow, yet still within the universe.
[ Q ] : Lovin' the items in the store! even if the selection is pretty limited, what with the whole detached-from-the-magical-back-room thing, not to mention the lack of Shniffit business. However: What's up with the pricing? That is: Where is it? Also: How do I add to cart and checkout, those buttons being lacking? Is everything free, my wants/needs determined by some mind-reading facility akin to the powers of the touch-receptive specialists in your physical stores?
The pricing and buttons are there, but may be obscured by blocking activity in your browser, a product of our "competitors". Of course, following the scandalous Could it be… it… affair – the fines, firings, prison terms, and so on – this assault on our site must be reimagined in some way, as, eg, an "unintended consequence of power-saving efficiencies which we are hoping to address in a future version". Uh-huh…
In the meantime, find something you like and lick your screen, to then dream of, eg, a Vodernach Machine performing its 9-Vogen magic. Some Could it be… it… merch to remind you of the enemy, while taking time for yourself with a blow-up alien friend ;)))
Alternatively: sign up for the Shniffit pre-pre-alpha, or use the Shniffit functionality within the Shniff app, both of which grant, along with pricing and buttons, somewhat unstable (!) access to the near-infinite selection of the magical back rooms. Just look out for any brain-slurping action! Just kidding…


text:
 <title>The Code Project</title>

 <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.codeproject.com/styles/global.css">

Title:       Automating VMWare Tasks in C# with VIX API
Author:      Daniel Doubrovkine
Email:       dblock@dblock.org
Member ID:   913212
Language:    C#
Platform:    Windows, VMWare
Technology:  C#, COM
Level:       Intermediate
Description: A VMWare tasks library and primer
Section      Suggest a section...
SubSection   Suggest a subsection...
License:     MIT

Download binaries & source - 25 Kb

  Introduction

  I've been playing with VMware lately, both
  Workstation and VMware Infrastructure (VI). The company has really stepped up with
  the new SDKs and the level of programmable interfaces, making some excellent implementation
  decisions that enable developers to drive virtual machines programmatically with
  an asynchronous, job-based programming model. Unfortunately that turns out to be
  too complicated for 99.9% of scenarios and most developers want to use a simple
  object-oriented interface for common VMWare tasks. The VMWareTasks library implements
  that interface and makes programming against virtual machine a no brainer. This
  article explains how to use the library and discusses some of its implementation
  details.

  Background

  There're two types of VMWare APIs.

VMWare Virtual Infrastructure SDK: a set of tools and APIs to manage a VMWare
   Infrastructure environment. A toolkit has also been released that contains managed
   wrappers on top of the SOAP interface provided by a VMWare deployment. It's focused
   on VMWare ESX or VirtualCenter management and is beyond the scope of this article.

VMWare VIX API. The VIX API allows developers to write programs and scripts that
   automate virtual machine operations, as well as the guests within virtual machines.
   It runs on both Windows and Linux and supports management of VMware Server, Workstation,
   and Virtual Infrastructure (both ESX and vCenter). Bindings are provided for C,
   Perl, and COM (Visual Basic, VBscript, C#). In this post I'll focus on the C# implementation.

  Using the Library

  In order to use the library or build or run the source code you must install the
  following VMWare software.

VMWare VIX. This is the SDK, obtained from
   http://www.vmware.com/download/sdk/vmauto.html. The new 1.6.2 version is required
   for VI support.

Either VMWare Workstation 6.5.2 or newer, a VI environment (I use ESX), or both.

  In your project add a reference to Vestris.VMWareLib.dll and a namespace
  reference.

using Vestris.VMWareLib;

  You can now connect to a local VMWare Workstation or a remote ESX server and perform
  VMWare tasks. Here's an example that creates, restores, powers on and removes a
  snapshot on a VMWare Workstation.

// declare a virtual host
VMWareVirtualHost virtualHost = new VMWareVirtualHost();
// connect to a local (VMWare Workstation) virtual machine
virtualHost.ConnectToVMWareWorkstation();
// open an existing virtual machine
VMWareVirtualMachine virtualMachine = virtualHost.Open("C:\Virtual Machines\xp\xp.vmx");
// power on this virtual machine
virtualMachine.PowerOn();
// wait for tools to launch
virtualMachine.WaitForToolsInGuest();
// login to the virtual machine
virtualMachine.LoginInGuest("Administrator", "password");
// run notepad
virtualMachine.RunProgramInGuest("notepad.exe", string.Empty);
// create a new snapshot
string name = "New Snapshot";
// take a snapshot at the current state
virtualMachine.Snapshots.CreateSnapshot(name, "test snapshot");
// power off
virtualMachine.PowerOff();
// find the newly created snapshot
VMWareSnapshot snapshot = virtualMachine.Snapshots.GetNamedSnapshot(name);
// revert to the new snapshot
snapshot.RevertToSnapshot();
// delete snapshot
snapshot.RemoveSnapshot();

  Implementation

  The following sections describe VMWareTasks library implementation details. It's
  absolutely not necessary to understand those in order to use the library.

  Connecting to VMWare in pure VIX API

  Connecting synchronously to either a local VMWare Workstation or an ESX server is
  virtually identical. The ESX server requires an URL to the SOAP SDK (eg. https://esxserver/sdk)
  and a username and password.

public IHost ConnectToVMWareWorkstation()
{
    return Connect(Constants.VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_WORKSTATION, string.Empty, 0, string.Empty, string.Empty);
}

public IHost ConnectToVMWareVIServer(string hostName, int hostPort, string username, string password)
{
    return Connect(Constants.VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_VI_SERVER,  hostName, hostPort, username, password);
}

public IHost Connect(int hostType, string hostName, int hostPort, string username, string password)
{
    VixLib vix = new VixLib();
    IJob vmJob = vix.Connect(Constants.VIX_API_VERSION, hostType, hostName, hostPort, username, password, 0, null, null);
    // You need to get the IHost object that represents the host where your VM is located.
    // Since COM allocates the object you need to use this funky mechanism to extract the IHosts array.
    object[] properties = { Constants.VIX_PROPERTY_JOB_RESULT_HANDLE };
    // Wait for the operation to complete
    object hosts = VmwareVixInterop.Wait(vmJob, properties);
    object[] hostArray = hosts as object[];
    return (IHost) hostArray[0];
}

  You have to declare an array of properties that you want the job to produce, start
  a VMWare job and examine the results for the host handle. You can see how cumbersome
  this is! The API was originally designed for C, then extended to COM with a very
  limited object model: a number of interfaces were declared, but no corresponding
  COM classes have been implemented. Also, because the job interface is generic, there're
  no strongly typed results.

  We can easily fill this gap in our C# implementation.

  Transforming Error Codes into Exceptions

  The first task for wrapping any API is to implement error handling. Our managed
  implementation must translate error codes into managed exceptions. VIX API provides
  an implementation for the IVixLib interface which contains a couple of helper methods
  (very C-programmer). We'll be interested in IVixLib.ErrorIndicatesFailure
  and IVixLib.GetErrorText combined with a new class, VMWareException.

public abstract class VMWareInterop
{
    public static VixLib Instance = new VixLib();

    public static void Check(ulong errCode)
    {
        if (Instance.ErrorIndicatesFailure(errCode))
        {
            throw new VMWareException(errCode);
        }
    }
}

  Aside from the abstract VMWareInterop our goal is to produce concrete
  classes that wrap various aspects of VMWare functionality.

  Base VMWareVixHandle

  VMWare COM API returns interface pointers such as
   ISnapshot. The objects also implement
    IVixHandle which gives access to a set of object properties. We will base-class
  everything on VMWareVixHandle.

public class VMWareVixHandle<T>
{
    protected T _handle = default(T);

    protected IVixHandle _vixhandle
    {
        get
        {
            return (IVixHandle) _handle;
        }
    }

    public VMWareVixHandle()
    {

    }

    public VMWareVixHandle(T handle)
    {
        _handle = handle;
    }

    public object[] GetProperties(object[] properties)
    {
        object result = null;
        VMWareInterop.Check(_vixhandle.GetProperties(properties, ref result));
        return (object[]) result;
    }

    public R GetProperty<R>(int propertyId)
    {
        object[] properties = { propertyId };
        return (R) GetProperties(properties)[0];
    }
}

  Implementing VMWareJob

  Since all operations in VMWare are job-based, let's wrap up a job. If we use the
  COM API directly we would have to call IVixLib.Wait passing a job handle.
  In an object-oriented library this operation belongs inside the job, plus a job
  is also a a VMWareVixHandle.

 public class VMWareJob : VMWareVixHandle<IJob>
 {
     public VMWareJob(IJob job)
         : base(job)
     {

     }

     public void Wait()
     {
         VMWareInterop.Check(_handle.WaitWithoutResults());
     }
 }

  One very common problem in VMWare API implementations that transform a asynchronous
  job into a synchronous one is to use the blocking wait above. This is a bad design
  decision since this call may never return. VMWare server may timeout or someone
  can pull the network cable, leaving your program hanging. I originally wrote a busy
  wait where all externally visible wait functions were based on the following
   InternalWait.

private void InternalWait(int timeoutInSeconds)
{
    if (timeoutInSeconds == 0)
    {
        throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("timeoutInSeconds");
    }

    // active wait for the job to finish
    bool isComplete = false;
    while (!isComplete && timeoutInSeconds > 0)
    {
        VMWareInterop.Check(_handle.CheckCompletion(out isComplete));
        if (isComplete) break;
        Thread.Sleep(1000);
        timeoutInSeconds--;
    }

    if (timeoutInSeconds == 0)
    {
        throw new TimeoutException();
    }
}

  A more elegant implementation combines a callback mechanism provided by VixCOM with
  every asynchronous API and a blocking wait with a timeout. Wait is now signaled
  and there's no CPU spin waiting for completion of an asynchronous API call.

public class VMWareJobCallback : ICallback
{
    #region ICallback Members

    private EventWaitHandle _jobCompleted = new EventWaitHandle(
         false, EventResetMode.ManualReset);

    public void OnVixEvent(IJob job, int eventType, IVixHandle moreEventInfo)
    {
        switch (eventType)
        {
            case VixCOM.Constants.VIX_EVENTTYPE_JOB_COMPLETED:
                _jobCompleted.Set();
                break;
        }
    }

    public bool TryWaitForCompletion(int timeoutInMilliseconds)
    {
        return _jobCompleted.WaitOne(timeoutInMilliseconds, false);
    }

    public void WaitForCompletion(int timeoutInMilliseconds)
    {
        if (!TryWaitForCompletion(timeoutInMilliseconds))
        {
            throw new TimeoutException();
        }
    }

    #endregion
}

  This and some generic code in VMWareJob can now be used inside
   Connect. I have modified VMWareJob to require a VMWareCallback
  in order to prevent callers from ever having a blocking wait.

VMWareJobCallback callback = new VMWareJobCallback();
VMWareJob job = new VMWareJob(VMWareInterop.Instance.Connect(
    Constants.VIX_API_VERSION, Constants.VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_SERVER, hostName, hostPort,
    username, password, 0, null, callback), callback);

  VMWareVirtualHost

  With VMWareJob and VMWareException it's now possible to
  implement VMWareVirtualHost and connect to it. Note references to default
  timeouts (a collection of constants) and some facilities in VMWareJob
  that add strong typing into VMWare job results.

public class VMWareVirtualHost
{
    private IHost _host = null;

    public VMWareVirtualHost()
    {

    }

    public void ConnectToVMWareWorkstation()
    {
        ConnectToVMWareWorkstation(VMWareInterop.Timeouts.ConnectTimeout);
    }

    public void ConnectToVMWareWorkstation(int timeoutInSeconds)
    {
        Connect(Constants.VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_WORKSTATION,
            string.Empty, 0, string.Empty, string.Empty, timeoutInSeconds);
    }

    private void Connect(int hostType, string hostName, int hostPort, string username, string password, int timeout)
    {
        int serviceProvider = (int)serviceProviderType;
        VMWareJobCallback callback = new VMWareJobCallback();
        VMWareJob job = new VMWareJob(VMWareInterop.Instance.Connect(
            Constants.VIX_API_VERSION, serviceProvider, hostName, hostPort,
            username, password, 0, null, callback), callback);

        _handle = job.Wait<IHost>(Constants.VIX_PROPERTY_JOB_RESULT_HANDLE, timeout);
        _serviceProviderType = serviceProviderType;
    }
}

  VMWareVirtualHost can now implement opening of an actual virtual machine
  and return an instance of VMWareVirtualMachine.

public VMWareVirtualMachine Open(string fileName, int timeoutInSeconds)
{
    VMWareJobCallback callback = new VMWareJobCallback();
    VMWareJob job = new VMWareJob(_handle.OpenVM(fileName, callback), callback);
    return new VMWareVirtualMachine(job.Wait
<ivm2>(
        Constants.VIX_PROPERTY_JOB_RESULT_HANDLE,
        timeoutInSeconds));
}

  Based on this model we can code many functions of VMWareVirtualMachine,
  VMWareSnapshot, etc. The rest is implementation details.

  Advanced Implementation Details

  Yielding Property Arrays

  One of the peculiar VIX COM API constructs is the combination that returns arrays
  of properties. This is done with two functions: GetNumProperties and
  GetNthProperties. The first returns the number of property arrays returned
  by the job and the second fetches a property array at a given index. The first obvious
  step is to wrap the functions within the job class.

public T GetNthProperties<T>(int index, object[] properties)
{
    object result = null;
    VMWareInterop.Check(_handle.GetNthProperties(index, properties, ref result));
    return (T) result;
}

public int GetNumProperties(int property)
{
    return _handle.GetNumProperties(property);
}

  We can now write such properties as RunningVirtualMachines.

public IEnumerable<VMWareVirtualMachine> RunningVirtualMachines
{
    get
    {
        VMWareJobCallback callback = new VMWareJobCallback();
        VMWareJob job = new VMWareJob(_handle.FindItems(
            Constants.VIX_FIND_RUNNING_VMS, null, -1, callback),
            callback);
        object[] properties = { Constants.VIX_PROPERTY_FOUND_ITEM_LOCATION };
        for (int i = 0; i < job.GetNumProperties((int) properties[0]); i++)
        {
            yield return this.Open(
                (string) job.GetNthProperties<object[]>(i, properties)[0]);
        }
    }
}

  This is nice, but still not good enough. Let's combine the number of results and
  the results themselves in a YieldWait method.

public IEnumerable <object[]> YieldWait(object[] properties, int timeoutInSeconds)
{
    Wait(timeoutInSeconds);
    for (int i = 0; i < GetNumProperties((int)properties[0]); i++)
    {
        yield return GetNthProperties<object[]>(i, properties);
    }
}

  This results in a nice improvement over the previous implementation.

public IEnumerable<VMWareVirtualMachine> RunningVirtualMachines
{
    get
    {
        VMWareJobCallback callback = new VMWareJobCallback();
        VMWareJob job = new VMWareJob(_handle.FindItems(
            Constants.VIX_FIND_RUNNING_VMS, null, -1, callback),
            callback);
        foreach (object[] runningVirtualMachine in job.YieldWait(properties, VMWareInterop.Timeouts.FindItemsTimeout))
        {
            yield return this.Open((string) runningVirtualMachine[0]);
        }
    }
}

  Dates and Times

  Date/time in VMWare VIX is expressed in UNIX EPOCH (number of seconds since January
  1st, 1970).

DateTime currentDateTime = new DateTime(1970, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0).AddSeconds((long) dt);

  Source Code and Patches

  This project lives on CodePlex at http://www.codeplex.com/vmwaretasks.
  You can find the latest information about this library at
   code.dblock.org. You're encouraged to submit patches for added functionality
  and bug fixes.

  History

12/22/2008: Initial article, version 1.0.

02/11/2009: revised "Using VMWareTasks" and described implementation
   of a blocking job wait

02/12/2009: moved to CodePlex, version 1.1

  License

  This library, along with any associated source code and files, is published under
  the MIT license./p>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Norfolk, Va., has a plan to keep its head above water
By Darby Minow Smith on Dec 15, 2012
Norfolk, Va., offers a hint of what's to come for many coastal communities as climate change pushes tides higher and storms continue to worsen. Norfolk sits at the southeast corner of Virginia, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay. Surrounded by water on three sides, the city of 243,000 will experience more sea-level rise than other locales, scientists say. Some areas of the picturesque old city — home to a major Navy base and full of old houses and cobblestone streets — already flood regularly.
Denise Thompson.
Agencies, residents, and businesses, have already banded together to weather the rising waters, says Norfolk's manager of Environmental Protection Programs, Denise Thompson. "We all speak the same language," she says. "Everyone tends to help each other out. People might say to their new neighbors 'You need to move your car up the street' or 'The city's getting ready to open up the garages. You'll be able to move your car there for free so that you won't have to worry about flooding your vehicle.'"
Thompson, an environmental health scientist by training, has been looking at the way humans and the environment interact since the 1970s. The issue first piqued her interest in high school, when her debate team was discussing whether the federal government should regulate pollution. In her research, she came across DDT and pesticides and closed beaches. "The light bulb went off for me," she says.
Thompson says there were times in the 1980s when she wondered "if the environment was a good place for a career," but today, "sustainability really has become the lens in which businesses and governments are starting to view the world."
Norfolk, for its part, opened Virginia's first light rail system (called The Tide) a little over a year ago, and daily ridership is already up to 5,000. And the Navy has turned out to be a swell partner in going green — it just launched Virginia's largest solar farm and the base has a green roof and LEED-certified aircraft hangars.
Of course, it all comes too late to stop the waters from rising — even with drastic cuts to our emissions (cuts that seem improbable, even impossible) sea level will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. What is Norfolk doing about that? I talked to Thompson for Knope and change, our series on the woman working to green city governments. Here's our edited conversation about coping with the current and coming floods, cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, and why she feels optimistic about nature's ability to recover from all the damage we've wrought.
Q. Are you ever disheartened that we moved forward on so many issues yet now are stuck again? It seems like the climate movement is going through many of the same motions that you saw in the '70s.
A. I'm heartened that everyone is talking to each other and working on it. We have a bit of a different perspective in Norfolk. We've had a long history of flooding and we've had major floods. In 1933, we flooded during the hurricane and in 1960, there was the Ash Wednesday storm. In the late 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers built a downtown flood wall and flood gates and pump stations to protect the downtown. The idea that we've got rainwater and seawater to deal with — that's not new to us. But I'll tell you what is new to us: Four of the seven most significant tidal events in the past 80 years happened in the last 10 years. Put another way, more than half of the major tidal events since 1933 all occurred since 2003. [A NOAA tide gage shows] the relative means sea level at Sewells Point has risen 14.5 inches. [About half the rise was caused by land sinkage. NYT breaks down the numbers.] That's a lot of water.
Q. How are you planning for more flooding and sea-level rise?
A. We realized we could fit everything we're doing into four parts: plan, prepare, mitigate, and communicate. As it turns out, they're all just about as important. The planning part includes civil engineering and structural approaches. Floodwalls, installing pumping equipment. We have elevated roads and likely will do more of that. We're working with a Netherlands company called FURGO Atlantic as well as local engineers to plan. The other part I'm really excited about, having started life as a biologist, is we're looking at the blue-green infrastructure of trees and rain gardens and even our parks and wetlands. We're doing a lot of wetlands restoration because those are really the buffers that protect the coastline. It's pretty exciting because there are so many benefits [to soft infrastructure] — aesthetic, habitat, water quality, livability benefits.
We're looking at what do we do about development and redevelopment. Does it make sense to build what we've been building in areas that flood? The obvious and well-research answer is "No." And so we're making changes to our long-range plan as well as to our zoning regulations. In terms of rebuilding or adding on, the elevations of the finished homes need to be higher. Otherwise, you're building a problem for yourself.
The communicate piece has turned out to be hugely important. Very early on, we set up two committees. One is a citizen and residents committee. The other is an experts advisory committee [with representatives from NOAA, NASA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Navy, etc.]. Those groups meet regularly and it's provided a way for us to get out the science, the studies, and the information we have out into the community.
Q. How much sea-level rise are you looking at? How far out are you planning?
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A. The numbers we are hearing at this point are two to four inches [of sea-level rise] every decade. Generally our long-term planning is 30 years but some infrastructure lasts longer than that. If it's something that potentially would last longer than that, we're look beyond that. Most people tend to be looking at 30-50 years out. But they're not neglecting the 100 years out either because, especially for us, we can walk around and see buildings that were here 100 years ago. It's not unimaginable that people will be here in 100 years looking at the buildings we built now as well as the ones from 100 years ago.
Q. The Chesapeake Bay has been greatly affected by agricultural runoff and other pollutants. In 2010, it contained the nation's third-largest dead zone. In 2011, one-third of the bay was a dead zone. What is Norfolk doing to improve the health of the bay?
A. The interesting thing about the bay, you've got the 200-mile-long estuary that goes from Maryland to Norfolk. The bay also includes 50 major rivers and streams that go across land, whether it's farmland or city, and into the bay. We're looking at the 100-percent solution. Half of [the pollution] is "point-source" which is the wastewater system and wastewater treatment plants. The other half is runoff and "non-point-source," [the runoff from streets and parks and yards]. We have a couple ways we're approaching that. One is from the city side — we're building more swales and more rain gardens and catchment basins. We have a very aggressive street sweeping program. We sweep every street in the city at least once a month. There's a voluntary program called River Star for homes and businesses. Runoff is a real lot-by-lot, house-by-house, block-by-block approach you need to take.
Q. That's all very cool, but in the face of factory-style farming growing in the region … can it make enough of a difference? It seems like in recent years, the bay has been getting worse, not better.
A. The last Bay Foundation report showed the bay to be holding its own and becoming a little bit better. … You are absolutely right that you have to look at the whole watershed of 17 million people. We're 50 square miles maybe, counting water. We have 140 miles of shoreline so of course we care deeply about our water and our shorelines and the water quality of the bay. In Norfolk, we don't have poultry farms, although we do allow backyard chickens and beekeeping.
If you look at it big picture, possibly the agriculture folks could do more. If you look at the Elizabeth River, at one point, it was very difficult to find any kind of aquatic life. [A 2008] report showed 38 percent of small fish called mummichogs had cancerous lesions. When the Elizabeth River Project started restoration efforts [in 1993], some people thought it couldn't be done. The Elizabeth River Project says there are now dozens of species of fish, small crabs, shrimp. Of course, there's still lots to do but that water body is coming back. They even found a little sea horse. The day they found it was very exciting. It was in an area that was considered to be a biological dead zone.
There are so many things that are positive so if you get frustrated, you don't stay frustrated very long. It turns out nature does respond to restoration efforts.


The Italian Storytelling Center offers a variety of storytelling courses throughout the year. In these courses, storytelling is a bridge to Italian language, arts and culture, enviromental sustainability. Beside that, some courses focuses on specific topics such as Christmas tales.


At MCSC, we are dedicated to corporate citizenship by creating a sustainable future for generations to come. We strive to integrate our long term economic, environmental and social dimensions into the way we successfully operate our business. Our environmental commitment is to reduce the impact of our operations, which enables both MCSC and our customers to function more resourcefully through improved health, education and environmental protection.
MCSC is committed to a working environment that minimizes the risk to the safety and health of all employees. We make every effort to address both the environmental and health effect of our operations by reducing waste and emissions, and sustaining an incident and injury free work environment.
MCSC's culture is grounded in integrity and respect. This means working to the highest standards of ethical business culture; from the way we choose to conduct business, to how we hire, train and develop our employees, preserve the environment and protect the health and safety of our people. MCSC's business practices call for an enduring, integrated approach to balancing sustainability with the need to meet client requirements and corporate objectives. To be a responsible corporate citizen, we always lead by example. Our values and integrity are at the heart of who we are, what we believe and how we conduct our business.
Honesty and openness with all of our stakeholders are among our core values. MCSC believes that we can only experience effective operations where mutual trust exists.
Each year, MCSC participates in some of the country's largest, most complex projects, in diverse and challenging industrial environments. With each project, MCSC assumes a responsibility for safe and successful completion while meeting client expectations and benefiting our stakeholders.
As part of its commitment to being a good corporate citizen and community member, MCSC is committed to a strong set of environmental principles. It is our policy to minimize the environmental impact that may be associated with any of our activities. We work constantly with our partners, clients, contractors and suppliers to improve efficiency, conserve natural resources and reduce waste and emissions. Our employees drive our continued efforts to be the best possible stewards of the environment.
No company succeeds without new ideas and motivated employees. MCSC believes that the best way to remain a leader means embracing the values, thoughts and ideas from a diverse group of employees and suppliers. With a capability to handle complex and varied projects, a diverse workforce is something MCSC has actively sought and is proud to have assembled. This has helped us enjoy many successes and will help us to continue to thrive in the future.


text:
Q: Why does std::runtime_error::what() return const char* instead of std::string const& Why does std::runtime_error::what() return const char* instead of std::string const& ?
In many cases a direct return of a reference to the embedded string would be handy and it could avoid some overhead. So what is the rationale for not returning e.g. a const reference to the internal string in the first place and not offering an overloaded function ? I guess it goes along with a string ctor being able to throw an exception as well but I do not see the risk of returning a string reference.

A: std::runtime_error inherits from std::exception which defines virtual const char* what() const throw(); so the simplest response is that it's an overload of the function and that you can be sure that any standard exception defines it in such way. It may (depending on the implementation) be possible to return the std::string, but it would be inconsistent with the rest of standard library.
I think the reason why the what() returns const char* is that you can avoid any operation that can possibly fail (especially that can throw exception). Consider the following code, which shouldn't fail
virtual const char* what() const throw() {
    return "An error has occured";
}

However in the following code the allocation of std::string may fail, throwing an exception:
std::string what() const throw() {
    return std::string("An error has occured");
}

If the string's constructor threw here, the application would most likely crash no matter what, because the function specifies throw().
Using std::string inside an exception introduce the need to allocate memory which may not be possible (note that std::bad_alloc inherits from std::exception too).

A: There is not necessarily an embedded std::string. The what member function is virtual, i.e. it's designed to be overridden. The chief reason for overriding it is to provide the string in some other way than via the mechanism used by std::runtime_error (whatever that mechanism is, most probably a stored std::string).

A: While runtime_error does take a std::string as a parameter, so it could hold on to it and return it as you suggest, the what() method is inherited from std::exception, so is more general.
The overhead of throwing an exception is likely to be high already, with stack unwinding, so you should not be worrying about this little extra bit of overhead.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Figure 1. Excoriated lesions on the patient's wrists.
Figure 2. Shave biopsy demonstrating a cuticular mite within the stratum corneum.
A 35-year-old man gave a six-week history of intense generalised pruritus that was worse at night. The itching spared the face and head. Examination revealed multiple excoriated urticarial papules over the trunk and some linear crusted lesions on both wrists (Figure 1) and in the interdigital clefts.
Pruritic papular lesions may represent a number of disorders.
Papular urticaria presents as urticated papules that are erythematous and often excoriated. These usually follow insect bites. Skin biopsy shows separation of keratinocytes (spongiosis) with superficial and deep lymphocytic inflammation and eosinophils. Rarely, insect bite parts may be retained in the skin.
Papular eczema may complicate patches of dermatitis and is characterised by excoriated papules. Biopsy shows epidermal spongiosis and superficial lymphocytic inflammation and eosinophils.
Larva migrans is usually associated with serpiginous burrows that typically occur on the acral areas or back. Skin biopsy shows superficial lymphocytic inflammation and eosinophils. The worms are rarely seen on the skin biopsy.
Scabies is the correct diagnosis here. It is due to a mite that may be present in isolated burrows or may number hundreds (Norwegian or crusted scabies). The latter state is seen particularly in immunosuppressed patients. Major clues to diagnosis are the intense itching, which characteristically spares the face and head, and the presence of genital lesions. Skin scraping of a burrow or examination by dermatoscopy often reveals the mites, their eggs and faeces, allowing for definite diagnosis. Skin biopsy demonstrated cuticular lined structures under the stratum corneum and superficial dermal eosinophilia (Figure 2). A history of itching in other affected family members may be obtained.
Scabies is usually treated with topical scabicides, including 5% permethrin cream or lotion or 25% benzyl benzoate, which should be applied to all the skin. The face and head may not need treatment except in immunosuppressed patients or young children or in Norwegian scabies. Resistance to scabicides may be seen. Oral ivermectin, with a single dose of 200 µg/kg, may be useful in patients for whom topical treatment has failed or in immunosuppressed individuals. Simultaneous treatment of contacts is also important to minimise recurrence.
Generalised itching that is worse at night may represent scabies, and skin scrapings can clinch the diagnosis.
Associate Professor Kossard is Director of Dermatopathology at the Skin & Cancer Foundation Australia, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW.
This article was first published in Medicine Today in January 2004. It was reviewed and updated in November 2012.


Are you new to the sport of triathlon? Welcome! Hills Tri Club want to make sure you achieve your goals – Join us to get support, make new friends and start competing.
Triathlon is a mix of 3 sports, that you do all in a row for an overall race time.
SWIM – BIKE – RUN.
There are various distances to compete in. For new people to the sport, we strongly recommend you start out and do an "enticer" event for your first race to get a feel for things. At Hill Tri Club, our members race across all distances, however our own race series is "Sprint", "Enticer", and Junior distance events.
Being 3 sports in 1 there is a bit of a list and if you stay involved in this sport you will accumulate stuff, a LOT of stuff. But to get started you just need the basics.
A swim suit or tri suit. Almost everyone does their first triathlon in normal swimmers.
Down the track you may get a swimming wetsuit but you don't need one to race and most people do not have one when they start out.
A bike. Mountain bikes are fine, so are borrowed bikes, kmart bikes and crappy old bikes.
It's a good idea to put a drink bottle on your bike.
A cap or visor (not compulsory).
You may wish to bring shorts or shirt to ride and run in depending what you are wearing in the water (see 'What do I wear' further down).
A watch if you want to keep track of your times (official race results will be available within a couple of days but some of us are impatient).
Most people have a checklist written before race day so when the nerves kick in you can pack everything according to your list and not stress about forgetting things.
Head to the big, red registration tent, you can't miss it.
Pick up your race pack which has your timing chip, swim cap, race number bib and stickers for your bike and helmet. Instructions are included on what to put where.
Put your helmet on and take your bike and all your gear to the transition area (the place with all the bike racks – once again you can't miss it).
Put your bike on the racks and set up all your gear in a neat little pile next to your bike.
You will need to take your bag and any non-essential items back out of transition and leave them in the bag drop area.
How do I know where to go during the race?
Before the race you will receive an email with all the details of the course, including course maps.
On the day there will be maps up on a big white board to help you familiarise yourself with the course.
There is also a briefing just before the race where the officials run through the whole course with everyone.
There will be lots of people around to ask if you are unclear about any aspect of the course and everyone is happy to help you out so don't be afraid to ask.
What do I eat and drink before and during the race?
For an enticer, or even a sprint distance, you really don't need to do or eat anything too complicated.
If it is an afternoon race, eat a regular, light breakfast and lunch and avoid anything too heavy in the 2-3 hours before the race.
During the race drink plenty of water or electrolytes.
You don't need to worry about gels or any triathlon/ endurance specific foods in these short distance races.
If you do want to use anything different during your race make sure you try it out in training before race day to make sure it agrees with you.
The short answer is that you need something you are able to comfortably swim, ride and run in.
This may be one complete outfit from start to finish or may involve adding a layer after the swim leg. Most triathletes eventually race in some form of Tri Suit but very few had one for their first race.
Most people wear their regular/ speedo type swimmers for the swim leg. If you have triathlon shorts you might choose to wear them over the top in the water. Otherwise people often leave a pair shorts at their bike and put them on for the ride and run.
Your torso must be covered for the ride and run, not usually an issue for the women, but guys will also need to leave a shirt at their bike if they are not swimming in anything that covers their top half.
Some women will wear a sports bra under their swimmers.
What happens if I get in to trouble in the swim leg?
The swim is the part of triathlon that intimidates a lot of beginners.
If you are not a confident swimmer here's a few things to make you feel better about the swim leg at Hills races.
As per all triathlons, if you are struggling or feel out of breath you can stop and hold on to the watercraft, have a rest and then continue your race. As long as you don't move forward there is no penalty at all for doing so.
We swim in a lake at least 40km from the ocean so there is no waves, no currents and we 100% guarantee no sharks.
Is everyone there going to be a hard-core athlete?
Whilst we do have some fantastic athletes within the club who have competed all over the world and achieved amazing results, the vast majority of us are just like you. We have families, jobs and other commitments. We participate in triathlon to keep fit, meet like-minded people and have fun.
We have club members in all shapes and sizes, ranging from toddlers to 70 years plus. It doesn't matter what your time is or where you finish on the list, it's about getting out there and challenging yourself. The sense of achievement when you cross that line is hard to beat.
Just be warned – this sport is highly addictive. This might be your first triathlon, it almost certainly won't be your last.
Shoot us an email at beginners@hillstriclub.com.
All of us remember our first race. It's super exciting but can also be a bit daunting. I had lots of people from Hills help me out when I was getting started and would love to do the same for you.
Need some help preparing for your next race?
We have a helpful race checklist for you to download and print that includes some useful items you may need for your triathlon.


text:
Pain For Much Gain: Biggest Compensation Payouts
by Firths Compensation on December 9, 2013
It might come as a surprise to learn just how common personal injury compensation claims are all around the world. From injuries suffered at work, to losses arising out of negligence or even a breach of contract, the laws surrounding compensation across the world are vast and encompass a huge variety of different scenarios and grievances.
The monetary range of compensation also varies greatly, from coverage for a sprained muscle to that for life-long injury, death or disease. Read on to find out about some of the largest compensation cases making the headlines from various jurisdictions around the world and what was awarded to the victims.
1. Agnes Collier
In 2012, Agnes Collier, then 17 and studying at a college in England, was awarded $23 million pounds in compensation for injuries she sustained in a car crash during 2009. Collier's mother was killed in the crash, and she herself sustained severe, paralyzing injuries that will require constant care for the rest of her life. As part of court arrangements, Collier will receive around $7 million pounds in an upfront payment and then around $270,000 pounds annually for the rest of her (estimated) natural life. The case is considered one of the largest personal injury payouts in English legal history.
2. Milly Evans
In a tragic development at the time of her birth, the heart rate of Milly Evans was not properly monitored by staff and as a result of this oversight she sustained lifelong injuries. Being unable to speak, wheelchair bound and in need of high-end care, an action was launched on Evans' behalf alleging negligence on the part of the National Health Service (NHS). Following developments in court, the NHS agreed to pay the Evans family $5.9 million pounds immediately and further payments of $200,000 pounds, coming to a total of $10.8 million pounds to cover the scale of Evans' injuries.
3. Joseph O' Reggio
In yet another case of negligence at child birth, Joseph O' Reggio was awarded a $6 million pound compensation payout at court for brain damage he sustained as a result of medical negligence at the time of his birth. Now afflicted with cerebral palsy, severe learning difficulties and being unable to feed himself, the court held it was only appropriate that the NHS pay the sum to O' Reggio's family, since he requires constant concerted care, and must see speech therapists and physiotherapists on a regular basis for rehabilitative purposes. O' Reggio may now be able to afford the care he needs, but it's important to note that even just claims can fail in court if not argued well- so make sure if you require compensation that you hire competent compensation lawyers to maximize your chances of receiving appropriate recompense.
4. Zachary Quinn
Turning to Australia, and in what remains one of the biggest negligence payouts in Australian history, 7 year old Zachary Quinn's family was awarded more than $9 million dollars in damages because of complications arising out of his birth. Zachary's mother, Teanne, headed to hospital complaining that there was no foetal movement inside her womb, and doctors and hospital staff performed only cursory checks on before releasing her. As a result of this negligence, Quinn was born with severe learning difficulties and cerebral palsy, similar to Joseph O Reggio (above). Teanne stated that the payout would help her cope with the costs of caring for her son, and would help him receive the best quality of life possible under the circumstances.
5. Payout for Child Abuse
In what is possibly the largest payout in the record books, a judge in Texas ordered accused child molester Don Wilburn Collins to pay $150 billion dollars in compensation to the family of Robbie Williams, a boy who Collins was alleged to have doused in gasoline and set on fire in 1998. Even though it is impossible for Collins to make the payment, it is nonetheless legally binding and Williams' parents say they mainly wanted legal recognition of Collins' wrongdoing. The payment awarded is said to be close in value to the entire economy of Peru, making it an exorbitant (but symbolically important) compensation order.
This post was produced in partnership with Firths Compensation Lawyers.
Image credit: vagawi via flickr
Firths Compensation
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Pain For Much Gain: Biggest Compensation Payouts - December 9, 2013
Does Compensation Have to be Spent on Medical Expenses?
Legal Protocol for Compensation
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"The Birmingham Project" commemorates the tragic killing of six young African-Americans killed in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young African-American girls: Addie Mae Collins, aged fourteen, Denise McNair, aged eleven, Carole Robertson, aged fourteen, and Cynthia Wesley, aged fourteen. Several hours later, two young African-American boys: Johnny Robinson, aged sixteen, and Virgil Ware, aged thirteen, were shot and killed in related violent incidents. Receiving a commission from the Birmingham Museum of Art, Bey spent seven years of repeated trips to Birmingham in advance of beginning portrait sessions, using a large format view camera, over a five-month period in two locations: the original sanctuary of Bethel Baptist Church and the Birmingham Museum of Art. This series was first exhibited in 2013. The subjects of his diptychs are local community members who mirror the age of the youths at the time of their death, paired with adults who are the age these youths would have been if they were not killed. This project asks that we, the viewer, consider the past through the present.
Dawoud Bey is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and is a 2017 recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University and is currently Distinguished College Artist and Professor of Art at Columbia College Chicago, where he has taught since 1998. Since 1979, his work has been exhibited and collected in many prestigious museums around the world, including Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC; National Portrait Gallery, London; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, amongst many others. He is represented by Stephen Daiter Gallery in Chicago, and Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco.


text:
Q: How does @TestSetup work when tests run in parallel? While reading this article TestSetup Annotation, I found the following explanation of how TestSetup annotation works:

If a test method changes those records, such as record field updates or record deletions, those changes are rolled back after each test method finishes execution. The next executing test method gets access to the original unmodified state of those records.

Now it makes me think of how it works with Parallel Test Execution. Following the explanation from the help article, it looks like unit tests in a test class should run sequentially to make sure that

...executing test method gets access to the original unmodified state of those records.

Is it true, or am I missing something?

A: Note: This is opinion and experience based and may not be accurate.
I believe parallel test execution is about executing multiple test classes in parallel, rather than the individual test methods in parallel.
From my understanding, during test execution (sequential or parallel):

*

*A virtualized database is initiated for a given Apex test class, with or without content based on the @SeeAllData annotation.

*The @TestSetup annotated method is executed once before any of the tests in that class are executed, with the infrastructure effectively calling Database.setSavepoint when the method completes.

*The tests methods are invoked, one-by-one and in some order, and after each method completes the infrastructure effectively calls Database.rollback to restore the database to the after-setup state.

*At the end of the test class execution the virtualized database is discarded.

Note that this virtualized database doesn't fully isolate various tests from each other, so you should be careful. A common gotcha is test methods that insert custom settings; these will often clash during parallel execution with locking issues.


by a pet's name means they are in a foster home. Book services, get special offers, play our Treat Trail Game more right at roboform discount code everywhere renewal your fingertips. 10 from 9am-5pm get free doggie ice cream a digital keepsake photo! We are open Monday Sunday from 1pm -. Find a camp shop by pet what's happening, download for free today!
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See you on the Loop.
The run group that started it all! Run through the streets of Portsmouth, Rye, and Newcastle at 6:00 PM on Thursday Nights and 8:00 AM Saturday. Runners of all paces and abilities are welcome as we aim to keep the pace casual and have some fun!


On display 20 km west of Verona near the Gardaland. Tail section from MM54410.
Early morning visitor belonging to the 60a Brigata Aerea from Amendola.
Amendola based 60° Stormo G-91T.
SVBAA: "Scuola Volo Basico Avanzato Aviogetti"