These holds have been shaped and produced according to AFNOR Rock Climbing Holds European Standards.
Beside, VOLX CLIMBING has been for years an active member of the group of compagnies participating to the establishment, modification of the current standards.
PE is the term used for the resin PolyEster.
It is the main ingredient used to make up our resin mortar.
Designed with the help of the principal actors in the market, our resin has been developed in order to conform to our criteria of quality, to make the best possible finished product. Its texture is very similar to the feel of the rock, with a perfect "grip" sensation. It is also more resistant to UV and to detergents than PolyUrethane.
Originally, this material was introduced for the manufacture of technical components frequently used in the aeronautic or naval industries.
The procedure consists of designing a hull made up of multiple layers of woven fiber glass, consolidated using Polyester resin, in other words, a composite structure.
The advantages are its light weight and its (almost) limitless strength to produce different forms. We produce our composite forms following the same method as our holds, in other words, with a negative texture; we do not add sand to a smooth surface (positive texture) with the disadvantage of reduced durability and feeling aggressive and abrasive to the touch. We create a grip in the main body, which is porous and thick, with proven durability and smoother to the touch.
As it has been continually evolving since its market launch is 2009, our laboratory tests reinforce our idea than a good Polyester formulation can be better than a low-end PolyUrethane.
Volx Safety is a metal security component inserted during the pouring procedure, starting at size M. It guarantees a heightened level of security for users! If a hold is accidentally broken, only the smallest bits of metal, with no danger for users, will fall to the ground.
The most common is excessive tightening.
The second is setting up holds on an uneven surface, which creates a cantilever effect.
By using VOLX holds, you eliminate the risk of large pieces of debris falling on other users.
Borrowed from production methods used in the car or aeronautics industry to make complex parts, then adapted for our pouring method, this procedure enables us to produce hollow holds, which are lighter and easier to use.
All our holds are equipped with the Double Bolt System (DBS) so they can be used either with Socket Head Cap / CHC BTR (8 mm – H) bolts or Flat Socket Head / conical countersunk bolts FHC BTR (6 mm – H).
The new round head screw Button Head / BHC (6 mm – H) enables flat clamping on the XS hold models. So you can preserve your wooden structure from drilling screwholes, while still fixing technical micro holds on it.
You can also use this type of hold on concrete walls. On request, we can supply INOX screws.
PU is the term used for the resin PolyUrethane.
It is the evolution of climbing hold material!
After years of research, VOLX came up to a PU formula most competitive in terms of breakage resistance, weight ratio and grip/texture durability. A softer feel will allow you to train even longer!
Look for this step forward!


"A pathetic and cynical slap at the civil rights movement" is how the ISRA is describing a lawsuit filed yesterday by a group of plaintiffs that includes renegade priest Michael Pfleger. The lawsuit contends that free exercise of the 2nd Amendment violates the civil rights of Black people living in Chicago. As a remedy, the plaintiffs seek to compel a trio of villages that have gun shops within their limits to adopt gun shop licensing schemes similar to that put in place by the City of Chicago. Oddly enough, Chicago has no gun shops within its borders. The Chicago regulations place a number of costly and inefficient requirements on gun shops which make it nearly impossible for retail gun sales to take place in the city.
Filing of this lawsuit is the latest addition to Pfleger's theatrical repertoire which has included attempted storming of gun shops and wild-eyed calls for the "snuffing" of gun shop owners and pro-gun politicians.
"Pfleger isn't kidding anyone," said ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "His intent is to run as many firearm retailers as possible out of business - plain and simple. We've come to expect this sort of nonsense from Pfleger. Nevertheless, we never cease to be amazed at the kooky assertions made by this guy. Now he's claiming that the 2nd Amendment essentially infringes on the civil rights of Black people. I would love to hear Pfleger explain to the many thousands of lawful Black firearm owners in the state just how the 2nd Amendment infringes on their civil rights."
ISRA members who were not able to make the kickoff Grassroots Meeting in Deerfield are welcome to come to Deerfeild this evening to hear Lake County State's Attorney Nerheim. The meeting starts at 7pm at the Deerfeild Italian Kitchen, 648 Deerfield Rd, but members are encouraged to come early with an appetite and support the resaurant that provides this space!
More ISRA Grassroots news and a page on the ISRA website coming soon!


text:
Literary Critics
David Hume Introduction
David Hume is an enigma—an enigma wrapped in a riddle, hidden in roll upon roll of good-natured corpulence. He is, first and foremost, an empiricist, someone who believes all knowledge is based on experience. What, after all, is more solid and trustworthy than experience? Show us an empiricist, and we expect to see an upstanding gentleman—a decent, respectable British fellow, a lot like Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins.
Well, it turns out that Hume doesn't quite fit the bill. He's Scottish, after all. Worse, he's a dude with some pretty wacky, unrespectable beliefs. Here's an empiricist who says we can't know that the sun will rise tomorrow, or that this pencil will actually fall the next time we drop it. He claims we can't be certain that a world outside of the ideas in our own mind actually exists.
And when it comes to literature? Sure, Hume pioneers the essay as a literary genre, and sure, he knows the great books through and through. But he says that literary taste, in the end, just rests on our sentiments or feelings—which is exactly what your stern high school teacher taught you never to say.
Okay, you say, so maybe this guy's just a skeptic, and he simply denies the possibility of knowledge altogether. Not exactly. Even in his very first book, A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume makes a major announcement: he's an experimenter. That means that when it comes to ideas, he'll trust experience and nothing else. If this sounds familiar, it's because our old buddy—and Hume's idol—Isaac Newton had used the same method. And Hume was sure that he could arrive at philosophical knowledge that was just as solid as Newton's.
Hume was so confident in his method that he actually thought he had identified the three "laws of association" that would explain how the mind works. (He calls these laws of association "resemblance," "contiguity," and "cause and effect.") That's right: Hume is sure he can tell you how your own mind works—and this was long before psychology was a thing.
In other writings, Hume applies this approach to literature. He says that our aesthetic judgments—like when we think a painting is pretty or a song moving or a poem...poetic...are rooted in those "feelings" that your high school English teacher warned you about. But that doesn't mean these judgments are purely subjective. Hume thinks that since every human has the same sentiments, this will allow us to discover the laws of aesthetics, just as Newton discovered the laws of physics.
But the greatest enigma of all is that Hume saw no contradiction between the scientific and skeptical strands of his thought. Contradiction, shmontradiction—it's all good. Hume thinks we can use empirical science to explain the physical world, literature, morality, and history—no problem. He just doesn't want us to build any big systems or philosophies based on these scientific explanations. In fact, he doesn't want us to build anything from these explanations. What you see is what you get, and that, says Hume, is what empiricism actually teaches us.
There have been empiricists before, of course, but none have been clear-minded enough, mischievous enough, or fearless enough to stay on that empiricist train even as it goes madly hurtling over the edge of rationality. Only David Hume had the mental girth to pull that off.
Comrades/Rivals

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Selenoprotein K knockout mice exhibit deficient calcium flux in immune cells and impaired immune responses.
Tribbles 3: a novel regulator of TLR2-mediated signaling in response to Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide.
IL-1F5, -F6, -F8, and -F9: a novel IL-1 family signaling system that is active in psoriasis and promotes keratinocyte antimicrobial peptide expression.
Cutting Edge: The murine high-affinity IgG receptor FcγRIV is sufficient for autoantibody-induced arthritis.
Involvement of CD56brightCD11c+ cells in IL-18-mediated expansion of human γδ T cells.
Comment on "Therapeutic targeting of Syk in autoimmune diabetes".
HLA-G expression in human embryonic stem cells and preimplantation embryos.


"The Application of Text Mining and Data Visualization Techniques to Te" by Jeffrey R. Smith Jr.
Unstructured data in the digital universe is growing rapidly and shows no evidence of slowing anytime soon. With the acceleration of growth in digital data being generated and stored on the World Wide Web, the prospect of information overload is much more prevalent now than it has been in the past. As a preemptive analytic measure, organizations across many industries have begun implementing text mining techniques to analyze such large sources of unstructured data. Utilizing various text mining techniques such as n -gram analysis, document and term frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and topic modeling methodologies, this research seeks to develop a tool to allow analysts to maneuver effectively and efficiently through large corpuses of potentially unknown textual data. Additionally, this research explores two notional data exploration scenarios through a large corpus of text data, each exhibiting unique navigation methods analysts may elect to take. Research concludes with the validation of inferential results obtained through each corpus's exploration scenario.
Smith, Jeffrey R. Jr., "The Application of Text Mining and Data Visualization Techniques to Textual Corpus Exploration" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 1863.


text:
November + December 2008
COVER STORYDesigning games
Emerging approaches to research and design practice
XV.6 November + December 2008
Sus Lundgren
Six different players negotiate the distribution of 11 jewels of nine different colors—in 60 seconds [1]. Teams of children are competing to get the right set of keys to open a treasure chest; is it morally right to encourage violent robbery of a wanted key? An old-fashioned dogfight game requires programmers to implement death—how does that feel? Designing a Myst-like adventure game in real life encourages the use of... grass. What is going on?
The examples above all come from my life as an interaction/ gameplay designer or teacher of these subjects, and to me it just proves that gameplay design is in fact interaction design. Why? Because gameplay design is design of the core game, i.e., the rules of the game. And the rules in turn affect not only how the game is played, but also how players interact with each other via the game and thus in turn how they experience it. For instance a game like Yahtzee, with its luck-based and non-interactive gameplay, will result in a totally different game experience than a negotiation-intense game, where you have to actively interact with others in order to succeed. Hence, every single design decision matters when writing the rules. Imagine for instance a poker game where all cards are open; this simple decision reduces the game to an exercise in counting the odds. This, the immediate impact of a design change, is what makes gameplay design so interesting and so instructive.
In addition, the freer realm of games opens up for interesting challenges when it comes to interaction design. Let's take the first example above, with negotiation: How often do you get to design that in a normal GUI? How would you go about transforming such an immediate, body-language-dependent process to an online environment? I've given this task to 180 students in 39 groups, and there seems to be at least three and a half solutions—can you figure them out?
Games are full of these unusual interaction issues, never before solved. In addition, they often provide moral or ethical issues, as in the examples above. In the children's game, the solution was to introduce stun guns into the game; the children could shoot and stun each other, and whoever was stunned had to give up his or her key and stand still for a minute. As for the dogfight game, the students programming it wrote this in their report: "On the other hand it was interesting to face one's feelings when one implements status = STATUS DEAD. It is not uncomplicated at all, and maybe it does not just numb but also starts thoughts on why?" Another group of students set out to make a live version of an old-fashioned computer game in the adventure genre, but as they couldn't make the entire game, they designed a small room in what should have appeared as a cottage. To create the feeling of a mystery, they worked hard with effects like a filmed face projected upon a dummy, saying mysterious things, secret writings on the wall that appeared only in ultraviolet light, a buzzing radio that was in fact controlling interior sounds, a diary, etc. The room was part of an exhibition, and despite the fact that it was dark and the outer sounds were muffled, the room did not really get its own character until the students bravely rolled out a piece of real lawn in what was to be "outside." The musty smell of grass changed the experience completely, and it exemplifies how games open up new aesthetic dimensions and questions. Actually, any non-abstract game is full of aesthetic issues, the most important ones being how the theme should "carry" the rules and make them logical: "No, you can't move across that square, because that's water and you don't have a boat." And so on.
So, that's why you should try gameplay design if you have not done it yet: to explore new problems and possibilities, and to work with a set of aesthetics that is freer—and more demanding. This leads us to the next question: How?
I Have No Tools and I Must Design?!
Back in 1994, game designer Greg Costikyan stated, "I have no words and I must design [2]" as a response to the upcoming breed of game designers' need for a common terminology on game-related stuff. Since then, an extensive terminology has been created, collected, and discovered, as well as theories on how to run development and test the ongoing design [3]. However, there is still a dearth of idea-generation methods for games and gameplay; typically, "normal" idea-generation tools, for instance brainstorming, are described in the game design literature, whereas more direct game design methods are lacking or only briefly described.
For the professional game designer, constantly looking for inspiration and playing what-if, this may not be a problem, but the rest of us may need a hint. Therefore, I take the opportunity to present a set of methods for quick idea generation. All of them have been tested numerous times with gamers, students, and people interested but inexperienced in game design. Since most of them were developed as parts of workshops, they are between three and eight hours long. You can use them to come up with game ideas or to explore (perhaps when teaching) the close connection between a changed rule and a change in gameplay, i.e., how one design decision can affect the entire outcome. These methods are intended for groups of at least two but preferably four people. And most important, all of the methods can be used to design any type of game. A board game. A card game. A computer game. An outdoors game. A game played with mobile phones, indoors or outdoors, or perhaps over time. A game played with a Wii control or a dance mat. A game played with nothing more than a set of dice and an ability to bluff [4]. Any kind of game.
Redo It Right...
The participants start out by playing a dysfunctional game of some sort, like a game based entirely on luck or one that is "broken" in some aspect (it may never end, it may be boring, it may be frustrating...). The game's rules should be fairly simple; public-domain games for children (like Memory, or simple card games) can be good candidates. The game is played and analyzed in terms of what mechanics or patterns it contains and how these affect not only gameplay but also which kinds of feelings they evoke (e.g., lack of control may result in either boredom or stress). Sometimes it helps to draw a kind of pattern map to see interconnections. Then, possible rule changes are suggested, discussed, and tested. A new analysis is made and so on.
There are two benefits with this method. First, one does not have to come up with anything from scratch. Second, being a game design newbie is fine; anyone can improve a broken game, which can be good for one's self esteem. However, some may feel that it is "cheating" to take someone else's idea (even if it is a public-domain idea, like card games). Whether this is a problem or not depends on the aim of the exercise; if it is to come up with an original game to publish, this may not be the way to go. If, on the other hand, it is the first in a series of exercises aiming to teach game design, this is not a problem at all.
Designing for Emotions
This is a variant of "redo it right," wherein the participants make the initial analysis the same way but then decide to design for one of the emotions that the game evokes. Trying to design for a feeling, rather than a theme, will result in rather different design choices! One can stretch the design process in absurdum toward the chosen emotion and then "bounce back," using this extreme variant of the game as a new "broken" game that one has to fix and make more playable by changing or removing parts of it.
By designing for an emotion (especially a not-so-pleasant one!) one opens up the design space for unusual ideas. This is very useful, but one must be aware that the most extreme variants are seldom "playable" in a wider context. They may not even be possible to redesign, but one may still find useful ideas in them that may otherwise not have been found. It's a bit like using extreme characters [5] instead of personas as a design tool.
D6—Killing Someone Else's Darlings
Originally, this was an exercise for designing board games (hence the name; a D6 is a six-sided dice), but it can just as well be used to come up with ideas for any kind of game (if so, the time may have to be extended). The idea is that each group of participants starts with one game component (a six-sided dice, or a card, or a score track, an item or a graphic image). A participant may add a rule to the game, and thereafter the next participant may add or remove rules or components. Every once in a while the game is play tested. This carries on for about an hour, and the aim is explicitly to not "finish" the game but to deliver a "baby" game in need of further development. Then two groups meet and present their respective games to each other, after which point they spend another two hours refining the design of the other group's game. They meet again, demonstrate what they have done, and get their own game back with a final hour to refine it.
This method is very effective, since the ideas undergo a constant testing and questioning due to the rotation of design ideas. Interestingly, the fact that the games will not be fully described during demonstration (and there is rarely a comprehensive written description) often leads to new ideas or other manners of play based on misinterpretations of the rules, widening the design space. Also, the games benefit from being played by different groups of players since different groups may have very different player styles (aggressive, helpful etc.), which also highlights different strengths and weaknesses of gameplay. These two effects may result in some groups being astonished or disappointed when their "baby games" are developed further in a way that they had not expected!
This method can also help if you want to design a game for a certain device (i.e., a cell phone); the device, with all of its functionality, is the start item instead of the dice.
The Future Map—Designing Game Worlds
In this exercise, participants list a set of opposites, e.g., rich-poor, introvert-extrovert, nomadic-stable, hot-cold, science-New Age [6]. Thereafter, each group chooses two sets and uses them to create a diagram with four quadrants combining the two opposites. They then try to imagine four future worlds (one for each quadrant) strongly characterized by these properties.
These future worlds are then used for inspiration. Either the worlds themselves become the environment of the games (e.g., a first-person shooter game set in a post-holocaust world), or one can take imagination a step further by trying to come up with what kind of games would be played in this particular future. Both approaches can result in very odd game ideas, but the latter may be more demanding. However, it can also be more rewarding; during a workshop in 2001 [7], this approach led to the idea of MultiMonsterMania a collectible card game system in which some cards had programmable content and others had DNA—the patient could breed monsters The background was a world with lots of self-expression and large gaps between the rich and the poor, and MultiMonsterMania was a cross-society game that street kids could use to get money, either by programming cool stuff or breeding cool monsters.
This method can be used to widen the design space, especially if creating games for that world, but unlike the other methods, it sets the conditions for the game, rather than stating anything about the game itself—a potential downside. Also, there is a risk that all the creative effort goes into imagining the worlds, leaving nothing for the games. This is of course easily solved by letting the exercise run over two occasions. Also, if more than one group is doing this, they can benefit from describing their worlds to each other; any group may then pick any world that inspires them.
Gameplay Design Patterns—Designing With Special Interactions in Mind
Gameplay design patterns are a way to describe the patterns, or parts, of gameplay and the interrelations between them. Patterns can be high level and deal with emotional outcomes (e.g., tension or immersion). They can be very low level and deal with components (e.g., dice, cards, or avatars). They can also fall somewhere in between, dealing with interaction (e.g., bluffing, betting, movement, and so on), information (e.g., symmetric information, public information etc.), or game conditions (e.g., safe havens, race, rewards, etc.). There is a collection, by Holopainen and Björk [8], but even without this you can find and name the patterns you would like to use.
Gameplay design patterns can be used as a starting point for game design. Pick two or three and set them as a requirement; the game must include these in some way. Interestingly several groups using the same patterns will still come up with very different games. For instance, I ran a workshop in which three groups designed games using the pattern Real-Time Game and either cooperation, espionage, or a team or outdoor game [9]. The result was one mobile phone game about a race across the polar regions, another mobile phone game played in the city that was now populated by monsters and treasures, and one Pictionary-like camera game.
Creative Constraints
In this exercise the participants receive constraints in forms of components (if they are going to design a board game) or graphics (for a computer game). They must use only some, not all of the components. Again different groups will come up with very different ideas.
Here the choice of components will affect design more than you can believe. Small things like color (coding) may matter a lot as may things like different shapes so it is worth designing or choosing these with care
What to Use When and the Art of Providing Inspiration
The methods I describe have their own pros and cons "Redo it right" is by far the easiest for non-experienced gamers because there is an existing set of rules "Gameplay design patterns" is the most complex tool; it takes time to get to know, but as any other comprehensive tool (the collection contains more than 200 patters), it is very useful once mastered.
"D6" and "creative constraints" are much each other's opposites, D6 being very free, while creative constraints can be very limited, depending on how many components you provide and how many have to be used. Having tried out both in several cases, I would say D6 works slightly better—when trying it on a class of interaction designers and game designers, some four games out of 14 were promising. I've tried creative constraints only as a game design competition with time pressure added, which does not work well; this task may work better if the participants can review the material beforehand. On the other hand, most of the material is already designed, so the focus is much more on actually designing the gameplay than making the perfect components, as in D6.
Actually, there is an imminent risk that prototyping or programming issues may interfere with gameplay design. This can be countered either by sticking to lo-fi prototypes and/ or bodystorming if necessary, or by involving experienced programmers, or by limiting the scope to designing board or card games only. Also, you must be a bit cautious in what materials you choose to display; D6 and creative constraints are highly dependent on what prototyping material you provide as inspiration. The others, not so much. It all comes down to what type of game you want—for instance, if you provide dice markers, etc., you will most likely get a board game. In order to skew the ideas toward, say, a live action game, you will have to provide more everyday-life things—props like bags or bizarre hats or water guns—perhaps some maps, and last but not least, a means of communication like PDAs or mobile phones. In order to get computer-game prototypes, you really need to have skilled programmers in the group, and preferably someone good at graphics as well. Then you must provide hardware, software, an image-, texture-, and sound library and anything else that may get them going. If you want more unpredictable outcomes, you can provide things like cameras (always tempting), LEGO Mindstorm, perhaps an AIBO robot dog, and other intriguing things... like whatever is in your bottom kitchen drawer right now. And always provide paper of different sizes (and cardboard if you have some) and pencils of different colors!
"But," you may be wondering, "doesn't it require a certain amount of game knowledge to do all this?" Well, as with anything else, experience helps when designing a game. However, this experience can come from different sources—for example, from playing games of any kind. Or it can come from that instinct we designers work so hard to achieve, the gut feeling telling us when something actually is interesting, entertaining, or "working," and why. As a matter of fact, if everyone is inexperienced in game design, it's often the interaction designer who carries forth the strongest ideas, simply because of this valuable and carefully trained ability. This may come from having user tested one's designs every so often, which may not be the case for everyone. Actually, designing a game (or the embryo of a game) and then letting others test it is not at all different from running some other kind of user test, like, for instance, thinking aloud. And we all know how to do that!
Still, the methods mentioned above will not work for everyone, every time. But if a method doesn't work for you, try another. Or, if you like the method, try it out with others. Since a method takes a maximum of eight hours (but typically four) to carry through (although, admittedly it may take longer if prototyping requires a lot of time), it is not time-consuming to try out two or three.
If you use any of these methods to teach, make sure to divide any gamers among the rest so that each group can benefit from having an experienced gamer. Also, make sure to point out to your students how much a small change of a rule can change the entire experience of a game; imagine, for instance, a game of chess where the goal is not to strike the opponent's king but all of her or his pawns. This small change has a huge effect on how the game is played. (Try if you don't believe me!)
Wishing all of you the best in your gameplay design endeavors, I'd like to end with a tip I've gotten more than once when interviewing game designers of different kinds: Start with only a few components and rules, make a very simple game, and add complexity with care. And, as they always say on the telly: Have fun with it!
Oh, about the three and a half solutions to the negotiation problem (and note that using voice-based interaction is not allowed), here goes: (1a) You can assign each of the negotiating players an area and let everyone drag and drop the jewels to and from these areas, (1b) and you can also turn this into a kind of turn-based distribution. (2) Or, you can let all the jewels lie still and let each player mark their interest in a particular jewel instead. Each of these three solutions requires ways for the players to agree or disagree with what is going on. (3) Or, you can let all players get their own subset of the jewels, each suggesting how they think the entire division should turn out. Here, players need to be able to agree with one or several of the other's suggestion.
Regardless of the solution, players also need a means of showing that they want a particular jewel particularly, or if there is someone to whom they won't give a certain jewel. Also, regarding color-blindness issues, it is not a good idea to keep all the nine colors as is; working with shapes is necessary to facilitate jewel recognition for everyone [10]. Oh, and by the way, that's another method of exploring unusual interaction design problems: Take a board game and make an online version of it.
1. As in the game Dragon's Gold, designed by Bruno Faidutti, published by Descartes Editeur in 2001.
2. "I have no words and I must design" was originally published in a British roleplaying journal, and features Greg's definition of a game as well as a list of different game-related things. It's still available online at: http://www.costik.com/nowords.html
3. See for instance Salen and Zimmerman's Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, MIT Press, 2003; or Fullerton et al Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games, CMP Books, 2004; or C. Crawford's Chris Crawford on Game Design, New Riders Games, 2003. Even I myself have proposed a method for multidisciplinary game design: S. Lundgren, "Facets of Fun: The design of Computer Augmented Entertainment Artifacts," Master's thesis, Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg University, 2006, 159–186. <http://www.cs.chalmers.se/~lundsus/publications.html>
4. Yes, of course there is such a game, called Bluff or Liar's Dice, designed by Richard Borg in 1974 and published by very many, e.g. FX Schmid, Piatnik, Milton Bradley.
5. Extreme characters is a design method where one creates very odd characters to design for, i.e. red-haired, shy, left-handed terrorists. The aim is to let darker emotions and desires influence the design for once. See Djajadiningrat et al "Interaction Relabelling and Extreme Characters: Methods for exploring aesthetic interactions," working paper, DIS 2000, New York, N.Y., 2000.
6. To my knowledge the method with the future maps (albeit not called this name) was created by Lars Erik Homlquist and Ramia Mazé.
7. See special issue on ubiquitous gaming: S. Björk, J. Holopainen, P. Ljungstrand, and K.P. Åkesson, "Designing Ubiquitous Computing Games - A Report from a Workshop Exploring Ubiquitous Computing Entertainment," Journal of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 6. no. 5 and 6 (December 2002).
8. To read more about gameplay design patterns and get a full collection, check out Björk and Holopainen, Patterns in Game Design, Boston: Charles River Media, 2005.
9. See S. Lundgren, "Facets of Fun: The design of Computer Augmented Entertainment Artifacts," Master's thesis, Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg University, 2006, 145–153. <http://www.cs.chalmers.se/~lundsus/publications.html>
10. Read the rest in S. Lundgren, "Teaching Gameplay Design is teaching Interaction Design," working paper, HCIEd 2008, Rome, Italy, 2008. <http://www.cs.chalmers.se/~lundsus/publications.htm>
Sus Lundgren is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in interaction design at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. She has a background in game design research and has worked with Web design and GUI design for several years. She also owns some 400 games.
DOI: http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1409040.1409042
Figure. The game Minesweeper and a pattern map for it.
Figure. The main idea behind D6: Provide lots of game components and then constantly switch games between groups.
Figure. A map of four possible future worlds
Figure. Prototyping MonstroCity: from left to right, Anders Quist, Leif Ryd and Anders Mårtensson. Below, a MultiMonsterMania monster
Figure. These (plus some dice) were the components I provided for the first creative constraints workshop I organized. When designing the components, I thought the coupling between the colors on the cards and the colors on the boards was too obvious, but not all groups used this connection. In addition, all groups but one got typical player pieces (like the ones to the right), but I did not have enough, so one group got small sturdy cylinders instead. Sure enough, they used the fact that these could be stacked!
©2008 ACM 1072-5220/08/1100 $5.00
Reflections on innovation
Cultural and personal impact
http://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/november-december-2008/cover-storydesigning-games1


text:
Chicago holiday hiring: UPS, Target host job fairs this week for thousands of seasonal positions
By Ian Mitchell
Oct 31, 2019 | 12:02 PM
UPS driver Dave Knudsen, left, and his son David Knudsen, 22, a UPS driver helper, head to their next location after delivering packages in Geneva on Dec. 7, 2017. This year UPS is looking to hire 4,000 more seasonal workers in the Chicago area. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Shipping giant UPS says it is conducting a "hiring blitz" for seasonal positions Friday as it gears up to add 100,000 temporary workers to handle the crush of holiday packages.
UPS is holding 185 job fairs across the country Friday and hopes to hire nearly 50,000 workers that day alone.
In the Chicago area, UPS is hiring for more than 4,000 full- and part-time seasonal jobs, including roles as drivers, driver helpers and package handlers.
Danelle McCuster, UPS vice president of human resources, said in a news release, "Many of those who come to one of our job fairs this Friday could be signed up for a seasonal role by Monday, and many of our senior execs, including me, began their careers here with a seasonal job."
The local job fairs Friday will be at UPS sites in Addison, Bedford Park, Franklin Park, Hodgkins, Northbrook and Palatine, as well as at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.
Rival shipper FedEx announced plans last week to hire more than 55,000 seasonal workers throughout its network, including more than 3,500 for part-time jobs at FedEx Ground facilities in the Chicago area.
The company is hiring package handlers via its website for positions at its locations in Bedford Park, Carol Stream, Grayslake, McCook, Niles, Romeoville and Wheeling.
FedEx said in a news release that many of the positions could become full-time job opportunities "as demand for our services grows."
Other national companies that have announced Chicago-area holiday hiring plans include:
A Target employee rings up a sale Feb. 16, 2016, at a store in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. The discount retailer plans to hire about 132,000 seasonal employees this year, including about 6,000 in the Chicago area. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Target. Discount retailer Target Corp. said it will conduct hiring events at all its stores Saturday and Sunday.
The company has announced that it will hire about 132,000 seasonal employees nationwide in preparation for the holiday season, with about 6,000 of those hires in the Chicago area.
Most of the seasonal workers will work at Target's more than 1,800 stores across the country, while about 8,000 positions will be at distribution and fulfillment centers, the discount chain said in a news release. Starting pay for the jobs will be $13 an hour.
Target noted that its seasonal job openings are up from last year's holiday season, when it hired 120,000 workers for its stores and 7,500 for distribution and fulfillment centers. In all, more than 40% of Target's seasonal hires remained with the company after the holiday season, it said.
Radial. The company, which handles order fulfillment for online brands including Hunter Boots, has announced plans to hire 322 seasonal workers for its Romeoville warehouse.
The entry-level positions will be full-time through the peak holiday season. Workers will pick, sort, pack and ship merchandise orders.
Radial said there will be opportunities for seasonal hires to move to long-term employment, but it said decisions on permanent jobs will not be made until after the holiday season.
Maria Chavez and Alonso Delgado put ornaments on the Walnut Room tree Nov. 1, 2017, at Macy's on State Street in Chicago. The department store chain has announced its 2019 holiday hiring plans. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Macy's. The department store retailer plans to hire about 80,000 seasonal workers for its stores, call centers and warehouses nationwide.
Macy's spokeswoman Carolyn Ng Cohen said in an email that about 1,900 of those seasonal positions will be for the company's operations in Illinois, where the company has 29 stores under its Macy's and Bloomingdale's brands.
Macy's said about 30,000 of its seasonal hires would be for positions at fulfillment centers, which are not in Illinois, and about 1,000 jobs would be specifically to support its in-store Santalands, New York Thanksgiving Day parade and other holiday events.
J.C. Penney. The department store chain wants to hire 330 seasonal workers for its stores in the Chicago area as part of its goal to add 37,000 employees across the country as the holidays approach.
The retailer, which has approximately 850 locations nationwide and 19 in the greater Chicago area, is offering both full- and part-time positions.
A Lowe's home improvement store shipping box is displayed Aug. 21, 2019 in San Bruno, Calif. The chain has announced it is hiring more than 350 workers in the Chicago area for the 2019 holiday season. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Lowe's. Home improvement chain Lowe's has said it is hiring more than 350 permanent full- and part-time workers in the Chicago area, where the company has 22 stores.
A Lowe's news release says available jobs include department supervisors, cashiers, sales specialists, customer service associates, merchandise service team members, receivers, unloaders and load pullers, the news release says.
The job openings are for permanent positions, not temporary seasonal openings, Lowe's says. The Mooresville, N.C.-based company employs about 300,000 people across the U.S. and Canada.
Pedestrians walk by a Gap store on May 25, 2018, in San Francisco. Gap Inc., which owns Old Navy and Banana Republic stores as well as its namesake chain, said Sept. 26, 2019, that it seeks to hire as many as 5,000 seasonal workers ahead of the holidays. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Gap Inc. The parent company of the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta brands has announced plans to hire up to 5,000 workers companywide for the holiday season.
Across its brands, the company has 36 stores in Chicago and 91 retail locations if surrounding counties are included.
Gap Inc. spokeswoman Natalie Hunter said that the company will be hiring 150 workers in the Chicago area.
The retailer, which said earlier this year that it will spin off its Old Navy brand into a separate company, also owns the Janie and Jack children's clothing chain.
A Kohl's store in Corpus Christi, Texas, is seen on Nov. 27, 2015. This year the department store plans to hire 90,000 seasonal workers nationwide to help with increased business ahead of the holidays. (Courtney Sacco/AP)
Kohl's. Department store Kohl's plans to hire 90,000 workers, including about 3,960 in the Chicago area, as part of its seasonal hiring plans.
Kohl's spokeswoman Julia Markun said in an email that the chain's hiring plan for 2019 is about the same as last year.
The department store chain, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., has more than 1,100 Kohl's stores nationwide.
Dick's Sporting Goods. The company says it will hire about 315 seasonal workers in the Chicago area, where it has 23 stores in the city and suburbs.
A Michaels store is seen in Philadelphia in 2006. The arts and crafts chain, which has more than 1,250 stores, has announced that it plans to hire 15,000 seasonal workers for the holidays. (Matt Rourke, Associated Press)
Michaels. Craft store chain Michaels, which has more than 1,250 stores nationwide, has said it will hire about 15,000 seasonal employees in preparation for the holiday season.
A Sept. 5 company news release noted that last year Michaels hired more than 40% of its seasonal in-store positions into regular roles after the holidays.
Spokeswoman Mallory Smith said the chain has more than 30 stores in the Chicago area and a distribution center in northwest Illinois.
A worker fills tins with popcorn on Nov. 5, 2014, at The Popcorn Factory in Lake Forest. Flower and gift provider 1-800-Flowers.com says there will be "hundreds" of seasonal jobs at the Lake Forest factory and offices in Melrose Park (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
1-800-Flowers.com. Flower and gift provider 1-800-Flowers.com has announced plans to hire more than 8,000 seasonal workers for the holiday season.
Spokeswoman Allison Franzese said in an email that there would be "hundreds" of seasonal Illinois jobs "located in The Popcorn Factory facility in Lake Forest and our offices in Melrose Park."
The company, which has the Harry & David, Shari's Berries, Cheryl's Cookies and The Popcorn Factory brands, among others, said in a news release that it nearly quadruples its nationwide workforce ahead of the holidays, with the majority of the seasonal jobs in Illinois, Ohio and Oregon.
The company, headquartered in New York, said the positions it is hiring to fill include full- and part-time jobs in areas such as production, gift assembly, retail, call center, distribution and order fulfillment. It also said seasonal workers may be considered for permanent positions.


text:
Exhibition opens in 151 Days 14 Hours 30 Minutes 2 Seconds
HomeVisitorsVisa Service
Visa in Shanghai
According to the Administrative Law of the People' s Republic of China on Entry and Exit of Foreigners, foreigners entering China should apply for a visa to the Chinese diplomatic representative or consular offices, or other institutions authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People' s Republic of China.Please ensure that all your colleagues and accompanies have already obtained the relevant visa prior to departure. We assist our registered visitors in applying visa by issuing our company invitation letter, and visitors may apply via mail.
It is not guaranteed that the invitation letter issued by our company can assist your application of visa successfully, kindly check with the Chinese embassies or consulates-general in your home country for detailed instructions.
Passports must be valid for at least SIX MONTHS beyond the intended date of entry into China.
◆What kind of visa shall I apply?
Chinese visas fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visas are further divided into the following categories:
Issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities.
J1 Issued to resident foreign journalists of foreign news organizations stationed in China. The intended duration of stay in China exceeds 180 days.
Issued to foreign journalists who intend to go to China for short-term news coverage. The intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180 days.
Issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities.
Issued to those who intend to work in China.
◆Can a visa be extended?
The validity period of a visa refers to the time limit for the bearer to enter China, and it is irrelevant to the duration period of stay in China. The duration of stay refers to the period allowed for the bearer to stay in China starting on the date of entry. If the visitor fails to complete his/her work at the duration period of stay, he/she should go to the Entry and Exit Administration of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau to extend the visa. 30 days of extension could be granted to a "F" visa if the application is submitted by the bearers host organization while 90 days could be granted if the application is submitted by the supervising commission, office or bureau of the host organization and the visa could be renewed repeatedly within one year. "L" visa can be renewed only once for 30 days.
◆Can foreigners apply visa on arrival?
Here are Rules Governing the Implementation of the Law of the PRC on the Entry and Exit of Aliens (Extracts).
For entry to China, aliens shall apply for visas to Chinese diplomatic missions, consular posts or other foreign-base agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.
Aliens holding letters or telegrams from authorized organizations in China and ordinary passports issued by countries that have diplomatic relations or official trade contacts with China may apply for visas to port visa agencies authorized by the Ministry of Public Security in cases of an urgent need to travel to China and a lack of time to apply for visas to the above-mentioned Chinese agencies abroad, for the following reasons:
Being invited at short notice by the Chinese side to attend a trade fair in China;
Being invited to China to enter a bid or to formally sign an economic or trade contract;
Coming to China under contract for supervision over export shipment, import commodity inspection or checked on the completion of a contract;
Being invited to install equipment or make rush repairs;
Coming to China at the request of the Chinese side for settling claims;
Being invited to China for scientific or technological consulting services;
A last-minute replacement or addition, approved by the Chinese side, to a delegation or group that has been invited and has already obtained visas for traveling to China;
For visiting a patient in a critical condition or making funeral arrangements;
As persons in immediate transit who, because of force majeure, are unable to leave China by original aircraft within 24 hours or have to leave China by other means of transport;
As other invitees who really do not have enough time to apply for visas to the above-mentioned Chinese agencies abroad but hold letters or telegrams from designated competent authorities approving the application for visas at port visa agencies.
*Port visa agencies shall not handle visa applications of aliens who do not come under the above-listed categories.
Port visa agencies authorized by the Ministry of Public Security are set up at the following ports:Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Xi'an, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Guangzhou (Baiyun Airport), Shenzhen (Luohu, Shekou) and Zhuhai (Gongbei).
US citizens are advised to apply their visas before leaving for China. Only those who are in the situation as being said in Reason (9) are exceptions.
◆144-hour Visa-free Policy
Starting from Jan. 30, 2016, the measure of 144-hour Transit Visa Exemption for Foreign Nationals for citizens from 53 countries destined for a third country with booked a through air ticket goes into force at the ports of entry of the airports in Shanghai and Beijing. During the visa exemption period, the passenger is allowed to move around within the administration precincts of Beijing and Shanghai municipality.
Starting from Dec. 1, 2013, six more countries in Central and East Europe, including the Republic of Serbia, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Albania, are added into the "72-hour visa free" countries list.
◆The 53 visa-free countries are:
Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.
◆What do I need to show to the immigration officer?
Your own valid international travel document (valid for no less than 3 months)
Your air / vessel / train ticket to a third country (region) with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon arrival
Arrival / departurecards(for temporary entry foreigners) filled out in detail.
◆Reminders
According to the 144-Hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy, the destination of those international passengers applying for Temporary Entry Permit should be a third country (region).
During the stopover, passengers may travel in the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province, but they are not allowed to travel beyond these areas.
After confirming the qualification for 144-hour visa-exemption transit, the immigration inspection station will issue the foreign passenger a temporary entry permit. Then from 00:00 of the next day upon his / her arrival in China, he / she can stay in the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province without a Chinese visa for 144 hours.
Passengers applying for the 144-Hour Temporary Entry Permit are supposed to make hotel reservations beforehand and provide the specific booking information.If the accommodation is at a private residence, the detailed address and means of contact must be provided.
A foreign passenger who enters China under the policy should exit China within the approved duration of stay. If, due to force majeure or some other reasons, such a passenger needs to stay longer than 144 hours in the above three administrative precincts, or travel beyond the restricted administrative precincts, he should apply for relevant stay permit to the corresponding provincial or municipal exit and entry administrative bureaus.
If the immigration inspection station, when conducting departure procedures, discovers that the passenger has stayed beyond the approved duration of stay, he / she shall be subject to punitive measuresaccording to relevant regulations stipulated in the Exit and Entry Administration Law of P.R.C. and that'll have a negative effect on your next application.
◆For detailed answers to Frequently Asked Questions concerning 144-hour visa-exemption transit policy, please call the hotline of the General Station of Shanghai Immigration Inspection 0086-21-51105100.


SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect will detect the spyware, adware, trojans, ransomware, malware, and infections other products miss! Repair broken Internet Connections, Desktops, Registry Editing and more with our unique Repair System. Dedicated Threat Research Team scours the web for new threats and provides daily definition updates. The Professional version features Real-Time protection, Automatic Updates and Scheduled Scanning.
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be okay. Many people know someone whose hearing improved after medical or surgical treatment. It's true that some types of hearing loss can be success-fully treated. With adults unfortunately, this only applies to 5-10% of cases.
90% of patients are in need of hearing aids for both ears.
Hearing loss affects only "old people" and is merely a sign of aging. Only 35% of people with hearing loss are older than age 64. Close to six million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 44 with hearing loss, and more than one million are school age. Hearing loss affects all age groups.
If I had a hearing loss, my family doctor would have told me. Not true! Only 14% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss during a physical. Since most people with hearing impairments hear well in a quiet environment like a doctor's office, it can be virtually impossible for your physician to recognize the extent of your problem. Without special training, and an understanding of the nature of hearing loss, it may be difficult for your doctor to even realize that you have a hearing problem.


text:
class CreateStashEngineResources < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def change
    create_table :stash_engine_resources do |t|
      t.integer :user_id
      t.integer :current_resource_state_id

      t.timestamps null: false
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Shanghai government announced on Thursday that it aims to further stabilize the property market in 2019 and plans to speed up the development of rental apartments and supply more affordable housing units to meet residents' living needs.
The city is endeavoring to guide and cultivate the construction of a high-quality rental housing market and plans to build and convert 100,000 rental housing units throughout the year.
Since 2017, Shanghai has continuously strengthened the construction of rental housing. Last year, the city sold 118 hectares of land for rental purpose, with a planned construction area of 2.5 million square meters.
Also, Shanghai plans to accelerate the construction of affordable housing and improve the supporting services for large residential units. As many as 60,000 new affordable housing units are expected to be supplied in 2019, compared with the target of 55,000 units in 2018, authorities noted.
Last year, Shanghai saw a total of 80,000 new affordable housing units built -- exceeding the target, and by the end of 2018, the city had a cumulative 126,000 units of public rental apartments.
On top of that, based on shared property ownership, eligible non-registered households with financial difficulties being now included in the housing welfare system.
As of the end of 2018, the number of families benefiting from low-rent housing and affordable housing with joint property ownership reached 127,000 and 120,000 respectively, the government said.
Shanghai said it will adhere to the principle that "houses are built for living and not for speculation." It will focus on the regulation of the real estate market and will maintain the continuity and stability of its control policies.
Achieving strict control of high house and land prices is not a short term strategy, nor will it to reduce the reliance of economic growth and fiscal revenue on the real estate industry, officials said.
Meanwhile, the city will strengthen the supervision of the agency rental industry and further strengthen the monitoring of the rental housing market. To better guide market expectations, it seeks to improve the functions of the public service platform for rental apartments and establish a monitoring index system and an information release mechanism for house rent.


Located on a mountain ledge overlooking the Dangmechhu, Trashigang Dzong is one of the most strategically placed dzongs in the country because it is accessible only from the north.
It was founded by Trongsa Penlop Chhogyal Minjur Tempa when the eastern region of the country was brought under Drukpa rule according to the prophecies of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal.
The Dzong has an inner sanctum of a guardian deity (gongkhang) and several other temples like the Lam Lhakhang, Guru Lhakhang, Tshogshing Lhakhang, etc.


Dunedin holiday homes and vacation homes directory, New Zealand. Relax in a Dunedin holiday house or vacation home rental, and enjoy all the comforts of home in your holiday accommodation. Holiday houses in Dunedin provide a great way to enjoy your New Zealand holiday in comfort, and are located in great holiday locations in Dunedin, New Zealand.
The last time gothic, faraway Dunedin was troubled by the suggestion that it might be a trendy and fashionable place was nearly quarter of a century ago when it kick-started New Zealand's alternative.
Yesterday it was a nose rub, today the Prince of Wales copped a kiss from a female admirer on the royal tour of New Zealand. Marija Jovanovic reports.
Dunedin City holiday accommodation. Baches and holiday homes for rent in Dunedin City, Dunedin Area.
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Holiday Home – Dunedin Located in Dunedin, 1.3 km from Otago Museum, Suburban Sanctuary provides a living room with a flat-screen TV, and free WiFi.
This is one of the best value for money holiday homes in Dunedin. 10 4 2 Enquire. Ocean View Retreat. Dunedin, Otago. From $165 BEST VIEW IN DUNEDIN Private, modern, cosy and chic and FREE WIFI. Easy access to Dunedin Centre and Saint Clairs Beach, cafes and restaurants.
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About Dunedin. As one of the southernmost cities in the world, Dunedin is a unique destination with Scottish and Maori heritage. This New Zealand city has influences from around the world and is known for its incredible architecture and beautiful landscape.
SWANSON, Timothy 56, of Holiday, passed away Jan. 18, 2016. He is survived by his loving wife, Tammy; sons, James and Timothy; mother, Nancy; and sister, Kelly. Celebration of Life will be at his home.
Located a short 15 minute from Dunedin City Centre on the Southern Scenic Route, Ocean View Apartment offers fresh, attractive, upmarket decor in the office end.
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This mountain bike route starts from Agios Mironas village (just 18km from Heraklion), one of the most historic villages of Crete. Its characteristic feature is the old school clock, which is distinguished from the entire province of Malevizi.
From Agios Miron we will follow the dirt road east of Pirgou village, on the top of a hill with spectacular views, until we reach Ano Asites village. It is worth making a stop at the Byzantine chapel of Saint Anthonios, which is hidden in the rock at the entrance of the homonymous canyon. At the beautiful stone church there are springs of drinking water to refill our bottles before we ride again our bicycles.
Our next stop is the ancient Rizinia on the hill of Patella hill near Prinias village. To reach the hill we have to carry the bikes to go up a few stone steps and then ride carefully through the narrow path to the church. Admiring the view from the edge of the rock from the place where the church of Saint Panteleimon is today, we realize why the ancient Minoans chose this location to build their settlement. From this point they could control the important Passage from Knossos to Gortina. It is believed that the settlement was a refuge for the Eteocretes, the first inhabitants of Crete when the Dorik tribes came from Greece, as also was Karfi peak.
On the way we will pass next to "Siderospiliia" two ancient tombs carved on the hard rock. Nowadays they have turned into a toilet for sheep and goats.
Then we head to Prinias village. Like and other villages in Crete, the village's name derives from Prinos the evergreen oak of Crete, which is here in abundance. After the first houses of the village we will ascend to the top of the saddle and move west to the valley of vathia. At the top the view is stunning, the landscape completely different. Vathia is a big pasture at the north foothill of Koudouni mountain. The creek flowing through the valley forms a small gorge at the entrance of which, next to a cave, is located the church of Saint Charalampos that has given its name to both the gorge and the cave.
After Vathia we return to Asites and back to Agios Miron through the fertile valley of Nisi. Nisi, a small settlement that belongs to Kato Asites village was previously abandoned but today it has been completely restored. Near Nisi, beside a stream full of plane trees we can visit the inactive Monastery Chrissopigi.
Those who wish to add more difficulty to the route, from Prinias can do an extra climb to the wind turbines. From Perdikorifi peak you can gaze the whole Prefecture of Heraklion from North to South, the Mountains of Dikti as well as Gavdos island.
After finishing your bike tour and returning to Agios Mironas village, it is worth visiting the traditional tavern Ethimiko at the entrance of the village.


My design is inspired by the visceral experience of going fast on a motorcycle. From a design standpoint, it's a fun process to graphically represent speed when really what you are looking at is two-dimensional and not moving.
T-SHIRT: Maize Yellow, 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester, 40 single 3.6 oz. Sideseamed. Retail fit. Unisex sizing.


text:
How US equities might fare under Biden
Sam Slator 19/01/21 in Economics & politics
On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. One thing is for sure: White House rhetoric is likely to be very different for the next four years. But what does it mean for US equities?
Darius McDermott, managing director of FundCalibre, gives his thoughts:
"Biden's election and, more recently, the Democrats taking control of the Senate has temporarily boosted value stocks, but I expect more of the same from last year – namely that growth and tech stocks will do well.
"The new administration has a slim majority so, to quote a spokesperson from JP Morgan, "it's a blue ripple rather than a blue wave". But stimulus is likely to be greater, and big reform less likely in areas like technology and healthcare, which is good news for markets. Tax rises are also unlikely before 2022, as Biden will want to get the pandemic under control and then the economy back on its feet first.
"A lot of the money from stimulus cheques will be spent and some will also find its way into the stock market. Interest rates will stay low. The one thing I will be watching out for is signs of inflation. If it picks up in a big way, then all bets are off."
Funds to consider: AXA Framlington American Growth and T. Rowe Price US Smaller Companies Equity
Specific opportunities and threats
"I expect tech stocks to do well as restrictions and lockdowns will continue for some time as we wait for vaccines to be rolled out. The US market is expensive, but these companies continue to deliver huge earnings growth," Darius continued.
"There is likely to be some commentary about whether tech will get regulated because that is a traditional Democrat talking point. But Vice-President elect Kamala Harris was Attorney General of California and oversaw the rise of the big tech firms – they even supported her political ambitions at one point – so I suspect they will be fine in the end. And even if they are forced to break up, this is likely to only increase their value."
Funds to consider: AXA Framlington Global Technology and Smith & Williamson Artificial Intelligence
Renewables/climate change
"The level of spending on low carbon and/or positive environmental policies in the Biden campaign is potentially enormous. He has already pledged to make re-joining the Paris Agreement one of his first acts and will be pushing for a net-zero target by 2050, 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2035 and for buildings to be made more energy efficient," said Darius.
Deidre Cooper, co-manager of Ninety One Global Environment, commented: "We would expect the tax credits for renewable energy to be further extended as part of the stimulus and, crucially, a separate tax credit for energy storage to be implemented.
"A Democrat-appointed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should also help, as will faster permitting for offshore wind farms which had been consistently delayed by the Trump administration. This implies significant upside for leading wind developers and companies in their supply chains, such as turbine-blade makers. Additional upside for solar is more muted, just because the growth outlook is so strong anyway. Any targeted energy efficiency upgrades to buildings would be a strong tailwind for companies that provide solutions for heating, cooling and powering buildings more sustainably.
"We would also expect the 200,000-vehicle-per-automaker cap on the current US$7,500 incentive for electric vehicles to be removed and emissions standards for automotive OEMs to be tightened. This would be a tailwind for the diverse companies in the electric-vehicle supply chain, from makers of battery components to suppliers of sensors, software and power semiconductors."
Funds to consider: Ninety One Global Environment and Pictet Global Environmental Opportunities
"The $2 trillion stimulus to 'build back better' will benefit more than just renewables," said Darius. "There has been chronic underinvestment in critical assets in the US for many years (US government spending on transportation and water infrastructure for example is at a 55-year low) and there is urgent need for repair, modernisation and expansion. So higher infrastructure spending –albeit with a clear emphasis on renewables – will have an impact on a number of areas."
Funds to consider: M&G Global Listed Infrastructure and First Sentier Global Listed Infrastructure
"A Democratic President in the White House should set a cautionary tone for the healthcare industry," continued Darius. "However, with the Senate split 50:50, and the Vice-President carrying the tiebreaking vote, reform is still possible but highly disruptive changes to law are unlikely."
James Douglas, co-manager of Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust commented: "Biden's focus is likely to be building on and investing in the current healthcare system, known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and addressing the high cost of prescription drugs. Investing in the ACA and lowering the eligibility age for Medicare are both positives for the insurance industry given the positive volume implications. A public insurance option, which he may consider, could present a challenge but only if administered and underwritten by the Federal government.
"With bipartisan support, addressing the high out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, especially for US seniors, is a directive that will likely have traction. But a divided Senate is unlikely to support the more draconian policies. Regardless of the potential changes, the message to the bio-pharmaceutical industry is very clear: innovate and target unmet medical needs because pricing pressure is here to stay."
Funds to consider: Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust and Baillie Gifford Global Discovery (31.6% in healthcare companies*)
"Biden's approach to China is likely to be similar, with tariffs remaining, but the relationship should be less volatile," Darius said. "Legal and General also highlight the possible 'wildcard' of Biden making a forceful response to December's hacking revelations allegedly involving Russia. But overall, the new administration should be a positive for emerging markets. In the medium-term, supportive stimulus policies in the US will also tend to push up global economic growth, which is supportive of emerging market currencies."
Magna Emerging Markets Dividend co-manager, Ian Simmons, added: "A Biden victory and a multi-billion dollar stimulus plan in the US could benefit parts of the world represented in emerging markets in two ways. First, a large increase in infrastructure spending may be supportive for commodity prices, which tends to support emerging market government spending decisions and consumer confidence. Secondly, the money printing or borrowing required to fund this stimulus may prompt a weaker dollar – normally a supportive factor when thinking about returns from these countries."
Funds to consider: Magna Emerging Markets Dividend and GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity
*Source: Fund factsheet, 30 November 2020
Three investment themes for 2023
Strategy, Ideas & insights | 25/01/23
by Darius McDermott
It's that time of year when everyone reaches for their crystal balls to predict what sectors could...
How the cost-of-living-crisis is impacting our green habits
Ideas & insights | 12/01/23
by Sam Slator
The cost-of-living crisis has had a knock-on effect on the UK's lifestyle habits, with half of UK...
Funds to watch in 2023
by James Yardley
As we start a new year, FundCalibre's research team takes a look at the funds and trusts we think...


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That's why we've implemented a series of best practices for earning the highest first-call resolution rate possible. Through superior customer engagement methods and extensive knowledge of our clients' products and services, our teams achieve success rates among the industry's best.
It begins in our recruitment stages. We seek out and filter out only the best candidates with the innate qualities for become excellent customer service agents.
Call center performances characterized as impersonal, mechanical and generic aren't part of our DNA. Our agents undergo a thorough training process that empowers them to remain agile, adapting to unique customer issues and establishing a human connection with the customer. This includes the art of "conscious conversations," a technique for engaging customers in a natural dialog.
Training never ends at DialAmerica. We keep things small and focused with an agent-to-supervisor ratio of 12:1, the lowest in the industry. This allows us to coach and train agents on the job, ensuring optimum performance.


text:
Q: How to add spaces to any given string and maintain N chars? In Ruby using regex, I want to modify a given string that will be shorter than or exactly 15 characters, so that it is always 15 characters by adding spaces.
For example:
'apple' => 'apple(10 spaces here)'

'orange' => 'orange(9 spaces here)'

'fifteenspaceshi' => 'fifteenspaceshi'

I have tried this and it works but would regex have a more elegant solution?
x = 'apple'

x = x + ' '*(15 - x.length)

A: No need to involve regex
"apple".ljust(15) # => "apple          "

A: I think Sergio's answer is the best based on the complexity of the question, but you can also use string formatting (sprintf) if you need more complex formatting later:
"%-15s" % "apple" # => "apple          "

Read documentation for the patterns and how to read/write them.

A: Here is another way using a left padding trick:
padding = "               "
input = "123" + padding
puts input.chars.first(15).join

"123            "
        ^^ 12 spaces

The idea here is to concatenate a string containing 15 spaces to the right of the input string.  Then, we retain the first 15 characters of that concatenated result.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Sometimes you have to first look in the rear view mirror to clearly see the path ahead.
The New Year is upon us and it is only natural that most people begin to develop ambitious plans and resolutions to maximize the opportunities of 2015. Whether your focus will be about losing weight, getting healthy, starting a business or any other goal, it is wise to first take inventory of the past 12 months and look for guidance from that experience before taking the first step.
At LABI, we are already looking ahead to the important issues on the horizon and we will bring all resources to bear to ensure a positive business climate is protected and cultivated in our state. Next year, Louisiana will host a contentious legislative session in the spring and a spirited election cycle in the fall that will usher in a new governor and changing faces throughout the Legislature.
As 2015 arrives, my first inclination is to say thank you to our members for all of their support in 2014. Louisiana's economy would be nowhere without their hard work throughout our state and LABI could not do what it does without the unwavering dedication of members who passionately believe in our mission to champion the principles of the free enterprise system. Their support, volunteer leadership and participation in the organization has made all the difference in the world – and all the difference in Louisiana. Our work empowers business and people to drive the future of this state – a noble cause and powerful motivator to do more.
We were able to enjoy significant success last year on a number of important issues – most notably on civil justice reform, which in recent weeks has garnered more national attention. In the 2014 legislative session, we prioritized lawsuit reform in order to improve the state's judicial climate and reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits and the associated costs to the community – and the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) took notice. Louisiana moved down in the rankings from No. 2 to No. 7 in ATRA's annual Hellholes® Report released in December demonstrating fundamental improvements in Louisiana's judicial environment. While much more work is to be done, this jump in the rankings is a clear sign that the reforms of 2014 put us on the right track and should serve as a roadmap for 2015.
Every year, the Judicial Hellholes® program identifies and documents jurisdictions where judges in civil cases systematically apply laws and court procedures in an unfair and unbalanced manner, generally to the disadvantage of defendants. Simply put, this is not a list we want to be on the top of and Louisiana has chronically placed at the top of this report as a state in need of substantial civil justice reform. The good news is that Louisiana is finally heading in the right direction and we must continue to do so.
What did we do last session to result in this new, and better ranking? At the urging of LABI members and our coalition partners, the Legislature adopted significant, positive civil justice reforms during the 2014 legislative session. The report praises several specific pieces of enacted legislation, including Act 796, which expressly prohibits the state's use of contingency fee contracts, caps the rates that outside attorneys can be paid and establishes transparency in the process; Act 400, which strengthens legacy lawsuit reforms, discouraging frivolous claims, speeding up regulator cleanups prior to lengthy and costly litigation and creating a more predictable legal environment for all parties; and Act 544 which clarifies the governmental entities authorized to bring a lawsuit from activity regulated by state or federal coastal use permits. In time, we believe this law will effectively end the unauthorized lawsuit brought by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies that have operated with legal permits in the coastal zone for decades.
The above accomplishments helped move Louisiana's ranking and our residents will benefit from the improved legal climate that comes with it. The recent report demonstrates what we can accomplish if we simply identify our problems and have the courage to address them. Building on the successes of the 2014 legislative session, LABI and our members are emboldened and more determined than ever to improve the Louisiana judicial system and bring a fair and balanced legal environment to businesses and taxpayers alike.
National-recognition came from other groups as well. The U.S. Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) honored LABI and its coalition partners with its Outstanding Organization Award in recognition of its history of supporting legal reform and its successful efforts to pass important legislation during the 2014 session.
We look forward to building on this exciting momentum because there is more work to be done. An obvious next step for Louisiana is to bring increased transparency and accountability to the judiciary. Our government works best when we have three separate, but equal, branches of government that are all accountable to the taxpayers. Over the last few years, reforms that increase transparency in budgeting and enhance ethical requirements for public officials have passed for the Executive and Legislative branches. Unfortunately, all too often, the Judiciary has not been held to these same standards and our taxpayers' ability to monitor the budgeting and ethical standards for the legal system has suffered due to this disparity in treatment.
We know we will also need to address other obvious civil justice deficiencies, including lowering the nation's highest threshold for a civil jury trial, improving venue provisions to ensure lawsuits are filed where damages actually occurred and other common-sense reforms. These changes will reduce our costs, empower taxpayers, push us further down the Judicial Hellholes® list and make us more competitive for jobs and investment from other states.
On behalf of our member companies across the state, LABI advanced some of the most substantial legal reforms in the nation this year. In 2015 and every year thereafter until reform is complete, LABI will work with the Louisiana Legislature on policy and legal solutions and strive to elect legislators, judges and others that put the rights of the people first – as it should be.
As we look to 2015, we look to our mission with a strong sense of accomplishment and renewed vigor and we invite all to join us as we work to ensure a more competitive business climate and more prosperous future for Louisiana.


Come rain or shine we will plan and provide the most magical Teddy Bear's Picnic for your kids party. With adorable games, songs and music included, your entertainer will take the children on a Teddy adventure using the power of imagination and interactive storytelling to capture the minds and creativity of the group.
Our Teddy Bears Picnic is perfect for children who have a special cuddly friend that they want to share their birthday with. Your kids party entertainer will start the party with some exciting themed games including the Honey Pot game, Musical bears and some classics like Pass the Parcel, including exciting prizes! A lovely storytime and singing will get the children settled and ready before sitting down to enjoy their picnic feast.
We can even include decorating a delicious gingerbread bear with icing sugar, sweets, fruit and other treats, all with the help and direction of your party entertainer.
Our expert entertainers are trained to win and maintain the interest of the children from ages 2 years and upwards by making the experience engaging and exciting from start to finish, so you will get a chance to relax and watch the party unfold infront of your eyes. Children's early years birthday parties are among the most important to make amazing lifelong memories and friendships with peers, so we will create a uniquely special party for your child to make these precious moments truly magical!


Alright, you've been in this job for a while now. It's time to think about business development career advancement opportunities. That means moving away from your executive role into something more challenging and exciting.
Maybe you want to be a team leader now. Or you want to take charge as a manager. Or you want to strike it out on your own as a business development professional and create something impactful in the market.
We've got solid tips for you on how to do just that as a BD professional. From learning how to better your skills in prospecting or pitching to identifying opportunities in the market to level yourself up, we've got tons of resources for you.
Saddle up and read away. And if you've always wanted to know something about advancing a career in BD but never found the answer, drop us a message and we'll get right on it!
Name: Zeus Khambatta Company: Bid4skill Role: Co-founder How did you end up in as a co-founder at Bid4skill? I was never very good with authority….


Up your outfit's intrigue with an alexandrite cluster ring of 14K yellow gold. Black rhodium plating enhances the gemstone allure in any light.
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Rated 5 out of 5 by Queene101 from More Beautiful in Person! I waited a long time to purchase an Alexandrite ring I believed would be a nice carat wt. with a reasonable price. This one was it and I LOVE IT! It's more beautiful in person than it was on tv. The color in the stones don't disappoint and they change color according to the lighting. The ring is absolutely breath taking, and I don't regret buying it. Now I need a nice Alexandrite bracelet to go with my ring.
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text:
British Association of Teachers of Dancing
Abbreviation: BATD
Officially Founded: 1892
Headquarters: United Kingdom
The British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD) is a UK-based dance examination board, with its Head Office in Glasgow, Scotland. The officially recognised date for the formation of the society is 30 November 1892, making it the first professional dance organization of its kind in the United Kingdom, and the second oldest in the world.
2. History of the BATD
3. Configuration of the Society
History of the BATD
Founded in 1892, the BATD became the first UK dance association of its kind to encourage the organisation of dance professionals into an organised society. The association may have been in operation earlier than this, however 30 November 1892 is the first recorded date that can be established beyond doubt (see BATD website).
There were 24 founder members recorded in 1892, with an estimated 3,500 members registered by the year 1999.
The British Association is represented in the following countries:
The British Association of Teachers of Dancing is represented in many other countries, but this list shows those countries where there are a notable number of registered members or where regular meetings of the association are held.
Configuration of the Society
The Society is managed by a President, Vice-Presidents, Trustees Treasurer and an Executive Council. These are all elected positions, which are balloted at the societies annual conference. There are various other regional or district committees, which organize meetings, lectures, seminars and other events for the membership in their district. These positions are nominated and elected by the membership of each district and include a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and Marshall. Members of the society can seek higher office, first at regional level then at the Executive level.
Diane Barron was the president of the Association from 2001 to 2005.
BATD
You can also search for British Association of Teachers of Dancing to check for alternative titles or spellings.
Search for "British Association of Teachers of Dancing" in existing articles.


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To develop and enhance opportunities for the next generation of the Northampton area's business leaders. We strive to provide opportunities for our members to grow personally, professionally, socially, and philanthropically.
The Northampton Area Young Professionals is a membership based organization comprised of employees from some of the region's top businesses and non-profits. Our membership base is as diverse as the Northampton area, with self-employed entrepreneurs, hospital staff, college students, non-profit executives, lawyers, bankers, and many more. NAYP is an affiliate group of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
In the Spring of 2007, the membership committee of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce met to discuss opportunities to enhance its benefits and get more involvement from its member businesses. Two young committee members, Tom Wall and Ned Leutz, recommended creating a new organization within the chamber that focused on young career-minded individual. Their goal was to create a group that could stand alone and achieve great things, while building bridges between young and established members of the community.
Over the course of that summer, a strategic plan and operating goals were developed. When the final plan was presented to the Northampton Chamber's Board of Directors, it was met with overwhelming favor. A kickoff event was organized and the first "Party With a Purpose" social and networking event was held on September 6, 2007 at Look Memorial Park.
The NAYP would like to thank the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for their support of our group. They have allowed us to work independently to create a truly amazing organization.
There are countless others who have put in a lot of work to get us to where we are today. Some of today's largest contributors serve on the NAYP Board of Directors and various NAYP committees.
We're thrilled to see the organization grow to where it is today. We had a tremendous beginning, and we're looking forward to bringing the young professional community even more value in the years to come.


Gone are the days when Trivandrum beach tour used to be about Kovalam beach holidays and Shanghumugham evenings.
Both these beaches are busy even today. What has changed is that many new beaches have come to the spot light.
From Trivandrum city (Tvm for short, Thiruvananthapuram, if you want it unadulterated), travel 16 kms south and Kovalam welcomes you with three sandy beaches, shallow bays and coconut groves.
Kovalam, the most famous and the busiest beach of Kerala, is also one of the best for mainstream beach holidays.
Swim, snorkel, surf or ride the waters in a tiny fishing canoe, choices are many.
From beach side ayurveda to night bonfires, there is more to do in the shore as well.
Travel a couple of kms south from Kovalam, and you are in Vizhinjam, a fishing hamlet with a natural harbour. Not too far is a nice beach, usually with very few people.
Travel further south and you reach Somatheeram, the beach famous for ayurveda holidays. The road distance from Vizhinjam to Somatheeram is about 10 kms. The road takes a lengthy detour. The actual distance is much less.
Somatheeram area has several auyrvedic resorts, where you could holiday in style while receiving daily medical treatments. While Ayurveda addresses a wide range of health issues, a big chunk of tourists opt for rejuvenation therapies which include massages, oil baths etc.
Somatheeram is about 23 kms south of Trivandrum city.
The final stop in our southward travel is Poovar. Located about 7 kms away from Somathheram, Poovar is a beach – island.
It is actually an isolated island holiday destination which happens to have a couple of beaches.
These two beaches are – Poovar north and south. One of the beaches is a sandbank separated by backwaters on the east and ocean on the west.
Poovar can be reached from Trivandrum in about 40 minutes by car. The distance is about 27 kms.
This city beach is good for evening walks and watching the sun set. It is a no zone for swimming though.
Just a stroll away is Veli, the tourist village, where boats are rented for lake rides. Veli is a small stretch of land between backwater and the sea.
Shanghumugham beach is just on the outskirts of Trivandrum city, adjacent to the airport.
Varkala is one of the best beaches in Kerala. To reach there you have to travel north, about 54 kms from Tvm city.
In Varkala, a long cliff runs next to the beach. The cliff top, a great look out, has restaurants, cafes and artifact shops all over it.
Varkala is one of the top spots to include in Trivandrum beach tour.
Janardhana Swamy temple on the cliff top is a prominent Hindu shrine. Kappil backwaters and Sivagiri mutt are other two regional attractions.
Kappil is a stunning location where backwater and ocean occupy either side of the road. Kappil is a great place for backwater rides. The beach is small and with not many people around.
There are similar small local beaches in the nearby villages of Edathua and Odayam. If you want a remote beach, quiet and nice, try Odayam, a few kms north of Varkala.


Ben Simmons and Kendall Jenner just learned how tragedy can bring a couple closer together ... because lovebirds spent some quality time moments after Ben was assaulted on the hoops court.
By a vicious, savage, disrespectful, jaw-dropping dunk.
It happened during the Knicks vs. 76ers game Wednesday night, when Knicks rookie Kevin Knox delivered a two-handed destruction to Simmons that shook social media to its core (which is pretty easy to do).
It happened in front of a packed house of celebrities including Regina King (who almost got bulldozed by Joel Embiid), Tracy Morgan, Karrueche Tran, Justin Long and Maluma.
Kendall was there too, and after the game she and Ben hit the town with some pretty long (but beautiful) faces, probably contemplating Ben's basketball future, while dealing with post-dunk PTSD.
Here's the play ... please don't allow any young kids, people with cardiac conditions or small dogs to watch.


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The West End Farmers Market supports local, sustainable agriculture by connecting the public with local farmers and food producers. The West End Market accepts and doubles SNAP-EBT benefits up to $30 and doubles purchases made by Medicaid & WIC members up to $30.
All of our markets feature 100% locally produced products with an emphasis on organic, sustainable, and humane producers, products, and practices. All products sold at our markets are produced within 100 miles of our market locations. We make two exceptions to this rule: we allow regional seafood from Virginia and North Carolina waters (only if the vendor is local) and coffee (only if the roaster is local).
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for more information or to share your photos!
Thanks to the West End Center for Youth and Freedom First Credit Union for their continued support and partnership!