text:
of cucumbers, scalpels and cans of ham
I remember starting 2015 above London in the Shard. Seems that we've finished in a similar fashion, with more views across the Thames.
My picture of Tower Bridge is actually from about half way up the Shard, in the cocktail bar. There's a scale to the view below from this level that really works well and gives different scenes from each side of the building.
Its getting that even St Pauls has to compete for a view now, with all the new skyscrapers going up around the City.
Another nine are planned for the next 2-3 years, including One Blackfriars (The Bobbin), Canaletto, The Scalpel, The Cucumber, The Stage, The Can of Ham and others.
It could all get rather more crowded if this artist's impression is to be believed.
London signs get the helpful new year makeover
One of those temporary illuminated signs showing various reminders as the new year approaches.
That one is from close to the well-known London tourist-only sightseeing spot known as M&M World. I must have strayed although I've not been inside since the Swiss Centre days.
I wonder whether this other sign will work?
It feels as if it's time for a London picture, so here's part of the central tourist area, complete with a red bus and a few lights.
The barriers are already going up ready for New Years Eve, and Eros is completely boarded up. This year it is once more a tickets only event to get along the river for the fireworks.
mistletoe in Covent Garden
There's plenty of mistletoe hanging from the roof of Covent Garden. I recollect that Christian churches banned mistletoe because of its pagan connotations, but back in the days when I worked in a greengrocer's we used to freely give it away to customers at Christmas.
The Norse god Baldr is supposedly at the root of the mistletoe story, having been made invincible when his goddess mother made every living thing on earth swear not to harm him.
She somehow overlooked the mistletoe and in an Eastenders plot moment, trickster spirit Loki made a dagger from mistletoe wood, gave it to Baldr's blind brother and tricked him into stabbing Baldr, which killed him.
All the gods mourned Baldr the Beautiful's death and decided to make mistletoe a symbol of peace and friendship.
Festive Music Quiz
There's a chocolate yule log being mixed as I type this.
The festivities have arrived and we're fully moving into Yo-Ho-Ho.
Seasonal Greetings to all, and just for fun I have uploaded one of our Xmas music quizzes for anyone who wants to try to guess the tunes.
By way of a warning, there's probably about 50 tunes in the mix, sometimes as mash-ups. It starts slow and speeds up. The tunes and singers are mainly easy to guess and family audience friendly.
Spin that platter and pass the mince pies.
shopping reality fault
Inevitably this week has featured some grocery shopping.
The television adverts tell me how great it is all going to be, but there seemed to be a some sort of logistical glitch.
There seemed to be a surfeit of green pallets in my particular choice of vast food hall.
In fairness the staff did mainly wait quite courteously when they were pushing them around. Although it did seem surprising to need to completely re-arrange the Bucks Fizz along the underside of the freezer cabinets when the store was really quite busy. As Luther's sidekick might say "You're not just giving me busy work, are you?"
Altogether it wasn't a particularly fun experience having to dodge other shoppers, various sized trolleys and also the huge number of the wheeled green stacks.
I can understand that the brussels sprouts or glazed bombe possets needed to be replenished frequently, but it did seem odd that there were so many pallets in motion in the 'flagship' store that I visited.
We eventually ditched the expedition to this store and found another one with wider aisles and an altogether easier experience. I noticed they also had the green pallets, but theirs were collapsible when empty and seemed to need less staff to manoeuvre, despite a similarly rapid turnover of product.
And free coffee. Ahhh.
the Jessica Jones turbo sessions
My turbo cycling late this year seems to be consuming a vast quantity of TV box-sets. I've gone past my annual cycle miles target and am simply clocking a few low energy miles to keep the legs spinning. The theory goes that one should do interval training with peaks and troughs to get the most from the turbo, but I'm balancing the mince-pie season and have decided that a bit of telly may be a more sensible option. I looked today at my annual mileage which is now around 4,300 miles/6,900 kilometres so I'm not too worried about a few episodes of Jessica Jones whilst pedalling.
Marvel comics seem to be doing rather well since the Walt Disney takeover. They've taken residence in Hell's Kitchen and are pumping out some good television. The Jessica Jones series is a case in point, and one first brought to my attention by a fellow blogger trialling Netflix.
I don't know the Jessica Jones back-story and the series doesn't directly introduce it, to the extent that I watched the first episode wondering if I'd somehow missed a pilot episode. Actually, I sort of prefer that way of working nowadays. We, the viewers, have to piece things together as we go along, instead of having a long 'First Act' to explain everything.
It's a dark series, which embraces the private investigator genre, in this case with a hard-living, hard-drinking tough woman in the leading role. I think I'm supposed to also say hard-boiled when its a noir series, so there, I've done it.
This is a Netflix set, and all the episodes were issued simultaneously. I wasn't sure how many to expect, so when we got to around episode 8 I wondered how it would all end - with fortunately a further four to bring together a conclusion.
We get the dimly lit brown wood end of corridor office for Jessica. The office door is already broken at the start and although it gets fixed for a while, it's broken again by the end. Most other times it is open, in any case.
She befriends a bar owner who notices her penchant for bourbon. His bar is the kind you'd find Tom Waits sitting in with Jim Jarmusch talking about Tesla coils.
The storyline is of one utter force of evil, played by the 'British' David Tennant, who has obsessions, including one about Jessica. He starts as a shadowy form and is frequently offscreen or only partially in frame for the first part of the series, just like some of the best kinds of monsters. They've also let him sneak in a few 'Britlines' which made me chuckle because some might well be lost in translation.
There's a strong cast of characters too, including some that get 'parked' for parts of the story and then reactivated later. That's something of a soap-opera technique (the main series runner has Eastenders form) although it doesn't feel at all soapy the way it's been done, and the individuals all have sufficient characteristics that you regard them as known quantities as they re-appear.
Some could say that parts of the plot are conventional, but it's also good crowd-pleasing stuff as the nasty man does nasty things and the goodies have to figure out how to stop it. I'm tiring from the many UK procedural cop series that kill a woman in scene one so that an emotionally damaged detective and his hot female sidekick can sort it all out usually after a couple more gruesome deaths.
So I've reached the end of the Jessica Jones series. Because it is part of the Marvel galaxy (a.k.a The Marvel Cinematic Universe - really), it may mean that we don't get another one. Marvel's MCU has a road-map of their various characters and how they get together to become various supergroups like The New Avengers. I haven't watched Daredevil yet, but I assume that is also part of the same scheme - this time with a blind attorney ('Justice is blind', anyone?).
Of course, it may not go that way, with Jessica Jones acerbically rejecting a superhero costume during one of the episodes (I since learned it was the one that she was supposed to wear in later Marvel life).
So Marvel's plan is kind of working. I've watched enough to have bought into the current series and I'm going back to watch another one.
not the wrong kind of seed?
The birds around our way will treat any form of hanging feeder with disdain until this time of year.
Then, the memo arrives and they all go into holiday mode, seeking out the seeds and feeds made available in various gardens around the area.
These three goldfinches are clearly confused. They are supposed to go for the niger seeds which are in an adjacent feeder, but they've decided instead to opt for the sunflowers. The starlings, sparrows and dunnets will be most irritated.
Dun-Dun-Dun - I watch Beano Star Wars again
A few of us were chatting about the galactic movie franchise that has returned to the planet over the last few days. I'll have to quietly admit that I've struggled to watch the various Star Wars films.
I always liked the idea of the first one, with space ships a bit more grimy and used than, say, something from Kubrick's or even Star Trek's version of space. I remember Star Wars as largely a comedy and that as they added episodes they had to make up a longer back-story.
We seem to have the first 3 movies in the rashbre central on-line viewing library, although I can only really remember the first one featuring the princess with the Cinnabon hairstyle. I've probably seen the one with those big four-legged robot walking things but I mainly remember seeing them at MGM Studios in Florida.
I decided to take a quick look on-line to see what it said about the second tranche of movies (in case I wanted to complete our set and give it all a proper viewing).
They are confusingly called Episodes I-III and are the so-called Prequels. Weirdly, many of the fan comments seem to be somewhat negative...These were the first few reviews on Amazon.co.uk. I've shortened them but left in the positive bits.
Great set to own: May the Force Be With You!! Bought the whole set - prequels and all - thought the "prequels" a bit long and sometimes boring, but the original films (i.e. 4,5,6) really great - as they always were.
The Blu-rays are pretty good if you actually like the films though: I forgot how awful Episodes I-III really were and nostalgia made me want to watch them again. Oh God was that a mistake. The Blu-rays are pretty good if you actually like the films though. *shudder*
A flawed attempt to rekindle the magic: George Lucas made several mistakes in filming these prequels. Firstly there is an over reliance on computer graphics. Sometimes, such as the battle at the start of Revenge Of The Sith or the factory chase in Attack Of The Clones, it feels like you are watching a computer game. The star destroyer at the star of the original Star Wars still looks like a real object, even now. The CGI is particularly dated in The Phantom Menace.
Shocking: The few good points Darth Maul while he is in it, nice seeing the Jedi Council and more use of lightsabers but way too many bad points, wooden acting especially from a miscast Hayden Christensen, Jar Jar binks totally annoying every time he is on screen, way too much CGI and a flying R2D2 laugh out loud, roll on JJ Abrams and the force awakens.
Moderately good action let down by some terrible script directions: i like star wars like most fans do, i have good points and one massively bad gripe which really throws the films out from episode 2 and part of 3. but right now however a small opinion is that its got good action sequences with a good plot but how they went about it is rather disappointing in some sense because i was hoping for a lot more.
Maybe the Dark Side got at the Amazon reviews? The newest movie still has masterful marketing however. I saw the original cinema sting for it back in early 2014, when it already announced December 2015 as the release date. Altogether a great ramp up time for the merchandise. This week the supermarket is loaded with Star Wars products and some of last century's space toys seem to be making a comeback. Here's the Beano Part 2.
typical midwinter scene of bumble bees and blossom
I glanced out of the window yesterday and saw bumble bees buzzing around the cherry tree and collecting nectar.
No, I thought, I'm imagining it. So today I took a picture. Look carefully and you can see the tree lights.
the weather strikes back
And far, far away on Channel 5, Luke out for a really stellar weather report.
I didn't see the televised live launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome yesterday, although I watched the docking of the capsule with the International Space Station at around 8pm UK time - at which point there were also various replays of the day's events.
The starmen then had a photo opportunity and phone calls home.
You could sense they were both exuberant but also shattered, having just done what used to be a two or three day sequence compressed into around six hours, culminating with the manual (instead of automated) docking of their capsule with the space station.
I guess this mission has better UK media coverage because of Tim Peake (pictured above), the British astronaut/cosmonaut on the journey. The sight of a Soyuz rocket at take off is striking if somehow retro - I think the original design is from the 1960s and it still somehow looks like 60's futurism. The American rocket designs are more like utility vehicles whilst the Russian designs are more sports-car.
I've been to NASA at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy and the various UK-based space exhibits. It was striking how some of the components looked so primitive, with mechanical relays and switch controls that look like they were repurposed from old gas cookers. That's not to say that systems like the Soyuz aren't reliable. Soyuz has been launching rockets at the rate of 12 per year every year since 1997.
It's interesting to note that there's another two space launches today, PSLV - TeLEOS 1 at 1230 GMT from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India carrying five satellites. Then there's Long March 2D - DAMPE from Jiuquan, China which is launching the Dark Matter Particle Explorer, a satellite designed to measure high-energy particles in space.
Then on the 17th December there's another Soyuz, this time from the Guiana Space Center in South America and carrying two satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation constellation. After that there's a couple of days gap before a SpaceX Falcon 9 carries Orbcomm OG2 on the 20th December at 0125-0425 GMT launched from Cape Canaveral.
Then it's back to Baikonor Cosmodrome for another Soyuz - Progress 62P which lifts off at 0844 GMT carrying the 62nd cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.
There's another 4 launches after that before the end of December, so I guess it's a busy month. That's before another 14 launches in January and February 2016. So, even if it doesn't always feel like it, we really are in the early space age.
No, not to scale
random music predictions?
I decided to try that 'Year in Music' thing to see what it reckoned I'd been listening to this year.
Very strange.
It picked my summer season favourite as 'The Beach Boys', which seems to me to be a wild and inaccurate guess rather than anything I'd play in quantity. Then it picked my top artist as James Bay (nice enough bloke but not sure I'd put him 'top') and my top track as Dreamer by Isbells. I can't say that I recollect that last track.
At all.
So I've just listened to it on youtube, to check. I still don't remember it, even if shows as part of the soundtrack of 2007's 'Into the Wild', which was that true story movie about a guy road-tripping to the Yukon, where he accidentally ate poisoned seeds.
I usually play my 'owned' tracks with iTunes so that explains some of the skew in the results. Plus the car, which has its own iPod, which I hardly ever re-dock with the main system. 6,000 minutes a year hardly supports needing a Spotify subscription, so that's a bit of a blooper too.
Although, for part of the year, I tried that Apple Music thing before abandoning it. I still prefer Spotify for discovering new tracks and setting a mood.
Just not the one that 'year in music' has illustrated.
ableton push button delivery of alligators into swamp
Another test track (Alligators) created using the Push 2. This one is a slide guitar, drums, bass and some horns. Theoretically it is clickable on Splice, but I'm not sure if you need to be a member or if I need to release it (which I haven't). Anyway, I've included a click-through link in the picture above.
Below is another short video of me creating it, using a few quick samples dropped into the Push 2 and then played back live. The samples are all warped loops on Ableton Live 9.5 and I'm just using the keys on Push to trigger the relevant pieces, which are set to around 120 beats per minutes.
I know it doesn't sound much like a normal synth session, but it's sometimes fun to just mess around. The video is a few of the worst clips from the camera on my phone.
Next I'll have to try something that sounds more like a synthesiser.
test triggering Ableton Push 2
Any excuse really.
All those synth tracks in Mr Robot has made me think about programming some new stuff and then seeing Rita Ora on TFI Friday doing synth-laden 90s pop. It must be okay again.
Fortunately the replacement Ableton Push device arrived. I did that thing where you can exchange the old device and it goes to a children's music charity.
I briefly compared the Push and the Push 2, but it should be obvious that there's a whole lot more screen read-outs in the higher resolution screen on the new one. Less obvious is the highly increased sensitivity of the pads, and the ease of navigating through sample directories.
A short test live mix below in session view. I was going to put it up as sound only, but I'd deleted my usual hosting directory. It's more guitar-based than synths, although I'm only testing it at the moment.
You get to see me dragging in and triggering a few samples - before I get down to any proper programming. I'd better call Christina Nott.
Posted by rashbre at 17:30 2 comments:
where is my mind?
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
Bo Hai Dumpling Town
I've been continuing with my bike riding, but moved to the turbo, using a quite gentle 0% gradient setting since I've tipped over the 4,000 miles mark this year (4,110 today). It's giving me a chance to watch a box set or two and the latest on the screen has been the cyber thriller Mr.Robot.
Set in today's world, seen through the eyes of an often hoodied and raddled hacker, it includes a 'grand scheme' plot line.
The setting has some of the edginess of Fight Club, flitting between dingy New York alleys and ultra bright corporate blocks. We've big cyber security businesses doing their thing and plenty of computer talk about IP addresses, distributed denial of service and spoofing. They do use some improbably high IP addresses: 172.258.62.296 anyone? It kind of breaks the octal.
It's still a step beyond normal IT-speak in the scripting, without quite reducing the language to dog.
There's a big plot about breaking something - using a wired-in Raspberry Pi as the hack to make it all work. I haven't seen whether they are successful or not yet, even assuming everything is what it seems to be.
If some of that sounds nerdy, then it's because the lead character Elliot (Rami Malek) is a jaded uber-geek. He operates as a morphine dependent psychotic and we get jittery camerawork around him when he's explaining himself to his imaginary friend, which is us, the viewer.
The series uses digital and social connectivity to illustrate that we can all be just a few clicks away from being found out.
I've also been fascinated by some of the filming, with framing to drive isolation, disconnection and occasionally a convergence. There's an often synth-led soundtrack breaking us through to the world of digital. We can sense the parallel digital world at every twist and turn. Evvvven the glitches.
I'm enjoying the series. There's a few pieces I deliberately overlook and which are offset every so often with some scripting gems as the characters step it up a level. They haven't used "the root (kit) of all Evil" yet, but I can sense it's hovering there somewhere..
To prove a quick point I even found Elliot's home address next to the Chinese restaurant on Broadway. Check out the food reviews.
edge games for energy tariffs
At the start of 2014, four years after they started a Retail Market Review, Ofgem forced UK energy suppliers to introduce a new tariff structure for retail customers. It was claimed to create a simpler and clearer market, removing confusing and complex tariffs to help rebuild consumer trust.
It was built around suppliers offering just four tariffs per customer for both electricity and gas and to help customers get the best deal.
It makes a great example of the law of unintended consequences.
Take my current well-known supplier as an example. If I forget to switch to their new tariff at the end of the one year period, instead of being put onto their new 'best for me' tariff, I automatically get switched onto their worst tariff.
That's about £350 per year worse than the previous tariff. Of course, they don't call it 'worst' tariff because that would alert me. No, they call it their 'standard' tariff, which somehow implies it is what they give to a lot of, well, standard people.
A well-organised person might arrange to pre-switch to the next best tariff, but I bet there's plenty of consumers who don't take any notice and through inertia (aka accidental loyalty) get moved to the lazy and expensive tariff. I calculate it charges about the equivalent of a Netflix plus a Spotify plus an Amazon Prime annual subscription extra, per annum.
The number of tariffs hasn't tracked to the number of years either. I notice we are already up to 16 variants of electricity and a further 16 variants of gas billing since the new rules came in back in January 2014.
The Ofgem principle was about 'Treating customers fairly and profit was not an entitlement'. Although Ofgem has taken some steps in the right direction, the utility suppliers have still been pretty good at playing the edges.
I notice in the 2015 Which report about energy companies that the most well-known names are all in the bottom half of the satisfaction survey. I'm not sure that 50% happy is anything to be proud of.
the pink and blue hippos and elephants are slightly early this year
Some would say it it still early to be putting up the Christmas lights and hanging things from the tree.
Not us. We've already started our festive season. It's meant the annual trip to a couple of shops to get special fillers for party bags, accessory hats and enough miscellany for a pretty large pass the parcel.
Some years it's been Hamleys for the bits and pieces; I think it's the 4th floor that is particularly useful for small items to be used as stocking fillers. Another time it's been Harrods although they are not usually cheesy enough. My secret weapon for finding small spinning tops and tabletop basketball games is a combination of Tiger as well as Hawkin's Bazaar. Whether it's small neon monkey erasers, butterfly hair accessories, crystal tops, microphones for pretend karaoke or even clockwork swimming hippos and elephants (4 for £1.49) the two shops between them will always provide the answer.
Just stay clear *cough* of the rather dubious Secret Santa items...
more zig-zagging around the highways
A midweek visit to a shopping centre.
The area has been successfully blockaded by roadworks originally planned for completion by November 2015. The new finish is now March 2016. I looked up the project plan and all the dates have been changed, so if you didn't remember the old date you might be none the wiser. Nicely done - although I'm bemused that the cost seems to have remained the same?
I expect the newly constructed John Lewis and Waitrose which requires access from the incomplete road system will be delighted. They have managed to open their newly built store in time for the Christmas season, to now see that roads in the area have various 'please avoid' notices applied to them by highways england (Yes they do spell england with a lower case 'E').
Despite the road system being downgraded to single lane whilst they finish their half hamburger roundabout, the main shopping car park was still filled. Perhaps the cars are trapped inside?
I guess I've got spoilt by shopping outlets like Westfield, which have lanes with signs that tell you the way to the empty parking spaces and include counts of the number of spaces available.
Inside this centre's multi-level car park there is just a complex maze of largely unmarked routes, sometimes blockaded by those plastic barriers. I decided to try for an upper floor but they had even managed to hide the ramps to go upwards. Not a pleasant experience.
However, once I'd eventually found a place to park, I was able to burst out into the bustling mall, which had what I'd describe as a busy Saturday shoppers' profile. All ages, all buying.
I wondered if I somehow missed the memo about this week being an emergency shopping week?
Around by Bank station in central London there's a golden grasshopper which flies over the top of the Royal Exchange. It's one of those things that I've 'always' known although probably most people going about their business in that part of London are blissfully unaware. I like to think it talks to the golden dragon that flies half way along Cheapside.
I mention it by way of a reference to 'The Grasshopper Lies Heavy' which is inscribed on the reels of film in Amazon's TV series reinterpretation of Philip K. Dick's novel 'The Man in the High Castle'.
I've found it compelling and disturbing viewing and it feels more like watching a series of movies, rather than a typical TV show.
It describes an oppressive parallel version of 1962 in which the Nazis and the Japanese have won World War II and taken over much of the United States with a buffer zone running along the Rocky mountains.
There's several main plot lines underpinned with the central one about a series of films depicting another version of the future. The future shown on the films appears to be reportage footage of the version of events that we, the audience, know.
The tv show depicts America under German and Japanese rule as consequence of losing World War II after the Germans dropped an H-Bomb on Washington. A subsequent US civil war led to their surrender to the Axis forces. The Germans have ruthlessly eradicated everyone they don't agree with including much of the African subcontinent. They've subjugated many to slavery whilst keeping a veneer of normality towards those they consider to be Arians.
The Japanese have established a strong-arm rule over the Americans on the West Coast, but are fearful of the larger German presence in the east and the more advanced industrialisation of the Germans with their Heisenberg bomb and rockets. It's another form of Cold War, with the Americans as losers squashed between two grimly dark superpowers.
The highly sought cans of film represent some form of resistance token - its not completely clear how they achieve this, but I'll live with the artifice.
They are a difference from the original Philip K. Dick novel, which used a book whose story about the grasshopper showed the possibilities of an alternative future and was itself rooted in aspects of I Ching. The reels of film present a more definitive view of the alternative future based upon the footage.
In the novel, many of the central characters had copies of the easier to reproduce (though illegal to own) book, whereas the rare film's content is only slowly released. Resistance people in the east and west are trying to track down these reels of film although most don't know what they contain.
As well as I Ching there's also a '12.5' in the mix. Is it a time check? No, it's that bit of Ecclesiastes that references fear of heights, terrors in the road, the blossom of an almond tree, a grasshopper dragging itself along and desire failing. Kind of gloomy references to the fleeting actions of man, and a proper theme in the Philip K. Dick novel.
I'll say that some of the novel's plot elements survive into this TV-show retelling, but although we see the Japanese Trade Minister uses his yarrow sticks to create hexagrams, the I Ching is not so overtly linked into the TV adaptation. If we see the Trade Minister making notes from his readings he draws three straight lines for the outer trigram (force and heaven), but we never see them combined to create a full hexagram and I Ching meaning. I guess it would all get rather complicated to explain in tv narrative? Having said that, I believe I glimpsed a few complete trigrams scattered on walls, so maybe there is some attempt to use them more indirectly?
That's where the novel and a tv show have to take different paths. The novel is altogether more cerebral than a popular tv show can present. I'll happily live with both.
There's been plenty of styling in the tv series. The chilling versions of the alternative reality are convincing. Some parts of this 1962 languish in the 1940s whilst monorails and supersonic jets appear like artefacts from Tomorrowland. There's rockets too, but they don't seem to go to Mars in the tv version. And no Elvis Presley, obviously. Some of the uses of German abbreviations and iconography looked wrong to me, but I guess that's movie shorthand at work.
There's extremely Bladerunner-esque scenes included, and other sections that reflect straightforward 40s noir. A whole character turns up looking like a hat-tip to the Cowboy in Mulholland Drive and there's a direct reference to a character named Deckard. That's just a smattering of the movie references to spot as the series runs along.
The lead characters are mainly strong, with some clever and sharp dialogue which I guess comes from the original novel. Occasionally it fades and I'm guessing that it is an effect of taking the original story and chopping it into episodes where there are occasional commercial needs (like well-timed cliffhangers).
There's also several different stories to watch. Want resistance stories? check. How about a spy? check. Art forgeries? check. A political power struggle? check. An assassination plot? check. And mainly it doesn't get too soapy and includes enough jump cuts around to keep up the interest without losing continuity. No mean feat with something so complex. Oh yes, in this tv version the main women get purposeful roles too.
The scripting works well and assists the creation of monsters like the family-man Obergruppenführer John Smith (played by Rufus Sewell) who demonstrates a particularly advanced form of passive aggressive behaviour. The normalisation of ruthless traits in him and others applied to this parallel world sends cold shivers down the spine. In many movie tropes there are parts where you'd be expected to feel sorry for him. Not me. And then when we meet his boss Oberst-Gruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich (one of the most despicable men in real modern history) we see the same type of behaviour again, only even more pronounced.
We also get various cultural clashes, some of which work and others seem odd. What does come through is a horrendous matter-of-factness to some the terrible practices which are allowed to persist in this new parallel world. On the other hand, I've worked with plenty of Germans and even amongst themselves there is still a kind of formality which didn't quite come through in some of the screenplay American interactions. I could partly understand if the Americans had won and the German culture was being subjugated, but this is the other way around yet we have American informality.
I suspect something similar would apply with the female American white face working at the Nippon Embassy - formality and prejudice which is somehow reduced in the television mix. I guess this is all very sensitive. Even Amazon's New York subway wraps advertising the show had to be pulled - I guess even this small taste of what it could be like is too much in real life.
But my detail comments are really me nit-picking.
Overall I've enjoyed and been terrified by this thought-provoking series - which I will watch again to extract more from some of the scenes. I'm intrigued at where it has left off too, because it seems to be going along a different path to my hazy recollection of the original novel. I like the idea that the tv show is now playing with the parallel futures and maybe introducing yet another one.
I've just ordered it the novel again on Kindle - as well as a separate PKD omnibus of short stories which was on sale for 47p.
Trailer below (Zoom to full screen - worth it)
Labels: Conflict, Coupling, Fellowship, Force, Retiring, Standstill, Treading, Without embroiling
I watch Black Souls and remember an Italian road trip
Sometimes when I watch a movie, I can't help having that 'been there' thing play in my mind. It was the case with a recent mafia-style movie which is set mainly in the toe bit of southern Italy.
We'd been on a road trip holiday which had somehow ended up deep down in Italy at an agro-tourism farmhouse. Vines and olives, that kind of thing. Multi national guests, sharing evenings with farmhouse food. The last few kilometres to the farmhouse and its converted barns were along one of those Italian white roads, which kick up dust and rightly give the impression of being in the middle of nowhere.
Our nearest village was similarly remote, up on a hill and with people who could have lived there for many generations. They'd be out sitting in groups on the pavements and the older folk chattered to one another with a kind of genial familiarity that could have gone right back to their schooldays.
My recollection of our time in the southern part was of sunshine, although this movie mainly reserves the sun for the north of Italy, with the southern home village giving a pervasive tone of darkness.
In Black Souls, the movie settings show sleek glassy business blocks in an opulent version of Milan. That's where the practicing gangsters operate. Then down south to the goatherding part of the same family in their small Calabrian hometown.
There's three brothers in this 'Ndrangheta family. A mafia family, two of the brothers are involved with Columbian cocaine trafficking and the movie starts with them in Amsterdam doing a drug deal with a Spanish smuggler. There's the leather-jacketed action man hoodlum brother and the well-dressed crime syndicate book-keeper brother.
Hundreds of kilometres south in Calabria, it is rural to the extent that it's difficult to see how any of the crime money would have found its way back to the village. Indeed, the third brother has got out of the life and instead tends goats. Okay, he could buy half of the adjacent mountainside, but what would he want it for? He'll get along with this simple life.
His 20-year old son doesn't agree and wants to go north and get into the main family business. He'll need a suit and a scrub-up to impress in Milan.
Before he leaves the village he shoots up the signs on a bar close to home. It belongs to a rival family where a balance of peace exists but the machismo vandalism can only mean an old feud will reawaken.
There will be trouble.
The real 'Ndrangheta is big business. Nowadays they reckon it turns over around 3% of Italy's GDP. It is reckoned to be bigger than McDonalds if its books were visible. As a part of the wider mafia, it probably represents around 1/3 of their circa €160bn annual turnover.
So, to lighten the tone a little, here's a piece by Andrea di Marco, explaining the background to that particular branch of the well-known crime syndicate.
personal cycling gold moment 2015
My own Gold cycling target just achieved.
I'll keep on until the end of the year although I know December can be somewhat troublesome.
In miles it would get me across all of Europe, most of North Africa, as far as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia maybe to Perm in Russia or to Hammerfest at the top of Norway. Except there's more gradients than I've actually covered.
Or I could fly to the edge places in about 6.5 hours. I'll keep on cycling though.
in which my television doesn't understand me
I commented the other day about talking to my car and it generally getting the directions right.
It's the same with the dictation that I've tried for the NaNoWriMo this time. I'm up around 65,000 words at the moment and I'd honestly say that my spoken sections have better typing than the pieces I've tapped in manually. I've not been so good on rendering all the punctuation in my speaking version, but it's still made a decent job of finishing sentences and so on.
Less so when I've talked to Cortana in Windows 10. The party tricks all work fine and the Cortana Susan voice sings a mean 'man on the flying trapeze' as well as a few other out of copyright tunes and answers questions about Siri with aplomb. It even works with "what's the time?" and "what's the temperature?" type quizzing. But I've decided Cortana doesn't know about Essex. I've asked it things like 'How to get to Newcastle by road' and it will return maps and timings.
Then when I tried "Hey Cortana, How do I get to Upminster, Essex" it decided to go bonkers. Nothing useful although it was prepared to show me some American football games. I decided to try the near neighbourhood of Romford. Similar problems. When I just asked for "Essex" it gave me a route to a fishing tackle shop on the Suffolk border. No, I fear that piece of technology has a way to go.
What about Apple TV? I've given up on the voice controls at the moment. Even Skip Forward and Skip Backward jump it out of the movie and back to the iTunes Store. Perhaps I'm not buying enough.
I've also got one of those Amazon Fire systems. Slightly better luck if I'm hunting for movies, but it will still go all desperate on me and list a bunch of unrelated stuff if it's not sure. And that's even when it has managed to decode my speech properly.
At least the Amazon Fire aggregates the better versions of Amazon, Netflix, iPlayer, ITV Hub, UKTV, Curzon Home Cinema and even Plex. It still needs a proper version of Spotify and at that point it will be a pretty complete viewer.
Maybe I'll practice some more with the voice control although I'm not convinced that the Apple and Amazon boxes have any heuristics to improve their recognition.
Still, I've reprogrammed both of their nifty little handsets to work instead from the Logitech Harmony. Harmony seems to be the strong silent type.
you say you want an evolution
I like this little picture of the evolving desktop, although it raised a few questions (some might say points of view) as well.
It somehow reminds me of that Beatles Yellow Submarine/Nowhere Man sequence and lyric as the desktop reduces. With increasing miniaturisation I suppose the desktop ends virtually in the cloud. Blackburn potholes anyone?
calculating how to shake dice
When working with big planning spreadsheets there is a fairly well known scenario along the lines of: "Big Chief needs to make a speech and show some efficiencies. What can we do?"
A related modelling spreadsheet technique boils down to 'slide to the right, change the gradient and backload the numbers'. I've picked a random graph related to the universal credit rollout which illustrates the principle.
It's also fairly intuitive to graph readers. Things get delayed - in this model we see something yielding a lower result after an approximately five year slip, which occurs at the rate of around a one year slip per year, generally introduced in two phases.
There's a similar technique used on the OBR (Office of Budget Responsibility) report ahead of George Osborne's Spending Review on Wednesday.
The new OBR chart shows it will all come level in five years' time, although with some dramatic stuff happening in 2017-18 when there's a big tax hike as well as increased spending on RDEL and CDEL (Resource and Capital Department Expenditure Limits). That's all just far enough away for the government to have time make something up. It also means that some of the future difficult actions don't have to be revealed at present.
The planned outcome in all of this is that the numbers are still shown to come right by the end of the graph. It's like pushing the lump along under the carpet and hoping that there's somewhere for it to go without anyone noticing. The OBR don't do this, of course. They are reporting on what appears to be happening rather than actually dictating policy.
I'm guessing that someone had to have a 'Big Chief' conversation before the Spending Review. The apparent spreadsheet result has given Osborne some theoretical money to play with, magicked out of revised planning assumptions. That's where another spreadsheet technique comes into play.
I'll call it 'smudging' and it's the effect when producing graphs of numbers that look similar enough but can be used to tell a different story. In the above example we see that tiny smudge width which is the difference between the July and November OBR forecast. The value of the gap between the lines is around £27bn, so not bad for a smudge.
Osborne hasn't really mentioned that the gap is an aggregate (i.e. it is the 5 year aggregate, not a one year figure). It means the figure of £27bn being bandied around in Osborne's Spending Review needs to be treated with some caution.
There's a further subtlety, that although he's dropped the tax credit cuts, the Universal Credit system will eventually have a similar effect. It's described in the OBR chart 1.1 above - The scale of the yellow area represents the dramatic increases in taxation that tapers at first and then dramatically steps in.
Hidden behind all of this are the much bigger spreadsheets that don't just show the £27 billion delta. Instead they show the underlying debt of nowadays around £1.6 trillion. That's £1.6E12 - yes it's large enough to refer to with scientific notation, because it won't all fit onto some calculators. And strangely enough, the steepest increases have been over the last few years...
In Osborne's post-speech interviews he said he wasn't gambling with the money. The OBR fan charts in the same report hint at otherwise.
I know these figures are really to protect the OBR's own forecasting, but they illustrate the potential volatility based upon use of high level modelling charts. The fan shows potential variance, banded with 20% probabilities. The message is that there's plenty of potential for things to change - risks one could say. The OBR is polite about some of the headline ones:
economic risks, including UK productivity growth and the implications of lower growth in China
uncertainties with the delivery of reforms to disability benefits and universal credit;
the implications of the decision to reclassify housing associations from the private sector to the public sector;
ongoing uncertainties around the large financial asset sales that are planned to take place over this Parliament; and
the Government has set out a number of ambitions that have not yet been confirmed as firm policy decisions.
In planning terms it might be prudent to start looking at which of these risks can be turned into contributory factors for the next series of 'adjustments'.
Time for another shake of the planning dice?
the pink and blue hippos and elephants are slightl...


We take apart and put together, build, plan, draw, saw, drill, solder, 3D print, program, and make interactive gadgets. We create. Why? Because we love doing this: we love redefining, rebuilding, and showing things. Why is it useful? Because through creation, we learn how to use our creativity, dexterity, or even our analytical programming skills to make products and provide services.
Our aim is not only to find our way in the digital world, but rather to shape it and become creators and inventors of the future. Nowadays, innovation, invention, and production are not privileges of huge companies exclusively. Millions can earn a living from home-made computer games, handcrafted jewellery, or Kickstarter projects. Most of today's largest modern enterprises started out in a garage, following the work of some brave tinkers.
We consider teamwork important, so we encourage each other to experiment freely and make our ideas real. Teammates create projects on their own, which they later demonstrate at demo exhibitions every few months.
At the Digital Making Workshop, we will continuously solve problems and challenges in teams so that creativity, innovation, business, cooperation, and the newest element of PISA tests, the collaborative problem-solving skills may evolve naturally. To put it plainly, we learn to develop creative products together in teams.


So here's what I came up with: 2 layers of moist, spiced pumpkin cake sandwiching a layer of dark chocolate cake and layers of chocolate chip cream cheese filling and homemade salted caramel, all frosted in the most luxurious (thanks Tamar from Instagram for that adjective–you were right, there really is no other word for this!) dark chocolate glossy frosting I have ever experienced. A few simple edible gold stars to bring a hint of twilight to our "midnight" frosting, and we have officially have the Midnight Pumpkin Layer Cake.
Let's take a minute to talk about this frosting. Oh, this amazing, rich, dark-as-night, over-the-top chocolaty frosting. Made on the stove top with butter, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, heavy whipping cream, sour cream, and vanilla, it's a dream to make, and clearly a dream to eat. I use my favourite extra dark cocoa powder, which lends to the intensity of the frosting, both visually and in taste, and the sour cream offers richness and a slight tang that balances out the extreme chocolate flavour (yet the actual taste of sour cream is not present).
I first came across a recipe for glossy chocolate frosting here, but I found that no matter what I did (I tried the recipe twice) the frosting was too thin for me (very possible that it was because of my own occasional nerdiness–perhaps I didn't do something correctly since hers appears quite thick), so I modified the recipe to ensure a thicker version that holds up to frosting a taller cake and is stable enough for piping. I can't even get over this stuff.
So here's a close-up of what's going on inside this cake–whoa! As I stare at this photo, I can't decide if it's the most beautiful hot-mess of deliciousness, or if it's just, well, a hot mess. Haha. This is how this cake looks inside when it's freshly assembled and hasn't had time to offer clean, precise cuts, and when I don't spend time styling the guts to ensure that they're somewhat tidy, but, really, don't we all just want to get up all in there and live happily ever after? After making it 3 times already, I was so eager to share that I just went for the gloriously gooey look.
Moist spicy pumpkin cake layered with dark chocolate cake, salted caramel, chocolate chip cream cheese filling, and topped with glossy, rich, and super-creamy dark chocolate frosting.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottom with a parchment paper round.
Into a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium measuring cup with a spout, combine the buttermilk, coffee, oil, egg, and vanilla.
Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
Bake on the middle rack until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs, about 20 minutes. Try not to over-bake. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack until completely cool.
Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with a parchment paper rounds.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed (I use #6 on KitchenAid) until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and with the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add to pumpkin/egg mixture.
Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans (weigh them if possible with digital kitchen scale for 560 g per pan), smooth with a small offset palette knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven, about 2 inches apart. Bake until a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar, water, and lemon juice until combined. Brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush and increase the heat to medium-high.
Stop stirring, and let the mixture bubble until it reaches an amber colour, about 8 minutes. Promptly remove the saucepan from the heat and add the heavy cream and butter (be careful, as this will bubble and steam aggressively for a moment). No need to stir.
In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy once again, about 6 more minutes. Add the softened cream cheese and beat until combined, about 1 more minute. Stir in the chocolate chips. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar, sifted cocoa powder, and salt and until everything is combined. The mixture will be very thick and grainy.
Add the heavy whipping cream and sour cream and whisk until well combined. Continue to heat the mixture until hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Transfer the frosting to a heatproof bowl and let cool. Cover the frosting and refrigerate until spreadable, about 3 hours.
Prepare the frostings and fillings by ensuring they are all at a spreadable consistency (if your caramel is too thick, you can microwave for about 10 seconds to soften). Put a dollop of chocolate frosting on an 8-inch round cake board (or cake plate) or 10-inch scalloped cake board.
Put one of pumpkin layers top-up on the cake board or plate, and use a a small offset palette knife to spread one-half of the chocolate chip cream cheese filling evenly across layer. Use a clean small offset palette knife to spread one-half of the caramel on top, leaving about 2-inches away from perimeter of cake layer (the caramel will spread a bit more when cake is assembled). Place the chocolate cake layer on top and repeat with another layer of frosting and caramel. Put the final pumpkin cake layer top-down. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and wiggle the layers into place. Refrigerate the cake until stable, at least 30 minutes.
Using a turntable, if possible, frost entire outside of cake with a layer of glossy chocolate frosting to seal in the crumbs. Chill until the frosting begins to firm-up, about 15 minutes. Repeat with another layer of frosting. Holding a tall pastry comb in your dominant hand, press it gently against the side of the cake at a 45° angle, and keep it steady. Use the other hand to slowly rotate the turntable until you have gone all the way around the cake.
Fit a medium pastry bag with a medium-large closed star tip, such as 1M, and fill with the remaining chocolate frosting. Pipe a border around the top of the cake. Sprinkle on gold edible stars, if desired.
Store cake in refrigerator and remove about 2 hours before serving. The cake will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
For the chocolate cake and the glossy chocolate frosting I used Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder Extra Brute (extra dark), but you can use any good-quality dark cocoa powder you prefer.
For the gold star sprinkles, I use these Edible Gold Stars .
You can make the cake layers up to 1 day ahead, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.
You can make the caramel up to one week ahead–keep covered in refrigerator. You can microwave the caramel in 10-second intervals when you need to use it for spreading in the cake. I recommend doubling the recipe for this caramel and using the rest of the batch on ice cream, waffles, pancakes, and more. It's truly amazing.
You can make the cream cheese frosting up to 1 day ahead, and keep covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
You can make the glossy chocolate frosting up to 3 days ahead and keep covered in the refrigerator.
You're awesome. Now go make the heck out of this cake!
Wow! This will be coming with me to Thanksgiving dinner FOR SURE!!! Pie is nice, and I make lots of those, but sometimes I just want to make a big beautiful cake. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your cakes. I haven't made one yet that is not p.e.r.f.e.t.i.o.n !!!!! Thank you for continually coming out with more and more for me to make! Can't wait to own your book. 1st thing on my Christmas list!
Does the pumpkin spice layer need any flour?
Yes, it's 2 cups (260 g) of all-purpose flour (now listed, sorry!). Thanks!
Oh, goody! Off to make it now! Thank you so much for sharing.
This is the dreamiest of all the dreamy cakes in the whole wide world. LOVE this.
Wow! This cake is so unique and beautiful! I love the contrast with the gold star sprinkles! Thanks again for inspiring me with your cakes! Still hoping you can let me know your nail polish brand/ colors from your recent posts- the ice cream cake and the macaron cake. Thanks Rosie!
That helps a lot! Thanks Rosie!
Looks like flour is missing in the ingredient list for the pumpkin layer. I was planning to make your ginger-pecan-spice cake from last year but this might have trumped it. Looks amazing!
Sorry, I must have viewed a cached page, I see the comment for flour. Thanks!
This is an amazing, delightful, decadent and spooky CAKE!
I know that my family love it, you always have the right cake for share with us.
Es impresionante, una maravilla absoluta por fuera pero ese corte con los chorretones, una delicia.
Forever my baking hero. You are THE best, Rosie!
That deep, dark, and chocolaty frosting is making me go crazy!
amazing cake, amazing flavours, all the best ones, salted caramel, chocolate, pumpkin, spice and cream cheese – looks wonderful. just want to dive right in!
this is the most gorgeous hot mess I've ever seen! The layers of pumpkin and chocolate and the spices yum! This frosting needs to be in my life like yesterday. Good lord!
It looks delicious!! But I need yo ask you one thing: what is the heavy cream? I don' t know if de have that un spain, or the Récipe ti make it…thanks so much!!
Heavy cream is sometimes called whipping cream. It's the thick high fat cream that you can make butter or whipped cream out of.
This cake and especially the chocolate frosting looks great.
This is the most beautiful cake I've ever seen and sounds amazing! Also, love the site update!
I would so trade in my skinny jeans for a piece of this cake!!
Wowwwwww!!!!!! I will have to make this one :).
Holy god this is so beautiful. I need to try making this!! Looks so amazing.
This looks so good. I want it right now.
What a stunning and delicious looking 'mess'!! I want to get all up in those layers!
Does the baking time change if I bake in a 9 inch pan?
The baking time will be slightly less likely, so possibly 20-22 minutes. Hope that helps!
Thank you .. it sure helps!
I am in awe of how dark you got your chocolate frosting – I never expanded my cocoa powder collection to include dark chocolate. The last time I needed a dark cake palette I had to add black food coloring to my chocolate frosting. Now I know the more natural trick to getting that beautiful color. :) Thanks for this recipe!
The gold edible stars, do you know if they will melt into a buttercream? I'm icing a cake in one of your vanilla butter creams the night before the event and am not sure if the stars will melt in.
Next on the list is this cake! Looks divine!!
Hi Christine! These gold edible stars (by Wilton) do really well with buttercream–I use them often, and they don't dissolve or melt at all. You should be just fine preparing it the night before!
Gorgeous! This looks like a cake made to impress!
I'm literally speechless. This cake looks absolutely perfect!!!
Oh my God! I think I'm going to be sick – with envy!! Looks fabulous!!!!
this is insane. i wish i could just eat instead of making it!
Wow such a gorgeous stunning cake this is!!!
Gosh your baking skills are incredible! I am just drooling here over how delicious this pumpkin cake looks and how perfect the layers are. Pinned and saved to recreate… hopefully I have some success!
Any suggestions of how to turn this into cupcakes? I would love to make this for my halloween party but in smaller sized treats. Looks delicious!
I made it as a cake, left out caramel because I burned it and it was still an amazing success!
Hi! You are a real inspiration. In fact, thanks to your blog, I've made myself, my family and friends very happy! We love your recipes and you've awakened the baker(ess) in me!!
I'm trying to reduce sugar in my diet, and wondered if I could reduce the sugar amounts in your recipes? would it be ok to cut the cake dough sugar amounts by 1/3?
A pumpkin cake in "glossy" frosting in autumn just sounds and looks quite appetising!
P.S. I baked your choco choco birthday cake for my 16th birthday and it came out really good.
Looks lovely. You list lemon juice in the ingredients for the salted caramel but don't mention when to add it.
I am making this right now and also came back to see the step for lemon juice. I looked up lemon juice and caramel sauce and it says to put it in with the sugar and water. Helps prevent crystallization. Hope it's yummy!
That's right–the lemon juice goes in the with the sugar and water. Sorry! That step is now listed in the recipe–thanks!
Incredible. I love it. You are amazing!
I am in the middle of making this amazing cake! I thought the first batch of salted caramel tasted medicinal, so I made a second and left out the lemon juice. That juice sure made for a beautiful smooth caramel but the taste in batch #2 is better. I'm questioning my vanilla, but it is pure. I have drooling Facebook friends who live 90 miles away that are asking for free delivery of a slice. Thank you for creating this cake! You are awesome. I guarantee mine won't be as beautiful, but I'm sure it will taste great.
Is it bad that I kind of just want to make this frosting and eat it with a spoon?
I made this today. My frosting was a bit lumpy so I strained it and it was glossy and beautiful to look at. Sadly, while the assembled cake was in the fridge for the 30 minute chill before frosting, the chocolate layer split apart, causing the top letter to slide off and split as well. The cake was an irreparable mess. Luckily I wasn't making it for anyone but my family to enjoy. I'm not sure what to do differently next time. We enjoyed it anyways – it's surprisingly not that sweet with the bitterness of the caramel and cocoa frosting.
I'm so sorry to hear about the chocolate cake layer splitting. I've received a bunch of reader emails who have had success with the cake, but a few who have commented here who had their chocolate layer split as well. I've adjusted the chocolate cake recipe to create a less fragile layer–thanks for you input. For the frosting I personally didn't whisk it, but I can see the potential for lumps, depending on the cocoa powder used. I have added that the cocoa powder be sifted, as well as the mixture be whisked–I have just made a batch of the frosting using that method to be sure, and it was lump-free. Thanks for the comment!
Love your recipes, you're a genius. Do you think the frosting would freeze well? I made the frosting to cover a different cake and have half leftover.
My experience seemed to be much of the same as the others who tried this recipe. My chocolate cake also split in the middle and caused my top layer to slide, even when chilled. I make wedding cakes for a living and they are all from scratch, I know I didn't over or under bake it. I also found it to be a tad bit too bitter for my tastes. However, the pumpkin cakes were so delicious and moist. The caramel was beautiful but the vanilla taste was very over powering, I made a second batch with no vanilla and combined them and it was fine. The cream cheese filling was very delicious and the dark frosting turned out beautiful and shiny but none of my family would eat it. I love dark chocolate and treats made with it but this was just a little too overpowering. There was too much going on in the cake and just didn't work well together. It made for a pretty cake sliced but next time I would opt for just the pumpkin layer with cream cheese and caramel. I do love all of your recipes and I love trying new things so it was fun anyways!
Sorry to hear that, Amber. I personally love the combination, but of course it's totally personal preference. I didn't experience splitting of the chocolate cake, but a few people have, so I've reduced the vegetable oil to create a less fragile cake. For the caramel, I do enjoy the full teaspoon of vanilla in there, but just in cast others find that too much, I've reduce it as well. Thanks for your comments!
How much vanilla in the chocolate layer? Vanilla is mentioned in the instructions but not in the ingredients. Also how is the cake pan prepared for the chocolate layer?
Hi Rosie! I am a HUGE fan of yours! Your raspberry chocolate ganache (freezer-box style) cake is absolutely heavenly! My favorite cake I've ever eaten, I believe.
However, I've had a really hard time baking your cake recipes at my high altitude of 4700 feet. I'm hoping you've heard from other fans of your blog with tips on how to alter your recipes so they will work at high altitude? It KILLS me not to be able to make your fabulous cake recipes! Any tips or alterations would be SOOOOO appreciated!
Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic yummy ideas with the world!
oh my gosh… I saw this and knew I had to make it….then BAKED referred back to it and I just could not wait.. I made it for a coworkers last day…While I am well known as the unit baker.. there was an uprising for more cake…even the security guards were calling me on my next night shift… it was AH-MAZ-ING!
This cake is completely beautiful, and I imagine it tastes as good as it looks. I have to try it out.
This is an eye-catching cake! I am so interested to do it but i think there's a lot of ingredients needed. Is there any alternative ingredients for this? Thank you.
I'm going to try this for Thanksgiving. It looks terrific. My question is about the chocolate cake, which calls for mixing room temperature buttermilk, hot coffee and egg. The hot coffee doesn't curdle the egg? Can I use room temperature coffee instead to minimize the risk? Or is there so much buttermilk that the heat of the coffee is not an issue? Thanks very much.
When it's at room temperature and completely cooled it will be on the hard side. If you microwave for say 10 seconds and stir, it will reach a spreadable consistency. Hope this helps!
Ok great thank you. I was just wondering if it will get hardened once I spread it .. since it will cool down then also. I get the moisture from layers around it will not let it harden.
Today is cakes baking time and cream cheese frosting time! Caramel done and Glossy Dark Chocolate Frosting done .. cake to be shared/eaten on Saturday.
Thank you for all your guidance/help and the wonderful recipe and the very detailed way in which you list everything out.
I made this cake last weekend and brought it to work. It was gone by Tuesday morning. It came out perfectly. I thought the flavors worked extremely well together. Dark choc frosting with the cocoa Barry was grat!
Questa torta la dovevo proprio provare!! Non solo è bellissima, ma la ricetta perfetta! E' uscita bellissima e buonissima. Grazie e complimenti.
About how many people would you say this cake serves?
Tried the pumpkin spice layer as cupcakes and they turned out AMAZING!!! Topped them with a fresh pumpkin spice and vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream. It has a nice domed top when filling a little over 2/3 full, which is what I prefer. It made 20 cupcakes but if you didn't fill as full I'm sure you could squeeze out 24. Thank you for the perfect pumpkin spice cupcake!!!
I made the chocolate frosting and it doesn't seem firm enough. It has been chilling for 24 hrs. I haven't constructed the cake yet but the frosting looks like it might slide off the cake. Any suggestions to thicken it?
Hello! Your cake is so beautiful! My daughter pronounced that this chocolate frosting recipe was "perfect". I am wondering what I did wrong, however. I chilled the frosting overnight, but it is sliding off the cake now that I've frosted it. Did I somehow measure incorrectly? Is this a symptom of too much liquid?
This cake was great . thank you again! I happened to have the dark cocoa powder and the frosting turned out just like your pictures. My only stumbling block was the caramel. Next time I guess I will cook it less .. not wait till it reaches 248 deg . . maybe stop at 230? Thank you Rosie.
This is an amazing cake, Rosie! Just started my second one for a surprise birthday cake; the first one was a real wowzier (and before you posted any adjustments).
I made this cake for my sister's birthday and it was a hit!! First everyone said how beautiful this cake was and they couldn't believe that there is no food coloring in it. After they tasted it, they were raving about it the rest of the night. Everyone loved the great flavors and that it is so super moist.
Just made this cake for a Christmas party. It was a fun night of baking and assembling to get it all together. The dark chocolate frosting and pumpkin spice layers were absolutely to die for. I have left over frosting that I plan on using as a thin layer on brownies. If I were to make it again, I would omit the caramel and the chocolate cake layer. It looked pretty with the contrasting color, but the chocolate cake flavor got lost amongst everything else going on and wasn't worth the extra effort. Additionally, the caramel was a little too sweet and overpowering (and I even cut down the sugar in the cream cheese frosting by half a cup AND only used half the caramel).
Definitely a fun project either way!
Made the cake for New Year's Eve/Day family celebration. Your recipe was spot on and worked perfectly. Everyone was impressed and delighted with the cake and the baker. Thank you!
Just made this cake tonight and it's amazing! The flavors in the pumpkin spice cake are spot on – I've never had a pumpkin cake as good as this one. I ended up baking the chocolate cake for 40 minutes and the pumpkin for 30 minutes. Also, I baked a crunch layer into each cake (following the Pumpkin Crunch Cake from "Ask Chef Dennis"). Delicious!
This cake is fantastic! I actually baked it correctly the first time and had no problems. All of your recipes are really well. I use a chocolate cake of yours as my go-to chocolate cake. Keep on posting!
Would love to try make this cake, looks amazing!
Hi Rosie, this cake looks so amazing. I'm going to make this for my mum's 60th birthday party next week… fingers crossed it all works out as I need to make two of these cakes to feed the hordes!
What temperature does the oven need to be for the pumpkin cake? Sorry if you've already answered this elsewhere, but I couldn't any mention of it when I searched the page.
Also, being in Australia, we don't have canned pumpkin. I made the purée tonight and froze it, but I think I might end up being a 1/4 cup short of what I need – I don't really want to have to purée another whole pumpkin. Do you have any ideas for Any substitutes I could use to make up for my pumpkin shortage?
One last question (I promise!)… do you think I could make either of these cakes ahead of time and freeze them?
Just wondering if the chocolate and pumpkin layers can be frozen. I mean individually, and then of course defrosted prior to assembling the cake?
Love this!!! Great flavors! My only problem is the caramel is soooo stiff I can barely cut thru the layers! Anyone else run into this!
Hi Rosie – I made this cake over the weekend for my girlfriend's Halloween party. It was a hit!!!! Visually stunning! moist, I couldn't stop eating the frosting and the cream cheese choc chip filling – OMG!!!!
the only thing is that the frosting didn't firm up that much. I'm not sure what happened.I followed the instructions.
I made the caramel for this cake today and it is not spreadable at all at room temperature. Not sure what I did wrong. Any thoughts?
Question: Is the frosting black or is it so super dark chocolate that big looks black?!
For the frosting you mean a cup and a half of confectioners sugar? Or granulated?
Made this last weekend and there was only one word for it – awesome!!!!!! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
This sounds like an amazing cake! I'd like to make a variation on it, instead of two layers of the pumpkin spice make it chocolate, red velvet, and pumpkin spice. Based off your recipe, to be able to do this would I have to just cut the ingredients for the pumpkin layers in half?
I haven't made this cake in its entirety, but I have used the pumpkin cake recipe and it's so good! I love its texture. Thank you!


text:
重要猶太藝術呈獻知名私人收藏
Haftarah Scroll, [Germany: second half of the 18th century]
10,000 — 15,000
拍品已售	11,875 美元 成交價 (含買家佣金)
2018年12月19日 | 上午 10:00 EST
Sharon Mintz
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Senior International Specialist
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John D. Ward
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Kevin Tierney
Senior Consultant, Silver
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Annelouise Finn
Sale Coordinator
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Emily Carney
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Scroll of 12 membranes (14 5/8 in. x approx. 32 ft.; 372 mm x approx. 9 3/4 m) made of parchment; written in Ashkenazic Beit yosef script in dark brown ink with three to six columns per membrane (membrane widths ranging from approx. 24 4/5 to 35 2/5 in.; 630 to 900 mm) (total: 59 columns) and forty-one lines per column (except columns 18-19 on membrane 4, which have forty-two lines); horizontally and vertically ruled in hardpoint on the recto; justification of lines via dilation or contraction of final letters (average justification: 12 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.; 327 x 135 mm); complete Tiberian vocalization and accentuation of text throughout, with kerei written in the margins; unvocalized rubrics at the start of new haftarot; some corrections in a later hand. Enlarged incipits; four dots arranged in the shape of a diamond used to indicate the close of a haftarah; the Songs of Deborah (columns 12-14 on membrane 3) and of David (column 41 on membrane 8 and column 42 on membrane 9) are laid out to look like brickwork (ariah al gabbei levenah). Slight scattered staining and/or discoloration; ink episodically faded; parchment intermittently thin and translucent; sinews between most of the membranes loose at head or foot (see especially the joints between membranes 2 and 3 and between 8 and 9); tear in the middle of membrane 6 repaired; mold damage at foot of membranes 8-9; small holes at front and rear where scroll was once attached to rollers (at rear, remnants of the threads used).
An unusually early Ashkenazic witness to an ancient custom.
While its origins remain obscure, the practice of reading a haftarah (lection from the Prophets) to conclude the public Torah reading service in the synagogue dates back at least to the end of the Second Temple period. Rabbinic literature (see tMegillah 4:1 and bMegillah 31a) prescribes some, but not all, of the portions to be read, which is likely the reason for the differences in customs among the various rites down to the present day.
In antiquity, haftarot were read from parchment scrolls like the ones used during the Torah reading service. With the gradual adoption of the codex, many communities, particularly in Christian lands, switched over to this new book technology for reading the haftarot; some, however, maintained an ancient tradition according to which the lections were copied from the various books of the Prophets into a single parchment (sometimes paper) scroll. This sefer aftarta (at times referred to as a sifra de-aftarta), whose use was ultimately sanctioned after some controversy (see bGittin 60a), has remained popular among Eastern Jews and select Ashkenazic communities into modern times.
The earliest haftarah scrolls that have come down to us were discovered in the Cairo Genizah. Perhaps the first mention of the practice to write haftarot in scroll form in Germany specifically can be found in Rabbeinu Gershom ben Judah Me'or ha-Golah's (ca. 960-1028) comments to bBava batra 13b, s.v. ella be-kerekh ehad. Over the following centuries, a long line of Ashkenazic rabbinic authorities discussed the sefer aftarta in their halakhic discourses, though its use seems, with time, to have become limited to Western German communities.
The present lot is a rare, relatively early Ashkenazic exemplar (according to a note at the front of the scroll, an inscription on the original wooden rollers, now lacking, dated it to 1762). Based on the haftarot included here, it may have been produced in Frankfurt am Main or another German community that followed a similar rite. Some of its more distinctive features are as follows: for Parashat va-yetse, it gives two options (Hos. 11:7-12:12 and 12:13-14:10), saying that most communities read the latter; for Parashat mi-kets, there is a note about what to read when it coincides with Hanukkah but no haftarah text is given for when it does not; the haftarot for Parashiyyot aharei mot and Kedoshim are taken from Ezek. 22:1-19 and Amos 9:7-15, respectively; the haftarah for Parashat va-yelekh is the same as that for public fast days (Isa. 55:6-56:8); on the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the haftarah skips Hos. 2:11-14; on the Sabbath that falls during the intermediate days of Passover, Ezek. 36:37-37:17 is read; on the second day of Shavuot, the haftarah begins at Hab. 3:1; and on Shemini Atseret, it ends at I Kings 8:66.
Sotheby's is grateful to David Roth for providing information that aided in the cataloging of this manuscript.
Nathan Fried, "The Hafṭaroth of T.-S. B 17, 25," Textus 3 (1963): 128-129.
Nathan Fried, "Some Further Notes on Hafṭaroth Scrolls," Textus 6 (1968): 118-126.
Benjamin Solomon Hamburger, Shoreshei minhag ashkenaz, vol. 3 (Bnei Brak: Mekhon Moreshet Ashkenaz, 2002), 112-228.
Israel Yeivin, "A Palestinian Fragment of Hafṭaroth and Other MSS with Mixed Pointing," Textus 3 (1963): 121-127.
Shlomo Yosef Zevin (ed.), Entsiklopedyah talmudit le-inyanei halakhah, vol. 10 (Jerusalem: Entsiklopedyah Talmudit, 1995), cols. [1]-32, [701]-728.
估價 10,000 — 15,000
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text:
Spain's News
Spanish News in English
Robots and job destruction, an unresolved equation | Economy
The relationship between productivity, technology and employment is not new, but has traversed the history of modern economies. The fears of the Luddites were overcome by economic growth that generated many more jobs than it destroyed. However, interest in this relationship has intensified in recent years due to the speed and depth of the fourth industrial revolution. Although it was Jeremy Rifkin who, in 1997, initially warned about the end of work, the first systematic estimate on the impact of automation on jobs was proposed in 2013 by Frey and Osborne, noting that, for the United States, the percentage of jobs with automation risk it would reach 47% of the total, over a 20-year horizon. Using their methodology, different studies have estimated for Spain a potential for automating their employment close to 45% of their active population.
After this pioneering initiative, there have been many who have tried to specify this quantification. Thus, the World Economic Forum pointed out that, with a much more limited horizon – five years–, the world's leading economies would lose up to seven million jobs, of which two would be recovered through new trades. The resulting balance is five million, which accounts for about 0.3% of total jobs in the economies analyzed. The OECD, meanwhile, and based on the levels of labor qualification, pointed out that the risk of automation depended largely on the characteristics of each territory, going from 40% in some regions of Eastern Europe to 4% in areas where qualified employment is the norm, like the region surrounding Oslo, in Norway. Based on data from Spain, the OECD indicates an automation risk that reaches 20% of the population and that an additional 30% will face significant changes in their employment model.
These long-term forecasts, based on technological aspects, do not take into account that automation processes also depend on legal, cultural or financial dimensions. These factors change the equation and more recent studies reduce the numbers of employed population at risk, to levels close to 9% in the United States, as is the case of the estimate made by Arntz in 2017. In fact, according to a study by Koch, Manuylov and Smolka for the Spanish case, when we examine the impact of automation at the company level, the firms that have most opted to automate their processes not only have not lost jobs, but have increased their workforce by over 10% since 1995 , conclusion that corroborates a recent study of think tank Bruegel for the regions of the European Union.
Thus, so far, the risk for employment is not in robotization, but in non-robotization. What the evidence already explains is that digitalization actively contributes to the polarization of the labor market, making intermediate positions disappear to concentrate job creation in positions of high qualification and productivity, where digitalization has not yet reached the required levels, and in low-skilled positions, where the salary cost is below the cost of automation. Thes middle class jobs, andThe gap between these two poles are the ones that are suffering the most from the consequences of automation. And with them, the participation of wages in the distribution of income between capital and labor. Rather than thinking about what jobs will survive the new industrial revolution, we must reflect on what work will be like in the new era.
José Moisés Martín Carretero is an economist
Tags: be, destruction, duty [ t] reflect, employment, equation, industrial, new, revolution, Robots, solve, survive, think, was, work
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text:
Q: How to find out out the total rows and show/hide a column value in iReport  I am using iReport 4.5
What I am trying to do is to show/hide the column value of the first and last column value something like the following...
Pet | Name

*

*{empty}    Ben

*Dog        Bill

*Cat        Sophie

*Cat        {empty}

Does anyone know how I can do this?
I have read about printWhenExpression but not sure how to get in advance the row count in my table?
Thanks in advance

A: You should find it very easy to hide the first pet. Use a standard Print When Expression. Something like this:
$V{REPORT_COUNT} > 1 ? $F{Pet} : ""

Hiding the last element is harder. Refer to this answer.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Why Members and Subscribers Are Critical for Your Recovery Strategy (DATA)
Data suggests that members and subscribers may be particularly important target audiences upon reopening. Here's why.
We have a great deal of data and potentially critical information coming in right now alongside analysis to inform recovery strategies for cultural entities upon reopening. To that end, we've decided to publish this Friday special featuring a new Fast Facts video.
As states slowly begin to relax stay-at-home orders and the potential for opening doors to cultural institutions moves closer on the horizon, cultural organizations are asking us what audiences they should be targeting to maximize their recovery and stabilize their finances. Given that most organizations' wallets may be a whole lot thinner than they were pre-COVID, these are critical questions.
Reopening doors without a clear and efficient (but flexible) audience engagement strategy risks even more lost funds. "Let's open the doors and see what happens" risks losing opportunities to set entities up for successful and expedient recovery. It's imperative that organizations make strategic engagement decisions. This may be especially true for those organizations imposing entrance limits in order to promote social distancing onsite.
On Wednesday, we shared (potentially uncomfortable but important) data about why higher-income visitors are particularly efficient targets as entities devise engagement strategies to recover. That article set the foundation for more data we have coming down the pipeline. Because we are in the midst of a recession, financial situations are changing for some audience members. But remember that the financial situation has changed for cultural institutions, too. Many are in "survival mode" and in desperate need of funds to support operations, bring back staff, and carry out their missions.
There's a key group of constituents data suggests may be especially important for recovery:
Members and subscribers.
Prior to COVID-19, members and subscribers were already arguably more important to sustainable operations than ever before. This may be especially the case upon reopening and afterward. Here are three data-informed realities regarding members and subscribers that make them particularly worthy of attention during this uncertain time in which finding stable organizational footing is paramount:
1) Members and subscribers are generally already advocates – and entities will need that support upon reopening
Members and subscribers are a cultural organization's greatest potential advocates. Their onsite satisfaction and perceptions about the institutions to which they belong differ from those of general visitors. They're better.
This video doesn't mention COVID-19 because it was filmed just before the virus was spreading throughout the United States (that we were aware of at the time, at least). Knowing how member and subscriber onsite experiences differed from other guests when entities were last open informs audience engagement strategies upon reopening. The data underscores a unique benefit attendant to member and subscriber perceptions.
(I'm not looking nearly this fancy in quarantine, though. That's definitely changed in the short time since filming.)
IMPACTS surveyed members and non-members to 18 cultural organizations in the United States. This includes both exhibit-based entities (think museums) and performance-based entities (think theaters).
Right off the bat, we see that members/subscribers have higher onsite satisfaction than non-members/non-subscribers. In these scalar variable metrics, a jump of only 2 points is statistically significant and worthy of note. A jump of 4 is a big difference!
These higher scores matter because satisfaction correlates with the likelihood to endorse an organization. What people say about your organization is significantly more impactful in building your reputation – and thus, motivating attendance – than what your organization says about itself. Your members and subscribers probably like your organization, and leveraging the people who like your organization can have big returns on support and motivating other people to attend.
And it's not just visitor satisfaction that's higher! Members and subscribers rate the educational experience higher than regular visitors. They also report better admission value, better perceptions of crowd control, and better parking experiences.
Members and subscribers are a self-identified group of advocates who generally like the organizations to which they belong. Their increases in onsite satisfaction and guest experience metrics can have a big impact on the likelihood to positively endorse an organization.
Among members, those for whom your mission matters have the highest satisfaction of all. For most people, your mission is a draw to sign up in the first place. (Data shows that it's not only free admission that plays a role.)
When entities reopen, they'll benefit from the endorsements of the people who cherish them most. In our members and subscribers, we have a concentrated group of people to whom we've already appealed, who generally know what we offer and why it matters, and who have better onsite experiences. This is a critical group to reengage.
An important bonus: We already have their contact information and know who they are.
2) Lapsed members and subscribers intend to renew when they next visit
Or, at least some of them. The top reason (by far) why guests do not renew their memberships and subscriptions is that they intend to do it when they next visit. The data below contemplates 2,688 members and subscribers to cultural organizations who had not renewed their memberships in two years, cut for the first quarter of 2020. The blue bar indicates lapsed subscribers to performing arts institutions, and the orange bar indicates lapsed members to exhibit-based institutions.
The reasons members failed to renew their memberships have been populated by a lexical analysis process whereby responses to open-ended questions help establish the range of non-renewal options. In other words, we did not frame responses by proposing a series "I intend to renew when I next visit" multiple choices. Instead, the nine reasons for non-renewal indicated above derive from actual member feedback.
The data is in index values. An index value shows proportionality around a mean, and values over 100 are more important than those under 100. This is a helpful way to display data. For instance, it shows that simply intending to renew when one next visits is a 2.76x bigger reason for the lapse than a member's changing interest or priorities for exhibit-based organizations. It's a 2.21x bigger factor for performing arts organizations.
Because this chart represents the first quarter of 2020, it includes samples collected after the national emergency was declared on March 13th. Approximately 17% of the sample included represents the pandemic shutdown period. This may have negatively impacted renewal intent-related numbers. This said, intending to renew when they next visit remains and is consistently the top reason why memberships are not renewed, as you can see in the data for this same time last year. They need to be targeted much like other kinds of visitors so that the organization remains top of mind. Remember: These folks intend to renew when they next visit, but they haven't visited in the last two years. Encouraging their membership renewal may be synonymous with encouraging attendance.
This data matters right now because it illustrates that there is potential to capture lapsed members and subscribers as well, and they may share similar affinities to current members if they can be encouraged to reengage soon after reopening.
3) Members/subscribers are particularly valuable from a revenue standpoint, and that is critical right now
Why all the fuss about members? Because not only are they our advocates, but they contribute critical monetary support as well. After being closed for weeks – if not months – cultural institutions may find themselves in "survival mode" and aiming to figure out how to sustain themselves in this new environment with significant lost revenues due to closures.
Over a ten-year duration, IMPACTS examined 18 cultural organizations that have paid admission as well as a membership fee. (None of these entities had free admission or a free membership program.) This group of organizations includes museums, zoos, aquariums, and botanic gardens, among others. We found that a member of an exhibit-based institution has a 4.5x greater monetary value to the cultural organization than a visitor.
This isn't at all to imply that visitors don't matter. Of course they do! They matter a lot! It's just that, from both a revenue and an advocate standpoint, members are particularly meaningful at this key juncture.
This video (not as hot-from-the-production-partner as the first) provides an overview of the analysis:
In many ways, members and subscribers were our champions prior to COVID-19. A goal may be to keep them engaged and encourage their attendance so that they may remain our champions upon reopening as well.
There may be creative opportunities to welcome members and subscribers and strengthen this relationship. This may involve inviting them exclusively to the early phases of reopening (and showing off your safety measures to ensure positive earned endorsement). It may mean special hours for members, exclusive content to strengthen the relationship prior to reopening, or a whole host of other ideas.
As organizations devise strategies to rebuild and maximize revenues, these champions may be a particularly important asset. But as we've seen, just because they are members doesn't mean they will visit even during a non-pandemic time period. They may need to be reminded of your important work and the value of their support.
During this time, it may help to think of members and subscribers – and particularly those who are mission-motivated – as our advocates and supporters. Becoming a member is the top way that people believe they can support an organization's mission – even more than donating.
In discussing the importance of these audiences, my colleague Jim Hekkers said it succinctly: "When you're in trouble, you turn to your friends."
Members and subscribers or not, the people who believe you matter, matter.
Here are the COVID-19 data insights for cultural entities that we've published thus far. Don't want to miss an update? Subscribe here to get the most recent data and analysis in your inbox.
Why Effective Membership Programs Are More Important Than Ever Before (DATA)
Business Insights, Fundraising & Membership
Crunching The Numbers – Just How Valuable Are Your Members? (DATA)
Education, Age, Income: How Members and Subscribers Differ From General Attendees (DATA)
Members and Subscribers Are More Likely to Vote. Here's Why This Matters (DATA)
Member and Subscriber Renewals Are Down – But Don't Panic Just Yet (DATA)
COVID-19 Updates, Fundraising & Membership
Mission-Motivated Members Find Greater Value in Their Memberships (DATA)


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


TCR-prepped Golf wins at its debut race.
The race Golf we reported about last week made headlines by winning its debut race, claiming its first victory at the Touringcar Racer International Series (TCR) in Austria.
A Golf for the racetrack.
This TCR-ready (Touringcar Racer International Series) Golf concept is one mean wide-bodied hatchback on steroids.
Touring Cars Are Coming To Singapore!


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Turbanlilja (Lilium chalcedonicum) är en art i familjen liljeväxter. Den förekommer i västra Grekland. Arten odlas ibland som trädgårdsväxt i Sverige.

Turbanlilja är en flerårig ört med lök och blir 80-200 cm. Löken är ca 6 cm i diameter, äggrund till klotrund och har gulaktiga lökfjäll. Bladen är strödda, smalt lansettlika, utstående från stjälken på nedre delen av stammen, de övre bladen är kortare och tryckta mot stjälken, som tegelpannor. Blommorna är ensamma, eller sitter upp till 10 i en klase. De är nickande. Hyllebladen är tjocka, glänsande, starkt tillbakarullade, djupt mandarinröda till brunröda, endast i undantagasfall med svarta prickar. Arten blommar i juli-augusti.

De sydliga populationerna är mer högväxta, har glesare blad och färre blommor. Dessa urskiljs ibland som underarten subsp. heldreichii.

Hybrider

Hybriden med madonnalilja (L. candidum) har fått namnet isabell-lilja (L. ×testaceum).

Synonymer

Lilium byzantinum Duch.

Lilium carniolicum Heldr. ex Freyn

Lilium chalcedonicum subsp. heldreichii (Freyn) K.Richt.

Lilium chalcedonicum var. maculatum Constable

Lilium heldreichii Freyn

Lilium miniatum Salisb.

Referenser

Noter

Webbkällor

Liljeväxter

Tu Växtindex

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Table Rock Lake part 2 ↠ Sweet sunshine.
The last two days of our trip to Table Rock Lake were (thankfully) full of wonderful sunshine and I made sure to enjoy every minute I could soaking up the much needed vitamin D. There just hasn't been enough sun here in Kansas lately for my taste (as I'm typing this it's a gloomy day with even a bit of snow falling here in KS) and I intended to get my fill of it while I could.
If you missed part 1 of the lake pictures, the rainy part of our trip, can be found here.


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Q: Custom (raw) queries in Spring Data JPA I am using custom queries in JPA, it doesn't let me use interval keyword. It gives correct output if I do not use - interval '7 days' in the query.
Exception says:
Caused by: org.hibernate.hql.internal.ast.QuerySyntaxException: unexpected token: interval near line 1, column 214
       @Query("select d from DomainName d , DomainNameReminder dr, Reseller  r"+
        " where d.reminder.id = dr.id  "+
        " and dr.secondNotification=current_date - interval '7 days' "+
        " and r.checkParty=true "+
        " and r.id = d.invoicingParty.id ")
        public List<Object> findDomainsBySecondNotificationDate();

This query basically brings all the records that are having second notification date 7 days before today.
My interface is declared as
public interface DomainNameRepository extends JpaRepository<DomainName, Long>,
QueryDslPredicateExecutor<DomainName> {

My query is giving correct output in pgadmin postgresql client, I am pretty surprised why can't I use keywords here.

A: This solved my issue.
I used nativeQuery=true and used the query that I executed in postgresql. Thought to share with others too.
@Query( nativeQuery = true, value = "select domain_name.* from domain_name, domain_name_reminder, reseller " +
        "where domain_name.reminder_id = domain_name_reminder.id " +
        "and domain_name_reminder.second_notification=current_date - interval ':totalDays days' " +
        "and reseller.myCheck=true " +
        "and reseller.id = domain_name.invoicing_party_id ")
public List<DomainName> findDomainsBySecondNotificationDate(@Param("totalDays")Integer totalDays);


Last week interns from Canada and and the UK have received training from different organizations in Namibia that work on developing youth in low income communities through Sport. Organizations that gave training and presentations also included P.A.Y. Namibia, Frank Fredericks Foundation, Score, and Special Olympics Africa. Mary-Jeanne Ndimbira, co-founder and Technical Advisor to PAY Namibia, Keva J. Richardson Academic Officer at PAY Namibia, Wilhelmina Shiikwa former Programme Coordinator at P.A.Y. Namibia, Juanita Gouws Coach at Special Olympics Africa, Raymond and Hulda, coaches at Score, Stay-C Namases from Frank Fredericks Foundation were among the speakers. They briefed the interns on their respective organizations letting them know who they are, how the establishment of each organization came about and why they do what they do. The volunteers are ready to kick off their activities this Monday.
The training was done in a very productive and open environment where interns were able to have open sessions with hosts were they were able to freely confer their expectations, fears and personal aims. Various topics such as History, Health and Safety, Communication and Cultural Understanding were discussed to give the interns a better perspective and understanding on where the students are coming from and what situations to expect for the next eight weeks.
The two days left the interns with a great feeling of expectation and excitement: "A great place to be working, everyone is really welcoming", says Will from the UK who will be working in the sports department to help teach and support lessons at P.A.Y. Namibia. Maxie says she felt instant connection and an overwhelming sense of community from the moment she entered PAY centre: "Even during our orientation session I felt fully supported in the endeavour I was about to embark on. But meeting the kids was the high point and it is because of them that my dedication and connection to the organisation intensified tenfold because now I am becoming a part of something bigger than myself." Khaleeq is equally overwhelmed "by the kindness and energy of all the people I have met. I am so excited and truly grateful for the chance to be here this summer (i.e. winter :) and can't wait to meet the rest of the students and staff I'll be working with".
New volunteers will be coming to P.A.Y. in Katutura every day from 10am to 5pm and will support our programme until end of July. We are thrilled to have you guys!